Li Dongyang followed the eunuchs into the palace. Before he met the emperor, he was comforted by the chief eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department, Tan Chang and Gao Liang. Even the emperor spoke to him personally. Few people in the whole court could compare with such treatment!
Although the eunuchs were the ones who spoke, Emperor Chenghua only said "Teachers, come and write an inscription on the painting" after Li Dongyang thanked him, but this was already very good. In the past, when they were giving lectures, the emperor even skipped the sentence "Teachers, have tea and food" that should be said after listening to the lectures. Every time he entered and left silently, looking at them with a sullen look.
If the emperor is not happy, all the scholars will have to review whether they said something wrong or offended the emperor. They will not be able to enjoy the lecture. But now the emperor is in a good mood and even uses the word "sir" when speaking. For the first time, he feels that his title of scholar is not in vain.
Li Dongyang was pleasantly surprised, but also had a glimmer of hope. When the emperor first ascended the throne, he was also a wise and perceptive ruler. He restored the name of Emperor Jingtai and gave the title of Empress Cisheng to him, bringing the government, which had been declining during the reign of Emperor Ying, back on track. However, later on, the women in the palace interfered in government affairs, blocking the channels for speech, and several prime ministers in the court also played tricks, causing the whole court to be depressed, and the honest ministers could not get close to the emperor...
Now that he had this opportunity, and was not afraid of the eunuchs tampering with the text, why didn't he express his own aspirations in the inscription and subtly advise the emperor?
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