The Demon Lords

Chapter 509 24 Empress Dowager!_1

All people harbor destructive desires, especially when faced with beautiful and delicate things. Most would feel an impulse to shatter them.

At this moment, Zheng Fan felt such an urge. The sharp sound of horse hooves treading on the green bricks was so distinct, and the palace towers were so magnificent.

Such beautiful things, the symbol of a dynasty that had existed for hundreds of years... It truly would be a pity not to destroy them!

Fortunately, Chief Zheng was able to control himself.

Three hundred heavy cavalrymen rampaged within the palace. They encountered resistance twice: one instance involved nearly a hundred eunuchs armed with weapons, who were wiped out in the first clash; another involved dozens of guards, who were also quickly defeated.

Apart from these two encounters, Zheng Fan faced no further obstructions until he arrived before the Empress Dowager's bedchambers.

This Jin State, which still existed in name only, was at its weakest moment. Even its last fig leaf had been stripped away.

Of course, this was just the beginning.

The Yu imperial family was not wealthy—a well-known fact—but a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

In other words, Emperor Jin might have had limited liquid assets, but his fixed assets were abundant.

Places like the Grand Temple and the imperial treasury were full of treasures. Any item taken out casually was priceless. These were treasures Emperor Jin couldn't sell, no matter how poor or desperate he became, because he had to maintain the dignity befitting an imperial family.

But Zheng Fan had no such concerns. After several successive battles, he was now very poor and eager to recruit soldiers and expand his army. Now that he had entered the Jin State's imperial palace, wouldn't it be letting himself down if he didn't scrape it clean?

Before the Empress Dowager's bedchambers, a group of eunuchs and palace maids knelt. They wanted to flee but dared not; they wanted to resist but lacked the courage. They could only kneel there, trembling with fear.

The Empress Dowager of Jin was to be captured—not for his own enjoyment, but to be made an example of, alongside her son.

However, to prevent any hidden experts from lurking inside, Zheng Fan first ordered dozens of Jingnan Army soldiers to enter the bedchambers and search.

Once it was confirmed safe and all the eunuchs and palace maids attending the Empress Dowager had been removed, Zheng Fan dismounted and went inside.

Inside the bedchamber, the Empress Dowager of Jin was dressed in majestic attire.

Her lips, likely having just been pressed with rouge paper, were still a vibrant, alluring red.

Phoenix robe, jade hairpin, ornate ring, and diadem—everything was meticulously arranged. She sat there, her left hand on the armrest, her right resting on her lap.

Truth be told, if he hadn't known she was the mother of that "dark-faced brat" Emperor Jin, Zheng Fan would have mistaken her for a young woman of twenty-four or twenty-five.

Zheng Fan did not rush to disrespect her.

He clasped his fist in salute and said, "This humble general, Zheng Fan, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager of Jin. May Your Highness enjoy good health."

"General Zheng."

The Empress Dowager spoke. He could tell she was trying to maintain a dignified demeanor, but it was difficult. Not only did she look young, but her voice was also clear and crisp, not at all like the voice one would typically associate with an Empress Dowager.

"This general is here."

"My son... is he well?"

"To answer Your Highness, Emperor Jin is well."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager breathed a long sigh of relief, then asked again, "What about that traitor, Yu Huacheng?"

"He won't be causing trouble for much longer."

"Yes, yes. With the arrival of the celestial army from the superior state, these rebels naturally can't stir up any more trouble. You have truly toiled hard, General Zheng."

"Your Highness is too kind. This is merely this general's duty."

"This widow... is a little tired."

Zheng Fan smiled.

He looked up, meeting the gaze of this beautiful Empress Dowager.

As their eyes met, the Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. In his eyes, she saw a man brazenly appraising a woman, completely undisguised.

The words "How impudent!" stuck in her throat, unuttered.

"Empress Dowager, in helping your esteemed country quell this rebellion, my army has suffered heavy casualties. These soldiers, after all, died for the peace and stability of the Jin State. This humble general boldly requests that Your Highness bestow some compensation to comfort the hearts of my men."

Half the Jin State has already been occupied by you Yan people, and you still dare to ask me for a reward?

The Empress Dowager suppressed her inner fury.

Zheng Fan observed the infuriated, beautiful widowed Empress Dowager.

TSK, TSK.

The more he looked, the more captivating she became.

Honestly, to be able to openly appraise and admire an Empress Dowager like this in this lifetime meant his rebirth hadn't been in vain.

Let me take a good look.

Yes, let me look some more.

I'll take my sweet time looking.

"General Zheng, compensation will certainly be provided. However, you must have seen the current situation in the palace. Could we perhaps wait until matters have settled, until the Emperor returns, and then have him personally go to reward the troops?"

Emperor Jin still thinks he can return here?

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "Empress Dowager, now you're not being entirely forthright."

Zheng Fan straightened up and, at the same time, took a few steps toward the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager instinctively wanted to stand up but restrained herself. She looked at Zheng Fan with some disbelief and said, "General Zheng, what is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning? Let me make it clear to Your Highness. My Yan Army lost so many men fighting for your Jin State to ensure the safety of Your Highness and His Majesty. This is the blood money for my men, and it's also the price for your lives—yours and His Majesty's. In all my life, I've never heard of such payment being deferred."

"I need some time to recover, and the palace also needs time. Besides, the palace currently doesn't have..."

"HEH. During harvest season, even tenant farmers helping a landlord cut wheat get two square meals and a string of cash for their trouble. What's this? Is the Jin imperial family unwilling to observe even the common courtesies of an ordinary landlord?"

"Impudence! Impudence!"

The Empress Dowager pointed at Zheng Fan, her beautiful face flushed red with anger.

Zheng Fan grabbed the Empress Dowager's hand.

The Empress Dowager froze on the spot.

TSK.

Quite smooth and soft.

HMM.

But still not nearly as good as Siniang's.

"Empress Dowager, don't put on your airs with me. As for what truly caused this incident, I refuse to believe Your Highness doesn't know. Your son received the protection of my Great Yan, yet he bit the hand that fed him, stirred up trouble, and ultimately spun a cocoon around himself. It was my Great Yan that, letting bygones be bygones, spared your lives—yours and your son's. Let me be frank, Your Highness. My men are all waiting for their reward money. Whether you wish to cooperate or not, you will cooperate. The Grand Temple, the imperial treasury, the imperial gardens—I will visit these places myself. But after the chaos in the capital city is quelled, I will ask Your Highness to contact the wealthy families in the region. My Yan Army has protected their lives, so naturally, they must hand over a portion of their wealth. And let me state the ugly truth upfront: if the wealth provided is insufficient to satisfy me, I will order my men to 'open the blades' for three days and let them take what they will!"

The Empress Dowager had never experienced such an ordeal. Even when Yu Huacheng betrayed her, he had still maintained a veneer of decorum in her presence.

It could be said that in her entire life, Zheng Fan was the most crude and barbaric man the Empress Dowager had ever personally encountered!

"If you dare touch the Grand Temple, I would rather die than consent!"

With that, the Empress Dowager wrenched her hand free from Zheng Fan's grasp and, with her other hand, produced a pair of scissors, pressing them against her own neck.

"If you Yan people dare to bully me so excessively, then I shall die right here for you to see!"

"TSK TSK. Empress Dowager, you'll need to move those scissors a few inches lower. Yes, yes, right there. Pierce there, and the blood will spurt out. It won't stop, and you'll get to experience your eyes rolling back, your body convulsing, and being unable to speak even if you wanted to before you die."

"..." The Empress Dowager was speechless.

"Yan bastard! Do you think I am afraid to die?"

"Die then, by all means. But Your Highness is so beautiful; even if you were dead, I would be loath to let such a fine body go to waste. HEH HEH HEH."

Zheng Fan did his best to make his laughter sound as vile as possible.

Then, he continued, "As for your son, I'll have someone find a way to secretly castrate him. I trust His Majesty Emperor Jin won't mind. In fact, he might even be grateful to me for helping him take that step."

"You… you… you you…"

The Empress Dowager stared at Zheng Fan in disbelief. She truly hadn't imagined that such a shameless scoundrel could exist in this world!

"Empress Dowager, if you intend to kill yourself, please be quick about it."

Zheng Fan didn't consider himself particularly vile. To the victor go the spoils, and the loser is condemned. This was especially true for imperial families; such was their fate. However many days of glory and riches one enjoyed, one had to be prepared for one's descendants to be unable to hold onto the empire and suffer the backlash. Especially since, if Emperor Jin hadn't made such a mess of things himself, my own forces wouldn't have suffered so many more losses, and I might have already reached Shengle City by now. Are only you mother and son allowed to stir up trouble, but I'm not allowed to do so even once? There's no such principle in this world. Truly, no such principle.

Finally, the Empress Dowager lowered the scissors in her hand.

Zheng Fan stepped forward, took the scissors from her, and lifted her chin.

The Empress Dowager bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes filled with shame and anger.

"TSK TSK, TSK TSK TSK."

Zheng Fan smiled, his fingertips brushing against the Empress Dowager's red lips a few times. After sensing their warmth and moisture, he released her, a hint of reluctance in his gesture as if wanting more.

The Empress Dowager staggered back a few steps. Having just prepared for death only to abandon the idea, she now lacked the courage to try again. In fact, to a certain extent, her tolerance for Zheng Fan's offensive behavior had even increased.

Zheng Fan walked to the edge of the bed and sat down.

He was indeed a bit tired after riding for so long. His current task was simply to keep the Empress Dowager under control. As for ransacking homes and stripping the land bare, that would have to wait until others had pacified the capital city area.

However, just as he sat down, a sound from beneath him made Zheng Fan immediately sense that something was amiss. There was a secret compartment under the bed.

Zheng Fan immediately stood up and directly lifted away several layers of soft bedding—made of some unknown material—revealing a hidden compartment.

"No! No!"

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager immediately lunged at Zheng Fan.

Zheng Fan shoved the Empress Dowager to the ground, and rubbed his hands together.

Generally speaking, anything hidden in such a place had to be a great treasure!

The anticipation, oh, the anticipation!

Zheng Fan pulled the dagger tucked into his boot, pried open the secret compartment, and found a wooden box inside.

HMM?

"No, no!"

The Empress Dowager lunged again, but Zheng Fan, anticipating her move, swiftly pinned her down on the bed.

"No, no!"

The Empress Dowager's back was pressed down by Zheng Fan's hand, but she still reached desperately for the box, trying to stop him from touching it.

"Empress Dowager, you're so agitated. This must certainly be a great treasure then, HEH HEH."

Zheng Fan used his other hand to open the box.

Then, the Empress Dowager closed her eyes, her teeth biting into her lip until it bled.

Zheng Fan also froze, stunned.

FUCK!

There really was a 'great treasure' in this box...

A dildo!