Xie Ming

The blade flashed like lightning, the horse galloped like the wind, and blood splattered every ten steps, leaving a trail of crimson.

After beheading the enemy chieftain, he threw down his sword and laughed, as if the mountains and rivers were in the palm of his hand.

On the night of August 27th, a bloody battle took place in the palace, and the eunuchs who had caused chaos were completely eliminated.

Ruan Dacheng died in court, and his remaining followers could no longer hide.

Wang Zhixin's efforts were in vain. He discarded his crown and let his hair down. In the dead of night, he held his sword. Knowing that all was lost, he looked up to the sky and cried out, then committed suicide in front of the palace to atone for his sins.

Thus, the century-long reign of terror by eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty came to a complete end, brought to a close by the hand of Xiao He.

After the matter was over, they went through the inner court to the West Garden.

At this moment, in the Suiyu Zhai of the rear courtyard, where Yuzhen was located.

Empress Dowager Chen Wanxuan and Consort Hui Shen Yuzhen, the two sisters, were still unaware of the situation in the outer court and remained uneasy.

Inside the room, candles were lit and curtains were drawn. The area in front of the warm bed was eerily quiet, except for a string of agate red prayer beads half-exposed in Chen Wanxuan's sleeve, which were constantly turning as she chanted Buddhist scriptures, her expression tense and devout.

When the time was up, they sat facing each other at the small table, and Yuzhen was restless and anxious.

He casually picked at the ivory lamp wick, fiddling with it.

However, I lost my focus for a moment and accidentally got too close to it with my slender fingers, burning my fingertips.

hiss--

With a light scolding, Yuzhen was startled and quickly withdrew her hand, causing the lamp clipper to fall onto the small table with a clattering sound.

The sound, heard in the quiet room, was particularly startling.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxuan's fingers tightened, and she opened her eyes to look.

Seeing Yuzhen's withdrawn hand, I couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

"what happened?"

"You, hurry, let me see," Chen Yan said with concern.

Listening to her, Yuzhen seemed listless, only muttering a listless murmur, indifferent.

"No, it's nothing." Yuzhen couldn't quite put her mind at ease.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxuan was also filled with trepidation, and she knew exactly where the absent-minded man was going.

Deep within the palace, seeking help from outside was futile, and with eunuchs rebelling, it was as if one was walking on thin ice.

"Alas, good people are always blessed by heaven, and the Bodhisattva will protect those who deserve protection."

"Sister, whether we can get through this ordeal, I'm afraid we can only leave it to fate."

Instead of worrying about him now, we should really think about how to deal with things next.

"What if?"

The Empress Dowager's words of advice, while advising others, were ultimately for her own benefit.

But at that very moment, a soft rustling sound came from outside.

Shen Yuzhen, who had always been lazy and indifferent to everything, was unusually alert to the commotion.

She moved with surprising speed, bracing herself on the edge of the small table, and got up to lift the curtain and look outside.

"Xiaochunzi, is it...is Xiaochunzi back?"

It's rare to see her make such a dramatic move.

However, once the curtain was pulled back, the sound of a child crying could be heard coming from the main room outside.

Secretly, a maid on duty outside pushed open the door and led the wet nurse in, holding Emperor Shaotong, Zhu Shaotan, in her arms.

"Oh dear, Your Highness, Your Highness, this servant deserves to die. I really shouldn't have come and disturb you in the dark."

"But, but His Majesty, I don't know what's wrong with him tonight, he's been crying and making a fuss non-stop."

"This servant...this servant really has no other choice."

"Do you think it might be sick?"

"Your Highness, please summon the imperial physician to take a look."

"This"

The wet nurse held Shaotan in her arms, grumbling and complaining.

Upon hearing this, Yuzhen's face was filled with sorrow and dejection. She stood frozen in place, making no move to move forward.

Chen Wanxuan, who was behind, was worried about the child's condition and rushed forward to take the little emperor into her arms.

"Understood, you go down first."

After speaking, he dismissed the wet nurse from the room, then turned back and began to talk about Yuzhen.

“Sister, at this critical moment, we are helpless and desperate. Why did you have to call the imperial physician now?”

"Don't make a mistake."

After reading the words, she lowered her head, her face full of tenderness, and began to coax the child. Her manner and demeanor were just like that of a biological mother, Yuzhen, and she was still more considerate and attentive.

"Oh, oh, little Shaotan, don't cry, let's not cry anymore, okay?"

As she murmured her thoughts, she realized that she had actually suffered a lot of grievances and anxieties throughout the day. Once all her emotions were stirred up, she found herself sobbing and wiping away tears.

The two sisters were extremely annoyed and frustrated dealing with their crying child in the house.

They went to meet, and another quarter of an hour passed.

Suddenly, there was some noise outside again.

Two lines of clear tears streamed down Yuzhen's cheeks, a sign of her distress.

Suddenly, a blast of cold air rushed in through the door, and as the outsider lifted the curtain, a figure appeared.

Yuzhen's almond-shaped eyes were red from lack of sleep. In a daze, she looked up from under the curtain and saw Fang Dunteng's intense and complex expression.

There was hope, but also panic and grievance.

A glance out over the river!

Unexpectedly, at this tense moment, for some unknown reason, the Emperor Shaotong in Chen Wanxuan's arms seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped making a fuss.

Chen Wanxuan looked at Xiao Lang again, her heart leaping into her throat.

The general was tall and imposing, exuding a fierce aura, his armor covered in blood.

Such a hideous and terrifying demeanor caught Chen Wan off guard, causing her to gasp and cry out in alarm.

"what--"

Not far away, Yuzhen was still trying to get up, but at that moment, all the tension in her body seemed to vanish instantly.

After being tense for too long, I suddenly felt dizzy when I relaxed.

But she gritted her teeth, struggled, and managed to get up again, taking two steps forward.

In a moment of infatuation and longing, it seemed as if he no longer cared about anything, and he raised his hand to brush his face with the flute.

How could I bear it? Reason ultimately prevailed, and with the Empress Dowager by my side, I could not let my emotions get the better of me.

And so the fair wrist, which was half-suspended in mid-air, remained there, and then, with a sigh, slowly fell down.

"Is the National Security Bureau alright?"

"Did you see Xiaochunzi go to deliver the message?"

He said just a couple of simple words, but large beads of sweat were already rolling down his cheeks.

Even with a thousand feelings and ten thousand words, how can I express them now?

It was nothing more than a feeling of unease, swallowed down, and simply considered ordinary.

"I have seen the Empress Dowager. I am relieved to know that the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager are both well."

When love arises, how could Xiao Lang not feel pain? He tried his best to hide it, but when their eyes met, it was as if they wanted to melt away all the love between them.

“My sister remembers your loyalty to the country and your willingness to take such risks, so she came to repay you.”

"Is the situation in the palace stable now?"

With eyes brimming with tenderness, Yuzhen wiped away her remaining tears and spoke again.

"Okay, don't worry."

"The cleanup is complete. Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine were frightened. It was my fault."

Meeting again is difficult, beyond description.

"You, on your body"

Seeing that Xiao was covered in blood, Yuzhen frowned with concern and quickly showed her concern.

"It doesn't matter, it's the blood of treacherous traitors."

"Your Majesty, I was so eager to save you that I did not mean to offend you. Please forgive me."

Having said nothing, unable to ignore Chen Wanxuan standing beside him, Xiao Jingchuan reluctantly withdrew his expectant gaze, cupped his hands, and bowed.

Empress Dowager Wanxuan was no fool; with their love so close, how could she not see the signs?

For the sake of reason, emotion, and others, I simply don't want to point out the defeat.

At that moment, Yuzhen turned around, carrying Wanxuan on her back, and quickly gathered her emotions, hiding her true feelings and wiping away her tears.

The Empress Dowager stood up awkwardly, and only then did she manage to finish the sentence so as not to embarrass herself further.

"The Duke of Jingguo is loyal and brave in serving the country; what crime has he committed?"

“Look, His Majesty waited for the Duke to arrive, and immediately stopped crying.”

"From this, we can see that you are the pillar of our Great Ming Dynasty. The Emperor is too young, and we will have to rely on the Duke more in the future to ensure our safety."

(End of this chapter)