Chapter 20: The Imperial Edict Summons the Cavalry

What made Yang Jun’s expression shift was the wooden badge in Lu Qing’s hand. On it were engraved the words: “Jinyiwei Datong Commandery Thousand-Household Guard.”

Since the Hongwu Emperor restructured the Imperial Guards into the Jinyiwei, they had become infamous across the realm for their arrests and interrogations. Both the Hongwu and Yongle reigns saw numerous major cases prosecuted, with countless civil and military officials perishing in the dungeons of the Jinyiwei. Their arsenal of torture devices at the Northern Suppression Office was renowned for its variety and ingenuity, with so many cruel methods that some officials, upon hearing the Jinyiwei had entered their city, would be so terrified as to hang themselves out of fear.

The overwhelming power of the Jinyiwei led directly to the arrogance of their first commander, Ji Gang, who even harbored thoughts of rebellion. Having learned from this, the Yongle Emperor established the Eastern Depot to supervise and restrain the Jinyiwei, preventing them from becoming a state within the state and threatening imperial authority. Even so, throughout the Yongle, Xuande, and now the Zhengtong reigns, the Eastern Depot never managed to overshadow the Jinyiwei.

Currently, the Jinyiwei Commander Ma Shun had risen to power by currying favor with Wang Zhen, becoming his right-hand man and a key tool for keeping the outer court in check. Under Wang Zhen’s patronage, the Jinyiwei grew even bolder, imprisoning numerous civil officials, while the rest of the bureaucracy could only seethe in silence.

With Wang Zhen’s backing, Ma Shun extended his reach to the frontier garrisons, establishing Thousand-Household Guards in Liaodong, Xuanfu, and Datong. Not only did he station many Jinyiwei agents among the border troops, but he also bribed a number of local officers to serve as informants. Thus, every move of the border generals was under the Jinyiwei’s watchful eye, making them both anxious and deeply wary.

Imagine having a group of people monitoring your every action, knowing full well of their presence yet never certain of their identities—how could anyone feel at ease?

As Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu, with his family’s influence spread throughout both Xuanfu and Datong, Yang Hong naturally became a primary target of Jinyiwei scrutiny. At first, Yang Jun thought Lu Qing was just an ordinary border soldier from Datong, not worth his attention. But now, confronted with Lu Qing’s Jinyiwei credentials, his words, and the Jinyiwei’s activities in the region, Yang Jun was momentarily stunned, unsure whether to persist in detaining Eunuch Guo.

If it were just Guo Jing alone, it wouldn’t matter. With the Emperor leading the campaign in person, both the Emperor and Wang Zhen needed the Yang family to hold Xuanfu—there was no way they would cast aside the Yangs over one offending eunuch. But to provoke Commander Ma Shun of the Jinyiwei over this—now that was a thorny issue. Given Ma Shun’s notorious arrogance and vindictive nature, it would be difficult to resolve peacefully. Should Ma Shun slander the Yang family before Wang Zhen or the Emperor, it would bode ill for their future.

Yang Jun was not afraid of imperial envoys per se. The “Supervising Eunuch” was a special envoy only within his designated garrison, not an official court appointee; his status was conferred by imperial decree rather than through the formal chain of approvals—drafted by the Cabinet, endorsed by the Secretariat, and officially appointed by the Ministry of Personnel. The latter, whether serving as inspectors, censors, or in temporary posts such as overseeing grain, water conservancy, troops, or legal affairs, represented the Emperor wherever they went. The former’s authority was limited to their station, unrecognized outside it—at least not by the civil officials.

Thus, Lu Qing’s claim that detaining the imperial eunuch was tantamount to rebellion had no real legal standing. As a full second-rank Commander-in-Chief, and son of Grand Marshal Yang Hong, Yang Jun was not the sort to be cowed by such words. What he truly feared was not Lu Qing himself, but the “tiger” behind this minor Jinyiwei officer—Commander Ma Shun.

Clearly, Eunuch Guo had not been escorted all the way from Datong by Lu Qing as a prisoner; otherwise, Lu Qing would have carried a warrant from the Ministry of Justice. Without such a warrant, the Jinyiwei had no authority to make arrests. Judging by Lu Qing’s respectful demeanor toward Eunuch Guo, Yang Jun concluded that Guo was not under suspicion. But if he was not a suspect, why was the Jinyiwei escorting him all the way here?

Yang Jun was puzzled; he could not make sense of it no matter how he tried. Lu Qing, seeing Yang Jun’s reaction, believed he had succeeded in intimidating the man—unaware that Yang Jun was simply baffled as to why a Jinyiwei officer was involved with Eunuch Guo.

In later dramas and novels, one often sees a horde of Jinyiwei escorting some eunuch through provinces and counties. In reality, during the Ming dynasty, such occurrences were all but unheard of. The Jinyiwei, as an agency for investigation and arrests, could not act without presenting a warrant; local officials were entitled to refuse their demands and could even arrest impostors. Typically, officials were escorted by personnel from the Five Military Commissions or the Ministry of War, while eunuchs traveling from the inner court were protected by palace guards from the Imperial Guard. No one in their right mind would invite the Jinyiwei—specialists in arrests and interrogations—to act as their bodyguards.

Yang Jun, well-versed in history, assumed that once Lu Qing revealed his credentials and made a scene, he would be taken for a mere retainer escorting Eunuch Guo, and so believe the eunuch was truly on his way to an imperial audience, thus allowing them to pass. In truth, however, this was nothing but wishful thinking.

…

The guards, all shrewd men, noticed the change in their commander’s expression and immediately halted, waiting for his decision before making another move.

While Yang Jun was still undecided, Shi Tai raised his rather unattractive face, looked at Lu Qing with a peculiar expression, and called out, “When we left the capital, we heard nothing of the Emperor summoning Eunuch Guo. You, soldier, should mind your tongue.”

Having spoken, Gu Bao, standing behind, quickly echoed, “Exactly! Even if the Emperor had summoned Eunuch Guo, there would be a proper escort for such an audience. Why would the Jinyiwei be called upon? Has the sun begun to rise in the west, that the Jinyiwei now acts as bodyguards?”

Hearing their words, Yang Jun seemed deep in thought but remained silent.

Lu Qing might not have understood, but Eunuch Guo did. Seeing Shi Tai so determined to incite Yang Jun to detain him, Guo was inwardly frantic. Still reeling from his earlier dizziness, his chest tight and unable to speak, he could only glare furiously at Shi Tai and sigh inwardly, thinking that today not only would he be detained, but Lu Qing, this promising young man, would likely suffer as well.

Just as he was sighing, Lu Qing responded with a surprised “Oh?” to Shi Tai, saying, “Since when does the Jinyiwei require your permission to conduct official business? Why, Master Shi, are you so concerned with our operations?” He paused, then feigned sudden realization. “Ah, I see! No doubt His Highness the Prince has always taken an interest in the Jinyiwei, which is why you’re keeping such a close watch on us.”

…

Since the release of this novel, it has been running without recommendations until today, Monday, when it finally received some. From this day on, there will be a guaranteed minimum of 6,000 characters updated daily. If the book’s collection, recommendations, and click-through rates are outstanding, there will be one to three additional chapters added per day.