The Little Consort's
Eps. 18: Long Ji Man Becomes First Champion
In the morning, the air inside the main room of Taiji Palace was already extremely hot.
The source of the hot air is not from nature, but from the humans in it. Ever since the royal court meeting took place, the originally quiet grand hall turned boisterous. Palace officials, including ministers, took turns casting votes, calling for reports and opinions, and often debating.
The officials, consisting of men of various family backgrounds, education, and ages, were the officials appointed when the reign of the king of the previous two began. They were chosen by Long Ji Man's grandfather through a very strict royal examination.
Most of them were graduates of the Royal Academy, a school that was used to prepare future officials who would help the king take care of the country. The rest were graduates of other academies, only not as many as the graduates of the Royal Academy. Even so, the quality of their work was just as good, not much different from the officials of the Royal Academy graduates.
Every one and a half years, the royal party would hold a selection exam for those who wanted to become officials. The test consists of three stages. The first stage is the material test, which is the test through paper and questions. The second stage was the martial arts examination. For those who qualify in the second stage, it will automatically enter the last preliminary round in the third stage. This third stage is usually the easiest. The participants who pass to the third stage must provide a question for other participants and answer questions posed by other participants.
However, this third stage is precisely the stage that makes the participants unable to qualify as officials. The assessment system at this stage is seen from the questions and answers that each participant throws. Those who do not know the norm and feel smart usually give difficult and complicated questions and answers. They seem to want to show that they are the smartest and most suitable to be officials.
They didn't know, the appraisers actually hated such things. If they are intelligent, they will not show their abilities openly and will choose to hide their intelligence through words and actions. Questions and answers that are given high value are questions and answers that contain philosophical meaning and meaning, not directly explicit. May be humble, but must maintain self-esteem. It should not be high-minded, but questions and answers should still have meaning.
On his dragon throne, Long Ji Man repeatedly sighed and massaged his own forehead. The officials who were his subordinates continuously annoyed him. Today, after the state report, the Minister of Rites asked a question that Long Ji Man had never thought of. The question of the Minister of Rites, who asked about the presence of a son of the heir to the throne, provoked other officials to ask him too. The presence of the son of the successor to the throne provoked the opinions and assumptions of those officials, thus making Long Ji Man a headache.
It had been four years since Long Ji Man had become king, he had not also sutured. In fact, in the Harem Palace, Long Ji Man had countless beautiful women with various different backgrounds. Every year, Empress Dowager Han Yuemei always adds a harem occupant with one or two new women. Some are of high status, some are mistresses without status and titles. Women who do not have that status and title usually come from ordinary families.
Being a king is not easy. Long Ji Man's life would not be able to escape the attention and gaze of people. In fact, for his own family affairs he could not determine for himself. Having multiple wives, is not only troublesome. But it also requires a lot of money that can shut up and hold them. Lately, Long Ji Man felt the expenditure for his concubines swell. I don't know what the concubines did with the money given each month by the palace.
The officials continued to urge Long Ji Man to immediately grant a successor prince to the throne so that the royal succession remained stable and the hearts of regional officials became calm. With the existence of a crown prince, the officials were convinced that the power and authority of the kingdom would be stronger. The sooner you are born, the better. Old officials who have served decades will have time to teach and educate the crown prince before they retire. But, in these four years, their hopes seemed to have been dashed just like that. There was never any good news from the back palace.
“Your Majesty, the full moon will come in three days,” said the Minister of Rites.
“Then?” Long Ji Man asked back, accompanied by his regretful gaze.
“Energi Yin and Yang will reach the top,” continued the minister.
“Say clearly!”
“Your Majesty please immediately spend the night with the Empress or one of the residents of the Back Palace,” said the Minister of Rites loudly, kneeling and bowing his head.
“Yang Mulia please grant a request,” said another Minister simultaneously. Their voices echoed within the Taiji hall.
Long Ji Man was getting annoyed. He went back to rubbing his forehead. Spend the night? They thought it was something worth discussing inside this sacred hall? Why did they not bring the women here to see how much the officials cared about their whereabouts?
“No shame!”
Long Ji Man kicked down the table in front of him. The sound of the explosion shocked the officials. In an instant, the bodies of those officials had already nearly fused with the floor, prostrating and bowing so low. Afraid and tough, the value is equally half.
“I think the requests of the officials can be considered.”
Long Ji Man turned his gaze to the owner of the voice. His face suddenly softened a little. Damn, the Grand Prince has already made a sound. If he had already made a sound, Long Ji Man had no other choice but to consider it. The Grand Prince's aura always made Long Ji Man gobsmacked.
The Grand Prince was the younger brother of the previous king, the younger brother of Long Ji Man's father. His name was Long Ji Su, his age was only ten years adrift of Long Ji Man's father. He is handsome, talented, and the smartest. Long Ji Su was crowned Grand Prince in the final year of Long Ji Man's father's reign. Some say, the Grand Prince is more suitable to be a king because he has an aura and a very large leadership soul.
As a result, Long Ji Su had distanced himself from government affairs and secluded himself at the border, not wanting to make the royal authority damaged or cracked. Long Ji Su was not at all interested in the throne.
In addition to being the Grand Prince, Long Ji Su also became a teacher for Long Ji Man. He taught Long Ji Man state and government since the age of Long Ji Man six. That was what caused Long Ji Man could not carelessly refuse Long Ji Su's request, because in every word he always contained the teaching of virtue that made Long Ji Man become wise and wise.
Should he consider it?
Long Ji Man thought of a way for the officials to be granted but he did not need to do anything. He should be able to avoid this without offending or disappointing the officials who already helped him take care of the government.
“I have a way!” yelled Long Ji Man suddenly. The officials who had initially bowed their heads, stared at their king, impatient with what he was about to say.
For a moment, the palace officials looked at each other.
“What does His Majesty mean?” ask the Rite Minister.
“If I lose that game, I will consider your plea. If I win, never force me or urge me again!”
The Grand Prince smiled. His nephew never changed. Wanting to avoid problems, but not consciously worsening them. Long Ji Man should not forget that he could never win from the Great Prince in all games.
An hour later, all the offices that were originally inside the hall had already gathered in the garden behind Taiji Palace. They came to watch the game between their king and his royal uncle. This match is very important because it concerns the future of the crown prince. The Grand Prince had to win so that Long Ji Man could spend the night with a woman in order for the royal lineage to be born. If this game fails, they have to bite their fingers because of the dashed hope.
Meanwhile, Long Ji Man actually felt regret for challenging his uncle. The Grand Prince made him have to compete chess, a game that Long Ji Man hated. Every time he played, Long Ji Man always lost. He hated this game because it was too difficult and dizzying. Chess only made her head boil and churn.
This time, he had to drain his mind in order to win from the Grand Prince, for those officials to stop forcing him to make a crown prince.
One by one, Long Ji Man's white chess pieces climbed onto the board. Then followed by the black chess piece belonging to the Grand Prince. The mood became quiet. It was not only Long Ji Man who felt the tension, but the officials as well. They are sucked into the permanence. Their focus never shifted from the chessboard played by the two important people of Dongling Kingdom who were concentrating.
Long Ji Man placed the next chess piece on the right side, surrounding the Great Prince's black piece. The Grand Prince retaliated by closing the path of Long Ji Man on the far left side, until Long Ji Man's chess piece was cornered and unable to move.
“If you put it there, this game will be finished,”, said the Grand Prince when Long Ji Man's hand was about to put his chess piece in the middle of which was surrounded by black chess pieces. Long Ji Man held back his hand, then looked back at the chessboard. He had just discovered that this board was dominated by black chess pieces. If he put it down, he would instantly lose.
“Why did Uncle help me?”
“I just warned you.”
Long Ji Man shifted his chess piece to the left side. The eyes of the officials were unceasingly looking at the chessboard. Their hearts are beating fast. Though, the ones playing were King Long and the Great Prince, not them. Apparently, watching is more stressful than doing a show.
In the first round, Long Ji Man lost. The provisional score is 1-0. The game resumed. This time, Long Ji Man was more careful. Thanks to his efforts, he won. Score becomes a series. The third round is the most decisive. This is where his life is at stake. The match was fierce. Long Ji Man and the Grand Prince were both trying to think of a proper and quick move in order to win.
“Uncle, help me!” yelled Long Ji Man slowly. The Grand Prince only shook his head and smiled. His handsome face was getting brighter.
Instead of helping Long Ji Man, the Grand Prince strengthened his steps even more. He surrounded Long Ji Man's chess pieces on all sides. The game became very stressful. The complicated formation that formed on the chessboard gave Long Ji Man a headache
Just as he was about to give up and despair, Long Ji Man found a gap. He placed his last chess piece on the far side of the chessboard. The officials who had originally held their breath sighed softly.
“I win!”
Disillusioned. The officials should be disappointed. This game is over. They could not urge Long Ji Man to have a son soon. The officials then left because there was nothing they could do anymore. The show is over. Long Ji Man won.
“Uncle, why did you let me go?” long Ji Man asked after everyone left.
The Grand Prince smiled. He had indeed deliberately created a gap for Long Ji Man to win.
“Your Majesty, life is like a chessboard. These pieces are you and your officials.”
Long Ji Man nodded. As he expected, the Grand Prince must have taught him another lesson. The game this time made Long Ji Man realize that there was a time when he had to advance, and there was a time when he had to retreat. Just like the situation. Long Ji Man must know when he can go forward to express his wishes, and when to step down to consider the wishes of his officials. Long Ji Man had to learn to be even more careful.
“Uncle, it's my first time being champion first!”
Long Ji Man hugged the Grand Prince tightly. Hugging her was like hugging her own father. No wonder the relationship between the two is so close. Long Ji Man in the eyes of the Grand Prince was still a child who needed guidance and mentoring.
The Grand Prince, deep down, really hoped that one day Long Ji Man could grant the wishes of the officials, which actually became his wish as well.
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