Luo Xianzhi sat in the hall, surrounded by a crowd below him. He was not the tallest among them, but everyone else bowed their heads and bent their backs, so he appeared the tallest of all.
Visitors came to pay their respects in an unending stream. Different faces wore different expressions; Luo Xianzhi roughly committed them to memory, only to forget them when he turned his head. Eventually, the crowd dispersed, leaving relatively few people behind.
Luo Xianzhi rubbed his head. Everyone watched him with flattery and scrutiny in their eyes. They understood his weight better than most.
Having prepared for this day, Luo Xianzhi said slowly, "Because Wang Mang had thrown the government into chaos, Emperor Guangwu of Han reduced the Three Excellencies to empty offices and transferred authority to the secretariats. Over the century of Later Han, the Secretariat's authority and responsibilities grew ever greater. Since the division into states, every state has placed great importance on the Secretariat. As officials serving here, you must understand its importance."
The Secretariat Officials remained silent. In a sense, the Secretariat was the highest administrative institution. Its only problem was its low rank: even the Chancellor of the Secretariat was merely a third-rank official. Furthermore, the Secretariat stood outside the palace, while the Central Secretariat was inside. In terms of duties, the Secretariat was an executive institution that carried out the Central Secretariat's business.
Luo Xianzhi did not mind their silence. Most of them would not remain for another two years anyway. Those who refused to obey, in particular, would almost all be transferred away.
The smile vanished from his face, and he said expressionlessly, "The world today is divided among rival states, and not one has yet united it. His Majesty has entrusted the Secretariat to me. This is a