Chapter 871: Good News, Shift Change

The inner room had a heated kang, and a brazier was placed in the outer room. Coupled with double-layered walls and thick cotton curtains behind the door, the relentless cold winds were kept outside, leaving only warmth inside. After returning to the room, Zhang Yue instructed Hu Qi to personally guard that area, to intercept anyone who passed by first. He planned to secretly inform the Military Affairs Department before the palace’s guard shift changed, so that their men could take action—this way, it would be both safe and undetected.

At that moment, he took off his outer coat and sat behind the desk in his ordinary green robe, resting his head in one hand as he read the letter. As he studied the familiar delicate handwriting, Zhang Yue’s tense expression gradually relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips—although the content at the beginning of the letter had nothing to do with ease, the latter part revealed joy and excitement. It was his son Jingguan’s handwriting. He wondered how Du Wan had allowed her son to add a note to such an important letter, but he was sure that as a mother, Du Wan was strict on the surface but lenient inwardly; otherwise, Jingguan’s note wouldn’t have been sent, and he might have even been scolded.

“Dad, I’m going to have younger brothers and sisters again! Mom was overjoyed when she heard the news, but she insisted that Auntie and I not tell anyone, not even Grandpa and Grandma! Of course, I didn’t dare tell anyone else, but I had to tell you, Dad. I now have one sister and two brothers. I don’t know how many more there will be this time. When there are more younger brothers and sisters, I’ll be their teacher!”

When he read the last sentence, Zhang Yue finally couldn’t hold back. If it weren’t for the servants outside watching, he would have laughed out loud. He coughed forcefully twice on the desk to suppress his laughter, though he thought mischievously that he would scold his son, who was becoming more and more unruly, once they got home. Of course, if Du Wan found out, she would likely rush ahead of him and teach that brat a lesson.

What did he mean by “I don’t know how many more there will be”? Did this fool expect his mother to give birth to two or three at once? In those days, it was already rare for a common woman to give birth to twins safely, let alone triplets or quadruplets, which would earn praise from the authorities. But giving birth to multiple children was like crossing the gates of death—he certainly didn’t want his wife to go through that many times in an era without cesarean sections!

After reviewing his wife’s letters once more, Zhang Yue walked over to the brazier, knelt down, and placed the letters inside. He watched as the flames devoured the delicate handwriting. Once most of them were burned, he stirred them with a small stick a few more times. Only after they had completely turned to ashes did he stand up. He then put his son Jingguan’s letter, which could serve as “evidence against Chen Tang,” into an envelope and placed it in a special box on the bookshelf meant for private letters.

The Prince of Liang and Guo Cong, being of similar age, maintained close relations. The Prince of Liang visited the Duke of Jin’s residence many times, often bringing back various gifts from Taiyuan. When Li Maoqing was in trouble, he managed to get in touch with the head steward of the Prince of Liang’s palace. That steward then interceded with the Prince of Xiang before the Empress Dowager, allowing Li Maoqing to obtain a military position… All these pieces of evidence pointed to the Prince of Liang!

Yet Du Wan wrote in the letter with concern that the Prince of Liang shouldn’t possess such capabilities. He was still young, and it seemed unlikely he had anyone under him who could influence Chen Shan, the former Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. Although the Minister of Revenue held only a part-time position and didn’t handle actual affairs, and although the title of Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Hall still existed but hadn’t been given to anyone else, and although the Neishu Tang had just begun to thrive before declining—such a person should have weighed the situation carefully. His sudden action might have other reasons. Du Wan even suggested that Wang Zhen and a few others who were executed by flogging a few months earlier might have been scapegoats, just like the Prince of Liang this time.

Anyway, it was best to resolve this matter first!

Calming himself down, he went outside. He gave a slight nod to the servant, lifted the curtain, and pushed open the door. Suddenly, a strong cold wind blew in, bringing not only the chill but also shouts from the palace walls in the distance. The sound of boots on the ground, the clashing of weapons, and occasional voices all indicated one thing: the guards on duty in the imperial city had changed!

The fifth red post to the east of the left gate of the outer imperial city. Originally, only ten soldiers from the Jinwu Left Guard were stationed here. But after the emperor’s northern tour, a new group took over. Though they also called themselves the Jinwu Left Guard, they were actually thirty men who had long been transferred to the Shengji Camp. These thirty men were led by a minor commander and had trained together for a year, developing a strong bond among themselves.

At the first watch, the bell at the right gate of the palace was rang as usual. Since the copper bell could only reach this place by the middle of the night, and it was cold outside, although they were supposed to be on duty day and night, they could still occasionally go inside to warm up by the fire. At that moment, a young soldier pushed aside the door curtain and entered the guard room, not even bothering to shield himself from the cold wind. Shivering, he stamped his feet several times and blew on his hands.

“Damn it, it’s not snowing tonight, but it’s colder than when it snowed a few days ago! Da Niu, it’s your turn to be on duty!”

After saying that, he raised his eyes only to find that Zhao Da Niu, who should have taken over, was nowhere to be seen. Surprised, he scanned the room and quickly rushed to the east room, lifting the patched cotton curtain—only to find no one inside. The same was true in the west room. His brows gradually furrowed.

Including Zhao Da Niu, there should have been at least two people in the room, but one was missing. Unless they were deliberately playing tricks on him, what could this mean? After all, this guard room wasn’t like the official offices in the imperial city—it was just a place for them to rest between shifts. It was cold in winter and hot in summer, with just three rooms—two large dormitories and one smaller one. The only furniture consisted of two cabinets, a table, and a few tattered chests, leaving no place to hide anyone.

“Da Niu, Tiger, Hei Zi!”

He called out their nicknames one after another, but no one responded. The young soldier grew more puzzled. Suddenly, he sniffed hard—and indeed, he detected a strange, foul smell, as if someone had defecated or urinated in the room. Looking around, he suddenly remembered something and rushed into the west room. To his surprise, as soon as he opened the cabinet door, a person tumbled out abruptly. Startled, he let out a cry and pushed the person around, then checked for breath—only to find that the person was unconscious, with wet pants. He was utterly confused.

What was going on? Even if Yao Hei Zi was the most timid, how could he have been left in a cabinet and scared into wetting his pants? This couldn’t just be a prank.

After thinking it over, he didn’t hesitate to grab the large teapot, poured a handful of cold water into his hand, and splashed it all over Yao Hei Zi’s face. When the man still didn’t wake up, he became more aggressive and poured even more water over him. After this ordeal, Yao Hei Zi finally struggled to move a little, but before he could open his eyes, he cried out, “Don’t kill me!”

“Hey, wake up! Tell me what’s going on!”
Hearing this shout and being pushed hard again, Yao Heizi finally shuddered and opened his eyes. Recognizing the person in front of him, he suddenly jumped up in panic, ignoring the stench on his body, and clung to the sergeant’s legs.
“Boss Li, Boss Li! They’ve gone out—armed with firearms! They’re going to kill me…”
Although Yao Heizi spoke incoherently, Boss Li, who was already extremely anxious, immediately understood. His head buzzed. For a moment, he didn’t care about Yao Heizi clinging to his legs and screaming; he kicked him away and rushed out. After breaking through the door and reaching the main road, he ran north for about the time it takes to drink tea. Then he saw several people coming from the opposite direction. As he panicked, they recognized him.
“Boss Li, what are you waiting for? The palace guard is changing shifts. Everyone must go to Chang’an Left Gate, Chang’an Right Gate, Dong’an Gate, Beian Gate, and Xian’an Gate according to their assigned areas. By rule, our group outside Quezuo Gate should withdraw first to Chang’an Left Gate, where others will take over immediately! We thought we’d have to stay in the palace even during the New Year, but the empress dowager granted us a favor—each of us will get an extra month’s worth of rice as payment, not cash, but real rice!”
Though this was indeed great news, Boss Li hadn’t seen his family in over two months and missed his wife and child terribly. Yet hearing this, he felt even more uneasy. He had been in the Divine Strategy Camp for days and nights, and had served as a personal guard on many shifts. In the past, shifts always happened during the day—there was no need for such early mornings. But the soldiers across from him kept repeating that higher-ups had said that these personal guards worked hard, so starting now, they would receive an extra month’s rice during the New Year—what a huge blessing!
“Have you… seen anyone from our fifth group?”
“How? As a low-ranking officer, have you even lost control of your men?”
Normally, Boss Li, who believed strength spoke for itself, would have punched them without hesitation. But now he had no time for such nonsense. He stamped his foot, left those men behind, and hurried forward. Continuing along the straight road past Dongshangnan Gate, he reached Donghua Gate and the offices of many eunuchs.

It being night, the straight buildings along the river north of Donghuamen, along with various government offices, were all shrouded in darkness, with only the lanterns along the road lit. Designed to withstand wind and rain, these golden lights flickered in the dark night, adding a touch of warmth to the frigid evening. Yet seeing this scene only made Li Lao more afraid to move forward; he simply turned his head to look toward Donghuamen.

Donghuamen had already been locked up, with its three arched gates on the white Xumizuo base firmly shut. Compared to daytime, there were fewer guards in front of the gates. After all, the eastern gate of this imperial palace had been carefully constructed—once closed, unless there was an insider, even hundreds or thousands of people, without siege ladders or similar tools, would find it difficult to break in in a hurry. The watchtowers were also manned by armed guards day and night. Due to special circumstances these past few days, even high-ranking officials from the Jinyiwei were stationed there in turn.

“Damn these bastards! What exactly are they planning?”

Li Lao stamped his foot forcefully, summoned up his courage, and immediately ran back. It was useless for him alone to find those four guys. Though they usually seemed unimpressed, they were quite skilled. They could even knock Yao Heizi out—who knew if they might kill him as well? He was completely crazy. Such a major incident was bound to get out of control, so he had to report it immediately to his superiors!

The ten soldiers assigned to guard Donghuamen had also received orders to change shifts. Although they appeared diligent, most of them were actually quite relaxed. With the howling wind, working in pairs, they even had time to whisper to each other. Discussing matters of the palace or the court was obviously against the rules, so their conversations mostly revolved around the brothels, gambling houses, and other places in the alleys. They would only envy those places; when it came to actual talk, it was always about those secret dens.

“After we change shifts, let’s go to that secret den by the Small Stone Bridge and give it a try. Maybe we can make some money before the New Year.”

“Cut it out. Having some fun is enough—don’t even think about winning money. Be careful, don’t lose all the rice your family depends on!”

Just as they were laughing nervously, a burly soldier suddenly spotted a group approaching from a distance. He quickly pursed his lips and whistled, instantly energizing the previously lazy crowd. When they saw who was coming, they were even more shocked. The group was led by two people: one was Xu Heng, the Marquis of Xing’an, whom they had occasionally encountered while on duty in the imperial city—remember, there was still a tradition of rotating noble officials to serve as guards—and the other was Fan Hong, a eunuch from the Imperial Secretariat. The rest of the men behind them, with their way of walking and the way they held their swords, exuded an extraordinary sense of ferocity. There were hundreds of them, yet their steps were as light as those of cats.

It wasn’t until the arriving group stopped outside the perimeter that someone with a token stepped forward. After carefully checking the tokens, the soldiers guarding the East Hua Gate finally confirmed that these were indeed those coming to take over the guard duty. Since Xu Heng was with them, no one dared object, and they quickly left eastward under the leadership of their commander.

On the east side was Fan Hong with Marquis Xu Heng, while on the west side was Jin Ying with Duke Zhu Yong. Hundreds of men from both groups took turns in an orderly manner from north to south. At the same time, torches lit with pine resin were gradually passed from the North An Gate, lighting up the otherwise dim roads in the evening. Though they couldn’t illuminate every corner, they did dispel much of the darkness that had previously dominated the area.

Moreover, the crisp sound of bells ringing during patrols never ceased, as if nothing unusual had happened during the night shift beside the towering palace walls. The soldiers exiting from the palace gates from all sides remained silent, kept in check by both rewards and threats. In this regard, they could indeed be considered elite.

Yet just as the soldiers rejoiced at the expected rewards, tension was already high in certain parts of the imperial city.