To everyone's surprise, Chief Minister Zheng, eager to show off, didn't even glance at him, but instead addressed the crowd, saying loudly, "The night is deep, and His Majesty has returned. His Majesty has ordered me to host the banquet. My colleagues, eat and drink well, and let's not leave until we're completely drunk tonight!"
After he finished speaking, all the officials raised their cups, praising the Emperor's great favor, and then crowded around Chief Minister Zheng to toast each other.
"well!"
Watching Prime Minister Jung, who was thoroughly enjoying the flattery from the North Korean officials, Ji Jun couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his wine cup creaking as he gripped it tightly.
Old dog...
Suddenly, his eyes widened. He saw a blue-robed eunuch squeezed out of the crowd, his eyes filled with anxiety and anger, staring intently at the Grand Secretary Zheng, who was surrounded by admirers. This man was the imperial eunuch in charge of the emperor's robes; his arrival must be for important business.
Thinking of this, Ji Jun put down his wine cup and walked over: "What is it, Eunuch Li?"
"Your Excellency..."
The eunuch in blue looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. After a while, when he still didn't see that Chief Minister Zheng was paying attention to them, he pulled him aside.
"His Majesty has fainted."
Ji Jun then widened his eyes.
The clouds thickened, and the moon disappeared after midnight.
Under the double eaves, Prime Minister Zheng hurried along. "Fool! Why didn't you report this earlier!"
Reeking of alcohol, Zheng Ming was furious.
"My lord is surrounded by people, and this servant has no choice..." The eunuch holding the lantern looked aggrieved.
"No way? If there's no way, then tell Ji Junze!!" Prime Minister Zheng gritted his teeth.
Eunuch Li shrank back, and after a long while, no palm struck. He opened his eyes and saw Chief Minister Zheng angrily flicking his sleeves.
"Report the whole story immediately!"
"Yes, yes, yes, this servant will tell you, will tell you. Just now His Majesty went into the privy (toilet), and no one was allowed to follow. We waited and waited, and when we finally went in, His Majesty was already lying on the ground. Later, Eunuch Wang asked this servant to invite the Grand Secretary to oversee things, and then, and then..."
Eunuch Li blinked, not daring to look at him.
"What exactly did Ji Junze do?" Zheng Ming asked.
"Lord Ji did not want me to disturb the ladies of the harem, so he sent someone to fetch the imperial physician and stayed by His Majesty's side himself."
"Don't disturb the inner palace" is a nice way of saying it, but actually it's because he's afraid the Imperial Concubine will find out, since she's Zheng Ming's own niece.
With a cold snort, Chief Minister Zheng asked again, "Where is His Majesty? Is he awake?"
"No, His Majesty coughed up blood with his eyes closed and hasn't woken up for a moment."
“Spitting blood?” Although His Majesty’s health has been poor since the beginning of winter, he has never vomited blood before.
Thinking of this, Zheng Ming handed his personal identification token to Eunuch Li. "Quickly go and invite the ministers of the cabinet over. Tell them I have important matters to discuss with them."
In the Qianqing Palace, light and shadow played, and Emperor Shengde, with his eyes closed, coughed up blood from time to time in the bright yellow dragon tent.
"How is it?" Zheng Ming asked the imperial physician first, ignoring Ji Junze.
"His Majesty is probably not ill."
"Not an illness?"
What is that?
Zheng Ming and Ji Jun then asked the questions one after the other.
The imperial physician bowed slightly, inviting the two men to come forward and examine the emperor. Beneath a dragon candle as thick as a child's arm, the Great Wei Emperor lay supine, a bloody handprint visible on his exposed chest.
"In my more than forty years of medical practice, I have never seen such an illness. If it is not the work of ghosts and gods, then someone must have taken advantage of His Majesty's use of the toilet to kill him."
"So you're a江湖人 (jianghu person)?" Zheng Ming pondered, as if trying to think of something.
"Eunuch Li, His Majesty went to the toilet just now. Did anyone go in?" Ji Junze asked.
"..." Eunuch Li thought with all his might.
"Why must Lord Ji make things difficult for Eunuch Li?" Zheng Ming interjected. "Martial arts figures come and go like shadows and the wind. How could palace eunuchs possibly track them down? Lord Ji, is that right?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Jun's eyes widened. "What is the Grand Secretary implying now?"
"Hmph, does Lord Ji need me to give him a hint before leading martial arts figures into the court?"
"Your Excellency, please do not speak nonsense."
"Speaking nonsense?" Zheng Ming sneered, pointing to the palm print on Emperor Shengde's chest, "The palm print is clearly that of a woman. The leader of the Jianghu Alliance personally promoted by Lord Ji is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also a woman, right?"
Seeing that he intended to frame her, Ji Jun remained unmoved as he continued talking.
"What? Did I guess right? I was wondering why the first female official of the Great Wei Dynasty was nowhere to be seen at the banquet tonight. It turns out that Lord Ji had planned this all along and ordered her to sneak into the palace! Ji Junze, what are you laughing at!"
"This humble official is laughing at the Grand Secretary for having drunk too much, and for not being able to distinguish his own people."
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Doesn't my lord know? The high-ranking official you speak of, who sneaked into the palace at night with such superb martial arts skills, rode in your carriage all the way to the Great Ming Gate yesterday."
"What?" Old Zheng Ming's eyes widened in disbelief.
Ji Jun glanced at him. "Or was all of this the master's idea? Did the master harbor rebellious intentions?"
"you!"
"My lords, please don't be angry, please don't be angry." The Second Grand Secretary, who had rushed over, quickly separated the two. "This matter has nothing to do with that lady."
Upon hearing this, both Ji Junze and Zheng Ming were surprised. "How did you know?"
"Oh dear, there was a disturbance at the Nuo ritual outside the palace tonight, and the one in charge was that female official. She has been in the prison of the Five City Supervisory Office since sunset. How could she have sneaked into the palace?"
Their eyes met, then slowly looked away.
Therefore, we cannot make a fuss about that female official.
This is a golden opportunity; we must seize it to bring down the cabinet (the new faction).
In the heart of the Celestial Empire, thick clouds and shadows gradually transformed into ghostly figures.
In the prison of the supervisory office, Yu Zigui leaned against the wall and dozed off, as the clouds parted and the moon shone brightly.
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Author's Note:
In their struggle for power, the imperial court was of paramount importance. This is why Ji Junze was more conscientious than Chief Minister Zheng, and it is also the difference between a powerful minister and a courtier.
So Brother Ji won't die!
Even if the male protagonist of this story tortures me with sticks, brands me with ugly scars, and strips off all the nails from my claws, I will still protect you! Protect you!!
Well, aren't you touched? If you are, then lie down obediently and let this humble nun examine your body.
lewd laughter
P.S. From the very beginning, Shangguan deliberately made Zigui excessively beautiful and conspicuous. After all, troubles in the martial world can be resolved with fists and feet, but troubles in the imperial court, once you get involved, are hard to escape unscathed. It's about taking a small loss to gain a big advantage—that's the principle.
Chapter Seventeen
On the tenth day of the eleventh month of the fourth year of Shengde, before the winter solstice, Yu Zigui was awakened by a chill in the prison of the Five City Supervisory Office. His face was first cold, then warm, and fine drops of melting water slid down his cheeks.
It's snowing, she realized belatedly.
Outside the window, snowflakes drifted down like cotton wool, swirling and scattering across the sky above the capital, a fine, dense blanket enveloping heaven and earth. Yu Zigui was instantly wide awake; for someone born and raised in the south, the awe-inspiring sight of the northern snow was far greater than she had imagined.
She stretched out her hand, just as a snowflake was about to land in her palm, a sudden north wind blew up. The snowflake swirled in the air, slipped through her fingers, and landed on her body. Her deep-colored dress against the white snow was quite beautiful, but how long would this snow last?
Her fingertips brushed against the edge of her silver-embroidered dress, and Yu Zigui recalled the furtive conversation between Wei Zhuofeng and Ziyu last night, when she was half asleep. She wasn't stupid; she could guess what had happened.
Aside from her own senior brother, this was the first time a man had ever harbored such deep feelings for her, though he was perhaps a bit too domineering.
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she heard the faint sound of a lock being opened next door.
"Young Master Shangguan?"
Someone stood up quietly by the wall.
"I am the Commander of the Five Cities Garrison. My men were blind and offended you, sir. Please forgive them." Though clearly a first-rank official, his words carried a fawning tone. "Your humble servant submits his report..."
He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
"Young Master is here too." The governor seemed startled.
"Left Commander-in-Chief." Wei Zhuofeng remained as indifferent as ever.
"Those bastards, they just grabbed people randomly!" the Left Governor cursed. "Guards, escort the young master back to his residence!"
"Wait a minute."
"Is there anything else, young lord?"
"What has the Governor done with Alliance Leader Yu?" Wei Zhuofeng asked.
"Well... we need to consider this carefully, we need to consider this carefully." The Left Governor hesitated, and not only hesitated, but also seemed to be reading people's expressions. "It's almost dawn, young lord, this way please."
Whether Wei Zhuofeng left decisively or not, she didn't know; she only knew that Ziyu hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end, until the moment of his departure—
"Zigui," Shangguan called from the wall.
"Hmm?" She didn't even look up.