Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 86 The Emperor Ran Away?

The emperor fled.

In a farcical manner, a group of courtiers were left standing in the hall, bewildered and disoriented.

The censors and court officials who had been weeping bitterly and pounding their chests in the main hall suddenly stopped crying.

The emperor is gone, who are they crying for?
Inside the main hall, Xu Xuemo's face was ashen, and he looked like an inflated pig bladder.

Feng Bao launched a barrage of attacks at him, but he was unable to refute them.

Yes, he was a regent minister, and what are you, Xu Xuemo, to dare to speak like that?
Let alone Xu Xuemo, even Zhang Siwei probably doesn't have the right to speak.

For a moment, Xu Xuemo was furious. He had nothing to smash, so he could only stomp his feet and curse.

"Eunuch! Eunuch! Colluding with Zhang Juzheng, both of them are treacherous villains in the court! Aaaaaah! I'm so angry!"

In the imperial court, the ministers, seeing Xu Xuemo's appearance, also discerned some clues in their hearts.

It seems that His Majesty is determined to follow Zhang Shiyuan's ideas.

An old minister, looking heartbroken, pounded his chest and said.

"Your Majesty! How could our once wise and virtuous ruler have become like this!"

"Zhang Shiyuan! It must be Zhang Shiyuan!" a courtier shouted angrily from the crowd. "If it weren't for Zhang Shiyuan, His Majesty would never have acted so absurdly!"

The main hall descended into chaos. Clearly, the emperor's shameless behavior was unprecedented, causing the ministers' established sense of propriety to crumble.

"Enough!" Zhang Siwei, standing at the front, shouted angrily, surveying the assembled officials. "Do you intend to treat the Hall of Supreme Harmony like a execution ground? Get out of here at once!"

His shout immediately alerted many court officials, who hastily retreated one after another.

But as he watched the retreating figures, Zhang Siwei's expression gradually became complicated.

He could see that only a portion of the ministers were making a fuss. In reality, most of the court officials were keeping their eyes down and looking away. These people were used to changing their tune depending on the wind. If their attack was unstoppable, they would definitely provide their full support. But if they were unable to keep up, Zhang Siwei would inevitably be pushed out, or even devoured by these people!

"Your Excellency," Xu Xuemo approached and asked with some concern.

"at this point."

Today's events were truly unexpected for Zhang Siwei. He let out a breath and said, "We can only discuss this further."

Qianqing Palace.

After the court session, Emperor Wanli felt refreshed and his steps were light; he showed no signs of illness whatsoever.

Feng Bao followed behind, and in reality, he was more like a supervisor of the emperor than a servant.

Based on his childhood friendship with the emperor and the imperial decree entrusting him with the care of the young emperor, he certainly carried that weight.

Unfortunately, as the emperor grew up, he became increasingly distant from Feng Bao, losing the closeness they had shared in childhood and developing a great deal of apprehension towards him.

Today's events represent a long-awaited collaboration between Feng Bao and the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, haven't you gone a bit too far today?" He stopped there, then said through gritted teeth, "These courtiers are becoming increasingly disrespectful to their sovereign, daring to contradict Your Majesty in public. They must be properly disciplined!"

"Yes!" Emperor Wanli seemed very happy. "It's to show these courtiers how powerful I am." Feng Bao, wanting to mend his relationship with the emperor, went along with it and said, "Your Majesty's move today was truly brilliant. I saw that Xu Xuemo's face was ashen. I wonder how Your Majesty came up with such a brilliant plan?"

"I just love watching those people eat flies, it's so satisfying!"

But when such a scheme was mentioned, the emperor looked somewhat embarrassed.

Clearly, this plan was taught to him by Zhang Yunxiu, but the emperor could not reveal Zhang Yunxiu's identity, so he could only laugh it off and ask instead.

"Feng Banban, what do you think of this 'Emergency Plan for the Prevention and Control of Plague'?"

Feng Bao was taken aback for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and said, "This servant is not very knowledgeable about this plague, but I believe that His Majesty and the Grand Secretary have made a decision that is certainly correct."

The Wanli Emperor narrowed his eyes and abruptly asked, "Is Consort Feng a man of the Grand Secretary?"

These words startled Feng Bao. He immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? I am a palace eunuch, born to serve Your Majesty. How can I be an outsider? No matter what, I am Your Majesty's person, and everything I do is for Your Majesty's sake!"

Seeing this, Emperor Wanli stepped forward and helped the trembling Feng Bao to his feet, patted the dust off him, and said with a smile.

"Oh dear, Feng Banban has misunderstood me. Do you remember when I was a child, you were the one who often played with me? If I don't trust you, who else can I trust?"
"I was just thinking that the prevention and control of the plague is of great importance and should not be underestimated. I fear that someone might try to cause trouble, so you, as the head of the Eastern Depot, will need to put in a lot of effort."

"This servant will certainly do her best," Feng Bao quickly replied.

He understood that the emperor's meaning was clear: he not only wanted to monitor those who caused trouble, but also to keep a close watch on Zhang Juzheng.

Even if one trusts Zhang Shiyuan and Zhang Juzheng, the emperor is still the emperor, and there are always things that cannot be touched.

In Feng Bao's view, the Wanli Emperor was not a fool, but rather a very intelligent emperor. However, unlike the Jiajing Emperor, he was not energetic and often felt tired and lazy.

This gave the court officials the impression that the emperor was easy to bully.

Just now, Emperor Wanli was reminding himself not to forget that the reason why the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial were so powerful and influential, unlike the court officials, was entirely due to the imperial power. Without the imperial power, Feng Bao was nothing.

"With Feng Bao's words, I am relieved." Emperor Wanli patted Feng Bao on the shoulder and walked towards the Qianqing Palace on his own. His joy turned into a somewhat lonely figure, as if he was about to go to Danqing Palace again.

As Feng Bao watched the emperor's retreating figure, his thoughts became somewhat complicated.

In the past, with Empress Dowager Li, Zhang Juzheng, and himself in charge both inside and outside the palace, even the emperor could not stop them from doing their thing.

But things seem different now. Empress Dowager Li has returned to Cining Palace, Zhang Juzheng is getting old and is no longer trusted.

Most importantly, Zhang Shiyuan suddenly barged in.

What should we do next?
With a sigh, Feng Bao hurriedly followed the emperor's footsteps toward the Qianqing Palace.

Before they even stepped into the Qianqing Palace, they heard Wanli's furious voice coming from inside.

"Where is my Golden Lotus? Where is my Golden Lotus?"

"Zhang Cheng, you dog! Where did you put my Golden Lotus?"

Feng Bao's face immediately stiffened, revealing a helpless smile.

　Next chapter at 9 PM

　　
　
(End of this chapter)