In the first year of Zhengtong (1436), in the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing, a kind-hearted middle-aged woman was sitting in the seat. She was the Empress Dowager Zhang. Her son, the late Emperor Zhu Zhanji, left her a year ago, so

Her grandson succeeded to the throne, and she became the Empress Dowager. Time left no trace on this woman's face, and the deaths of her husband and son in eleven years did not make her look grief-stricken and haggard.

It was unbearable. She just sat there and looked at a man sitting on her left side with his eyes closed on a wooden chair. Why was there a man in the palace of the Emperor and the Empress late at night?

There was more than one man in the Cining Palace that day. There were five men lined up a little further to the right of the Empress Dowager. They were all men who had passed their forties. The older ones had already had their hair and beards full.

Bai, they stood there motionless with their heads lowered, waiting for the Empress Dowager to speak again. These five distinguished people were all famous people in the government and the public. They were Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Yang Pu, who were known as the Three Yangs.

, as well as Zhang Fu and Hu Hu. It was cold in Beijing in February. It snowed heavily that day. Several ministers came in the snow. The moment they entered the house, the snow was baked into snow water by the warm stove in the house. The water

The official uniforms of the five ministers were soaked, showing large water marks on their shoulders and chests, making them look a little embarrassed. But no one showed an impatient expression, they just stood there like five clay sculptures.

"Mr. Shi, you still think that Zhu Qizhen is suitable for this throne, right?" Empress Dowager Zhang asked urgently to this man who was resting with his eyes closed. This man was about forty years old, with three strands of beard and particularly good-looking hair.

It was already a bit gray, and it spread naturally and smoothly on the back, with a hint of a master of the immortal style. The man opened his eyes slightly after hearing the Queen Mother's question, took a long breath, and then murmured: "

Hmm." He continued to close his eyes, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him. The Queen Mother looked at the man she called Mr. Shi, then turned to the five ministers who were still like stone sculptures and clay sculptures and said:

"Five beloved ministers, the late emperor appointed five ministers to take care of his affairs. Today you also heard Mr. Shi's reply. In the future, the five of you must do your best to assist the emperor. I thank you for this."

The five ministers hurriedly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed: "I don't dare, I will do my best and die. I will not be respected by the late emperor and loved by the emperor and the queen mother." The queen mother nodded with satisfaction, and then said to her.

He opened the door and said, "Emperor Xuan entered Cining Palace, sent word to Wang Zhen, and ordered him to wait outside the palace."

Not long after, a young man wearing a four-piece dragon robe came in. When he saw the Empress Dowager, he immediately paid his respects: "Your Majesty and Grandson send your regards to the Empress Dowager, and wish the Empress Dowager happiness as long as the East China Sea and longevity as heaven."

The Empress Dowager's twin phoenixes and dragon crowns moved slightly, as if she shook her head. It seemed that the Empress Dowager did not like the young emperor who had just ascended the throne. The Empress Dowager made the emperor lie down, ordered someone to sit down, and then

He ordered Wang Zhen outside the door to enter the palace.

A thin, slightly hunched man walked in outside the door. He was wearing eunuch's clothes. He couldn't be said to be good-looking, nor ugly, but one eye was a bit bigger and the other was smaller. His face was shaking violently.

As he looked, the uncontrollable smile was about to bloom on his pretending to be calm face, but he still tried hard to endure the torture, and he blinked at the little emperor sitting next to the Queen Mother.

Blinking his eyes, he thought maybe no one saw it, but in fact everyone saw it. Yang Shiqi, who was already over seventy years old, didn't even look like a clay sculpture anymore. When he saw Wang Zhen walking into the palace, he couldn't help but sigh.

He couldn't help but snorted coldly.

Wang Zhen walked up to the Empress Dowager and bowed sincerely, then lay down on the ground and stopped moving. The Empress Dowager said kindly: "Wang Zhen, you studied with the Emperor and grew up with the Emperor. How can the Emperor do this?"

You are indispensable for your successful accession to the throne. What should I reward you for?" Wang shook his head and knocked it hard like garlic, then lowered his head and said: "This is what a slave should do. A slave who can accompany the emperor is truly an ancestor.

If you are lucky enough to accumulate virtue for three lifetimes, how can you dare to ask for any reward?" Wang Zhen kept his head down as he answered the Queen Mother's questions, never daring to raise his head and look directly at the Queen Mother. At this time, he was still a smart slave, and he did not overdo it.

In their excitement, they forgot that they were eunuchs. The five ministers who cared about life all showed disdain and looked at the eunuch who was lying on the ground like a dog.

The man called Mr. Shi opened his eyes, looked at Wang Zhen who was kneeling on the ground, and then turned to look at the Empress Dowager with an imperceptible sneer. At this time, Wang Zhen, who was lying on the ground, felt like his heart was burning.

It was like boiling water, and the river was boiling. He wanted to be summoned by the Empress Dowager in person, and there were also five ministers who were appointed by the late emperor to take care of his life. The day of his rapid rise had come, and the Empress Dowager would entrust him with an important task today.

After Empress Dowager Zhang saw Mr. Shi nodding, she took the nine-year-old emperor's hand and said: "Emperor, these five ministers who care about life are the pillars of the country. They will assist you with all their heart in the future. You must also listen."

Do you understand what they said?" The little emperor replied: "Remember the teachings of the Empress Dowager." The Empress Dowager nodded, and suddenly said in a straight tone: "From now on, what they say will be equivalent to what I said, you

You must obey, and you must not go your own way when discussing with your five beloved ministers, otherwise the Ai family will never let you go." The little emperor was startled by the sudden change in the Queen Mother's tone. He did not dare to reply and just nodded.

The five ministers below him knelt on the ground one after another. Hu Hu even cried bitterly and said in unison: "I will never let down the great kindness of the Empress Dowager." It is indeed a blessing to receive such support and affirmation.

The reason why Hu Xi cried bitterly.

"Wang Zhen." The Empress Dowager said cheerfully. At this time, Wang Zhen was simply elated. The five ministers responsible for guiding the emperor were responsible for guiding the emperor's governance. If he put it to the end, wouldn't he be asked to supervise the country? Such an important task should be placed on him.

For myself, I can be regarded as a glorious ancestor who has expelled the bad breath of being a eunuch. Thinking back to the time when I was just an ordinary or even failed teacher among the people, but now I can play the role of supervising the country, it is like smoke rising from my ancestral grave.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhen's voice couldn't help but trembled: "I'm here." The Empress Dowager still said gently: "Stand up and speak." Wang Zhen stood up tremblingly, even though he had been reading for the little emperor for a year.

, but this was the first time I saw the Empress Dowager so close. In the past, he was lying on the ground or with his head lowered.

But when Wang Zhen raised her head, she saw a ferocious face. The Empress Dowager was no longer so kind. She just stared at Wang Zhen fiercely. Wang Zhen was so frightened that he threw himself to the ground again, trembling all over.

The five ministers who took care of life also looked shocked. In their eyes, the Empress Dowager was always a gentle, gentle, kind-hearted woman, but today she was so ferocious and murderous. The Empress Dowager stood up and pointed at the kneeling woman.

Wang Zhen, who was constantly shaking on the ground, shouted: "You eunuch, how dare you mislead the emperor and destroy our Ming Dynasty. I will kill you today to let you know why Emperor Taizu did not allow eunuchs to participate in politics." There were already preparations outside the palace.

Several guards with knives rushed in, and the gleaming knives were placed on Wang Zhen's neck. Wang Zhen shrank into a ball in fear. For a while, he kept kowtowing like a kowtowing insect and begged with trembling sounds.

He wrote: "The Great Empress Dowager, please spare my life. I have realized my crime. I have realized my crime."

The rapid transformation within a few minutes caught everyone off guard. Only Mr. Shi was still sitting on the chair, squinting at what was happening in front of him. The little emperor had been accompanied by Wang Zhen since he was a child and naturally had deep feelings for him, so he knelt down.

He begged the Empress Dowager to spare Wang Zhen's life. Since the emperor knelt down, naturally the five ministers who followed the new master's words also knelt down one after another to plead for the eunuch Wang Zhen.
Chapter completed!