Chapter 2: All Monsters

"This subject was patrolling at the Ciqing Palace at the Rensheng Empress Dowager's place. Hearing the commotion, I immediately rushed over. I ask the Empress Dowager to examine this!" Feng Bao looked at Empress Dowager Li's eyes full of anger. Kneeling on the ground, he answered the question with extremely rigorous logic. His tone carried a bit of panic and a hint of determination.

Feng Bao did things in the palace naturally seamlessly. He said he was patrolling the palace guards at the Ciqing Palace, and so many eunuchs could testify for Feng Bao.

Zhu Yijun did not think that a single sentence of his could put Feng Bao to death. If he didn't even have this level of control, could Feng Bao have become the old ancestor of the Great Ming Imperial Palace and the Director of the Ceremonial Secretariat?

Since Feng Bao said he was patrolling, then he was patrolling and had not been negligent.

Zhu Yijun just wanted a stern rebuke from Empress Dowager Li in her grief. Once the seed of suspicion was buried, it would take root, sprout, grow strong, and finally bloom and bear fruit.

Empress Dowager Li trusted Feng Bao too much. This trust had reached the point of listening to everything he said, and even relying on him for everything. Feng Bao, relying on Empress Dowager Li's majesty, ran rampant in the palace and even bullied the Emperor.

At this time, Empress Dowager Li managed all matters inside and outside the palace. As for Gao Gong, Empress Dowager Li said to dismiss him, and with one imperial edict, Gao Gong, the head of the three ministers assisting the state, immediately lost all his power.

Empress Dowager Li held such power; how could she completely trust one person?

"Slap!"

A crisp sound of a slap clearly echoed through the entire Qianqing Palace. Feng Bao, who was kneeling on the ground, the old ancestor of the Great Ming Imperial Palace, slapped his own left cheek hard.

This slap was so loud that even the two rows of palace maids, who did not dare to move like zombies, could not help but raise their eyebrows to look, but it was only a glance, and they did not dare to look more.

Ever since this Feng Bao gained power, he had run rampant in the palace. When had he ever suffered such grievances?

This slap hit his face solidly, and half of his left cheek swelled up.

"Slap!" Feng Bao slapped his right cheek hard again, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He said to himself, "This subject deserves to die! Before the late Emperor passed away, he exhorted me repeatedly, telling me to be careful! I was extremely careful and cautious, yet I still failed to watch over him, and someone found a loophole."

"Slap!" Feng Bao slapped his left cheek again. This time, blood flowed directly from the corner of his mouth. He continued, "This subject was negligent. As a slave to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, I have failed the Empress Dowager's trust, allowing a villain to break into the palace. It is this subject's dereliction of duty. Having caused such a thing, I deserve to die!"

"Slap!" Feng Bao's slap on his right cheek was not only not reduced in force, but even more ruthless. Even blood was slapped out. He said fiercely, "It must be that Gao Gong, dissatisfied with being dismissed, who secretly colluded with villains to do such a thing that is rejected by both men and gods. This subject will definitely find evidence!"

"Slap!"

"This subject deserves to die. At death's door, I am still thinking about Gao Gong wanting to abolish His Majesty. This subject's lowly life is not worth mentioning, but when this subject goes below and meets the late Emperor, how can I answer him?"

"Slap!"

"They dared to assassinate this time; I don't know what they will do next time. Even if this subject dies, I must pull these villains and the people behind them out by the roots!"

"Slap! Slap! Slap!..."

Brilliant, extremely brilliant.

Old feelings, admitting guilt, escaping guilt, pleading for mercy—all done in one go, smooth as flowing water, just as smooth as the somersault he did at the door. And then he kept slapping his own mouth, as if Feng Bao would beat himself to death if Empress Dowager Li didn't let him off.

Zhu Yijun discovered that this Feng Bao was indeed the movie star of movie stars. These words were watertight.

First, he brought out the late Emperor; this was emotion. Feng Bao, as an old retainer from the Prince's mansion, was naturally on the same side as the Empress Dowager and the young Emperor, removing himself from this matter.

Feng Bao had his status and power today all because of the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager's appreciation. Without the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager,

could Feng Bao have what he had today?

And then admitting guilt—masters usually don't like stubborn slaves. Admitting mistakes properly was the only way to have a glimmer of survival. Feng Bao slapped himself, each time harder than the last.

Escaping guilt—naming the suspected culprit, Gao Gong.

Gao Gong, as the head of the three ministers assisting the state, after the late Emperor Longqing passed away, said, "How can a ten-year-old child govern the world?" This touched Empress Dowager Li's reverse scale. Later, Gao Gong even submitted a memorial to seize the power of the Ceremonial Secretariat.

The next day, Gao Gong was dismissed by Empress Dowager Li's imperial edict.

Gao Gong therefore harbored hatred for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and secretly colluded with passersby to take revenge, which was reasonable.

Feng Bao's few slaps, plus these words, every sentence said he deserved to die, but every sentence was pleading for mercy.

"That's enough, that's enough, stop hitting." Empress Dowager Li finally waved her hand, signaling Feng Bao to stop, but Empress Dowager Li did not let Feng Bao stand up.

A major event of assassinating the King and killing the Sovereign had occurred in the palace. Even if Empress Dowager Li trusted Feng Bao, she couldn't help but suspect him at this time. Did this matter have anything to do with this great eunuch who seemed loyal and devoted?

Empress Dowager Li's fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest, obviously thinking about Feng Bao's words.

Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao's face, which had swollen into a pig's head, his eyes narrowing slightly. This was a dog of a slave who was arrogant before and humble after.

Feng Bao shouldn't have been a eunuch; he should have been a movie star.

In front of Empress Dowager Li, this fellow was respectful and fawning to the extreme, but in the young Emperor's memories, everywhere was filled with hatred and fear for this Da Ban, Feng Bao.

Excessive holding and restraint referred precisely to this Da Ban Feng. He would scare the young Emperor with Empress Dowager Li all day long, and at every turn, he would falsely accuse him, painting the young Emperor as a mischievous brat with poor conduct, causing Empress Dowager Li great worry.

Wishing for one's son to become a dragon is the expectation of every mother in the world, and Empress Dowager Li was no exception. Especially since the late Emperor Longqing had passed away, leaving the vast world in the hands of a ten-year-old child, and Empress Dowager Li was the person primarily responsible for the young Emperor's education, Zhu Yijun could understand Empress Dowager Li being a bit strict.

But what did this Da Ban Feng mean by using his power to bully and restrain the young Emperor, and setting traps for him?

Actually, it was very simple. If the young Emperor was held in his palm, and Empress Dowager Li could be fooled and blinded by him, who in the palace would dare to defy him, Da Ban Feng?

Zhu Yijun could even understand the motivation for this dog of a slave doing this.

The young Emperor Wanli could endure it, but Zhu Yijun absolutely could not.

Empress Dowager Li kept pacing back and forth anxiously. Her steps were somewhat hurried. Such a major event had occurred in the palace, and for a moment, she had lost her composure. The most critical thing was, her son had escaped this time, but could he escape the next?

And this imperial palace, with its high walls and deep courtyards, was guarded everywhere by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. How did that thief break into the Qianqing Palace and even startle the imperial carriage!

All these things made Empress Dowager Li somewhat at a loss. She was only a twenty-seven-year-old woman, not even thirty years old.

Her husband had left early, leaving such a large Great Ming to her ten-year-old son. The late Emperor Longqing had ascended to the heavens six months ago. During this time, Empress Dowager Li had used all her strength to maintain the safety of the mother and son, but such a disaster had still occurred.

In the future, where would they go?

The fire outside the hall had been completely extinguished, and the imperial physicians had been invited into the palace to take his pulse.

As soon as the imperial physician withdrew his hand, Empress Dowager Li asked impatiently, "Imperial Physician Chen, how is my son?"

The imperial physician hurriedly bowed his head and said, "His Majesty's pulse is four to five beats per breath, neither floating nor sinking, neither fast nor slow, neither strong nor weak, neither large nor small. The rhythm is steady, calm, and gentle. There is no major issue. He bumped his forehead; in... a few days, he will recover completely."

The imperial physician's expression hesitated slightly, but in the end, he stopped speaking. The pulse was indeed steady, His Majesty was in good health, and the wound on the forehead would have healed even if looked at later.

But the problem was, a ten-year-old child, suddenly encountering such a drastic change, with an assassin breaking into the heavily guarded imperial palace to assassinate him in his sleeping quarters—as the young Emperor who had been assassinated, having such a steady pulse was the biggest problem.

But could the imperial physician say this? Naturally, he could not.

He was just an imperial physician; the decoctions of the Imperial Hospital could not even guarantee the Emperor's health.

"Thank you, Imperial Physician." Empress Dowager Li signaled for a palace maid to take out an ingot of silver to reward the imperial physician. Looking at the swelling on her child's forehead, grief welled up from within. She pulled Zhu Yijun to her side, her tone carrying a hint of sobbing, and whispered, "My poor son, let mother see the wound."

Zhu Yijun was held in the Empress Dowager's arms and whispered, "Mother, child was sleeping soundly when suddenly I smelled a foul odor. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a burly man in a black robe standing before the bed, holding a dagger, stabbing down at child."

"Child jumped up to dodge, knocked over the table and chairs, and that's how I bumped my head. The palace maids and little yellow-gate eunuchs outside the hall heard the commotion and rushed in. Before child fainted, I only saw the assassin climb out of the window frame and escape. When I woke up, Da Ban Feng had arrived."

"Mother, please do not blame child."

Empress Dowager Li was immersed in grief. Hearing Zhu Yijun speak this way, she stopped sobbing and asked suspiciously, "Where does this come from? Why would mother blame my son?"

Zhu Yijun looked at the table and chairs knocked over on the ground, which no one had cleaned up, and said with a hint of terror, "Child knocked over the palace table and chairs, and I ask mother not to blame child for being unceremonious."

Knocking over tables and chairs would also face punishment; this was no joke.

Empress Dowager Li's requirements for the young Emperor's conduct were strict to the extreme. Whatever he did had to meet the standards of an Emperor. Even when walking, he could not let the jade hooks, jade pendants, jade hangings, and tooth ornaments on his body collide. He had to walk steadily and look imposing.

Such ungraceful actions were usually regarded as unceremonious.

Zhu Yijun was using his greatest advantage: he was only ten years old; he could pretend to be pitiful.

Who isn't a movie star?

"My son!" Hearing this, Empress Dowager Li was even more grief-stricken. Tears streamed down her face. She hugged Zhu Yijun tightly, her tears dripping onto the young Emperor's body.

Empress Dowager Li's crying gradually faded, only occasionally twitching. Her grief had reached its peak, and she could no longer make a sound, only sobbing continuously, crying in a muffled way, until she was unable to speak.

The late Emperor had passed away early, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. Gao Gong in the Grand Secretariat had said, "How can a ten-year-old crown prince govern the world?" It seemed he wanted to enthrone a feudal prince. The court was filled with factions attacking each other, fighting to the death. Now, her child had even been assassinated right under her nose as Empress Dowager!

This biological mother, the Great Ming Cisheng Empress Dowager, lived in the Qianqing Palace to look after her child because the Emperor was young, yet an assassin had still broken into the Qianqing Palace.

These ministers had received great favor from the state, yet they did not think of exhausting their loyalty to serve their master, only knowing how to fawn over powerful ministers and despise their master. Now, they had even handed over the knife!

Empress Dowager Li hugged Zhu Yijun's head and said forcefully, "My son, do not be afraid, do not be afraid. Mother promises you, this kind of thing will absolutely not happen again! If it happens again, mother will fight them to the death!"

"Do not be afraid, do not be afraid."

The atmosphere had reached this point. The movie star Zhu Yijun squeezed out a few tears and comforted her, "Child is the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming. Child is not afraid, and there is no need for mother to fight to the death. When child grows up, child will fight them to the death. Mother, do not cry. If mother cries again, child will also cry."

"My son." Empress Dowager Li felt even more grief-stricken upon hearing this.

"Da Ban Feng, when I was assassinated, where were you?" Zhu Yijun asked suddenly while Empress Dowager Li was immersed in grief.

Empress Dowager Li suddenly raised her head, her eyes red, staring straight at Feng Bao, and said sternly, "Eunuch Feng! When His Majesty was attacked, where were you!"

"Dang" refers to the gold ornament on a eunuch's hat, meaning a great eunuch.

An unbreakable, impregnable political alliance?

Based on Zhu Yijun's experience of living two lives, this was a fallacy.