Dong Lingjiu transferred several loyal and upright people who had been demoted and imprisoned and were now outside the capital back to the capital, and granted them positions such as editing and compiling in the Hanlin Academy. The Empress Dowager's order was issued, and these lists and files were sent to the emperor's case again.
　　When Meng Cheng was the prince in the East Palace, he did not have much talent and insight in governing because of the doting of Emperor Mingde. Now that he has ascended the throne for a year, many things are still being learned.
　　He studied patiently and was careful, so he saw the names of these people very clearly. Therefore, he paid close attention to the names circled in red on the list, and felt that these words were very familiar. After thinking for a moment, he remembered that the young doctor he met in the Cining Palace was called Zheng Yuheng.
　　After that day, he specially sent someone to ask about this person's identity, family background, and native place.
　　Meng Cheng held his chin, and his eyes turned a little serious. He was surprised to see that although the name was circled, it was not on the list of reinstatements. He thought to himself, "Is he really a pure medical officer? Isn't he trying to curry favor with his mother and resume his career?"
　　Perhaps it was out of a subconscious hostility. Meng Cheng didn't believe that the handsome doctor could be a good person. He always thought of the treacherous people in history. If he stayed with his mother, he must have a bigger and more ambitious plot. The
　　reason why he didn't drive this person away was that he treated the queen mother effectively, so the emperor's filial piety broke out and didn't want to displease Dong Lingjiu.
　　Meng Cheng frowned and pondered for a long time. Shang Kai, the eunuch who served him tea, came forward and secretly swept the desk, and put warm tea on it as usual.
　　Shang Kai also belonged to the Inner Palace, which was the rear palace in charge of the palace's internal affairs. Although he was nominally only responsible for the emperor's Guiyuan Palace, he was not only the top official among the eunuchs, but also the top leader of the rear palace in terms of actual power.
　　In terms of seniority, he and Xuan Jingyun are actually on equal footing, but Shang Kai had accompanied the new emperor in the East Palace and had taken care of Meng Cheng's daily life since he was five years old. The relationship was completely different from that of other eunuchs and servants. Because the empress dowager had also shown signs of illness due to overwork and weakness in recent years, Shang Kai, who relied on the new emperor, raised his head in the rear province and almost surpassed Xuan Jingyun. Shang
　　Kai, who had been holding his breath for many years, could not help but indulge in the sweetness of power after tasting it, and hoped to be more appreciated in front of Meng Cheng. He said, "Your Majesty is always frowning, and I feel uncomfortable."
　　His tone was gentle, and it almost revealed a hint of heartache: "You have been busy all day, and you don't even take a break to drink some tea."
　　Meng Cheng drank the tea and said casually, "I told your apprentice to serve you, but you didn't like it."
　　Shang Kai smiled and said, "They are so clumsy and they don't even know how to serve people."
　　"You say..." Meng Cheng turned to look at him, habitually wanting to tell Shang Kai about this and let his companion who grew up with him give some suggestions. However, thinking of the teachings of sages and the advice of his mother, he held it in his mouth and just said, "It would be great if the people in the Imperial Hospital were also eunuchs."
　　The little emperor took another sip of tea and murmured, "Just order him around and use him, there is no need to respect him or love him. That is a useful person, and I am relieved that he can serve my mother."
　　"Oh, your majesty, the Imperial Hospital is a medical officer, and they are all court officials. How can they be reduced to the same level as slaves?"
　　"I know." Meng Cheng said impatiently, "It's not decent. If he is a bribeable character, then it's not worth taking it to heart..."
　　Shang Kai saw that he was really bored, so he speculated: "But the one beside the Empress of Cining Palace... Doctor Zheng?"
　　Meng Cheng suddenly raised his eyes and looked straight at him.
　　Shang Kai continued, using a thoughtful tone: "When the Hou Province served the Cining Palace, some eunuchs wanted to curry favor with the Empress and bribed Doctor Zheng... Xuan Duzhi punished them."
　　This was a euphemism, and it was also a face-saving statement. The truth was that the eunuchs with unreliable mouths almost spread the rumors out of the palace. Xuan Jingyun grabbed the denunciation list and went everywhere to arrest people. In the middle of the night, he beat them one by one in the courtyard of the Hou Province with forty sticks according to the rules. Some people fainted.
　　Because the work was too hard that time, many people were arrested, and they were beaten from midnight to the first cockcrow. Xuan Duzhi slowly stood up from the chair, his body covered in cold wind and dew. He said, "Who dares to talk nonsense again, talk about the nobles, and talk about the things above-"
　　He pointed to the pool of blood dripping from the torture bench, "Bury it here."
　　At that time, Xu Xiang, the eunuch in charge of the inner prison, was also in the rear province. Seeing this, he coughed twice lightly, "Enough."
　　Xuan Jingyun said, "If I don't beat them or scare them now, I can't protect them if they commit a serious crime."
　　Xu Xiang: "Who remembers your kindness? I only remember that you are the King of Hell. If you get into trouble, I wish to add insult to injury."
　　So this "rule-making" was over. From then on, the matter about Zheng Taiyi in the rear province was like suffocating in the stomachs of the eunuchs. Even if their teeth were broken, they would never be able to pry out a single word.
　　Among the eunuchs who were caned was Shang Kai's godson.
　　He couldn't possibly say to the emperor, "The Queen Mother treats Doctor Zheng differently, I'm afraid she has some ulterior motive." Gossiping about his mother to a filial son was courting death. He could only convey the message in a subtle and tactful way.
　　After hearing what he said, Meng Cheng pondered for a while and said, "Did Xuan Jingyun punish him personally? The Queen Mother does keep a close watch on those around him."
　　Shang Kai suggested, "I've thought of a way. How about this? I'll send a eunuch to test him secretly. Those eunuchs can't afford any money, and that little bit of profit can't test a person's character at all. You have to lure them with huge profits to know if they're a good person or not."
　　Meng Cheng said, "Then you go and do it."
　　This was a clear path.
　　Shang Kai bowed and agreed.
　　...
　　Shang Kai came back from serving in Guiyuan Palace. When he arrived at the internal examination room, he first drank a sip of hot tea handed by his apprentice, then waved his hand and said, "Come quickly, son. Godfather has found a good job for you."
　　A young eunuch with a rat-like face hurried over, smiling, "Godfather, you are back. Here." He handed over a hot towel.
　　Shang Kai took the towel, wiped his face and hands, and said, "Godfather has something to ask of you. Do you remember the Empress of Cining Palace... that one?" "
　　That one? Zheng..." The young eunuch uttered a word subconsciously, and then shrank back as if his tongue was burned, looking at him in fear.
　　"Oh, are you still afraid? This time it is the will of His Majesty." Shang Kai laughed, and then lowered his head to whisper something in his ear.
　　The young eunuch's face changed from fear to worry, and then he was tempted by Shang Kai's promise of "support", and hurriedly said: "My son will definitely do this job well, godfather, don't worry, even if I sacrifice my life, I can't delay the work of you and the emperor!"
　　He showed his loyalty in a flattering manner: "Godfather and the emperor are our future hope in this world. In another three to five years, who knows whether the first three disasters and six diseases will be better or not? Our master is so young, there will be countless benefits in the future."
　　Shang Kai drank the cup of hot tea in his hand and looked at him with a smile.
　　The young eunuch spoke without a bottom line: "If I were to say, it's only these two years, how did the sage's tomb collapse? Let the world crush it! From now on, won't it be our master who has the final say? Godfather, you are the first favorite! What is that called... the prime minister? When the Empress of the Cining Palace is gone..."
　　Shang Kai looked at him with a fake smile in the first part, but when he heard the last part, his face suddenly changed, he raised his hand and slapped the eunuch, angrily saying, "No taboos!"
　　The eunuch was stunned, and a slightly low voice came from the door of the cell beside him.
　　"No taboos." Xu Xiang stepped into the cell, holding the June criminal record of the inner prison in his hand, and said expressionlessly, "If he says all these, it will cost him his life."
　　After that, he saluted Shang Kai again and said, "Shang Daban."
　　Shang Kai pushed the eunuch, and the latter ran away in panic. He looked at Xu Xiang for a moment, and a smile appeared on his face: "Xu Bingbi, you must have heard it wrong. He was just disrespectful in his words. Xuan Jingyun punished him last time."
　　Xu Xiang stared at him for a moment and said, "Is that so."
　　Shang Kai smiled and said, "That's right."
　　After he answered this, Xu Xiang turned around and left, but Shang Kai suddenly said, "Xu Bingbi, stay."
　　The other party paused and turned around.
　　Shang Kai said, "I know that Xu Bingbi was a historian in the court before he became a eunuch. He was implicated in the 'Zhu Mo Case' and was imprisoned and castrated, and then he fell into the situation of being a slave like us."
　　Xu Xiang asked, "What do you want to say?"
　　Shang Kai smiled and said, "I just want to know, about half of the grown men died after having their penises cut off. If you were that age back then, wow, you would have been twenty years old... could you have castrated someone with such a single cut? Did Xu Bingbi have any secret to survive this bloody cleansing center?" Xu
　　Xiang was silent for a moment, and said calmly, "Are you trying to kill someone?"
　　Shang Kai didn't seem to be doing this just to ridicule him.
　　"I dare not." Shang Kai said, "I am old, and I am worried about my master's thoughts. I just asked casually. The court officials are all noble. We slaves can't even touch them. How dare we drag them into a dirty place to get stabbed? There is no future trouble in serving the master, but this... Tsk, blame me, I forgot that you were also a court official before."
　　Before he finished speaking, Xu Xiang clasped his hands. Although he was not angry, he turned around and left.
　　Shang Kai looked at his back, and his smile gradually faded. He confirmed that Xu Xiang did not go in the direction of the young eunuch just now, so he knew that the eunuch who was in charge of the inner prison was diverted by this conversation and did not explore the "slip of the tongue" just now.
　　There is no need to worry that he will interfere and make the master's business fail.