Chapter 83

Because he did not know when he would be summoned, Xia Hongsheng did not dare to wander around these few days and stayed in the small house where he had taken Qutu Tong. After four days, a palace attendant finally came to summon Xia Hongsheng to attend the court assembly. Xia Hongsheng had no experience with this, so he had to ask Xu Xiaode. Xu Qixian led Xia Hongsheng to Xu Xiaode's house, and Xu Xiaode was also summoned by the emperor, so he could take Xia Hongsheng to the court assembly. Xia Hongsheng was somewhat surprised, as Xu Xiaode, with his current position, should not be allowed to attend the assembly. But then he thought about Xu Xiaode's background and wondered if Li Shimin was going to reinstate him to his former position. That night, Xia Hongsheng stayed at Xu Xiaode's house. The next morning, he was woken up early, and when he opened his eyes, it was still pitch black outside. After getting dressed and washing up, he found that it was still dark outside!

A servant led him to the front courtyard, where Xu Xiaode was already waiting. The two of them hastily ate a few bites of food. The坊门 (neighborhood gate) had not yet opened, so Xu Xiaode and Xia Hongsheng had to wait. After a while, as the sky began to lighten slightly, the sound of the morning drum could be heard from a distance. Xu Xiaode immediately pulled Xia Hongsheng out and onto a carriage, saying, "Hurry up, don't let me be late for the court assembly!"

The servant driving the carriage responded and whipped the horses, and the carriage immediately rushed out. The坊门 (neighborhood gate) had already opened when the morning drum sounded, and the carriage sped towards the palace. Along the way, the sound of hooves could be heard from time to time. Xia Hongsheng tightly held onto the carriage to steady himself, as his body was being jolted like a spinning top. He lifted the curtain to look outside and saw carriages racing each other, and some people even riding horses and whipping them to rush past the carriages, all heading in the same direction towards the imperial city.

Xia Hongsheng widened his eyes. This wasn't going to court; it was like going to war!

"Ha ha, my young nephew has probably never seen such a scene. In our dynasty, except for the 'regular attendants,' officials of the third rank and above attend the court assembly on the 1st, 5th, and 9th days of each month, while officials below the third rank attend on the 1st and 5th days. We have to attend the court assembly on the 1st, 5th, 11th, 15th, 21st, and 25th days of each month, and we dare not be late, as it is a serious offense. If you get a position in the future, you will also have to attend the court assembly, arriving at the palace by the hour of the Rabbit to pay homage, so you must be outside the palace before the hour of the Rabbit, and you must never forget this, or you will be late for the court assembly." Xu Xiaode explained to Xia Hongsheng.

The hour of the Rabbit? No wonder it's called "pointing the Rabbit"! Xia Hongsheng was speechless. It seemed that being a civil servant in the Tang Dynasty was not easy. They had to sign in and start work at 5 a.m., and if they were late, they could be beaten or demoted. Who would have thought that in later times, people would still be yawning and picking their teeth as they walked to their offices from breakfast shops in the late morning!

When they arrived at the palace gate, they indeed saw many people already standing outside, all having rushed there. Some were adjusting their clothes, while others were chatting, waiting for the hour of the Rabbit to arrive and the palace gates to open.

"Oh, isn't that Lord Xu?" As Xu Xiaode got off the carriage and adjusted his attire, he heard a voice from behind. Several people walked over and greeted Xu Xiaode with a bow, and Xu Xiaode returned the greeting. They began to chat together.

Xia Hongsheng was a bit excited. He was about to meet Emperor Taizong Li Shimin in person!

Soon, a voice from the palace gate called out, and the crowd immediately formed two lines. Xia Hongsheng knew they were lining up according to their ranks. He very consciously stood at the back, but Xu Xiaode pulled him out from the back and whispered, "Young nephew, you are now a Viscount of Jingyang, a fifth-rank official. You should not stand at the back; don't overstep the rules."

Xia Hongsheng smiled. "Didn't Uncle Xu tell me that it's my first time attending the court assembly, and it's fine to make a fool of myself?"

Xu Xiaode was taken aback, then laughed and patted Xia Hongsheng on the shoulder, saying nothing more. He also stood at the back, as his new position was unknown, and his current position was indeed very low.

The palace gates slowly opened, and the imperial guards in bright armor stood on both sides of the Zhuque Gate. Outside the palace, the civil and military officials formed two lines and slowly moved forward. Each person's face was solemn and serious, holding their court tablets, and they respectfully walked into the imperial city.

In the Taiji Palace, where the emperor handled state affairs, the civil and military officials stood on both sides of the steps. On the steps, an attendant quickly stepped out, took a deep breath, and loudly announced, "The court assembly begins, all officials pay homage!"

The voice was deep and powerful, and Xia Hongsheng was very surprised. How could a eunuch have such a voice? Weren't eunuchs supposed to have high-pitched, unpleasant voices?

A figure emerged from behind a screen, wearing a headdress and a dragon robe, his calm eyes slowly scanning the hall from under the tassels of the headdress.

All the officials knelt and shouted "Long live the emperor" three times. Li Shimin sat on the imperial throne and said, "Rise." The officials moved back a few steps and knelt behind their desks, bowing their heads and maintaining a serious expression.

Some officials began to report, and others began to debate. Li Shimin watched from above, his face still serious, but Xia Hongsheng, who was secretly watching him, noticed that he sometimes couldn't help but smile, though he quickly controlled himself.

Xia Hongsheng was getting sleepy and his head was nodding. Xu Xiaode pulled him several times, but fortunately, Xia Hongsheng was not tall and was standing at the back, so no one noticed. However, after being pulled awake by Xu Xiaode, Xia Hongsheng noticed that two burly men in the opposite row were also dozing off, one as black as charcoal and the other with a fierce look, both leaning against a pillar. Moreover, their positions were quite forward. He also noticed that some people were whispering together, and their expressions clearly showed they were not discussing state affairs. They might be discussing which courtesan was the prettiest! Xia Hongsheng maliciously speculated and smiled, realizing that the court was not as serious as he had imagined. It seemed that the TV dramas of later times were not to be trusted, as the court in those dramas was so stiff that no one dared to breathe, let alone...

Suddenly, a strange smell wafted over. Who had farted?

To distract himself from the smell, Xia Hongsheng decided to listen to what the two people who were spitting out saliva in their argument were saying. After listening for a while, he understood that they were arguing about whether to launch a military campaign against Liang Shidu. One advocated overwhelming him with a large army, while the other advocated pacification, using benevolence to persuade Liang Shidu to surrender without a fight. Xia Hongsheng rolled his eyes. If benevolence were effective, why would the state need an army? Someone as stubborn as Liang Shidu, if not beaten, would think you were afraid of him and might even attack you! Therefore, Xia Hongsheng was quite dismissive of the pacification proposal.

"Alright, both of you, step back. After hearing your arguments, I have a clearer idea of what to do," Li Shimin suddenly said from the imperial throne, seeing that the two were about to come to blows.

It was strange, but as if a switch had been flipped, the two, who had been arguing like roosters, immediately calmed down and returned to their positions, their faces expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

Seeing the two return to their seats, Li Shimin turned to the attendant standing beside him. The attendant immediately understood and bowed to Li Shimin, then took two steps forward and loudly announced, "Viscount of Jingyang Xia Jingshi pays homage to the emperor!"

Xia Hongsheng, who had been secretly observing the court, was startled by the attendant's announcement. He quickly jumped out from the back, looked around, and realized he was too far back, so he ran a few steps forward. Not knowing how to pay homage, he saw that the previous officials had not knelt, so he imitated them, clasping his hands and deeply bowing, bending to a 90-degree angle. He took a deep breath and loudly said, "Your subject is here!"

The court burst into laughter at Xia Hongsheng's clumsy actions. He secretly looked up and saw that Li Shimin was also smiling, saying, "Ha ha, though you are young, you have solved the salt shortage for the people of the Tang Dynasty with your salt-making technique, and you have also contributed the method of making horseshoes, turning our warhorses into iron cavalry, and the new-style sabers. These three contributions are great achievements, especially the salt-making technique. On behalf of the people, I thank you. Tell me, what reward do you want? I will certainly grant it to you."

Xia Hongsheng was taken aback, and the officials in the court were also surprised. The whispers and laughter stopped, and the hall became silent again. Xu Xiaode's face changed, and he was about to step forward, but suddenly heard Xia Hongsheng speak, "The salt-making technique, though it sounds magical, is not complicated. As for the horseshoes, even without me, someone else would have thought of it. These are mere trifles, and I am already deeply grateful for the generous grant of the Viscount of Jingyang. I feel ashamed and embarrassed to ask for more rewards. It would be shameful!"

Hearing Xia Hongsheng's words, Xu Xiaode's expression relaxed, and he withdrew his foot, smiling at Xia Hongsheng again.