Zhao Huan breathed a sigh of relief upon returning to the palace. It was safe inside. He could no longer go out alone; he had to be accompanied by a skilled warrior.
"Cao Dongsheng, gather all the eunuchs in the palace tomorrow. I want to test you."
Cao Dongsheng thought he had misheard: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what is the test?"
"Why the hell are you asking so many nonsense questions? Gather all the eunuchs. I want to take the imperial examination."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Are you okay?" Zhu Lian's voice came from outside.
Zhao Huan looked at Cao Dongsheng in surprise: "Why is the Queen here?"
Cao Dongsheng had no choice but to say, "Your Majesty, everyone in the palace knows about your assassination. Isn't the Queen worried?"
Zhao Huan felt a little touched, thinking that the queen really loved him.
Just as I was thinking about it, I heard another voice outside: "How is the emperor's injury?"
The voice was clear and crisp, exactly Nangong Lian'er's. Zhao Huan was overjoyed. Ever since Nangong Lian'er entered the palace, Zhao Huan hadn't dared to show her any favor. It was mainly because she was so beautiful. For some reason, Zhao Huan always felt a little nervous when he saw her. Hearing Nangong Lian'er's concern for him, how could he not be happy?
"Everyone, get out of my way! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!" Needless to say, this is also Li Sisi's voice.
The eunuchs on duty outside the Wende Hall didn't know what to do. The emperor was discussing military and national affairs inside the hall, and the concubines and even the queen broke in.
According to the rules of the Song court, after Zhao Huan ascended the throne, he strictly prohibited the harem from interfering in government affairs. If the emperor was holding a meeting in the Wende Hall, even the empress could not enter or leave without Zhao Huan's permission.
The eunuch on duty wiped his sweat while kneeling on the ground and kowtowed profusely: "My dear ladies, please spare me. If you go in, my head will be gone."
Amidst the commotion, Cao Dongsheng opened the door to the Wende Hall and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Emperor invites you in."
Everyone was overjoyed, and several of them rushed into the Wende Hall chattering.
They saw that Zhao Huan's left arm was wrapped in white cloth with bloodstains on it. Zhu Lian and the others were immediately furious.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Is it serious?"
"Your Majesty, why don't you take me with you when you go hunting? I can protect you."
"Humph, if I catch that assassin, I'll stab him to death!"
The Wende Hall, where government affairs were handled, was suddenly filled with the chirping of young girls.
"Okay, okay, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong. You guys go back first. I still have government affairs to take care of." Zhao Huan persuaded.
The three of them refused to listen. One was the queen of the six palaces, one was a beloved beauty, and one was a foreign princess. They continued their chattering.
"Okay!" Zhao Huan shouted, and finally it was quiet. Sometimes you can't spoil a woman too much.
"I want to be a wise ruler and a good emperor. Right now, I have so many government affairs to deal with. Can't you concubines understand me? Get out!"
The emperor got angry, Nangong Lian'er stuck out her tongue, Zhu Lian and Li Sisi looked at each other, and the three of them walked out silently.
Zhao Huan was initially worried, fearing that if he got angry, the concubines would go berserk. Unexpectedly, after he raged, they actually became obedient. Zhao Huan was delighted, thinking, "I'll have to get angry from time to time in the future."
"Cao Dongsheng, am I wise and powerful?"
"Yes, you are."
Funing Palace.
All the literate eunuchs in the palace had gathered together, and each of them had a pen and ink on the table.
The military officials handed out a test paper to each person, and the content of the test paper was varied. There were contents from Zhan Yunpeng's "Collection of Case Solving", military tactics and martial arts, as well as some ordinary test papers.
An hour later, officials from the Ministry of War collected the test papers for review.
On the third day, Cao Dongsheng entered the Wende Hall with a list.
"Your Majesty, these are the eunuchs' test results."
Zhao Huan took the list and looked at the names on it. "Wow, so many have passed. It seems I underestimated you eunuchs. Send an order. These forty-seven eunuchs who have passed the list should go outside the palace and wait for the order!"
Outside the Wende Hall, a group of eunuchs stood together in the empty square. These people were all those who passed the exam.
"I am very happy. I didn't expect that many of you eunuchs can read. Is there anyone among you who knows martial arts? Stand out for me to see." Zhao Huan, with a bandage on his left arm, stood at the door of Wende Hall and gave a speech with a smile.
Seven eunuchs stood out from the crowd.
Zhao Huan was secretly shocked. The Song Dynasty was truly full of hidden talents. Even among the eunuchs there were some who knew martial arts.
"What are your names?" Zhao Huan asked. There were so many eunuchs in the palace that it was impossible for Zhao Huan to know everyone.
The seven people gave their names one by one.
"My name is Zheng Xian."
"Your servant Wang Dabao."
"Villain Zhang Ming."
"Fan Guangtu."
The other three people are Luo San, Chang Xuelin and Lin Pingzhi.
Zhao Huan nodded in satisfaction: "Indeed. Are all of you truly loyal to me?"
"Your Majesty, I swear to be loyal to you until death!" The eunuchs shouted loudly.
"Kill the emperor!" Suddenly a group of men in black broke into the palace and rushed up with weapons in their hands.
This was the inner courtyard of the Imperial Palace, and there were actually assassins. The worst part was that none of the palace guards were even there.
The eunuchs were immediately thrown into chaos and everyone tried to hide.
A man in black was seen shooting a hidden sword straight at Zhao Huan. Just as Zhao Huan was about to be killed by the arrow, the eunuch Zheng Xian suddenly rushed over and blocked Zhao Huan's way.
With a 'Puff!' sound, the hidden sword pierced Zheng Xian's chest. Zheng Xian, unarmed, used his body to block the arrow for Zhao Huan in a moment of desperation.
Another man in black attacked with a knife. Wang Dabao and Fan Guangtu stood in front of Zhao Huan and were about to fight him, but Zhang Ming hid aside and did not dare to move forward.
The man in black put away his sword, took off his mask and laughed. It was Wu Ge.
Looking at Zheng Xian again, he saw that the iron tip of the hidden sword had been broken. Although Zheng Xian was shot in the chest, he was unharmed.
Wu Ge walked up to Zhao Huan and bowed, "Your Majesty, Zheng Xian, Wang Dabao, and Fan Guangtu are available."
Zhao Huan nodded and said, "Zheng Xian, Wang Dabao, and Fan Guangtu will stay. The rest of you will be rewarded three taels of silver each and can leave."
It turned out that Zhao Huan had resorted to this desperate tactic to test the eunuchs. He was too concerned with the stakes to take any risks. He had to know who was truly loyal to him and who was just pretending, so he had discussed this stunt with Wu Ge in advance. Otherwise, how could an assassin appear in the heavily guarded inner court of the imperial palace?
Zhao Huan wanted to establish a new army, and eunuchs were the most suitable candidates. To avoid the eunuchs' dictatorship, he had no choice but to resort to this inferior strategy to test people's hearts.
In the hands of a wise ruler, eunuchs can be a powerful assistant in governing the country. In the hands of a foolish ruler, eunuchs can bring chaos to the country and oppress the people.
Because Zhao Huan knew that no matter how much the other generals swore their loyalty, they might not be reliable. When their achievements became too great to be trusted by the emperor, they would inevitably become disloyal.
Eunuchs were different. No matter how powerful you were, the emperor could take it back at any time. He could kill you in a matter of minutes. For example, during the Ming Dynasty, those powerful eunuchs could be killed at the emperor's command.
Of course, this does not mean that the eunuchs' power should be unlimitedly expanded. If they do so, there is a possibility that they will really cause chaos, kill the king and establish another emperor.
The art of governing a country is a profound subject, and Zhao Huan was just crossing the river by feeling the stones.
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