Firefly Journey

Chapter 264 Chu Ting’s Grand Stage (1)

Lin Yuanran returned to Danyang with the convoy at noon. After getting off the vehicle, he went directly to the East Palace.

This trip to Yunzhou can be considered a successful completion of the mission. Having returned from a long journey, I need to report to the court tomorrow.

Lin Yuanran had no similar experience, so he asked his old classmates in advance to avoid embarrassing himself later.

He showed the jade seal along the way, and no one stopped him. An official seal wasn't that important. However, Lü Jianming had given instructions in advance to inform the people in the mansion about the style of Lin Yuanran's jade seal, and they were to let him pass as soon as they encountered it.

When Lin Yuanran found him, Lü Jianming was feeding fish at the East Palace Water Pavilion.

"Your Highness, we have a guest."

"Okay, I got it... You're kidding me!"

Lu Jianming was half-reclined on the pavilion chair, constantly throwing fish food into the water. Hearing someone come to report, he was casually replying when he noticed that the tone of the voice was off.

Upon closer inspection, he recognized the person in front of him as Alio, who had returned from Yunzhou, and a slight smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Is this interesting?

Lin Yuanran smiled: "As a subject of Chu, it is only reasonable for me to pay my respects to the Crown Prince, isn't it?"

"Come on," Lu Jianming said irritably. "We were classmates, but things aren't like this in St. Louis."

Lin Yuanran stopped teasing and explained the purpose of his visit, asking him about the various etiquettes in the imperial court.

Lü Jianming spoke frankly and without reservation.

The working hours of the ministers in the State of Chu were quite humane. They started work at 8 a.m. and usually left at 11 a.m. if there was nothing else to do. If something important happened, they would stay until the afternoon, but this was generally rare.

We attend court six times a week, leaving one day for everyone to rest. Holidays are paid separately.

The court was held in the Tianqi Hall, which was spacious and could accommodate hundreds of people at the same time.

In reality, not every official could attend the court assembly. Those who could stand in the Tianqi Hall were all high-ranking and powerful officials, with the lowest rank being the third grade.

The etiquette was very simple; it only needed to be performed once during the morning and evening court sessions. It wasn't a grand kneeling ceremony; a slight bow was sufficient, mostly just a formality.

Lin Yuanran was quite surprised by this.

In his original world, he knew a little about the etiquette of ancient dynasties. Those etiquettes were all incredibly complex, some even requiring kneeling and bowing.

In comparison, it's clear that the other world is different; at least it's much more humane.

Yes, the modified version of the ancient feudal dynasty of the Great Xia Dynasty once again confirmed Lin Yuanran's idea.

"Tomorrow is my first time attending court, and your father will definitely ask me about Duan Feibai and my situation in Yunzhou. If I say something wrong, you'll have to take the blame..."

Not long after arriving in the State of Chu, Lin Yuanran met Emperor Zhuang once through Lü Jianming. It was in a side hall for the purpose of bestowing an official title; they had never met on a formal occasion before, and Lin Yuanran naturally did not want to be impolite.

A stranger with no connections was given the position of a third-rank deputy governor. Besides Lü Jianming's strong recommendation, Emperor Zhuang also valued him to some extent.

Although Lin Yuanran was only there to complete the task given to him by Blair and did not genuinely come to the State of Chu to serve as a subject, he should at least try his best to do well in the details in return for the favor.

"That's easy. Shall I get you another chair?"

"That won't be necessary..."

The two chatted idly, and several hours passed before dusk arrived.

Just then, it was lunchtime, and Lü Jianming invited him to stay for dinner. Lin Yuanran accepted without hesitation; he had to admit, the food at the East Palace was excellent, much better than the cafeteria in St. Louis.

"I'm still living in a hotel, I don't have my own residence..."

After finishing his meal, Lin Yuanran said weakly.

"Get lost!" Lü Jianming said with a laugh.

You think you can just use me as a meal ticket? What, that's not enough? You want to live in the Eastern Palace? Dream on!

"Actually, I know that you suddenly came to my Chu Kingdom, saying that you wanted to get an official position. I know you don't really want to be an official."

Lin Yuanran hummed in response and then fell silent, clearly not wanting to explain further.

Lü Jianming said, "I don't need you to give me a reason. I trust you. This poses no danger to the State of Chu."

Lin Yuanran felt a little guilty because Mr. Blair hadn't explained why he was being asked to do this, and he didn't dare to answer for a moment.

……

The next day, around 7 a.m., Lin Yuanran got up, washed up, and then mingled into the crowd of people going to court.

At eight o'clock, Lin Yuanran, following the crowd, successfully entered the Tianqi Hall.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides. Lin Yuanran stood at the end of the left column. He saw a familiar face, Duan Feibai, in the middle. The two greeted each other with their eyes.

A few minutes later, Emperor Zhuang slowly took his seat on the dragon throne in the center.

Lu Jianming's position was special; he was neither on the left nor the right, but in front of the emperor's desk, a privilege reserved for the crown prince.

In the entire Tianqi Hall, besides Emperor Zhuang sitting, there was only one other chair.

That chair was at the very front of Lin Yuanran's row.

Sitting atop the throne was an elderly man with white hair and beard; only Zhao Zheng, the Left Chancellor who had served as tutor to two emperors, could receive such treatment.

Opposite him was another prime minister, Right Prime Minister Du Fufeng, who was positioned furthest to the right.

Good morning, my lords.

Good morning, Your Majesty.

Have you all eaten?

"We have already eaten."

Lin Yuanran, who was just going along with the crowd and pretending to be someone else: "???"

He never expected that the Chu court assembly would be like this.

It feels like... a joke?

He was like this when he was in elementary school...

The class monitor calls for everyone to stand up, and then the students stand up and say hello to the teacher. The teacher returns the greeting and then asks the students to sit down. That's roughly the process.

After the greetings, Emperor Zhuang began his routine question-and-answer session, which consisted mainly of daily government affairs.

Today the Ministry of Revenue spent how much silver, tomorrow how much military pay is planned for the border troops, and the day after tomorrow where a road will be built, etc.

More than an hour later, Emperor Zhuang finally remembered the matter of Yunzhou.

"Yesterday, the two heroes who went to Yunzhou to investigate the courtesan case returned. They did a good job. Tell me, what happened?"

Duan Feibai immediately stepped forward and stood between the two teams. Seeing this, Lin Yuanran also stepped forward.

Emperor Zhuang glanced at the two men, then turned his gaze to the line on the right and said, "Minister Lu, you may come out as well."

From the right-hand queue, a handsome young man with striking eyebrows and bright eyes stepped forward.

Lin Yuanran thought to himself, "This must be Lu Yong, the Vice Minister of War who put righteousness before family."

"Lord Duan, tell me and my colleagues how you punished the powerful families of Yunzhou."

"Yes, ever since I and Lord Maurice arrived in Yunzhou..."

Duan Feibai opened his mouth and gave a general account of his trip to Yunzhou.

Emperor Zhuang nodded in satisfaction: "The two of you are only just past the age of dancing elephants, yet you possess such abilities. It is truly a blessing for our Great Chu!"

Before Duan Feibai and Lin Yuanran could even offer a humble reply, the old man sitting at the very front smiled and said, "Our Great Chu is blessed with beautiful mountains and rivers, and naturally has many talented people. Congratulations, Your Majesty, on having such a virtuous minister! The future of Great Chu is bright!"

After Zhao Zheng finished speaking, a chorus of agreement immediately rang out.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! With such a virtuous minister, the future of Great Chu is bright!"

Lin Yuanran felt extremely embarrassed. No, old man, you didn't get your position as Left Prime Minister by flattering others, did you?

The key point is that all the civil and military officials were also following suit, turning the Chu court assembly into a massive sycophantic team-building event...