Fan Liren naturally had no idea how Tang Changsheng was grumbling about him behind his back. Seeing Tang Changsheng answer with such poise, and finding him so full of spirit, Fan Liren—who had not been particularly satisfied with him before—now thought he was rather good.
Given his temperament, once the boat had been made from the wood, he preferred to look for Tang Changsheng's good points.
Tang Changsheng had been right: this sort of person was easy to get along with!
Tang Changsheng then went to pay his respects to the Empress, the Crown Princess, and the others in the palace.
Fortunately, the Great Chu imperial family was far smaller than imperial families of old. Otherwise, simply learning who all his relatives were would have been a headache.
After spending the night in the palace, Tang Changsheng was summoned to a private audience with Emperor Mingde early the next morning. The emperor suddenly asked, "Did you know Zhang Zhiyu has lung cancer...?"
"What?" Tang Changsheng's heart stirred. Wasn't Zhang Zhiyu the Grand Academician who had rushed to take a Spirit-Nourishing Pill? He had cancer? No wonder he had swallowed the pill so rashly, heedless of the consequences...
Tang Changsheng understood at once. "How is he?"
"He was taken to the hospital after taking the pill yesterday. If not for that, I'm afraid no one would have known he had the disease..."
Emperor Mingde spoke with a smile that was not quite a smile. Why had Zhang Zhiyu hidden his illness? What else could it be but an unwillingness to surrender his position and power?
A seat as Grand Academician in the Grand Secretariat ranked even higher than one of the Nine Grand Elders, for the Grand Secretariat was Great Chu's true administrative center.
Emperor Mingde had seen plenty of such