Zhao Hanzhang inserted the plum blossoms into a vase on the table, nodding slightly. “Tomorrow you go see Guo Pu. I’ll enter the palace to see the emperor.”
She had intended to go today, but everyone had chatted so happily that they missed the time.
Fu Tinghan naturally had no objections. After a pause, he said, “Guo Pu said that the Luoyang imperial palace used to have an armillary sphere, but we’ve never seen it since entering Luoyang.”
Zhao Hanzhang thought for a moment. “I’ll ask Erlang about it later. He plundered the palace before. That armillary sphere was probably collected by him as scrap metal.”
That thing was both heavy and cumbersome. The fleeing court wouldn’t have taken it. Besides Erlang, probably no one would have bothered with it.
Fu Tinghan nodded. “I want to rebuild the armillary sphere.”
Zhao Hanzhang began pondering. “Such a big thing—where would be suitable to place it?”
Fu Tinghan suggested, “The observatory platform?”
Zhao Hanzhang said, “But that observatory platform is half collapsed. It still needs repair.”
The Luoyang imperial palace had long been neglected. Zhao Hanzhang had only simply repaired the young emperor’s residence and places needed for court audiences. Other areas remained dilapidated.
Restoring the entire imperial palace would require considerable expense.
Zhao Hanzhang instinctively dismissed this idea. She said, “Wait until I enter the palace tomorrow to find you a good location. Best if we can find a place in the imperial city, so you won’t have to enter the palace every time.”
That observatory platform was inside the imperial palace, standing alone in a corner. The Bureau of Astronomy under the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was arranged there. However, Zhao Hanzhang had moved all their offices to the imperial city without leaving them inside the palace.
Thinking about this matter, Zhao Hanzhang left early the next morning to enter the palace. All along the way, she examined the houses and pavilions on both sides of the road. Even after entering the palace, she hadn’t found a good location in the imperial city.
Finally, her gaze still turned toward where the observatory platform stood. Honestly, it was open and elevated—truly a good location.
Indeed, one couldn’t underestimate ancient architects and feng shui masters, especially those employed by the imperial family.
Zhao Hanzhang headed toward the main hall, beginning to calculate how much money the national treasury could allocate for rebuilding the observatory platform. Thinking, thinking, she arrived at the hall. Inside was completely silent. Besides the Imperial Guards on duty, there wasn’t a single extra person.
An Imperial Guard reported, “His Majesty is in the rear hall.”
Zhao Hanzhang nodded and headed to the rear hall.
The young emperor, who should have been studying, was currently squatting on the floor playing with a wooden horse—one with a wind-up mechanism that, after being turned several times and placed on the ground, would clip-clop forward on its own as a semi-mechanical wooden horse.
This toy had suddenly become popular outside. No one knew this was something Fu Tinghan had created together with Shen Ruhui during his leisure time.
The two had done business with this, not initially intending to make much money, yet unexpectedly it sold remarkably well.
Zhao Hanzhang looked at the little wooden horse in the young emperor’s hands, lost in thought.
The people serving the young emperor saw Zhao Hanzhang enter and their faces immediately changed. They quickly knelt to plead for forgiveness.
Only then did the absorbed young emperor come to his senses. Frightened, he hid the wooden horse behind himself.
Zhao Hanzhang withdrew her gaze and looked toward his desk, asking, “Has His Majesty completed today’s lessons?”
The young emperor timidly dared not speak.
Zhao Hanzhang walked to the desk to check his lessons, her face cold. “If His Majesty is so lax, how can you manage the nation well in the future?”
The young emperor lowered his head. “Yes, it’s my fault. I will correct it. I’ll write it shortly.”
A small eunuch beside him knelt and said quietly, “Grand General, His Majesty is young. In a few days it will be New Year’s Eve. His Majesty has labored hard and naturally wishes to rest.”
The young emperor’s face changed drastically as he quickly explained, “Grand General, this wasn’t my intention.”
He turned to rebuke the small eunuch. “How dare you! Before the Grand General, is it your place to speak?”
Zhao Hanzhang examined the small eunuch carefully, then suddenly smiled. “Rare that you have such insight. Leaving you in the palace to serve tea wastes your talents. Go to the Six Ministries in the imperial city to serve. See which ministry suits you and stay there.”
The small eunuch’s face turned deathly pale. Among the various departments in the imperial city, there were also eunuchs who served, but even the best work was cleaning. The next level down was delivering work meals to officials. Not only exhausting, exposed to wind and rain, but also with no prospects—completely incomparable to attending the emperor.
Only the lowest-grade eunuchs would be assigned there.
The small eunuch immediately kowtowed to beg forgiveness, but only managed one kowtow before words could leave his mouth. He was already gagged and dragged away by Imperial Guards.
The young emperor’s face also turned pale. Zhao Hanzhang was gentle with him, smiling as she asked, “Your Majesty, with New Year’s Eve approaching, have you memorized the congratulatory memorial sent by Sacrificial Wine Zhao?”
The young emperor felt he had already memorized it, but now with Zhao Hanzhang asking him, his mind went blank—he couldn’t recall a single character.
Zhao Hanzhang grew even more gentle. “Since Your Majesty hasn’t memorized it, then copy it. Copy it several times and you’ll surely remember.”
Zhao Hanzhang thought for a moment. “Copy it twenty times. Send it to my mansion before nightfall tomorrow.”
A bolt from the blue. For the young emperor, this was worse than having his palm struck or being scolded. The congratulatory memorial written by Zhao Cheng was obscure and difficult to memorize, with even harder characters to write.
Meeting Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze, the young emperor’s mouth moved, but he still lowered his head and agreed.
Satisfied, Zhao Hanzhang then turned. “Your Majesty, please. We must meet with the Court of Imperial Sacrifices officials to hear about matters requiring attention at the New Year’s Eve banquet.”
Only then did the young emperor remember this matter. Originally, this should have been done yesterday, but yesterday at noon, Zhao Hanzhang sent someone to the palace reporting she had matters and couldn’t come. He thought she wouldn’t have time for the next few days either, after all, she had just married.
The young emperor swallowed and obediently followed behind Zhao Hanzhang to the side hall at the front.
With Zhao Cheng leading, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices officials were already waiting.
What they needed to confirm today were the attire, seating, and ceremonial protocols for the young emperor and Zhao Hanzhang’s attendance at the banquet.
Zhao Hanzhang would formally confer rewards on meritorious officials at this banquet. Actually, the items and positions had long been bestowed, but this was essentially a year-end summary.
Previously, rewards were only issued through official documents delivered to each household. This time, reading them aloud before all officials, paired with some New Year gifts, represented tremendous honor for the officials.
Even Shi Le far away in Youzhou and Beigong Chun in Bingzhou couldn’t help wanting to return to the capital to formally receive their rewards.
However, since returning to the capital also cost provincial governors greatly, and everyone had just separated not long ago, Zhao Hanzhang didn’t need to summon them back to probe their thoughts. So she cruelly refused them.
Come back next year. By next year she should have some money and could chat with them face to face.
The Court of Imperial Sacrifices’ work was tedious yet couldn’t be neglected. Never mind the young emperor—even Zhao Hanzhang went through the ceremonies several times and nearly grew irritated.
The young emperor also wanted to lose his temper, but after glancing at Zhao Hanzhang, ultimately didn’t dare.
By the time they finished communicating everything with the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, it was already past the noon meal time. The young emperor quietly invited Zhao Hanzhang to stay for the meal.
Zhao Hanzhang declined. She needed to return home for lunch with Wang Shi today.