Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 664: Everyone Should Serve Themselves
"Where is Xinle Earl Liu Wenbing? What is your relationship with him?" Zhu Shenzhui continued to ask.

Wu Weiying quickly replied, "The Prince Consort and the Earl of Xinle are good friends. Since I am on good terms with the Prince Consort, I also have some friendship with the Earl of Xinle, and the Earl of Xinle is..."

At this point, Wu Weiying suddenly remembered something, and quickly stopped talking, looking up at Zhu Shenzhui with a little uneasiness.

Zhu Shenzhui didn't care. He knew what Wu Weiying wanted to say. It was nothing more than that Zhu Shenzhui was the cousin of Emperor Chongzhen. He made friends with Gong Yonggu and Liu Wenbing on the one hand because they had similar interests and a common language, and on the other hand because these two were royal relatives. Gong Yonggu was the brother-in-law of Emperor Chongzhen, and Liu Wenbing was the cousin of Emperor Chongzhen. As nobles, they had never been valued by civil servants. If they wanted to maintain their status and gain the emperor's trust, it was inevitable for them to have good relationships with the people around the emperor.

"The commander of the Jinyiwei, Luo Yangxing, has been dismissed. His subordinates, the deputy commanders and assistant commanders, are not fit for the job. I have decided to rebuild the Jinyiwei, but I am short of manpower. Can Marquis Gongshun help me?"

As soon as these words came out, Wu Weiying agreed without thinking, and showed an ecstatic look on his face: "I am willing to share the worries of the prince, I am willing to join the Jinyiwei!"

"Then I want to ask you, what will you do if you go to the Jinyiwei?" Zhu Shenzhui asked with a smile.

Wu Weiying was about to say that he had gone to the Jinyiwei. As an old noble, how could he not know what the Jinyiwei did? The Jinyiwei was the emperor's personal army. They were responsible for guarding the emperor's carriage, patrolling and arresting people, and engaging in reconnaissance, arrest, and interrogation. They also participated in collecting military intelligence and instigating enemy generals to rebel. Their functions were very broad. In one sentence, they were not only the eyes and ears of the world, but also the minions of the emperor.

The subordinate Northern and Southern Pacification Offices have different functions, and it is not easy to explain them in a few words. If Wu Weiying were to explain, he would be able to explain it clearly, but it would take some time. But the question is, is Zhu Shenzhu's purpose in asking this question really to test him?
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and Wu Weiying said quickly: "I am stupid, I don't know anything else, I only know to serve the prince loyally, I will do whatever the prince tells me to do."

"Hahaha!" Zhu Shenzui burst into laughter. Wu Weiying was quite smart. He could actually give such an answer. Although it was not perfect, it also made Zhu Shenzui quite satisfied.

Nodding, Zhu Shencui immediately told Wu Weiying that what he said was right. From today on, he would be the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei. When he arrived at the Jinyiwei, he should not rely on his status as a Gongshun marquis, but should do his job well and perform his duties attentively. As long as he did a good job, Zhu Shencui would naturally reward him. If he did not do it satisfactorily, then he would not have to do this job and could just go home.

Facing Zhu Shenzhu's attitude, Wu Weiying patted his chest and promised solemnly that he would live up to Zhu Shenzhu's expectations and do a good job. After encouraging him a few words, Zhu Shenzhu let him leave. After leaving Wenhua Palace, Wu Weiying was no longer as cautious as before entering the palace today. His demeanor suddenly became high-spirited, and even his steps became lighter.

When he returned home, Wu Weiying's wife had been eagerly waiting for news. When she saw him come back, she hurriedly asked about the result of his visit to the palace today.

Wu Weiying told his wife with a smile that he not only escaped no harm but also gained some benefits from entering the palace this time. His wife asked Wu Weiying what benefits he had gained. Could it be that the position of the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp was returned to Wu Weiying?
Wu Weiying glared and said, "How could it be possible? How could a defeated general like me be the admiral?" Moreover, the emperor changed his ministers, and now he was the regent. The Beijing camp was already in Zhu Shenzhu's hands, so it was impossible for him to return to the Beijing camp.

After hearing what he said, the lady curiously asked what the benefit was. Wu Weiying smiled and said that although he lost his job in the Beijing Camp, he got a job in the Jinyiwei. Zhu Shenzhu asked him to be the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei.

Hearing this, Wu Weiying's wife was very disappointed and muttered, "How can a mere deputy commander make him so happy? What rank is a deputy commander? Is it worth it for Wu Weiying to be so happy about such a trivial official?"
A dignified Duke of Gongshun, a hereditary noble, becomes a deputy commander of the Imperial Guard? Who is he looking down on?
When Wu Weiying's wife expressed dissatisfaction, Wu Weiying quickly covered her mouth and whispered that his wife was short-sighted and had long hair. How could one official compare with another? Although the rank of Jinyiwei Commander was not high, the problem was that this was Jinyiwei!

The Jinyiwei were the emperor's personal army and his minions. They would only be used by the emperor's trusted confidants. The first thing Zhu Shenzhui did after taking control of the capital was to replace the Jinyiwei commander Luo Yangxing and his subordinates. It was clear that he wanted to reshuffle the Jinyiwei.

Zhu Shenzhui is currently serving as regent, but Emperor Chongzhen is still in the palace. The most important thing next is to control the government, including the entire Ming Dynasty, and the Jinyiwei bears a huge responsibility in this regard.

Zhu Shenzhu's intention of letting Wu Weiying take this position was very clear, that is, to give Wu Weiying a choice. As long as Wu Weiying can follow Zhu Shenzhu's lead and make achievements in the position of Jinyiwei, then he will be Zhu Shenzhu's man in the future. If Zhu Shenzhu is satisfied, Wu Weiying's status as a submissive marquis will be consolidated, and the wealth and honor of the marquisate will be preserved. "When I make achievements in Jinyiwei, the regent will naturally look at me with new eyes. What will I worry about then? Not to mention a mere admiral of the Beijing camp, it is not impossible to be reinstated in the future, and even go further." Wu Weiying said proudly.

Wu Weiying's wife couldn't help but cover her mouth and said in surprise: "In this case, wouldn't the Marquis become a knife in the hands of the Regent? What if the Regent asks the Marquis to kill someone, would the Marquis do it too?"

"Of course I have to do this. Let alone killing one person, even if I am asked to kill ten or a hundred people, I will do it!"

"My Lord, why don't you resign? Let's not be Jinyiwei anymore. Isn't it good to live a stable life at home? As long as we have the title, we can always live well." Wu Weiying's wife couldn't help but persuade him.

"It's true that you have long hair but little knowledge." Wu Weiying shook his head and said, "How can it be so easy to be rich and powerful? Since my defeat, my original path has been cut off. Even though Gongshun Marquis's Mansion is still the same, once I lose my job, I may not even be able to be a rich and idle person."

"The capital camp was defeated, and many people died, including many sons of nobles. Moreover, the regent has taken over the capital and is acting as regent. I cannot escape responsibility for this. Don't be fooled by the peace in the capital. In fact, there are undercurrents. Once the regent is unstable, someone will surely make trouble. If the regent falls, my life and property will be in danger."

"How could I not know this? There is no way out now. There is no other possibility except to fight hard. Although being a lackey is not very good, why not do it to protect the Gongshun Marquisate? And don't forget, what the Jinyiwei does. Wait for me to take the initiative and clear the obstacles for the regent. I can please the regent and relieve his worries. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

"This..." Although Wu Weiying's wife was a woman, she was not stupid. Wu Weiying had made it so clear that she would be an idiot if she didn't wake up. Although she was still nervous, she admitted in her heart that Wu Weiying was right. Before Wu Weiying came back, the life of Gongshun Marquis Mansion was not easy. Because of the destruction of the 30,000 main forces, people came to the mansion every day to curse and find fault. If it weren't for Wu Weiying's "death" at that time, they might have broken down the door and rushed in to smash and destroy things.

Now that Wu Weiying was back, the crisis of the Gongshun Marquisate had not yet been resolved, and everyone was watching Zhu Shenzhu's attitude. If Zhu Shenzhu disliked Wu Weiying or even made trouble for him, then other nobles, including those civil servants who had been eyeing him, would pounce on him like hungry wolves and tear Wu Weiying and the entire Gongshun Marquisate apart.

If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. After this great change, Wu Weiying has been a beggar for more than a month, and he has already realized the truth. What can't he do to protect himself now? What's more, there is such a good opportunity. So don't underestimate the Jinyiwei official position, but it is a key department. With the Jinyiwei as a cover, those who want to cause trouble for him should think twice.

Moreover, Wu Weiying had already made the decision to join Zhu Shencui, and there was no possibility of him looking back. From the moment he agreed to join the Jinyiwei, Wu Weiying completely changed his allegiance and became tied to Zhu Shencui. Once Zhu Shencui was finished, he would be finished too, so Wu Weiying would never allow such a thing to happen.

Zhu Shenzhu knew Wu Weiying's intentions, otherwise he would not have given him the position of Jinyiwei. Moreover, the reorganization of Jinyiwei was real. Zhou Anmin had already arrived in the capital. After Zhu Shenzhu took over the capital, he sent an urgent letter to Shanxi, asking Zhou Anmin to go to Beijing as soon as possible to take over Jinyiwei.

There were quite a few secret agencies in the Ming Dynasty. In addition to the Jinyiwei, there were also the East Factory, the West Factory and the Inner Factory. However, except for the first two, the West Factory and the Inner Factory had long been abolished. As for the East Factory, it was originally used by the emperor to monitor the Jinyiwei, to prevent the Jinyiwei from having too much power and to impose restrictions on them. The East Factory was led by a eunuch.

During the Chongzhen period, the eunuch commander of the East Depot was Wang Chengen. Now Wang Chengen and Emperor Chongzhen were both under house arrest. The post of commander of the East Depot was temporarily handed over to the eunuch Du Xun. Among the several eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department, Du Xun was the one with no way back, because the reason why Emperor Chongzhen fell into the hands of Zhu Shenzhu was because Du Xun temporarily turned against him, captured the emperor and handed him over to Zhu Shenzhu. Otherwise, with Emperor Chongzhen's character and temper, he would have burned himself to death long ago.

However, the power of the East Factory in Du Xun's hands was greatly reduced, while the Jinyiwei, which had always been suppressed by the East Factory, gained power after Zhou Anmin took over as the commander. After all, Zhou Anmin was one of Zhu Shenzhui's most trusted people and his brother-in-law. His position as commander was completely different from that of others, so Zhu Shenzhui had no problem handing over the Jinyiwei to Zhou Anmin.

(End of this chapter)