Green Mountain

Chen Ji once thought that having an audience with the Emperor would be like the scenes in movies he had watched, where a eunuch would lead him through gray tiles and red walls to the Imperial Palace paved with green gold bricks, and he would answer whatever the Emperor asked.

The reality was more rigorous and grandiose than he had imagined.

In the Ning Mi posthouse guestroom, Zhang Xia meticulously explained the protocols to Chen Ji: "Tomorrow, officials from Honglu Temple will first come to check your grooming... Which outfit do you plan to wear? Bring it here for me to see."

Chen Ji took out a black high-collared robe from his luggage: "Will this do?"

Zhang Xia was taken aback: "This? Yes, it’s fine. Now let’s talk about taboo subjects. The present Holy Emperor avoids the word ’death.’ When referring to soldiers who died in the Guyuan battle, use ’eternal glory’ instead; never mention the word ’ghost,’ as the Holy Emperor dislikes it. For example, change Ghost Gate to Divine Gate..."

There were sixty-seven taboo words, and Zhang Xia wrote them all down on paper for Chen Ji to remember.

Zhang Xia continued to warn: "If you cough or sneeze before the throne, you must immediately apologize, or you risk the imperial punishment; if Your Majesty is enraged, you must immediately remove your crown and apologize; when entering the palace, civil servants use the east steps, the Crown Prince’s Right Guard is a military officer, so you must use the west steps; if Your Majesty does not permit you to look up, never look up..."

Zhang Xia explained the rules for as long as ten minutes.

Zhang Zheng was listening so attentively for the first time, he exclaimed: "No wonder Father said not to let me become an official for my own good. If I became an official, I would probably be punished every day!"