Many people knew that not long ago, Zhang Hao—also known as Zhang Guozhong—the Hanlin Academy's number-one idler and "old scholar," had somehow struck extraordinary luck. For no apparent reason, Crown Prince Di Hedong had taken notice of him and promoted him to Crown Prince's Lecturer.
The Crown Prince's Lecturer was, in full, the Hanlin Academician Attending the Crown Prince's Studies. As the name suggested, he served as an assistant instructor during the Crown Prince's lessons.
Hanlin academicians fell into three ranks. The lowest were simply academicians, with no additional duties. They were idlers through and through; the only difference was how thoroughly each had been pickled.
At the top were academicians who oversaw the affairs of a hall or pavilion. These were usually honorary appointments, and their holders did not actually work at the Hanlin Academy. For instance, the Chancellor generally also served as Grand Academician of Zhaowen Hall, the Minister of Personnel as Grand Academician of Jixian Hall, and the Minister of Rites as Grand Academician of the Grand Historian Hall. Grand Academician posts at Guanwen Hall, Zizheng Hall, Baohe Hall, and Duanming Hall, along with academician posts at the Longtu, Tianzhang, Baowen, Xianmo, Huiyou, and Fuwen pavilions, were likewise held concurrently by senior Imperial Court officials.
The current Crown Prince, Di Hedong, was Prefect of the Imperial City and concurrently Grand Academician of Zizheng Hall.
Between those two ranks stood the lecturers, drafters, and readers attached to the various halls and pavilions.
Lecturers were supposed to assist while the teachers gave lessons. In practice, those "teachers" were often senior officials with pressing duties, so the lecturers did the teaching themselves. Among ordinary academicians, they held roughly the highest standing.
Drafters did the legwork whenever documents needed to be consulted. The role generally went to people with vast knowledge