First court session after returning to the capital: the upright officials make their move

Jinghe Year Fifteen, the fifth day of the fourth month. A day of court deliberations.

Inside and outside the Court Waiting Hall, purple-and-scarlet robes gathered like clouds.

Today was Wei Nisheng's first appearance at court since returning to the capital. He had intended to chat with Wang Kan while waiting for the session to begin.

Yet the moment he crossed the Court Waiting Hall's threshold, a wave of hot air rushed toward him.

"Lord Wei! Thank you for your hard work in Suzhou!"

"I've long admired you! Such youthful talent, Lord Wei-truly a blessing for our dynasty!"

"I heard about the Suzhou Silver Case. Your achievement, Lord Wei, was truly..."

Officials from the Six Ministries all spoke at once.

Men who ordinarily barely exchanged nods with him were suddenly all warmth.

Every face brimmed with smiles; every word dripped with honey.

But those smiles... tsk.

Their richness varied, their depth differed.

The deeper ones all but wished to write "let us be friends" across their faces.

The shallower ones circled the faction leaders, watching sidelong without a word.

Friendship between gentlemen was clear as water; friendship between petty men was sweet as rich wine.

Here today, the warmest were not necessarily gentlemen, nor the coolest necessarily petty men.

Faced with all these overtures, Wei Nisheng returned each greeting.

He neither kept people a thousand miles away nor lingered to exchange so much as an extra word with anyone.

He had indeed walked through a garden of flowers without a single leaf clinging to him.

When he reached the eastern end of the Court Waiting Hall, Kou Yuan was seated in a corner, a teacup in his hands, watching him calmly.

"Zi'an, you're here?"

That "Zi'an" sounded naturally intimate.

But Wei Nisheng was already half a fox himself!

He