“Eunuch Zhang, this is His Majesty’s decree.”

“It won’t take long. Besides… I won’t run away.”

That eunuch thought for a moment: “All right then, we’ll wait for you in the courtyard. Be quick.”

Eunuch Zhang nodded and entered the Buddhist hall.

He lit incense!

Kowtowed in prayer!

Only then did he emerge.

His eyes were extremely calm, showing no sign of panic whatsoever.

At this moment, as far as he was concerned, he had already seen through life and death!

One incense stick’s time later.

He was brought to a pavilion.

Wei Yi had prepared fine wine and delicacies waiting for him.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Eunuch Zhang prepared to kneel, but was immediately stopped by Wei Yi.

“No need for such formality.” Wei Yi greeted him with a smile, pointing his hand to the seat beside him and saying, “Eunuch Zhang, come, sit!”

“This old servant doesn’t dare.”

“Today there is no sovereign and subject, even less sovereign and servant—only us and you.” Wei Yi deliberately emphasized this, then said to several eunuchs, “All of you may withdraw.”

“Yes.”

The eunuchs and palace maids all withdrew.

Only Wei Yi and Eunuch Zhang remained.

Eunuch Zhang sat down.

But kept his head lowered.

“We still remember the last time we saw Eunuch Zhang was probably in March. In the blink of an eye, quite some time has passed.”

“This old servant has remained in the Buddhist hall all along. Your Majesty handles ten thousand affairs daily—this old servant dares not disturb.”

“What are you saying? Eunuch Zhang was a favored person by the late emperor’s side, deeply trusted by the late emperor, and also an elder of this palace. Even we must show you some respect.” Wei Yi said.

Eunuch Zhang lowered his head again: “This old servant doesn’t dare. Before Your Majesty, I am ultimately just a servant.”

Wei Yi smiled slightly, picked up his chopsticks, and placed a piece of meat in his bowl, saying as he did so, “If we could have someone as loyal as Eunuch Zhang by our side, that would be our blessing indeed.”

Eunuch Zhang looked at the meat in his bowl and quickly said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Today there are no others here. We have something… we’d like to ask you.”

Finally getting to the main point.

Eunuch Zhang was no fool either—he knew in his heart.

“Your Majesty may ask.”

“But if we ask, will you tell us?”

“That depends on what Your Majesty asks.”

Wei Yi smiled, then lifted the wine pot and poured a cup of wine into Eunuch Zhang’s cup.

The wine flowed into the cup.

Gleaming!

Chillingly cold! Wei Yi said with a puzzled tone, “We still remember that night when the late emperor passed away. In the hall were Prince Rong, the imperial physicians, several cabinet ministers, and you, Eunuch Zhang. At that time, Prince Rong dismissed the physicians and cabinet ministers from the room, leaving only you. Not long after, Lord Shang from the Hanlin Academy entered. We just want to know… why did Prince Rong keep you and summon Lord Shang? What exactly happened in that hall at the time?”

While speaking, Wei Yi also observed Eunuch Zhang’s expression.

But Eunuch Zhang’s expression hadn’t changed at all from when he entered until now!

“If Eunuch Zhang knows, you must tell us.”

“Is it important?”

“…”

Eunuch Zhang said, “Whatever happened in that hall at the time has no meaning whatsoever for the present.”

Wei Yi rose and walked several steps around the table. “We have carried a question in our heart all along: why would the late emperor pass the throne to us? And not to Prince Rong? Why did you all remain behind closed doors in that hall for a full three incense sticks’ worth of time?” Eunuch Zhang sighed and recalled: “When the late emperor passed away, everyone knelt on the ground. Prince Rong kept watch at the bedside. The late emperor grasped his hand and said over and over—telling him to guard the realm, to guard the common people of this Great Lin. This old servant still cannot forget the late emperor’s eyes at that time. Whenever I think of it, this old servant feels endless regret and guilt.”

“Why regret? Why guilt?”

“Regret for everything, guilt for everything.” Eunuch Zhang spoke vaguely.

And Wei Yi listened in a daze.

Although he felt there was something extremely strange and suspicious about it, he couldn’t dig out the truth.

Where exactly was the problem?

And this old servant clearly just didn’t want to tell him the truth.

Wei Yi withdrew some of his previous pleasant tone, his face turning stern: “You know these aren’t what we want to hear.”

“But these are all this servant can say!”

“Then why did Lord Shang come looking for you today? Was it truly to visit you, this favored person from the late emperor’s side? Or… does it relate to that matter of you all closing the hall doors years ago?”

“Lord Shang came to see this old servant only about some old matters.”

“What old matters!”

Eunuch Zhang sighed deeply and boldly met Wei Yi’s stern yet extremely sinister eyes, saying, “Very, very long ago… old matters.”

These words seemed to carry a hint of reminder.

Wei Yi’s brows furrowed even tighter.

He said, “You talk in circles, still playing tricks with us. What we want and what you know—you haven’t said any of it!”

Eunuch Zhang actually smiled: “If Your Majesty were diligent in governance and loving toward the people, focused on managing state affairs, today you would not have come to ask about these matters.”

“Are you reproaching us?”

“This old servant doesn’t dare. It’s just that though one resides within the Buddhist hall, ultimately one is still within this imperial city, and one’s ears… will always hear some things.” Eunuch Zhang was alluding to Wei Yi’s disruption of the court.

This angered Wei Yi until his fists clenched!

But this old fellow was truly too shrewd—as shrewd as the late emperor.

“Truly worthy of being someone from the late emperor’s side. Eunuch Zhang, we understand your words.” After speaking, he pointed at that cup of wine. “Today we had the intention to invite you here. This cup of wine… surely cannot be wasted.”

His tone was ominous!

Eunuch Zhang gazed at that cup of wine before him and smiled knowingly: “It is indeed time. This old servant has stayed in this imperial palace for decades. Flowers bloom and fade—how many more years can there be? One cup of wine will resolve this old servant’s troubles.”

Having spoken, he drained that cup of wine in one gulp.

Without the slightest hesitation.

The wine entered his throat—both cool and bitter!

After Wei Yi watched him finish drinking, he turned and walked to the pavilion’s edge, unwilling to watch.

He only heard Eunuch Zhang say: “Late Emperor, this old servant… has come to accompany you.”

His voice trembled!

A short while later, “thud”—a sound.

Eunuch Zhang collapsed to the ground.

A trace of sorrow flashed across Wei Yi’s cold, hard face at this moment, but it vanished in an instant!

“Someone come!” He called out.

Several eunuchs came forward.

When they saw Eunuch Zhang lying on the ground in the pavilion, those eunuchs froze for a moment.

Extremely shocked.

“Your Majesty, this…”

When the person entered he was still alive—how is he now dead?

Yet His Majesty seemed not at all surprised by this matter.

“Eunuch Zhang couldn’t handle his wine and died suddenly.” Wei Yi’s simple sentence.

The several eunuchs didn’t dare doubt it.

But several more astute eunuchs saw the suspicious aspects within—this… was clearly His Majesty executing Eunuch Zhang!

But so what if they knew?

After all, he was the emperor.

Even if there were something fishy about this, they didn’t dare say more.

Subsequently, Eunuch Zhang’s body was dragged out.

And Wei Yi stood in the pavilion for a long time without coming back to himself. Not knowing what he was thinking in his heart.