Zhu Changluo lay on the bed, tossing and turning in the warm palace as he listened to the howling wind outside. He found it difficult to fall asleep.
"Master, what time is it now?"
Zhu Changluo really couldn't sleep, so he sat up and asked his personal eunuch, Li Bao, who was keeping watch outside.
"Master, it's a quarter past midnight."
Li Bao lifted a corner of the curtain and entered. When he saw Zhu Changluo sitting on the bed, he hurriedly went forward and put a coat on him. "Master, it's cold. Quick, put on your coat."
"I'm not that weak."
Although Zhu Changluo said this, he still put on his coat.
"Master, you can't sleep?"
Li Bao asked in a low voice.
"Yes, I can't sleep. I don't know when those two people will come back and tell me what happened outside. I'm locked up in this palace every day, and other than Master Zhu teaching me, I can't come into contact with anyone else. I don't even know what happened in the capital …"
Zhu Changluo wore a displeased look on his face as he said, "The Grand Secretary is really too arbitrary. He didn't even tell me about such a big thing that happened in the world. I don't even know if he really treats me as the emperor. I'm indeed young, but I'm not an unreasonable person. He really …"
Li Bao's expression tightened, and he quickly stopped Zhu Changluo from continuing.
"Master, lower your voice, lower your voice. I don't dare to say this, I don't dare to say it …"
Li Bao looked around, then lifted the curtain to look outside. He made sure that there were only the two of them in the room, and he could still hear the sound of charcoal burning.
"Master, the Cabinet Chief probably thinks that Your Majesty is too young and isn't at the age to personally rule the country. So, he wants Master to read and write more books to increase your knowledge. Then, when Master is of age, he will hand over the country to Master."
Zhu Changluo's expression became even more unhappy.
"Young? How young am I? Father ascended to the throne at the age of ten, so he is also aware of the world's affairs. Why can I only hide in this small palace? Even if I want to go out for a breather, I have to look at Master Zhu's face. I can't even see the palace maids! "
Zhu Changluo seemed to be very angry because he was forced to abstain from sex and recuperate his body. A young man was at the point where he could not control his temper. At this time, he was suddenly forced to cut off all contact with women. One could imagine how uncomfortable it was for him.
"Master, those palace maids are all foxes. They only want to use their son's status to fly up the branches and become phoenixes. They don't care about Master's body at all. Master has already fainted twice and doesn't dare to act recklessly. The Grand Secretary is also doing this for Master's own good …"
"For me? If it's for me, why doesn't he let me handle the government affairs myself? Am I really a person who can't tell right from wrong? If he thinks that I don't know right from wrong, why doesn't he teach me personally? He didn't tell me about Xiao Ruxun's rebellion. I don't even know how I became the Emperor. Why didn't he tell me?
Now, I can't even find out what's going on outside. I can't even use my own money. How can I still look like an emperor? Tell me, do I look like an emperor? "
The anger that Zhu Changluo had been suppressing for many days erupted. It was actually quite an imposing manner, causing Li Bao to curse inwardly.
"Master, Master, you can't say this in front of the Grand Secretary. If the Grand Secretary finds out, he won't be happy …"
Zhu Changluo was furious.
"He won't be happy? Will I be happy? I am the Emperor now. I am the Emperor. The Emperor isn't him, it's … "
Before he finished speaking, a shout suddenly rang out from outside the hall.
"The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Elder Shen, requests an audience with His Majesty!"
Then, before Zhu Changluo and Li Bao could react, the hall door was pushed open. A gust of cold wind blew in, causing the yellow curtains that were blocking the bed to flutter. The cold wind caused Zhu Changluo to shiver.
"Who … who is this? Who dares to trespass His Majesty … Elder … Elder Shen … "
Li Bao was infuriated and was about to rush out to scold someone. However, when he saw the frosty expression on Shen Yicheng's face, he immediately cowered. His legs buckled and he fell to the ground.
Shen Yicheng expressionlessly glanced at Li Bao. Then, he waved his hand. The hall door was closed from the outside, and the room regained its tranquility.
Shen Yicheng walked past Li Bao, who was sitting paralyzed on the ground, and walked to the side of the warm basin in the room. He sat on a chair and placed his hands on the basin to warm them up.
"This old subject has disturbed Your Majesty's rest in the middle of the night. This old subject apologizes on behalf of Your Majesty."
The room was still as quiet as ever. Other than the sound of the wind outside and the burning of the charcoal inside, there was no other sound.
A short while later, Zhu Changluo's voice came from behind the curtains.
"I … I am fine. Grand Secretary … Grand Secretary, why did you come so late at night?"
Shen Yicheng continued to warm himself by the fire.
"Nothing special. It's just that I haven't seen Your Majesty for a few days and I miss you. That's why I came to see Your Majesty. This old subject is busy during the day. I don't dare to slack off in the slightest for the sake of Daming's prosperity. That's why I can only come to see Your Majesty at night."
Zhu Changluo sat on the bed and wrapped his clothes tightly around himself, as if doing so would give him a sense of security.
"This old subject thanks Grand Secretary for his concern. I … I … I am still in good health. There's nothing wrong with me. Grand Secretary, there's no need to worry …"
Shen Yicheng was still warming himself by the fire.
"Hmm, in that case, this old subject is much more at ease. Your Majesty's safety is related to the Daming's safety. Your Majesty's safety is the Daming's safety. Your Majesty's danger is the Daming's danger. If Your Majesty is safe, then the Daming is safe. This old subject is also safe."
Zhu Changluo didn't quite understand what Shen Yicheng said.
"What Grand Secretary said … is … I … I also feel the same way. The Daming's safety is not only related to me, but also the Grand Secretary's shoulders."
Zhu Changluo said this to test Shen Yicheng.
After a long while, Shen Yicheng's voice came from outside the curtain.
"Haaa … If Your Majesty truly believed this, why would you collude with the Duke of Great Britain and the other crafty officials to harm this old subject?"
Zhu Changluo's mind instantly went blank.
The yellow curtain was pulled aside by Shen Yicheng, and Shen Yicheng's icy face appeared before Zhu Changluo's eyes.
"Your Majesty, this old subject is wholeheartedly devoted to the Daming, wholeheartedly devoted to the safety of the world. Even in the most dangerous of times, this old subject would still first think of the Emperor Emeritus and Your Majesty's safety. This old subject would rather bear the infamy of infamy than allow the Daming Court to fall into chaos. Alas, the heavens did not protect the Daming and allowed Xiao Ruxun to escape.
He raised an army of one hundred thousand in Burma in rebellion and is heading for the capital. Does Your Majesty truly understand what he is planning? Does Your Majesty truly believe the words of the Duke of Great Britain and the Duke of Great Britain, that Xiao Ruxun rebelled to kill this old subject?
Even if this was what he thought at the start, he was now leading an army to sweep through Jiangnan and divide the world into two. He had even cut off the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal and cut off the capital's source of food. He had the upper hand, and he had hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command. How could he not be disloyal?
His Majesty … from the very start, he had refused to acknowledge His Majesty, saying that His Majesty was a puppet that this old subject had set up. He simply did not acknowledge His Majesty as the Daming Emperor. In his eyes, he did not care about the first year of Taichang, only the twenty-sixth year of Wanli. If he came to the capital, would His Majesty be able to keep the throne?
Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the Emperor Emeritus was restored, what did His Majesty's safety matter? The Emperor Emeritus was His Majesty's father. Once the Emperor Emeritus was restored and this old subject died, would His Majesty survive? How would the Emperor Emeritus treat His Majesty? How would Xiao Ruxun treat His Majesty?
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