Chapter 54 Zhu Wen
The endless winter night spread and gradually enveloped the palace covered with blankets.

There were heaters in the four corners of the hall, and the heat made the entire side hall as warm as spring or summer.

At the foot of the stairs, Li Zhen, deputy governor of the Xuanyi Army of Daliang, acting prime minister, and minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had been standing there for a long time with his head bowed.

Behind the table at the head of the hall, Zhu Wen, who was over fifty years old and slightly fat, sat on a Hu bed. Although he looked a little old, he was fat. The room was warm. At this time, he was only wearing a purple thin shirt, exposing his black hairy chest. He was like a bear, lying coldly at the head of the hall.

At this moment, candles had been lit on both sides behind him. Under the backlight, half of his face was cast into shadow, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Li Zhen lowered his head slightly and just stared at the carpet in front of his feet.

At the top, after a long time, a rough sneer was finally heard.

"It's been so many days since the incident in Bianliang, and we still haven't figured out the cause?"

"Your Majesty, this matter is indeed difficult to judge. The scope of the incident that night was very wide, and it is impossible to verify the cause of the turmoil." Li Zhen responded: "But Taifu Ge said that he did start to mobilize troops to stop the turmoil after hearing that the Xuanming Sect attacked and killed the imperial guards..."

Zhu Wen snorted coldly: "Even if you want to stop the rebellion, why do you want to besiege the Xuanming Sect's headquarters?"

"At first, they did stop the riot, but later, when they heard that the Xuanming Sect was agitated, Grand Tutor Ge led the army to surround the Xuanming Sect. Afterwards, there was a riot in Jier Lane, so the imperial army had no choice but to attack the headquarters."

Li Zhen spoke respectfully while taking out a memorial from his bosom: "This is a memorial submitted by the Jingyuan envoy of Bianliang. It has tried its best to restore the events before and after the incident..."

A eunuch who was kneeling beside him wanted to stand up and take it, but Zhu Wen just waved his hand.

"Since Jingxiang has verified it, I am too lazy to read it any further. I just want to ask one thing, what is wrong with this matter?"

Li Zhenyi was respectful, but he put the memorial into his arms after hearing this, then crossed his arms and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, according to what I just said, it is indeed the fault of the Xuanming Sect..."

"However, I believe that this disaster is not just about right or wrong."

Zhu Wen became interested, leaned forward with his fat body, narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you mean, Li Qing?"

Li Zhen pondered for a moment, took two small steps forward, and said, "The Xuanming Sect and the Imperial Guards have had many frictions in the past. This fight may also be caused by old grudges. But this time, they both attacked each other in the name of rebellion."

His voice was not loud, but it echoed in the hall because of the silence.

"But Xuanming Sect is ultimately proficient in the trivia of Jianghu, and has been at a disadvantage since the beginning. Therefore, I cannot understand why they would take the initiative to launch an offensive against the Imperial Guards."

Zhu Wen stroked his beard with his hand and narrowed his eyes.

Below, Li Zhen pondered for a moment, then bowed his head and said, "After much thought, I can only assume that the Xuanming Sect has indeed discovered the unknown secrets of the Imperial Guards, and that is why they have resorted to such a desperate move. The right and wrong of this disaster must be judged, but I think we also need to look at the positions of both parties."

"If I am loyal to Your Majesty, I will provoke a war, which is indeed not wrong."

As he finished his last sentence, he bowed his head.

At the top, Zhu Wen leaned over the table and began to think.

To him, the Xuanming Sect was just one of many sharp blades, and the Imperial Guards were the only scabbard in his hands. If the blade broke, he could forge a new one, but if the scabbard was gone, it would be difficult to put the blade away again.

However, he could not tolerate the scabbard beginning to show cracks.

"I have heard what Li Qing is thinking. You can leave for now. I will need you to work hard on the western tour in the next few days."

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Li Zhen immediately said, "I will take my leave. May your majesty be well..."

He bowed and left, and Zhu Wen frowned and began to think carefully.

There was a commotion under the Hu bed, and a foxy woman in her twenties raised her head. There were water stains at the corners of her mouth and her cheeks were a little sore.

Zhu Wen then laughed and grabbed her chin with his hand.

"Tell me, is that evil creature loyal to me?"

"My husband is your Majesty's biological son, so he is naturally loyal to me," the woman was only wearing a thin piece of silk, her snow-white skin was faintly visible underneath, and when looking down, one could almost see the entire thing in one shot.

She smiled flatteringly and said, "He knows that his appearance is not presentable and he has no chance of competing for the throne, but he is the most respectful to Your Majesty among all the kings..." "Humph."

It seemed that mentioning this person made Zhu Wen feel a little disgusted. He sneered and grabbed the woman's hair to make her stand up.

The eunuchs below immediately kowtowed and did not dare to look up.

A fat hand reached into her skirt, and Zhu Wen sneered, "Tell me, the Xuanming Sect has been accused of treason, how should I punish that evildoer?"

The woman's face was flushed, her legs were a little shaky, and she had to support herself on the table with her hands.

"Why bother with that dwarf? Your Majesty, just punish me..."

Zhu Wen narrowed his eyes, and a perverted and ferocious look appeared on his old face. He pulled off his loose belt with one hand and moved closer.

"That evil creature, I will forgive him once more."

In a short while, he was already panting and ordered, "Go and summon the Water and Fire Judge of the Xuanming Sect."

----

Outside the hall, Li Zhen folded his hands in his sleeves and walked slowly down the corridor.

A middle-aged eunuch followed him up at some point, and the latter was whispering with a smile: "What Situ said today will save the Dark Emperor from a disaster. The Dark Emperor will definitely be satisfied with the cooperation with Situ."

"I hope your master can fulfill his promise as soon as possible and fill the hole in the Ministry of Revenue for me."

"It should be so, it should be so." The eunuch leaned forward and whispered, "The Dark Emperor has already said that if the great event is accomplished, Situ will be the envoy of Chongzhengyuan."

Li Zhen stroked his beard, and a look of excitement flashed in his eyes.

But he just had a blank expression on his face, and said: "When your master can control the imperial guards, it will not be too late to talk."

The eunuch nodded repeatedly, turned around and disappeared.

Li Zhen then stopped and stood in the corridor, looking at the snow outside, but he remembered Zhu Wen's words, "Since Jingxiang has verified it, I am too lazy to look at it more."

He sneered and walked into the snow, surrounded by the servants who had hurriedly come to greet him.

…………

Outside the Yanshi Palace, Zhu Hanbin was also allocated a house by the officials. At this time, wearing a fu hat in the night, he was looking at the two beauties that his servants had found for him.

He had always been craving for this, but unfortunately his beloved wife was detained in Caozhou and he could not bring her with him, so he could only endure it along the way.

Tonight, he heard that the wife of the Emperor of the Underworld had entered the palace again, so he was too lazy to endure it any longer. If His Majesty could be so unrestrained, what could he do if he just found some girls from decent families?

However, the two bad guys in the hall were staring at him and felt annoyed, so they said coldly: "What are you two still standing here for? Why don't you leave now!"

When the two bad guys saw the two women in the hall looking at them in surprise, they crossed their hands, bowed, and were about to leave.

At this time, a figure came quietly from the short corridor.

It was a servant carrying a food tray filled with wine and food, still steaming.

The two bad guys looked at each other in confusion, and one of them stepped forward and stopped them cautiously.

"When will the commander-in-chief want to serve wine and food?"

The servant raised his head.

Inside the hall, Zhu Hanbin was waving his hand nonchalantly: "Present it, I just happen to..."

After seeing the servant's face, his voice stopped immediately, his whole body turned cold, and he stood up from the stool in an instant.

(End of this chapter)