LRAB Page 487
Page 487
It turns out that his father knew everything, but neither the court nor the harem allowed him to make any moves, and he was controlled his whole life.
Wang Zhi's voice rang out.
"When the late emperor secretly summoned me, he ordered me to return to Nanjing and secretly take in orphans, teach them martial arts, and establish the Dragon Protector Clan, just so that when Your Majesty truly needs them, I can guard Your Majesty's side and let Your Majesty soar through the heavens like a true dragon."
"The Dragon Protectors... the Dragon Protectors..."
Zhu Houzhao muttered to himself.
Protecting the dragon... means protecting this real dragon.
Zhu Youcheng was also a dragon, but a dragon that was bound by shackles from birth, a dragon that did not want his children to be bound like himself.
Zhu Youcheng knew he was a puppet, but he didn't want his child to be one too. He left Wang Zhi to Zhu Houzhao, hoping that Zhu Houzhao would achieve great things.
Only now did Zhu Houzhao truly feel the deep love his father had for him.
Chapter 663: The Western Depot
"The late emperor once said that Your Majesty is exceptionally intelligent and that once Your Majesty ascends the throne, Your Majesty will surely eradicate deep-seated problems and clean up the bureaucracy. The late emperor had high expectations for Your Majesty."
Wang Zhi said.
Zhu Houzhao remained expressionless, his hand gripping the chair arm tightly under the table.
"I will not let my father down."
Zhu Houzhao said calmly, then looked at Wang Zhi.
"I have summoned you to the capital, and I am sure you know why."
Wang Zhi remained calm, head bowed, without uttering a word.
Zhu Houzhao's voice continued to ring out.
"You entered the palace at a young age, and in your teens you became the head of the Western Depot, serving Emperor Xianzong. Now, several decades have passed, and I have a question to ask you."
Zhu Houzhao paused for a moment, then continued.
"Lian Po is old, can he still eat?"
Upon hearing these eight words, Wang Zhi's face remained expressionless, but his heart, which had been dormant for many years, began to beat at that moment.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to give my life for you, even unto death!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Zhi knelt down directly before Zhu Houzhao.
well.
Wang Zhi's loyalty brought a slight smile to Zhu Houzhao's lips.
"You said the late emperor ordered you to establish the Protector of the Dragon Clan after returning to Nanjing. What is the current situation of the Protector of the Dragon Clan? How many people are there? What is their strength?"
Zhu Houzhao asked this question.
He had no idea that his father, Emperor Zhu Youcheng, had secretly done such a thing, nor had Zhu Youcheng told him. If Wang Zhi hadn't told him, he probably still wouldn't know.
As for why Zhu Youcheng didn't tell him about this, Zhu Houzhao had no doubts, because after obtaining the confession, he already understood that Zhu Youcheng didn't have time to tell him.
The thought of that confession filled Zhu Houzhao with murderous intent.
"Liu Wentai..."
Zhu Houzhao thought of this name.
Wang Zhi's voice rang out.
"After receiving the late Emperor's order in the eleventh year of the Hongzhi reign, I returned to Nanjing and immediately began this work. I took in a total of seventy-two orphans. During this period, through my training, thirty-eight of them reached the second rank. Now, the entire Baolong clan has come to the capital with me to await Your Majesty's instructions."
Cultivating top-tier experts is not so simple. Wang Zhi has been secretly working on the Baolong Clan for so long, and even with Zhu Youcheng's support, he hasn't been able to cultivate a single top-tier expert besides himself. But this doesn't mean that the members of the Baolong Clan are all useless. They each have their own strengths, such as poisoning, medicine, Iron Shirt, and tracking. They are all talented in various fields.
Upon hearing Wang Zhi's detailed introduction of the members of the Baolong clan, Zhu Houzhao realized that the Baolong clan possessed experts and talents in all aspects, capable of protecting the emperor and him, the true dragon, from every angle.
"Summon them to the palace tomorrow."
Zhu Houzhao gave the order.
Wang bowed deeply.
"Yes."
Zhu Houzhao looked at him and said, "You have been away from the palace for a long time and you don't know most of the people in the palace. Tomorrow I will arrange a position for you and let you get to know them."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wang Zhi had no objection.
Zhu Houzhao said, "From now on, you will serve me. If you need anything, just tell me and I will try my best to meet your needs."
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "Your Majesty, I have a request, and I hope you will grant it."
Zhu Houzhao nodded and asked, "What is your request?"
Wang Zhi calmly said, "I wish to know about the events of the twenty-third year of the Chenghua reign. I also hope that Your Majesty can entrust Shi Qin, Zhong Lan, Zhang Yuan, Ren Yi, and Liu Wentai to me."
Zhu Houzhao was taken aback when he heard the list.
"You want to investigate the cause of Emperor Xianzong's death?"
No wonder Zhu Houzhao was surprised, because the list that Wang Zhi wanted was the one of the heads of the Imperial Medical Academy during the reign of Emperor Xianzong.
"Yes."
Wang Zhi did not hide anything.
He was transferred away from the capital 20 years after the Chenghua era, leaving Emperor Xianzong behind, so much so that he was unaware of Emperor Xianzong's death for some time afterward.
No one knows what Wang Zhi's feelings were towards Emperor Xianzong, the emperor who had once discovered and promoted him. However, at that time, he had already aroused extreme hatred among the civil officials. Emperor Xianzong did not kill him to quell their anger, but instead sent him away from the capital. This may indicate that Emperor Xianzong did have feelings for him.
Zhu Houzhao fell silent.
Wang Zhi didn't say anything more.
After a long time.
"Liu Wentai cannot be handed over to you."
Zhu Houzhao said.
"As for the others, I don't know how many are still alive. If any are, you have full authority to deal with them."
Upon hearing this answer, Wang Zhi knelt down and kowtowed to Zhu Houzhao.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The next day.
Jiang Ning went to the Wenyuan Pavilion to exchange books, and Zhu Houzhao happened to summon Wang Zhi to meet with Liu Jin, Gu Dayong and other senior eunuchs.
"Today I want to introduce you to someone."
Zhu Houzhao addressed the assembled eunuchs.
Apart from Liu Jin, all the other chief eunuchs present looked at Wang Zhi with blank expressions, not knowing who he was.
"His name was Wang Zhi, a senior eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xianzong."
Upon hearing this name, all the chief eunuchs looked shocked.
Wang Zhi and his men knew all too well that this man's deeds were extremely rare among eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty.
They never imagined that Zhu Houzhao would actually find this old man from the Xianzong era.
"Wang Zhi".
Zhu Houzhao looked at Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi stepped forward.
"The minister is here."
Although Wang Zhi was a eunuch, Zhu Houzhao did not address him as he would other eunuchs, but called him by his given name. Wang Zhi, in turn, did not refer to himself as a slave as a eunuch, but addressed him as "your subject".
"I am preparing to reopen the Western Depot. You once served as the director of the Western Depot, and you will continue to serve as the director of the Western Depot, while also taking charge of the Imperial Horse Administration."
Zhu Houzhao then announced his arrangements for Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi looked surprised, and the other chief eunuchs couldn't help but show shocked expressions.
Previously, Wang Zhi was in charge of the Western Depot and the Imperial Horse Administration. Unexpectedly, after many years, Wang Zhi once again held great power.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Wang Zhi bowed deeply in respect.
"Gu Daban."
Zhu Houzhao looked at Gu Dayong.
Is Minister Liu still in prison?
Gu Dayong was also shocked at this moment, but when he heard Zhu Houzhao's question, he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, it is still here."
Gu Dayong thought Zhu Houzhao was going to ask about the progress of the interrogation, and was about to speak, but Zhu Houzhao spoke first.
"In that case, Gu Daban, you should hand the man over to the Western Depot and let Wang Zhi investigate the case."
Upon hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, Gu Dayong was instantly stunned, and the other chief eunuchs all looked at Gu Dayong with strange expressions.
Gu Dayong stared blankly at Zhu Houzhao, but Zhu Houzhao ignored him and spoke directly to Wang Zhi.
"Wang Zhi, this man is involved in a treason case, but he is stubborn and the Eastern Depot cannot get any results. Now it is up to you to investigate. Do you have any difficulties?"
Wang Zhi maintained his calm expression.
"Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations."
Gu Dayong looked at this scene, opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
He knew that Zhu Houzhao was not planning to ask for his opinion; he was simply informing him to hand over the person.
The meaning is obvious.
If you can't do it, find someone else.
Gu Dayong felt bitter inside.
"Alright, you can all get back to work."
Zhu Houzhao was decisive. Now that the members of the imperial clan had entered the palace, he wanted to see what they were capable of.
After the chief eunuchs withdrew from Zhu Houzhao's palace, they all came to Wang Zhi to offer their congratulations.
"Congratulations, Eunuch Wang."
A senior eunuch smiled at Wang Zhi.
Another eunuch laughed and said, "I had heard about Eunuch Wang's deeds before I entered the palace, and I admired him greatly. I am even more delighted to see him in person now."
Seeing the friendly expressions on the faces of these senior eunuchs, Wang Zhi's response was simple.
"Humph."
Wang Zhi sneered, clearly looking down on these senior eunuchs.
"Congratulations? Congratulations on what? Congratulations on my work with you all? I have no idea what's so great about this."
The chief eunuchs were taken aback, not expecting Wang Zhi to react this way.
They had all heard of Wang Zhi's deeds before, but this was the first time they had met him in person, and they never expected him to have this attitude.
Wang Zhi raised his chin slightly, his narrow eyes sweeping over the crowd with even more contempt.
"Forgive my bluntness, but the eunuchs in this palace have become worse with each generation since the reign of Emperor Xianzong. We eunuchs are supposed to serve His Majesty, but it is clear that the eunuchs nowadays are only good at flattering and are a bunch of useless people. If you gentlemen were capable, I should be living a leisurely life in Nanjing, not standing here talking to you."
Wang Zhi did not feign politeness or try to cultivate good relationships with the powerful eunuchs around Zhu Houzhao. He was well aware of Zhu Houzhao's purpose in using him; he had come to the capital to be a tool in Zhu Houzhao's hands.
Although Wang Zhi was cursing them all, the expressions of the chief eunuchs were somewhat strange at this moment.
They knew that Wang Zhi was making great use of Gu.
Sure enough, Gu Dayong was already in great distress, especially after hearing Wang Zhi's words.
"I really don't know what kind of cases the West Depot, which has been abolished for so long, can still handle."