The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 361: Chapter 355: My Bright Mirror

Taihe Hall, also known among the common folk as Jinluan Hall, was where the Emperor held morning court with his officials. All who appeared in Taihe Hall were, without exception, high-ranking ministers of the Court.

For the young officials of Xuan Yang, especially the scholars who had just passed the imperial examinations, attending the morning court assembly was a lifelong goal.

Led by Eunuch Chang, Bai Yuan finally arrived at this place of supreme power in Xuan Yang.

"This humble servant, Bai Yuan, pays my respects to Your Majesty."

Bai Yuan knelt on one knee, showing none of the typical plot-driven refusal of a transmigrator to kneel.

’Refusing to kneel before the Emperor? Do I think I have nine lives or something?’

He had always been good at going with the flow.

Because he was formerly the Lingzhou General, a proper Military Officer, he only had to kneel on one knee. This was a rule established by the Grand Ancestor Emperor out of his reverence for martial virtue.

Even though a thousand years later, the military officials had been gradually suppressed by the civil servants, no one dared to change such an ancestral custom.

"Rise."

A dignified voice rang out.

Only then did Bai Yuan slowly stand up.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the middle-aged man seated on the Dragon Throne. That was the current Emperor of Xuan Yang.

The Emperor was just the Emperor, with no prefix to his title.

For example, the title "Grand Ancestor" in Grand Ancestor Emperor was a posthumous temple name.

Even if it was set in stone that the current Emperor would receive the temple name of Emperor Wen, if anyone dared to utter the title "Emperor Wen" in public, the extermination of their ten relations would be considered merciful.

The Xuan Yang Emperor appeared to be around forty years old, clean-shaven, with a dignified and majestic bearing, exuding an air of nobility.

It was said that he was a Grandmaster who had broken through the Mingxin Pass. Even for the Li Royal Family, it was impossible to produce a Divine Communication Powerhouse in every generation.

Besides the Emperor, the court officials in Taihe Hall were divided into two factions.

One row for the Civil Servants, and one for the Military Officers.

The number of Civil Servants was clearly much greater than that of the Military Officers.

Standing at the very front of the Civil Servants was an old man with a ramrod-straight back. Without a second thought, one would know he was the Grand Tutor, the head of the Civil Servants.

Originally, the one at the head of the Military Officers’ column should have been Grand Protector Yan Shao’an, but as Yan Shao’an was currently holding the line alone in Ling Province, his place was taken by the Minister of War, Xu Dingchun.

In fact, according to protocol, there should have been another person standing alongside the Grand Tutor and the Grand Protector—the Grandmaster, who was the head of the Three Ducal Ministers.

However, in Xuan Yang, the position of Grandmaster was a posthumous honor; no living person had the opportunity to hold it. Therefore, the current Grandmaster was none other than Du Qinghui, who had died in battle long ago.

Emperor Xuanyang looked at Bai Yuan standing in the center of Taihe Hall, a look of interest on his face.

"My dear Bai, you have resisted the Demon Sect and achieved outstanding military merit. You may speak freely of whatever reward you desire."

Upon hearing this, the hearts of all the court officials jolted.

The main event of the day had finally arrived.

Bai Yuan was a genius on the Qianlong List, and the Qianlong List was personally established by the current Emperor. Therefore, as long as Bai Yuan’s request wasn’t too outrageous, it would almost certainly be granted.

Otherwise, if a prominent talent from the list were treated this way, it would undoubtedly be a slap in the Emperor’s face, and the prestige of the Qianlong List would be greatly diminished in the future.

Every single position for a Capital Official was crucial, often causing various factions to fight until they were red in the face.

Not to mention, Bai Yuan would very likely be appointed to the third rank, which would have a significant impact on the various factions in the Imperial Court.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Bai Yuan took a deep breath. "This humble servant wishes to ask Your Majesty for an official post, to fulfill this servant’s desire to serve the nation."

The court officials in the great hall all unconsciously narrowed their eyes.

Emperor Xuanyang, Li Chengyuan, leaned forward slightly. "Speak freely, my dear Bai."

He was not at all surprised that Bai Yuan was asking for an official position.

Li Chengyuan had always considered himself an enlightened ruler with lofty ambitions.

He was determined to weaken the influence of the martial sects in Xuan Yang, which was why he had created the Qianlong List—to compete with the world’s sects for promising new talents in the Martial Dao.

The reason Bai Yuan’s official appointment had been left pending for so long was that Li Chengyuan wanted to hear Bai Yuan’s own thoughts.

If he wanted to snatch geniuses away from those ancient, powerful sects, he needed to have the magnanimity to show he valued talent.

Otherwise, the situation of Xuan Yang’s young officials declining with each generation would only worsen.

Bai Yuan’s gaze was firm. "This humble servant implores Your Majesty to allow me to enter the Imperial Inspection Office and uphold the integrity of Xuan Yang!"

What?

The Imperial Inspection Office!

The assembled court officials all looked at each other, thinking they had misheard.

When Li Chengyuan heard that Bai Yuan wanted to voluntarily go to the Imperial Inspection Office, he became even more curious.

Although he was the Emperor, he was well-versed in the ways of officialdom. What kind of promising official would go to the Imperial Inspection Office?!

"My dear Bai, why do you wish to go to the Imperial Inspection Office?"

Bai Yuan’s expression was sincere, his words impassioned. "Lord Du showed this humble servant great kindness and recognized my potential. This humble servant wishes to carry on Lord Du’s legacy and defend the integrity of the realm!"

The smile on Li Chengyuan’s lips froze, and his expression turned sorrowful.

"Ah, Duke Du..."

A look of reminiscence filled his eyes. Du Qinghui’s forthright remonstrations still seemed to echo in his ears.

Ever since Du Qinghui had died in battle, he hadn’t heard the truth in a long time.

As the supreme sovereign, he had naturally heard that Du Qinghui had shown great favor to Bai Yuan in Ling Province, and that Bai Yuan had even personally erected a cenotaph for him.

’My clear mirror!’

Li Chengyuan immediately slapped his thigh. "Excellent! We shall appoint you Left Deputy Chief Imperial Censor of the Imperial Inspection Office. Do not disappoint Us or Duke Du."

Bai Yuan knelt once more. "Thank you for your immense grace, Your Majesty!"

The corners of the court officials’ mouths twitched.

’Carry on Du Qinghui’s legacy?’

’We’re all thousand-year-old schemers here. Who would believe that?’

...

The morning court session was dismissed.

Emperor Li Chengyuan began his busy day.

The court officials walked out of Taihe Hall in groups of two and three, casting occasional glances at Bai Yuan.

Given His Majesty the Emperor’s attitude today, he probably would have agreed even if Bai Yuan had asked for something much greater.

But no one expected Bai Yuan to pick such an insignificant position.

The Imperial Inspection Office was a place where less-accomplished family members were usually sent. It offered no real prospects for a political career.

This was the first time they had ever seen someone voluntarily go to the Imperial Inspection Office.

Bai Yuan walked alone on the path out of the palace, his expression serene.

’Of course, inheriting Old Du’s legacy was just an excuse. After all, such a strange act as voluntarily joining the Imperial Inspection Office needed a suitable justification, and Old Du was the perfect shield.’

’Considering my friendship with Old Du, he probably wouldn’t blame me even if he found out in the Underworld.’

’He might have even been reincarnated by now, in which case he’d have even less to say about it.’

The Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Guo Yingru, walked up beside Bai Yuan, looking at him with a complicated expression.

He had navigated the Ministry of Personnel for decades, but Bai Yuan was the first person he couldn’t see through.

’Choosing the Imperial Inspection Office... this whole thing is truly hard to make sense of.’

For disciples from humble backgrounds, the Imperial Inspection Office was naturally a first-rate destination. But for a prodigy like Bai Yuan, who was already on the Qianlong List, it was simply the worst possible choice.

Originally, all the high-ranking ministers of the Civil Servant Group had speculated that Bai Yuan would ask for the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

If that had truly been the case, the old man standing behind the Grand Tutor would have rushed out without hesitation to implore His Majesty to reconsider.

But they never expected Bai Yuan to voluntarily become an Imperial Censor in the Imperial Inspection Office.

This left those old men with no outlet for the emotions they had been brewing.

A factional struggle that had been brewing under the surface was thus neutralized just like that.

It was truly unexpected.

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