The hall was dead silent, as if no one were present. Hua Chun blankly glanced up at Yuwen Jie, and before she could even ask what was wrong, she heard a cold laugh:
“Prime Minister Hua’s etiquette is truly thorough.”
Her heart jumped, and Hua Chun immediately realized what was happening.
She was in ancient times now, and the man above her was an emperor with authority over ten thousand subjects. Here she was, wearing Prime Minister Hua’s body, sitting brazenly at court — of course he’d take notice, sitting there like a crane among chickens!
She scrambled up, clutching her waist, and dropped honestly to her knees, calling out in a trembling voice, “Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!”
Yuwen Jie looked down at her, brow furrowing slightly.
Ever since that flogging, something had felt off to him. Was Prime Minister Hua beaten stupid? He used to scream in pain and now his voice trembled when he spoke — where had that unyielding, hard-as-iron Prime Minister gone?
He’d thought no matter what happened, that face of his would never show any change at all.
After a pause, he looked away, unexpectedly not pressing the matter further. “Rise, all of you.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
Grand Tutor Tang glanced worriedly toward Hua Chun and saw her shifting her body stiffly, bit by bit, as though afraid of pulling at her wound, her posture twisted and her movements slow.
Everyone else had already straightened up. Hua Chun, standing at the very front, made for quite the conspicuous sight.
Yuwen Jie glanced at her again, his expression rather odd, then turned his eyes forward and began listening to the officials report on matters of state.
Officials from the Six Ministries came forward one by one to speak, then returned to their places in the ranks. The hall buzzed with chatter, and half an hour passed in what felt like no time at all.
Li Zhongtang kept glancing anxiously at Hua Chun — their memorials were in the Prime Minister’s hands, after all, and if they weren’t raised today, it would be too late by tomorrow.
Feeling the intense stares coming from all directions, Hua Chun kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, perfectly composed, not moving an inch.
It wasn’t that she was timid — she’d sat through important meetings with her boss before and had seen plenty of high-pressure situations. But those memorials tucked in her sleeve carried serious weight. If she brought them up at court, not only might the Emperor be unable to make a decision, he’d probably hold even more of a grudge against her in his heart.
So she kept quiet the entire time, all the way until court was dismissed.
“Does the Prime Minister have nothing to say?” Grand Tutor Tang finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked loudly.
This put her right on the spot; the moment he spoke, everyone’s attention — including the Emperor’s — fell on her.
Hua Chun pursed her lips, remained stiff for a moment, then reluctantly stepped forward, holding her waist. “This subject does indeed have a matter to report, but it concerns something important — perhaps it would be better to wait until after court, when Your Majesty retires to the study.”
Yuwen Jie frowned. “The court is precisely the place to discuss important matters. What business could the Prime Minister have that’s so significant it must wait until after court?”
Hua Chun smiled and cupped her hands in the manner of the others. “In response to Your Majesty — the court is indeed the place to discuss important matters, but what this subject wishes to report concerns the harem, and is therefore only fitting to be discussed after court.”
“Oh?” Yuwen Jie looked at her. “If the Prime Minister believes harem matters shouldn’t concern court officials, then why bother reporting it to me at all? The harem is my own household affair. The Prime Minister assists the sovereign — he is not a household steward.”
The moment he addressed Prime Minister Hua, the Emperor’s words always came loaded with hostility. Hua Chun’s remark had already been quite tactful and measured, and yet he still opened his mouth spitting fire.
Hua Chun understood now — Yuwen Jie simply couldn’t stand Prime Minister Hua, no matter what. Whatever she did, it was wrong in his eyes.
With that realization, she no longer felt the need to hold back too much.
“Your Majesty’s words are not quite appropriate.” She bowed. “Though the harem is Your Majesty’s own household, it is also part of the greater household of the realm — just as the Empress is called the mother of the realm. Matters of the harem, therefore, concern the common people as well. And anything that concerns the common people is a significant matter, one this subject is naturally obligated to attend to.”
“That said, as the saying goes, family shame should not be aired in public. And so, this subject believes some things are better discussed privately. I beg Your Majesty’s understanding.”
Back in the modern world, she’d worked in government, and though she hadn’t lasted long before resigning, she still knew how to talk in official double-speak.
Listening to these words, Yuwen Jie sat on the throne, leaning to one side, his light brown eyes watching her calmly, his expression utterly unreadable.
Behind her, Grand Tutor Tang and the others broke into a cold sweat, worried that if the Emperor grew displeased, he might find fault with Prime Minister Hua again. Though her manner of speaking today was already much improved compared to before, who could ever truly guess what was on the Emperor’s mind?
The hall fell silent once more. Hua Chun held her bow, feeling her backside throb again and again.
After a long while, Yuwen Jie finally spoke. “Very well. Court is dismissed. Since the Prime Minister has business, we’ll move to the study.”
“Respectfully see Your Majesty off, long live—!”
A collective sigh of relief rippled through the hall as everyone knelt down. Hua Chun joined in the ritual as well, then looked up to see the Emperor rise and descend from the side, walking out of the Xuanzheng Hall.
After comforting her own startled backside, Hua Chun hurried to take Eunuch Qin’s offered hand and followed him out.
Li Zhongtang and Grand Tutor Tang stood where they were, watching her limp away, and Li Zhongtang said, moved, “After that beating, the Prime Minister seems to have finally come to his senses — he didn’t talk back to His Majesty at all today.”
“Indeed,” Grand Tutor Tang said, wiping his eyes. “This old servant can finally see hope. If the Prime Minister can truly learn to speak properly, and His Majesty can learn to listen properly, then even if this old servant went to join the late Emperor tomorrow, it would all be worth it.”
The others sighed in agreement, then dispersed in twos and threes, leaving the Xuanzheng Hall to head home for a meal.
Hua Chun walked behind the Emperor, and it was only after a while that the fear caught up with her.
She was actually right beside an emperor, and she’d actually spoken to him! Serving beside a monarch was truly like living beside a tiger — Yuwen Jie felt far more terrifying to her than any of those stern old men back in modern times. Recalling what she’d just said, a cold sweat broke out on her back again, and her hand instinctively tightened.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Prime Minister,” said Eunuch Qin, whose arm she’d been gripping tightly enough to hurt. “His Majesty is in quite a good mood today.”
What? Hua Chun blinked and glanced at the man seated in the palanquin ahead of them.
If she remembered right, he’d been stone-faced this entire time, his tone none too friendly either. If this counted as a good mood, what on earth did he look like when he was actually angry?
She pressed her lips together and squeezed the memorials tucked in her sleeve. Amitabha — if he really was in a good mood today, then hopefully he wouldn’t take it out on her. After all, these were all memorials submitted by other people; she was just the forwarding station!
They entered the study, and Yuwen Jie waved his hand. The attendants behind him, Eunuch Qin included, all withdrew together. The great door shut with a heavy “thud,” leaving just the two of them inside.
Hua Chun felt a flutter of nerves, lowering her head to stare at the tips of her own shoes.
“Still not going to say anything?” Yuwen Jie sat down behind the desk, looking up at her. “Prime Minister Hua.”
“This subject is here!” With a jolt, Hua Chun immediately pulled out the memorials, walked forward stiffly, and dumped everything onto the desk before him. “Please, Your Majesty, have a look!”