Jie Linfu spat water into the woman's mouth, then coughed hard, his throat shifting slightly as he spat the thick phlegm back in.
Droplets splashed across the woman's face and slowly trickled down.
Taking a hot towel from the maid on his left, Jie Linfu wiped his face, tossed it aside, took a second towel, wiped his face again, tossed it aside, and finally took a third towel. After wiping himself clean, he threw that one away as well.
The three towels would be thrown out of the Jie Household and never used again.
Jie Linfu stamped his feet twice, and the kneeling maid slowly moved sideways out of the way.
Jie Linfu planted his feet on the ground, rose, and walked outside.
After breakfast, the steward jogged over and said in a low voice, "Prime Minister, there are rather a lot of people outside, even..."
Jie Linfu raised a hand to stop the steward. "Prepare for court."
"Yes."
Before dawn, Jie Linfu walked out of Jie Residence. A crowd of officials stood neatly in formation, their heads slightly bowed.
Jie Linfu merely nodded to several of them before entering his sedan chair.
The officials mounted sedan chairs and horses in succession, following behind him.
The grand procession stopped outside Divine Peace Gate of the Forbidden Palace.
Civil officials stood by the left gate of Divine Peace, while military officials stood by the right gate.
Jie Linfu's sedan chair stopped not far from the left gate of Divine Peace, and he did not disembark.
The officials had long since left their sedan chairs and horses. They stood in groups of three or five, conversing in low voices.
Some Upper Rank officials closed their eyes to nurture their spirits, some looked up at the sky, and some merely listened. Most said