Chapter Seventeen Plans

  The expression on Zheng Guifei's face was somewhat indifferent, but it was quickly replaced by a determined look. "We fight and struggle every day, what is the point of it all? When we first started out, we were so pure and full of hope for this grand palace, but after coming here, we realized that this is a place where people are devoured without even spitting out their bones. How many people have died unjustly over the years? How many people were beaten to death by Wang Huanghou when I first entered the palace on trumped-up charges? My wish was simple back then, it was just to survive."

  "With great effort, you pushed others aside, with great effort, you vied for favor, with great effort, you solidified your position, and finally won the emperor's affection. Yet, you're still walking on thin ice. Countless eyes around you are watching you, and the emperor will inevitably become disenchanted with you one day. What can you hold onto then? The only way to secure your own position is to push your son into that role, but in the end, what's left? That person who claimed to love you like their life, yet accomplished nothing - isn't it truly ironic?"

  She let out a soft sigh, and Empress Zheng continued: "But you are different from me. My son did not become the crown prince, but you hold the crown prince in your hands, so you grasp the lifeline of this country." At this moment, Empress Zheng's eyes flashed with excitement, her whole body was full of naked desire, and this dignified woman seemed to have changed into another person, becoming more gloomy and colder.

  "Your man and my man are different, he will soon be useless, you just need to grasp the prince and that's it." Smiling at Li Xuan, Zheng Guifei stopped talking, as if lost in thought.

  Two women were discussing while the prince was also thinking, but there was no one to conspire with him, lying on a comfortable rocking chair, slowly recalling the true history.

  The Wanli Emperor was one of the few emperors in history who were stingy and unkind, but there was one exception, that is, Zheng Guifei. At that time, Zheng Guifei could be said to have been spoiled by the six palaces, and the Wanli Emperor had always wanted to abolish the eldest son and establish a younger son as the crown prince, establishing the son of Zheng Guifei, Fu Wang, as the crown prince. The eldest son, Taichang Emperor, was ignored and not cared for, and even went several years without seeing each other, which also led to Taichang Emperor being bullied by others, ultimately leading to his timid and cowardly personality.

  Our protagonist, Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youjian, grew up in such an environment. From a young age, he received no care or love. His biological mother had passed away, and the imperial concubine Li of the Western Palace would scold him at every turn. Even his father, the emperor, did not dare to show anger or speak out. What's even more laughable is that this emperor was illiterate. Tianqi Emperor ascended to the throne at 16 years old, just a month after the death of Wanli Emperor. During Wanli's reign, he showed no concern for Taichang Emperor, let alone his own grandson.

  Nature can't be discussed in terms of good education, he has no teacher, nobody cares about him, and there are only two people around him, Li Jinzhong and Ke Baba. These two people who have been watching Tai Changdi grow up are the pillars of Tai Changdi's heart. Ke Baba takes care of Tai Changdi like a mother, and Tai Changdi also regards her as his mother.

  As for Li Jinzhong, he was not only the companion of Emperor Taichang, but also like the father of Emperor Taichang. He and Ke Baobao replaced the role that should have been played by his parents. This is also why Emperor Taichang later trusted these two people so much. For the two people who suffered with him, Emperor Taichang was extremely trusting.

  Later, Li Jinzhong killed the son of Emperor Taichang for power. At that time, perhaps no one could have imagined it, including Li Jinzhong himself!

  At this time, Ye Xiang was also very puzzled. Why hadn't the legendary 9,000-year-old appeared until now? Didn't they say that Li Jinzhong had been by Tianqi Emperor's side since he was a child?

  Looking back at Li Jinzhong behind him, Ye Xiang smiled lightly and said faintly: "It's been many days since I've seen Guest BaBa. What has she been doing these days? Why doesn't anyone come to see me?"

  Li Jinzhong was increasingly cautious, and in his heart, he seemed to feel that the crown prince had changed into a different person. However, he didn't dare say it out loud, and could only carefully respond. He took a glance at the crown prince, whose expression remained unchanged, and smiled: "Your Highness, Guest Balha is filled with remorse for what happened last time, and wants to retreat to the Buddhist hall for a month, firstly to atone for his sins, and secondly to pray for your well-being."

  He nodded slowly, and Ye Xiang's heart felt a bit strange. He really didn't know what to do with Li Jinzhong and Ke Baba. Killing them directly was absolutely not a good idea, not only would it leave people with the impression of being ruthless and ungrateful, but also Ye Xiang generally had ways to use Li Jinzhong. What made Ye Xiang most uneasy was that this eunuch who would dominate the world in the future was still nowhere to be found at this time! Ye Xiang couldn't help but suspect that when he came to this era, whether it was really the dynasty he knew from history.

  For this dynasty, Ye Xiang had a very intuitive understanding. Whether it was the political system or human culture and customs, there were great differences. Those high-ranking officials in the grand halls were all full of righteousness and morality, but when it came to actually doing something, the Eastern Depot's Brocade Guards were much more useful, and many things that needed to be done on the surface required them. Ye Xiang had thought about many things these past few days. This country was already riddled with holes, and to govern it well, one couldn't help but take some unscrupulous measures. How could someone like Li Jinzhong be refused entry? Moreover, for so many years in the Ming dynasty, all the eunuchs who held power were tacitly approved by the emperor. The Ming dynasty valued literature over martial arts, and on the court, military officials couldn't balance out the literary officials like in other dynasties. The status of military officials was really too low. If there wasn't the Eastern Depot's Brocade Guards, wouldn't those officials turn the world upside down?

  After sorting out his thoughts, he turned back to Li Jinzhong and said: "I've heard that the East Factory has many people with high martial arts skills, I don't know if it's true or false?"

  Looking at the smiling prince, Li Jinzhong didn't know how the prince suddenly became interested in this matter. He only knew that he had been coveting the East Factory for a long time, and these things were naturally known to him. After thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth and said: "Your Highness, yes, the East Factory has many strange people and events, as well as many martial arts masters with very powerful kung fu."

  "Oh, so it really exists. Do you know where I can get my hands on a weapon?" Ye Xiang asked nonchalantly after a moment of contemplation. He knew that the palace would not be peaceful in the next few days, and it was better for him to prepare himself with a weapon, not only to ensure his own safety but also to intimidate others.

  Li Jinzhong was stunned at this time, he didn't think the prince would actually want a weapon, how could that be good, it's impossible for the imperial palace to casually possess weapons. After thinking about it briefly, Li Jinzhong said: "Report back to Your Highness, there are weapons in the palace guards, the Brocade Guards have embroidered spring knives, I don't know what kind of weapon Your Highness wants?"