Chapter 1614: Let His Majesty Vent a Little

Having connections in court makes everything easier.

Chen Chen Guanlou found an opportunity to pass word to Empress Chen, who agreed readily and had Eunuch Wu Ming transferred over, registering him at Phoenix Splendor Palace. She instructed Wu Ming to rest and recover from his injuries, and once healed, he would serve outside the palace, handling her dowry affairs.

Of course, that was all just a pretext.

From now on, Wu Ming would live at the side residence, focus on his cultivation, and have nothing to do with worldly affairs!

Chen Chen Guanlou had underestimated Wu Ming's importance. Afterward, Wei Wubing asked Wang Hai, "How did Wu Ming catch the Empress's eye? Do you know the reason?"

Wang Hai bowed low. "I don't really know either. But after Eunuch Wu entered the palace, he was rather flashy, and his temperament was a bit stubborn."

In the palace, a stubborn-tempered person who was also a ninth-rank martial artist drawing the Empress's attention — that's perfectly normal, right?

He hoped this excuse would convince the other man.

Wei Wubing neither agreed nor disagreed. "How is Wu Ming's injury?"

"Reporting to you, Eunuch, I haven't had a chance to leave the palace to visit these past few days. I imagine it's nothing serious."

"Go tell him — since the Empress has claimed him, he should serve well under her from now on. His temperament really isn't suited to staying on in the palace. Serving outside as a guard is a good fit."

"Eunuch, you are most wise!"

Wei Wubing suddenly felt bored and waved Wang Hai off.

Once Wang Hai was out the door, he secretly let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness Eunuch Wei hadn't pressed the matter. If the other man had pressed him, he definitely wouldn't have been able to hold out — he would have spilled part of the truth.

Thank heavens, his luck today was good!

Glancing at the sky, he decided to leave the palace and go chat with those fellows at the Imperial Observatory. As an elder of Tianlou Sect and its Grand Steward, he had to shoulder the sect's heavy responsibilities!

……

Recently, some less-than-harmonious voices had appeared on the streets.

At first, it was just the idle talk of a few literati, spread abroad by people with ulterior motives. Spread and spread, and it warped out of shape.

All these voices boiled down to one core idea: Why so eager to boil your own kin alive?

Some great clan — its patriarch was unkind, and brothers were destroying one another.

As for which great clan it was — those in the know, know.

This chorus grew louder and louder, on the verge of sweeping everything before it. The Brocaded Guards discovered it and, while sending people to trace the source, promptly reported to the palace.

Emperor Yuanding was furious. "I haven't even lifted a finger, and already rumors slandering me have sprung up among the common folk. If I don't do something, won't I have earned that reputation for cruelty for nothing? I really would like to ask Prince Ning — have I truly been that cruel to him!"

Yang Deguang knelt on the ground, not daring to draw so much as a full breath. Head bowed, he didn't dare look up.

Liu Shun hurried to speak up and soothe, taking the chance to add fuel to the fire.

He had long been fed up with those court officials, always blustering and posturing.

Such a perfect opportunity — if he didn't kick someone when they were down, he wouldn't be a eunuch.

"Your Majesty, calm yourself! The common folk don't know the inside story, just parrot what they hear. The most hateful are those scholars — armed with a little literacy, they dare spout nonsense. And their teachers and fellow students behind them are no good either. This servant believes such a trend must not be allowed to grow. We must harshly punish a batch of them before they learn fear."

Emperor Yuanding nodded repeatedly — those words had hit right at the heart of what he wanted to hear.

It was precisely because his methods were too soft that no one took him seriously.

Dealing with officials required the Zhengshitang's approval. Dealing with ordinary scholars spouting nonsense, with ordinary disrespectful commoners — that was far simpler.

He immediately ordered Yang Deguang, "Investigate thoroughly! No matter who is involved, follow the trail to the end. I authorize you to act first and report later — catch every one you find. We must harshly cure the perverse trends in Jingcheng."

I am not one to be trifled with!

I have a temper too!

Emperor Yuanding ground his teeth, his eyes both eager and cruel. He meant to use this chance to vent his fury, to use it to teach the court officials a lesson.

Yang Deguang accepted the order and withdrew!

But he didn't rush out of the palace. He stood outside the hall's gate and waited.

When Liu Shun came out, he stepped forward. "Eunuch Liu, shall we walk together?"

Liu Shun beamed. "How thoughtful of you, my lord."

The two walked side by side. Finding no one around, Yang Deguang asked in a low voice, "May I dare ask Eunuch Liu — has this case been given any limits? To what extent should it be carried? Eunuch Liu is the foremost trusted man by His Majesty's side; no one knows His Majesty's mind better than you. I humbly ask for a word or two of guidance."

Liu Shun very much wanted to put on the air of a steady, seasoned, unreadable big shot. Unfortunately, his cultivation wasn't there yet — he simply couldn't control it, and a clear flash of smugness showed in his eyes.

He cleared his throat lightly, trying to cover it up, and said, "You're too kind, my lord. His Majesty's intent is, naturally, to make a great case of this!"

Yang Deguang's face was expressionless; inwardly he did not agree with that conclusion. But he dared not openly contradict the man.

So he pressed, "How great, exactly?"

Liu Shun was annoyed by his slowness, his eyes openly contemptuous. "My lord Yang, why can't you take a hint? What do you mean, how great? How far must it go for His Majesty to be satisfied? If you can't even handle such a small matter, you'll have failed to live up to His Majesty's high hopes. You wouldn't disappoint His Majesty, would you?"

Yang Deguang nodded heavily. "This official naturally will not disappoint His Majesty!"

Liu Shun, all smiles, patted Yang Deguang's shoulder. "Excellent! My lord Yang, hurry off and attend to your duties. His Majesty is waiting for your good news."

Yang Deguang echoed back a smile and left the palace, his mind full of worries.

This case would not be easy to handle.

It didn't take a genius to know His Majesty wanted the case dragged all the way to Prince Ning.

On the surface, if this case didn't have Prince Ning's fingerprints on it, not even a ghost would believe it.

But even he, a novice in criminal law, knew that no matter how they investigated, they would never find anything leading to Prince Ning. Unless they used torture, forced confessions — start with the verdict, then hunt for the source, and just fix the whole investigation on Prince Ning.

If they did that, the Zhengshitang would certainly not agree, and the censors would leap into action at the first whiff.

He sighed — the seat of Brocaded Guards Commander was no easy one to hold!

The measure of it was hard to grasp; the slightest misstep would unleash a new storm in the court.

A splitting headache!

Headache or not, the case had to be handled.

The Brocaded Guards swarmed out in full force, and unease swept through Jingcheng from top to bottom.

Many people ran to Xie Changling, hoping the Zhengshitang would step forward and make a statement — restrain the Brocaded Guards, hammer them hard. Better to seize the chance and strip the Brocaded Guards of their power altogether.

Xie Changling rejected them all out of hand.

He had long since given this matter careful thought.

He said, "Ever since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the Zhengshitang has been suppressing things, and Your Majesty has been bottling up his frustrations for a long time now, unable to vent his fury. This time, we must not suppress him by force — we must let Your Majesty's temper out for a bit.

Of course, we must not let the Embroidered Uniform Guard run too wild. Once the Embroidered Uniform Guard oversteps the line, I will not stand idly by — I will personally lead the Zhengshitang to rein in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's authority. All of you must remember: now is not the time to act rashly. Just keep an eye on the Embroidered Uniform Guard and catch them in their mistakes. Tell the Duchayuan to be patient — no rushing! Especially those few hot-headed ones — don't let them ruin the bigger picture!"