[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties":3,"chapter-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-1":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Really Am Not Neglecting My Duties",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":12,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},2363270,4622,"Chapter 1","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-1",1,"\u003Cp>“Fire! Fire! Quick, put out the fire! Catch the assassin! Catch the assassin! The one in the black robe is the assassin!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clamor outside the hall woke Zhu Yijun from his drowsy stupor; he blinked open his eyes to see a large bed, three-sided screen-style bed rails, dark rosewood with a purplish sheen, ancient and profound, emitting a subtle luster, and beneath the candlelight, he could make out carved five-clawed golden dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ow, it hurts.” Zhu Yijun rubbed his forehead—it must have hit something—and his motion froze as he stared in disbelief at his own tiny hands: they were unmistakably a child’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drank heavily yesterday—could it have had some reverse-aging effect?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly rose and surveyed his surroundings: above him, carved rafters and painted beams; beneath his feet, golden bricks everywhere; behind the five-clawed golden dragon screen stood a long desk, flanked by two crane-shaped palace lanterns, their flickering flames wreathing the air in smoke, and the chill of late winter, carrying the scent of sandalwood, brushed past his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your servant arrives too late—has Your Majesty been harmed?!” A clean-shaven man in brilliant red eunuch robes rushed into the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the commotion, the eunuch had sprinted to Qianqing Palace at top speed, gasping for breath; in the late-winter cold, two streams of vapor shot from his nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he crossed the threshold, he tripped from haste, tumbled head over heels, slid smoothly onto his knees, crawled forward, and cried out in anguish: “Your Majesty, your servant deserves death a thousand times over! I arrived too late, Your Majesty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun spoke almost instinctively: “Da Ban is here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned and drew in a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His forehead throbbed again, his skull felt swollen, dizziness surged in waves, and countless images flooded his vision, flashing rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch on the ground hurried forward, trying to steady Zhu Yijun’s unsteady body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhu Yijun brushed his hand away, slowly sat down gripping the armrest of the round-backed chair, and said: “I am unharmed—just bumped my head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, the eunuch shuddered violently, his voice shrill as a duck’s, screaming at the top of his lungs: “Summon the imperial physician! Quick! The Emperor has been wounded by the assassin! Inform the Empress Dowager at once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A noblewoman entered from the doorway, urgently asking: “How is my son?” Behind her stood two rows of palace maids, motionless, holding lanterns, heads bowed, not daring to look up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch immediately knelt again, face grim, and said: “Your Imperial Majesty, the imperial physician has been summoned. When I rushed here, I saw no trace of the criminal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, these traitorous ministers are too audacious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noblewoman ignored the eunuch entirely, hastened to Zhu Yijun’s side, trembling as she reached out, grasped the ten-year-old boy’s hand, and gently lifted the wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, only a faint red mark remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The torrent of information in Zhu Yijun’s mind finally ceased flooding; the images before him no longer flickered—he understood the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been reincarnated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had become the supreme emperor of the Great Ming, merely ten years old, arriving on the nineteenth day of the first month of Wanli’s first year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The late Emperor Longqing had passed away last June, leaving behind three regents: Zhang Juzheng, Gao Gong, and Gao Yi. By now, Gao Yi had died of illness, Gao Gong had been expelled from the Grand Secretariat; two of the three regents were gone, leaving only Zhang Juzheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the clean-shaven eunuch before him, with thin lips, a high, segmented nose, narrow forehead, and a subtly sinister air, was none other than the young emperor’s Da Ban—the palace’s patriarch, Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Feng Bao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noblewoman, her face filled with concern, was the young emperor’s biological mother, Empress Dowager Li, bearing the honorific title Cisheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao, and Empress Dowager Li had formed an unbreakable political alliance, overseeing all state affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ten-year-old emperor walked on thin ice: the sovereign was young, the realm uncertain, he had not yet assumed personal rule; court affairs, great or small, had nothing to do with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His situation was dire: Empress Dowager Li imposed extreme strictness; any delay in rising or sleeping brought reprimand; any lapse in conduct prompted her to order Zhang Juzheng to deliver blunt remonstrance, write a self-blame edict, and force the young emperor to kneel before the late emperor’s spirit tablet and recite it repeatedly until she relented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The self-blame edict was not written by the emperor himself—this was common enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the palace eunuchs, leveraging Empress Dowager Li’s authority, excessively controlled and restrained the young emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zhu Yijun, clutching his head, glanced at the abjectly obedient Feng Bao, narrowed his eyes: this was a dog who had once been arrogant, now groveling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Bao should have been an actor, not a eunuch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Empress Dowager Li, he was obsequious to the extreme; yet in the young emperor’s memories, every corner was filled with hatred and fear of this Da Ban.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The excessive control and restraint? That was precisely Feng Da Ban’s doing—he constantly terrified the young emperor with threats of Empress Dowager Li’s wrath, routinely slandered him, painting him as a wicked, unruly brat, causing the Empress Dowager great distress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every mother in the world wishes her son to become a dragon; Empress Dowager Li was no exception. Especially after Emperor Longqing’s death, leaving the vast empire to a ten-year-old child, and as the primary guardian of the young emperor’s upbringing, her strictness Zhu Yijun could understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why did this Feng Da Ban, using her authority as a shield, not only restrain the young emperor but also set traps for him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, Feng Da Ban sent a palace maid to sneak into the young emperor’s bed at midnight. The next morning, the young emperor awoke to a sense of dread—and sure enough, Empress Dowager Li, who shared Qianqing Palace, immediately learned of it. She had the maid beaten, dragged the young emperor before the late emperor’s spirit tablet, knelt weeping herself, and forced the boy to kneel and weep alongside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, this eunuch Feng sent a palace maid to sneak into the young emperor’s bed at midnight; the next morning, upon waking, the young emperor sensed something amiss—sure enough, Empress Dowager Li, who shared the Qianqing Palace with him, immediately learned of it, had the maid beaten, and dragged the young emperor before the late emperor’s spirit tablet, where the empress dowager knelt weeping on the floor and the young emperor knelt weeping beside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did Feng Bao torment a ten-year-old child, frame a ten-year-old child?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simple: the young emperor was entirely under his thumb; Empress Dowager Li was fooled by him; who in the palace dared defy Feng Da Ban?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun could even understand the motive behind this dog’s actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wanli emperor might endure it—but Zhu Yijun would never tolerate it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li paced anxiously, her steps hurried; such a major incident had thrown her into panic. Most crucially: her son had escaped this time—but would he escape the next?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this palace, with its high walls and deep courtyards, bristling with Embroidered Uniform Guard patrols—how had the assassin breached it, even reached Qianqing Palace and startled the Son of Heaven?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All this left Empress Dowager Li helpless; she was merely a twenty-seven-year-old woman, still under thirty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her husband had died early, leaving the vast Great Ming to a ten-year-old son. Since Emperor Longqing’s passing six months ago, she had exhausted every effort to protect her and her son’s safety—yet this disaster had still occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her husband passed away early, leaving the vast Great Ming to their ten-year-old son; Emperor Longqing had been dead for six months, and during this time, Empress Dowager Li had exhausted every effort to protect the safety of mother and sons, yet this disaster still occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire outside the hall had been fully extinguished, and the imperial physician had been summoned to take the emperor’s pulse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the physician withdrew his hand, Empress Dowager Li rushed forward: “Physician Chen, how is my son?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The physician bowed deeply: “Your Majesty’s pulse is four to five beats per breath—neither floating nor sinking, neither rapid nor slow, neither strong nor weak, neither large nor small; its rhythm is regular, calm, and steady. No serious issue. The forehead injury—within a day or two, full recovery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The physician hesitated slightly, then fell silent. The pulse was indeed stable; the emperor’s health was sound; the forehead wound would heal soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was: a ten-year-old child, suddenly subjected to such upheaval, in a palace with the tightest security, yet an assassin had breached the emperor’s bedchamber—how could the victim’s pulse remain so calm? That was the real issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could the physician say this? Naturally not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was merely a physician—the Imperial Medical Bureau’s medicines couldn’t even guarantee the emperor’s health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Physician.” Empress Dowager Li signaled a maid to present a silver ingot as reward. Gazing at the swelling on her child’s forehead, grief overwhelmed her; she pulled Zhu Yijun close, voice trembling with tears: “My poor child—let Mother see the wound.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun, nestled in the Empress Dowager’s arms, whispered: “Mother, I slept so soundly—then suddenly I smelled a foul odor. I opened my eyes and saw a tall man in a black robe standing by the bed, holding a dagger, about to stab me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I leapt up in panic, overturned the furniture, and that’s when I hit my head. The palace maids and eunuchs outside heard the commotion and rushed in. Before I fainted, I only saw the assassin leap out the window and flee. When I woke, Da Ban was here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suddenly leapt up to dodge, overturned the tables and chairs, and struck my head—outside, the palace maids and young eunuchs heard the commotion and rushed in; before I fainted, I saw only the assassin leaping out the window and fleeing—when I woke again, Eunuch Feng was already here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li, lost in sorrow, stopped sobbing and asked, puzzled: “Why would I blame my son?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun, still shaken, glanced at the overturned furniture, still uncollected, and said timidly: “I… I overturned the palace furniture. Please, Mother, don’t punish me for my impropriety.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overturning furniture was no trivial matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li demanded perfection in the young emperor’s conduct; every action had to meet imperial standards—even walking, he must not let his jade pendants, jade hooks, jade pendants, or jade teeth clink; he must tread with dignity, carry himself with majesty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li demanded absolute perfection from the young emperor’s conduct—everything he did had to meet the standard of an emperor, even walking: he must not let the tiny jade hooks, jade pendants, jade heng, and jade chongya clink together; he must tread with dignity, carry himself with majesty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun was leveraging his greatest advantage: he was only ten—he could play the victim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who isn’t an actor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My child!” Empress Dowager Li wept even harder, tears streaming down her cheeks, falling onto the young emperor’s body as she hugged him tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her sobs gradually faded, replaced by occasional shudders—grief so profound it choked her voice, leaving only muffled, silent weeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The late emperor had died early, leaving behind an orphaned mother and child. Gao Gong in the Grand Secretariat had declared a ten-year-old crown prince unfit to rule, hinting at installing a prince of the blood; court factions had risen, clashing fiercely. Now, her son had been attacked—right under her own eyes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This biological mother, the Great Ming’s Cisheng Empress Dowager, had moved into Qianqing Palace to personally guard her child—and still, an assassin had breached it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These ministers, deeply indebted to the state, failed to serve loyally; instead, they fawned on powerful ministers, scorned their sovereign—and now, they had even delivered the knife!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li gripped Zhu Yijun’s head tightly: “My son, don’t fear. Mother promises you—this will never happen again! If it does, I’ll fight them to the death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li held Zhu Yijun’s head tightly and said forcefully: “My son, don’t fear, don’t fear—I promise you, this will never happen again! If it does, I’ll fight them to the death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere had reached its peak. Actor Zhu Yijun squeezed out a few tears and comforted: “I am the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming—I fear nothing, and Mother need not fight. When I grow up, I’ll fight them myself. Mother, don’t cry—if you cry, I’ll cry too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere had reached its peak; the acting prodigy Zhu Yijun squeezed out a few tears and comforted her: “I am the Son of Heaven of Great Ming—I am not afraid, and I don’t need Mother to fight them. When I grow up, I’ll fight them myself—Mother, don’t cry. If you cry again, I’ll cry too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Ban, where were you when I was attacked?” Zhu Yijun suddenly asked, as Empress Dowager Li was lost in grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager Li snapped her head up, eyes bloodshot, glaring at Feng Bao: “Feng Dang! Where were you when the Emperor was attacked?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dang” refers to the golden ornament on a eunuch’s hat—meaning “Grand Eunuch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unbreakable, invincible political alliance?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Zhu Yijun’s experience across two lifetimes, this was nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The terms “unbreakable” and “political alliance” should never be paired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words \"political alliance\" and \"unbreakable\" should never have been put together.\u003C\u002Fp>",2251,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z","Qwen3.5 397B","83dd9c66c34872f5213278bc28f06e945d00133f8a6b0ae9f03ed1edd3849b18","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-2",null,1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]