Liu Shan Men and the Three Departments - Prudent Emperor

　　After receiving the Emperor's orders, the secretaries headed back to their offices with their new students to get started on their case as soon as possible. After we left, only the Emperor and w.a.n.g Tushui remained in the room.

　　The eunuchs at the door tucked their limbs in to bear the winter breeze. A black smoke whisked into the atmosphere from the bronze and gold-plated furnace. The fire kept the hall as warm as in spring. Wuying Hall was similar to the majority of palaces in the imperial palace. Other palaces also used furnaces and had small adjacent rooms in their rooms for their furnaces. That was how they kept warm in winter. Underneath the palace was a pa.s.sageway that led to other places. People in the small adjacent rooms for furnaces were in charge of controlling the firewood and flames.

　　Exhausted, the Emperor gradually fell asleep in the warm room not long after Ming Feizhen and the others left.

　　The ministers had to wait outside the imperial city between one to three in the morning. The Emperor went through doc.u.ments late into the night and had to wake early for morning conferences. He slept as much as they did; that was the routine he abided to ever since he ascended the throne almost thirty years ago. Emperor Yuansheng probably wasn't evaluated as the most talented; however, he would be crowned among the most diligent without a doubt.

　　Eunuch w.a.n.g Tushui silently stood still in place. He was a veteran who had worked in the imperial palace for decades. Because he and Liu Shan Men's Eunuch Sui Tuwan entered the imperial court's employment at the same time, the two were best friends. Nevertheless, Eunuch Sui Tuwan was diligent with his studies and, eventually, successfully completed the examinations. While Eunuch w.a.n.g Tushui also read a lot of books and poetry, he refused to leave the palace. For that reason, he remained a servant for the imperial household.

　　Eunuch w.a.n.g Tushui wanted to remind the Emperor to go to the Imperial Study. Alas, the Emperor was asleep. He quietly stepped back until the eunuch outside saw him. w.a.n.g Tushui signalled with a gentle hand gesture. One of the eunuchs immediately heeded the call and folded a thin blanket properly. He placed it onto a tray and courteously handed it over.

　　It was the low-ranking eunuch's first time on duty at Wuying Hall. He never met the Emperor before. Due to his tension, he accidentally dropped the blanket and stepped on it, resulting in him almost tripping. Eunuch w.a.n.g reproached him with a scowl. The low-ranking eunuch shuddered. Luckily, he was swift and didn't wake the Emperor. Still, he was ghastly pale. He made sure to be extra careful when he went to drape the blanket on for the Emperor. Before he could, though, Eunuch w.a.n.g gently tugged him back with a frown.

　　"S-Sir."

　　w.a.n.g Tushui glanced over to the Emperor, who was still sleeping, and dragged the eunuch out. Once they arrived outside, Eunuch w.a.n.g called over a guard and indifferently commanded, "Take him away and cane him five times."

　　The startled eunuch looked deathly pale. There was nothing more ruthless in the imperial palace than canes. They could hit gently or hard. Some could withstand eighty canes, but some were finished with one strike. Given he angered Eunuch w.a.n.g, those five canes were most likely to be lethal. He immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed: "Sorry, sorry. Please spare me, Eunuch w.a.n.g."

　　"Do you know what your mistake was?" asked Eunuch w.a.n.g, coldly grabbing the blanket. He shook it in front of the eunuch and whispered: "How dare you put this on His Majesty after stepping on it?"

　　The low-ranking eunuch was rendered speechless. Before he realised it, the guard hauled him away. Eunuch w.a.n.g frigidly watched the guard drag him off. He stood with his torso upright. His black robe blended it with the night sky. Another low-ranking eunuch quickly brought over a blanket. Eunuch w.a.n.g personally took the blanket in. He paused next to the furnace to warm up before draping it on for the Emperor.