Chapter 004: Feng Bao's Miscalculation

As she had served Empress Dowager Li for many years, Feng Bao also respectfully addressed her, and then proceeded to the Ciqing Palace

"Hehe! What my sister said is indeed true"

Feng Baoxian, after exchanging pleasantries, said: "There is an important matter to report to Her Majesty. As soon as His Majesty returned from the imperial lecture, he was lured by a eunuch named Wei Chao to play with crickets."

Hmph

At present, he has merely just begun to make a case against Zhu Yijun

Empress Dowager Li was extremely angry upon hearing this and directly threatened to go to the ancestral temple to cry out for the abolition of Zhu Yijun

However, if Zhu Yijun were to exhibit the qualities of a sage ruler and benevolent monarch too early, it would imply that his role and functional significance in governance would be diminished

Let's turn the conversation back.

As Feng Baoyi arrived at Ciqing Palace, he first heard the laughter of Empress Dowager Li through the palace door.

Because what Empress Dowager Li values most is whether Emperor Wanli, Zhu Yijun, can become a sage ruler and benevolent monarch

Empress Dowager Li hurriedly approached, first snatching the cricket jar from Prince Lu's hand and forcefully smashing it on the steps. She then stepped inside, only to find Zhu Yijun standing behind the imperial desk, holding a brush in his right hand and reading a memorial with his left.

It is important to note that, for example, the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Sacrificial Office cannot concurrently hold the position of the Supervisor of the Eastern Depot.

Fight him! www.hetushu.com.com Hurry up and fight him!

At this moment, the plan he had laid out in advance to have Wei Chao entice Zhu Yijun to play cricket proved effective

As a result, Feng Baoshou accepted a bribe and directly chose a sickly individual who only wished to marry the princess to bring her good fortune

Consequently, Empress Dowager Li historically had a great deal of trust in Feng Bao

Feng Bao also followed along, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his mouth

Feng Bao, being adept at wielding power, also hopes to further consolidate his authority

Zhu Yijun

Respectfully reporting to the esteemed ancestor, the Empress has gone to the Ciqing Palace

In order to achieve a good balance

In Feng Bao's view, it is essential to keep a close watch on Zhu Yijun

Feng Bao became the most powerful eunuch in the inner court today because of his reliance on the trust of Empress Dowager Li, being responsible for monitoring Emperor Zhu Yijun on her behalf

At this moment, Empress Dowager Li had already risen to her feet and swiftly walked out.

Zhu Yijun could only kneel down and beg for mercy, ultimately being forced to issue a self-criticism edict to settle the matter

His method of consolidating power is to strengthen Empress Dowager Li's trust in him and her sense of dependence on him. But how can this be strengthened?

Upon the appearance of Empress Li in Zhu Yijun's chamber, she first heard the sound of cricket fighting, causing her柳眉 to furrow and her凤目 to widen even further

Upon hearing what Feng Bao said, Empress Li immediately furrowed her brows and exclaimed, "Is it really true?"

Moreover, Feng Bao could no longer further control the emperor under the pretext of overseeing on behalf of the Empress Dowager, thereby usurping imperial power

What?

Feng Bao was secretly astonished

After all, it is only the first year of the Wanli era, and Feng Bao has only recently become the chief eunuch of the Grand Council. Moreover, he has been preoccupied with collaborating with Zhang Juzheng to bring down Gao Gong, and has not had the opportunity to curry favor with Emperor Zhu Yijun in order to gain the trust of Empress Dowager Li

At this moment, after Feng Bao arrived at Empress Li's side, the ladies around the Empress began to address Feng Bao in this manner and informed the Empress of his current whereabouts

Only Empress Dowager Chen appeared flustered, continuously calling out from behind: "Sister! Sister!"

During the wedding ceremony, the chosen prince consort suddenly coughed up blood and soon thereafter died from it. As a result, the princess was doomed to live as a widow for the rest of her life, remaining a virgin until her death

It is important to note that Feng Bao specifically listed himself alongside Zhang Juzheng as a regent in the will he wrote for Emperor Longqing, in order to use the name of the late emperor to persuade Empress Dowager Li to allow him to oversee Zhu Yijun

Feng Bao thus became increasingly pleased with himself, using the pretext of overseeing Empress Dowager Li to impose stricter control over Zhu Yijun. He intervened in Zhu Yijun's affairs and surrounded him with more people, to the extent that Zhu Yijun eventually became fearful upon learning of Feng Bao's arrival. When tempted by other eunuchs to engage in inappropriate activities, he would cautiously inquire, "What if the Grand Companion finds out?"

Naturally, Feng Bao could not miss this opportunity, so he hurriedly came to see Empress Dowager Li

Empress Dowager Li soon arrived at the Qianqing Palace in a fit of anger

The palace maid beside Empress Dowager Li hurriedly followed.

Feng Bao is generally referred to as "Old Ancestor" within the palace, while outside the court, he is commonly addressed as "Old Eunuch" or "Old Minister"

However, Feng Bao is not only greedy for wealth, but also adept at wielding power

It is evident that it is not the little eunuchs who are foolish, but rather that there are indeed some who are truly malicious

Of course, these matters have not yet occurred

Feng Bao also catered to his preferences, naturally exerting all his efforts to observe Zhu Yijun, and would not allow Zhu Yijun to exhibit even the slightest behavior that did not align with the benevolence of a sovereign.

Seeing Empress Dowager Li's expression, Feng Bao became even more pleased with himself

It is precisely for this reason that Feng Bao intends to allow Zhu Yijun to make occasional mistakes, deliberately having the young eunuchs around Zhu Yijun engage in activities that tempt him to indulge in pleasure and neglect his studies

Empress Dowager Li let out a loud shout, then turned and appeared on the steps outside the palace of Zhu Yijun, only to see Prince Lu playing crickets with several eunuchs, which made her even angrier: "Good, even his younger brother has been led astray by him"

If he were not adept at wielding power, he would not have become one of the Iron Triangle, nor would he have, alongside Empress Dowager Li and Zhang Juzheng, effortlessly defeated Gao Gong without bloodshed, while also overseeing the Eastern Depot in the capacity of the chief eunuch of the Grand Council.

To this end, he not only frequently reported on Zhu Yijun to Empress Dowager Li, but also sometimes directly pointed out Zhu Yijun's mistakes and criticized him

It is important to note that Feng Bao is currently in the inner court. From the perspective of power, the only force that can truly constrain his authority is the imperial power, specifically that of the young emperor Zhu Yijun

However, historically, during the Wanli period, he was indeed led astray by the eunuchs around him, engaging in frivolous activities. After drinking, he was incited to kill Feng Bao, who, having received advance notice, managed to evade the attempt. Nevertheless, the next day, he reported this incident to Empress Dowager Li

Thank you, madam

Therefore, Feng Bao must allow Zhu Yijun to make occasional mistakes, so that he can report to Empress Li to demonstrate his diligence in supervision, showing that he has not indulged Zhu Yijun. This will also ensure that Empress Li continues to believe that the Emperor is not yet fully mature and still requires his assistance in handling certain internal court affairs

Feng Baodian said: "How could this old servant dare to lie! In the past, the Xuanyuan Temple was considered a rare holy ruler of our dynasty, yet because of an affinity for this object, he gained a bad reputation as a ruler who indulges in trivial pursuits. If the Emperor were truly to become infatuated with this object and not let the Empress know, it would be the fault of us, the people around the Emperor."

It is evident that Feng Bao is greedy for wealth

Empress Dowager Chen called out once, but could not summon Empress Dowager Li. She merely shot a glare at Feng Bao and then hurriedly followed.

Even the matter of selecting a husband for his own daughter, Zhu Yijun's biological sister, was entrusted by Empress Dowager Li to Feng Bao for handling

Sister!

Otherwise, the young eunuchs around Zhu Yijun would not truly seek trouble. Knowing that Empress Dowager Li and Feng Bao both disapproved of the emperor going astray, they still tempted the emperor to do so.

Empress Dowager Li also relaxed her brow and walked over. Upon seeing that there were many imperial notes filled with writing on Zhu Yijun's desk, and that the ink was still wet, with the pen in his hand also still moist, she inquired, "What are you doing?"

However, upon seeing Feng Bao, Empress Li immediately stopped laughing and asked, "Feng Bao, what brings you here?"

Empress Dowager Li not only did not feel angry about this, but instead placed even greater importance on and trust in Feng Bao, believing that Feng Bao was an upright and truly loyal eunuch. Therefore, she entrusted Feng Bao with the care of Zhu Yijun, which made her feel genuinely at ease.

Feng Bao walked towards the residence of Empress Dowager Li in the Qianqing Palace

After all, how many of the eunuchs who can approach the emperor are truly foolish? Essentially, they are all pawns of the chief eunuchs