Chapter 566: Inner Court

"Bastard!"

"Bastard! I am so furious, I am so furious!"

It was with great difficulty that Xie Fang finally transported the remains of Xie Ling back to the inner palace. Along the way, the cold mockery and sarcasm of the passersby!

Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, he naturally roared incessantly.

He had gone to use the "praise-to-kill" strategy on Liu Zheng and Xie Chan, yet he had been counter-killed by him instead; who could not be angry?

The group of strategists in the Eastern Palace looked at one another in dismay.

In reality, they had not been very supportive of this matter to begin with. But Xie Fang could not restrain himself! He insisted on going to provoke Liu Zheng. And look, was he not slapped in the face immediately?

Liang Zheng coughed once: "Your Highness, this old servant believes that the current situation in Jinghua is confusing and obscure. We should continue to uphold the stance that 'no mistakes is an achievement.' Your Highness may endure for now; the seeds on the Empress's side have already been sown. I fear that in a few days, Dong Guifei will make her move. Even if Dong Guifei does not touch the Prefect Liu, I fear the Emperor himself will not be able to restrain himself..."

The crowd echoed his sentiments one after another.

Recalling the attitude Liu Zheng had shown him on the street today, Xie Fang still felt a surge of rage, his eyes grim: "Then add some oil and fuel to Dong Guifei's fire!"

"Yes!"

Liang Zheng chuckled; clearly, he had a plan in mind long ago.

"What are you saying? Who beat Wang Shangyi?"

Dong Shuyu's face was gloomy as she looked at Wang Shangyi, who was on his last breath after receiving eighty strokes of the cane, and clenched her fists: "Was it the Empress?"

"Your Ladyship, this Empress is relying on the influence of Prefect Liu to reassert her power, this, this, this..."

"Your Ladyship!"

"We must think of a Method!"

A group of people wailed in various ways.

Because everyone knew that they had started picking sides a few days ago; if the Empress were to regain power, they would surely have no good days left. Just like this Wang Shangyi, they feared their very lives would be in jeopardy.

Dong Shuyu was furious: "This bitch really still wants to jump around! Go, follow me to Kunning Palace!"

"Your Ladyship, absolutely not!"

"Your Ladyship... Longyang Princess is currently in Kunning Palace. If we go over there and a Bitter Remonstrance breaks out..."

Longyang Princess was currently the brightest star in this Longyan Dynasty. Since recognizing her ancestors and returning to the clan, she had instantly gained everyone's attention. Although Zheng Fu had already lost power, everyone's eyes were now on Longyang Princess. If Dong Guifei were too presumptuous, it would likely be unjustifiable.

Dong Guifei roared in annoyance: "This won't do, that won't do, then what should we do?"

A middle-aged eunuch beside her, his eyes cold and sinister, chuckled: "Your Ladyship, this old slave believes it is time for that matter as well. Why not give this Prefect Liu a little color to see, so he knows that Jinghua is not so easy to tread?"

Dong Shuyu then smiled: "Right, good, go arrange it immediately!"

All of a sudden, the Hanlin Academy became deserted.

These scholars were truly quite adorable...

Liu Zheng could neither laugh nor cry. It seemed that these Hanlin scholars at this stage were still somewhat simple—simply wanting to engage in academics, simply wanting to learn the ability to govern the world. But as they began to step into the real officialdom later on, I fear this cuteness and innocence in the Hanlin Academy would vanish completely.

The Hanlin Academy was divided into the Outer Court and the Inner Court.

This Deng Wenhui was a Record Keeper of the Inner Court, and he led Liu Zheng around in circles until they finally arrived at the Inner Court.

The Inner Court was equivalent to the Emperor's private advisors.

Naturally, they possessed certain privileges.

They even held the power of life and death over the people of the Outer Court. That was why the name of Chen Qian still made many people tremble with fear, which was why the scene from just before had occurred.

"Who is this?"

Just as they arrived at the Inner Court, an old man with a full head of white hair was lying on a recliner at the entrance, fanning himself with a cattail-leaf fan. Seeing Deng Wenhui, he looked toward Liu Zheng and asked lazily.

Deng Wenhui bowed and scraped, accompanying him with a smile: "Master Huang, this is the Prefect Liu that the Grand Academician wants to see!"

"Oh?"

The old man still used that lazy gaze to size Liu Zheng up, then chuckled: "You are the Prefect Liu who stirred up this Heart Learning?"

Liu Zheng knew that the Hanlin Academy was full of hidden talents, so he could only bow respectfully: "Liu Zheng pays his respects to the old gentleman!"

The old man waved his hand impatiently: "Don't give me all that empty, flashy stuff! Heh, young man, do you know what place this is? This is the Hanlin Academy! The forest of literature! Once you cross this door, there are too many people waiting to beat you! Hahahaha..."

By the end, the old man seemed to find the matter amusing and actually began to slap his thigh and laugh self-forgetfully.

Huh?

The scene became awkward for a moment.

Liu Zheng and Deng Wenhui looked at one another in dismay.

The old man laughed for a while, and seeing no one join in, he suddenly became furious: "Is it not funny? Get out, get out, get inside!"

The two walked in, looking disheveled, and only then did Liu Zheng feel a lingering fear: "Master Deng, this person is..."

Deng Wenhui gave a bitter smile: "Master Liu, although he is currently only a Clerk, his status in this Inner Court is not low."

A Clerk?

In the Hanlin Academy, this was considered an unranked official, not even reaching the ninth grade.

Deng Wenhui looked left and right before whispering: "He was once the Imperial Tutor to the current Emperor!"

"Ah?"

Liu Zheng was startled.

An Imperial Tutor was the Emperor's teacher! Generally, such a person had to be a great literary giant, with students all over the world, honored across the four seas, and possessing a transcendent status. Yet now, he had been reduced to a Gatekeeper of this Hanlin Academy?

Hidden dragons and crouching tigers!

The Inner Court of the Hanlin Academy was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!

Liu Zheng finally met Chen Qian, the highest official of the current Hanlin Academy, the greatest Grand Academician. This was an old man over sixty, and with him were the other Scholars of the Inner Court.

When Liu Zheng walked in following Deng Wenhui, the expressions in the eyes of these people as they looked at Liu Zheng were each different.

There was a smile in Chen Qian's eyes.

A few people were scrutinizing him strictly.

In the eyes of two others, there was a clear sense of contempt.

But unsurprisingly, everyone was staring at Liu Zheng, staring at this young man who, in the Longyan Dynasty, was famous for single-handedly forging a powerful Liangzhou.

"Hanlin Academy Reader Liu Zheng, reporting for duty!"

Liu Zheng felt a bit unnerved by their gazes and could only cup his hands and lower his head.

He kept having the feeling that he was being interviewed by an interviewer in the later generations.

"Good!"

Chen Qian slapped his thigh and laughed heartily: "What a fine, talented Prefect Liu! Good!"

The gazes of the others also began to soften somewhat.

They seemed to feel that Liu Zheng's demeanor was very satisfactory; he did not rely on his own strength to be arrogant.

Only then did Liu Zheng breathe a sigh of relief.

Chen Qian asked Deng Wenhui: "Is Reader Liu's Waist Token ready?"

Deng Wenhui hurriedly took it out and handed it to Liu Zheng.

It was a black Waist Token, simple and ancient in style, yet its texture was quite extraordinary, with the two characters "Hanlin" inscribed on it, making it very difficult to forge.

Chen Qian chuckled: "With this Waist Token, from now on when you walk in Jinghua, you are considered one of our Hanlin Academy people... Of course, for others, with this Waist Token in hand, no one would provoke them. For you, that may not necessarily be the case."

The group of people followed with boisterous laughter.

Liu Zheng also smiled bitterly again and again.

His entry into the capital this time was already a matter of life and death; how could Chen Qian not know this?

Suddenly.

Liu Zheng shuddered, looking at Chen Qian in disbelief: "Grand Academician, could it be that you summoned me here this time because..."

Chen Qian smiled amusedly and waved his hand, and the others then silently withdrew.

For a moment, only Chen Qian and Liu Zheng remained in the hall.

Chen Qian did not waste words, looked Liu Zheng over once more, and a gratified and kind smile appeared on his face: "Since you are a Hanlin Academy Reader, this old man has the responsibility to protect you. Does Reader Liu know how many people in Jinghua want to kill you right now?"

It was as expected!

Hearing this, Liu Zheng felt a warmth in his heart.

This old man he had never met before had actually summoned him to the Hanlin Academy at the first opportunity precisely because he wanted to protect him!