After returning home, Minister of Rites Cen Ke remained in a state of constant anxiety. He could not understand how a single mention of an imperial selection had led him to such a plight. Although the Emperor had told him to return home for reflection and wait until he had "thought things through" before resuming his duties, it was clear that this was a dismissal in all but name.
He had originally been the Vice Minister of Rites. After his predecessor was executed by the Prime Minister, he had been appointed to fill the position temporarily. He had presided over the funerals of both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, with other officials assisting him. Having managed these two major events with competence, he had been legitimately promoted to the full Minister of Rites. Who could have imagined that he would be stripped of his position before the chair had even grown warm? He felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction and resentment.
That night, Master Yun arrived at the Cen residence. The Yun and Cen families were distant relatives, and Master Yun had intended all along to use Cen Ke’s influence to get his son, Yun Yi, into the inner palace, hoping that the Yun family could gradually return to its former glory. As a mere minor official with no real power, he was oblivious to the true goings-on at court.
Chapter 165