Chapter 26: Entering the Game as a Piece

Inside the Fengyi Palace.

"What? That little good-for-nothing went to a brothel?"
"And he even tied up the brother-in-law of the Marquis of Ning'an?"

The Empress Dowager looked at the messenger in shock, the flames of fury in her eyes threatening to erupt. But soon, she seemed to recall something, and she let out a sudden laugh, whispering to herself, "True to form, a dog cannot stop eating filth; a good-for-nothing remains a good-for-nothing!"

"Very well. If he weren't such a waste, how could I play the role of a virtuous Empress Dowager?"

With that thought in mind, she immediately commanded, "Tell Pan Yu to leave him be. He only needs to protect him from the shadows. Let him do whatever he wants; we shall discuss everything at tomorrow’s morning court."

After the messenger left, the Empress Dowager smirked with satisfaction: "It seems I shall have to put on quite a performance tomorrow morning!"

Yet, just as she was contemplating how to personally apologize for Ning Chen and act the part of a benevolent mother, the Chief Eunuch, Li Lianying, scurried in, panic-stricken: "Disaster, Your Majesty! Disaster..."

The Empress Dowager frowned. "Impudent! Who are you calling a disaster?"

The old eunuch immediately knelt, trembling. "Your Majesty, it is not you... it is, it is the young Emperor!"
"He—he has been assassinated again, and he is severely wounded..."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s eyes widened, and she stood up abruptly. "What!"
"How is this possible? Wasn't Pan Yu protecting him from the shadows the whole time?"

The Empress Dowager paused for a moment before realizing the truth:
"Rats! It must be those rats hiding in the dark again!"
"Where are they now? Quickly, take me to see him..."

Soon, the Empress Dowager rushed to the Yangxin Palace, only to find Ning Chen deathly pale and still unconscious.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. The Imperial Physician has examined him. The Emperor has merely lost too much blood and is temporarily unconscious. He will be fine after some proper rest!"

Seeing Xiao Anzi gesturing with sign language, the Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief. She said in a deep voice, "Xiao Anzi, Pan Yu, come with me!"

Once back in the Fengyi Palace, the Empress Dowager demanded, "Speak! What exactly happened?"

Pan Yu kept his head low, seemingly afraid to answer. The Empress Dowager turned to Xiao Anzi: "Xiao Anzi, you tell me!"

Xiao Anzi hesitated, glanced at Pan Yu, then at the Empress Dowager, and began to gesture. He explained that on their way back to the palace, they were intercepted by a group of assassins in black. The guards were no match, and the carriage was quickly surrounded. He had tried to charge out with Ning Chen, but as a eunuch without martial arts skills and with the young Emperor in tow, they were hopelessly outmatched. Although he fought to protect Ning Chen and sustained several wounds, Ning Chen was still stabbed in the chest. Fortunately, Pan Yu arrived just in time with reinforcements and, after a fierce battle, saved them. However, the assassins, seeing they were losing, all chose to commit suicide, leaving no survivors.

Xiao Anzi’s account was detailed, and he made sure to express his gratitude to Pan Yu, saying that if not for him, they would surely be dead.

The Empress Dowager nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Xiao Anzi, you have done well. Go back and take good care of the Emperor!"

Xiao Anzi bowed and slowly retreated from the room.

He walked very slowly, and just as he exited, he heard the sharp sound of a slap.
Immediately followed by the Empress Dowager’s furious reprimand: "You fool! I ordered you to protect that little wretch, and this is how you do it?"
"I just announced that I would never depose the Emperor. If he were assassinated now, those rats would surely pin it on me to stir up trouble!"
"Tell me, what use are you to me..."

Xiao Anzi did not linger, heading straight away, though no one noticed the faint, imperceptible smile on his face.

Returning to the Yangxin Palace, Xiao Anzi approached Ning Chen and whispered:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, your servant has returned..."

Ning Chen slowly opened his eyes and let out a long yawn.
"Well? Did the Empress Dowager lose her temper with Pan Yu?"

Xiao Anzi looked at Ning Chen with admiration. "Your Majesty’s foresight is truly divine. I reported exactly what you told me, and the Empress Dowager berated Pan Yu mercilessly and even slapped him hard across the face!"
"That slap... I reckon her own hand must be hurting now, haha..."

Ning Chen chuckled. "Very good. At least my blood wasn't shed in vain."

Xiao Anzi asked hesitantly, "But Your Majesty, how did you know Pan Yu was following you in the shadows? What if—I mean, what if Pan Yu had chosen not to intervene?"

Ning Chen interrupted in a low voice: "He had already thought about not intervening!"
"Otherwise, he would not have waited until the last possible moment to appear..."

Little did they know, as a former top mercenary leader in his previous life, Ning Chen’s counter-surveillance skills were exceptional. Shortly after leaving the palace that morning, he had already detected Pan Yu and his men tailing him. He knew without thinking that the Empress Dowager must have ordered Pan Yu to protect him. Having survived a previous assassination attempt, and knowing she had publicly declared he would never be deposed—all while feeding him slow-acting poison—she definitely did not want him killed before the poison took effect. If he were assassinated, she would inevitably be implicated.

"Damn it, that Pan Yu deserves to die!"
"By the way, Your Majesty, how did you know there would be assassins tonight?" Xiao Anzi asked again.

Ning Chen smiled. "I am no deity; how could I know their schedule?"
"But the previous assassin mentioned before dying that they would never give up."
"Therefore, as long as I continued to leave the palace, they were bound to look for an opportunity to strike."

Xiao Anzi frowned, looking at Ning Chen with worry: "Your Majesty, these assassinations are impossible to fully guard against. You should try not to leave the palace..."

Ning Chen cut him off: "Not leave? If I don't leave, how can I get rid of Pan Yu?"
"I actually hope for a few more of these attempts!"

Xiao Anzi was puzzled: "A few more? But you are the one being targeted! How does that help remove Pan Yu?"

Ning Chen laughed: "These two attempts have already made the Empress Dowager angry at him. If it happens a few more times, do you think she will still trust him so much?"

Xiao Anzi was stunned, but soon realized the truth: "I understand now. But Your Majesty, this is too dangerous!"

Ning Chen murmured, "I am placing myself on the board as a piece. If I don't risk it, how can I uproot the Empress Dowager’s trusted allies?"

At this, Ning Chen crooked his finger. "Now, it is time for your Eastern Depot to play its part..."

Late at night, Ning Chen lay in bed, carefully reviewing the day's events.
The business was visited, the brothel was toured—both objectives had been successfully met.
Moving forward, whether for the sake of avenging his maternal grandfather’s family or for his own survival, he had to deal with Pan Yu as soon as possible. He knew well the importance of the commander of the Imperial Guards; the Empress Dowager would never willingly relinquish that position. Yet, to turn the tables, he had to use every means necessary—even unscrupulous ones—to seize control of the Imperial Guards. Only by controlling the guards would he possess his first truly powerful force.

Although he had already sent Fan Dayou to Xichuan to deal with Pan Yu, he knew not to put all his eggs in one basket. His current plan had to be accelerated as well. After all, the poison the Empress Dowager had fed him remained a mystery, and he did not know how much time he had left.

Over the next few days, Ning Chen did not attend court due to his "recovery," but he learned everything that happened through the Eastern Depot led by Xiao Anzi. The Marquis of Ning'an had accused him, the Emperor, of indiscriminately imprisoning his brother-in-law. The officials were outraged by his visit to the brothel, with some even mentioning the deposition of the Emperor once again.

As expected, the Empress Dowager stood firmly in his defense, even apologizing to the Marquis of Ning'an on his behalf, and promising to issue a formal apology to the people of the empire, vowing to keep a stricter eye on the young Emperor. For a time, the Empress Dowager was hailed as the most virtuous in the history of the Great Ning.

Ning Chen was quite satisfied with this result. He knew that after getting a taste of the benefits, the Empress Dowager would continue to allow him to leave the palace and "act out." Only by contrasting his incompetence could she better play the role of a "virtuous Empress" and win the hearts of the people. With public support and a reputation for righteousness, she could firmly control the court and suppress those rivals hiding in the shadows.

Unlike the mutual satisfaction of the Empress Dowager and Ning Chen, Pan Yu had been having a miserable time. Despite racking his brains and working day and night, he had failed to identify the mastermind behind the assassination attempts. The Empress Dowager’s dissatisfaction with him grew with each passing day. During the last attempt, he had intended to let the little wretch die so he wouldn't have to protect him anymore, but at the last moment, fearing the Empress Dowager’s wrath, he had chickened out.

The result? She saw right through his hesitation, gave him a scathing tongue-lashing, slapped him, and docked a full year’s salary. In his eyes, the little wretch Ning Chen was the greatest scourge of all. He could only comfort himself: *It doesn't matter; this brat won't live long. Once the poison kills him, I will grind his bones to dust!*

Just as he was thinking this, a subordinate’s voice came from outside: "Commander Pan, the Emperor wishes to leave the palace. The Empress Dowager orders you to take men and escort him immediately!"

Hearing this, Pan Yu felt a splitting headache and spat on the ground. "Damn it, of all the things to happen, it just had to be this..."