Chapter 33: Madam Ke

The Imperial Study.

Wei Zhongxian, formerly a brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, knelt before Zhu Youxiao with a face covered in dust, disheveled hair, and tattered clothes, weeping and complaining loudly.

"Your Majesty, this servant was running errands for you! What robbers are there in the capital? Clearly those treacherous ministers at court don't want Your Majesty to personally govern, so they find every way to obstruct and torment this servant..."

Zhu Youxiao's face darkened as he watched Wei Zhongxian without saying a word.

"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for this servant! Those treacherous ministers want to rebel—they don't hold you in their eyes at all..."

"Enough!" Zhu Youxiao suddenly slammed the table and shouted.

Wei Zhongxian's body trembled, his voice cut off abruptly. With tears and snot streaming down his face, he looked up at Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao's expression shifted between dark and uncertain. Toward Wei Zhongxian, he was utterly disappointed, his fury barely contained. He shoved the memorials before him and said coldly, "Look, look—these are all impeaching you! What else can you do for me besides creating problems?"

Still unsatisfied, Zhu Youxiao glared at the memorials scattered across the floor and raged, "I forgot—you can't read. Shall I read them aloud for you? Any single one of these charges is enough to behead you ten times over!"

Wei Zhongxian's heart pounded with terror. In the past, he had always provoked Zhu Youxiao's anger to deal with those pure-stream officials, but this time the pure-stream faction was using that same anger against him.

His whole body ran cold. He knew well the consequences of enraging the Emperor, and hastily shouted, "Your Majesty, don't be used by these treacherous ministers! They're clearly killing with a borrowed knife—using your hand to eliminate me, to eliminate everyone around you..."

"Shut up!"

Zhu Youxiao was truly enraged, because these memorials not only impeached Wei Zhongxian—they also dragged in Wei Zhongxian's "wife," Madam Ke. According to protocol, Madam Ke should have long since returned to the capital and been sent away to Cloud Mist Mountain outside the city, but in reality, he had hidden her in the palace.

Compared to Wei Zhongxian, he cared far more about Madam Ke. He did not want Madam Ke to leave the palace.

"Tell me—how should I deal with you!"

Zhu Youxiao's jaw twitched incessantly as he stared coldly at Wei Zhongxian. As for punishing Wei Zhongxian, he had no good ideas either. Sending him south as a procurement eunuch again would clearly not satisfy that pack of furious pure-stream officials.

Wei Zhongxian also knew that he had stirred up a great disaster this time. Now only the Emperor could protect him. Unaware that Zhu Youxiao had already begun laying his plans at court, his eyes darted frantically as he suddenly said, "Your Majesty, this servant has found a way for you—we can..."

Zhu Youxiao had already found his own solution—why would he need anyone else's help? Hearing that Wei Zhongxian still didn't understand the situation, he flew into a rage and said, "Guards! Drag him out and throw him into the Provost's prison!"

Wei Zhongxian's face filled with terror at these words. Being sent to the Provost's prison meant he had completely lost the Emperor's trust. He would never come back from there—perhaps he wouldn't even survive to walk out of the Provost's prison alive!

Dragged away, Wei Zhongxian shouted, "Your Majesty, this servant is wronged! Your Majesty, this servant has urgent matters to report! This servant has evidence of Wang Wenyan's corruption, bribery, and faction-forming—it's all in this servant's room..."

Zhu Youxiao's grim expression shifted slightly, then he said coldly, "Drag him out—throw him into the Imperial Prison."

"Yes!" Two guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard acknowledged and dragged Wei Zhongxian out without further ado.

Wei Zhongxian had thought the Emperor would question him thoroughly, but never expected he would still be imprisoned. Still, the words "Imperial Prison" eased his heart somewhat. The Provost's prison was hard to enter and hard to leave, but the Imperial Prison was easy to enter and easy to leave—especially since the Venerable Lady of Honor was still there.

Zhu Youxiao sat on the dragon throne, his mood utterly foul. Whatever interest he had in controlling the court had been nearly swept away by Wei Zhongxian.

But in the end, he was the Emperor—he would never compromise on power. He glanced coldly at Liu Shimin standing nearby and said, "Go take a look in Wei Zhongxian's room."

Liu Shimin quickly bowed his head and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Liu Shimin bowed and left the palace, summoning a few young eunuchs to follow him to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

He too was trembling with apprehension. Others might not know about the Venerable Lady of Honor's affairs, but he knew them all too well—because he was the one who had brought her in. No one could challenge the Venerable Lady of Honor's influence over, even control of, the Emperor!

Therefore, these days he had been especially cautious—not saying one word more than necessary, not casting one extra glance. At the same time, he demanded the same of everyone around him.

Liu Shimin led his men to the Directorate of Ceremonial. The moment he pushed open Wei Zhongxian's door, his expression shifted slightly. Then he walked in and bowed slightly, saying, "This servant pays respects to the Old Ancestor."

There, seated in the very center of the hall, was a woman who appeared to be just past thirty. Her features were bewitching, her figure voluptuous, her hair coiled high. She wore a tight, short crimson jacket that revealed a sliver of pale neck, and white slit silk trousers below, with two small feet fitted in fiery red embroidered shoes.

Madam Ke—she and Wei Zhongxian were an imperially bestowed pair of "eating companions," the legal husband-and-wife arrangement within the palace. Her presence here was both unsurprising and surprising.

She sat in her chair, watching Liu Shimin enter with cold eyes, and said in a detached tone, "The Emperor sent you?"

This woman was the Emperor's wet nurse, yet she held a complex status in the palace that overlapped with both Empress and Empress Dowager, making her position uniquely special.

Liu Shimin had witnessed this before. With a respectful demeanor, he said, "Yes. The Emperor sent this servant to retrieve some items."

Madam Ke was an extremely intelligent woman with deep, calculating schemes—otherwise she could never have made Zhu Youxiao obey her every word. She had forged an imperial edict to execute his beloved consort, caused the deaths of his children, and even when she harmed the Empress he was deeply devoted to, Zhu Youxiao never punished Madam Ke.

Clearly, Madam Ke was no ordinary woman!

Madam Ke's eyes were alluring as she glanced at Liu Shimin. After a long pause, she finally said, "Search then."

Liu Shimin's expression did not change. He waved a hand behind him and said, "Be gentle and careful—don't break or knock over any of the Old Ancestor's belongings."

"Yes."

The young eunuchs behind him immediately walked in and spread out to search. These were all ones who could read and write, and they began rifling through boxes and cabinets.

Liu Shimin stood not far from Madam Ke, his expression respectful.

Madam Ke sat motionless, occasionally raising her cup to take a sip of tea. Even though Liu Shimin was a eunuch, seeing that bright red lip print on the cup made his heart skip a beat nonetheless.

Watching Liu Shimin's posturing, Madam Ke felt a measure of disgust. She knew that this new brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who appeared so respectful toward her, was in truth keeping his distance. Several attempts she had made to win him over had met with no response.

Madam Ke swept her gaze across the room and said flatly, "How did the Emperor deal with Eunuch Wei?"

Liu Shimin bowed and said, "To report to the Old Ancestor, Eunuch Wei has been thrown into the Imperial Prison."

Madam Ke's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She seemed to hesitate as if about to say something more, but suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to Liu Shimin.

Liu Shimin inwardly grew alert. Ever since he had taken concurrent charge of the Eastern Depot, he had been openly and covertly eliminating the influence of Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke within the palace. Clearly, Madam Ke had sensed it too. But now Madam Ke and Wei Zhongxian were not what they once were—their power both inside and outside the palace had been severely crippled. And now that she was hidden away by the Emperor, unable to show herself publicly, she had even less strength to move against him.

"Eunuch, we found it."

A young eunuch walked over carrying a box and said to Liu Shimin, "Inside the box—there are name registers, account books, confessions, and bank notes."

Liu Shimin picked it up and glanced at it, then walked toward Madam Ke and said, "Does the Old Ancestor have any other instructions?"