Chapter 34: A Dragon Among Men

Deep in the night.

Inside her chamber, Zhou Suruo stood frozen like a statue.

After a long while, as a single tear traced a path down her cheek, she slowly parted her lips, her gaze filled with bitter resentment:

"Dead... he’s just dead like that..."

"How could Pan Yu just die like this?"

At this, she turned her head toward the messenger, her makeup long since ruined by tears.

They had seized her family, murdered her father, brutalized her mother, and humiliated her sister until she died. They had even made her and the others endure the indignity of being ravished by those animals, one after another.

In that moment, the bone-chilling memories of the past flooded her mind.

She had endured humiliation and lived until now with the sole purpose of seeking vengeance. She had imagined countless times how she would kill Pan Yu with her own hands: she would castrate him, slice the flesh from his body piece by piece, gouge out his bones one by one, grind his remains into dust, or even consume his flesh and gnaw his bones...

But now, Pan Yu was dead, having died in the celestial prison, and he hadn't even been killed by her cousin, Ning Chen!

Her frustration and disappointment surged like a flood, drowning her reason.

She wanted Pan Yu to pay, but not by dying so easily. She hadn't tortured him yet; she hadn't cut off his head herself...

Zhou Suruo’s emotions spiraled, and she roared almost deliriously:

"Why, why..."

"Is this what he called revenge?"

"It’s not enough. This is nowhere near enough..."

She did not know that that night at Fan Dayou’s home, the moment Pan Yu appeared before her, she had intended to kill him herself to avenge her family. But just as the men arranged by Little Anzi appeared to engage Pan Yu, Fan Dayou had immediately ordered her to be escorted away.

Fan Dayou’s words—"Trust His Majesty; His Majesty will surely avenge Lord Zhou’s family!"—had forced her to suppress the impulse to kill Pan Yu herself.

She had believed that Ning Chen would allow her to take her own revenge, but now, she hadn't even managed to land a single strike on Pan Yu before he was dead...

"Lady Zhou, are you blaming His Majesty?" the messenger asked.

Zhou Suruo sneered and wiped away her tears. "Should I not blame him?"

"My family's vengeance—I haven't even had the chance to exact it myself!"

"Don't forget, my grandfather was his maternal grandfather; my father and mother were his uncle and aunt. We are his own kin..."

"How could he let Pan Yu die just like this?"

"By letting Pan Yu die so easily, is he doing justice to the relatives he lost to Pan Yu's hands?"

"I knew it. A mere child is not to be trusted. He is just—"

Before she could finish, the messenger interrupted: "Enough, Miss Zhou!"

"We understand your emotions, and His Majesty understands them too; otherwise, he would not have sent me to inform you the very first moment!"

"Yes, it is a pity you could not exact vengeance yourself, but His Majesty has fulfilled what he promised you!"

"Miss Zhou, do not forget: the true mastermind who dismembered Lord Zhou and destroyed your family is the Empress Dowager, sitting high above!"

"Pan Yu was merely her lapdog!"

"His Majesty has neither soldiers nor power in the imperial palace. He was nearly deposed once before, and now the Empress Dowager has forced him to consume poison, and no antidote has been found. His Majesty can barely protect himself!"

Hearing this, Zhou Suruo was stunned, as if struck by lightning. "What? Poison?"

"What... what is really going on..."

The messenger sighed, his eyes filled with reverence for Ning Chen, and continued: "His Majesty did not want us to tell you, fearing you would worry!"

"Miss Zhou, think about it. His Majesty is, after all, only a nine-year-old child!"

"And every day he walks on thin ice under the surveillance of his enemy, the Empress Dowager!"

"Has it been easy for him to reach this point?"

Zhou Suruo froze, seemingly realizing her loss of control and the irrationality of her behavior. A look of shame appeared on her face.

The messenger continued: "Yes, it is regrettable that he could not let you take your own revenge!"

"But he has successfully protected you and Lord Fan, and he managed to bring Pan Yu to his death so quickly!"

"Don't forget, Pan Yu was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, the Empress Dowager's most trusted confidant!"

"If it were anyone else in the world, who could have accomplished this under the Empress Dowager's very nose?"

"Even so, how can you have the heart to blame His Majesty?"

Inexplicably, Zhou Suruo trembled, and tears welled up once more.

Her beautiful face was etched with guilt; she wished she could strike herself twice.

Indeed! As an adult, she hadn't managed to avenge her family until now. Yet, her cousin Ning Chen, a nine-year-old child controlled by the Empress Dowager and constantly wary of her persecution, had actually succeeded.

What right did she have to blame Ning Chen for not letting her do it herself?

Now, having regained her reason, she understood: Pan Yu’s death in the celestial prison must have been the Empress Dowager's doing; there must be a secret hidden behind it! Otherwise, Ning Chen would certainly have let her take her revenge.

Thinking of this, she felt even more guilty for having lost her temper and blamed Ning Chen.

"I... I am sorry. I was momentarily overwhelmed by my emotions. I was foolish..."

The messenger sighed and said softly, "Miss Zhou, there is no need to apologize. The hatred you carry is far too heavy, which is why you were so emotional."

"I believe His Majesty understands your feelings."

"His Majesty has said that Pan Yu’s death is only the beginning. He will certainly eliminate all the accomplices who harmed his grandfather, especially the greatest mastermind of all: the Empress Dowager!"

"I believe His Majesty will succeed. He will definitely topple the Empress Dowager!"

"Because I am absolutely certain: His Majesty is a true dragon among men!"

Hearing this, Zhou Suruo wiped away her tears, her gaze becoming resolute. She nodded firmly. "That's right. I believe it too. Even though Chen'er is only nine, he will definitely topple the Empress Dowager. He will!"

The next day, during the morning court session.

The Empress Dowager announced Pan Yu’s death and proclaimed all his crimes to the world, adopting the posture of a "virtuous queen" who upheld justice.

Not only that, the Empress Dowager publicly praised Fan Dayou, not only restoring his position as Censor-in-Chief but also rewarding him with a thousand taels of silver, calling him "a pillar of Great Ning and a model for all officials!"

This made Ning Chen feel somewhat uneasy.

Next, the Empress Dowager raised the question of who should serve as the new Commander of the Imperial Guard.

Everyone understood the importance of this position; whoever became the Commander would be the Empress Dowager's next most trusted confidant. To gain her favor was to ascend to heaven in a single step!

Since the position could not be filled by just anyone, it had to be selected from within the Imperial Guard. The candidates were none other than the Left Deputy Commander, Cao Dahai, and the Right Deputy Commander, Yang Fei.

Because of this, the court fell into a heated dispute as factions vied to promote their own allies.

Ning Chen had long anticipated this situation, but what he hadn't expected was this:

Some, led by Zhao Siwen, supported the military-bred Yang Fei, openly stating that since Cao Dahai was a protégé of Pan Yu, he must have participated in Pan Yu’s many crimes and should be thoroughly investigated.

However, a group led by Chancellor Song Guozhong actually supported Cao Dahai, arguing that Pan Yu was Pan Yu, and Cao Dahai was Cao Dahai; one could not tar everyone with the same brush.

Indeed! Even though the court was filled with the Empress Dowager’s people, there were internal struggles, and they were fierce.

Ning Chen did not speak. Although he maintained his facade of ignorance and kept a quiet, detached air, he carefully observed everyone present.

Especially when he noticed the Empress Dowager also watching the crowd, he knew she was plotting how to use the appointment of the Commander to further solidify her control over the court.

Sure enough, the Empress Dowager did not reveal her decision immediately.

This was something Ning Chen had also foreseen; if it were him, he would certainly not miss such an excellent opportunity to reshape the court.

After returning to the Yangxin Palace, Ning Chen immediately wrote a letter by hand and had Little Anzi secretly deliver it to Master Kong.

After reading the letter, Master Kong burned it immediately and hurried to find Fan Dayou without a moment's delay.

"What? The Empress Dowager wants to kill me?"

Fan Dayou’s eyes widened as he looked at Master Kong with a complex expression.

Master Kong stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "This is His Majesty’s judgment. It cannot be wrong..."