Patrol Captain

The setting sun, like blood, spilled across the glazed tiles of the Dragon Palace. The palace walls stretched out like a giant ochre python, coiled in the twilight, twisting and turning as dusk moved eastward.

A rapid clatter of hooves came from the end of the narrow passageway of the Vermilion Bird Gate, the hooves surging like waves of fire.

"Open the palace gates!" A sharp shout pierced the solemnity of the palace.

"Rumble"

The nine palace gates opened slowly from the outside in, the vermilion and copper-studded door panels rolling heavily over the bluestone slabs, producing a dull rumble, like a sleeping giant slowly opening its eyes.

The copper nails on the first door reflected the golden afterglow, the door knocker on the second door made a clear sound, the third, the fourth... As the doors opened and closed, the afterglow of the setting sun gradually disappeared on the distant horizon, and the light of daylight leaking through the doors narrowed inch by inch.

A fiery red horse, like a streak of fire, cleaved a path through the crowd. The setting sun chased its crimson form, and as the last palace gate closed, the final rays of sunlight vanished below the horizon. Night, like ink spilled from the sky, poured down, overflowing the palace walls, the halls, and engulfing the towering stone lions.
As night fell, the palace lanterns in the Dragon Palace lit up one by one, their dim yellow light spreading in the twilight. The dim yellow light was trapped in the carved window lattices, illuminating the mottled shadows on the window paper.

The fiery red horse crossed the imperial road and stopped in front of a long passageway. Lu Tianji, who was sitting on it, dismounted and walked quickly forward a few steps, passing through the passageway and gazing at the shadow of a grand hall in the night ahead.

Taiji Hall!
This grand hall resembles a coiled dragon, and the palace lanterns lit up at night are like the dragon's eyes, inspiring awe in all the world.

At this moment, in the white jade square in front of the main hall, a palace servant carrying a lantern walked quickly with small steps to greet them.

He was a lantern-bearing eunuch, or more politely, a lantern-bearer.

"Vice Commander Lü, His Majesty knows you have returned and has ordered this servant to come and greet you." The eunuch habitually bowed his head, his voice sounding as if he were pinching his throat.

Lu Tianji smelled the blood on the eunuch, frowned, feeling somewhat agitated and uneasy.

But he kept this unease hidden deep inside, never revealing it to others; he simply wore a cold expression and spoke in a hard, icy voice.
"lead the way!"

The eunuch holding the lantern let out a soft "Ah!" and without saying anything more, bowed and led the way with the palace lantern in hand.

The two walked one after the other across the white marble square, climbed the steps of the main hall, and arrived at the solemn and majestic Taiji Hall.

At this moment, outside the Taiji Hall, gilded palace lanterns swayed in the night wind, their light fragmented by the window lattices.

Outside the hall, on the white marble slabs, several eunuchs dressed in blue palace robes were kneeling on the ground, their hands pressed against wet rags, their heads bowed, their buttocks sticking up high, digging into the floor. There were streaks of scarlet blood in the wet floor cracks. Although the air smelled of the floor being washed, it could not mask the lingering smell of blood.

When Lü Tianji and his companion arrived at the door, the eunuchs who were cleaning the floor quickly scrambled to both sides, unconsciously shuddering and burying their heads in the ground, wishing they could disappear into the floorboards.

The doors of the Taiji Hall were closed, the light inside dim and yellowish, the night so heavy it felt suffocating. The eunuch leading the way, carrying lanterns, unconsciously softened his steps, bowing even lower, and spoke softly towards the hall's entrance.
"Your Majesty, Vice Commander Lü has returned to the capital to report."

As the sound faded, the heavy doors of the main hall opened, the creaking sound making it inexplicably difficult to breathe.

Then, a majestic voice that sent shivers down one's spine resounded from within the hall.

"Come in!"

Upon hearing His Majesty's voice, Lü Tianji felt a chill run down his spine. He flicked his sleeves to brush the dust off his clothes, then straightened his expression and stepped into the hall.

Inside the hall, the candlelight flickered, and footsteps echoed clearly, as if treading on one's heart.

Lu Tianji, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard and a powerful warrior, also felt a sense of heaviness and unease at this moment.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. The one sitting on the throne, the emperor, holds the power of life and death over millions and controls the fate of the nation.

He walked to the imperial desk, bowed his head slightly, not daring to look at the emperor sitting on the throne, then knelt down on both knees, prostrating himself beneath the steps, his back ramrod straight, his voice trembling yet each word clear.
"Your Majesty, I have failed in your trust!"

"His Majesty ordered me to secretly deliver a decree to the Grand Preceptor Helian in the southwest. I traveled day and night, through many transfers and over a distance of tens of thousands of miles, and finally met the Grand Preceptor Helian. However, the Grand Preceptor Helian was concerned about the border and refused to return to the capital. Before leaving, he entrusted me to deliver a letter to His Majesty, saying that he would return after the border was pacified." Lü Tianji lowered his voice, afraid of angering the figure behind the imperial desk. As he spoke, he reached into his robes and took out a memorial, holding it up with both hands.

But the next second,
"enough!"

A thunderous roar erupted, carrying an awe-inspiring power.

On the throne, Emperor Wu suddenly leaned forward, like a dragon raising its head from the misty mountain stream. He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes blazing with fury. He reached out and grabbed a paperweight from the table, hurling it down with a gust of wind.

"boom"

There was a muffled sound.

The paperweight, crafted from rare gold, slammed directly into Lü Tianji's forehead, causing blood to spurt out instantly, staining half of the Imperial Guard's deputy commander's face red and making him appear particularly ferocious in the flickering candlelight.

The hall was deathly silent, except for the heavy breathing coming from the throne.

Lu Tianji only let out a muffled groan, letting the blood flow, his body motionless, kneeling there upright.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Calm down? How can I calm down? My good national advisor has repeatedly defied my orders, making me a laughing stock among all the officials and those rebels."

On the throne, Emperor Wu rested his hands on the desk, but the anger in his eyes had not subsided in the slightest, and his eyes were like cold knives.

"I'd like to see what my good national advisor has to say in his letter."

"Feng Banban, bring it up, read it!"

"what?"

Beside the imperial desk, Emperor Wu's personal attendant, who was terrified by the emperor's anger, was taken aback when he heard this. He then walked down with trepidation, took the memorial from Lü Tianji, and stood aside to read it aloud.

"Your Majesty, I, Helian Shan, have failed to live up to Your Majesty's favor. I humbly submit this memorial: I received Your Majesty's summons and departed without waiting for Your Majesty's arrival, as is the duty of a subject. However, the southwest is beset by demonic calamities to the west and malevolent disasters to the south. The war is urgent, concerning the safety of the nation. It is my duty to defend this land, and I cannot retreat. Now, I have received the imperial edict to return to the capital, not to disobey Your Majesty's command, but if the southwest is not pacified, the Central Plains will be in turmoil, and rebellions will continue unabated. I have received the late Emperor's great favor and Your Majesty's promotion, and I dare not hesitate to sacrifice myself. Now, the war is at its most intense. If I leave, all previous efforts will be in vain, and the nation may be destroyed in an instant. I humbly beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for my temporary disobedience. Once everything is settled, I will bind myself and plead guilty, submitting to Your Majesty's judgment without uttering a single complaint!"

"Your humble servant Helian Shan bows deeply!"

This long speech made His Majesty's chief attendant sweat profusely, and his voice grew softer and softer as he read it.

He closed the memorial, then lowered his head, bowed, and walked step by step to the imperial desk, bending his body at a ninety-degree angle, and handed the memorial to His Majesty with both hands.

Emperor Wu took the memorial, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, and tore it to shreds. Then he swept his sleeve across the imperial desk.

There was a crash.

Everything on the emperor's desk was swept away.

Inside the Taiji Hall, all the palace staff and imperial guards were trembling with fear, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing.

His Majesty is truly enraged, and someone else is about to suffer.

"Issue an imperial decree to summon the head of the Helian family to the palace. Since Helian Shan is willing to be loyal, send members of his Helian family to the front lines to fulfill his loyalty."

Emperor Wu's extremely somber voice echoed throughout the Taiji Hall. (End of Chapter)