Chapter 4, Major Crisis

Bang

Wang Meng did not hold back with her again

The prince who was almost discarded is the current emperor

When something goes wrong, some people prefer to look for reasons within themselves, while others like to find reasons in others. Tian Qi does not fall into either category; she does not care who is right or wrong, but enjoys scrutinizing with a magnifying glass to uncover conspiracies

What should I do

Wang Meng took some powder, sniffed it at the tip of his nose, tasted it, and said, "This contains peach kernels and safflower, which are used to dispel blood stasis and promote circulation; it has musk and senna leaves, which are cold in nature and induce diarrhea; it includes blister beetles and shanglu, which are toxic. Besides these, there are other ingredients, ground together into a fine powder, to be placed in your waistband."

Wang Meng covered his face, feeling a bit wronged, "You don't think I intend to assault you, do you? How do you think a eunuch would assault another eunuch?"

At three minutes past five, after finishing the watch, Tian Qi lowered her head and walked briskly, but Wang Meng caught up and walked beside her

This is not the most terrifying part. The most terrifying aspect is that, back then, there was a powerful eunuch who colluded secretly with the imperial concubine, daily administering poison to the emperor's eyes, attempting to persuade him to depose the crown prince and establish the son of the imperial concubine as the new crown prince

On the third day, they went to the drum room for duty. Tian Qi and Wang Meng had become somewhat familiar with each other, sharing stories and food, sitting together and chatting.

Tian Qi felt somewhat surprised. She recalled her own actions, such as wiping her nose with the emperor's clothes and sleeping soundly in front of him. No matter how one looked at it, these were unforgivable offenses, deserving of beheading at the very least. How could the emperor be so forgiving towards her?

Wang Meng glanced at her and summarized, "In short, these medications are greatly detrimental to pregnant women. Song Zhaoyi's miscarriage is likely due to this reason"

Upon entering the room, he said to Tian Qi, "You should take off your belt"

Tian Qi looked at the dismantled belt on the table, feeling a chill in her heart. It was her, she was the one who caused Song Zhao Yi's death. Song Zhao Yi had treated her so well, yet she never expected that it would be inviting a wolf into the house; she was indeed her calamity

However, within this imperial palace, apart from wealth and power, what else can be relied upon? Even fathers and sons, as well as brothers, can turn against each other, let alone masters and disciples

The Emperor ascended the throne at the age of eighteen, and thereafter waged a splendid campaign, directly reclaiming power into his own hands. The ministers, having witnessed his prowess, dared not engage in any mischief, each one behaving obediently. Thus, although the Emperor was a youthful sovereign, he did not encounter the challenges faced by most young emperors upon their ascension: how to coexist harmoniously with the elder statesmen.

Today, Tian Qi still arrived early. However, since she had already slept enough during the day, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep at all later in the night. So she waved her hand and said, "You take the first half of the night. I don't need to sleep at all for the whole night."

Do you think the Emperor can like this group of eunuchs

Seeing that Tian Qi ignored him, Wang Meng said softly, "Do you know? You are running out of time."

Tian Qi felt as if he were standing on the edge of a knife, his life hanging by a thread

As of this year, the Emperor has been on the throne for five years. During these five years, many things have changed, yet one thing has never changed: he detests eunuchs

Tian Qi nodded slightly and said, "I know." If someone wanted to harm her, they would not have informed her.

Tian Qi had no choice but to comply with this request, loosening his belt and handing it to him

Wang Meng served as a minor official in the vinegar and wine bureau. Although the name of this office may not seem prestigious, it is indeed a place where one can gain benefits. Therefore, despite his rank being lower than that of Tian Qi, he still garnered Tian Qi's jealousy.

The atmosphere in the palace is one of indifference, with few genuine connections and many calculations. Although Tian Qi approached Song Zhao Yi with a purpose, she sincerely wished to serve this master well. Now, upon suddenly realizing that it was she who caused Song Zhao Yi's demise, Tian Qi feels that fate is truly capricious. Feeling an itch on her face, she touched it and found that it was tears.

Tianqi is somewhat strange, "What is this?"

Please unbuckle your belt, I will check first

The De Concubine is not favored, while the Song Noble Consort is favored. The De Concubine has no children, whereas the Song Noble Consort is pregnant.

In the eyes of the eunuchs, everything revolves around money; how could they govern the country? Once they gain power, they are bound to commit heinous acts. The officials who have endured years of hard study to pass the examinations harbor both jealousy and disdain towards these eunuchs, yet they find themselves helpless. When necessary, they must still curry favor with this group of castrated men, which is truly a source of great suffering.

Wang Meng followed and said, "I think you are a good person, so I want to lend you a hand"

However, it is also untenable to conclude solely based on this belt that Ding Zhiyong exploited her. Tian Qi cannot confront her with the belt, as doing so would merely hand over the incriminating evidence directly to the other party

This is utterly unacceptable

Not only did Wang Meng not act alone, but even the Grand Supervisor who oversaw them was wide-eyed and shook his head, lamenting the misfortune of Tian Qi. However, she was also fortunate; after all, she had offended the imperial authority and yet ended up without even receiving a punishment, which shows that this young man had not completely fallen out of favor.

Is His Majesty perhaps planning to hold back something significant

Wang Meng did not wish to get involved in the subsequent matters, so he took his leave. Tian Qi also lost his sleepiness, staring blankly at the belt, his mind racing.

Wang Meng observed that Tian Qi's expression changed like a revolving lantern, shifting from one mood to another, leaving him uncertain about her thoughts. As the time for the next watch approached, he nudged Tian Qi and said, "Hey, it's time for the watch."

This young man was sent to the drum room for offending someone. Such a reason is a common cause for the punishment of the inner officials, whereas the reason for Tian Qi's punishment is somewhat shocking.

Although Tianqi does not understand pharmacology, he understood these few words and his face turned pale in an instant

Ding Zhi is a person of the De Concubine

Thus, she became somewhat uneasy, yet she reassured herself that the Emperor, in his exalted position, was far too busy to be bored enough to pursue a mere junior official to create trouble

The best way is to destroy the body and eliminate all traces. However, the clothing issued by the inner officials is custom-made; the belt of the supervisor is different from that of the attendant. If she destroys this one, where can she find an identical one? Should she go to the Tailoring Bureau? Wouldn't that be tantamount to confessing without being asked?

Considering the current attitude of the Emperor, it is indeed necessary for the mastermind behind the scenes to have this scapegoat

The disdain for eunuchs is entirely due to the psychological shadow left by the late emperor on this son. The deceased emperor was a hands-off ruler in matters of state, which would have been acceptable, but he also fostered the power of the eunuchs, leading to their rise in influence, holding significant authority, and dominating the court, compelling all officials to heed their whims

Tian Qi's legs felt weak, and he touched a chair to sit down. His voice was faint, "How do you know these things? Can they be relied upon?"

Thus, after the Emperor ascended to the throne, the first thing he did was to eradicate the power of the eunuchs, led by the Chief Eunuch of the Grand Secretariat. Not a single one of those eunuchs escaped; all of them met their end. On the day of execution, the Minister of Justice personally oversaw the beheading, and the capital was filled with people, all flocking to witness the execution of the eunuchs. There was a chorus of approval from both the court and the public, and it was from that moment that the Emperor's prestige was established. Although no one explicitly stated it, there was an unspoken consensus among everyone.

Tian Qi was extremely tired and could not be bothered to pay attention to his nonsensical ramblings. Thus, Wang Meng followed him all the way to the Thirteenth Institute, and rather impolitely entered Tian Qi's room.

He was handed the scissors again

This belt was personally handed to her by her master, Ding Zhi. She was promoted to the position of supervisor, and Ding Zhi went to help her collect new clothing

Wang Meng nodded and said, "To speak frankly, my family originally practiced medicine, but after committing a crime, I was forced to enter the palace and become a eunuch. I have been able to identify these medicines since childhood; although I have not touched them for many years, I can still recognize them."

Tian Qi dared not think any further. Although Ding Zhi had a rather poor reputation, he had a seven-year master-disciple relationship with her, and he would not be so cruel as to push her into the fire himself

Tian Qi suddenly thought of a very serious question: she is currently being used by others. If the person using her were to accuse her again, what would she do? After being the one to take the blame, would she also become a scapegoat?

scissors

Wang Meng sighed and said, "Don't be in a hurry to cry, think about what to do first." He used his finger to lift the belt, "You have been used by others, and now you are in a position where you cannot defend yourself. If this thing is brought before the emperor, even if you had ten heads, it would not be enough to be chopped off."

These powders are clumped in the belt, and it is estimated that shaking will not clean them out. Tian Qi grasped the belt and said to Wang Meng, "Thank you"

This time, the matter has escalated significantly

You are much stronger than your father

Forget it, let's not talk about the master's matters for now. The most important thing at hand is how to deal with this belt. No matter how much it shakes, it cannot be completely shaken off, and washing it won't remove it either—no matter how clean it is washed, an expert will still be able to recognize it

Wang Meng waved his hand and said, "Don't be polite. Rest assured, I won't tell anyone else."

It is not to say that the Emperor is particularly cruel; there is a reason for this: the Emperor dislikes eunuchs

What, colliding with the sacred vehicle!

Tian Qi wiped her face, took the belt, shook it, and a lot of powder fell out.

Regardless of whether she is innocent or not, as long as this matter comes to light, her life will be at an end. Even if the Emperor is magnanimous, he will not let her go.

Wang Meng sat at the table, unpicking the stitches at the edge of his belt, and shook it over the table, releasing some powder.

Before he could think it through, Tian Qi's hand reacted first and slapped him.

Tian Qi touched his nose, looking at the swelling that quickly appeared on his face, feeling a bit guilty, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Tian Qi suddenly stopped in her tracks, rubbed her eyes, and asked, "Am I still asleep or are you the one who hasn't woken up?" As she spoke, she turned around and was about to leave again

In summary, against this backdrop, Tian Qi was merely dispatched by the Emperor to the drum room, which illustrates how lenient he was towards his subordinates