Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 6 If you can't sweep one's own room, how can you sweep the world?

He comes from a respectable family and has the aura of being a descendant of loyal and heroic figures.

He was highly skilled in martial arts, but had a dull and introverted personality and did not know how to scheme, so he was not promoted for eight years.

Filial piety indicates loyalty and affection, but also vulnerability, making one easier to control.

Most importantly, he is a person who has been marginalized and forgotten by the existing system.

Such a person, once granted immense favor, will be more loyal than anyone else.

"Prepare the sedan chair, and we'll enter the palace," Wei Zhongxian commanded in a hoarse voice, tucking the list into his robes.

……

In the early morning at Wenhua Hall, Zhu Youjian had already changed into an ordinary blue Taoist robe and was playing a game of chess alone.

Black and white pieces rose and fell between his slender fingers, the battle on the chessboard was silent yet fierce.

Wei Zhongxian presented the list and provided a detailed report on all the relevant information.

Zhu Youjian listened without speaking, but gently placed a black piece on the center position of the chessboard.

"Summon him to see me."

"Don't alert anyone. Have him change into civilian clothes and come in through the secret passage of Shenwu Gate."

An hour later.

A young man, dressed in a faded blue cloth robe, with a tall and resolute figure, was led into the Wenhua Hall by a young eunuch.

……

Zhou Quan's journey has been filled with confusion and unease.

He didn't know why such an important figure in the palace would suddenly summon him, a mere lowly officer.

When Zhou Quan saw the young Taoist priest sitting behind the chessboard, he was stunned.

Although he had only caught a glimpse of the emperor's entourage from afar, he recognized it at a glance.

That is... the current emperor!
"Your Majesty, I, Zhou Quan, a probationary officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pay my respects! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhou Quan reacted extremely quickly, immediately kneeling down to perform a deep bowing ceremony.

"Rise," Zhu Youjian said gently. "Take a seat."

A young eunuch brought over an embroidered stool and placed it a few steps away.

Zhou Quan dared not sit down completely, only daring to touch half of his buttocks to the side, his body taut like a fully drawn bow.

Zhu Youjian didn't look at him, still staring at the chessboard.

"Can you play chess?"

"Your subject... has only a superficial understanding," Zhou Quan replied cautiously.

"Play a game with me."

Zhou Quan dared not refuse and could only bite the bullet and sit opposite Zhu Youjian.

He played the white pieces, while Zhu Youjian played the black pieces.

As the game began, Zhou Quan was extremely cautious, making each move with utmost care, afraid of making any mistake.

Zhu Youjian moved his pieces swiftly, displaying a bold and aggressive style of play.

“Zhou Quan.” He asked casually as he played chess, “Your father died in the Battle of Sarhu. Has the imperial court’s compensation been fully paid to your family?”

Zhou Quan's hand, which was holding the chess piece, paused slightly.

He was silent for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for the court's kindness. However... after layers of deductions, by the time it reaches my mother, there is very little left."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and looked Zhou Quan directly in the eye for the first time. "Then do you hate them? Do you hate those officials who withheld pensions?"

Zhou Quan's body trembled slightly.

He raised his head and met the emperor's gaze.

Those were a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes, as if they could see right through people's hearts.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I dare not hate. I only hate my own incompetence, my inability to serve the country loyally, and my inability to let my mother live a good life."

"Well said." Zhu Youjian nodded, then changed the subject, asking a startling question. "Let me ask you again. If one day, the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs join forces, claiming I am a false emperor and possessing a forged edict, and order you, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to arrest me, would you obey the Grand Secretariat's order or the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs' order?"

This question struck Zhou Quan like a thunderbolt!
His face turned deathly pale instantly, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

This is a life-or-death question!
He looked at the young emperor before him, at his calm and unwavering gaze, and his mind went blank.

He thought of his father who died in battle, his mother who toiled day and night at home, and the contempt and exclusion he had suffered in the Embroidered Uniform Guard over the past eight years.

After a long while, Zhou Quan put down the chess piece in his hand, stood up, knelt down again, and replied in an extremely firm voice:

"Your Majesty, I know nothing about the Cabinet or the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"I only know that my father died for the Ming Dynasty, and I am a military household of the Ming Dynasty, eating the food of the Ming Dynasty and being loyal to the emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

"Whoever is the emperor, I will obey his orders."

"My sword obeys only Your Majesty's command!"

"If anyone dares to disrespect His Majesty, no matter who it is, my sword will be the first to strike him!"

These words lacked any literary merit and were even somewhat vulgar.

But it is filled with the most sincere and simple loyalty.

Zhu Youjian smiled.

Smile from the bottom of my heart.

This is the answer he wants.

They don't talk about grand principles or rules and regulations; they only care about him as a person.

"it is good!"

He stood up, walked over to Zhou Quan, and personally helped him up.

"From today onwards, you are no longer a probationary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"I hereby appoint you as 'Commander-in-Chief with Swords Before the Emperor'!"

"You are now in full command of the 'Brave Guard Battalion'!"

Zhou Quan was completely stunned.

How did he rise from an insignificant trial centurion to become a third-rank imperial commander?

This...this is such a divine blessing!

"I will give you 100,000 taels of silver!" Zhu Youjian pointed to the pile of boxes in the corner of the palace, his voice full of power.

"I want you to use this money to recruit five hundred loyal and brave men like yourself!"

"The pay for these loyal and brave soldiers is three times that of the ordinary Beijing garrison! Those who die in battle will receive ten times the pay! Their families will be supported by the imperial treasury for life!"

"Their weapons must be forged from the finest wrought iron! Their armor must be made from the finest tempered steel!"

"I don't want a rabble; I want five hundred absolutely loyal, fearless... death warriors!"

Zhu Youjian's gaze sharpened like a knife.

“Zhou Quan, your first task is not to go into battle to kill the enemy, nor to investigate and confiscate the property of corrupt officials.”

"Your first task is to cleanse this palace for me!"

"From this day forward, you will personally inspect every eunuch, palace maid, and guard inside and outside the Qianqing Palace!"

"No more ghosts are to be allowed to surround me!"

Zhou Quan's heart was pounding wildly.

Looking at the young emperor before him, and seeing the unwavering resolve in his eyes, he knew that from this moment on, his life was completely intertwined with that of the emperor!
"Your subject, Zhou Quan, obeys the decree!"

"The Valiant Guard will die for His Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction.

He walked back to the chessboard and looked at the game, which no longer needed to be finished.

In the past few days, I have blocked the civil officials countless times.

However, if you can't even sweep one's own room, how can you sweep the world?
If this were inside the palace, the moment the words were spoken, those outside would know something of it within half a day.
How can I sleep soundly?
(End of this chapter)