When Ji Weiqiu finally finished most of the fruit on the plate, a palace attendant came forward to help him stand in his proper place. The table and chair were quietly and quickly taken away. Ji Weiqiu sighed and shifted his weight to his other foot. Before long, he heard three cracks of a whip. He bowed along with the crowd and only straightened up after hearing Ji Su bid them rise.

Ji Su, dressed in black dragon robes, sat high on the throne with a calm expression. Ji Weiqiu wasn't sure if it was because of the distance or something else, but he felt that Ji Su looked even more imposing and unapproachable than usual, like a still abyss or a towering mountain.

It was perfectly normal. They were separated by at least eight meters. It was a good thing Ji Weiqiu was young and had good eyesight; otherwise, at this distance, he would only be able to make out a human figure. Another two meters, and he wouldn't be able to distinguish a man from an animal. If it was like this for him, one could only imagine how it was for the elderly ministers.

Suddenly, Ji Weiqiu's gaze met Ji Su's. Ji Weiqiu blinked, a little bewildered. A moment later, he decided to curry favor with Ji Su and gave him a smile. Unexpectedly, Ji Su's eyes remained on him. Ji Weiqiu quickly glanced left and right and saw the three Grand Secretaries holding the standard posture of 'not daring to look up at the sovereign.' Only then did he realize that he, too, should lower his head.

Of all the civil and military officials in the court, he was the only one staring straight at Ji Su with a grin. Who else was Ji Su supposed to look at?

Eunuch Qingxi, holding a jade-handled horsetail whisk, recited the customary words, something along the lines of "If you have matters to report, present them." Immediately after, Prime Minister Gu stepped forward to report on a drought in the south and the need for precautionary measures. Ji Weiqiu listened to two sentences and started to drift off. He had always thought Prime Minister Gu's voice was quite pleasant, but now he found it especially lovely—perfect for putting one to sleep.

"...Jiangnan receives plenty of rain, Prime Minister Gu is perhaps being overly..."

"...If everyone were to... the court would be in peril..."

"...Speaking of which, the Prince of Rui has returned from Jiangnan..."

"Prince? Prince?!" Ji Weiqiu snapped back to his senses to hear Eunuch Qingxi calling him twice. He answered, "Your subject brother is here!"

Eunuch Qingxi quietly prompted him, pointing a finger at the Minister of Personnel, "Your Highness, Minister Zhou is asking you! About whether or not there is a drought in Jiangnan."

How would Ji Weiqiu know what they were talking about? He hadn't been listening, and Ji Su hadn't coordinated with him beforehand. "May the Emperor forgive me, your subject brother does not know!"

Ji Su asked slowly, "The Prince of Rui went to Jiangnan. Don't you know if Jiangnan is suffering from a drought?"

Ji Weiqiu said, "Your subject brother dares not conceal anything. I was carrying out an imperial command and did not dare to be negligent. I only stayed in each place for three or four days, so how could I tell if there was a drought or not? Furthermore, when your subject brother went to offer incense and pray for blessings, I naturally chose fine days with clear skies and gentle winds. I truly couldn't see whether there was a drought."

'Sheesh, why are they dragging me into their squabble? These people are just malicious. Why ask me instead of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau? I don't work for them! Isn't the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's job to observe celestial phenomena and calculate auspicious dates? That's their primary duty.'

The three Grand Secretaries all glanced over. Although his words were somewhat absurd, they were watertight, completely absolving him of any responsibility.

Ji Su also showed a faint hint of a smile and changed the subject, "Was the Prince of Rui's trip to Jiangnan a smooth one?"

The court officials heard this and knew the matter was to be postponed. Ji Weiqiu quickly trotted out his prepared lines, "Thanks to the Emperor's immense good fortune, your subject brother's trip to Jiangnan was smooth sailing. Everywhere I went, I saw the common people living and working in peace, the rivers clear and the seas tranquil, the seasons in order, and the sun and moon shining brightly..."

This time, it wasn't just the three Grand Secretaries; many of the civil and military officials shot him a sidelong glance. Just look! Look at that! Who didn't know that the Prince of Rui had been subjected to assassination attempts, poisoning, and interception on the river during his trip to Jiangnan? Over these matters, the Emperor had been furious and ordered a thorough investigation. The political climate had changed drastically in the past month. Three people had been convicted by open Imperial Edict, not to mention others. It would be no exaggeration to say that half of Jiangnan's officialdom had been purged as a result.

And despite all that, the Prince of Rui could still lie with a straight face, claiming it was 'smooth sailing'?

Ji Weiqiu knew, but he paid it no mind. If there wasn't going to be a purge, why would Ji Su insist on him going to Jiangnan? To parade a mascot around? After finishing his praises, he stated his main purpose: "...The Emperor's pure filial piety will surely grant the Mother Empress good health and bring her a hundred blessings!"

Ji Su said, "That would be for the best."

The ministers could only follow along with their own praises. After that, there was nothing more for Ji Weiqiu to do. They still had matters to discuss. By now, Ji Weiqiu was more or less fully awake. The previous times he had attended court were mostly for ceremonial occasions with no major issues, and court was dismissed quickly. Today, however, was different.

First, a Censor from the Censorate stepped forward. He took out two memorials and a document that looked like a letter written in blood, accusing the Minister of Personnel of failing to manage his inner household and being lax in family discipline. A concubine's clan, relying on the Minister of Personnel's influence, had committed evil deeds in their hometown—raping, pillaging, and acting tyrannically, leading to six deaths and leaving three people with permanent disabilities.

The Minister of Personnel, of course, could not admit to this. He immediately stepped forward, calling the Censor's words nonsense and demanding evidence. The Censor presented the blood letter and then produced evidence of the concubine's clan accepting bribes. Just reading a few pages of it left many people aghast. Immediately after, someone came forward, pointed at the Minister of Personnel's nose, and berated him, demanding that the Emperor punish him severely. Then another person came forward to say that the authenticity of the evidence had not yet been verified and one could not rely on a one-sided account... And just like that, the two factions started to argue.

Ji Weiqiu blinked. He suddenly felt wide awake, not because of the Minister of Personnel's affair—he had beaten up the man's second son before, and it was a case of 'like father, like son,' so he wasn't surprised at all. The main reason he felt so energized was that these two factions were arguing by exposing each other's dirty laundry.

Good heavens. One guy would say: "You have thirteen concubines in your house, what right do you have to criticize others?! Do you dare claim everyone in your household is innocent?!" The other would roll his eyes and reply: "I have thirteen concubines, but don't you? Oh, I forgot, you have a taste for the 'southern wind'! Tsk, tsk, right, no wonder it's so easy for you to talk. I hear your son takes after you? Well, that's just great. You don't have an heir now, and you won't have one in the future either!" ...And so on and so forth.

Of course, the vocabulary they used was very elegant, but that was the gist of it.

Ji Weiqiu looked up at Ji Su and thought, 'No wonder Ji Su always looks so calm and unbothered, with such excellent self-control. If one had to listen to this every day during court, anyone with poor self-control would have been angered to death long ago.'

Prime Minister Gu was standing next to Ji Weiqiu. Ji Weiqiu shifted a little closer and whispered, "Prime Minister Gu, does this happen often?"

Prime Minister Gu replied with perfect composure, "Your Highness must be jesting. It is rare even for this subject to witness such a situation."

Ji Weiqiu asked sincerely, "Is everything they're saying true?"

"Naturally," Prime Minister Gu said without a change in expression. "If they had no concrete proof, how would they dare to speak?"

Ji Weiqiu watched for a while longer and suddenly figured something out. Their words, which seemed like exasperated mudslinging, were actually another form of confrontation, weren't they?

For example, when Minister Zhao said, "You have thirteen concubines, are they all innocent," he was actually saying, "I have incriminating evidence on your concubines in my hands. If you don't want to get into trouble, you'd better back down." And when Minister Sun replied, "You prefer the southern wind, and not just you, your son does too. Can you guarantee that you're in the clear? Can you guarantee your son won't get into trouble? To be honest, I have more evidence against you than you have against me." After hearing this, the two of them weighed the situation... and sure enough, they had stopped arguing, and another pair had taken their place."

Viewed this way, it was all very interesting.

In fact, this kind of argument was also a manifestation of court factions. The Censorate acted like a random NPC; whichever faction they accused today, the opposing faction would automatically become their ally in a joint attack. The Minister of Personnel held a significant position; he was the 'official of officials,' specifically responsible for assessing the performance of all other officials. The scandal he was embroiled in could be treated as either minor or major. On the lighter end, it was merely a matter of poor household management and lax family discipline. A fine and a few words of reprimand would be the end of it. There was no need to tell him to discipline his concubine's family; he would take care of it himself once he returned home.

On the more severe end... while it wouldn't cost him his head, demotion and an investigation were entirely possible. Therefore, those who had already established a good network of connections with him would naturally want to protect him, wishing the Censorate's evidence was false and that he remained innocent. Conversely, those who were on bad terms with him naturally wished for his downfall.

Ji Weiqiu looked at Ji Su again with curiosity. The argument had reached this point, so why hadn't Ji Su stopped it? What was he trying to do? Did he really enjoy watching scenes reminiscent of a market squabble?

He had always thought that Ji Su's preferred viewing was beheadings at the public execution ground.

After a long while, Ji Su finally said, "That is enough."

The crowd fell as silent as cicadas in winter. They all cupped their hands in salute and said in unison, "This subject is guilty!"

Ji Su's gaze fell upon the Minister of Personnel. "Do you have anything to say?"

The Minister of Personnel fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "This old subject was momentarily negligent, allowing such a shocking affair to happen in my household. This old subject has no face to meet the Emperor! I implore the Emperor to pass down his judgment!"

Ji Su nodded. "Liu Wei, you have indeed been muddled."

The Minister of Personnel kowtowed. "This subject has failed the imperial grace! I have failed the imperial grace!"

Ji Weiqiu folded his hands into his sleeves, thinking, 'Say something else! What good does it do to just keep saying 'failed the imperial grace'? Shouldn't he be proactively suggesting a concrete course of action to angle for lenient treatment?' But then Ji Weiqiu reconsidered. That wasn't right. He himself dared to suggest specific ways to handle things because he and Ji Su were brothers. Liu Wei was not. If he were to open his mouth and say, "I no longer have the face to occupy this high position and request to be dismissed from my post for investigation," and Ji Su replied with, "Alright, you may go," then what would he do?

Would he really give up the lucrative position of Minister of Personnel?

Perhaps not suggesting a course of action and waiting to see how Ji Su would handle it was the best approach. It would also allow him to gauge his own importance in Ji Su's eyes.

Sure enough, he heard Ji Su say, "Your salary will be docked for three years. Return home and reflect on your misdeeds."

"Yes—! This subject thanks the Emperor for his profound grace!"

'Tsk,' Ji Weiqiu thought to himself. He needed to learn from this. Look at this pack of old foxes; their schemes were truly elaborate.

Suddenly, he heard Ji Su say again, "Prince of Rui."

"Your subject brother is here." Ji Weiqiu stepped out of the ranks and bowed, wondering what new trouble was brewing.

Ji Su said, "The Prince of Rui has performed meritorious service on his southern tour, is of upright character, and has long held a virtuous reputation. From this day forward, he shall enter the Grand Secretariat to participate in state deliberations."

'What the hell?! Did I hear him correctly?!'

Ji Weiqiu looked up at Ji Su, his face a mask of utter confusion.

'...?'

'What was that, him, entering the Grand Secretariat for deliberations?'

'—Enter? The Grand Secretariat?'

'Am I even worthy?! Is that what he meant?! Huh?!'

Ji Su was as calm and composed as ever, relaxed and unhurried, as if the words he had just spoken were nothing more than an ordinary reward.

Eunuch Qingxi quietly prompted him, "Prince, aren't you going to thank His Majesty for his grace?"

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All the court officials looked toward the dashing, purple-robed Prince at the front. Shockingly, no one objected.

Ji Weiqiu looked back and saw the entire hall of officials standing with their heads bowed respectfully. A screen full of question marks filled his mind.

'Wait, why aren't any of you speaking up?!'

'Someone object, for crying out loud?!'

'Huh?!'