manynovel Chapter 37 Commander of the Imperial Guards
Chapter 37 Commander of the Imperial Guards
The Eastern Depot! The Chief Supervisor!
When those two words hit him, Wang Huai'an was jolted and abruptly looked up.
This is no different from the previous minor skirmishes. Zhao Yu has now set up a private government office, which is a major taboo in the imperial court, especially given his sensitive status.
To put it simply, Zhao Yu was just trying to make management easier.
To put it more bluntly, this is enough to accuse him of plotting something sinister.
If the censors were to find out about this, Zhao Yu would inevitably be reprimanded, and his good brother might even use it as an excuse to imprison him until his death.
Once those words are spoken, there's no going back.
Wang Huai'an never imagined that Zhao Yu's scheme was so grand.
The Eastern Arresting Office, as its name suggests, has the power to arrest and interrogate people. It is clearly a secret agency like the Imperial City Guard!
He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and bowed deeply to Zhao Yu, his voice trembling slightly: "This servant thanks Your Majesty for your trust. I will certainly report back to Your Majesty within half a month!"
Zhao Yu smiled and nodded.
Wang Huai'an's abilities had already been verified before.
He is meticulous, resourceful, and loyal to me; he is the perfect person to take charge of the future Eastern Depot.
Wang Huai'an turned to get paper and pen, but after taking only two steps, Zhao Yu suddenly spoke up again: "By the way, Huai'an, do you know Xia Zhen, the official in charge of the Palace Guard? Where is his residence in Lin'an?"
Xia Zhen?
Upon hearing those two words, Wang Huai'an's heart tightened again, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out from his back.
How could he not know Xia Zhen?
Or rather, in Lin'an City today, there are probably very few people who don't know this Grand Commandant Xia.
This person is now the Commander of the Palace Guard, in charge of the three imperial guards, responsible for the outer perimeter of the palace and the defense of the entire Lin'an city.
He could even control the deployment of troops in the Imperial City Guard, making him the highest-ranking military officer in charge of the defense system within Lin'an City. Holding military power in the capital, he was a man of great influence and power.
Even though Zhao Yu was a member of the imperial family and the emperor's younger brother, in terms of real power in the court, he was far inferior to Grand Commandant Xia, who held the power of the imperial guards.
More importantly, this person was the most core ally of Shi Miyuan, the current prime minister.
In the coup in the third year of the Kaixi era, Shi Miyuan and Empress Yang joined forces to kill Han Tuozhou. If Xia Zhen, the then commander of the Central Army of the Palace Guard, had not betrayed them and led the Imperial Guards to help, Shi Miyuan would never have been able to openly kill the prime minister and high-ranking official in the capital.
It can be said that Xia Zhen deserves great credit for Shi Miyuan's current ability to control the government.
Given Zhao Yu's sudden display of brilliance today, it's impossible that his question about Xia Zhen's residence was just a casual remark.
Wang Huai'an's mind raced with countless thoughts, but he didn't hesitate for a moment when he spoke.
He immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Grand Commandant Xia's residence is located on the west side of the Imperial Street in the south of the city, next to the residences of the Six Ministries. It is situated in Qinghefang, inside Chaotianmen. There is a pair of three-foot-tall blue stone lions in front of the gate, making it very easy to identify."
"Okay, I understand." Zhao Yu waved his hand. "Go and copy the sword manual. Be careful and don't make any mistakes. I'm going out for a walk."
"Yes, ma'am." Wang Huai'an bowed and watched Zhao Yu leave the study.
Only after Zhao Yu's footsteps completely disappeared did Wang Huai'an slowly straighten up, turn around and look at the cassock on the desk, standing there stunned for a long time.
He knew in his heart that his master was never one to settle for mediocrity, otherwise he would not have been able to develop such martial arts skills.
Now they're recruiting people to practice evil arts, establishing the Eastern Depot, and spying on Xia Zhen's residence. They're about to do something earth-shattering.
Now that things have come to this, Wang Huai'an is no longer in control of his own destiny and can't extricate himself from the situation; he can only go down this dark path.
After a while, he took a deep breath, walked to his desk, spread out the Xuan paper, ground the ink, and picked up his brush to carefully copy the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual.
On the other side, Zhao Yu strolled leisurely around the front yard, casually exchanging a few words with the chief steward, the guards, and other people in the mansion. He made an appearance, letting everyone in the mansion know that he was in the Prince's mansion and hadn't gone anywhere else.
When it was completely dark and the city of Lin'an was lit up with lanterns, he returned to the quiet room in the backyard, changed into a set of tight-fitting and neat night clothes, covered his face with a black cloth, and only revealed his eyes.
After checking his attire and making sure nothing was missing, Zhao Yu opened the back window, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and silently floated out of the high walls of the Prince's Mansion without alerting any patrolling guards.
The night in Lin'an City was so prosperous that it bordered on extravagance.
The Imperial Street was brightly lit, with red lanterns hanging in the shops and taverns on both sides. Tourists thronged the area, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.
Painted boats lined the West Lake, their lights reflecting on the water's surface, a warm breeze blowing, creating a scene of peace and prosperity.
Zhao Yu's figure darted swiftly through the shadows of the streets and alleys. The tourists on the street only felt a gust of wind pass by, and could not see a single person at all.
Looking at the bustling city before him, Zhao Yu's eyes showed no sign of intoxication, but rather a heavy expression.
He couldn't help but think of Bianliang, the capital of the Eastern Capital, before the Jingkang Incident.
Back then, Bianjing was the most prosperous capital in the world, with its ten-mile-long streets constantly lit up. It was probably a hundred times more bustling than Lin'an is today.
But what was the end result? The Jin army marched south, the city fell and the country was destroyed, the two emperors were captured in the north, and the women of the royal family were almost all abducted. A century of prosperity was reduced to ashes.
The Southern Song court has long forgotten the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident and its lost homeland in the north. It only knows how to live a life of pleasure and decadence in the south.
The emperor was weak, the prime minister betrayed the country, the generals were cowardly in battle, and the civil officials were corrupt. This vast land was already riddled with holes.
Zhao Yu's eyes instantly hardened.
This corrupt court and this cowardly emperor deserve a new master.
He traveled swiftly, and in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he arrived at Qinghefang, where he could see Xia Zhen's residence in the distance.
The vermilion gate, adorned with bronze rings and animal heads, is flanked by a pair of three-foot-tall blue stone lions, exuding an extraordinary grandeur.
But there were only four lazy guards standing at the entrance, chatting and joking with each other, their vigilance incredibly lax.
Zhao Yu understood.
Xia Zhen was in charge of the Imperial Guards of the entire Lin'an City, and even the Imperial City Guard was under his control. With Shi Miyuan backing him up in the court, who would dare to cause trouble at his residence?
Therefore, there is no need for strict guards.
Zhao Yu silently circled around to the back wall of the mansion, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and jumped over it. He walked along the roof ridge all the way in, without making a sound on the tiles under his feet.
Xia Zhen's mansion was enormous, with pavilions, terraces, artificial hills, and flowing water, and was extremely luxurious. However, there were very few guards patrolling around, and they could not stop him at all.
Following the lights and voices, Zhao Yu searched deep within the mansion for a while before finally finding the study with the lights on.
The study was built on a small pavilion in the middle of the lake, surrounded by water on all sides, connected only by a stone bridge. There were more guards, but they could not stop Zhao Yu.
He silently crouched on the roof, lifted a tile, and listened intently to the sounds coming from the study.