lcionline Chapter 525 Choosing a Route to Escape
Chapter 525 Choosing a Route to Escape
"Didn't you all see Lord Zhang Xingchen and I drinking here? If you have nothing else to do, hurry back. We'll go report to the Emperor after Lord Zhang Xingchen has finished drinking."
Ma Tiantao said this on purpose, to embarrass the Emperor. Wei Zhongxian had already said this when Ma Tiantao arrived.
He wanted Ma Tiantao to stop Wei Zhongxian from meeting the Emperor at all costs. If there was an opportunity, he wanted to deepen the feud between Zhang Xingchen and the Emperor. That's why Ma Tiantao said such treasonous things.
Upon hearing Ma Tiantao's words, the eunuchs were alarmed. The Emperor wanted to see Zhang Xingchen, but he had to wait for Zhang Xingchen to finish his wine before he could report back. Was this some kind of joke?
There was never such a rule in the Ming Dynasty, so the older eunuch suddenly slammed his hand on the table, smashing a jar of Daughter's Red wine on the ground.
"Lord Zhang Xingchen, please understand the occasion. It's one thing for the two of you, as officials of the imperial court, to be indulging in debauchery here."
The Emperor summoned you, yet you wait until you finish your wine. Do you not respect the Emperor? Or do you think you're all grown up now that you're the commander of three warriors and can fly solo?
The eunuch was so angry because he wanted to intimidate Zhang Xingchen, but he never expected that his words would cause him trouble.
Zhang Xingchen has always been a person who cares about his image. Besides, everyone will change under the full influence of others.
So at that moment, this honest-looking man also got angry, and Zhang Xingchen directly smashed the steaming hot pot onto the head of the talking eunuch.
The eunuch cried out in alarm, his face burning so badly it felt like it was about to peel off; he was clearly disfigured.
"How dare you act so arrogantly here? If the Emperor wants to see me, let him come to me himself. I don't have time right now."
Zhang Xingchen said angrily. When the eunuchs saw Zhang Xingchen roll up his sleeves, they were about to beat them up. These eunuchs had never seen anything like this before.
Their legs went weak and they ran outside.
“Lord Zhang Xingchen, it’s a pity we haven’t met sooner. Your fiery temper is just to my liking. This is how you should deal with scum like them. After all, they are just eunuchs.”
Ma Tiantao felt a chill run down his spine. Fortunately, Zhang Xingchen didn't dwell on this issue, otherwise Ma Tiantao would have been in serious trouble.
If Zhang Xingchen were to be near Wei Zhongxian and even slightly mention this matter, Wei Zhongxian would definitely get angry.
Despite his deep hatred for other civil and military officials, Wei Zhongxian was incredibly kind and caring towards his fellow eunuchs.
Wei Zhongxian absolutely forbade anyone to look down on eunuchs, because looking down on eunuchs was tantamount to looking down on him, Wei Zhongxian.
Several eunuchs fled, quickly heading towards the restaurant. The three people drinking in the private room were unaware of what had just happened. The Emperor glanced at the sky, somewhat surprised.
"These eunuchs are becoming increasingly unreliable. Half an hour has passed, and we still haven't seen Zhang Xingchen. Could it be that Zhang Xingchen is not giving me face?"
The emperor was a little angry, and Chen Er immediately tried to persuade him.
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? I know Brother Zhang Xingchen well, and I know that Zhang Xingchen is definitely not that kind of person. Please wait and see. If it really doesn't work, I will go and invite him myself."
Chen Er was also a little surprised. He hadn't expected Zhang Xingchen to be so disrespectful to the Emperor. Chen Er was now in a very awkward position.
Originally, they wanted to ease the tension between the Emperor and Zhang Xingchen, but now, if Zhang Xingchen really doesn't give the Emperor face, they'll have to deal with the situation.
Then the misunderstanding between the Emperor and Zhang Xingchen will only deepen, eventually reaching a point where they are irreconcilable enemies. Even if Chen Er has great abilities, he will not be able to make the two of them reconcile.
Just as Chen Er was pondering what had happened, several eunuchs rushed over in a panic. In particular, the older eunuch's face was completely disfigured, and his former features were no longer recognizable.
"Your Majesty, you must do me justice! Not only did Zhang Xingchen not come, but he also said a lot of bad things about you. He ruined my face!" the eunuch said, tears streaming down his face.
He hoped the emperor could make a decision for him, and the emperor slammed his fist on the table and stood up, even overturning the entire table.
"That damned Zhang Xingchen is truly lawless and doesn't respect me at all. Don't you all regard me as the emperor?"
"You all only listen to the Empress Dowager and Wei Zhongxian, and I'm the only one who's a paper tiger?" the Emperor roared in exasperation.
Chen Er sensed there must be some conflict here, and he looked at the eunuch with a puzzled expression.
"I know a little about Zhang Xingchen. Although he is usually very impulsive and doesn't draw, he always has a good reason when he hurts others. Did you provoke Zhang Xingchen first?"
Chen Er knew that although Zhang Xingchen had a fiery temper, he always had a unique reason for getting angry.
It's impossible that Zhang Xingchen would disfigure the eunuch's face for no reason. This eunuch couldn't tell the truth, otherwise, not only would the emperor not let him off, but Chen Er would probably kill him too.
So the eunuch embellished the story, recounting all of Zhang Xingchen's despicable behavior.
"Your Majesty, when we arrived at Qingge Courtyard, before we even went inside, I heard Zhang Xingchen say that he was the commander of the Three Warriors and that he would help Wei Zhongxian against Your Majesty. He also said that Yang Xiaoqian was the Emperor who was taken away, and that he was very resentful about it."
As the eunuch spoke, he observed the emperor's changing expression, and even his voice trembled slightly.
However, what the eunuch said made the emperor laugh. How ridiculous it was that a commander of three warriors dared to oppose the emperor. The emperor's fingernails dug into his flesh.
The Emperor was completely unaware of what was happening, and Zhang Shaoqing was also furious, since he and Zhang Xingchen were not very familiar with each other.
"Zhang Xingchen has really gone too far. Your Majesty, I think this time, you shouldn't reward Zhang Xingchen with the position of Minister of War, otherwise he might cause some trouble in the future."