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Chapter 423 Gun Gun Makes a Great Contribution (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
As for Zhang Sheng and Zhang Lin, now that Zhang Yong has lost power and been demoted and left the capital, they have lost their backers and are in a situation like dogs in a cage, unable to cause any trouble.

The gatekeeper eunuch didn't stop them, but asked the sixth-rank military officer following behind, "Whose subordinate are you?"

“Our people,” Gu Dayong said casually, his hands tucked into his sleeves, “we sent them to pick up Zhang Sheng and the others.”

"Is it really necessary to make such a big fuss over a broken dog?" The gatekeeper eunuch scoffed.

Gu Dayong said with a wry smile, "Before seeing it, who would have thought this dog would be so ugly? Oh well, since we're already here, let's just leave it like this."

"Alright, go in." The gatekeeper eunuch laughed gleefully and waved his hand, letting them through again.

The three of them quickly carried the cage and followed Gu Dayong inside.

"Stop!" The eunuch called out again from behind after he had only taken two steps.

"What is it now?" Gu Dayong asked impatiently.

The gatekeeper eunuch pointed at the white powder on the ground and said, "Other people's dogs shed fur, but why is your dog in the cage shedding powder?"

“Oh, my dear nephew, you see through it but don’t say it out loud…” Gu Dayong winked at him and whispered:
Have you ever seen a Chow Chow that is completely white with not a single stray hair in your life?

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper eunuch suddenly realized what was going on and immediately smiled and gave a thumbs up: "Third Uncle, you really have some wild ideas!"

"It's alright, nothing special." Gu Dayong waved his hand, signaling the three of them to leave quickly.

The gatekeeper eunuch and a group of Imperial Guards watched the Chow Chow, which was shedding powder as it walked, chuckling and speculating about the consequences of their deception of the Emperor…

~~
The inner chambers were cold and deserted, no different from the courtyard.

Zhu Houzhao leaned against a couch covered with a tiger skin, staring intently at the spider web in the ceiling of the palace. His eyes, like the spider web, were empty, drifting, gray, and powerless...

The charcoal fire in the warm cage had long since burned out, but he wouldn't allow anyone to come in and add more.

No matter how brightly the charcoal fire burned, it couldn't warm the chill in his heart.

From a young age, Zhu Houzhao felt that his mother's heart belonged only to his father and her family.

Despite the kindness of raising him, she was always stingy with warm maternal love and even resisted any physical contact with him.

On the contrary, his father gave him endless fatherly love... Although his father was busy with many affairs of state, he always managed to find time to be with him, either by holding him in his arms and kissing him again and again, or by holding his little hand and going to the Imperial Garden to pick fruit and catch grasshoppers.

When he was tired from playing, his father would sit under the pavilion, let him sit on his lap, and peel the bright orange tangerines himself, carefully removing all the white pith before feeding him the segments. That sweet taste still lingers on his lips to this day…

What troubled him even more was his mother's abnormal possessiveness towards his father. She was not only wary of any woman who appeared around his father, but she was also jealous of him, her son.

It was as if he had stolen the favor that her father should have given her...

Therefore, whenever his mother was present, he dared not get too close to his father, otherwise he would definitely suffer her various forms of passive-aggressive behavior:

'Zhu Houzhao, did you write any calligraphy today?'

Have you memorized the book?

Mr. Yang said you tricked him with the frog again!

In short, that woman will definitely turn any heartwarming moment into a critique of him. If the Emperor were to say even a word in his defense, she would surely accuse him of things like, "Spoiling a child is like killing him," or "Stop pretending to be a good person; you have a responsibility to the ancestral land," and so on…

In short, he would refute his father until he was speechless and could only secretly comfort him afterward.

As he grew older, he became obsessed with riding and archery, often riding and drawing his bow in the palace gardens, enjoying it immensely. By this time, his mother could no longer control him and forced his father to discipline him.

But instead of scolding him, his father gently asked, "Why do you love riding and archery so much, my son?"

He straightened his back and replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that riding and archery can strengthen the body. If the Tartars invade in the future, I can also lead troops to defend against them and share your burdens."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor laughed heartily and said, "To subdue the Rong troops and rouse the six armies—this demonstrates a mindset of not forgetting danger even in times of peace, excellent!"

He then ordered someone to retrieve a rhinoceros horn bow and a tiger-skin quiver from the imperial treasury, and personally handed them to him, saying: 'Riding and archery are good, but you must always remember safety and not be reckless. Furthermore, learning is the foundation of one's life; one must be proficient in both literary and martial arts to achieve great things.'

That loving affection, both affirming and patiently guiding, now seems like a distant memory... After his father's passing, no one has ever loved or understood him like that again.

He would even have inexplicable wild thoughts. There were already rumors circulating that he was not his mother's biological son, but rather the offspring of a palace maid named Zheng Jinlian. Could it be that his mother's coldness and indifference towards him was truly because he was not her flesh and blood?

The more Zhu Houzhao thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. His nose stung, and two hot tears streamed down his cold face.

He raised his hand to wipe away the tears, but they flowed even more profusely. The loneliness, longing, and pain that had accumulated over the past two and a half years overwhelmed him like a burst dam…

Just as the young emperor was filled with tears and felt lost and helpless, a round, furry little creature suddenly appeared in the hall.

Its fur was distinctly black and white, and its round head had black eye rings that looked like two pieces of black jade, covering most of its white face, leaving only its wet black nose and pink little mouth exposed.

Its round body wobbled, and its four short black legs stumbled as if it had just learned to walk, crawling unsteadily toward the direction of people.

Halfway up, it accidentally stumbled and made a soft whimpering sound, looking incredibly cute. Zhu Houzhao was stunned at first, then seemed to be frozen in place, staring blankly at this adorable little creature he had never seen before.

My previously heavy and depressed mood was instantly dispelled by this sudden, round shape. All the sadness and grievances vanished...

He sat up abruptly, afraid of startling the little cutie, and quickly slowed down, cautiously extending his hands. The little one didn't seem afraid of people, crawling up to him, hugging his leg, gently rubbing his palm with his little head, and making soft, sweet whimpering sounds.

It also gently brushed his feet with its ridiculously short tail.

"What an adorable little creature!" Zhu Houzhao's cold heart melted completely. He carefully held it in his arms, his fingertips caressing the soft, cloud-like fur. He felt overjoyed beyond measure.

He looked down at the little guy in his arms, who was tilting his head and examining him, his voice tinged with a hint of choked joy: "Did Father send you from heaven to keep me company?"

The little one seemed to understand, gently licking his fingertip with its bright red tongue, making him chuckle. His worries vanished completely, and even his stomach started rumbling…

"Gu Dayong! Gu Dayong!" Zhu Houzhao stood up, holding the little guy, and excitedly shouted towards the door, "Come in quickly! Look at this treasure! How can it be so delightful!"

Gu Dayong had been waiting outside for a long time. Upon hearing the sound, he hurriedly entered the hall and saw the emperor holding the little thing as if it were a precious treasure, his face full of heartfelt smiles.

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally at ease. He quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this is a panda. It was a parting gift that Eunuch Zhang specially sent to Your Majesty before he left the capital."

"Zhang Erban?" Zhu Houzhao was taken aback. "Didn't he always advise me not to let frivolous pursuits distract me from my studies? Why did he send this... panda instead?"

"Then this servant would not know," Gu Dayong said with a smile. "This servant only knows that these pandas come from the mountains of the southwest, four or five thousand miles away, and are rarely seen. Eunuch Zhang must have gone to great lengths to find this rare creature..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Houzhao tightened his grip on the panda. Looking at the little guy's bewildered expression, he felt a pang of guilt. He realized that he had misunderstood Zhang Erban all along, thinking that he was just like those civil officials, but he didn't know that Zhang Yong loved him so deeply.

He had only ever experienced this kind of love from his father, the emperor...

The emperor immediately looked up and said urgently, "Quickly, spur the horse on and bring Eunuch Zhang back to me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Gu Dayong suppressed his joy and hurriedly went to deliver the decree.

~~
The imperial eunuch's fast horse rushed out of the Leopard Chamber and galloped towards the Left Gate of Chang'an!

The news also reached the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs immediately.

With a crash, Eunuch Liu smashed another teacup and roared, "What? The Emperor summoned Zhang Yong back?!"

"Yes, the messenger has already gone after him." The eunuch who delivered the message shrank back and knelt down.

"What's going on?! Doesn't the Emperor refuse to see anyone?" Eunuch Liu paced back and forth like a caged wolf, his face full of disbelief. "Could it be that in the Emperor's heart, he is more important than me?"

"I'll send someone to kill him on the way!" Shi Wenyi volunteered upon seeing this.

"Get out of my way, you coward!" Liu Jin kicked him to the ground and roared at him with bloodshot eyes, "This is the person the Emperor wants to see, and you dare to kill him?! You might as well kill me first."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Shi Wenyi quickly touched his forehead to the ground, not daring to utter another word.

"Brother, calm down. Let's think of a solution quickly..." Although Wei Bin and Gao Feng were trying to persuade Liu Jin, their faces were grim.

They both stood firmly by Liu Jin's side, helping him to deal with Zhang Yong. Even when Zhang Yong returned, he couldn't do anything to Liu Jin, but he could easily handle the two of them.

"Sigh..." Liu Jin finished venting and sighed dejectedly, "Hurry back to the Leopard Chamber."

The three of them quickly repeated their previous actions and ran towards the leopard house. However, their previous composure and ease were gone.

But I was turned away again...

"Brother, the Emperor doesn't want to see you right now." Gu Dayong went into the inner chamber for a while, then came out to deliver the imperial edict: "Go find somewhere cool to stay."

The three of them dared not return to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. They obediently went outside and knelt in the cold wind.

The fire-bringer quickly draped fur coats over the three men, but they were simultaneously left far behind.

"Get off!"

"You clueless idiot!"

"You want to kill us..."

The three of them knelt for almost half an hour, almost frozen solid, when suddenly they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats outside the leopard house.

Liu Jin turned his head with difficulty and saw Zhang Yong leap off his horse and rush into the hall before he could even stand up properly!

When Zhang Yong rushed past him, the wind he created stung his old face...

After rushing into the inner chamber, Zhang Yong slid to his knees before the emperor, grabbed his legs, and burst into tears:

"Your Majesty! This old servant thought I would never see you again!"

P.S. Was this chapter satisfying?! Can we vote with our monthly tickets now, everyone?!
(End of this chapter)