Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 104: Being molested by a beautiful woman! The most high-end prey!
  Zhang Chonghui was stunned, and for a moment he was truly speechless...

He had deliberately exposed so many "flaws" in front of Empress Dowager Li, why did she still think he was Zhang Juzheng?

"Empress, I really am not 'him', and Mr. Shen Ge and Yu Shangshu do not really believe that I am 'him'." Zhang Chonghui explained seriously again.

However, Zhang Chonghui's explanation not only failed to bring about a "sudden realization" from Empress Dowager Li, but instead caused her to twist her arm again.

"Just pretend!" Empress Dowager Li frowned, pursed her lips in displeasure, and said angrily: "You may be able to deceive others, but you still want to deceive me?"

Zhang Chonghui explained intently: "No... the Queen Mother, I really am not..."

"You are it!" Queen Mother Li interrupted forcefully and said with great certainty:
  "Mr. Zhang, stop pretending, no one can understand you better than me! Also, what are you afraid of? Do you think I am old and old? Do you even refuse to acknowledge me?"

At this moment, Zhang Chonghui was also speechless...

Zhang Chonghui didn't understand why Empress Dowager Li was so 'firm' that she 'must' be Zhang Juzheng, but he had no time to think about that much.

Seeing that the opponent's body is getting closer and closer, and there is "no retreat" behind him...

At this critical moment, someone comes!
  "The Queen Mother, Princess Rongchang is here with the emperor's eldest son, saying that she wants to pay you respects."

Seeing someone coming to communicate, Queen Mother Li calmly returned to her usual graceful posture in just a moment, as if the 'gaffe' just now had never existed.

"Let them go to the Nuan Pavilion and wait for a while. I want to change clothes."

After Empress Dowager Li gave her calm instructions, she and Zhang Chonghui returned to the moment when it was 'only' her and Zhang Chonghui in the hall.

This time, Queen Mother Li was no longer as 'pressing' as before. She just asked in a normal tone: "Are you really not him?"

Without the opponent's "pressing closer and closer," Zhang Chonghui was finally able to "stand up straight," and he replied with a sigh of relief: "Empress Dowager, I am not him. Zhang Juzheng is dead."

"Oh? Really?" Queen Mother Li raised her chin and said with 'deliberateness' in her words:

"Since you are not 'him', then presumably you do not know the emperor. If Zhang Baigui were here, he would know that his emperor's student would never let his grandson step out of the Forbidden City again."

After finishing her words, Empress Dowager Li twisted the beads in her hand again. Compared to the usual routine, this time she felt a little more leisurely and contented.

Unknowingly, she seemed to have returned to her secret joy when facing 'that prey' more than ten years ago.

More than ten years ago, the reaction of Mr. Zhang when she pressed him step by step was exactly the same as the reaction of the young man in front of him just now.

The same "step back step by step", a calm attitude of "a good woman is forced to become a prostitute", but she is not panicking and waits for things to change.

To put it bluntly, this is prudery.

Zhang Chonghui didn't speak again, he just lowered his head and looked thoughtful, as if he was thinking about the next way to go.

"Are you panicking?" The empress dowager, who looked dignified, noble and unsmiling in the eyes of outsiders, was smiling slyly at this moment, as if everything was under her control, as cunning as a fox.

Just as Empress Dowager Li had thought, the young man in front of her lowered her head and thought for a while, and finally could only nodded to her with a look of helplessness.

Seeing this, Empress Dowager Li felt even more confident about winning, and she asked again: "Do you want me to help you?"

Zhang Chonghui was not polite and said directly: "I want to."

"What are you thinking about?"

"This... of course I want... Queen Mother, you can help me solve the current problem."

"Oh, is that all you want?"

"……Um……"

"But I only help Zhang Baigui. You are not him, so I won't help you."

"..."

"I'll ask you again, are you Zhang Baigui?"

"Yes."

"Now? But now I don't believe you are Zhang Baigui. What should I do?"

"..."

For a moment, the atmosphere was extremely weird. Zhang Chonghui lowered his head as if he couldn't resist the opponent, as if he didn't know how to explain it.

However, the more 'prey' appears to be 'unable to resist', the more 'eager' the 'hunter' becomes.

'Perhaps' it was because the 'teeth mark' on Zhang Chonghui's wrist was a bit conspicuous. Empress Dowager Li pulled the young man's vein-covered arm over with great concern and carefully stroked the wound.

However, Zhang Chonghui stopped hiding and simply allowed Empress Dowager Li to drag him away, as if he didn't have any strength for his huge body.

"Is your skin made of iron? Looking at the thin skin and white flesh, I never thought it was just a little torn flesh."

Queen Mother Li's voice was very soft and caring. At first glance, others would just think that it was an elder who was caring and asking about a younger one.

Only the two people involved can understand the indescribable and subtle meaning mixed in it.

"Empress...I..." Zhang Chonghui had something to say.

"Shh." Queen Mother Li interrupted the other party's words, but her fair and white hands, which had been particularly pitied by the years, did not want to let go, and still gently held the injury on the young man's wrist.

The onion finger gently circled the wound in circles and circles. While circling deeply, Queen Mother Li asked softly: "Let me ask you again, are you Zhang Baigui?"

Zhang Chonghui did not answer immediately, but his ears turned red.

The young man's unavoidable gaze and his obvious Adam's apple all fell directly into Queen Mother Li's eyes as if by accident.

Looking at the shy look on the young man's face, it was as if an electric current flowed from those hot arms full of veins, along the green-white fingertips, and into the heart of Queen Mother Li that had been dusty for many years, as well as the trace of throbbing.

Unknowingly, an inexplicable heat surged into my heart.

"Mother, I don't want to lie to you. I really am not him..." Zhang Chonghui said and hurriedly withdrew his hand. His evasive gaze, not knowing whether it was true or false, gave people a sense of deja vu that he was lying. .

When Empress Dowager Li had 'caught' this, she angrily grabbed the other person's hand that was trying to 'escape', and even pressed the wound a little harder angrily.

"hiss……"

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"What's your name if it doesn't hurt?"

"Eh? My dear, can't you scream if it doesn't hurt?"

"You...you old crook!"

"My dear, please be careful, I am only thirteen years old."

"You're thirteen, why don't you pretend anymore?"

"Then my dear, can you help me?"

"No help!"

"I'm leaving."

"Hey you! Wait a minute!"

Until the end, Queen Mother Li may not have known one thing, and that was——

——The most high-end hunters often appear as prey.

……

At the same time, outside the main hall.

Zhu Xuanyu was pacing back and forth with a worried look on her face. Her pale face seemed to have something 'very urgent' and she was anxious to tell Empress Dowager Li about it.

However, her royal grandmother had closed the palace door and did not come out for a long time. This made her inexplicably more anxious and more 'scared'.

"Sister Huang, why does it take so long for Grandma Huang to change her clothes?" Zhu Changluo raised his head and asked.

Zhu Xuanyu shook her head, her face turned pale and she could only sigh helplessly.

Seeing Zhu Xuanyu's frighteningly pale face, Zhu Changluo became even more frightened. Thinking of the pool of blood on the back of her skirt, he felt more and more that this eldest sister was probably going to die soon. Zhu Changluo still felt very sad when he thought that the only sister who treated him well was about to die. While he didn't understand why Zhu Xuanyu didn't seek help from the imperial doctor, he decided to do his "little power" to help this eldest sister.

Ever since, Zhu Changluo mustered up his meager courage and rushed towards the tightly closed door of the main hall without saying a word!

For a moment, no one reacted, and they were all stunned by Zhu Changluo's behavior!

Zhu Xuanyu was also shocked. Fortunately, she reacted very quickly and hurriedly ran to stop the silly brother who was about to 'bump into the door'.

However, it seems it's too late...

……

Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Chonghui came out of Cining Palace. According to the news from Fanzi, the Queen Mother and him spoke in the main palace...for less than half an hour..."

Zhang Cheng lowered his head to report the news. He looked calm on the surface, but his heart was already beating up and down.

"Oh? Less than half an hour? Just?"

Zhu Yijun put down the brush that had been damaged to the point of splitting due to excessive writing force, and asked another question, saying:
  "Is it just talking?"

"Reply to your Majesty..." Zhang Cheng had already lowered his head to the lower part of his waist, and the sweat on his back had flowed back to his neck. When he felt that his neck was 'cool', he swallowed his saliva and replied anxiously. :
  "At that time... there were only two people in the hall, the Queen Mother and Zhang Chonghui... Our people couldn't really hear what they were saying... But! But they were just talking!"

Zhang Cheng's last words were almost said in a 'guarantee' tone.

In fact... Zhang Cheng himself had no idea...

After all, no matter how awesome Dongchang's eyeliners are, they can't be so awesome that they can hide in the nooks and crannies of the Empress Dowager's palace and listen to the wall, right?

Dingtian means listening to the sound at the door, or lifting up the tiles on the roof to take a peek.

However, as we all know, the glazed tiles of Cining Palace are not so easy to lift.

Therefore, the fans in Dongchang only knew that Zhang Chonghui and Empress Dowager Li had been chatting privately in the palace for a long time.

As for what exactly the two people 'talked about' and whether they did anything else...

Zhang Cheng thought, Zhang Chonghui is only thirteen years old, maybe...should...probably...can't?
  Although it's not impossible...

But regardless of whether there is such a 'possibility', Zhang Cheng can never 'say' that there is such a 'possibility'.

After all, if this 'possibility' were really possible, His Majesty the Emperor would probably go crazy...

Zhu Yijun didn't seem to have any doubts about Zhang Cheng's answer, and asked another question: "Has Wang Xijue received the imperial edict to re-trial the 'Demon Book Case'?"

Zhang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and replied: "Replying to the emperor, Mr. Wang Ge has received the imperial edict."

"Have you confessed all the things that need to be explained to him?" Zhu Yijun seemed to be just asking about a very common thing, and his words were calm and gentle.

Zhang Cheng was stunned for only a moment, and then quickly and clearly replied: "When I go back to the emperor, I will tell Mr. Wang Ge what I need to explain, but... Mr. Wang Ge did not express his attitude clearly. After all, he……"

"After all, he and Shen Shixing are from the same hometown and the same age, and they have a close personal relationship, right?" Zhu Yijun continued the second half of what Zhang Cheng was hesitating to say.

Zhang Cheng did not dare to make a flattering gesture at this moment. He only dared to lower his head lower and said solemnly: "Your Majesty is wise."

Although he was unwilling to admit it, Zhang Cheng had to admit one thing.

He had offended so many ministers of the previous dynasty, and even Shen Shixing, who had been the chief minister for ten years, did not take him seriously, but he only had a "terror" towards one person.

That's right, the person Zhang Cheng is afraid of is Wang Xijue, the current chief minister of the cabinet.

Zhang Cheng didn't know why he was afraid of Wang Xijue. Perhaps it was because this "crazy" chief assistant with an eccentric and unpleasant personality was a bit like the "crazy chief assistant" he once had...

"That's all." Zhu Yijun suddenly breathed a long sigh of relief and said inexplicably:
  "It doesn't matter if there are any miscellaneous things happening, if there is nothing, then there will be nothing. If there is, then there will be."

Anyway, the day when the 'Demon Book Case' ends will be the day when Zhang Chonghui dies.

Zhu Yijun didn't know if his good mother was also 'deceived' by Zhang Chonghui like Shen Shixing and Yu Shenxing.

In short, people who are about to die are just things that are about to be scattered.

"So what if it's true or false? He's going to die anyway, he's already dead anyway..."

"They're all dead anyway...whether it's true or not...so what?"

Zhu Yijun murmured two or three more words, and while sighing, he had no idea that he was actually escaping again.

……

"When falsehood becomes true, truth is also false. Inaction is everywhere and nothingness? What does this mean?"

Zhu Changluo scratched his head and asked the handsome young man in front of him, who was much taller than him, with a blank look on his face.

Zhang Chonghui was a little embarrassed. He didn't expect that his casual conversation with Empress Dowager Li in private would be overheard by Zhu Changluo, who came to pay homage to Empress Dowager Li.

At this moment, Queen Mother Li seemed to have something "urgent" to tell her granddaughter, Princess Rongchang. Therefore, Zhang Chonghui could only get rid of Zhu Changluo, who was such a "trouble".

I don't know if these two siblings 'saw' anything...

"Go back to Your Highness." Zhang Chonghui gave the answer he understood and said:
  “When false is taken as true, truth is also false, which means: when false is taken as true, truth seems to be false.

Where there is nothing, there is nothing, which means: when we treat what is not as something, then what is becomes something that is not. "

Zhu Changluo was even more puzzled. The eldest son of the emperor, who was already ten years old but had not yet officially left the imperial court to study, basically all the knowledge he came into contact with was taught in the inner book hall. The eunuchs who came out taught him this.

The level of eunuchs taught in the inner study hall can be described as "uneven".

There is a great eunuch like Feng Bao who is 'talented' and considers himself elegant. Naturally, there is a certain person with the surname "Wei" who is illiterate but still wields great power.

As for an unpopular prince like Zhu Changluo, he naturally doesn't have the treatment of a great companion like 'Feng Bao', so having a 'mid-range version of Old Wei' is already pretty good.

Therefore, the cultural level of Zhu Changluo, who was ten years old at the time, was not very low.

"I still don't understand." Zhu Changluo still shook his head in confusion, recalling the 'name' used by his younger brother Zhu Changxun when he asked the Hanlin scholars for advice. Zhu Changluo, who didn't know what it was called, also opened his mouth to imitate it, and said to Zhang Chonghui:

"Sir, can you tell me the answer?"

When Zhu Changluo said "Sir", everyone present was stunned.

You know, Zhang Chonghui is just a criminal queen, no matter how unpopular Zhu Changluo is, he is still the son of the dragon.

How could a criminal who was only thirteen years old be able to bear the words "Sir" from the eldest son of the emperor?
  That is to say, Zhu Changluo was still young and knew very little, so he made such an 'obvious' 'mistake'.

Just when the atmosphere was awkward, Zhang Chonghui answered.

"Your Highness, the ordinary people have no fame and cannot afford to be your gentleman. I wonder if you still want to hear the opinions of the ordinary people?" Zhang Chonghui asked with cupped hands.

Zhu Changluo suddenly blushed when he realized that he had made a mistake, and shame and anger immediately came to his heart!

Zhu Changluo was heartbroken when he thought that he actually called a commoner "Mr."

Just when Zhu Changluo was so embarrassed and angry that he was about to turn around and run away, crying in the storm, the 'familiar figure' suddenly appeared not far away, which made him tremble all over!
  His weak knees were about to 'break', but at the next moment, Zhu Changluo stood 'forcibly' like a 'machine' that had received some 'instruction'!
  "Listen..." Zhu Changluo's eyes were empty and panicked. He paused and said to Zhang Chonghui like a broken 'machine':
  "You... you... say... I listen..."

Zhang Chonghui did not raise his head or look at Zhu Changluo. At this moment, he just wanted to get rid of Zhu Changluo quickly, so he gave a straightforward answer and said:

"Your Highness, ordinary people believe that true and false, existence and non-existence, their 'essence' is actually the same. They are not simply true and false, nor are they simply literal existence and non-existence.

Many people spend their entire lives trying to figure out what is real and what exists, and what is fake and nonexistent. This is just so as not to be confused by the illusion, so as not to lose the true meaning.

But when people distinguish between true and false, whether there is something true or not, they often make subjective assumptions and base their opinions on what is true. In this way, it is already unfair and biased.

Therefore, according to the common people's humble opinion, there is no real so-called 'true and false', 'existence and non-existence' in everything and in everything. The common people think that all this is just different from person to person..."

Zhang Chonghui was still talking. At the same time, there was silence outside the palace gate not far away.

The palace people who were still coming and going here were all kneeling on the ground at this moment, and no one dared to make a sound.

Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun stood among the crowd, quietly watching Zhang Chonghui who was talking.

With his eyes calm and calm, Zhu Yijun snorted in a low voice:

"That's nonsense!"

　happy New Year!
  　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)