Chapter 63: The Officials Stood Speechless in Astonishment

Even now, many ministers remained deeply immersed in the shock and disbelief caused by the Crown Prince’s drastic transformation in recent days. As a result, the various government offices and bureaus within the inner city were still filled with officials clustered in groups of twos and threes, engaged in animated discussions...

Beneath the wide corridors leading from the Department of State Affairs to the inner gates of the imperial palace, a considerable number of civil and military officials, attired in official robes of various colors, had already gathered.

Standing in small groups along the verandas and speaking in low tones, they exhibited an atmosphere quite different from the usual, relaxed aftermath of a morning court session. An invisible yet palpable excitement hung heavily in the air.

The undisputed center of attention was, without a doubt, Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who had recently appeared utterly reborn.

"Lord Liu, today’s court session was truly... an absolute eye-opener!" an elderly censor clad in crimson robes and sporting white whiskers remarked to the Vice Minister of Finance beside him. His deliberately lowered voice was laden with unconcealed amazement. "Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, this old man would find it hard to believe that the person who stood his ground in the imperial presence, argued with crystal-clear logic, and verbally sparred with the Prince of Wei and his faction without yielding an inch, could possibly be the same man who, merely months ago, was... alas..."

"His Highness has indeed commanded a completely new level of respect in recent days!" The Vice Minister stroked his neatly trimmed short beard, a complex light flashing in his eyes—a mixture of admiration and a trace of elusive doubt. "To say nothing of His Majesty, which of us here is not astonished?"

"Especially the three proposals he submitted during the court session the day before yesterday concerning the Hexi trade market, the Western Regions tax barriers, and the reform of border garrison farming—they were interlocking and struck directly at the current malaises." He paused, lowering his voice even further. "That the proposals were clearly articulated is one thing; what is truly remarkable is his bearing... as steady as a mountain, his sharp edge restrained, yet yielding not a single step."

"What is even more extraordinary is that he managed to leave us, the senior officials of the entire court, tongue-tied and blushing with shame!"

"Such methods are by no means something the foolish Crown Prince of the past could ever hope to match..."

...

Meanwhile, inside a conspicuously spacious mansion within the inner city, a banquet was also underway.

Most of the attendees were military nobility and fierce generals—a house practically brimming with men of violence!

"Magnificent! Splendid! His Highness is truly awe-inspiring and formidable!" A burly general with a face covered in rugged flesh raised his voice a fraction too loud amidst the banquet, drawing sidelong glances from several men nearby.

Realizing his lapse, he hurriedly cleared his throat and lowered his voice, though the admiration in his tone remained undiminished.

"Yesterday, the Prince of Wei’s faction came aggressively to impeach the Crown Prince for breaking into the palace precincts at night. What kind of charge was that?"

"A crime of treason! In the past, the Crown Prince would likely have been thrown into utter panic!"

"Yet facing that kind of formation yesterday, the Crown Prince maintained such composure... how should I put it?" The big man paused, carefully weighing his words before continuing in a booming whisper: "Utterly serene and collected—yes, completely serene and collected!"

"So serene and collected that it was as though the person being impeached wasn't him at all!"

"And before His Majesty could even speak, that old fox Cheng Zhijie stepped in to muddy the waters. The Crown Prince caught the play flawlessly, turned the tables in a counterstrike, and retorted until the Prince of Wei turned pale as death!"

"Such depth of mind and quick wit, tsk tsk..." He shook his head, filled with endless emotion. "It's as if he has been replaced entirely, unlike his former self. He didn't give those fault-finding civil officials a single opening to pick flaws!"

"More than just leaving no flaws!" Another square-jawed, wide-mouthed general with a voice like a booming bell took up the conversation, his rugged face still flushed with lingering excitement. "It was practically an epiphany!"

"Those messy accounts of the border garrisons—I... ahem, this old man wanted to curse aloud back when I was stationed at the frontiers!"

"The Crown Prince’s reform of garrison farming generates new revenue while securing the borders—killing two birds with one stone. Utterly gratifying!"

"And that reform of the Western Regions trade route tax barriers—brilliant!"

"Cutting the tax barriers in half, yet doubling the number of border guards and customs officers!"

"Those foreign merchants in the past, relying on the long distances and difficult management, routinely evaded taxes and even forced their way through checkpoints in large groups out of sheer arrogance. It's wonderful now; let's see if they dare play any more tricks!"

"Indeed! With His Highness's current daring and adaptability, he is by no means comparable to his former self. In my view, the Crown Prince has truly... finally seen the light this time. He possesses the bearing of an enlightened ruler!" As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of several ministers nearby—who had previously maintained a neutral stance or even slightly favored the Prince of Wei—shifted visibly, exchanging calculations laden with heavy deliberation. The East Palace’s sudden and forceful rise was undoubtedly subtly shaking the foundational architecture of the imperial court.

"Indeed, it seems the empire has a worthy successor after all..." someone chimed in quietly, their tone complicated.

"Yes, in a daze, it truly evokes the demeanor of His Majesty back in his younger days..." a white-haired veteran general who had been silently listening all along sighed softly. His voice was not loud, but it was like a pebble tossed into a calm lake, stirring up deeper ripples in everyone's hearts.

The weight of this statement was too heavy; no one dared to pick up the thread lightly, yet many revealed looks of profound agreement in their eyes. For a brief moment, the banquet fell into a silence laden with awe because of those few words.

This was precisely the genuine sentiment welling up in the hearts of many neutral officials who had previously taken a wait-and-see attitude—or even felt deeply disappointed in the Crown Prince—following today's morning court.

The Crown Prince's transformation was too drastic, too dazzling.

It was akin to a piece of raw jade from which thick layers of mud had been wiped away, suddenly radiating a blinding brilliance.

That steadfastness, that sharp vigor, and that poise and edge displayed in the face of crisis revealed the bearing expected of the empire's future heir. In the hearts of many, the balance scale had unconsciously begun to tilt in a subtle yet crucial direction.

Discussions concerning the Crown Prince continued to ferment even within the corridors and administrative offices of the various ministries. Junior officials and minor functionaries who had not attended the morning court also gathered in groups of twos and threes, conversing in low tones with faces full of astonishment and inquisitive probing.

"I hear the East Palace’s recent grand exploits go far beyond just what happened in court today!" a young minor official said softly, with a probing tone. "Especially those three proposals from yesterday—according to our seniors, if they can be properly implemented, they could completely resolve the court's current dilemmas?"

"Exactly, exactly!" A middle-aged official, visibly much older than him, also chimed in. "I've heard that the Crown Prince's Household Administration, the Left and Right Spring Offices, and the subordinate officials in various ministries all seem to be working at a feverish pace to implement His Highness's three proposals."

"If they can truly be carried out to benefit the border troops, replenish the national treasury, and clear the trade routes... it will indeed be a great fortune for our Great Tang! By then, the lives of minor officials like us will be much easier as well!"

At that moment, an elderly official stroked his beard and nodded, the look of anticipation in his eyes growing even deeper. After savoring the thought for a moment, he spoke in a resonant voice: "If His Highness can execute these three policies and persevere in them, it will truly be a blessing for the state and a blessing for the realm..."

The atmosphere in the corridors of the various government offices quietly warmed amidst whispered discussions and faint praise. A sense of identification with a reformed crown prince displaying heroic poise was quietly crystallizing among these low-ranking officials who formed the foundation of the Great Tang.

However, just as everyone was immersed in their expectations for the Crown Prince...

"What?! The Crown Prince... went to the Pink Chambers wearing his imperial crown?!"

Like a thunderclap exploding from a flat plain, the news shattered everyone's dreams without warning!

Every minor official who heard this news was instantly filled with extreme shock, absurdity, and disbelief.

It instantly eclipsed all reverence and anticipation.

All noise in the corridor ceased abruptly!

Shaking their heads in disbelief...

These minor officials, their eyes tinged with disillusionment, dispersed individually to go about their duties...