Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 148 Three Trials (Part 1)

A servant led in a fine horse. Lü Yongji looked at the dust rising on the official road outside the temple and said, "Yesterday, the Ministry of Personnel sent word that Wei Cheng, Xin Yongfeng, and Shang Silang will also be sent to govern the region."

He held the rough porcelain cup of plum soup, his fingertips tracing the cracks along the rim, and said, “You were ranked among the top three in the martial arts examination with them, and you also fought together in the northern expedition against the Turks, so you have a bond with each other. Since you have a bond, you should visit each other often and not become estranged.”

"Whether you are in the court or outside, you should also try to win over more helpers. You are all from the military examination system and entered officialdom in the same year. If you connect with each other and share information, your careers will last longer."

Lu Shang bowed his head in agreement, the sweet and sour aroma of candied plums filling his nostrils.

"Does Father know where they have been sent out to?"

Lu Yongji squinted at the end of the official road and said, "According to the Ministry of Personnel, Wei Cheng went to Jingzhao and was appointed as the General of Tongguan, Shang Silang went to Zhengzhou and was appointed as the General of Hulaoguan, and Xin Yongfeng went to Bingzhou and was appointed as the General of Hongniguan. All of them are officials of the fourth rank."

Upon hearing this, Lü Shang pondered for a moment and said, "Tongguan, Hulaoguan, Hongniguan—the Emperor actually appointed Wei Cheng and his men as the commanders-in-chief of these three formidable passes."

Tongguan, Hulaoguan, and Hongniguan are all strategic locations.

Tongguan Pass is located in the central area between Daxing and Luoyang, guarding the key point of the post road from Daxing to Luoyang. It is a necessary passage for entering the Central Plains from the east and exiting Guanzhong and the Western Regions from the west.

Hulao Pass is the eastern gateway to Luoyang, bordering Songyue Mountain to the south and the Yellow River to the north. With its intersecting mountains, Guangwu Mountain to the east and other mountains to the west, it is the first pass westward from the Central Plains.

The final pass, Hongni Pass, is the southern gate of Shanxi Province. It is situated in the Taihang Mountains, connecting Hebei Province, and is a hub in the Shanxi-Henan region.

"Tongguan controls the strategic pass of Xiaohan, Hulao Pass is strategically located at Chenggao, and Hongni Pass locks the throat of Shanxi and Henan. These three passes form a pincer movement, which can control Shandong to the east, protect Hedong to the north, and defend Guanzhong to the west. Together, the three passes protect the capital region. The emperor appointed Wei Cheng, Shang Silang, and Xin Yongfeng as the three generals, which shows that he values ​​them highly."

After learning that Wei Cheng and the other two had been sent to the three passes, Lü Shang understood why Lü Yongji had mentioned Wei Cheng and the others.

As the sun gradually slanted westward, its rays passed over the stone sutra pillar in front of the temple. Lü Yongji placed the empty coarse porcelain cup on the stone table beside him, and the bridle ring of his green horse made a soft rustling sound.

The servants led over two fine horses, fully saddled and harnessed. Lü Shang helped Lü Yongji mount the horses in the stirrups, and then he himself mounted the Purple Lightning Frost.

The two riders turned onto the official road side by side, their hooves crushing a few pear blossoms about to fall. Lü Yongji's mount was a chestnut horse, old but still spirited, with Lü Shang following at a steady pace.

As the twilight descended, the two riders turned into the side gate of the Duke's mansion. The lanterns of the gatehouse had just been lifted onto the eaves, and pear petals fell softly onto the horseshoes.

Lü Yongji was helped off his horse by Lü Quan. Lü Shang gently pulled on the reins, stroked the mane under the horse's neck with his fingertips, dismounted, handed the reins to his servant, and strolled towards his own villa.

The copper lamp on the table had already been lit by the maid. Lü Shang took off the jade pendant from his waist, and the green bamboo patterned sash hung down on the walnut table. He took off his outer robe, sat cross-legged on the bamboo mat, and closed his eyes to meditate.

As the second watchman's drum struck, a soft knock came from the side gate of the secluded courtyard, startling Lü Shang from his meditative state.

He put on his coat and opened the door, where he saw his steward, Lü Quan, holding a vermilion lacquered wooden box, the corners of which were still damp from the night dew in the main courtyard.

“My lord, the Duke said that Liangzhou is bitterly cold, so he sent someone to find a fire rat fur coat.”

Lu Quan said in a low voice, "Also, the official documents from the Ministry of Personnel will arrive at Shenshi (3-5 PM), and the Secretariat has already drafted the edict for the Governor of Liangzhou. The Secretariat will hold a meeting in court three days later. If there are no errors, the official seal can be obtained within ten days."

When the wooden box was opened, the reddish-brown fur of the fire rat coat, reflected in the candlelight, seemed to shimmer with tiny golden scales.

As he closed the box, he suddenly heard the faint sound of a bell mixed with the sound of the water clock. It was the night bell of Daxingshan Temple in the south of the city. The sound of the bell drifted over the palace walls and startled the birds roosting on the eaves.

Nothing happened that night. At the beginning of the morning, just as the sun climbed over the animal heads on the eaves, Lü Shang changed into a worn blue cloth round-necked robe. He had only a bamboo whip hanging at his waist and led Zidian Hanshuang out of the mansion through the side gate.

On the streets of Daxing, where the morning mist had not yet dissipated, the night watchman had just put away his clapper, but the smoke from the oven selling sesame cakes was already rising. He drank a bowl of hot soup at a tea stall on the street corner and headed towards Da'anfang, east of Zhuque Street. Wei Cheng's residence was located at the deepest part of the neighborhood. Not only did Wei Cheng settle in Da'anfang, but Xin Yongfeng, who was Wei Cheng's neighbor, also settled there.

Upon arriving at the Wei residence, the gatekeeper, seeing that it was Lü Shang, led him directly to the martial arts training ground in the back garden.

On the grass where the morning dew was still wet, Wei Cheng danced barefoot with his sword. The hunched, ancient-shaped broadsword, resembling an elephant's trunk, was in his hand, its chill emanating from all directions. His dark inner robe fluttered in the morning wind. Wherever the sword flashed, the dew on the grass condensed into fine beads that hung in mid-air until the sword's momentum ceased and they fell down in a rustling sound.

"Excellent swordsmanship!" Seeing Wei Cheng's swordsmanship, Lü Shang clapped his hands and cheered.

“General,” Wei Cheng turned his head and saw that it was Lü Shang. He quickly put down his weapon and bowed.

Lü Shang raised his hand in a gesture of support, saying, "No need for formalities. I've come to share some good news with you."

Wei Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Announce good news? I wonder what the good news is?"

"Could it be that the Ministry of Personnel has issued the appointment document? I sent someone to inquire the other day, and they said that the Secretariat is still reviewing the allocation of official seals."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and used the hem of his inner robe to wipe the thin layer of sweat from his forehead, his gaze fixed intently on Lü Shang.

Lü Shang said, "We'll have to wait a little longer for the official documents from the Ministry of Personnel."

"However, barring any unforeseen complications, you should be appointed as the General Commander of Tongguan, Shang Silang as the General Commander of Hulaoguan, and Xin Yongfeng as the General Commander of Hongniguan, all of which are fourth-rank official positions."

"The General of Tongguan?"

Wei Cheng muttered to himself,

"It's Tongguan!"

Although Wei Cheng was new to officialdom, he knew the importance of the Tongguan General.

After all, although Hulao Pass is known as the number one pass in the world, if we're talking about the number one general in the world, the general of Tong Pass is the number one general.

The Tongguan garrison, directly under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao, was one of the garrison forces in the capital region.

Yang Jian appointed Wei Cheng as the commander-in-chief of Tongguan, which was already an exceptional promotion.

Wei Cheng sighed, "I never expected that His Majesty would entrust Tongguan to my hands. This is truly a great favor from Heaven, as thick as a mountain. I, Wei Cheng, would never dare not serve him to the death!"

Seeing Wei Cheng's barely concealed excitement, Lü Shang sighed inwardly. Perhaps it was precisely to repay Yang Jian's high regard that the Wei family had risked their lives to protect the Sui Dynasty for two generations.

After Wei Cheng, his son, Wei Wentong, also served as the commander-in-chief of Tongguan. Both father and son were officials in Tongguan. If they were not truly loyal, Yang Jian and Yang Guang would have transferred the Wei family elsewhere long ago.

Yang Jian was a harsh and ungrateful man, and his son Yang Guang was even more so, extremely suspicious and indiscriminately killing meritorious officials.

The fact that Wei Cheng and his son Wei Wentong were able to serve in Tongguan for decades was due to the support of Prince Yang Lin, but Yang Jian and his son did indeed trust the Wei family.

If it weren't for genuine trust, Yang Jian and his son Yang Guang would never have allowed the Wei family to control Tongguan for two generations.

After all, Tongguan was too important. As the gateway to Daxing, if Tongguan were lost, Guanzhong would inevitably be in chaos.

(End of this chapter)