Chapter 28: The Imperial Academy (II)

Li Kuo’s expression stiffened, the smile on his face instantly freezing.
Zhang Yanji’s tone was cold, as icy as the cold rain in late autumn.
Looking at his friend’s solemn expression, Li Kuo felt somewhat unfamiliar with him.
His white robes, though pure, carried an air of severity that seemed to assail Li Kuo.
No, that wasn’t right. His friend should have been a carefree, cheerful young man who avoided conflicts. Why now did he exude such a heavy sense of gloom? Ever since the battle at the pharmacy on the outskirts of the city, he seemed like a different person—always cautious in speech and far more stubborn in his actions.
Seeing Li Kuo’s pale face, Zhang Yanji said urgently, “Brother Kuo, what’s wrong? If what I said is wrong, just ignore it. After all, since we were kids, you’ve always been the one to make decisions. Even if it means risking our lives, I’ll accept it as your brother!”
Li Kuo’s expression gradually softened, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
“What are you talking about? If I were to get angry over such a trivial matter, would I still deserve you calling me ‘Brother Kuo’ day and night?”
“At least you have a conscience!”
Zhang Yanji beamed with joy and immediately wrapped his arms around Li Kuo’s neck, startling Du Jingtian, who stepped aside and scolded him sharply.
Waving his hand to show he was fine, Li Kuo sighed and spoke slowly. “Since ancient times, rulers have hated forming cliques for personal gain. Those court officials who frequent princes rarely end well. No matter how powerful or favored someone may be in the Eastern Court, they remain merely a subject to the emperor. The world still belongs to the emperor. Moreover, with the current emperor being so vigilant and cautious, forming cliques is especially dangerous. Since I was young, my grandfather often told me that as a subject, one must maintain an appropriate distance—neither too close nor too far. If you get too close, the emperor feels oppressed and disgusted; if you stay too far away, he feels neglected and annoyed. Only by being neither too eager nor too slack can you satisfy the emperor.”
Zhang Yanji scratched his head and asked doubtfully, “But Fat An seems like a clingy guy, constantly calling people ‘godfather’ and ‘godmother.’ Yet look around the Tang Dynasty—aside from the Right Chancellor, who else enjoys such favor?”
Li Kuo was silent for a while before bursting into a dry laugh. Fat An referred to none other than An Lushan, the military governor of the three garrisons of Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong, as well as the Prince of Dongping. It was amusing—An Lushan was a barbarian who rose from a soldier to become a military governor through military achievements. Though he already held a high position, he wasn’t satisfied and became a foster son of the Imperial Concubine. In that sense, his status matched that of a prince. Yet the idea of a man in his forties calling a woman who was a decade younger than him “mother” was simply ridiculous.

“The Hu people are simple and straightforward, acting in a casual manner. Why compare yourself to them? The Holy Emperor trusts them greatly, and their actions are seen as loyal and sincere by him. If you act like that too, you might be accused of having ulterior motives.”
Zhang Yanji curled his lips and said, “The Holy Emperor is just biased. General Wang Zhongsì defeated the Later Turks many times and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. Just because he had a drink with the Crown Prince, treacherous people fabricated the charge of privately meeting the heir apparent, and he was dismissed from his post and imprisoned. That fat An is just a member of one of the nine ethnic groups, yet the Holy Emperor trusts him greatly.”
Li Kuo tapped his friend’s forehead lightly and said, “The Emperor isn’t someone we can casually criticize. As subjects, we must be cautious in our words and actions. If those with ulterior motives hear it, you’ll surely suffer the consequences.”
Zhang Yanji shrugged and said, “It doesn’t matter. I’m just a small fish who can’t even catch the attention of those powerful people. But you have a bright future ahead—probably won’t be able to act so carefree anymore.”
“Since things have come to this, I can only let nature take its course. Planning lies with humans, but success depends on fate. Do your duty properly, and leave the rest to others.”
“Hey, hey, hey! You two are chatting and laughing so happily together, ignoring me completely. That’s really annoying.”
Du Jingtian jumped over and hit Zhang Yanji on the forehead.
“Ouch! My lady, can you be gentle? Do you think my head is made of iron? Do you hit it like that?”
Zhang Yanji rubbed his forehead and shrunk back.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing! Your head is as stubborn as wood—only force can make you understand!”
“Did I, did I offend you…?”
Li Kuo stepped beside Du Jingtian and said, “Alright, A Tian, stop talking too much.”
After a brief pause, Li Kuo turned to Zhang Yanji and gave him a look. “You didn’t come all this way just to give me good news, did you?”
Zhang Yanji pouted and said, “Of course not. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I might have forgotten. My grandfather learned through the Eunuch Department that you’ve been granted the position of Guest of the Crown Prince, so he sent me to inform you. Although this is a minor position that doesn’t require daily attendance, you’re still supposed to visit the Eastern Palace to see the Crown Prince according to tradition. Since the Crown Prince knows you’re injured, he asked the Holy Emperor for a favor to exempt you from the complicated procedures of having the eunuchs announce orders. But rituals can’t be ignored lightly. You’d better come with me to the Eastern Palace right away to see the Crown Prince.”
“Go now? I haven’t prepared anything yet. Let me take a bath and change first…”
Zhang Yanji rolled his eyes at Li Kuo and said, “Is there any room for negotiation when the Crown Prince summons someone? Don’t worry. The Crown Prince is very easygoing and never cares about such formalities.”

With that, he pulled Li Kuo outside without hesitation, causing Li Kuo to stumble.
“A Tian, go back to the teahouse first. I’ll come to Tongji Fang to find you later…” Li Kuo turned his head and called out to the inner room.
“You little rascal! Come back early, and I’ll prepare fried eggs for you~~~” “Okay…” In the blink of an eye, the two got into Zhang’s carriage and headed straight for the imperial city.
The Eastern Palace was located in the far north of Chang’an City, far away from Ande Fang. Even though Zhang’s horses were fast, it still took half an hour to reach the Anmen Gate. At the city gate, the on-duty Jingu guards ordered the carriage to slow down for inspection. Zhang Yanji jumped down and walked over quickly, handing the official’s identification badge to the Jingu guard for inspection. After verifying it, the guard waved his hand, signaling that they could pass. Li Kuo lightly jumped down from the carriage and entered the Tang Dynasty’s imperial city with Zhang Yanji.
Chang’an City was grandly constructed, consisting of an outer city and an inner city. The inner city contained the imperial city, which in turn housed the palace city. Aside from a few government offices like the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Imperial Academy, many of the central government offices were located within the imperial city. Thus, security inside the city was crucial; Jingu guards armed with swords could be seen every few dozen steps. Li Kuo and Zhang Yanji walked slowly along the wide stone pathways, looking at the towering city walls on both sides. As they admired the magnificent scale of the imperial city, a sense of pride welled up in them. It was the pride of the Tang people, carrying the hopes of young talents for the future.
According to Tang law, horses were not allowed inside the imperial city, so even high-ranking officials had to dismount and walk once they entered. From time to time, officials in green robes returning from court passed by, sighing and shaking their heads at the two youths.
Zhang Yanji snorted lightly and pulled Li Kuo to speed up.
The palace city was located due north of Chang’an City, with the Yeting Palace on the left and the Eastern Palace on the right. The two hurriedly made their way to the Yanxi Gate of the Eastern Palace, already drenched in sweat.
A young eunuch waiting at the gate rushed forward upon seeing them. “Oh dear, you two have really worried me! His Highness personally ordered me to lead you two young men into the palace before the fifth hour. It’s already past the third hour of the fifth hour—if you don’t come now, you might not be able to enter today.”
Zhang Yanji asked in confusion, “Eunuch Wang, aren’t the palace gates locked at the sixth hour? Why is the Eastern Palace an exception?”

The young eunuch surnamed Wang showed a troubled expression and said, “Young Master Zhang, look at what you say. How could it be that the Eastern Palace is special? His Majesty has set a rule that the Prince may receive foreign officials for no more than two hours per day. The Prince spends most of his mornings and afternoons reading, so he schedules his meetings with foreign officials before the fifth hour of the day…”

Zhang Yanji shrugged and said, “I see. Then please lead the way, Eunuch Wang.”

With that, he took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch. The eunuch immediately beamed with joy and replied, “Why be so formal between us, young master? If the Prince were to find out…”

Zhang Yanji cleared his throat slightly and said, “This is a gift from me, Zhang, as an expression of my admiration for your character. It’s different from ordinary gifts.”

“Well then, please follow me, young masters.”

The two followed the young eunuch into the Yanxi Gate, walked along the palace walls, turned through a side gate, and arrived in front of a side hall. The young eunuch turned to them with a smile and said, “Please wait a moment. I’ll go inform him first.”

With that, he turned and headed inside the hall. The two stood at the palace gate with their hands hanging at their sides, silent and looking at each other. After about half a cup of tea’s time, the young eunuch came out of the side hall at a brisk pace. As he approached, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “The Prince has just finished practicing calligraphy. He asked me to ask you two to wait in the outer room first. He will come to see you once he’s washed his hands.”

Zhang Yanji nodded at him and said softly, “Thank you, Eunuch.”

Then he and Li Kuo walked toward the side hall.