Da Ming: I told you to die for your cause, why are you actually going to die?

Chapter 66 Holy crap—ruthless!! [Requesting monthly votes]

The frenzy at Fengtian Hall Square had not yet reached the Eastern Palace.

At this moment, Madam Lü sat upright in a rosewood armchair, her fingertips gracefully twirling a string of lustrous jade prayer beads.

Her face held an impeccable, gentle smile, like the warmest breeze in spring.

Wang De stood below with his hands at his sides, bowing and saying:
"Your Majesty, that Huang Zicheng is a slippery old mudfish, spouting nonsense, saying that Zhang Biao has henchmen and that we should deal with him slowly!"

"In my opinion, he's just afraid of dying! He wants to avoid the task Your Majesty assigned him and divert the trouble elsewhere!"

In his view, although he did not force Huang Zicheng to immediately remonstrate to the death, he had at least figured out the old fox's true nature, so he could be considered to have done his job reasonably well.
Madam Lü listened quietly, her smile remaining unchanged, and even deepening slightly.

She nodded slightly, her voice as warm as honey, carrying a gentle, approving tone: "Wang De..."

This call was warm and natural, like calling out to an old servant who had followed him for many years.

"You did a great job."

Lady Lü's voice was gentle and pleasant: "She is also meticulous and very good at reading people's expressions."

"How could Huang Zicheng's little schemes escape my eyes? It's good that you saw through his excuses and reported back in time, saving me a lot of trouble."

As she spoke, she put down her prayer beads, picked up the warm ginseng tea beside her, and took a small sip, her movements exuding elegance and composure.

“In this palace, there are not many servants as loyal as you who know how to understand the emperor’s wishes.”

Lady Lü's gaze fell upon Wang De, filled with undisguised admiration and trust:
"I have always been fair in rewarding and punishing. Although you did not complete the task perfectly today, I have seen your loyalty and diligence."

Wang De's heart was instantly filled with immense joy and flattery. The lingering unease had vanished, and he felt warm all over, as if his bones had become lighter.

He hurriedly bowed, his voice trembling with excitement:
"This servant is humbled! It is a blessing I have accumulated over many lifetimes to be able to share Your Majesty's burdens! I dare not accept such praise from Your Majesty!"

"Well deserved."

Lady Lü smiled, her tone leaving no room for doubt: "As I have said, the Crown Prince will never forget your contributions, and you should be rewarded."

As soon as she finished speaking, she softly called out, "Zhang Yi."

"The servant is here."

Another trusted eunuch bowed and stepped out from behind the beaded curtain.

"Go to the imperial treasury and give Wang De three hundred taels of silver in cash."

Lady Lü smiled and instructed:
"Wang De has worked hard for me all these years. This money is a token of my appreciation. Whether he returns to his hometown or settles down, he will at least have a place to go."

"Yes."

Zhang Yi bowed and accepted the order, his face expressionless.

Three hundred taels of silver?!

Not only did the Empress not blame me, but she also bestowed such a generous reward upon me?
They even considered my backup plan?!

Wang De could hardly believe his ears.

Overwhelmed by immense joy, he trembled with excitement and fell to his knees with a thud.
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless! Even if I were to be shattered to pieces, I could never repay even a fraction of it! Your Majesty is like my second parents! This servant...this servant..."

He was so excited that he couldn't speak coherently and could only kowtow repeatedly, leaving red marks on his forehead.

"OK OK."

Lady Lü smiled and waved her hand, "Get up quickly, you've hurt your head, I'll be heartbroken. Go with Zhang Yi to receive your reward, I'm tired."

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Wang De kowtowed several more times before, at Zhang Yi's calm prompting, he followed him out of the inner hall, feeling dizzy and unsteady on his feet.

……

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long, distorted shadows on the palace walls.

Wang De followed Zhang Yi with light steps, passing through numerous palace gates and heading towards the increasingly secluded depths of the Western Six Palaces.

"Eunuch Zhang!"

Wang De was in high spirits and couldn't help but chime in, his tone filled with anticipation for the future: "Once we receive our silver, I'll treat you tonight. We'll find a nice restaurant and have a good drink! All these years, we've been so grateful to you, Eunuch Zhang."

Zhang Yi didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head. He only gave a faint "hmm" in response.

His back looked somewhat hunched in the setting sun, silent like a stone plunged into a deep pool.

Wang De didn't care, immersed in his joy, talking to himself.

The surroundings grew increasingly quiet, with hardly anyone around.

They turned into a narrow palace alley, flanked by towering vermilion palace walls, with a closed, dusty, old side gate in front of them.

A strange chill crept up Wang De's back without warning.

He instinctively stopped in his tracks, his smile freezing on his face.

It's too quiet and too remote here.

Why would someone go to a place like this to claim a reward?

"Eunuch Zhang?"

Wang De's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly: "It seems that the withdrawal of funds from the imperial treasury doesn't go this way."

The moment he finished speaking!

Zhang Yi, who had been silent as a stone with his back to him, moved without warning.

A dark blue blade shot out silently from his wide, indigo-blue sleeve.

The ecstasy, anticipation, and the slight doubt that had just arisen on Wang De's face froze in an instant.

He didn't even have time to show a look of astonishment.

A cold, eerie blue light flashed by.

At the back of my throat, I felt a faint, almost imperceptible chill, like being brushed by a cold spider web.

Wang De's eyes widened to their limit in an instant, his eyeballs bulging out due to extreme terror and disbelief.

He stared intently at the face so close to his.

Why?! The Empress just praised me and rewarded me with three hundred taels of silver to go home.
Your Majesty, you are so cruel.
The light in his eyes dimmed and went out quickly, like a candle flickering in a storm.

His body lost all strength and he slumped forward.

With a dull thud, it landed heavily on the cold, dirty, dusty ground, stirring up a small patch of grayish-yellow dust.

Zhang Yi stood still, as if he had merely brushed away a fallen leaf.

He didn't even glance at the corpse at his feet, which was still twitching slightly and rapidly growing cold.

Then, with utmost calmness, he held the short dagger, still dripping with Wang De's blood, to his own withered neck.

There was no hesitation, no fear, not even the slightest fluctuation of a living person.

He suddenly exerted force on his wrist and pulled it inward sharply.

"laugh--!"

The sharp blade instantly sliced ​​through the flesh and severed the throat.

The speed and decisiveness of the action even momentarily delayed the gushing of blood.

Zhang Yi's body trembled violently, and then, like a puppet whose support had been instantly removed, he fell straight backward, crashing heavily next to Wang De's still-warm body.

His eyes were also wide open.

Staring blankly at the sliver of sky above the palace walls, now completely dark, the last glimmer of light belonging to the living in his pupils was extinguished, leaving only a stagnant silence.

Two corpses, one lying face down and the other face up, lay at the end of the narrow palace alley.

It seems to be telling the story of the ruthlessness and cruelty of the inner palace.

(End of this chapter)