Chapter 17: Little Threat
Wang Zhen was led to the eaves at the corner of the side hall. He felt uneasy and could not help but wander in the corridor. Now he carefully looked at the situation in the main hall. However, there were the palace maids of Empress Dowager Zhang next to him, so he did not dare to be too conspicuous. He only vaguely saw the corner of the red clothes, and his heart skipped a beat.
There were not many people in the court who could wear red robes, and even fewer who could meet Empress Dowager Zhang. Wang Zhen immediately thought of the Three Yangs and the Six Ministers of the Cabinet.
The Three Yangs were all ministers of state. When Empress Dowager Zhang met with these three, she must have important instructions.
But since Empress Dowager Zhang looked down on me, why would she summon me at this time?
Wang Zhen's heart was pounding, and he felt that the time outside Wenhua Palace was extremely long. When the palace attendant left the palace and didn't see Wang Zhen, he came around and saw him. He smiled and said, "So the eunuch is here! Old Lady Zhang was just about to call him in."
Wang Zhen shuddered, gave a dry laugh, followed the other person's footsteps, and asked, "The old lady summoned me in. Did she have any important instructions?"
"This servant doesn't know. Wang Dayun, please go in quickly."
Wang Zhen swallowed secretly. He had just walked into the hall when he saw a room full of gods and the swords on the waists of the female officials. His already timid courage was even more daunted. He almost fell to his knees.
Although his heart was in turmoil, Wang Zhen pretended to be calm and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, and to Old Lady Zhang..."
When he finished greeting this large group of people, he still didn't hear the familiar and pleasant "Get up". The hall was terribly quiet and even the sound of breathing could hardly be heard.
Wang Zhen could only crawl on the ground, listening to his own heartbeat like a drum, trying hard to ignore the thorny gaze of Empress Dowager Zhang, and quickly thinking of a countermeasure in his mind.
But when he thought about it carefully, even though he was now the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, any one of these people in the palace could easily manipulate him, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Could it be that Old Lady Zhang wanted to stand up for Jin Ying, so she deliberately dragged him here...
Wang Zhen was confused, and the five ministers beside him could not figure out what Empress Dowager Zhang was thinking.
Now Wang Zhen is the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and is loyal to the emperor. Why would Empress Dowager Zhang embarrass Wang Zhen in front of them?
Even Zhu Qizhen was quite puzzled and couldn't help but look at Zhu Yuhuan. He almost asked on the spot, "What is grandma doing?"
Zhu Yuhuan's eyes naturally could not give Zhu Qizhen an answer, so he could only wave his hand slightly at Zhu Qizhen, signaling him not to speak.
After an unknown amount of time, Empress Dowager Zhang finally spoke, her tone stern, "Wang Zhen, the late emperor graciously allowed you to serve the emperor, yet you repeatedly made mistakes. You deserve to be put to death!"
Wang Zhen thought that Empress Dowager Zhang would scold and punish him, but he never expected that she would sentence him to death. He froze in place and finally understood what it meant to be in great danger.
As long as the royal family doesn't want to kill someone, no matter how hard he tries, it will be useless. But as long as the royal family is determined to get rid of someone, there are thousands of reasons to get rid of him, and his life can only be in the hands of the Empress Dowager and His Majesty.
Before he could react, the female official next to him had already walked up to Wang Zhen, unsheathed her sword, and placed it on Wang Zhen's neck.
Feeling the cold blade, Wang Zhen froze in place, not even daring to beg for mercy, like a frightened quail.
Not to mention Wang Zhen himself, even the others were frightened by the sudden outburst of Empress Dowager Zhang, but they did not dare to say anything. Needless to say, the youngest Zhu Qiyu subconsciously held the hand of the eldest sister beside him.
Only Zhu Yuhuan remained calm and looked down at Wang Zhen who was kneeling and trembling.
Empress Dowager Zhang was simply warning Wang Zhen that only when the emperor was well could Wang Zhen be well. If the emperor had any problems, Wang Zhen would be a sinner for all eternity and his life would be taken first. It seems that Empress Dowager Zhang also blamed Wang Zhen for Zhu Qizhen's previous truancy, but the matter was not a big deal at the time, so making a big fuss about it seemed like an overreaction. Therefore, Empress Dowager Zhang tolerated Zhu Qizhen for more than half a year, allowing him to live a relaxed life, which led to this incident today.
In the end, Zhu Qizhen was the first to react and pleaded for Wang Zhen: "Grandma, Wang Zhen has served me for many years. Please spare his life for my sake."
As soon as he said this, the five ministers of state also spoke up to plead for Wang Zhen.
Zhu Yuhuan followed suit, saying, "Wang Zhen was sent by the Emperor to serve Your Majesty. He has been attentive and considerate to Your Majesty for many years. However, he has only recently taken up his post as the Imperial Household Supervisor and has not yet adapted to the new role, which is why he has been somewhat negligent in Your Majesty's studies and instruction. If Your Majesty grants him a chance to mend his ways, I believe Wang Zhen will not dare to make the same mistake again. He will certainly serve and advise Your Majesty with all his heart and soul to repay Your Majesty's forgiveness."
Zhu Qizhen had originally just been pleading for Wang Zhen, and was somewhat confused as to why Wang Zhen was sentenced to death. However, after hearing what Zhu Yuhuan said, he immediately understood that Empress Dowager Zhang was settling the matter of his previous skipping classes without permission.
The emperor could not scold at will, but the emperor's misbehavior was due to the improper service of the eunuchs and palace maids, so punishment must naturally start with them. Wang Zhen was "caught in the crossfire."
Wang Zhen finally recovered and followed Zhu Yuhuan's lead, saying, "I know I have failed in my duty. I beg the Empress to allow me to make amends. From now on, I will act with caution and serve the Emperor wholeheartedly!"
Empress Dowager Zhang sneered and said, "The Emperor is young, and he doesn't know that state affairs are being delayed precisely because of such scoundrels. I often hear from the regents that Wang Zhen is buying off people and appointing people based on personal connections within the Imperial Household Department. The atmosphere within the department is corrupt, and everyone in it is fawning on the emperor and the superiors. This shows how you manage the department on a daily basis!"
If there hadn't been a knife on his neck, Wang Zhen would have started to kowtow. Zhu Yuhuan glanced at Empress Dowager Zhang and saw her nod slightly. Then Zhu Yuhuan raised his hand to signal the female officials to put down the knives.
As expected, Wang Zhen immediately fell to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly. For a moment, the only sound in the hall was Wang Zhen's confession and begging for mercy. The ministers who were guarding the side were inevitably embarrassed and just lowered their heads in silence.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart that Wang Zhen's psychological quality was indeed not very good.
Empress Dowager Zhang seemed to be speaking harshly, but she did not mention any actual charges. It was all a matter of atmosphere. She did this today just to make Wang Zhen and the cabinet ministers fall out with each other, so as to avoid the situation like before where they tried to win over colleagues and officials to cooperate.
Wang Zhen was simply sold out and helped count the money. Even if he came to his senses afterwards, he did not thank Empress Dowager Zhang for "sparing her life" in his heart, but at least he resented the ministers who "informed" him, even though the truth of the informant was uncertain.
At least during the period when Wang Zhen was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, there would be no situation where the civil officials and the Imperial Household Department were in cahoots with each other. By the time the Imperial Household Department was replaced, the emperor would have grown up, and there would be no need to worry about this balance being destroyed.
After a long time, Empress Dowager Zhang finally spoke: "Today, because of the emperor, the eldest princess and the regent who pleaded for you, I will spare your life. However, if you fail in your duty again, you will be severely punished!" Her voice was not loud, but full of majesty.
Wang Zhen was so frightened that he agreed repeatedly. He also did not forget to thank Zhu Qizhen, and also thanked Zhu Yuhuan and the ministers of state. He was completely humiliated.
Only then did Empress Dowager Zhang feel satisfied and stood up to return to Renshou Palace. Emperor Zhu Qizhen finally regained the initiative and sat down again. He cleared his throat and said, "If there is nothing else, you may leave."
After Empress Dowager Zhang left, only the Zhu family, the regent ministers and Wang Zhen were left in the hall. Wang Zhen's forehead was already red and swollen, and he looked very embarrassed.
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand at the young eunuch, and two eunuchs hurriedly helped Wang Zhen, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, to his feet. Seeing Wang Zhen's lingering fear, Zhu Qizhen said, "I won't skip classes anymore. Don't say anything more."
Zhu Yuhuan sensed the attempt to smooth things over. Empress Dowager Zhang had played the villain, so someone else had to play the villain.
The young emperor was of course clueless about this, and tried to appease both sides. On the surface, everyone was still a loving family, but behind the scenes, they were scheming against each other and were incompatible.
Especially since Wang Zhen was a petty person and did not have the courage to hate Empress Dowager Zhang, he could only target the regent ministers.
Zhu Yuhuan could almost foresee that if Empress Dowager Zhang was no longer around in the future, Wang Zhen would definitely be very angry.
Zhu Yuhuan took the initiative to speak: "I have something I would like to ask the five ministers of state for your consultation."
She suddenly spoke, and everyone's eyes turned to her.
Zhu Yuhuan then said, "Your Majesty wasn't skipping classes earlier. Instead, he wanted to practice riding and archery with his brothers. Riding and archery don't require reading or lecturing, and the more students the better. Mr. Dan'an, why don't you coordinate with the other four lecturers to coordinate your Majesty's riding and archery training with that of the Prince of Qing? That way, your Majesty won't have to miss out on your studies just to practice with the Prince of Qing. What do you think, Mr. Dan'an?"
She made this suggestion at this moment to reconcile the conflict between the regent and Wang Zhen. After all, the fuse of this incident was Zhu Qizhen's truancy. Although Wang Zhen had been serving Zhu Qizhen, he was now the person in charge of the Imperial Household Department. There was no reason for him to take care of Zhu Qizhen. He could only be regarded as implicated.
Zhu Yuhuan also knew very well that if Wang Zhen was a magnanimous person, he would definitely think deeply about it and would know the reason why he was punished this time.
But Wang Zhen is not such a person. Even if Zhu Yuhuan points out the reason, Wang Zhen will only hold the grudge against these five people.
Yang Pu hurriedly bowed and said, "If Your Majesty has an order, we will obey it."
Zhu Qizhen was a little unhappy at first, but when he heard Zhu Yuhuan speaking for him, his eyes immediately brightened.
He cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "The Princess is absolutely right. This arrangement will save the Imperial Stables from having to travel back and forth to serve, which would delay the important task of feeding the horses. Although these palace servants are here to serve others, there's no reason to treat them arbitrarily."
Yang Pu and Zhu Yuhuan only looked at each other for a moment, then quickly looked away. Yang Pu responded, "I obey your command."
After the ministers had left, only the three siblings and Wang Zhen remained in the hall. Zhu Qizhen then stepped down from the main seat, walked up to the silent Wang Zhen, and said comfortingly, "Sir, you have been wronged today."
Wang Zhen hurriedly said, "I have done something wrong. The old lady should punish me. How dare I say I am 'wronged'?"
Zhu Qizhen understood why Empress Dowager Zhang had singled out Wang Zhen for punishment, and he couldn't help but feel guilty towards the man who had once enlightened him. He said, "Well, now that Grandmother is still furious, I won't intervene. Sir, once you've dealt with the matter at the Imperial Household Department, I'll reward you handsomely."
Wang Zhen, who had just experienced a near-death experience, felt even more grateful for Zhu Qizhen's treatment. She said, "I thank Your Majesty for the grace of rebirth! I will follow Your Majesty through life and death, and will not let you down!"
Seeing that he was about to kneel again, Zhu Qizhen signaled two young eunuchs to help Wang Zhen up.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "If Wang Dayong needs medicine, I have some good herbs in my palace. I will ask one of my palace maids to send them to you."
Wang Zhen then remembered that Zhu Yuhuan had spoken for him just now, and he said repeatedly, "How dare this servant use the Princess's medicine?"
Fortunately, he had only had this thought before and did not really break up with Princess Shunde. Otherwise, if the princess had not said anything in the scene just now, it would have been fine. If she had opened her mouth, I'm afraid he would have lost his life.
Zhu Yuhuan's words actually woke Zhu Qizhen up. He instructed: "Support the gentleman back to his room and have a good rest. He doesn't need to serve me for the next few days. Then ask someone to take a good look at the injury on his head. If you need any medicine, send someone to the Imperial Hospital to get it."
"yes."
Zhu Yuhuan watched Wang Zhen retreat, but before he could say anything, Zhu Qizhen walked up to him and said with a grin, "Thanks to you, big sister, for speaking up for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to skip class again."
Zhu Yuhuan reached out and tapped Zhu Qizhen's eyebrows. "Your Majesty is the highest authority. How can you disobey an order? Moreover, the arrangement of reading should be adjusted according to Your Majesty's needs. Otherwise, we can't just hand over all the daily state affairs directly to Mr. Wang for review, right? Grandma just said that Mr. Wang is not allowed to interfere in state affairs."
The eunuchs who had studied with Huai En in the inner study hall have now entered the Silijian. Although they are not involved in important political affairs and dare not disclose the internal affairs of the Silijian, they will occasionally mention the internal atmosphere of the Silijian to Huai En.
Zhu Yuhuan thus knew that after Zhu Qizhen's husband Wang Zhen took over the Silijian, the Silijian became very busy, which showed that Zhu Qizhen trusted Wang Zhen much more than Jin Ying.
Zhu Qizhen thought Zhu Yuhuan had accidentally hit on his behavior, and he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. He just wrinkled his nose and agreed with Zhu Yuhuan, saying, "Big sister is right. Next time I will definitely discuss this with the ministers."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "It's best that Your Majesty thinks this way. Grandma reprimanded Mr. Wang today for Your Majesty's sake. When you entrust things to your subordinates, you must always be careful."
Zhu Qizhen responded obediently, then changed the subject to look at Zhu Qiyu, and teased: "Brother Yu, why don't you say a word?"
Zhu Qiyu finally came to his senses, and he heaved a long sigh. He said with lingering fear, "Just now, grandma wanted to sentence Wang Banban to death. It looked like it was real. I was shocked."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled, touched Zhu Qiyu's face, and said, "Look at you."
Zhu Qizhen, however, did not take it seriously and said proudly, "As long as I am here, grandma will definitely not kill Mr. Wang."
Seeing him like this, Zhu Yuhuan felt mixed emotions.
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