xymnovel Chapter 13 Eunuch Wei, please be respectful.
Chapter 13 Eunuch Wei, please be respectful.
After leaving the area of the Imperial Study, Tian Ergeng did not leave the palace directly. Instead, he turned several corners, passed through several side gates, and arrived at the side hall on the east side of the Qianqing Palace.
Wei Zhongxian was already waiting there.
There were only a few lamps lit in the side hall, making the light dim.
The powerful eunuch in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs sat upright in his armchair, with a pot of freshly brewed Longjing tea on the table in front of him, its aroma wafting through the air.
He was wearing a dark blue python robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and his black gauze hat was neatly arranged, making him look more dignified than usual.
If you didn't know his background, just by looking at his demeanor, you would think he was some well-read senior cabinet minister.
Upon seeing Tian Ergeng enter, Wei Zhongxian's cloudy eyes lit up slightly, but then returned to their unfathomable gloom.
"You've come." Wei Zhongxian's voice was neither loud nor soft, and his gaze lingered on Tian Ergeng for a few moments, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Tian Ergeng stepped into the side hall, his expression calm. "This humble servant has arrived."
Wei Zhongxian looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment before he suddenly sighed, "You've lost weight."
"Thank you for your concern, Eunuch Wei!" Tian Ergeng was slightly taken aback, then bowed deeply.
Wei Zhongxian's eyelids twitched, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Thinking back to ten years ago, Tian Ergeng was just a lowly errand boy in the Eastern Depot, bullied until he was bruised and battered. It was Wei Zhongxian who saw his cleverness and promoted him.
At that time, Tian Ergeng knelt in front of him, kowtowing loudly, and calling out, "Godfather, Godfather, you are my real father."
"..." He was silent for a few moments, then suddenly slammed his hand on the armrest. "You've really made something of yourself, Ergeng! You used to call us 'Old Godmother' and 'Old Godfather'! How come you turn your back on us now that you're the Emperor's bodyguard!"
"...! This humble servant is now the First Commander of the Dark Guards, Taotie. Please address this humble servant as Commander Tian, Eunuch Wei!"
Tian Ergeng remained calm and composed, straightened up, took a few steps back, and bowed slightly.
"You...you...are you trying to anger me to death?" Wei Zhongxian's voice trembled. He never expected that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whom he had personally promoted, would turn around and sever ties with him so directly after becoming Zhu Ming's secret guard.
This feeling was quite unsettling for Wei Zhongxian, the powerful eunuch who held sway over the court.
"Eunuch Wei, please have some self-respect. Let's avoid meeting in private from now on, as I fear His Majesty might misunderstand."
After speaking, Tian Ergeng stepped back to the door and bowed deeply.
Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he left without a trace, without waiting for Wei Zhongxian's reaction.
Wei Zhongxian reached out, trying to call him back, his Adam's apple bobbing, but only a few trembling "no"s escaped his lips, "No...no...no..."
The door to the side hall was gently closed, and Tian Ergeng's footsteps gradually faded away, disappearing at the end of the long corridor.
After a while, a young eunuch carrying a tea tray peeked in and saw Wei Zhongxian standing blankly in the center of the hall, staring straight at the door, his face turning pale and then red. He was startled.
"Eunuch Wei, what's wrong?" the young eunuch asked cautiously as he approached.
Wei Zhongxian slowly turned his head, looked at that young face, and suddenly his nose tingled, his eyes reddened, and his voice carried an indescribable grievance: "Writing is too difficult, too difficult, my child can't learn it, can't learn it..."
The young eunuch was stunned, and muttered subconsciously, "Writing... isn't that something anyone with hands can do?"
No sooner had he spoken than a senior eunuch who had followed him in covered his mouth and dragged him out.
The chief eunuch dragged the man out while scolding him in a low voice, "Are you courting death! Eunuch Wei is illiterate, but His Majesty has recently arranged for him to learn to read and write. He's probably under a lot of pressure, so he just let it out to release some stress..."
The side hall finally quieted down.
Wei Zhongxian stood alone, gazing at the empty entrance, and suddenly felt that in this vast Forbidden City, there was not a single person who could understand him.
Wei Zhongxian, the powerful eunuch who held immense influence in the court and was known for his ruthless killing, was once again distanced from his subordinates by his own hand.
At this moment, the May sky was filled with the snow of June, and the palace grounds were covered with fallen flowers, as if a wondrous melody was playing, emanating from the Heavenly Revelation Sound Box he was playing with on his desk—
Snowflakes fluttered down, the north wind howled, and the world was shrouded in a vast expanse of white.
A lone plum blossom stands proudly in the snow, its fragrance offered only for her.
I love what I love without regret; this love will forever remain in my heart. Snowflakes flutter, the north wind howls, and the world is shrouded in a vast expanse of white...
Of course, this was just a hallucination in Wei Zhongxian's mind.
In fact, it was very hot in Beijing in May, and there wasn't a single snowflake.
He just felt cold, a cold that came from being completely controlled by Emperor Zhu Ming, and a cold that came from being betrayed by that ingrate Tian Ergeng.
Wei Zhongxian slumped back into his armchair, picked up the now-cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.
Tea can be brewed again when it gets cold, but can a cold heart be warmed up again?
he does not know.
But he knew one thing: Zhu Ming's decision to appoint Tian Ergeng as "First Dark Guard Commander - Taotie" was not a whim.
This is a knife.
A knife hanging over Wei Zhongxian's head.
It was also a sword hanging over the heads of all civil and military officials... and all officials in the two capitals and thirteen provinces.
He couldn't even touch the hilt of the knife.
Night completely enveloped the Forbidden City.
After finishing reviewing the last memorial in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Ming stretched, his bones cracking with each yawn.
He glanced at the water clock; it was already past 9 PM.
"Your Majesty, which palace will you stay in tonight?" The personal eunuch Gao Yongshou cautiously approached, his voice very soft.
Zhu Ming thought for a moment, and a gentle and dignified face appeared in his mind. He then said, "Go to Cining Palace."
Gao Yongshou responded, but in his heart he was thinking that the Emperor had been going to Cining Palace for several months in a row.
The Empress is certainly a good person, but with three thousand beauties in the harem, it's inevitable that resentment will arise if the emperor's favor is not equally distributed.
However, as an eunuch, he could only keep these words to himself.
The Cining Palace was brightly lit, and Empress Zhang Yan was doing needlework under the lamp.
She was wearing a light purple casual dress, her black hair was loosely tied in a bun, with a few stray strands hanging down by her ears, and she looked exceptionally soft in the candlelight.
Upon hearing the eunuch outside announce "The Emperor has arrived," she quickly put down her embroidery frame and got up to greet him at the door.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you," Zhang Yan said, curtsying in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just right.
Zhu Ming strode in and grabbed her arm, saying, "Sister, how many times have I told you, don't bother with these formalities when it's just the two of us."
Zhang Yan smiled, took off his cloak, and handed it to the maid beside her.
Her fingers were slender and warm, and when they accidentally touched Zhu Ming's neck, they sent a shiver down his spine.
"Why is Your Majesty so late today? I thought you were going to stay in the Imperial Study."
As Zhang Yan spoke, she led Zhu Ming into the inner room.
She had a faint jasmine scent on her, which she used to scent clothes; it smelled comforting.
"The affairs of the court, that's enough. I won't say anything more." Zhu Ming sat down on the couch, immediately relaxed, leaned against the pillow, and let out a long sigh.
Only with Zhang Yan could Zhu Ming feel relaxed, after all, he had to spend 500% of his energy dealing with the mess left by the end of the Ming Dynasty.
If he relaxes even a little, what awaits him might be that crooked tree in Meishan!
"Your Majesty, you've worked hard!" Zhang Yan sat down beside him, her tone soft and gentle. After all, the inner court couldn't interfere in politics, so she had nothing to ask. All she could do was comfort Zhu Ming for his hard work.
"Tsk! It's so much better here with girls, no worries at all!"
Zhu Ming clicked his tongue, leaned his body against Zhang Yan's lap, and rested his head on it.
To be in control of the world when awake, and to be able to rest in the lap of a beautiful woman when drunk – that's what it feels like!
Zhang Yan was taken aback by his sudden action, then smiled helplessly and gently combed his hair.
"How is Cijiong now?" Zhu Ming asked gently, his eyes closed.
Prince Zhu Cijiong is not yet one year old and is currently his only son.
Historically, the prince was so frightened by the explosion that he died shortly afterward.
In order to protect this young member of the royal family, he had arranged for someone to take refuge in the Fragrant Hills Palace before the Tianqi Explosion. He figured he should be back in the next couple of days!