Chapter 8: The Mysterious Old Eunuch in the Palace

As he spoke, he slowly stepped forward and carefully helped Li Shimin wipe the overturned ice water off the table, chuckling as he continued, "It seems that Your Majesty still cares for little Cheng'er very much. If that is the case, then what are you so angry about?"

When the emperor's temper is great, and it can arise suddenly, Li Shimin was suddenly filled with thunderous rage, and the room fell into an immediate silence.

No matter how small, he is still my son-in-law

The elderly eunuch seemed to be holding back a laugh, and he forced himself to say: "Cheng Zhijie has pretended to be a fool his entire life, making everyone grind their teeth in frustration. Yet, we cannot do anything to him, so we can only harbor our resentment and simmer in anger. Now, karma has finally arrived; his legitimate son has truly become a natural fool."

Li Shimin snorted again, suddenly raising his hand to point at the aged eunuch, and with a helpless smile said: "You, you, always like this. Whenever there is a matter involving the old guards of Wagangzhai, you sneakily change the concept... I know, you are worried that they might provoke me, I understand, you are trying to take precautions to protect them. But I have told you many times, I am not that kind of heartless emperor, I cannot stoop to such despicable acts as hiding the good bow after the birds are gone. In the future, I advise you to discard these precautionary thoughts as soon as possible."

Li Shimin suddenly glared, displeased, and coldly snorted: "No matter what, Cheng Chumo is still my son-in-law. How can you slander my son-in-law like this?"

After a long while, Li Shimin's anger seemed to have calmed down slightly. The emperor suddenly picked up the piece of paper again, reading it while coldly snorting: "It would be one thing if he took the commoners as his teachers; I would just consider him a child who doesn't understand. But does this brat really have no sense at all? He dares to publicly critique the laws of my great Tang. He even says he wants to offer counsel and speak to me. Very well, I will wait for the day he is qualified to attend court. Hmph."

Let me go buy salted fish

The aged eunuch coughed softly and quietly assisted the emperor with a supplementary remark

The aged eunuch quickly clasped his hands and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please speak."

What kind of person is Li Shimin, that he would not be able to discern what is in his heart? The emperor suddenly stood up and, with a tone of emotion, said: "Old Zhai, I know that you suffered a serious injury in your early years, which nearly led to your death. Your life is destined to be without offspring, so you regard the children of the old comrades from Wagangzhai as your own. Regardless of whether those little rascals cause trouble or not, you must protect them when they are brought to me. This is the loving kindness of your elders. In principle, I should commend and encourage you, but I still need to remind you carefully, lest your kindness harms those children."

Li Shimin let out a faint sigh, gazing out the window with a distant look, and softly said: "Since ancient times, the extravagant have never been loyal or virtuous; only through discipline can filial children emerge. If you overly indulge those children, you are actually harming them. In this regard, Cheng Zhijie has done very well; he would often hang Cheng Chumo up and give him a beating, whether there was a reason or not. If he made a mistake once, he would be beaten once; if he made mistakes twice, he would be beaten twice. That little rascal would tremble in fear, panicking at the sound of Cheng Zhijie's voice."

Buy salted fish

An elderly eunuch emerged from the shadows of the room, holding a cup of misty ice water, and softly said: "Your Majesty, the weather is hot; please have a cup of ice water to cool down. Young Cheng is still underage and has always been straightforward in character. He is still young, and there is no need for you to be angry because of him"

Yes, Your Majesty, as you pointed out! The elderly eunuch nodded in agreement, but his expression clearly indicated his disbelief

The aged eunuch was dismissive and even showed a hint of protective anger, saying: "Cheng Zhijie himself is unreliable; how can we expect his children to be any more dependable? He beats his children every day, and I have always wanted to give him a good thrashing..."

He glanced at the aged eunuch and said, "I do not even eat fresh fish, let alone salted fish. How foolish must Cheng Chumo be to utter such words? Just thinking about his foolish face makes my chest burn with anger. That little rascal deserves a beating..."

Yes, buy salted fish

Speaking with resentment, he picked up a piece of paper and suddenly found himself laughing in anger, saying: "Look at what this is about, a dignified heir of a duke, taking an unknown refugee as his master. It would be one thing if he just took on a master, I thought he was merely seeking amusement, but look at what this young man intends to do! He, he actually wants me to go find them and buy, buy..."

Within the imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin sat alone in his study. This new generation of emperor of the Tang Dynasty furrowed his brow slightly, holding a piece of paper in his hand, lost in thought.

Li Shimin glared and coldly snorted: "From observing the small, one can understand the great; it is said that a large tree grows straight, yet I have no confidence in seeing him stand straight one day."

Li Shimin snorted heavily, suddenly slamming the piece of paper down with a face full of frustration, saying: "That brat Cheng Chumo never lets anyone rest easy. It was one thing when he was gallivanting around the Zhangtai, causing trouble, and I tolerated it, thinking he was just a child who didn't understand. But now, it's even worse; he has actually fallen to mingling with a group of vagrants!"

At this point, he paused for a moment, suddenly sounding somewhat melancholic, and continued: "Unfortunately, my identity is already that of a dead man; the identity of the leader of the Wagang stronghold can never appear in the world again. Therefore, I can only silently harbor my anger in the shadows. Every time I hear that some young lad has been bullied, I feel a surge of rage, wanting to rush out of the palace and beat up their father."

In the vast imperial study, only the sound of the emperor's heavy breathing could be heard.

Li Shimin slammed the table heavily, causing the glass of ice water to topple with a loud 'bang'. The emperor seemed to feel an itch in his back molars and angrily cursed, "Although I usually advocate for frugality and Changsun's side also manages the palace with thrift, my daily meals are not lacking. Why would I be foolish enough to seek out the younger generation to buy salted fish?"

Hmph

Within the room, no one could be seen, yet a respectful voice gently arose, responding in a low tone: "Your Majesty, this statement did not originate from the mouth of Young Master Cheng. However, Young Master Cheng was quite excited at the time, so it is uncertain whether he was in agreement or disagreement in his heart..."

At this point, he slammed the table heavily, expressing his frustration and said: "The legitimate eldest son of the prestigious Duke of Lu actually took a refugee beggar as his master. What will people think when this gets out? Does Cheng Zhijie still care about his reputation?"

Li Shimin let out a light hum, turned his head, and pretended not to hear.

After a considerable amount of time had passed, Li Shimin finally directed his gaze towards the shadowy corner of the room and, with a tone of curiosity, inquired: "Was this said by Cheng Chumo or by that young man?"

The aged eunuch chuckled again and said: "Moreover, Your Majesty, the suggestion for you to buy salted fish was not made by Xiao Cheng, but by that mysterious young boy. Since ancient times, wise rulers have not discussed unproven crimes; you must not blame Xiao Cheng for something he did not do."

The aged eunuch hurriedly clasped his hands in a gesture of submission, yet there was little sign of fear in his expression. Instead, he chuckled softly and said: "Your Majesty treats me as if I were a brother, which is why I dare to speak out of turn."