For some reason, Fang Jie always felt a huge difference between the Taiji Palace in winter and in summer. The first time he entered the Taiji Palace, it wasn't even early summer, yet the palace was already lush with greenery and adorned with vibrant flowers, the vast palace exuding a lively energy. But the Taiji Palace in winter was too somber.
Even the emperor, who hadn't slept all night, still held morning court. Compared to the previous emperor who often skipped court to rest, this Emperor Tianyou was astonishingly diligent. For eleven years, regardless of wind or rain, he had never missed a morning court session. If it weren't for the empress's earnest persuasion, this emperor had even considered holding evening court sessions.
He seemed like a machine rather than a person, tireless.
Those waiting to be received by the emperor were in a row of small houses not far from the East Warm Pavilion. Compared to the majestic Taiji Palace, this row of three-room houses looked like a low mound. Two adjacent rooms were where the officials waiting for His Majesty to finish court rested, and the other was where the eunuchs rested. The high-ranking officials of the capital were all in the main hall, so those waiting here were either local officials coming to the capital to report on their duties, or people without real power but bearing prestigious titles.
When Fang Jie entered, he politely greeted everyone, introducing himself as a student. Those who saw that Fang Jie wasn't wearing official robes often looked down on him. Not everyone could recognize the uniform of the Martial Arts Academy. Fang Jie found a secluded spot, distancing himself from those who were huddled together, openly or subtly boasting about themselves.
There were about four or five people waiting in the room, all seated on chairs. So, Fang Jie, sitting alone on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), even though he was in a corner, still stood out. Those people gave him a look that said, "Why sit on a cold, hard, uncomfortable kang when there are chairs available?"
Fang Jie ignored their disdain and simply took off his boots and sat down comfortably on the kang. Sitting cross-legged against the wall, Fang Jie's unseemly posture only made the others dislike him more. Feeling the warm comfort of the heated kang bed beneath him, Fang Jie couldn't help but let out a soft, comfortable groan.
There was a low table on the kang, with several plates of dried fruit, a teapot, and a few cups, but none of the men in their official robes touched them. Perhaps in their eyes, drinking tea and eating dried fruit during such a solemn and grand audience with His Majesty was disrespectful.
The room fell silent as they watched Fang Jie's actions. But soon they withdrew their contemptuous glances, ignoring this ignorant and uncultured bumpkin, and continued their conversation about their main topics: their ancestors' achievements and their prestige in the region.
Just as their conversation was getting into place, a grating, creaking sound suddenly rang out. They looked disapprovingly at the boy sitting alone on the earthen bed, and were surprised to find that he had pulled the low table on the bed in front of them. First, he poured himself a cup of tea, then began eating the dried fruit as if no one else was there.
How rude!
The four or five men couldn't help but glare at Fang Jie, as if he were a newly hired servant in their own family compound.
But, mindful of their status, they naturally wouldn't bother with a boy in a cotton robe. They glared for a while, then muttered a few curses in very low voices before returning to their previous topic. But they found it impossible to continue. The boy had placed the hard-shelled dried fruit on the table and then tapped it lightly with his index finger, easily crushing each fruit with each tap.
The cracking sound was so repulsive that the men sitting upright exchanged glances. They all seemed to dislike this boy who had somehow infiltrated their group. They stopped talking and began to stare at the boy with angry eyes, perhaps hoping he would realize his mistake.
Unfortunately, he continued eating as if no one else was there.
He even smacked his lips!
So rude! So ignorant of manners!
"Do you think this is your home?"
A middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a county viscount finally couldn't take it anymore. He looked at Fang Jie coldly and asked, "Taking off your boots in front of others is already rude, but sitting cross-legged on a kang (heated brick bed) is something only a country bumpkin would do. This is the palace, the birthplace of all etiquette and moral education. If this is your first time in the palace, I will teach you what manners are."
"Oh."
Fang Jie gave a curt "Oh" and continued eating his dried fruit: "Do you really think that sitting cross-legged on a kang is something only a country bumpkin would do?"
"Of course!"
The man stood up and hugged… The man clasped his hands and said, "This is the Taiji Palace of the Great Sui Dynasty, His Majesty's residence. Although I don't know how you got in, since you're here, you should behave yourself. If you don't know the rules, you can observe how others behave, hmph!"
Fang Jie chuckled and looked up, asking, "Sir, is this your first time in the capital?"
"I...how could that be!"
The man said, "My family has received imperial favor for generations; how could this be my first time in the capital!"
"Oh."
Fang Jie smiled, lowered his head to drink tea and eat dried fruit: "Good luck."
The county magistrate was taken aback, finding the young man's words inexplicable.
...
...
Chen Bolai, the county magistrate of Yuncheng, was extremely nervous, so nervous that his teeth chattered incessantly as he spoke. He kept his head down, not daring to raise it, large beads of sweat dripping down his chin. His hands were neatly placed at his sides, but they trembled violently.
The East Warm Pavilion was indeed warm, but not to the point of making one sweat profusely.
Chen Bolai's ancestors had followed General Li Xiao in pacifying Jiangnan and had made considerable contributions. After the war, they were granted the hereditary title of Viscount, but the Chen family had already lost its status decades ago, and by his generation, it was even worse; not a single member held an official position.
He inherited the title and lived a slightly better life, but the only decent clothing he had was this Viscount's robes. Although he was supported by the common people, the family had grown increasingly large over the past century, and the unchanging fiefdom was long beyond their means. If it weren't for the recent campaign in the Northwest, and His Majesty's intention to find some descendants of meritorious officials of the Sui Dynasty for publicity, he feared he would never have a chance to enter Chang'an or the Taiji Palace.
Chen Bolai looked down at his toes, his face contorted with fear.
If time could turn back, the first thing he would do was to go back half an hour and take back what he had said. "Only village women sit cross-legged on an earthen bed to talk," he said. Half an hour later, he saw the Emperor sitting cross-legged on the bed, eating snacks while reading memorials.
"This is impossible!"
Although Chen Bolai's family had gradually declined, they still seemed like a proud rooster in the eyes of ordinary people. He always made sure his clothes were perfectly ironed before he went out, maintaining the demeanor expected of a viscount. He assumed that the nobles in Chang'an, thousands of miles away, did the same.
But today he realized he was utterly wrong.
"The Emperor… how could the Emperor sit cross-legged on an earthen bed, eating, reviewing memorials, and receiving ministers all at the same time? He even took off his boots and smacked his lips while eating! This is simply… this is completely contrary to the etiquette and moral principles of the Sui Dynasty!" "The Ministry of Rites will arrange for you to visit the military camps and recount the achievements of your ancestors. Later, you'll also have to speak at the banquet for the officials; the Ministry of Rites will teach you how to do so. At the banquet, invite some respected gentry among the people and have them mention the Sui Dynasty's past territorial expansion—it will be beneficial."
The Emperor waited a while, but Chen Bolai didn't speak. He looked up and saw that the man was completely stunned and at a loss. He couldn't help but smile and wave his hand, saying, "You sit here for now. Huai Qiugong will teach you when he arrives. Su Buwei, call Fang Jie in."
Su Buwei responded and turned to leave. A short while later, Chen Bolai saw the rude, country bumpkin-like boy walk in. He had heard of Fang Jie's name, but hadn't expected him to be such a person.
"You've gotten a bit fatter," the Emperor said indifferently after Fang Jie bowed.
Fang Jie said, "There's meat at every meal."
The Emperor chuckled, "You've got guts... You've been waiting outside for quite a while now, aren't you hungry?"
He pointed to the plate of pastries in front of him and said, "Take these and eat them."
Fang Jie hesitated for a moment, then the Emperor looked up at him again, "What? You're complaining about my food?"
"No... it's not enough."
Fang Jie said shamelessly.
The Emperor laughed even more heartily, and ordered, "Su Buwei, go get some more pastries. Chen Bo and the others must be hungry too, they can eat here."
Su Buwei gave Fang Jie an approving look and nodded slightly. Because of the war in the Northwest, His Majesty had been in a very bad mood since yesterday. He hadn't expected this young man to be able to soothe His Majesty's spirits so quickly. He ordered someone to bring the pastries, and Fang Jie, without any restraint, stepped forward and picked up the plate the Emperor had pointed to, wolfing down the food without any regard for etiquette. Chen Bolai was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to eat or not, staring dumbfounded at Fang Jie.
"You're wrong," the Emperor said, putting down his memorial and looking at Fang Jie's extremely uncouth eating manners. Hearing this, Chen Bolai was secretly pleased, thinking that the Emperor ultimately couldn't stand this kind of eating; it was clearly something only a wild child would do.
"Lotus seed paste cakes should be eaten last," the Emperor said seriously.
"The only sweet thing on this plate is the lotus seed paste cake. Don't you even understand the principle that desserts should be eaten after meals? And look, the best part of this shrimp pastry isn't the shrimp inside, but the outer skin! You idiot who can't eat properly, you've thrown it all away! You've been in the Martial Arts Academy for over half a year, how come you haven't learned anything like this?!"
His accusations were so righteous, as if the Martial Arts Academy's main course was supposed to teach how to eat shrimp pastries.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
Fang Jie answered just as earnestly, then shoved the pastry from the plate into his mouth. "Cough cough...it's too dry...Your Majesty, would you grant me a drink of water?"
The Emperor rolled his eyes at him, then pointed to the teapot on the table. Before Su Buwei could have someone fill a cup for him, Fang Jie grabbed the teapot and started chugging it down his throat. Even Su Buwei felt a little uncomfortable and subconsciously glanced at the Emperor.
Fang Jie wiped his mouth, and before the Emperor could speak or Su Buwei could reprimand him, he leaned down and said very earnestly, "How about Your Majesty bestows this teapot upon me? My family is still missing a family heirloom."
"I remember you're an orphan, you don't even have a home yet and you're already searching for a family heirloom?"
The Emperor seemed somewhat displeased. "The Great Sui Dynasty is my home."
Fang Jie straightened up and said matter-of-factly, "I have countless brothers and sisters, all the people are my family. We love each other, and we have a kind yet dignified father who treats all of us brothers and sisters equally and bestows favors upon us all—that is Your Majesty."
"Ah?"
The emperor paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "That's excellent flattery, you deserve a reward!"
Chen Bolai let out a cry of despair in his heart… This… this boy named Fang Jie is just too damn shameless!