The Banished Immortal of the Cold Palace: His Majesty’s Young Master Yun Has Fallen Asleep Again - Chapter 15

The morning court session began at the Hour of the Rabbit.

The Golden Throne Hall was brightly lit. The officials were lined up on both sides, and not a sound could be heard.

Yan Linyuan sat on the dragon throne, his black court attire making his brows and eyes appear even more profound. He scanned the ministers below, his gaze lingering briefly on Lin Xiuxing and Song Chengye.

“Does anyone have matters to report?” he asked. His voice was not loud, yet it was exceptionally clear in the spacious hall.

After a brief silence, an elderly official from the Censorate stepped out first.

“This official has a memorial to present.” He knelt on the ground, holding a memorial up with both hands. “Your Majesty, I have heard that yesterday Your Majesty moved the prisoner Yun, who was in the Cold Palace, into Linhua Palace and ennobled him as a Young Master, granting him the stipend of a favored consort. This act violates the ancestral laws. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider.”

As he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly tightened.

Yan Linyuan remained expressionless, only tapping his fingertips lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne. “Oh? Which ancestral law did it violate?”

“Your Majesty,” the elderly official raised his head, his expression stern. “Yun entered the palace during the late Emperor’s reign. Although he had no official rank, he was considered an attendant to the late Emperor. According to ancestral laws, after the late Emperor passed away, palace servants without offspring should be moved to an outer palace or a temple to cultivate themselves. How could there be a reason for him to remain and serve the new monarch? This is a great disrespect to the late Emperor.”

This was a heavy accusation, and many officials in the hall changed color.

Lin Xiuxing stood at the head of the civil officials with his eyes lowered, though the corners of his lips curved in a nearly imperceptible way.

Seeing this, the Minister of Personnel behind him also stepped out to echo the sentiment. “Your Majesty, Official Li’s words are correct. Yun’s status is unique, and keeping him in the palace may provoke gossip. It would be better to send him away.”

“Better to what?” Yan Linyuan interrupted him, his voice still calm. “Better to send him to an outer palace? Or better to execute him directly?”

The Minister of Personnel choked, not daring to continue.

Yan Linyuan leaned back and swept his gaze over everyone in the hall. “It is true that Yun was brought into the palace by the late Emperor, but the late Emperor did not grant him a rank, nor did he favor him. He spent three years in the Cold Palace. While they call him a palace servant, he did not even have a proper task. For such a person, how can he be considered an attendant to the late Emperor?”

He paused, then added, “Moreover, I did not ennoble him as a Young Master on a whim. The Imperial Concubine Shu entrusted me in a dream before she passed away, saying that Yun had accompanied her for many years in the Cold Palace and was her only old friend in this deep palace. The Imperial Concubine begged me to give Yun a place to settle, so that she could be at peace in the afterlife.”

“Imperial Concubine Shu…” someone muttered quietly.

“What?” Yan Linyuan raised his eyes to look at the person who spoke. “The Imperial Concubine is my birth mother. Should I not fulfill her final wish?”

This blocked anyone from further retort. No matter how mad the Imperial Concubine had been, she was the Emperor’s birth mother, and filial piety outweighed everything.

Song Chengye, standing in the ranks of the military officials, had been silent until now. He suddenly stepped out and clasped his fists. “Your Majesty, I have a word to say.”

Yan Linyuan looked at him. “General Song, please speak.”

“The matter of Yun is, at the end of the day, a minor affair of the inner palace,” Song Chengye’s voice was resonant. “Since Your Majesty is mindful of Imperial Concubine Shu’s final wish, there is nothing inappropriate about keeping him in the palace. However, Yun is after all a man, and living in the inner palace is ultimately inconvenient. It would be better to move him to the outer court and give him a sinecure. This would fulfill Your Majesty’s filial piety without inciting gossip.”

This sounded like a step back, but in reality, it changed Yun Biechen from a Young Master to an outer official, changing the nature of his existence entirely.

Yan Linyuan stared at him for a moment and suddenly smiled. “General Song is certainly thoughtful.”

He stood up, walked down the steps, and paced twice in the hall. The hem of his black court robe dragged across the gold bricks with a faint, scratching sound.

“However, I have already issued the decree. My word is gold; how can I change it just like that?” He stopped in the center of the hall, his back to the officials, his voice turning cold. “Yun residing in Linhua Palace is my will. Does anyone have an objection?”

The hall was silent.

Lin Xiuxing finally raised his head with a respectful expression. “Your Majesty, we do not intend to be rebellious. It is just that ancestral laws cannot be abandoned, and the late Emperor’s reputation cannot be damaged. If Your Majesty insists on keeping Yun, could we change his title? Granting him a mansion and moving him out of the palace would also be acceptable.”

This was cleverly put; it gave the Emperor a way to back down while completely removing Yun Biechen from the inner palace.

Yun Biechen could not be in the inner palace. If he were in the inner palace, the Emperor could use filial piety as an excuse to spend long periods in his palace, preventing the people they sent into the palace from gaining favor or bearing an imperial heir.

Yan Linyuan turned and his gaze fell on Lin Xiuxing’s face. After a moment of eye contact, Yan Linyuan suddenly said, “Prime Minister Lin, why do you think I must keep him in the palace?”

Lin Xiuxing was startled.

“Because I like him,” Yan Linyuan said bluntly, though his eyes were cold. “I find him pleasing to the eye, and I want to keep him by my side. Is that reason enough?”

It was enough; it was more than enough.

Imperial favor was the greatest reason of all. In the face of absolute imperial power, ancestral laws and the late Emperor were merely empty concepts.

Lin Xiuxing lowered his eyes. “This official understands.”

“It is good that you understand.” Yan Linyuan walked back to the dragon throne and sat down. “The matter of Yun ends here. Whoever brings it up again will be questioning my filial piety and questioning the Imperial Concubine’s final wish.”

He paused and added, “It will also be questioning my decision.”

The final sentence was spoken lightly, but it hung over everyone’s head like a blade.

The morning court session dispersed.

The officials filed out of the Golden Throne Hall with heavy expressions. Lin Xiuxing and Song Chengye walked at the end, exchanging a look without speaking.

Once everyone had left, Wang Shunde stepped forward and whispered, “Your Majesty, the Old Celestial Master requests an audience.”

Yan Linyuan rubbed his temples. “Send him in.”

Shortly after, an elderly man with white hair walked into the hall. He wore simple Taoist robes and had a gaunt, refined face, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. He reached the center of the hall and bowed. “This humble Taoist greets Your Majesty.”

“Celestial Master, please rise,” Yan Linyuan raised his hand. “Why have you come to see me?”

The Old Celestial Master straightened up with a solemn expression. “Your Majesty, I observed the stars the other night and discovered that the Sovereign of the Fate Wheel, who should have appeared three months ago, has yet to manifest. According to calculations, the person meant to succeed me as the Celestial Master should have appeared long ago.”

Yan Linyuan raised an eyebrow. “Celestial Master means…”

“I request Your Majesty’s permission to go to the place where that person may be living in seclusion to investigate,” the Old Celestial Master said. “This matter concerns the destiny of the nation; we cannot be careless.”

Yan Linyuan was silent for a moment and asked, “Where does the Celestial Master believe that person might be?”

“According to the star calculations, they should be in the southeast direction,” the Old Celestial Master paused. “The specific location requires on-site investigation.”

“Southeast…” Yan Linyuan was thoughtful. “Permission granted. Whatever you need, just ask.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” The Old Celestial Master bowed and withdrew.

Yan Linyuan was left alone in the hall again. He leaned back on the dragon throne and closed his eyes, but the image of Yun Biechen’s face surfaced in his mind.

Southeast…

Yun Biechen was also from the Jiangnan region.

He opened his eyes, a glint of cold light flashing in them.

“Wang Shunde.”

“This old servant is here.”

“Send word to Linhua Palace that I will go there for lunch at noon.”