Chapter 1 Beginning

Wanli, Year 25, Sixth Month, 18th Day, the Forbidden City, zi-chu second quarter (11:30 PM).

Emperor Wanli was wide awake, not sleeping.

The Ming Dynasty emperors' daily routine was that at 8:00 PM, the chosen concubine would be sent to the emperor's residence. After the deed was done, the concubine could not sleep with the emperor, nor could she return to her own residence. She could only stay temporarily in the surrounding rooms outside the imperial bedchamber.

When the emperor slept, only the attending eunuchs could stay by his side.

But tonight, Emperor Wanli had not been sleeping.

Consort Zheng had already gone to the surrounding room at xu-zheng first quarter (9:15 PM). Emperor Wanli sat on the bed in Qianqing Palace, feeling uneasy, always feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Tian Yi, has anything happened outside tonight?"

Emperor Wanli felt that the source of his unease was the talisman he carried with him. This talisman was given to him by Zhang Xianyong of Longhu Mountain. This child was intelligent and full of spiritual energy. From the moment Zhang Zhenren brought the child to him, Emperor Wanli had liked him.

Although he wouldn't treat him as his own son, he regarded him as half a godson.

Emperor Wanli deeply believed in the magical powers of the Longhu Mountain Celestial Masters. Even if there had been some problems in the previous dynasty, it could only be regarded as the Longhu Mountain masters having met the wrong person.

Everyone makes mistakes.

The person Emperor Wanli was calling out to now came forward. His name was Tian Yi. Last year, after the previous Director of Ceremonial, Zhang Cheng, was dismissed, Tian Yi replaced Zhang Cheng, temporarily taking charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial and becoming the new attendant by the emperor's side.

Emperor Wanli trusted him very much.

Last year, when Tian Yi had just become the Director of Ceremonial, he had submitted two secret memorials to him, telling him about the situation outside and asking him to correct it in time. After those things happened, even the usually garrulous officials were constantly flattering him.

Tian Yi was dressed in python robes and jade belt.

These were the clothes Emperor Wanli had personally bestowed upon him, allowing him to wear them.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, during the first watch, everything was as usual. During the second watch, apart from the Southern Inspection Office of the Imperial Bodyguard entering Longde Hall for inspection, nothing else happened."

"It's now zi-chu second quarter (11:30 PM), close to the third watch. An hour ago, this servant ordered people to go out for inspection, and there were no problems."

Tian Yi also frowned. He was very old, sixty-four years old this year, and he was afraid that he would not remember some things clearly and would delay the emperor's important affairs. That would be a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths.

Emperor Wanli ordered someone to help him change his clothes. At this time, he had free time, so he was not wearing the bright yellow court dress, but the yanbian dress.

The crown frame was like a leather cap, decorated with five-colored jade clouds in the front, with a red silk tassel, double jade hairpin, black upper garment with cyan edges, embroidered with the sun and moon on both shoulders, and embroidered with a group of dragons on the front and back. The inner lining was yellow, and the lower garment was a deep robe, with a plain red and cyan belt and a nine-dragon jade belt around the waist, white socks, and black shoes.

"I feel uneasy. I'm afraid there will be evil tonight."

Emperor Wanli carried the talisman from Longhu Mountain with him, and this talisman had helped him avoid some dangers.

"On the eighth day of the third month last year, before the great fire in Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace, I also felt uneasy. This talisman warned me, and I suddenly had an impulse to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. I had just left when a great fire broke out out of nowhere in the two palaces, completely destroying them."

Tian Yi's expression was also very serious. Last year's incident was indeed very strange. The fire came inexplicably, and later the palace investigation did not find anything. Many palace maids and servants died in the fire and it was determined to be accidental ignition.

Perhaps someone had knocked over a candle, and a gust of evil wind had caused it.

Emperor Wanli frowned, "Later, Zhang Zhenren was summoned by me. He said that if the statues of the Zhenwu Emperor and Ruizong were moved back to Longde Hall, fires could be avoided. At that time, I didn't listen, and even joked with him... Wooden carvings and clay sculptures are not real positions, how can they suppress water and fire?"

"Later, I prepared more water tanks in the palace. From last year to now, there have been no more fires... But this sudden absence of fires, big and small, makes me feel a little uneasy."

Emperor Wanli also felt that there was something wrong with him. In the past, when small fires occurred every few days and a major disaster occurred every three to five months, he was not afraid. Now that there were no fires, he felt that it was abnormal.

Tian Yi thought for a moment and said to Emperor Wanli, "Does Your Majesty have any signs of a sudden impulse now?"

Emperor Wanli did not respond, but closed his eyes. After a while, he said to Tian Yi, "The source of my unease tonight must be Longde Hall. From the time Consort Zheng told me about the inspection of this hall until now, I have not had any sleepiness and have become more and more alarmed!"

"It must be this hall. Last year, Zhang Zhenren was also staring at this hall! Could it be that Zhenwu and Ruizong are angry that their statues are not in the main hall and are punishing me?"

"There's a big problem with this hall!"

Emperor Wanli was also a little suspicious, thinking that even if they wanted to punish someone, they shouldn't punish him. It was Emperor Longqing who moved your two statues away, what does it have to do with him?

"I'm going to Longde Hall! Without the ceremonial guard!"

Emperor Wanli immediately set off, and Tian Yi also called out to the eunuchs and attendants to follow him.

Emperor Wanli left Qianqing Palace and asked people to notify Empress Wang to not stay in Kunning Palace, and to come out with him if she had nothing to do. He also asked people to call Consort Zheng from the surrounding room.

"Your Majesty this is...?"

Consort Zheng didn't know what was going on. After the emperor had his pleasure with her, it was already zi hour (11 PM). Not only did he not go to bed, but he got up to go to the Longde Hall that even ghosts didn't usually go to?

"Don't ask too much, come with me."

Emperor Wanli didn't say much. At this time, he had a sudden impulse and felt that he had to go to Longde Hall!

From Qianqing Palace to Longde Hall, one had to pass through Jiaotai Palace, pass through Longfu Gate, pass through the entire West Six Palaces, turn out of the corner corridor, pass through a very long corridor, pass through three consecutive corridors, and come to the northwest corner, to the three deserted palaces that were not part of the inner palace, where there was a Tai'an Gate, which was the gate of the Longde Hall courtyard.

Just as Emperor Wanli had just left the door, Luo Sigong led the Imperial Bodyguards of the Southern Inspection Office in a hurry. When Emperor Wanli saw the dirt on their bodies and their embarrassed expressions, the surprise in his heart grew even stronger.

"Luo Sigong, the commander of the Southern Inspection Office of the Imperial Bodyguard, greets Your Majesty!"

Emperor Wanli immediately asked, "I asked you to go to Longde Hall, did you find anything during the inspection?"

Luo Sigong quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, inside Longde Hall, just now..."

Before he could finish speaking, the outside suddenly lit up. Emperor Wanli turned his head and saw that he had just left the back door of Qianqing Palace. At this time, Qianqing Palace was suddenly ablaze with fire!

At this moment.

Wanli, Year 25, Sixth Month, 19th Day, zi-zheng (midnight).

There were still palace maids in the palace, who were now in the fire. Emperor Wanli and others saw that in front of the Qianqing Palace gate, there was actually a pile of palace maids' corpses standing in the raging fire. At this time, fire was rising from their seven orifices, their bodies were burnt, and Consort Zheng was so frightened that she screamed. Three figures walked out of the raging fire of Qianqing Palace!

One person was wearing a wide red robe, with a majestic appearance.

One was a pageboy, dressed in brocade with a jade face, holding a scarlet command flag.

One was an old man with white whiskers, with a bowl-sized hole in his back, from which firelight spewed out.

Emperor Wanli was immediately shocked and angry:

"Who are you!"

He had just left the house, and it was burned down!

This house was burned down on the eighth day of the third month last year, construction started on the first day of the fourth month, and it was just repaired at the beginning of this year, and now it's gone again!

Do you know how important a house is to a homebody emperor! How can he stay home without a house!

The three people in the fire stared straight at Emperor Wanli, and Luo Sigong didn't have time to explain at this time, and quickly stood in front of Emperor Wanli, and said anxiously:

"These three are fire gods! They are here to assassinate Your Majesty!"

"Please, Your Majesty, quickly follow this humble official to Longde Hall to avoid disaster!"