"Yu Yao, Qu Lian, you two don't need to busy yourselves. Just go and rest!"
The two beautiful young ladies, upon hearing this, dared not really leave, but stood by to await orders.
Over time, they gradually learned some of the household habits of the lord in the room.
This lord doesn't require much service; most tasks are completed independently.
Zhang Jian looked at the two elegant young ladies and smiled slightly.
In this era, a personal maid is actually more burdened than an ordinary maid or female attendant, not only needing to be vigilant at night, but also ready to serve at any time when the master or mistress is inconvenient, including warming the bed.
When the master and mistress do not need them, they must take turns, and cannot sleep too deeply!
The rules are very stringent.
Even more exhausting than working from dawn to dusk, unless one day they manage to rise through the ranks to be a concubine.
At this time, the beauty on the Luo bed was indeed very sleepy and soon fell asleep after mumbling a few words.
Outside, Zhang Lu had been waiting with a torch, his spirit lively and still grinning widely.
"Lord, shall we take the carriage or ride?"
Zhang Jian snorted lightly upon hearing this.
"Of course, we'll walk!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lu's face suddenly fell, since the one going to 'work' wasn't Zhang Jian, but him.
...
When Zhang Jian stepped into Chengtian Hall, the sky outside was just beginning to brighten, and many civil and military officials were streaming in.
Among the many high-ranking officials dressed in red and purple, Zhang Jian's presence in a green robe was quite prominent. But with the Imperial Censorate's censor keeping an eye nearby, many civil and military officials merely glanced at him before standing at their positions with eyes closed.
The military generals were somewhat better off; given their robust physiques, their energy was abundant. In contrast, many civil servants wore faces of fatigue, some doing their best to appear vigorous.
After entering, Zhang Jian first inquired of the Imperial Guard Generals at the door, then found his position.
His spot was on one side of Chengtian Hall, where there was a small writing desk with pens, ink, paper, and inkstone prepared, along with a chair — quite a decent treatment.
Within Chengtian Hall, the Dragon and Tiger Qi was so thick that Zhang Jian couldn't easily operate his Spiritual Gaze to look around. Instead, he focused on his Life Plate.
Since his grand marriage, he had discovered changes in his three Life Plates, as if a continuous stream of Destiny was merging into them, prompting transformations.
Especially the first Life Plate, Dragon Robe and Phoenix Attitude.
After that Destiny fused, there seemed to be dragon shapes and phoenix shadows emerging within.
It transitioned from green tinged with purple to a weave of purple and green, with purple occupying most of it.
And for the other two Life Plates, the Red Virtue True King Fate became increasingly distinct, revealing red dragon scales and lengthened carp whiskers resembling dragon whiskers.
The Asking for the Mountains and Rivers Life Plate began to coalesce, displaying the Life Phase of a Small Tripod.
The source of these changes seemed to be Qi Yuhua.
The Phoenix Destiny's feedback indeed offered significant benefits.
With the transformation of the three Life Plates, Zhang Jian's speed in assimilating the Sheji Qiankun Spiritual Mechanism had also increased, offering indirect advantages.
At this moment, Zhang Jian wasn't cultivating Spiritual Mechanism within Chengtian Hall. This place was heavily monitored by the Sheji Divine Dao, a gathering of numerous deities, so he naturally refrained from exposing his foundation easily.
Suddenly, Zhang Jian's demeanor shifted. He sensed a divine presence emanating from the side hall, resembling multitudes of gods following an escort, as the Dragon and Tiger Qi roared. A young man dressed in a Profound Yellow Emperor's Robe appeared, yawning as he emerged.
Emperor Jingwu had arrived.
With that, Zhang Jian commenced his role as the 'functions' of a meeting secretary, taking down notes on each agenda item discussed during the court session, including the statements from each senior courtier.
Upon picking up the pen, Zhang Jian realized that this was a position of quite unique power. Many statements, if he wished, could be 'beautified' in some way, perhaps influencing the Emperor's impression of certain ministers positively upon review.
The same words, used wisely, although conveying similar meanings, vary greatly in tone.
If a minister offended the Emperor with words during the Chengtian Hall proceedings, and if Zhang Jian chose, he could subtly amend certain crucial parts. When the Emperor reviewed later, his demeanor might soften, potentially salvaging the minister's career.
However, being new to the role, Zhang Jian abstained, keeping his notes impartial and balanced as much as possible.
Zhang Jian also noticed that he wasn't the only one recording; there were two others as well — historians, whose roles differed from his.
As the various discussions and decision-making ended across different regions, many civil and military officials began focusing on the final matter, debating.
This was also the primary concern of the gathered ministers during today's morning assembly: since summer commenced, provinces have gradually experienced abnormal locust outbreaks.
The crops just recently planted across various territories are on the verge of yielding a harvest, now facing locust outbreaks, leading to inevitable reduced yields, or even complete loss.
The locust plague appeared suddenly.
Many courtiers speculated that it might be the handiwork of evil cultists and urged the Daoists from Dong Shen Temple to find a solution.
At this point, Emperor Jingwu frowned at Master Jingming.
"Master Jingming, I recall when the previous Emperor ruled, a locust plague broke out, subsequently resolved by several elders versed in the Beast Taming Technique from Dong Shen Temple, leading a million birds to fly northward to deal with this calamity. Could we invite these elders again to perform rituals according to precedent to address such natural disasters and calamities?"
Master Jingming stood before the Three Ministers and Nine Ministers.
Behind him were Imperial Censor Zhuang Ying and Grand Commandant Wang Huan.
Prime Minister Yuan Hongli had recently taken sick leave and was resting at home, absent from the morning assembly.
Upon hearing, Master Jingming felt somewhat troubled.
Soliciting elders from Dong Shen Temple to resolve the locust plague was feasible, but he worried it might be a stratagem to weaken suppression forces.
Now within Haojing City, the defense forces were already insufficient, removing any elder could form defensive voids.
Additionally, the locust plague was perilous, dispatching just one elder wouldn't be safe enough; several elders should be sent for effective action.
Yet, he couldn't refuse the task.
After all, it related to Sheji.
"Your Majesty, leave this matter to me. Dong Shen Temple shall resolve it for Your Majesty, preventing the common people from suffering!"
Suddenly, a red-robed official stood forward and said.
"Your Majesty, aside from this, malignant spirits and creatures are taking advantage of disasters to manipulate and deceive the populace, spreading rumors harmful to the court. These entities form various sects such as the Fire Worship Sect, Qingping Daoist Sect, Three Yang Dao, Red Lotus Dao, etc. Please issue orders to eliminate these illegal sects!"
This was an administrator from Taichang Temple.
Before the desk, upon hearing mention of the Red Lotus Dao, Zhang Jian raised an eyebrow.
He remained composed; as the Daoist Lord behind Red Lotus Dao, he naturally understood the rapid growth of his sect.
Taking advantage of last year's drought and ice disaster, Red Lotus Dao indeed expanded swiftly.
Especially after revising the teachings to uphold the light and warmth of flames, promoting friendship and mutual assistance, attracting many displaced and refugee individuals, helping them rise from hardship.
These displaced and refugees naturally harbor goodwill toward Red Lotus Dao.
Predictably, their goodwill towards Red Lotus Dao was immense, while they held considerable resentment against the Government Office.
Although Red Lotus Dao had now become a purely Daoist sect organization, any changes could swiftly influence various territories.
Emperor Jingwu nodded slightly: "Minister He speaks wisely. I will have the Sports and Arts College draft an imperial decree to abolish these folk sects and further instruct Observatory Platform officials to inspect regions. If there is disharmony, they should collaborate with local government offices to dispatch troops to forcibly disband these sects!"
After the Xuan Du Sect's chaos, Emperor Jingwu was very wary of such Daoist sects.
Listening to the advice of various court ministers, Zhang Jian knew that not only Red Lotus Dao but other Daoist sects would soon face trouble.
However, since he received firsthand information, he could certainly maneuver Red Lotus Dao to bypass the suppression.
The means remained as simple as dividing and scattering the sect's core members.
The foundation of these sects was the displaced commoners; as long as the Daqian Court doesn't resolve the issues of land mergers and the expansion of Noble Families, these sects can quickly resurrect.
And possibly burn even more fiercely.