Before entering the capital for an imperial audience, officials first had to visit the Ministry of Rites to rehearse the ceremonies, learning the etiquette and rules for answering questions so they would not commit a breach of decorum before the sovereign.
Hu Ze's Avatar was a military officer and had come from the ranks of commandery princes, so he had not undergone this process.
Li Chen soon sent men to investigate and learned that Fang Yuan had already dispatched his trusted disciple Qingfeng to Peaceful People Street in the south of the city to seek out fellow townsmen and make arrangements for settling in.
Living in the capital was no easy feat. Even a provincial Grand Confucian like Fang Yuan, newly arrived and unfamiliar with the people and surroundings, struggled to find a suitable place to live.
Although officials from the Ministry of Personnel would make arrangements specifically for him, such matters as purchasing furniture and utensils and hiring servants still required a reliable confidant to run errands.
By the time all that bustle was over, the entire day had passed, and Fang Yuan had not gone around delivering visiting cards to notify the various parties of his arrival.
Late at night, when all was quiet, the lights in the temporary residence on Winter Offices Street burned low.
A bright lamp still shone in the pavilion where Fang Yuan lived. Leaning by the windowsill, he reread his school's doctrines and pondered the writings of the Saint.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew past, putting Fang Yuan on alert.
"Who's there?"
"Hehehe..."
A woman's soft laughter rang out. Above the tall building, a seductively beautiful woman in daring attire descended like a celestial maiden, long lengths of gauze draped over her arms and streaming several dozen feet into the air.
With her