Xu Jie immediately let out a dry cough, signaling Huang Jin to quickly continue reading.
Huang Jin then proceeded to read the next poem. As he read, his mind was in a complete mess.
What was happening with the Hanlin Academicians these days? How did they get their positions? They couldn't even string together a coherent sentence when writing Qingci, yet they could recite the Four Books and Five Classics by heart.
There was nothing he could do but continue reading volume after volume. By the time he reached the third submission, Jiajing suddenly struck the jade chime with a loud bang.
"Dong!"
A dull, hollow sound instantly reverberated through the hall.
The anxious hearts of everyone present sank to the bottom.
"His Majesty is still angry..."
"Alas, the writing is truly abominable..."
"It's all over..."
"He's going to explode..."
"Yan Shifan is laughing his head off..."
The Qingliu faction immediately grew fearful, while Yan Shifan and Luo Longwen, watching the Qingliu faction's panicked expressions, exchanged smiles and openly displayed their schadenfreude.
Heh heh, let's see how you Qingliu scholars will get out of this!
And then, as if to make matters worse, when Huang Jin reached the fifth submission, some phrase must have touched a taboo, for Jiajing struck the jade chime four times in rapid succession!
"Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!"
The rapid sounds conveyed his escalating anger!
Xu Jie's face turned ashen. He clenched his fists, trembling slightly. He wanted to say something in his defense, but dared not. Finally, he sighed and lowered his head. Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong also closed their eyes in helplessness, wishing for this embarrassing spectacle to end quickly.
But there was more to come. When Huang Jin reached the ninth submission, Jiajing's temper finally snapped, and he struck the jade chime nine times in a row!
"Dong! Dong!
Dong! Dong! Dong!"
"Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!"
Amidst the deafening ringing in their ears, everyone felt as though the world was spinning.
A surge of blood rushed to Xu Jie's forehead, and his vision went black. He nearly collapsed on the spot. Even Gao Gong, usually bold, was so startled that his mouth hung open.
Lü Fang's expression changed drastically. He immediately signaled Huang Jin to stop reading, then dropped to his knees with a thud. He quickly scrambled into the inner chamber and knelt beneath the Eight Trigram platform where Jiajing meditated, not daring to breathe a single breath.
Even Zhang Juzheng, who feared nothing, felt his heart crumble at such a scene. His Majesty striking the jade chime nine times – this was unprecedented! At this moment, His Majesty was truly enraged.
He glanced at Yan Shifan, who was grinning broadly, and then at Xu Jie, whose frail body was trembling. However, the seasoned Yan Song's eyes held a flicker of panic. He subtly tugged at his son Yan Shifan's sleeve, urging him to lower his head.
...
Long after the echoes had faded, everyone was still trembling, and the hall remained silent.
After a considerable time, Lü Fang finally gathered his courage and spoke with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please quell your anger... Be careful, lest you injure your immortal body..."
At this moment, Jiajing's heart was also surging with emotions, unable to restrain himself, for he had suddenly remembered Zhu Zai Mo again...
"It seems these Qingliu scholars are beyond hope..."
"Even if there were one or two phrases that could hold up, to silence the Yan father and son, I could let you off the hook..."
"Instead of waiting for the Yan father and son to impeach you, it's better that I punish you first..."
"Should I punish Xu Jie? Or Gao Gong? Or perhaps the Grand Academicians of the Hanlin Academy?"
As he pondered, not a trace of emotion showed on his face, but he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
...
Although Zhang Juzheng had only been in the Grand Secretariat for three years, he had a clear understanding of Jiajing's temperament. Seeing the curtain ripple as a long sigh came from within, he immediately sensed the imminent danger. He quickly stepped on Xu Jie's left foot and whispered, "Elder Grand Secretary Xu, that volume of Qingci..."
"Ah..."
Prompted by him, Xu Jie knew this was a moment of utmost urgency. If they didn't turn the tide, the Yan faction would surely launch a series of attacks, forcing them into years of obscurity, and the common people would suffer even more.
He mustered his courage and spoke calmly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Hanlin Academy has another volume of Qingci. I shall not trouble the Directorate of Ceremonial with it... Uh, I shall read it myself..."
He didn't know where he found the courage, but he recited it aloud:
"Yu Ming Hou zhi Yu Tian Xi, Yan Qiong Long Er Xia Qin.
Zhao Qing Yun Yi Chui Xiang Xi, Guang Yu Yu Er Fen Bin."
Being an old man, and having been genuinely startled earlier, he paused after reciting just two lines, waiting until his breath evened out before continuing.
And at that very moment, everyone suddenly heard a pleasant sound—
"Qing...!"
Clear and melodious, with a long-lasting resonance, it seemed to pierce through the oppressive atmosphere.
...
"His Majesty likes it?"
"This line is truly magnificent~!"
"Finally, someone with some substance..."
"This poem is pleasing to the ear..."
"Is it settled?"
Xu Jie also awoke with a start, his face filled with relief. Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong exchanged glances, the stone in their hearts finally lifted.
Xu Jie coughed dryly again and continued reading:
"Ji Fei Kuo Er Fen Cheng Xi, Yi Pa Wei Er Ke San.
E Peng Ri Yi Zhao Hui Xi, Chuat Rao Kong Er Can Lan.
Zai Fen Ji Qi He Xiang Xi, Xiao De Chun Er Ge Tian.
Zhang Sheng Hua Zhi Hong Pang Xi, Zhao Wen Ming Yu Wan Nian."
Before he finished speaking,
Another pleasant sound came from the inner hall—
"Qing...!"
"Qing...!"
Two sounds!
This time, it was two strokes.
Lü Fang's anxious heart finally settled: "This is good, this is good... Elder Grand Secretary Xu still has talent..."
Yan Song's expression, however, grew solemn. He pondered, "This doesn't sound like something they wrote. How could Xu Jie write at this level? Grand Secretary Zhang's style is too domineering, and Gao Gong is a complete ruffian..." Could there have been some new talent in the Hanlin Academy recently?
Yan Shifan, being discerning, immediately thought, "That's not right! These few were no match for even my shadow, so how could they write with such celestial and noble charm...?"
The others listened, captivated, feeling that this was undoubtedly the finest poetry of this dynasty!
As the atmosphere in the Yuxi Palace warmed, Xu Jie gradually reached the climax of his recitation:
"Xi Di Yao Zhi Chen Bi Xi, Gan Si Rui Zhi Zhao Ge.
Yuan Bu Ji Er Gao Qian Xi, Shen Pang Fu Er Yan Zhu.
Shu Jia Yue Yi Sheng Se Xi, Shu Yun Zhang Er Wei Xiang.
Mo Wu Yan Er Shi Zhao Xi, Jing Di De Zhi Qing Cang."
"Qing...!"
The pleasant chime sounds continued to come, the previous one not yet fallen before another arrived, as if Emperor Jiajing himself were providing accompaniment to this Qingci. In this scene, the two old men, Yan Song and Xu Jie, were truly astonished. They had never seen the Emperor so happy in their lives.