The Mysterious Ming Dynasty: My Embroidered Uniform Guards Use Spear Techniques to Break All Laws

Xiao Zexing ordered his men to bring in a total of 39 people, including cult members, gang members, and bandits, and hurriedly head to the entrance of Dongchang Hutong where the Commander-in-Chief was stationed.

After running a short distance, he hurriedly turned back and pulled Chang Yuan along with him.

This is my little brother.

No, he is his half-brother!

He deserves a share of the credit.

What?

You said Xiao Zexing was worried that the commander would ask him why he was able to capture so many people so quickly, and he didn't know how to explain it.

It's not that I haven't considered it, but it's just a minor, insignificant matter.

The key is that we clicked!

The entrance to Dongchang Hutong had changed by then.

Straw mats were laid out on the ground, large umbrellas blocked the sunlight, and curtains obscured the view. Guards, both visible and hidden, were densely packed, making it impossible to get through.

After going through several checks, Xiao Zexing and Chang Yuan finally saw the Commander again.

Commander Lu Huan was drinking tea, accompanied by Commander Luo of the Southern Garrison and a pale-faced, beardless eunuch.

Upon seeing Xiao Zexing, the eunuch put down his teacup and asked with a smile, "Commander Xiao, how's the investigation going?"

"Have you discovered any villains or cult members? What kind of people have been arrested so far?"

Xiao Zexing ignored the eunuch, took two steps forward, bowed to the supervising commander Lu Huan, and presented the investigation notes.

He reported loudly, "Commander-in-Chief, I have successfully completed my mission and identified all the criminals, confirming and arresting 39 people!"

Upon hearing Xiao Zexing's report, Lu Huan gave a nonchalant "hmm" and said, seemingly unconcerned, "Not bad, you didn't embarrass the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

But Commander Luo could see clearly that Lu Huan's spine straightened instantly, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

He didn't even try to hide it or avoid the surveillance line; he deliberately let the other person see him.

It was all about showing off in front of the eunuchs.

Commander Luo understood that it wasn't that the supervising commander liked to show off, but rather that the situation forced him to do so.

The world has changed.

Emperor Shizu trusted the Embroidered Uniform Guard and abolished the Eastern Depot and Western Depot, merging all their functions into the Embroidered Uniform Guard, bringing it to an unprecedented peak.

However, Emperor Shizu found the Embroidered Uniform Guard easy to use, but the emperors of the Ming Dynasty after him were intimidated by its excessive size and felt it was difficult to control.

The internal checks and balances mechanism of the Embroidered Uniform Guard left by Emperor Shizu Sheng is something that Emperor Jinghe can never quite grasp.

And so the dead eunuchs rose up again.

Although it has not officially opened for business yet, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already confirmed that an intelligence system has emerged within the Imperial Palace, silently eroding the Embroidered Uniform Guard's authority.

In particular, the power of the Northern Garrison to supervise all officials was a key target for the eunuchs to erode, and they even dared to secretly monitor the actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

What happened today is clear proof.

The moment the incident occurred at the Embroidered Uniform Guard's residence, the eunuchs knew immediately and promptly informed the emperor, persuading him to send the Grand Eunuch of the Qianqing Palace to investigate the case.

It should be noted that the Embroidered Uniform Guard controlled the situation immediately, preventing the unrest from spreading.

The only way the eunuchs could know this was that there were spies planted within the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The commander felt upset, even disgusted, just thinking about this!

But he really couldn't do anything about the eunuchs.

The real strength of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not its power, but its privileges.

The origin of this privilege lies in the eight characters: "to act first and report later, a privilege granted by imperial power."

To put it bluntly, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a product of the extension of imperial power; it was a part of imperial power.

In the imperial system, the extent of power had nothing to do with official rank, but only with distance from the emperor.

Whoever is closer to the emperor automatically gains more power.

No matter how hard the Imperial Guards tried, they couldn't serve His Majesty the Emperor his meals, toilet breaks, baths, and sleep; they couldn't accompany the Emperor day and night like the eunuchs.

Of all the emperors in the Ming Dynasty, only the Taizu, Chengzu, and Shizu emperors intentionally made good use of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Although Emperor Chengzu was the founder of the Eastern Depot, he did not rely on it much, but rather used it as a tool to balance the power between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the civil officials.

The rise of the dead eunuchs is simply a return to the norm in history.

Lu Huan knew the situation was unfavorable for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he couldn't simply bow down to the eunuchs.

You have to struggle a bit, right?

Moreover, the Embroidered Uniform Guard of today is different from that of the Chenghua era. The Eastern Garrison is responsible for three major tasks: combating cults, evil gods, and supernatural beings. The Western Garrison is responsible for suppressing the four barbarian tribes. These are all real, life-threatening tasks.

The eunuchs avoided this at all costs.

With increased power, the Embroidered Uniform Guard naturally gained confidence and was able to stand tall and compete for favor with the eunuchs.

The commander never expected that his trusted subordinates could bring him such a big surprise.

He put on a theatrical performance, feigning nonchalance, and said, "Tell me in detail about the captured criminals; the eunuch is listening right here!"

"If the eunuch hears this, then His Majesty the Emperor hears this. Commander Xiao, you must not be negligent."

Xiao Zexing understood immediately, opened the thick document, and began to read aloud with intonation: "Hu Yuan, a native of Linyi, Shandong, has been thoroughly investigated and confirmed by the Daoist Records Office to be a follower of the Tianli Sect, a heretical cult, using a merchant from Shanxi Province as a cover..."

The chief eunuch was a shrewd man; he could tell at a glance that the Embroidered Uniform Guard didn't want him to know the details.

He glanced at the thickness of the document, and his face twitched.

The key point is that the Embroidered Uniform Guard actually caught the villains, and they were all confirmed by the Taoist priests of the Daoist Registry to be cult members. The eunuch figured that he couldn't find any faults in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he naturally didn't want to waste time here.

The eunuch stood up and said, "Alright, I know the Embroidered Uniform Guard has done a good job. I'll go back and report to His Majesty, and recommend them for commendation..."

With that, he bowed slightly to the Commander and Commander Luo, and then left on his own.

That's incredibly rude!

Lu Huan was helpless against him, which frustrated the Imperial Guards.

After the dead eunuch left, Xiao Zexing began to recount the entire process of the investigation, unknowingly praising Chang Yuan as a brilliant detective.

The commander's eyes lit up as he listened, and he exclaimed happily, "I never expected that Commander Chang's eyes were so sharp!"

Chang Yuan quickly stood at attention, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Thank you for your praise, Commander."

Commander Luo leaned slightly forward and whispered to Lu Huan, "Chief Supervisor, the emergence of cultists in Dongchang Alley was originally a disaster, but now it has turned into a windfall. We, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, might as well take advantage of it."

"I bet the gathering of dozens of evil scoundrels is no coincidence; these rats in the gutter must have discovered something."

"They even had a clear objective, enough to make them boldly gather in front of our Jinyiwei gates to monitor us, risking being wiped out in one fell swoop."

"As long as we interrogate them and extract their confessions, uncover their accomplices and targets, and then follow the clues to bring them all to justice, we'll definitely make a big splash in front of His Majesty and make those damned eunuchs dare not underestimate our Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Lu Huan nodded repeatedly, "Old Luo, you're right, absolutely right."

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly!"

"Xiao Zexing!"

Xiao Zexing, who was standing nearby, jumped up excitedly: "Your humble servant is here!"

Lu Huan was also satisfied with his confidant's performance today: "The rest is up to you. You have full access to all the resources of the Northern Garrison Command. Make sure you solve this major case, an airtight case!"

Xiao Zexing loudly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will interrogate you immediately and guarantee to get a result."

"However, I have a request."

Tell me about it!

"Send General Chang here to lend a hand!"

"Oh?"

The eyes of the supervising commander, Commander Luo, several deputy commanders, and seven or eight assistant commanders instantly focused on Chang Yuan.

Among the dozen or so gazes were those of curiosity and inquiry, scrutiny and weighing, scheming and plotting, disdain and contempt, fear and vigilance, and critical and demanding...

Amidst all sorts of gazes, a unified, imposing, and condescending attitude was maintained, exerting immense pressure on Chang Yuan.

Chang Yuan felt uneasy under their gaze and could only grit his teeth and remain calm, not showing any fear in front of the core high-ranking officials of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Commander Lu Huan laughed: "I was wondering how you suddenly became so capable. It turns out that Commander Chang is indeed a talent."

"He deserves a reward!"

Commander Luo of the Southern Garrison nodded: "Indeed, he deserves a reward. This young man is a captain, a centurion, and can be promoted to a powerful centurion."

Lu Huan nodded: "Then promote him."

A junior officer stepped forward, wrote a document on the spot, and handed it to Commander Luo for signature and seal.

Chang Yuan has been promoted.

This is what it means to have connections in high places to get promoted!