Chapter 821

In the time it took the Emperor to turn around, he saw a note appear on his desk; he froze in shock, immediately looked up, but the palace maids and eunuchs inside showed no reaction, nor did the palace guards outside the door sense anything amiss.

The Emperor was beyond furious—not just at Pan Yun, but at the Imperial Guard as well.

Such lax palace security made him feel as if thorns were pricking his back.

In an instant, the Emperor recalled the Tang Ran Gong palace breach; if the Great Ming's palace security were as weak as that of Later Tang, wouldn't he be at constant risk of being killed even while sleeping inside his own palace?

As the Emperor, in shock and rage, summoned the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Pan Yun sat face-to-face with Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen set down his tea cup stiffly and said in a low voice: "How bold of you to break into the palace—don't you fear I'll report you to the Emperor and have you punished?"

Pan Yun fetched her own tea cup, poured herself tea, and smiled lightly: "I've just come from Your Majesty."

Wang Zhen's heart tightened; he gripped his tea cup tightly, studying Pan Yun's expression to judge whether she was lying.

As he stared, his expression slowly cracked: "You—you didn't just break into my room, you broke into the Emperor's study too, didn't you?"

Pan Yun looked up and gave him a faint smile.

Wang Zhen slammed his tea cup down with a crash and growled: "Do you know how many people this will kill?"

"Ruined your years of planning?" Pan Yun tilted her head to look at him.

Wang Zhen was beyond furious—he had spent years cultivating the Emperor's complete trust, placing his own people near him, not to harm the Emperor, but merely to make his work easier;

but last time Pan Yun appeared, the Emperor began doubting his character, cracking that trust, and to extricate himself, he sacrificed several hidden assets;

and to rebuild that trust, he spent a full year—this past year, he worked harder than when he first arrived beside the young Emperor, barely regaining his confidence and leaving a few loyal men near the Emperor…

Wang Zhen's face twisted; Pan Yun's entry into the palace might erase all his efforts of the past year.

Wang Zhen gritted his teeth: "What exactly do you want?"

Pan Yun leaned forward, staring into his eyes: "That's the question I should be asking you—what exactly do you want?"

Wang Zhen froze, then his gaze flickered, and he shifted his eyes away from hers.

Pan Yun snorted, sat upright: "This is a warning, Wang Zhen. Don't touch me, and I won't touch you."

"Hmph, you won't touch me? You've caused so much trouble in Quanzhou and Ji'an…"

"I target matters, not people," Pan Yun sneered at him. "You think I'm targeting you only because you happened to be deeply involved in both cases."

"Don't speak nonsense—what do I have to do with those two cases?"

"If you have nothing to do with them, why would Wang Zhangyin claim I'm targeting you?"

Wang Zhen choked, fell silent.

Pan Yun drained her tea in one gulp, slammed the cup down, and stood: "Wang Zhen, this is my final warning to you inside the palace. If you dare cross me again, I can quietly kill someone without difficulty."

Cold light flashed in Pan Yun's eyes as she whispered: "Wang Zhangyin, aren't you curious—when you die, will anyone avenge you? Will your wife and children, or the Emperor, investigate your death… and will they trace it back to me?"

Wang Zhen shuddered, replied in a low voice: "I will leave a final testament—if I die, the first suspect will be you!"

Pan Yun smiled: "By all means, try it."

She didn't clarify what "it" was, but Wang Zhen understood—test whether she dares kill him, test whether he can even leave a testament…

For a power-seeker, especially one who has already succeeded, staying alive is their most basic desire.

As essential as eating and drinking.

Because they cherish life, they fear death. Ten breaths after Pan Yun vanished from the room, Wang Zhen moved his stiff limbs, pushed himself up from the table.

He knew why Pan Yun came to warn him—not only because he was trying to drag her into the water to destroy her, but also because he wanted to drag Pan Hong down with her.

Xue Xuan was a thorn in his flesh; Pan Yun was a thorn in his throat—every swallow brought unbearable pain.

Yet she appeared too often—she was a Daoist Priest, the Emperor disliked her, yet she kept appearing before the court and in the Emperor's sight.

And no matter how much the Emperor disliked her, he still recognized her abilities—even admired and looked forward to them.

In fact, the Emperor trusted her.

The Emperor himself might not have realized it, but Wang Zhen, who had raised him since childhood, knew.

Even when he and the Embroidered Uniform Guard jointly reported something, the Emperor would harbor doubts, suspecting one of them had ulterior motives;

but if Pan Yun reported it, no matter how hard he denied it, he would believe it in his heart.

Realizing this, Wang Zhen wished Pan Yun would vanish from this world immediately.

He absolutely could not let the Emperor realize this—so he constantly deepened the Emperor's dislike of Pan Yun, suppressed her achievements in the Japanese silver mines and the lifting of the maritime ban, all to keep her away from the Emperor's side.

If she came near, the Emperor would surely promote her; once promoted, his trust in her would grow, and Wang Zhen's only advantage would vanish.

Yet at this moment, the Emperor noticed nothing—he only felt hatred for Pan Yun.

Wang Zhen hurried to the Imperial Study just as the Emperor had erupted in rage, punishing a group of people—replacing every guard and eunuch.

The very eunuch and guard Wang Zhen had painstakingly trained the Emperor to trust were both replaced.

Yet he could not show his distress—he had to swallow his teeth and blood, pause at the door, compose his expression, then rush in: "Your Majesty, what has happened?"

The Emperor's face was icy as he snapped: "Where is Pan Yun?"

Wang Zhen's heart lurched—did the Emperor know he had met Pan Yun in secret?

"Is she staying at Pan Zhai, Yin Zhai, or some inn? Send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to bring her to the palace!" the Emperor growled. "I want to ask her myself—what exactly does she intend?"

Wang Zhen quietly exhaled—he didn't know…

He lowered his head, concealing the sharpness in his eyes, and bowed: "According to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's report, Pan Yun has been staying at Yin Zhai since arriving in the capital, occasionally returning to Pan Zhai to dine with Pan Hong and his son."

The Emperor sneered: "She's severed ties with Pan Hong so thoroughly—doesn't she fear dragging Yin Song down with her?"

The Emperor ordered Wang Zhen to immediately lead men to Yin Zhai and arrest Pan Yun.

Wang Zhen would never personally carry out an arrest—he always delegated such tasks to the Southern Town Command.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard rode out of the palace at night, woke up Yin Song—who had just lain down after seeing Pan Yun off.

Yin Song silently opened Pan Yun's door, and together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they saw a letter left on the table.

Neither the Embroidered Uniform Guard nor Yin Song had expected it.

He was about to reach for the letter when the Embroidered Uniform Guard moved faster, gripping it first—then saw three large characters on the envelope: "For the Emperor."

The Embroidered Uniform Guards' expressions blanked for an instant; they calmly tucked away the letter and turned to leave. (End of chapter)