Late Ming Dynasty: From the Defeated Soldiers at Daling River to Ascending the Throne

Chen Feng knelt on the ground, his knees pressed against the cold blue bricks.

Time passed slowly, ten breaths, twenty breaths, thirty breaths.

His knees ached from hitting the bluestone floor tiles, but no one called him to get up.

He slightly raised his eyes and quickly glanced at the person standing in front of him.

The centurion was unusually young, only about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with a wandering gaze, clearly thinking about something else.

Meanwhile, Li Ruolian was calculating the gains and losses after offending Gao Qiqian.

Li Ruolian was not a person who pursued fame and fortune. Otherwise, he would not have risked offending the emperor last year to speak up for a complete stranger, ending up in such a sorry state.

However, if there were an opportunity to make the emperor pay attention to the Embroidered Uniform Guard again, and to free the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the constraints of the eunuchs so that they could work in peace in the future, he would still be willing to fight for it.

Seeing that the centurion did not react, Chen Feng could only lower his eyes and continue to wait.

He waited a moment longer before speaking again: "This humble officer, Chen Feng, greets Commander Baihu."

Li Ruolian's body trembled slightly, as if she had just woken up from a daze.

Only then did he have time to continue observing the young man in front of him. The young man had a very capable demeanor and gave people a very comfortable feeling.

If there's anything that seems out of place, it's that her face looks too young.

Given such an overwhelming military achievement, the fact that the person who deserves the most credit is so young inevitably raises suspicions.

After bombing the Jin army's grain and fodder camp, killing three thousand enemies and beheading a Jiala Ejen, all thanks to this young upstart?

Li Ruolian decided to test him, and he suddenly shouted sternly, "Chen Feng, do you know your crime!"

Chen Feng was taken aback.

What does it mean to directly accuse someone?

The other party could not possibly have any concrete evidence of impersonating a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, because he had never personally admitted to being a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in front of outsiders.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard could not have known about the Dragon Ticket, because according to history, the eight major Shanxi merchants were not involved until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

Even if it was an impersonation of a commander, it should be Song Wei's men who should be held accountable. What does it have to do with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

But the Imperial Guards in those TV dramas of my past life, as the henchmen of the imperial court, never relied on evidence when handling cases. They relied on beatings to obtain confessions and fabricating evidence.

What if this person tries to extract a confession through torture?

But Chen Feng knew that it was precisely at times like these that he couldn't afford to panic.

He composed himself and said in a calm and unhurried voice, "This humble servant does not know."

Li Ruolian narrowed her eyes. "Do you know what the crime is of impersonating a member of the Imperial Guard?"

Seeing that Chen Feng did not answer, Li Ruolian added, "This is a crime punishable by death and the extermination of one's entire clan for deceiving the emperor!"

Chen Feng's face remained expressionless, but his heart skipped a beat.

However, the other party only mentioned impersonation but did not mention any merit, which means that the other party may be trying to intimidate me.

Once they back down, they can be manipulated at will, and then they'll decide how military merits are calculated.

Chen Feng cursed inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

He met Li Ruolian's gaze and said, "This humble officer does not know what you are talking about, Commander. This humble officer is a captain under General Song of Shanhaiguan and has never impersonated a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Li Ruolian raised her voice, "You impersonated a member of the Imperial Guard in Jinzhou, and the evidence has been verified. Do you still dare to deny it? Aren't you afraid of being imprisoned by the Northern Garrison Command?"

He slammed his hand on the table behind him. "Guards! Drag him away!"

Two Imperial Guards stepped forward and grabbed Chen Feng's arms, one on each side.

Chen Feng struggled, but couldn't break free.

He straightened up and raised his voice: "It must be a frame-up by a villain! I have never impersonated a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I beg you, Commander, to investigate thoroughly!"

Li Ruolian stared at him, her lips twitching very slightly.

Many so-called influential figures in the imperial court were so terrified at the mere mention of the imperial prison that they wet themselves.

The young man simply tensed his chin without bending his back, which at least showed that he had extraordinary composure.

Li Ruolian raised his hand, and the two guards stopped and stepped aside.

Li Ruolian turned her head and glanced at the screen behind her, a cold smile playing on her lips.

He turned back to Chen Feng and said, "This centurion may not pursue your crime, it just depends on whether you are willing to seize this opportunity."

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat. They're here!

But he still asked, "What opportunity?"

Li Ruolian leaned forward and lowered her voice: "If you are indeed a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then the charge of impersonation is naturally invalid."

Chen Feng sighed inwardly, just as he had expected.

But he didn't want to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If he did, he would be restricted in everything he wanted to do.

The most likely outcome is that he will hang himself on the city wall of Beijing seventeen years later, along with Commander Li Ruolian.

But now that we're under someone else's roof, can we really not bow our heads?

He was carefully considering his words when a shrill voice suddenly came from behind the screen: "Li Ruolian! What do you want to do!"

Chen Feng suddenly looked up.

A figure emerged from behind the screen. He was a man in his forties, fair-skinned and plump, wearing a dark brown python robe and a three-peaked hat. He was a eunuch.

Gao Qiqian rushed up to Li Ruolian in three strides, pointing his finger at her nose: "We told you to question me, and what do you do? Try to swallow me whole? Li Ruolian, you shameless!"

Chen Feng was stunned.

What did he just call this centurion? Li Ruolian?

Although Chen Feng didn't know much about history except for a few major battles at the end of the Ming Dynasty, he did know Li Ruolian, who was one of the few officials at the end of the Ming Dynasty who practiced the four words "loyalty to the emperor to the death".

He never expected to meet a figure from history books here, so he began to carefully examine Li Ruolian.

As the saying goes, people love to see the unusual. Going to the zoo to see pandas costs money, so why not take a look at these historical figures right in front of us?

I hadn't noticed it before, but now, with the added aura of history, I felt that Li Ruolian was exuding a sense of righteousness.

Li Ruolian's expression remained unchanged, her demeanor completely businesslike. "Eunuch Gao, Chen Feng is originally from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so how can he be accused of embezzling? It is you, Eunuch Gao, who is interfering in the internal affairs of the Emperor's personal guard?"

Gao Qiqian trembled with rage: "Bullshit! He was sent by Eunuch Wang Yingchao, what does that have to do with your Embroidered Uniform Guard!?"

Li Ruolian sneered, "Didn't Eunuch Gao come to tell me that Chen Feng is a member of my Embroidered Uniform Guard? How come he has nothing to do with the Embroidered Uniform Guard now?"

"You...you're shameless!"

"You're despicable."

"You...!" Gao Qiqian pointed at his nose, "Who do you think you are! You're just a military supervisor of a hundred households, how dare you speak to me like that?"

Li Ruolian took a step forward, standing a head taller than Gao Qiqian, and looked down at him. "I am a centurion, but I am a member of the Emperor's personal guard. You are a military supervisor, but you have no jurisdiction over the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Gao Qiqian's face flushed red with rage, his voice shrill and piercing, "Li Ruolian! You...you're not even human!"

Li Ruolian smirked and said indifferently, "A eunuch has the nerve to say others aren't human?"

"You...you...!" Gao Qiqian trembled all over, his lips quivering as he couldn't utter a word.

He suddenly turned to Chen Feng and grabbed Chen Feng's arm: "Chen Feng! Tell me! Was it Eunuch Wang Yingchao, the military supervisor of Ningyuan, who ordered you to burn down the grain supply camp?!"

Chen Feng was pulled so hard that he swayed, and before he could even speak, Li Ruolian grabbed his other arm.

Li Ruolian possessed immense strength. She pulled Chen Feng to her side, shielding him from Gao Qiqian. "Chen Feng, don't be afraid! The Imperial Horse Administration has no say in our Embroidered Uniform Guard's internal affairs!"

Chen Feng was caught between the two men, his left arm held by Li Ruolian and his right arm pulled by Gao Qiqian, unable to move.

He suddenly wanted to laugh. He had been afraid of being dragged into the imperial prison just a moment ago, but now he was the one who was highly sought after.

But he couldn't laugh.

He knew what the two were arguing about.

He also knew that no matter who won, he was just a pawn.

After the rewards are given, will the loser forgive themselves?

Li Ruolian and Gao Qiqian were still arguing, and the argument grew more and more heated, with their voices getting louder and louder, which attracted the attention of the Imperial Guards on duty who all peered inside.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

A member of the Imperial Guard practically rushed in, kneeling on one knee. "Reporting to the Commander! Zhang Lan, the strategist of the General of Shanhaiguan, has led men to block the gate of the Commander's Office, saying... saying they've come to the Commander's Office to demand someone!"

The hall fell silent as everyone looked outside.