Chapter 203: Existence
“Because you have mediocre talent.”
These words rang in Zhang Ze’s ears, like a clap of thunder.
Mediocre talent?
How could he have mediocre talent!
Since he was young, he was intelligent. At a young age, he ran errands for the generals in the barracks, earning himself a life free from hunger and worry.
When his father’s leg was broken by a Noble’s horse, everyone was telling him to ask the Noble for money, enough money to support the whole family for a lifetime. But he didn’t, he didn’t want money, he asked the Noble for a future.
As expected, he leaped to the capital.
The capital! At the foot of the Emperor! It was an opportunity that someone of his background could never buy, no matter how much money they had!
He came to the capital, and although he had no power or influence, he didn’t become just another speck of dust in the capital. He rose through the ranks step by step, becoming more and more trusted, until now, he had become a powerful figure who struck fear into the hearts of others.
The powerful and influential trembled before him!
Could someone with mediocre talent, a good-for-nothing, and stupid achieve this?
Zhang Ze let out a cold laugh, stood up without needing to support himself: “So, in your eyes, someone like me has mediocre talent. No wonder you ended up like this.”
To consider someone like him as having mediocre talent, with such judgment, what kind of rabble did she surround herself with? It’s no wonder she collapsed with a single push.
The figure before him wasn’t angered, there was still a smile on her face: “To put it bluntly, you’re getting worked up. How could someone with your talent be used by me, be my person? You wouldn’t be able to hear a single pleasant word then.”
She was still mocking him! Zhang Ze wasn’t embarrassed or angry, he didn’t care anymore, because she wasn’t worthy!
All these years, it wasn’t her who misjudged, it was him who misjudged. He thought too highly of her!
“Your rise to power today has nothing to do with your talent. What you’ve done, anyone can do.” The figure continued, “As long as you indulge your own evil.”
What nonsense! Zhang Ze sneered.
“And…” she raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I’ve fallen.”
Haha, Zhang Ze laughed out loud, even smashed into a pulp, she still refused to admit defeat, dead beyond dead.
“Is death considered a downfall?” She smiled, looking at Zhang Ze, “But I’m still here.”
Still here? Appearing before him? This was just an illusion! Zhang Ze gritted his teeth, if he wasn’t controlled by the illusion, he would immediately draw the knife from his waist and chop the person in front of him into a pulp, instead of watching helplessly… this thing, conjured up, who knows what disgusting thing is behind it, wearing Empress Jiang’s face to humiliate and mock him.
He was actually fooled into asking her a question just now.
And feeling embarrassed and angry because of her answer.
Zhang Ze’s face flushed red then white, anger churning inside him. His mind was clear, his spirit firm, he wanted to tear this illusion apart.
The figure before him seemed to become shaky, but the smile on her face remained.
“Of course I’m still here. If I weren’t, how could you have been promoted? Isn’t it because everyone can see me?”
How could he have been promoted? It was because the Emperor was afraid of Empress Jiang, everyone was afraid. Even though Empress Jiang was dead, they felt she was everywhere, so they were eager to erase her traces.
Zhang Ze clenched his fists.
“If I weren’t here, how could Bai Ying have reached her current position? Hasn’t she been watching me all along?”
Bai Ying, a woman of humble origins, becoming the Emperor’s consort was already a tremendous blessing. She should be content with that, like all the other consorts…
Zhang Ze looked ahead, the lights and shadows flickered, it was as if he was standing by the Taiye Lake, watching that weeping consort.
“I’m not reconciled to this, just being a consort, waiting for His Majesty’s favor.”
“Besides waiting for His Majesty’s favor, you can ask for other things, just like Empress Jiang.”
“Why can’t I be like Empress Jiang?”
Zhang Ze gritted his teeth, but he still heard his own voice asking: “That depends on whether you’re willing to give up…”
“If she’s willing, you’re willing to help her.” The woman with Empress Jiang’s face was beside him, finishing his sentence, “So, aren’t you also doing this because you see me, wanting to create another me?”
Empress Jiang didn’t need him, so he would create another Empress Jiang himself.
He wanted to show that Empress Jiang how blind she was, what an amazing person she had missed!
Zhang Ze let out a roar, raising his hand to smash it against the person next to him.
The figure dissipated, he stumbled, a pair of feet standing before him.
“Everyone sees me, remembers me, misses me, even the Empress was calling for me before she died. How could someone like me die?”
“Not only will I not die, I will come back to life.”
“So—”
With these words, a hand reached out and pressed against his neck.
His body suddenly tensed up, no one had ever touched his neck like this. Back when he knelt down to be a footstool for the general in the barracks, the general could only step on his back. When assigning him tasks, they would grab his shoulder and throw him out, but his neck, no one had ever touched it, nor did he allow anyone to.
Let alone be touched by a woman.
This woman’s hand, soft and slender.
Was this, Empress Jiang’s hand?
Zhang Ze’s body trembled, he wanted to shake it off, he wanted to stand up, he wouldn’t be confused by this illusion!
But the next moment, the delicate woman’s hand suddenly grabbed him and threw him hard.
✿✿✿
With a dizzying whirl, Zhang Ze fell to the ground.
So a woman’s hand could be this strong.
At that moment, he didn’t think about how anything was possible in an illusion.
“Zhang Ze, I’m not dead, and I won’t die.” The hem of a blue skirt stood before him, the voice descending from above, accompanied by the cries of a baby.
Baby?
Zhang Ze lay on the ground, looking up, seeing a swaddled baby in the palace maid’s arms. She held it with one hand and gently patted it with the other.
She didn’t look at him, her eyes gazing tenderly at the child in her arms.
“I’ll take this child.” She said, “I didn’t interfere with you switching Bai Ying’s child, so don’t interfere with me taking this one.”
As she spoke, she lifted the baby in her arms, smiling at it.
“Otherwise, I’ll let you hear the sound of the Imperial Bell, and I’ll let Xuanyangzi see what you’ve done.”
With that, she suddenly threw the baby in her arms towards the ground.
Zhang Ze instinctively raised his hand to cover his face.
He didn’t know if he was afraid of the baby hitting his face, or if he didn’t want to see a child being smashed to death.
No blood splattered on him, nor was there the sound of the Imperial Bell, only light footsteps in his ears.
The footsteps were leaving.
Zhang Ze slowly lowered his hand, he lay on the ground, watching the figure gradually walk away.
She stopped again, holding the baby in her arms, turning to look at him. She smiled, a smile as dazzling as the sun, Zhang Ze let out a cry of pain and closed his eyes.
“…Inspector General, Inspector General…”
Voices surged from all directions, coming closer and closer, accompanied by hands shaking his shoulders.
Zhang Ze shuddered, instinctively dodging to the side, but his body stumbled. He opened his eyes, his ears buzzing, his vision blurry.
Torches flickered around him.
The soldiers looked at him with fear on their faces.
Before Zhang Ze could speak, the ritual specialist beside him let out a hoarse cry.
“Broken, broken.” He said, holding the intact incense in his hand, delirious, “Broken, broken…”
The soldiers became even more terrified.
Zhang Ze, however, was sober, and said hoarsely: “Knock him out.”
Clearly, this ritual specialist had been broken in the illusion, he was useless.
With his words, the soldiers knocked the ritual specialist unconscious with a single blow.
“What happened?” A soldier asked, “You, what were you going to say just now? Why did you stop?” Then, based on the little information they had been given earlier, he stammered, “Were you pulled into the illusion?”
This time, that ritual specialist couldn’t stop it?
Zhang Ze didn’t answer the soldier’s question. So it stopped here, it was only a blink of an eye?
The night was almost over, the torches and palace lanterns were also dimmed in the faint light of dawn.
He looked ahead, the wide palace road was empty.
What had just happened felt like a dream.
But it wasn’t a dream.
Then, was it real?
Zhang Ze clenched his hand at his side tightly, then released it: “Nothing, no need to go to the palace gate, go back and guard Hanliang Palace well.”
…
…
Walking out of the palace gate, the palace maid in blue looked back. It was the darkest hour before dawn, and the brightly lit Imperial City also became dim, seemingly far and near.
In the darkness, the palace maid’s face trembled slightly, one eye seemed extremely sleepy and wanted to close, but struggled to stay open.
“Wait, wait.” A voice cried in her ear, “You can’t do this, use me and then lock me up—”
