Huangming

Chapter 85 Malicious Intent, Assassination of the King

Inside the inner hall.

Wang Dayu chuckled and said, "I did not mean to coerce Eunuch Li's family. I did this out of necessity. Over the years, Eunuch Li has received so much filial piety from us, it is time for him to do something."

really!

All the gifts given by fate have been secretly priced.

These unscrupulous merchants are all dishonest.

The eunuch from the Imperial Kitchen suddenly clenched his fist, which was hidden in his sleeve.

"What do you want me to do? Just tell me."

Wang Dayu smiled sinisterly and said, "Huang Hua, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, fell ill yesterday. As the head eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, it is your turn to serve the emperor his meals tomorrow."

As he spoke, Wang Dayu took out a small red box from his pocket, opened it, and found several yellow flatbreads inside.

Li Xiong recognized this thing.

This is Wenxi boiled cake, a tribute from Wenxi County, Shanxi Province. It is a fried cake coated with honey and sesame seeds. Emperor Wanli was very fond of it, and even in recent days, the emperor has been eating it often, finishing all the Wenxi boiled cakes at every meal.

He vaguely understood what Wang Dayu meant. His body began to tremble uncontrollably, his back felt cold, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

What do you need our family for?

He still harbored a sliver of hope.

Wang Dayu's words shattered Li Xiong's last shred of hope.

"Put this Wenxi boiled cake into tomorrow's meal, and your task will be complete."

Gollum~
Li Xiong swallowed hard, pointed at the red box, and demanded, "What's in this boiled cake?"

Wang Dayu's eyes darkened, and he said, "This is not something you should know."

"This is regicide, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!" the chief eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen roared.

Regicide?

Wang Dayu sneered.

The emperor reigned for only a month before becoming tyrannical and cruel.

They killed loyal ministers and appointed treacherous eunuchs.

Now they even want to block the channels of communication, interfere in the imperial examinations, and reorganize the capital garrison.

For every person whose interests are harmed, there is another person who wishes to die.

He was handcuffed by Wei Zhongxian and had hundreds of thousands of taels of silver confiscated!
Moreover, that Wei dog still intends to continue exploiting them.

No matter how rich the Wang family is, they can't withstand such demands.

If this continues, the Wang family will be finished.

If such incompetent rulers are not removed, what will become of the world?
Wang Dayu waved his hand and said, "After taking this, it will take at least two days for the effects to take hold, and it won't be detected by silver needles. When that time comes, you can go out of the palace to purchase it, and I will send someone to take you, Fengniang, and your son away together. You can then enjoy the happiness of a harmonious family for the rest of your life. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Li Xiong's back was already soaked with sweat, his eyes darted around, and he couldn't help pacing back and forth in the inner hall.

"The palace is heavily guarded. How can this be allowed? What if we fail?"

Seeing that Li Xiong was hesitant, Wang Dayu immediately threatened, "Eunuch Li, if I tell Wei Zhongxian about your theft of treasures from the palace and your betrayal, do you think you'll live? Fengniang, and your son Xiaoqi, do you think you'll live?"

Wang Dayu stared at him coldly and said, "The late Emperor died from taking the red pill. Li Kezhuo is only imprisoned and doesn't need to be put to death yet. If the sky falls, there are people above to hold it up. If you do it, you still have a chance to live. If you don't do it... hehe."

Faced with the threat from the Shanxi merchants, Li Xiong knew he had no other choice.

"Do you keep your word?"

“If I break my word, you may expose me. At that time, my entire clan of hundreds of people will be buried with you.”

Li Xiong gritted his teeth, but in the end, he still shakily put the red box away.

"Remember your words, or I will haunt you even in death."

Li Xiong strode out of the inner hall, and after seeing Feng Niang, he pulled her to a secluded place. He looked around for a long time to make sure no one was there before turning to his woman and whispering, "After Xiao Qi returns, you must leave the capital immediately. Go anywhere you like, but be sure to go as far away as possible."

Upon hearing this, Fengniang was somewhat at a loss. "Husband, what do you mean by that?"

Li Xiong's eyes were resolute as he said, "This is not something a woman like you should know. I buried five thousand taels of silver under the old locust tree on the east side of the manor. After you dig it up, you should leave. The farther away you go, the better."

After saying this, the old eunuch refused Fengniang's offer to stay. His face was blank, his eyes held a death wish, and he turned and left with a sense of desolation.

He didn't believe Wang Dayu's words.

If he leaves the palace after the deed is done, he will surely be killed to silence him.

He is doomed, but Fengniang and her son still have a chance to live.

He would give his life for his wife and children!
Li Xiong quickly left Su Ji Tea House, bought some bird's nest, and then returned to the inner market of Donghua Gate.

Everything was as usual, as if nothing had happened.

But only Li Xiong knew this.

The Ming Dynasty may be about to undergo a major change.

The eighth day of the tenth month of the first year of the Taichang era.

Business as usual.

The emperor attended a lecture on state affairs and dealt with state matters until past noon before returning to the East Warm Pavilion.

Those who returned with the emperor included cabinet ministers such as Fang Congzhe and Liu Yizhu, who were given lunch and dined with the emperor.

Huang Hua, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, was unwell, so today Li Xiong, the supervising eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, stepped forward to serve him.

He wore a fawning smile, his face slightly pale, but he tried his best not to show it.

"Your Majesty, would you like lunch?"

Zhu Youxiao said expressionlessly, "Serve the meal."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiong bowed and stood beside the emperor, announcing in a shrill voice, "The Imperial Kitchen is serving the meal!"

The sound of light footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor, and eight eunuchs in green robes filed in, each carrying a red lacquer food box with a dragon and cloud pattern.

"Your Majesty, we have freshly killed venison from Nanyuan today." Li Xiong's voice trembled unnaturally, his fingertips gripping the edge of the food box tightly.

When the eunuch who was testing the poison stepped forward as usual, cold sweat suddenly soaked through his undergarments on the back of his neck.

As the twenty-four imperial dishes were laid out one by one on the rosewood table inlaid with mother-of-pearl, Li Xiong suddenly crawled on his knees to the emperor's side: "This servant deserves to die. I almost forgot the tribute from Wenxi that Eunuch Huang specifically instructed me to give."

With trembling hands, he placed the mahogany box on the upper left of the dining table.

As Li Xiong watched the emperor reach for the poisoned cake with his jade chopsticks, a metallic taste suddenly rose in his throat, and he couldn't help but swallow.

However, Zhu Youxiao picked up the poisoned cake and was about to put it in his mouth when the cake was still outside his mouth, and he suddenly stopped.

Li Xiong's mouth gaped open, and disappointment flashed in his eyes.

When he looked up again, he caught a glimpse of the emperor's mocking expression.

"Chief Steward Li, you look pale. Is something on your mind?"

Li Xiong immediately knelt down and said, "This servant deserves to die a thousand deaths for disturbing Your Majesty's meal."

Zhu Youxiao looked at the glistening Wenxi boiled cakes and said with a smile, "Why are these Wenxi boiled cakes a little cold?"

Li Xiong knelt on the ground, his body trembling involuntarily.

"This servant will order someone to heat it up right away."

Zhu Youxiao's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Who ordered you to poison me?"

The emperor's stern rebuke caused the chief eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen to collapse to the ground. He looked up, his eyes filled with despair.

How did Your Majesty know I intended to poison him?

(End of this chapter)