Chapter 34: Darkness Before the Eyes

The next day, just as the horizon revealed a touch of fish-belly white, Zhang Jing rode in a four-bearer blue-topped sedan chair, heading straight for the Forbidden City. Upon entering the palace gates, he did not choose to go directly to the Qianqing Palace, but instead came to the Directorate of Ceremonial to wait.

At this hour, the Emperor was likely not yet awake; if he were to bump into the Emperor's displeasure, that would be very bad indeed.

As soon as he sat down in the duty room, the eunuch on duty immediately poured tea and smiled ingratiatingly: "Zhangin, you've been out of the palace for nearly half a year; you must be exhausted."

Zhang Jing took the tea, sipped it, and squinted at the young eunuch, showing off: "Exhausted? You have no idea. This old frame of mine was almost shaken apart on the road. But when I think that it's for the sake of the Emperor and our brothers in the palace, I have to do it even if I'm tired."

"Hehe... Zhang Jing, you've turned the common people's lives upside down; now the commoners wish they could dig up your ancestral graves. You really are exhausted, aren't you?" As soon as Zhang Jing finished speaking, a mocking voice rang out.

The young eunuch was startled, while Zhang Jing narrowed his eyes and looked toward the doorway of the duty room.

Feng Bao walked in, surrounded by four or five Ivory Tablet Grand Eunuchs.

Today he was wearing a bean-green small python robe with a straight-collared gown, a red steel-fork hat on his head, and black gold-threaded soap-leather boots on his feet.

Stepping on the white marble floor, he made a crisp sound.

"Eunuch Feng." Seeing Feng Bao, the eunuch on duty hurriedly bowed, while Zhang Jing snorted and turned his face away.

Feng Bao gave a cold laugh and walked straight to the main seat to sit down.

Yesterday, Zhang Yunxiu had privately taken the young Emperor out of the palace and happened to run into people from Zhang Jing's mansion showing off their wealth on Qipan Street; Zhang Yunxiu had sent someone to inform Xu Jue that very evening.

Xu Jue had immediately informed him.

With just this, all his ailments were cured, and he prepared to come and apply some eye drops to Zhang Jing today.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Zhang Jing and suddenly shouted sternly: "Zhang Jing! Do you still have any sense of propriety? You don't even bow when you see me. If this gets out, those who don't know might think I haven't taught you well."

Zhang Jing was startled by this roar, but quickly calmed down and replied sarcastically: "What kind of teaching does Eunuch Feng have? Your nephew is quite something; he actually dares to resist taxes and even beat a government official to death."

"Your boy isn't any better, is he?" Feng Bao gave a cold laugh.

Zhang Yun?

Hearing this, Zhang Jing frowned. That kid was indeed a troublemaker, but he probably couldn't have done something like beating a government official.

It must be that old fellow Feng Bao deliberately trying to trick me.

What a treacherous old thief.

Zhang Jing cursed inwardly, gave a hehe laugh, then suddenly stopped his laughter and jabbed: "Eunuch Feng, let me give you a piece of advice: we are all the Heavenly Family's dogs. As a dog, one must have the awareness of being a dog; don't go thinking of yourself as the master."

"Zhang Jing, you have such dog guts, daring to curse our godfather!" An Ivory Tablet Grand Eunuch behind Feng Bao immediately shouted with a flushed face.

"Look, look, this is what a good dog is. The master hasn't even spoken yet, and the dog has already started barking."

Hearing this, Feng Bao did not speak, but merely raised his eyes and squinted at Zhang Jing.

His fair face turned iron-blue; he was clearly angry to the extreme.

Zhang Jing felt great satisfaction in his heart. Now that he could make money for the Emperor and had the Emperor's protection, even Feng Bao could do nothing to him.

The stifling atmosphere lasted for a while until an imperial decree-bearing eunuch broke the deadlock.

"Zhangin, the Emperor invites you to the Qianqing Palace for an audience."

Zhang Jing stood up, shook his python robe, stepped out of the duty room with a grin, and looked back: "Eunuch Feng, I'll go see the Emperor first. If there's anything else, we'll have a good talk when I get back."

Having said that, Zhang Jing turned his head and hurried toward the Qianqing Palace.

A commotion immediately broke out in the duty room.

"What kind of thing is he? I really don't know who he thinks he is."

"Exactly. How many years has he been in the palace? Our godfather has seen so many storms in the Forbidden City; he still wants to pull our godfather down? Godfather, in my opinion, you should go and pour out your grievances to the Empress Dowager and let her deal with this Zhang Jing."

Taking in everyone's discussion, Feng Bao smiled and shook his head. He remembered Zhang Yunxiu's words: The Emperor is grown up; there is no need to bring out the Empress Dowager for everything. It is time to let him make his own decisions.

On the other side, Zhang Jing trotted into the Qianqing Palace and headed straight for the Western Warm Pavilion.

As soon as he entered the pavilion, Zhang Jing noticed the atmosphere was wrong. The Emperor was sitting in a chair with a dark face, and Wei Qing behind him was also frowning, keeping his mouth shut.

Whenever he came before, the Emperor was always smiling.

Although he didn't know what had happened, Zhang Jing still began to claim credit: "Your Majesty, this servant has returned. You don't know, but on the road this time, this servant almost didn't get to see you again."

As he spoke, Zhang Jing crawled forward on his knees and began to wail and complain.

When the Wanli Emperor saw him like this, his heart softened for a moment.

Suddenly remembering the arrogance of the Zhang Family yesterday, his anger flared up three zhang high, enough to boil a cow, and he cursed: "Zhang Jing, how exactly do you discipline your family?!"

"This subject obtained a total of three hundred thousand, um?" Zhang Jing was just preparing to claim credit, but hearing the Emperor's curse, he was stunned for a moment.

What on earth? The Wanli Emperor stamped his foot, pointed at Zhang Jing, and continued to curse: "Your family is truly wealthy, able to spend a thousand taels to buy a few broken paintings. Tsk tsk, my daily meals cost no more than thirty taels of silver; your family's few paintings are almost enough for me to eat for a month!"

"What paintings?" Zhang Jing was confused.

"You don't need to know. Hand over the silver to the Treasure Note Treasury." The Wanli Emperor waved his hand as if shooing away a fly, his face full of impatience: "And starting next year, close twenty mining sites."

"Your Majesty... then your Treasure Note Treasury will..." Zhang Jing hurriedly reminded him.

The Wanli Emperor looked hesitant, but then he remembered that Zhang Yunxiu had said he had a way to make up for this portion of silver.

Moreover, there were indeed too many impeachments from various places, so he could only grit his teeth and close some mines.

"Go down. I am a bit tired."

"Your Majesty..."

"I told you to go down. Didn't you hear me?"

"Ah, yes." Zhang Jing wiped the sweat from his forehead, said "I take my leave," and paced out of the Qianqing Palace.

After leaving the palace gate, the more Zhang Jing thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

The Emperor chased him to ask about paintings? And wanted to close some mines? Why has this Emperor changed so quickly?

"Paintings... paintings?" He stood outside the palace gate and muttered twice.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered Feng Bao's sarcasm, and he knitted his brows. A thought suddenly popped into his mind: "Is it that brat Zhang Yun who caused some kind of trouble?"

After figuring this out, Zhang Jing immediately returned home, picked up the five scrolls, and returned to the Western Warm Pavilion again.

"Your Majesty, these paintings were specially bought by this servant to present to you. Please see if they are to your liking." Zhang Jing said with a grin while unfolding the scrolls.

Looking at the beauty in the scroll, Wanli felt his soul stir. He remembered the charming smile and beauty of Zheng Shupin, and his lower abdomen grew hot.

"Your Majesty, I still have some collections at home. If Your Majesty likes them, I shall go fetch them all for you right now." Zhang Jing gave a lecherous smile, his already shrill voice sounding even more disgusting.

"Then what are you waiting for? Why not hurry and bring them here for me to see?"

Just as Zhang Jing was about to nod in agreement, a shout of "How bold!" startled the few people in the palace, making them shiver.

The Wanli Emperor turned his head slowly to look at the doorway and saw Li Taihou standing at the palace entrance with a livid face.

(End of this chapter)