Yet, he languished in obscurity at the Hanlin Academy for six long years, only assuming the role of Fifth-Grade Junior Minister at Honglu Temple at the age of twenty-eight. By forty, he had become the teacher of the current Holy Emperor. Later, on his deathbed, the late Emperor promoted him to Minister of Heaven—the head of the Nine Ministers—to assist the current Holy Emperor.
Twenty years had passed since then.
Twenty years was neither a long nor a short time. However, aside from the Minister of Heaven, the other eight ministers in the Imperial Court had been replaced entirely; some positions had even seen multiple changes. For instance, before Chen Xuanji, the position of Minister of War had been held by Luo Yong, Le Yi, Duanmu Yun, and others.
