Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 641 You Traitorous Scoundrel

Even as an observer, Pei Yuan felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

If we consider these palace maids and eunuchs as a whole, then the so-called wrath of the emperor, with its arbitrary life and death, may only cause superficial damage to this whole group.

If it's just a minor scratch, enough to amuse the tiger in the Qianqing Palace, who would care?

In the past, Pei Yuan often worried that as the Luo Cult expanded, when the number of members in the Luo Cult was large enough, it would form a spiritual core that was independent of Pei Yuan's control, a core of consciousness and self.

After all, many powerful figures in history were driven to their doom by the very weapons they forged.

But at this moment, from just a few words from Li Zhang, Pei Yuan could already sense that this parasitic ecosystem on imperial power was slowly wriggling and coming to life.

Pei Yuan was like another outsider who had broken into this cage.

They observed, listened, encouraged, and urged.

They wanted to see a show that would excite them even more.

Pei Yuan fell silent for a moment.

The Ming Dynasty was like an ecosystem with countless layers stacked together.

The framework of two capitals and thirteen provinces defined the power boundaries of the emperor, which extended beyond the county level.

Various regional groups formed around different interests.

Imperial power, nobles, military power, grain, maritime trade, minerals, the imperial examination system, the salt administration, border towns... all sorts of interests have their own chains.

These intertwined chains of interest formed a cohesive whole, which constituted the political structure of the Ming Dynasty.

Despite the extent of Pei Yuan's influence and the power he actually wielded, the entire nation still appeared insignificant in comparison.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was silent, Li Zhang was puzzled and couldn't think of anything to say to please him.

The group walked quietly. Li Zhang saw another patrol team ahead and said to Pei Yuan, "Commander, the area ahead is no longer a strategic point. It's not really a change of shifts. Manlong should be over there. I'll take you there."

Pei Yuan nodded slightly.

The group stopped, and Li Zhang took Pei Yuan with him alone.

The patrolling guards were slacking off when they heard a noise and got up to investigate.

Manlong spotted Li Zhang at a glance, and then his gaze fell on the tall figure beside Li Zhang. He muttered to his men, "We only owe Li Zhang a few taels of silver for gambling debts, and he's already come all this way. Let's hide for a while."

The eunuchs laughed along, and then followed Manlong, bending over, and disappeared into the shadows to another place.

In the past, when Pei Yuan was in the mood, he would praise Man Long for his cleverness, but now Pei Yuan was not in the mood for that.

Li Zhang led Pei Yuan onward, and they found a dilapidated palace.

He then said to Pei Yuan, "Commander, this is Zhuofang Garden. The Empress Dowager has arranged for Empress Xia to stay here temporarily because Kunning Palace is considered unclean."

In other words, he was effectively banished to the sidelines.

Zhao Zige has always been indifferent to the harem; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so surprised to see that his empress had lost weight.

Then, Zhao Zi, who thought he was a nice guy, offered his compensation by having two fat geese delivered to him.

After that, he went off to play by himself.

He never considered what such disrespect meant to the women in the harem.

Especially now that Empress Dowager Zhang has made it clear that she intends to make trouble for the Xia family.

Those former officials from the Hongzhi era who were reinstated certainly knew how to please their old masters.

If it weren't for Xiao Jing's timely connection, which allowed him to relay messages to the Empress from time to time and occasionally sneer at those snobbish people, Empress Xia's situation might have been even more difficult.

Li Zhang knocked gently on the door.

The soft "thump-thump" sound carried far in this quiet place.

Pei Yuan, who had been in a low mood just moments before, suddenly became somewhat nervous.

Li Zhang, however, mustered his courage and started knocking again.

Pei Yuan looked around.

Li Zhang first offered a word of comfort, "Commander, to prevent the transmission of information between the inside and outside, the Empress Dowager has driven away all the palace maids and eunuchs living in Zhuofang Garden."

After saying that, he shouted at the door, "Open the door! I know you heard me."

Inside the door, all was still silent.

It's as if covering your head will prevent anything from happening.

Without wasting words, Li Zhang said directly from outside the door, "Sun Yue'e and Zhao Lezhen, if you don't open the door, you'll be in for a world of hurt."

Li Zhang's words had an immediate effect.

Soon, a commotion was heard inside the door, and a young palace maid, her hands trembling with panic, pulled open the door latch.

Upon seeing that it was Li Zhang, who often came to deliver messages, he quickly bowed and greeted him, "Eunuch Li."

Li Zhang gave a cold snort, and the little palace maid trembled in fear.

Li Zhang lowered his voice slightly and asked, "Where is the Empress?"

The young palace maid hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "The Empress has already gone to bed. Eunuch Li has other matters to attend to, so please come tomorrow."

Li Zhang gave her a cold glance, and the little palace maid immediately fell silent.

Li Zhang then said casually, "I have important news to give to the Empress. You may leave now."

As he spoke, he gestured for Pei Yuan to go inside.

Pei Yuan was somewhat surprised. Was this really such a reckless act?
The young palace maid was taken aback and quickly said, "In that case, let me inform the Empress."

Li Zhang was about to get angry again, but Pei Yuan quickly stopped him.

Good heavens, the Empress is still asleep, and you want to go and talk to her about life and ideals?

If Pei Yuan was just looking for some fun, he might be tempted by such a suggestion, and he might even gamble on whether the Empress would dare to speak out.

But what Pei Yuan needs is an ally who can support his political ambitions at a crucial moment.

If even these eunuchs have another side, then Pei Yuan cannot ignore the empress's backlash.

Pei Yuan said to the palace maid, "Go and wake up the Empress first, and tell her that there is important news from outside the palace."

The young palace maid glanced at Li Zhang with some fear, symbolically closed the door, and ran into the hall.

Li Zhang was about to push open the courtyard gate when Pei Yuan said, "No rush."

Before long, the two saw a faint light shining through the crack in the door in the palace where the sleeping empress was.

Then the young palace maid came out and, trying to remain calm, said to the two of them, "The Empress said that if there is anything, please ask Eunuch Li to come back tomorrow."

Pei Yuan replied, "It's a matter concerning the Xia family, so we can't discuss it tomorrow."

The young palace maid went to report again, and this time it took a little longer before she came out and said, "The Empress has asked Eunuch Li to come in and give a report."

Li Zhang smiled and said, "No need, it's the same as letting him say it."

As he spoke, he gestured to Pei Yuan.

At this point, Pei Yuan naturally had no reason to hesitate.

How could he, so timid and hesitant, convince Empress Xia that he had the confidence to overthrow Empress Zhang? Pei Yuan immediately strode forward towards the palace.

Upon reaching the door, Pei Yuan gently knocked and then said, "Commander Pei Yuan requests an audience with the Empress."

Upon hearing that the person before her was not a eunuch but a military officer of a thousand households, the young palace maid gasped in fright.

She looked at Li Zhang, only to find that he remained remarkably calm.

Empress Xia inside was clearly shocked as well. After a long while, she said sternly, "How dare you! You are just a military officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. How dare you enter the inner palace at night!"

Pei Yuan gave a gentle push, and the door opened.

He then strode inside and closed the door behind him.

The young palace maid panicked upon seeing this and hurriedly tried to step forward.

Li Zhang flicked his whisk and placed it on the little palace maid's shoulder, then said in a sinister tone, "What's it to you? Be smarter, learn from Zhao Lezhen."

Although the whisk didn't weigh much, Li Zhang's words put immense pressure on the young palace maid.

She pursed her lips, and could only remain where she was, filled with worry.

Pei Yuan pushed open the door and entered, only to find Empress Xia already sitting at the table.

She stared at Pei Yuan in shock, never daring to imagine that the Imperial Guards would be so audacious.

Pei Yuan turned around and closed the door before facing Empress Xia.

He made no attempt to hide the aggression in his eyes, and his words carried a strange allure: "What the Empress needs right now is someone with audacity beyond measure."

Empress Xia sensed a hidden meaning in Pei Yuan's words, and after a moment's thought, surprisingly refrained from continuing her anger.

Her gaze scrutinized Pei Yuan, then she remembered who he was and suddenly became wary, standing up abruptly. "It's you! You're the one who framed me with Zhang Rui back then!"

Pei Yuan decisively shifted the blame, saying, "The Empress Dowager and Zhang Rui pressured me to frame the Empress, but I still revealed the truth to His Majesty."

"His Majesty is aware of the whole story. If the Empress does not believe it, she can ask His Majesty for verification."

Upon hearing this, Empress Xia swayed slightly and braced herself against the table.

Her fingers were pale and bloodless, like cold jade and frost.

Pei Yuan subtly sowed discord, saying, "His Majesty and the Empress Dowager's relationship is fragile. Sometimes, they have to accommodate each other's emotions. I imagine that once the Empress Dowager's anger subsides, His Majesty will remember the Empress."

A trace of sadness appeared on Empress Xia's beautiful face.

Back then, when the emperor was only fourteen years old, the court held a grand wedding for him in order to prove to the world that the boy had become a man.

To avoid the emergence of powerful maternal relatives who could influence the emperor during periods of political upheaval, the Empress Dowager and court officials specifically chose her, who was one year younger than the emperor.

As expected, the emperor had no interest in the girlish Empress Xia, and no new maternal relatives emerged in the court who could challenge the Zhang family's two marquises.

She watched Zhu Houzhao grow from a boy into a young man, becoming quite heroic.

She also watched as Zhu Houzhao, under the strict watchful eye of the Empress Dowager, went from being ignorant about women to becoming addicted to men.

She was acutely aware of her importance in the emperor's heart.

They also knew that the conflict between the Zhang and Xia families was not something that could be resolved simply by "the anger subsiding".

She looked at Pei Yuan and tried to sound authoritative as she said, "Is that so?"

As soon as she finished speaking, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Pei Yuan felt pity for her and couldn't bear to take out what was in his sleeve and threaten Empress Xia at this moment.

It seemed that because she was in front of outsiders, Empress Xia composed herself very quickly.

She asked, "And what are you here for?"

Despite her efforts to suppress them, and even to avoid revealing her vulnerability by refraining from wiping away her tears, her once clear voice was now slightly trembling and hoarse.

Pei Yuan completely stopped thinking about what was in his sleeve.

He looked at Empress Xia and boldly approached, "I told you, I, Commander Xia, am an incredibly audacious person."

Empress Xia took a step back warily.

Pei Yuan paid no attention to Empress Xia's wary posture and continued forward, "If the Empress doesn't want to wait to die in this cold palace, isn't someone like me exactly what she needs?"

Empress Xia said sternly, "How dare you!"

He then shouted outside, "Yue'e, Lezhen!"

Seeing that there was no sound outside, the Empress suddenly realized that even if the two palace maids came after hearing the news, they would be powerless against the person in front of her in this cold palace.

Pei Yuan strode forward, and Empress Xia retreated in a panic.

Once they reached the wall, Pei Yuan immediately cornered Empress Xia and pulled her into his arms.

Empress Xia was stunned with fright, and then she began to beat Pei Yuan with all her might.

Pei Yuan smelled the fragrance in his arms and thought to himself, "This is the Empress, I've already embraced her."

Then, without any hesitation, he kissed Empress Xia on the face.

Empress Xia tried her best to dodge, and Pei Yuan, fearing she would bite him, dared not go too far. Instead, he freed his hand and gently stroked her warm, smooth body.

Empress Xia was extremely ashamed and indignant. She twisted her body to dodge, and then, as expected, she remembered to bite. She bared her small white teeth and bit at Pei Yuan's face.

Pei Yuan didn't have time to touch her anymore and quickly controlled her head.

He then put one arm around Empress Xia and covered her mouth tightly with the other, pressing his body against the wall as she continued to struggle.

Empress Xia entered the palace as a young girl and was a pampered noblewoman. After struggling for a short while, she became weak and powerless.

Seeing that Empress Xia was only breathing softly, Pei Yuan tried his best to calm himself down, pressed his forehead slightly against Empress Xia's, and asked, "Am I too bold?"

Pei Yuan was quite handsome, and at such close range, Empress Xia felt a mix of fear and panic.

Pei Yuan released his hand from her mouth, and Empress Xia immediately bit him.

Pei Yuan quickly covered her mouth again.

Then, the hand that was holding her body moved to wrap around her arm and reach down to her lower back.

Empress Xia was of medium height, not as tall as Song Chunniang. Pei Yuan had to bend over slightly to touch her soft, smooth buttocks.

Because he bent slightly, his lips were once again close to Empress Xia's ear, and he asked again, "Am I too bold?"

Tears welled up in Empress Xia's eyes. Pei Yuan gently released his hand from Empress Xia's lips. Before Empress Xia could realize what was happening, she continued to bite. Suddenly, Pei Yuan's hand, which was touching her buttocks, grabbed her.

Only faint murmurs escaped from Empress Xia's lips.

Pei Yuan covered Empress Xia's mouth again, gently kissed her cheek, and sucked on her neck.

Empress Xia struggled in every way, but could not resist this strong man. Her mind completely collapsed, and her tense body went limp.

Pei Yuan released his hand from Empress Xia's lips, used his forehead to control her forehead, and held her hand tightly with his other hand.

Pei Yuan spoke again, asking, "Am I too bold?"

Even Empress Xia, who had been trying so hard to appear strong, finally lost control of herself and sobbed, "You traitorous scoundrel!"

Pei Yuan slowly loosened his grip on Empress Xia's hand and said to her in a very serious tone, "Your enemy is the current Empress Dowager. Only someone as bold as me can give you another way to live."

(End of this chapter)