Wei Zhongxiang and his men waited outside the entrance of Zhengde Hall for about an hour.
"Eunuch Wei, it has been a full hour. Why hasn't any news come from inside?"
"It’s maddening! If the Emperor isn't poisoned to death tonight, we won't be able to answer to the Empress!"
"Look! The doors to Zhengde Hall are opening. That dim-witted Emperor must have been poisoned!!!"
The heavy doors of Zhengde Hall creaked open slowly. A palace maid ran out in a state of panic.
"Help! Someone is trying to assassinate the Emperor!"
Several guards rushed into the hall. To the expectant eyes of Wei Zhongxiang and his group, the guards emerged dragging a corpse dressed in eunuch's robes.
"The assassin has been executed!"
When the news reached their ears, Wei Zhongxiang and his cohorts were struck with terror. They had no idea whether the Emperor had actually drunk the poisoned wine. Even if he had been poisoned, the matter would certainly be kept secret.
"Eunuch Wei, the plot has been exposed. How are we going to answer to the Empress?"
Wei Zhongxiang stamped his feet in frustration. "You useless fools, unable to accomplish anything but ruining everything! You couldn't even deliver a cup of poison without getting caught. You’re nothing but pigs!"
With that, the group scurried away from the vicinity of Zhengde Hall like stray dogs.
Half an hour later, they were kneeling at the entrance of Yongning Palace, begging to see Empress Qian.
"Empress, please save this old servant!" Wei Zhongxiang wailed toward the palace gates.
Inside the garden of Yongning Palace:
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wei and the others have been kneeling outside for half an hour."
"Tell them I have already retired for the night. Send them away."
"At once."
Empress Qian had already decided that, regardless of success or failure, she would distance herself from the old dog Wei Zhongxiang and his ilk. Otherwise, the crime of regicide would bring absolute ruin upon the Qian family.
Sitting across from her, Qian Yong slammed the table in anger. "Those eunuch scum are useless! They couldn't even handle such a small task, yet they have the audacity to seek your protection! Now that the situation is out of control, how are we supposed to respond if the Emperor starts an inquiry?"
"Brother, do not panic. I trust that Wei Zhongxiang is not stupid enough to do the deed himself; he surely picked a scapegoat for this."
"Since we are not the ones who did this, why should we feel guilty or nervous? Wei Zhongxiang and his gang of eunuchs are merely abandoned pawns in our hands."
"As long as we cut ties with them immediately, even if the Emperor blames them, we can keep ourselves out of the crossfire."
Qian Yong said urgently, "But what if the Emperor follows the trail back to us? It would inevitably rouse his suspicion. If this reaches the imperial court, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
Empress Qian was speechless at her brother’s lack of wit. How had he managed to become a Grand General if he lacked even this much strategic foresight? The Qian family and Wei Zhongxiang’s faction had long been bitter rivals. Even if the regicide investigation pointed to them, who would ever suspect that the Qian family was the mastermind behind the scenes?
"Brother, tomorrow at the morning assembly, you will take the initiative to impeach Wei Zhongxiang and his eunuch faction. That will clear your name before the Emperor. Remember, no matter how they try to drag us down with them, pay them no mind, or you will reveal our flaws!"
Qian Yong suddenly realized. "Sister, what a brilliant plan!"
From the moment Wei Zhongxiang had first come to pledge his loyalty, Empress Qian had planned everything for the Crown Prince, even preparing a retreat for when things inevitably went wrong. To her, Wei Zhongxiang was nothing more than a sharp blade in her hand. Now that the regicide had failed, she saw no need to preserve his faction and leave herself a liability.
"Brother, the curfew is approaching. You should leave Yongning Palace soon."
"Very well, take care, sister!"
Once Qian Yong departed, Empress Qian turned cold and addressed her attendants, "From today on, lock the gates of Yongning Palace. I will not see anyone."
...
At the hour of the Pig (9:00 PM to 11:00 PM):
Cao Zhengchun, the Commander of the Nine Gates, was patrolling during the palace curfew.
"Grand Eunuch Cao, news just came from Zhengde Hall. The Emperor was assassinated!"
"What?"
Cao Zhengchun was incredulous. The body double had been in place for less than a day, and he had already been finished off? If that were true, it would be a disaster! He deeply regretted leaving the hall instead of remaining by the double's side. If the double were dead, the real Emperor would certainly hold him responsible.
Cao Zhengchun hurried his patrol guards toward Zhengde Hall. The guards at the entrance saw him approaching and quickly saluted.
"Grand Eunuch Cao!"
Cao Zhengchun reached the entrance and asked, panic-stricken, "How is the Emperor? Did you catch the assassin?"
"The assassin has been executed. The maid who serves the Emperor says he refuses to see anyone but you, Grand Eunuch Cao."
Cao Zhengchun glanced at the corpse in eunuch’s robes on the ground without bothering to check the assassin's identity. This was no time for an inquiry; the double’s life was what mattered most!
He pushed open the doors to Zhengde Hall and stepped inside, taking a deep breath and offering a silent prayer. He hoped the double was tough enough to have survived without any issues; otherwise, he would have no way to answer to the Emperor of Dazhen.
He walked quickly to the Imperial Study, prepared for the worst. He expected to find Zhao Zheng lying on the bed on the verge of death. Instead, he saw Zhao Zheng sitting at his desk, diligently reviewing memorials, with a unfamiliar-looking eunuch standing by his side.
It was a miracle that the man was unharmed!
Cao Zhengchun breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the messy room, which showed signs of a struggle, and noticed the overturned chalice of poisoned wine on the floor. With his keen intuition developed over years in the palace, he grew suspicious of the eunuch standing by Zhao Zheng.
Seeing Cao Zhengchun arrive, Zhao Zheng ordered the attendant, "Little Gao, you may step out. I have important matters to discuss with Grand Eunuch Cao."
Gao Li lowered his head and backed out of the study, closing the door firmly behind him.
Cao Zhengchun demanded urgently, "You acted on your own initiative again? Are you trying to escape the Emperor's control?"
Zhao Zheng closed the memorial in his hand and said unhurriedly, "Grand Eunuch Cao, why do you not ask who tried to harm the Emperor? Instead, you are concerned about the eunuch at my side?"
"The Emperor commanded me to keep an eye on you at all times. You dare pull tricks under my nose? Beware for your sister's life!"
"Grand Eunuch Cao, I think you should be worrying about how to keep your own head! The Emperor trusts you so deeply, yet you were the one who tried to harm him!"
Cao Zhengchun retorted with a panicked expression, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
"Grand Eunuch Cao, you should know better than anyone who in this palace wanted to harm the Emperor, shouldn't you? If the Emperor learns that this was all due to your negligence, I fear ten heads would not be enough to satisfy him!"
With that, Zhao Zheng returned to his memorials.
The more Cao Zhengchun listened, the more confused he became. He began to think that Zhao Zheng must have been driven mad by the assassination attempt and was spouting gibberish.
"I am going to report this to the Emperor! You just wait!"
Cao Zhengchun rushed out of Zhengde Hall, preparing to take his men to Jiade Villa to report to the Emperor of Dazhen. However, he suddenly recalled Zhao Zheng's strange words. He snatched a torch from a guard and approached the corpse of the assassin.
The glaring light of the torch shone upon the face of the dead eunuch.
Cao Zhengchun’s pupils contracted sharply, and the torch nearly fell from his hand. The eunuch who had tried to harm the Emperor was none other than his own godson, Little Guizi!
"How is this possible? How could Little Guizi betray me?"