Chapter 27: I Shall Not Fail You

Just as he was about to rise, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. He slammed his palm against the table with a fierce, resounding thud and cursed, "You little bastard, trying to stir up trouble for me, aren't you?"

"If you encounter another assassination attempt, the Empress Dowager will never spare me!"

"You just wait, I am going to see the Empress Dowager right now!"

With a plan in mind, Pan Yu soon arrived at the Fengyi Palace.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!" Pan Yu knelt respectfully.

The Empress Dowager frowned. "What is it?"

Pan Yu swallowed nervously, hesitating for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask—why did you agree to let that young Emperor leave the palace again?"

The Empress Dowager was visibly displeased. "You fool, do you still not understand? The more trouble he causes outside, the more it benefits me!"

Pan Yu continued, "But Your Majesty, that young Emperor has already been targeted twice!"

"The mastermind behind the previous attempts has yet to be identified. If he leaves the palace again, he might encounter assassins once more. If something were to go wrong, it would surely bring trouble upon you, and by then..."

Before Pan Yu could finish, the Empress Dowager interrupted in a low, cold voice, "What? Do you have no confidence in your ability to protect him?"

Pan Yu froze. He knew clearly that admitting his incompetence would invite her wrath. Yet, if that little good-for-nothing Ning Chen were truly harmed, it would be far worse than just a scolding—his very life would be in jeopardy!

Gritting his teeth, Pan Yu said, "Your Majesty!"

"The enemy is in the shadows while he is in the light. Moreover, there are thousands of ways to assassinate someone; it is impossible to guard against them all!"

The Empress Dowager raged, "Useless wretch! You are the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and you cannot protect a mere nine-year-old child? Then what use do I have for you?"

Pan Yu tried to explain again, "Your Majesty, it is not that I am incompetent. During the previous two attempts, the assailants knew exactly where the young Emperor was and were able to set ambushes in advance. This only proves that the person behind this is no simple figure."

"Under these circumstances, I truly have no confidence!"

With that, Pan Yu bowed his head heavily against the floor, pleading, "Your Majesty, I beg you, you truly cannot let the young Emperor go out and risk his life again!"

"His life may not matter, and my life may not matter, but as you said before, if he really dies, those people will certainly use it to attack you!"

"Besides, he has already consumed the poison you arranged..."

As he spoke, a crisp "slap" suddenly echoed through the room.

Pan Yu clutched his face, looking at the Empress Dowager with grievance. "Yo-Your Majesty..."

The Empress Dowager snapped, "Remember this: bury these words in your gut. If I hear them again, I will have you torn apart by five horses..."

Not long after.

Ning Chen had just finished preparing the items for his excursion when the Chief Eunuch, Li Lianying, arrived to report:

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager asked me to inform you that the matter of leaving the palace should wait for a while. You have just recovered; you should rest well within the palace for now!"

After Li Lianying left, Xiao Anzi looked at the pensive Ning Chen and asked, "What is going on? Didn't the Empress Dowager already agree to let you go?"

"Why would she suddenly go back on her word?"

Ning Chen stroked his chin and said, "It must have been that scoundrel Pan Yu who persuaded her!"

"Pan Yu?" Xiao Anzi was stunned for a moment, then realized, "That’s right, it must be him. Otherwise, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have changed her mind so suddenly. He must be afraid that if something happens to you, he will be punished by her."

"If that's the case, it means Pan Yu is now on guard. Your plan to use yourself as bait to lure out the assassins will likely be very difficult to carry out..."

As he spoke, Ning Chen suddenly laughed and interrupted, "Good, very good!"

Xiao Anzi was startled. "Good? Your Majesty, what are you saying..."

Ning Chen replied, "Since Pan Yu is now on guard and persuaded the Empress Dowager because he fears I will encounter assassins outside, the Empress Dowager will only be more disappointed in him!"

"Then I shall add some fuel to the fire!"

Ning Chen gestured for Xiao Anzi to lean in and whispered instructions into his ear.

The night was dark and windy.

In the silent Hall of Mental Cultivation, Ning Chen’s angry shouting suddenly erupted: "Useless! You can't even handle a small task! Get out, all of you, get out!"

"I don't want to see you bunch of useless servants ever again!"

The maids and eunuchs, seeing this, silently retreated from the hall.

"What is wrong with the young Emperor? Has he gone mad?"

"Why is he suddenly losing his temper at us?"

Seeing the servants whispering, Xiao Anzi used sign language to indicate, "He is upset because the Empress Dowager won't let him out of the palace to play!"

The servants grumbled, "It’s not like we are the ones stopping him from going out. If he's so capable, he should go throw a tantrum at the Empress Dowager instead of taking it out on us..."

Xiao Anzi sighed and gestured for everyone to watch their words.

The night grew deeper.

Ning Chen lay on his bed, appearing to still be in a foul mood.

Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps echoed outside, and the palace doors were pushed open slowly.

Without even looking, Ning Chen shouted, "Get out! Didn't I tell you all to stay away?"

However, the footsteps did not stop; instead, they quickened.

Ning Chen felt a jolt of alarm and sat up immediately, only to see a young eunuch lunging toward him with a dagger.

"Help... help..."

"Someone, save me! There is an assassin!"

Ning Chen screamed in terror, but the dagger plunged forward.

Fortunately, Ning Chen’s reflexes were sharp; he used his quilt to block the strike.

But the young eunuch possessed immense strength; the dagger pierced through the quilt and into Ning Chen’s left shoulder.

Just then, Xiao Anzi and his men rushed in.

Unexpectedly, the young eunuch was highly skilled, wounding Xiao Anzi and several other eunuchs before aiming the dagger at Ning Chen once more.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Pan Yu was resting in his quarters.

Suddenly, he heard an urgent report outside: "General Pan, it’s terrible! Someone is trying to assassinate the Emperor. Eunuch Xiao Anzi ordered me to inform you—hurry and save him!"

"What?"

"They’ve managed to assassinate within the palace walls?"

Pan Yu’s heart sank, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

Ignoring everything else, he leaped from his bed, not even bothering to dress properly, grabbed his sword, and sprinted out the door.

"It’s over, it’s over..."

"You little wretch, you better not die!"

"Otherwise, my time as Commander of the Imperial Guard is finished..."

Pan Yu prayed to himself while sprinting madly!

He never imagined he would see a day like this! In the past, he had hoped for Ning Chen to die, but now he was terrified of anything happening to him!

"Clang!"

Pan Yu kicked the palace doors open, only to see the young Emperor fallen on the ground, his clothes stained with blood.

Nearby lay the bodies of several guards, and some injured eunuchs were writhing in agony on the floor.

"No!"

Pan Yu cried out as the assassin’s dagger descended toward Ning Chen once more.

In that moment, Pan Yu felt as though his heart had turned to ash! He already envisioned himself being torn apart by the Empress Dowager.

However!

Just as he fell into utter despair, the severely wounded Xiao Anzi scrambled up and threw himself in front of the young Emperor.

With a scream of agony, the dagger pierced deep into Xiao Anzi’s right chest!

There was still a chance! As long as Ning Chen didn't die, and as long as he could capture the assassin alive, there was still hope!

Not only that, if he could make the assassin talk, he might even earn a monumental merit in front of the Empress Dowager!

In an instant, Pan Yu’s dead heart seemed to revive. Without hesitation, he unsheathed his blade and threw it with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, the blade struck true, burying itself deep into the assassin’s back.

At the same time, Pan Yu lunged forward and kicked the assassin several meters away!

He glanced at Ning Chen and, seeing that he was still alive, immediately restrained the assassin, shouting, "Quick! Summon the royal physician! Do not let the assassin die, hurry!"

However, before he could finish, the assassin breathed his last.

Even in death, the assassin’s eyes remained fixed on Ning Chen.

Pan Yu was completely stunned!

He slumped to the floor, his face filled with despair! He began slapping his own face like a mindless automaton, full of bitter regret: "It’s over, this time it’s truly over..."

As the Commander of the Imperial Guard, he knew better than anyone the consequences of an assassin appearing in the palace!

Even at the best of times, if an assassin breached the palace, he would be held accountable regardless of casualties!

Moreover, he had just convinced the Empress Dowager that morning to keep the Emperor inside to avoid such threats. The Empress Dowager was already furious with him over the previous two attempts.

And now, the young Emperor had been attacked, and several lives had been lost! Even Xiao Anzi and the Emperor himself were severely wounded right before his eyes!

His mind went blank; he felt as though the entire sky had collapsed.

Yet, he did not notice that although the young Emperor looked terrified, he was quietly glancing at the dead assassin, his lips moving ever so slightly.

No one could hear the words that slipped from his mouth: "I will not fail you..."