Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 178 When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; An Jianqing betrays the cause.
Previously, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was divided into the Northern and Southern Garrison Offices, which were further divided into fourteen thousand-household units.

The Southern Division was in charge of discipline inspection and military craftsmanship and logistics, while the Northern Division was responsible for major and serious cases, specializing in arrests and possessing independent powers of arrest and execution, reporting directly to the Emperor.

The fourteen guard posts below each had their own duties. The five core guard posts and the six additional guard posts were responsible for matters such as palace ceremonies, intelligence gathering, monitoring officials, patrolling the streets, and maintaining public order inside and outside the capital. If a case came up, major and serious cases were transferred to the Northern Garrison Command, while other cases could be handled by the guard posts themselves.

But now, all intelligence files have been transferred to the Western Depot, and it has even lost the power to enforce laws on ordinary cases.

This loss is considerable.

Especially intelligence.

Previously, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was in charge of intelligence, and most cases originated from them.

With intelligence, there will be more cases, and more credit and illicit gains to be made.

Nowadays, the Embroidered Uniform Guard no longer controls intelligence, and even when it comes to cases, it has no law enforcement power. It has become a departmental organization like other imperial guards, only responsible for patrolling the streets and maintaining public order.

They went from heaven to hell in an instant.

When this news spread, it not only caused a huge uproar within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but also sparked much discussion outside the court, and shocked everyone in the imperial court.

"It seems the Emperor is determined to make good use of the Western Depot!"

"I thought that Jiang Xuan's return might change the situation and make the Emperor give up the idea of ​​abolishing the Western Depot. But I didn't expect that he would also give in and let the Western Depot rise. He even transferred the case files and intelligence to the Western Depot. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is completely finished!"

"The new generation surpasses the old! Since Wei Zhongxian's downfall, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been incredibly powerful these past two years. Even after Cao Zhengchun took control of the Eastern Depot, he couldn't compete with the Embroidered Uniform Guard for favor. I never expected that Yu Huatian would suppress the Embroidered Uniform Guard as soon as he came to power!"

"It is said that Yu Huatian was once the chief eunuch in Consort Wan's West Palace, but he rose to become the emperor's favorite minister. Women can ruin a country!"

"Be careful what you say. From now on, the Western Depot will probably have the final say in the court. These eunuchs are ruthless, so you must not offend them!"

"Sigh... It's better to let the Embroidered Uniform Guard take charge than to let these eunuchs hold power. After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is easier to deal with than these eunuchs. During the time that Jiang Xuan was in power, he rarely went against our court officials."

"Perhaps that is why he was disliked and suppressed by the emperor, who then promoted the eunuch faction."

"Is our Great Ming Dynasty about to return to the dark age of eunuchs ruling?"

From civil and military officials and powerful families to ordinary people, countless people sighed with emotion, and some even mentioned the Dragon Guard Manor.

The former Dragon Guard Manor was also highly favored by the royal family, and was ordered to train imperial spies to monitor the world and protect the royal family.

However, since the current emperor ascended the throne, he has relegated the Dragon Guard Manor to the sidelines and has never summoned the Iron-Blooded Marquis, nor has he ever ordered him to do anything, as if he had forgotten that such a department even existed.

Unexpectedly, even the Embroidered Uniform Guard has ended up like this.

Many people are worried and confused, wondering what the future holds and whether the court will return to the era of eunuch rule.

If that's the case, the Ming Dynasty is in grave danger!
At this moment, the chaos in the Ming Dynasty had just subsided somewhat, but the country was still unstable and could no longer withstand such turmoil.

Zhu Youjian had naturally heard of these rumors.

But when he found out, he just smiled contemptuously, showing extreme disdain.

"I am not my elder brother Zhu Youxiao, and Yu Huatian is not Wei Zhongxian. Even if he really dares to have such ambitions, I can easily suppress him!"

Clearly, he was very confident that he would not follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, Zhu Youxiao.

In his eyes, whether it was Jiang Xuan or Yu Huatian, they were merely tools for him to monitor the officials and wield power in the court.

He would use whichever knife was easier to use.

That's it.

……

Jinyiwei Yamen.

All the high-ranking officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard gathered together. This time, even the commanders of the newly added Sixth and Third Functional Offices came. The atmosphere in the hall was extremely solemn.

The crowd's expressions were equally complex, a mixture of indignation, resentment, confusion, and fear.

Jiang Xuan, dressed in official robes, sat in the main seat, his expression relatively calm.

He looked at the crowd below and said calmly, "That is the truth. As subjects, our power comes from the emperor. Whoever the emperor favors will hold power. Now the emperor no longer values ​​the Embroidered Uniform Guard and has instead favored the Western Depot. Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been relegated to obscurity, and the Western Depot is about to take power." "From now on, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will only be responsible for palace ceremonies, the security of the capital, and cases involving the martial arts world. Any cases encountered in the capital will be handed over to the Eastern and Western Depots or the Northern Garrison for handling. We will no longer have the right to interfere."

"I know that most of you have your own ambitions, but for a long time to come, it may be difficult to get any merit for promotion. Now I am giving you a chance. If you want to leave, you can make your request now. I will arrange for you to work in the Eastern Depot or the Western Depot. Both the Eastern Depot and the Western Depot are still short of a Chief Executioner."

"If there aren't enough positions, I can transfer you to other Imperial Guard posts, with your positions remaining the same, still as commanders of a thousand."

"Everyone has their own ambitions. Considering that you have followed me for so long, I will not blame you."

Everyone was silent.

Immediately, An Jianqing spoke up and asked, "Commander, is there really no way to turn this around? From now on, will our Embroidered Uniform Guard always be suppressed by the Western Depot?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no, who knows what the future holds?"

Jiang Xuan said calmly, "After all, as I have said, our power does not lie in how high our official rank is or how good our family background is, but in whether or not the Emperor favors us."

The implication is that if the emperor were to turn his favor toward the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the future, the Embroidered Uniform Guard might be able to turn the tide and regain its dominance over the Western Depot.

Conversely, they may never be able to look up again.

An Jianqing fell silent again, then suddenly stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Governor, I wish to go to the Western Depot for further development, and I hope the Governor will grant my request."

Everyone paled.

Xu Longqing slammed his hand on the table, stood up angrily, and shouted, "An Jianqing, what the hell do you mean? You were able to rise from a mere centurion to a chiliarch because the governor gave you the opportunity. Otherwise, where would you be today?"

"Now that the governor is weak, you want to leave? You ungrateful bastard!"

Most of the others glared angrily, but to their surprise, the first to suggest leaving was An Jianqing.

Among the various commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his strength and ability can be said to be the strongest. It is no exaggeration to call him the number one general under Jiang Xuan.

But now, in this moment of crisis, he has chosen to betray us?!
The crowd was furious.

Jiang Xuan waved his hand, suppressing the anger of the crowd. He hadn't expected that An Jianqing would be the first to suggest leaving. However, since the words were already out, he didn't say anything more, but simply stared at An Jianqing and asked, "Have you thought this through?"

Meeting Jiang Xuan's gaze, a hint of guilt flashed in An Jianqing's eyes, but considering his current situation, he gritted his teeth and firmly cupped his hands, saying, "Please grant my request, Commander."

Jiang Xuan gave him a deep look, nodded and said, "Alright, I respect your choice. You can leave now. I will take care of the file for you."

"Thank you, Commander!"

An Jianqing breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to Jiang Xuan, and said, "Thank you for your kindness and promotion over the past two years, Commander. I will never forget it. In the future, if you have any orders, Commander, I will do my best to fulfill them!"

Having said that, he turned and left, ignoring the angry stares of the crowd.

"Governor, today Eunuch Cao of the Eastern Depot invited me to serve as the Chief Executioner of the Eastern Depot. I also wish to go to the Eastern Depot, and I humbly request Your Excellency's permission!"

Another commander of the newly established six offices got up and seized the opportunity to try to develop his career in the Eastern Depot.

Then, two more people simultaneously requested to leave, intending to go to other garrisons, and some even planned to take their trusted subordinates with them.

The current situation is clear.

The Imperial Guards had clearly been banished to the cold palace by the Emperor. Continuing to stay in the Imperial Guards meant there was virtually no chance of climbing the ranks, a fact that everyone was well aware of.

Although Jiang Xuan had anticipated this scene, he still couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness seeing so many people leaving.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; it's just like that.

Everything that Wei Zhongxian experienced is now being replicated in his life.

He inwardly mocked himself, but outwardly remained calm, still agreeing to let these people leave and keeping his promise to help them resolve their files so as not to affect their careers.

In the end, only Pei Lun and Luo Yangxing, the two garrison commanders, and about ten thousand-household commanders including Xu Longqing and Pei Xing, as well as Ren Yingying, Lan Fenghuang, and a few centurions whom he valued, such as Lin Pingzhi and Jin Yichuan, remained in the main hall.

"Aren't you all leaving?" Jiang Xuan asked calmly, looking at the remaining people.

(End of this chapter)