The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 1000 Together?

Pan Yun watched them walk away, and when he turned around, the Imperial Guards responsible for following Xue Shao had also arrived.

The main area of ​​activity for the Embroidered Uniform Guard was still in the capital, and they mainly monitored officials in the capital. They would only leave the capital to investigate when they received a mission.

Not all censors are accompanied by members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At least, Pan Hong did not have any when he was an imperial censor. Whether he was in the capital or on an inspection tour of the north, he was never accompanied by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Xue Shao was an exception, not because of his own shortcomings, but because of the special nature of the places he inspected.

Jiangnan.

This region has been treated differently since the founding of the country by Emperor Taizu Gao.

The Jiangnan region was prosperous, but its people were cunning. Therefore, Emperor Taizu Gaozu used heavy taxes to weaken their power and alleviate the pressure on the national treasury.

It was effective at first, but the gentry and merchants of Jiangnan were very clever, and before long, only the farmers of Jiangnan were truly bearing the heavy tax burden.

They even dared to pluck the beard of the founding emperor, and while the founding emperor was still alive, they directly carried out cheating in the civil service examinations in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian.

Even though that attempt ended in failure, their efforts never stopped.

Land annexation was most severe in parts of Jiangnan and Fujian. No matter how honest an official was, when he left this region, he would be covered in black ink, slippery and oily.

Those who insist on staying put usually can't last more than three months; they either die or, for various reasons, resign from their posts or go to prison.

Not to mention the imperial inspectors in Jiangnan.

This official position had always been held by Wang Zhen's men before Xue Shao.

Every year, he would make a trip to Jiangnan and bring back a large amount of gold and silver jewelry for Wang Zhen, so the two sides lived in peace for another year.

Therefore, when Wang Zhen pushed Xue Shao to serve as the Imperial Inspector of Jiangnan, it was essentially sending him to his death.

But no one expected that Xue Shao would have such good luck.

Not only did he evade numerous robberies and assassinations, but he also accomplished a great deal using his position as an inspector, removing many corrupt officials and even uncovering the activities of local gentry.

Among them were spies that Wang Zhen had painstakingly planted, some of whom even served the late emperor.

That's why the late emperor sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to keep an eye on Xue Shao, not to protect his safety, but to make him realize the times and that there are some people he can't mess with.

And, take the opportunity to gather information about Jiangnan.

Therefore, after the new emperor ascended the throne, Xue Shao once again became the Imperial Inspector of Jiangnan, and even expanded his duties to Fujian and Guangdong. The new emperor then dispatched additional Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards).

This time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard served a different purpose.

The emperor knew that Xue Shao was talented and would surely become a pillar of the country in the future, so he sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to him, firstly to protect him, and secondly to gather information about Jiangnan.

As the Imperial Inspector of Jiangnan, Xue Shao had long intended to reform Jiangnan, change the current situation of heavy taxes on farmers, and rectify the officialdom in Jiangnan, so that Jiangnan could truly become the treasury of the Ming Dynasty.

After the emperor learned of his idea, he valued him even more.

Therefore, the Imperial Guards following Xue Shao this time were led by An Chen, who had an entire squad of Imperial Guards under his command.

An Chen was ordered to escort the prefect of Jiujiang Prefecture to the capital, and he only arrived in Chaozhou Prefecture early this morning.

Because he was in a difficult situation on his journey, news could not be easily spread, and he only learned that the Imperial Preceptor and Xue Shao were together when he arrived at his destination.

Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he heard that Xue Shao had been involved in the military reform.

Very good. This time, the target is not a prefect, but the commander of a thousand-household garrison, or even the commandery headquarters.

This could involve military power.

But An Chen didn't feel embarrassed; on the contrary, he became excited. Military power—which member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard hadn't longed for it?

The vast majority of the Embroidered Uniform Guards came from military meritorious individuals or sons of noble families.

Regardless of their abilities, who among them, with their status, hasn't dreamed of wielding military power?
So he hurried as fast as he could and finally arrived before Xue Shao and Pan Yun ran to the next stop. He blocked their way and stared at them intently, asking, "Are you two going to Guangzhou Prefecture?"

Xue Shao frowned. He had always gotten along well with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He only needed to investigate his own cases and occasionally asked the Embroidered Uniform Guard for help. He was always generous and would usually share half the credit for the cases he solved with them. Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard never interfered with his investigations.

Xue Shao has always been in the open, while the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been in the shadows, and the team has always been led by Xue Shao.

This was the first time An Chen had interfered with his investigation midway through.

Xue Shao asked, displeased, "That's right, is there a problem?"

“No problem, but I would like to take me with you both.” An Chen’s gaze swept over the accessories on Pan Yun’s waist.

There hung a cauldron the size of a fist; he knew it was a magical artifact that could travel a thousand miles a day.

Xue Shao said, "We have always acted separately, you can go there by yourselves."

"I will protect you, Lord Xue."

Xue Shao pointed at Pan Yun and said, "With the Imperial Advisor here, I am very safe."

After a moment of silence, An Chen said, "Lord Xue, you're going to Guangzhou Prefecture to see the Guangdong Military Commander, aren't you?"

Xue Shao's gaze gently fell on him.

An Chen said, “My lord, military men are different from scholars. When pushed to the limit, military men are capable of anything. As the saying goes, a scholar’s ​​rebellion will not succeed in three years, but a military general’s rebellion is only a matter of a thought. We all come from military backgrounds and our understanding of the army and soldiers is better than yours and the Grand Preceptor’s. If something happens in Guangzhou Prefecture, we can step in.”

Upon hearing this, the other Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward, staring at the two men with expectant eyes.

Xue Shao remained silent, while Pan Yun's heart softened.

She's the type of person who won't listen to either soft or hard approaches with strangers, but she's more responsive to gentle persuasion than force with acquaintances.

She was quite familiar with these Imperial Guards and couldn't resist their puppy-dog-like gazes.

Moreover, they are the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The most important criterion for the Imperial Guards of the Ming Dynasty was that they had to be good-looking, with impressive appearance and physique.

Of the five Imperial Guards present, only An Chen was somewhat unkempt, but that was due to his advanced age and the scar on his face. Before the scar appeared, he was quite presentable.

Pan Yun coughed lightly, her gaze shifting: "With so many people, it's a bit crowded."

The Imperial Guards exchanged glances, seemingly unsure whether to make a move, when their leader calmly declared, "We are not afraid of being pushed, and we certainly won't push the Imperial Preceptor or Lord Xue."

The Imperial Guards instantly turned enemies into friends, becoming sworn brothers again, their eyes sparkling as they looked at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun hesitated.

An Chen said, "Heaven and earth know about this matter. We will never spread it outside. Neither the Daoist Records Office nor the Celestial Master's Mansion will know that the Imperial Preceptor led mortals to fly to heaven."

“It’s a deal!” Pan Yun readily agreed.

Half an hour later, the Three Treasures Cauldron was filled with people. Three Imperial Guards and Xi Jin squatted at the bottom of the cauldron, staring at each other, while An Chen and another Imperial Guard stood together, looking down at the receding land and the city that was gradually becoming smaller.

Pan Yun glanced at them, admiring their courage for daring to look down without fear of dizziness.

The three Imperial Guards who were squatting kept tugging at the trouser legs of the two men who were standing. It was almost time for them to stand up and take a look, wasn't it?
The two men, standing still with one hand on the edge of the pot and the other tightly holding up their trousers, admired the magnificent landscape of the Ming Dynasty from above.

(End of this chapter)