Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 760: Attitudes in the Imperial Court

It was the exact moment of dawn. Suns didn’t rise from the east in every part of the Revered Ancient mainland. But in the Imperial Region, the sun did rise from the east, like a huge furnace, baking heaven and earth with a red glow as it climbed into the air. The night fractured and fell apart as light illuminated the statue of Grand Emperor Swordsage, whose cast shadow covered the rainbow bridge and the imperial palace.

From a distance, it was possible to see thick violet smoke swirling up from the Immortal Reception Plaza in front of the imperial palace, all within the shadow of the grand emperor.

There was also a large bell that rose up into midair exactly as night and day transposed. It was the Immortal Questioning Bell. From the days of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity until the present, it had existed in between yin and yang. When the sun came out, it was revealed. When the sun set, it disappeared. Its function was to certify the heart. From the very beginning, whenever a government official was called into question, they could ring the Immortal Questioning Bell to certify the state of their heart. It had been that way since ancient times. That said, during the reign of Emperor Dark War, the bell was rarely used.

At the moment, all of the officials in the sable garments, including Xu Qing, were entering the building. What met Xu Qing’s eyes was a majestic palace hall. It was large enough to fit several thousand people. The open areas were lined with pillars carved with auspicious animals. [1]

The hall was lined on either side with guards in golden armor, who stood stock still, their heads slightly bowed in a show of respect for the officials.

At the far end was a staircase with nine steps, each of which were some 300 meters from end to end and a good 30 meters wide. At the top, just beyond the ninth step, was a fantastic Dragon Throne.[2]

Seated atop it was a person. He was something of a blur, making it impossible to make out his features clearly. However, he was definitely wearing a golden imperial garment, and was boundlessly glorious. He wore an imperial crown with twelve tassels on the front and back. The tassels were made from multi-colored immortal thread and sun-moon pearls, and they symbolized how the sovereign emperor was both visible and invisible. He sat there, the core of the entire palace hall, the core of the Imperial Region itself, and the core of humankind in the Revered Ancient mainland.

Even more astonishing was the destiny aura. It was the destiny aura of all humanity, focused solely on the emperor, bolstering and blessing him. All it took was a single glance for Xu Qing to be filled with a boundless sense of mountain-toppling, sea-draining pressure.

His eyes were outstandingly piercing. Xu Qing hadn’t felt anything like it, not even from the Heir Apparent and his siblings back in the Moonrite Region. It didn’t have anything to do with cultivation base, but rather, destiny aura. With that destiny aura, the emperor could destroy the heavens and crush the earth with a mere thought.

Xu Qing bowed his head and thought back to what Plumdark had told him about the etiquette that needed to be observed.

“When Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity conquered all, that included lands of the living as well as the netherworld of the dead. He ignored the north and focused south, sitting in the west to face the east. That symbolized how the fate of all species rested in the palm of humankind.

“From then on, whether in a major session of court or a minor one, the emperor would always face east.

“The emperor, the heavenly kings, and the palace lords of the Greater Celestial divisions need not attend minor court sessions. But during major sessions, they’re all required to attend. The Grand Emperors sit on the sixth step, the heavenly kings on the third. The heavenly marquises take the first step, while the three dukes stand directly beneath the first step, also facing east.

“The deputy envoy of the Five Greater Celestial Divisions sticks to the north while facing west, while the deputy envoy of the Five Lesser Celestial Divisions sticks to the south while also facing west. Members of the imperial clan are stationed on the right side of the entrance gate, while the grand servant and all the grand servant’s subsidiary officers are stationed on the left side of the entrance gate.”[3]

As Xu Qing considered all of that, the more than ten cultivators wearing black court attire who had entered at the same time as him ascended to the first step, where they stood and looked back at the entrance.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and did the same. The others looked at him, though in most cases it was a brief glance. And thus, Xu Qing came to stand at the very end of the first step.

At the same time as Xu Qing reached the first step, all of the other officials filtered in and began to take their spots according to court etiquette.

The entire hall was silent.

In terms of the three dukes’ position beneath the first step, Xu Qing noticed that there was only one present. He was an old man dressed in red court attire, with long white hair that draped down past his shoulders. He stood tall and straight, his expression threatening without being angry. Xu Qing wasn’t sure exactly who he was, and could only guess that he was a chief minister. As prescribed by Dark Serenity, sessions of court were presided over by a chief minister.

After the crowd had assembled in all solemnity, the old man in red looked everyone over, then turned to face the direction of everyone on the first step, including Xu Qing. His gaze paused for a fraction. He wasn’t just looking at Xu Qing to see what he looked like. Instead, he seemed shocked that Xu Qing’s clothing was all correct down to the finest detail. He could tell that every aspect of Xu Qing’s attire corresponded to the most ancient, traditional style. Although most ordinary people wouldn’t pick up on that, this old man most certainly did. His gaze rested on Xu Qing for only the briefest of moments before he turned to the emperor on the ninth step. Clasping hands, he bowed.

“Your Majesty, court etiquette has been maintained.”

Everyone in the crowd bowed their heads. In ordinary minor sessions of the court, the emperor would stand and return the respectful salute, thus ending the opening ceremony.

But this time, something different happened....

The emperor slowly rose from his throne, pulsing with dramatic pressure that spread through heaven and earth thanks to the destiny aura.

The clouds outside seethed as golden dragons roared from within them. At that point, the emperor, instead of saluting the gathered officials, turned his head and looked through the pearl tassels at Xu Qing. He nodded three times.

Speaking on behalf of the emperor, the chief minister said, “For services rendered, let the acting governor be given a seat!”

The stairs rumbled as a seat carved with a sable dragon slowly rose up.

Looking very respectful, Xu Qing clasped hands and bowed nine times in thanks. He did not fumble any of the etiquette, with even his posture conforming to the ancient traditions.

When everyone in the crowd saw that, they didn’t react visibly, but inside they were surprised. And now, they viewed Xu Qing with slightly more importance than before, as they knew that he was backed by someone who was deeply familiar with all aspects of human etiquette.

At that point, the emperor saluted the gathered officials, then sat back down on his throne. Xu Qing sat as well. The other cultivators in black court attire similarly sat down, though they sat cross-legged on the ground.

A bell tolled, and the session of court formally started.

Someone stepped forward, and official business began. It started with the affairs of the common citizens. Next were various things related to humankind as a whole, including criminal proceedings as well as matters related to finance, foreign affairs, and the like.

The emperor rarely spoke. Most things were handled by the chief minister. When certain very important things came up, the chief minister would ask for input from the emperor, who would usually just give a few words. After all, the words of the emperor surpassed everything else.

Considering that this was Xu Qing’s first time attending court and seeing all the complex rules, it was no surprise that he was a bit shaken, and had a hard time remaining as calm as usual. He sat with his back to the emperor, looking out at the hall.

Everyone else in attendance kept their faces blank, making it impossible to tell what they were thinking. As different people had their say, Xu Qing came to a true understanding of the idiom each word spoken is a gem; everyone spoke concisely, but at the same time, in a way that made their words open to interpretation.

Only dragons and phoenixes among men could be in a place like this....

As Xu Qing contemplated such thoughts, the reports being made to the emperor touched on foreign affairs, and specifically, the war with the Nightshades. As various officials spoke their mind, Xu Qing’s gaze came to rest on the right side of the hall, where the imperial clan was gathered.

There weren’t many people in that group, and most were elderly. None of the imperial princes were present other than Ningyan, who stood there cautiously and clearly afraid of his father.

Xu Qing looked away. That was when he heard the chief minister speaking again.

“Now, Governor Xu Qing of Sea-Sealing County will give further details about the Nightshade activity in the Nightspirit Region.”

All eyes shifted to Xu Qing. He stood, bowed formally to the emperor, then said, “The Nightspirit Region is divided into north and south. The north half is still controlled by the remnants of the Nightshades’ imperial clan. The south is mostly controlled by the Nightshade priests.

“When Crimson Mother perished, the priests fell from grace and lost the blessing of their god. My Sea-Sealing County forces have now taken them as subordinates, and have given them something new to worship.”

In response to his words, a middle-aged man wearing blue court attire suddenly stepped forward.

“Governor Xu, what is this object of worship that you have provided to the Nightshade priesthood?”

The crowd reacted visibly, albeit subtly. It was open knowledge that the Nightshade priests now gave faith to Violet Lord. And it was also common knowledge that Violet Lord was somehow connected to Xu Qing. However, it was also a sensitive subject that shouldn’t have been mentioned publicly. Therefore, the fact that this man had asked the question in this way was deeply meaningful on multiple levels.

Xu Qing looked over at the middle-aged man. “You’ve committed a breach of decorum.”

When the middle-aged man saw the look in Xu Qing’s eyes, he stepped back into line.

The way Xu Qing quickly resolved the situation was thought-provoking to the crowd, and many people were starting to speculate about who was giving him advice behind the scenes.

The chief minister nodded slightly. “The acting governor has performed great services, wears the court attire of a heavenly marquis, and is seated on the first step. Zhao Tianyi, you interrupted Governor Xu, which is inappropriate in terms of the ancient etiquette. You have indeed committed a breach of decorum.”

“Yes,” Zhao Tianyi said, his head bowed to hide whatever emotion was on his face.

Xu Qing ignored him. Facing the emperor, he bowed, then sat back down.

The hall went quiet. Then, another person stepped forward, similarly dressed in blue court attire. After bowing to the emperor, he turned to face Xu Qing.

“Since Governor Xu is seated, I have a question, and it won’t count as a breach of decorum. Governor Xu, the Dawning Suns are the greatest secret of humankind. Therefore, Governor Xu, how did you learn of them, how did you get them, how many do you have, and why did you bring them into the imperial capital and the imperial palace??”

This was another sensitive question, and it was spoken in a voice laced with killing intent. It immediately caused the mood in the hall to turn tense. The guards in golden armor all seemed to become more vigilant than before.

Xu Qing didn’t stand. He let a few breaths of time pass, then calmly said, “The Heir Apparent of the Moonrite Region has nine of them. Because I helped him kill Crimson Mother, he gave me six as a gift. I brought them with me to the imperial capital because I fear death.”

The official who had asked the question said nothing further. He stepped back in line.

The chief minister looked at that official. Although it seemed like the official had been giving Xu Qing a hard time, there was another possible side to the coin: he had given Xu Qing a chance to explain himself. His actions could be considered benevolent, or they could be considered malevolent. It depended on perspective and opinion. That said, it had nothing to do with the chief minister himself, so he simply looked at the emperor.

The emperor sat on his throne, his face expressionless, but a stiflingly dangerous energy pulsing off him, filled the entire hall with pressure and coldness.

About ten breaths of time passed. Finally, the emperor said, “Chief Minister, please explain the results of the investigation into the assassination attempt here in the imperial capital.”

The chief minister bowed his head. He understood full well that the emperor was choosing not to pursue the matter of the Dawning Suns. That was also a signal that everyone else in the crowd understood.

The chief minister looked up and turned to face the outside of the hall, his eyes cold and full of killing intent.

“Bring in everyone connected to the assassination attempt!”

1. This isn’t really important, but the concept of the pillars with auspicious beasts caught my imagination. I did some image searching in Chinese and found a good example of what such pillars might look like. I believe the picture comes from a company in China that makes such things for modern-day consumers, so don’t consider them historical. ☜

2. Historically speaking, the “Dragon Throne” could refer to the actual throne, or it could refer to the emperor or the government itself (sort of similar to the White House in America). Here’s a picture of the real historical Dragon Throne on display at the Forbidden City in Beijing. And yes, I have been there in person to see this! I think what struck me the most is that the throne is a lot different than I’d imagined it before seeing it in person. In my imagination, the throne was just a big seat in a room, sort of like the Iron Throne in GoT. Instead, the actual seat is just part of the overall structure of the throne. I’m talking historically here. Also, though I’m not an expert of Chinese history, and haven’t actually researched this point, I’m fairly certain that there was not one specific Dragon Throne that got passed around between dynasties and emperors. But I could be wrong about that. That’s just my general impression. ☜

3. Historically speaking, sessions of court in Ancient China would be like this, with different people standing in certain spots depending on their rank, status, etc. Here are a couple pictures. I feel like I’ve shared at least one of those pictures before, perhaps in another translation, but I can’t remember exactly where. ☜