Chapter 10, the chubby boy, has come through unscathed

However, this old eunuch is indeed ruthless, having brutally killed his own wife and children, and burned down his former residence to demonstrate his loyalty

The Yan Fei naturally did not know these things, but the reason she was able to ascend to the position of Guifei was certainly not solely due to her appearance; her depth of character and ability to read others were undoubtedly second to none

"Deploy the troops?" Upon hearing this, a glint of sharpness flashed in Li Shimin's eyes. He turned to look at Li Zhen, who was standing beside Yan Fei. His voice, though calm, sent a chill down the listener's spine: "Zhen'er, is what Chief Steward Wang said true?"

However, Li Shimin delivered a powerful kick to Li Zhen's backside, and with Li Shimin's strength, he actually sent Li Zhen flying out.

Dada~ ~ ~

At this moment, Yan Fei was still composed, having spent so many years in the palace where intrigues were rampant. She had long since learned to conceal her emotions. Although she was filled with both anger and shock at Wang Yidao's act of betrayal, she understood the importance of discretion. If she were to express her anger now, would it not be tantamount to revealing her own guilt?

At this point, the old eunuch turned to Li Shimin and said: "Your Majesty, ahem... the matter I wish to report is related to Her Highness and His Highness the Han Prince. Therefore, I dare to request Your Majesty's permission for Consort Yan and His Highness the Han Prince to be present as listeners..."

At this point, Wang Yidao paused for a moment and stole a glance at the Yanfei Empress and Han Wang Li Zhen, who were standing not far away.

This old eunuch was named Wang Yidao. He was originally a close attendant of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan. After Li Yuan abdicated, this old eunuch remained in the imperial palace and became the chief eunuch in charge of the Hall of Two Instruments, overseeing all matters related to the Hall.

The royal family has long held the principle that the imperial harem should not interfere in politics

Once the censor becomes aware, she will certainly be charged with the crime of "disorderly governance by a palace concubine." By that time, it will be quite a spectacle

Well, since it concerns Consort Yan and Zhen'er, you all might as well stay and listen!" Li Shimin glanced at the little chubby boy's backside, then at the old eunuch, as if he understood something.

Let me put it this way, Wang Yidao is essentially the leader of a spy network; as soon as there is any disturbance in the imperial city, Wang Yidao will immediately be aware of it

Whoosh

Wow, that fall was truly severe

At this moment, Li Shimin's voice was exceptionally gentle, yet this gentleness conveyed an extremely strange feeling

"Your servant, I obey your command." Li Zheng stood up trembling, not daring to move his hands or feet, only lowering his small head, resembling one who is confessing to his guilt

Thus, the Yan Empress gently took the hand of Han Wang Li Zhen and said softly: "Your Majesty, I shall return shortly to attend to you"

As for Prince Li Zhen of Han, although he is still young, he is, after all, a prince and naturally qualified to attend to state affairs.

"Yan Fei, Zhen Er, you may rise first!" Li Shimin gestured for the two to stand up first. Just as they were about to walk into the hall, suddenly, a light footstep sound came from outside the grand hall, causing Li Shimin to furrow his brow slightly.

Alright, these two in the relationship have gone to the Hall of Two Instruments to complain first! This must be the scheme of Consort Yan. With that little fatty Li Zhen's intellect, it truly is beyond his capability to accomplish this.

Li Zhen lowered her head and replied, "Father, earlier in the Hongwen Pavilion, when the teacher was assessing my studies along with the other students, the young servant laughed at me. I was annoyed that he disrespected his elder, so after the session, I specifically sought out the young servant, wanting him to apologize to me. However, to my surprise, not only did he refuse to apologize, but he also mocked me for not performing well in my studies. I felt quite aggrieved, so I had my subordinates deal with the young servant... Later, it turned out to be consistent with what Chief Steward Wang said!"

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and a thin figure dressed in a gray robe, resembling a frail old eunuch with books, walked in with half-closed eyes

Li Shimin glanced at the old eunuch, a flicker of suspicion appearing in his eyes

Upon hearing the voice of Li Shimin, Li Zhen suddenly shuddered uncontrollably, and with a thud, fell to his knees on the ground. He crawled to the center of the main hall, crying with snot and tears, and lamented: "Father Emperor, your son, your son is also being forced!"

The recently risen Yan Fei and Han Wang Li Zhen also involuntarily turned their heads to look outside the grand hall

Li Zhen did not dare to disobey Li Shimin's orders, and directly turned around, presenting his backside for Li Shimin to see

Just when he thought he was saved, a face came into view that instantly changed his expression: "It’s you!"

This chubby little fellow has quite a way with words, and combined with that aggrieved expression and trembling voice, it is very poignant and filled with indignation, portraying himself entirely as a weakling, a deeply affected weakling

Thus, the Yan Consort was enduring while simultaneously contemplating countermeasures in her heart

Others may not know what this half-dead eunuch is actually doing, but Li Shimin knows! On the surface, this old eunuch is the chief eunuch of the Hall of Two Instruments, but in reality, he is an intelligence chief secretly cultivated by Li Yuan, managing the vast network of eunuchs within the imperial city.

Initially, Li Shimin did not intend to employ this old eunuch, as the old eunuch possessed far too much knowledge. Given Li Shimin's paranoid nature after ascending the throne, the old eunuch's fate would undoubtedly be one of complete extermination.

Withdrawing his gaze, Wang Yidao continued, "At that moment, a young man with long hair, seemingly no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, hurriedly approached from outside the western inner courtyard. In just a few moves, he threw out the several eunuchs who were surrounding and beating Prince Jin, and he struck the rear of Prince Han twice. At this point, Prince Han, filled with anger and humiliation, actually ordered his subordinates to use weapons against the young man."

Nuo! The Yan Empress once again bowed to Li Shimin, taking Li Zhen's small hand and standing to one side, with her expression revealing no trace of joy or anger.

With her keen perception, she naturally noticed the hesitation in Li Shimin's expression

This is also the main reason why the Yan Consort chose to leave

However, Li Zhen's nightmare did not last long, as he did not fall to the ground as he had imagined, but instead plunged into a warm body.

However, the Yan Consort is different; as a concubine in the imperial harem, if she were to remain in the palace, it would mean her involvement in the political affairs of the harem

A person grinned widely and said, "Little chubby, how have you been?"

Thus, after Li and Tu Shuyuan abdicated, they left Wang Yidao to Li Shimin

"Zhen'er, get up and respond..." The voice was very calm, but the expression had begun to look somewhat unpleasant.

Wang Yidao remained kneeling on the ground, and he humbly reported: "Your Majesty, this old servant was just counting the winter plums in the Western Inner Garden when I happened to see two princes having a quarrel in the garden. Subsequently, His Highness the Han Wang allowed four of his eunuchs to step forward and beat His Highness the Jin Wang."

"Wang Yidao, what is the matter? Speak quickly," Li Shimin said, looking at Wang Yidao with a commanding presence.

Thus, Li Shimin left Wang Yidao to continue overseeing this vast intelligence network

As for the little brat, Han Wang Li Zhen, upon hearing Wang Yidao just mention the Western Inner Courtyard, his face had already changed, turning extremely pale, and his chubby little face even twitched incessantly out of fear

Suddenly, Li Zhen once again experienced the sensation of riding the clouds and mist

The old eunuch, seeing that the two were about to leave, lightly cleared his throat and said: "Ahem, Your Highness, please stay a moment!"

"Speak up, why did the fighting start, and why resort to weapons?" Li Shimin inquired with a blank expression.

Li Shimin took a few steps to stand in front of Li Zhen, looking at him and saying: "Zhen'er, I heard from Chief Steward Wang that the young man struck your backside. Come, let me have a look!"