"By order of the Emperor, the Imperial Edict decrees: the Hanlin Academy Compiler Zhao Yan is possessed of both virtue and talent..."
Every person in the Hanlin Academy had come out to receive the decree. A vast, swarming crowd knelt in unison. It didn't matter if you usually held your head high and looked down your nose at others; now, everyone had to be obedient and stay in their place. Anything else would be digging your own grave.
Zhao Yan, feeling dizzy, was pulled down to his knees by Yang Yizhi. This was the first time he had ever received an imperial decree, and his soul felt as if it had flown right out of his body.
Chapter 385