Chapter 39

Due to staying up too late the previous night, the fatigue from the journey had not yet dissipated. However, as a Minister of Revenue and a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, Zhao Junchen still needed to wake up early the next day, and set off amidst the pitch-black night to attend the early court session.

On the way to the Meridian Gate, Zhao Junchen sat in the sedan chair, yawning continuously, feeling a sore back and overwhelming drowsiness.

Looking at the pitch-black sky outside the sedan chair, where the road conditions could only be seen with the help of a lantern held by someone in front, Zhao Junchen frowned and asked outside the chair, "Qingyan, what time is it now?"

"Master, it's past the second hour of the tiger (3:00 AM to 5:00 AM). There's still time, no need to worry. We can arrive at the Meridian Gate before the third hour of the hare (5:00 AM to 7:00 AM)."

Xu Qingyan's voice was also full of fatigue and weariness.

The second hour of the tiger, which is from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM, is the time when the night is the darkest and the cold is the most severe, especially in late autumn.

Thinking about the fact that he had only slept for two hours, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, looking helpless.

If there was one thing Zhao Junchen was most dissatisfied with after coming to this era, it was the early court session system.

According to the rules set by the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, ministers needed to wake up at the first hour of the ox (1:00 AM to 3:00 AM) to prepare, cross half of the capital city, and arrive at the Meridian Gate before the second hour of the tiger (3:00 AM to 5:00 AM) to wait. At the second hour of the tiger, the drum would be beaten at the Meridian Gate, and the ministers would start lining up. After a long wait of one hour, until the third hour of the hare (5:00 AM to 7:00 AM), the bell would ring, the Meridian Gate would open, and the ministers would enter the palace in formation, gather in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and then wait for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick before the emperor arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the early court session would begin.

The most unbearable part was that after arriving at the Meridian Gate, the ministers were not even allowed to yawn, or they would be recorded by the censors responsible for supervision and await punishment from the Ministry of Personnel. Being late was even more unacceptable.

It was clear that the entire early court session, from the first hour of the ox to the third hour of the hare, was the time when the human body was the most fatigued, and most of the time was wasted on waiting and lining up, making the efficiency extremely low.

Zhao Junchen really couldn't understand what the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking when he set these rules, but there was no way to change them, as they were established by the ancestors and had to be followed unconditionally.

However, during the reign of Emperor Deqing, the administration was lax, and the supervision of the early court session gradually became more relaxed. As long as the high-ranking officials arrived at the Meridian Gate before the third hour of the hare, no one would say anything. The censors, who were responsible for supervision, did not dare to record these officials, and even if they did, the Ministry of Personnel would not dare to punish them severely, often just letting things slide.

Now, as a Minister of Revenue and in charge of the inner treasury, Zhao Junchen enjoyed the emperor's favor and held a high position. Therefore, while other officials were suffering at the Meridian Gate, Zhao Junchen could still leisurely head towards the Meridian Gate, and no one, including Emperor Deqing, would say anything about it.

However, despite this, Zhao Junchen was still dissatisfied. In his view, even if he woke up at the second hour of the tiger and attended the court session at the third hour of the hare, it was still too early. At this time, people's minds were still drowsy, and how could they handle the affairs of the state properly?

However, Zhao Junchen could only complain about this, as it was something he could not change.

...

In his helplessness and complaints, Zhao Junchen finally arrived at the Meridian Gate just before the third hour of the hare.

Getting out of the sedan chair, Zhao Junchen was surprised to find that compared to other high-ranking officials, he was actually one of the early arrivals.

At this time, many officials had already gathered outside the Meridian Gate, but most were below the second rank, or had no power or the emperor's favor. For these people, the censors were never lenient, so they did not dare to be late.

"Lost out, should have slept a bit more..."

Seeing the scene at the Meridian Gate, Zhao Junchen complained to Xu Qingyan beside him.

Xu Qingyan nodded in agreement.

Seeing Xu Qingyan's exhausted appearance and thinking about the journey to the Meridian Gate, where he sat in the sedan chair while Xu Qingyan walked, Zhao Junchen felt a bit soft-hearted and said, "Qingyan, it's still early before the court session ends. You don't have to wait here. Go back to the sedan chair and take a nap."

Xu Qingyan did not hesitate and directly got into the sedan chair.

Seeing Xu Qingyan's behavior, Zhao Junchen shook his head helplessly and turned to walk towards the Meridian Gate.

Passing by the censor, Zhao Junchen yawned widely, not intentionally, but he couldn't help it.

The censor, as if not seeing it, did not move his pen or record anything, but instead smiled and bowed to Zhao Junchen.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Junchen nodded to the censor and said softly.

Then, ignoring the censor's stunned expression, Zhao Junchen moved forward towards the gathering place of the officials.

Seeing Zhao Junchen appear, the officials, fearing his power and the emperor's favor, all bowed to him and greeted him.

For a moment, the sound of "Greetings, Minister Zhao" echoed continuously.

However, although these officials greeted Zhao Junchen, it was just a formality. With Zhao Junchen's previous arrogant and domineering nature, no matter how eager they were, it was already a great honor for him to nod in acknowledgment.

However, to their surprise, today's Zhao Junchen was different. He smiled and returned their greetings with a bow, saying, "All of you have come so early. I am late, and I feel ashamed. It has been two months since we last met. How have you all been?"

Just like the censor before, everyone was stunned by Zhao Junchen's approachable manner.

After a moment, they all reacted, some with surprise, others with joy, but their actions were the same. They gathered around Zhao Junchen, vying to respond, and for a moment, the solemn Meridian Gate became chaotic.

"Oh, Minister Zhao, you have returned from your inspection of Lu'an Prefecture? I didn't know, otherwise I would have visited you."

"Greetings, Minister Zhao. Your journey must have been tiring."

"Oh, Minister Zhao, we have heard about your actions in Lu'an Prefecture. The locust disaster was resolved so quickly under your supervision, a great achievement. When the emperor hears about it, we will likely call you Minister Zhao Shangshu in the future."

Although they did not know why Zhao Junchen was acting so differently, this rare approachability was a great opportunity to improve their relationship with him.

Zhao Junchen, who controlled the nation's finances and enjoyed the emperor's favor, could bring many benefits if they could improve their relationship with him.

Seeing the reactions of the officials, Zhao Junchen was secretly pleased.

As Zhao Junchen had previously guessed, with his current power and status, it would be easy to gather a faction in the court. However, the previous Zhao Junchen was unwilling to share benefits and was domineering, so his relationships with other officials became increasingly cold, resulting in many political enemies and people who envied and hated him.

However, if Zhao Junchen was willing to share the benefits, the officials who once envied and hated him would immediately gather around him, and his political enemies would not mind becoming friends with him.

In a sense, problems caused by interests were the hardest to solve, but also the easiest to solve.

Indeed, Zhao Junchen's slight friendliness had already made many officials eager to improve their relationship with him.

...

Surrounded by the officials, Zhao Junchen politely responded to their flattery and praise while looking around.

Then, he saw that the faction of the Crown Prince had already gathered, surrounding the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, all with serious expressions, discussing something. Upon seeing Zhao Junchen's grand appearance and his unusual behavior, they all showed looks of disdain and contempt, especially the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, whose face turned dark.

Zhao Junchen knew that among all the officials, the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu and his faction were the most strict in following the early court session rules, always arriving at the Meridian Gate at the second hour of the tiger.

However, apart from the Crown Prince and his faction, there were very few other high-ranking officials outside the Meridian Gate, with only the Chief Cabinet Minister Zhou Shangjing remaining.

At this time, Zhou Shangjing was also surrounded by officials, but it was much quieter.

The officials surrounding Zhou Shangjing, in terms of power and status, were higher and more important than those surrounding Zhao Junchen.

In fact, most of the officials surrounding Zhao Junchen did not even have the right to speak in the court.

If the Crown Prince's faction followed the early court session rules because they were rule-abiding, then Zhou Shangjing's early arrival at the Meridian Gate was due to his cautious nature.

In fact, until three years ago, Zhou Shangjing also arrived at the Meridian Gate at the second hour of the tiger every day, but in recent years, due to his age, he had delayed his arrival time. However, compared to other high-ranking officials, he still arrived much earlier.

Seeing Zhao Junchen looking at him, Zhou Shangjing's old face also showed a smile. After nodding to Zhao Junchen, he said something to the surrounding officials and then walked straight towards Zhao Junchen.

Upon seeing Zhou Shangjing's arrival, the officials around Zhao Junchen all became quiet, bowing to Zhou Shangjing with even more respect than they had shown Zhao Junchen.

However, Zhou Shangjing ignored them and walked to Zhao Junchen, smiling and saying, "Minister Zhao, your journey to Lu'an Prefecture must have been tiring. May I have a private conversation with you?"