Chapter 28: Meeting the Master Again
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Late at night.
Because of their severe blood loss, Ning Chen and Xiao Anzi had both fallen unconscious. Fortunately, the imperial physicians were on hand, and neither of their lives was in danger.
Meanwhile, inside Fengyi Hall, after learning what had happened, the Empress Dowager stared at Pan Yu, who was kneeling on the floor and trembling violently. A cold killing intent had already surfaced in her eyes.
Yet her voice was unnaturally calm—so calm that it sent shivers down one’s spine.
“Pan Yu, how many years have you served me?”
At her words, Pan Yu slammed his head against the floor. Blood immediately began to flow.
“Ten—more than ten years, Your Majesty. Ever since shortly after you entered the palace, I have belonged to you. Your Majesty, I truly do not know how the assassin managed to infiltrate the palace…”
Before he could finish, the Empress Dowager interrupted him calmly.
“Since you have followed me for so many years, you should know my rules!”
Pan Yu once again smashed his head against the floor. Blood had already stained his entire face red.
“Your Majesty, please! Give me one more chance, I beg you…”
“Your Majesty, I swear that I will uncover the mastermind as quickly as possible. Please, Your Majesty, give me one more chance…”
“One more chance?” The Empress Dowager let out a cold snort. “Have I given you too few chances?”
“The assassin was killed by your own hand. How do you intend to investigate anything now?”
“You knew perfectly well that nothing could happen to that useless little wretch at a time like this.”
“Yet as commander of the Imperial Guard, you allowed an assassin to infiltrate the imperial palace and nearly kill that useless little wretch!”
“If Xiao Anzi had not risked his life to save him, your negligence would have plunged me into no end of trouble.”
“Tell me—how am I supposed to trust you again?”
Pan Yu could no longer concern himself with anything else. He crawled directly to the Empress Dowager’s feet, clutched at them, and pleaded through his tears.
“Your Majesty, I was negligent, but my loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon!”
“There is no one in this world more loyal to you than I am!”
“Your Majesty, please! I beg you—give me one more chance!”
“I swear that I will never again give an assassin the slightest opportunity. I will also uncover the mastermind as quickly as possible. Please, Your Majesty, give me one more chance. If I still fail to satisfy you, you may have me cut into a thousand pieces—I will not utter a single word of protest…”
The Empress Dowager frowned, her gaze still filled with chilling intent.
“Too late.”
“Tell me. How would you like to die?”
At that moment, the old nanny who had remained silent behind her suddenly spoke in a soft voice.
“Your Majesty, may this old servant say a few words?”
The Empress Dowager turned to look at her.
“What do you wish to say?”
The old nanny lowered her voice.
“In this old servant’s opinion, so long as the young emperor is not dead, there is no great cause for concern.”
“What matters most now is to uncover the true culprit as quickly as possible.”
Having said this, the old nanny raised her eyes toward the Empress Dowager. After hesitating for a moment, she continued.
“Moreover, for some reason, this assassination seems very strange to me.”
The Empress Dowager frowned.
“Strange? What makes you say that?”
The old nanny explained, “Although we do not know who stands behind it, the fact that he was able to arrange for an assassin to enter the imperial palace proves that he must be extremely familiar with it.”
“If that is so, why did the first two assassination attempts take place outside the palace, while this one occurred within it?”
“He could clearly have acted inside the palace from the very beginning.”
“After all, if the young emperor had died within the palace, would it not have been easier for them to shift the blame onto Your Majesty?”
At her words, the Empress Dowager’s expression darkened, and she sank into deep thought.
Pan Yu hurriedly added, “Exactly, Your Majesty. This assassination is exceedingly suspicious!”
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“Please, Your Majesty, give me one more chance. I will certainly…”
Before he could finish, the Empress Dowager suddenly said in a low voice, “Enough. Until I have made up my mind, get yourself to prison and stay there.”
After Pan Yu left reluctantly, the old nanny spoke again.
“Your Majesty, the imperial palace is unlike any other place.”
“Although the assassin is dead, he must have left traces behind. Given enough time, we can certainly follow those clues and uncover the mastermind.”
“General Pan has served you for so many years. His loyalty is beyond doubt, and he is deeply familiar with the palace. Why not let him redeem himself through service?”
“Moreover, this assassination provides you with the perfect excuse to conduct another purge of the court in the name of investigating the assassin, eliminating those who harbor divided loyalties.”
“General Pan is experienced in such matters. There could be no more suitable person for the task…”
At her words, the Empress Dowager frowned. A barely perceptible trace of hesitation flickered through her eyes.
The following morning.
Ning Chen finally awoke. There was no denying that this nine-year-old body was simply too frail.
In his previous life, an injury of this severity would never have taken him so long to recover from.
Of course, it was also possible that the bowl of poison the Empress Dowager had forced down his throat was to blame.
By the time he opened his eyes, Xiao Anzi was already attending him at his bedside.
Seeing that no one else was nearby, Ning Chen asked softly, “How did things turn out for Pan Yu?”
Xiao Anzi’s face was alight with excitement.
“Your Majesty, your plan worked. The Empress Dowager has dismissed Pan Yu from his post and thrown him into prison!”
Ning Chen let out a long breath and murmured, “Heaven does not fail those who persevere. At last, we have dragged Pan Yu down from the position of commander of the Imperial Guard.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. You have already been wounded twice in order to deal with him…” Xiao Anzi said, his voice filled with pain.
Ning Chen merely laughed, looking every bit like an innocent, carefree child.
“It does not matter. As long as the outcome is good, that is all that counts.”
At this, however, a trace of sorrow suddenly appeared on his childish face. He gazed deeply at Xiao Anzi.
“Xiao Anzi, make certain that his family is treated generously. I owe him my life…”
Xiao Anzi replied, “Your Majesty, all of us death warriors are orphans…”
Ning Chen froze. Unbidden, his eyes grew moist.
Seeing this, Xiao Anzi spoke with unwavering resolve.
“Your Majesty, you need not feel this way. The sole meaning of our lives as death warriors is to serve you.”
“As long as you can break free from the Empress Dowager’s control and become a wise ruler in the future, we would gladly die for you.”
Ning Chen frowned, clenched his teeth, and nodded firmly.
“I swear that I will never fail you.”
Pan Yu had been dismissed and imprisoned.
That meant the Empress Dowager would soon choose someone new to assume command of the Imperial Guard.
The appointment or dismissal of the commander of the Imperial Guard was no trivial matter. By convention, it had to be discussed in court.
He needed to meet with the old scholar as soon as possible and advance the next stage of his plan.
Ning Chen had waited a long time for this day and had planned for it with great care.
He understood all too well that controlling the Imperial Guard meant controlling the military power within the palace.
Only then would he truly possess the power of life and death, and only then could he establish a firm foothold within the palace.
Yet just one day later, while Ning Chen was still recuperating, Xiao Anzi brought him terrible news.
The Empress Dowager had flown into a rage over Pan Yu at court and had even intended to sentence him to death.
However, with Chancellor Li Guozhong, Zhao Siwen, and a host of other ministers pleading for his life, the Empress Dowager had ultimately given Pan Yu another chance to redeem himself through service.
“This is infuriating! We had already succeeded—how did things end up like this?”
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“If Pan Yu cannot be eliminated, then all Your Majesty’s previous schemes will have been in vain!”
“Those ministers deserve to die. They actually pleaded for Pan Yu, even going so far as to defy the Empress Dowager in order to protect him…”
Xiao Anzi looked unwillingly at Ning Chen, who sat deep in thought. His eyes were filled with desolation.
“And our people died for nothing…”
Before he could finish, Ning Chen suddenly interrupted him.
“He did not die for nothing.”
“If I am not mistaken, everything that happened at court this morning was merely a performance staged by the Empress Dowager. But since she has already dismissed Pan Yu and even brought the matter before the court, that means this is Pan Yu’s final chance.”
“In other words, we are only one final breath away from eliminating him…”
Xiao Anzi was stunned, but he quickly understood.
“If that is the case, why don’t we do it again?”
Ning Chen shook his head.
“No.”
“We must never use such a method again unless absolutely necessary.”
“Otherwise, even if we manage to kill Pan Yu, we will expose ourselves.”
“After this, Pan Yu will certainly be even more vigilant and devote all his efforts to searching for the assassin.”
“Even a wild goose leaves a trace. Sooner or later, he will uncover the truth. We cannot risk it again.”
At this, Ning Chen sighed and said quietly, “For now, we can only remain still and wait for news from Fan Dayou’s side…”
He knew all too well that after this incident, the time remaining to him was growing shorter and shorter.
If Pan Yu followed the clues from the assassin and traced them back to Xiao Anzi and himself, then everything they had planned would be ruined.
And if the Empress Dowager, who had been so thoroughly deceived by him, finally saw through the truth, she would rather abandon her pretense of being a virtuous empress than continue the charade. She would move against him ahead of schedule.
At that moment, Ning Chen felt as though he were being driven step by step toward the edge of a cliff.
Who knew when Fan Dayou’s side would produce results? Otherwise, he would truly have no choice but to take a dangerous gamble.
Just then, a messenger suddenly called from outside the door.
“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests your presence. The Venerable Master Kong has arrived to give you a lesson!”
Ning Chen jolted.
Why had the old scholar returned so quickly?
Was he not supposed to be secretly assisting Fan Dayou in Western River?
Could it be that there had already been progress?
At the thought, Ning Chen was overjoyed and hurried to meet the Empress Dowager.
Not long afterward, inside the imperial study, Ning Chen looked at the old scholar, who still possessed an otherworldly air, and asked expectantly, “Master, how are things with Fan Dayou—”
Before he could finish, the Venerable Master Kong suddenly asked, “This old man had just returned to the capital when he heard that Your Majesty had been attacked. This was arranged by Your Majesty, was it not?”
Ning Chen was taken aback. He had not expected the old scholar to see through everything at a glance. The man was truly formidable.
“That is correct. This assassination was indeed arranged by me…”
Unexpectedly, the old scholar suddenly rebuked him in a deep voice.
“Foolish!”
“How could you do something so reckless?”
“Do you realize that by doing this, you are driving yourself toward certain death?”
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