Patrol Captain

At dusk, the twilight deepens and the autumn wind blows.

Outside Chengtian Gate, four bodies were hung on the city wall to be exposed, their deaths were miserable.

An ancient carriage came rumbling outside the palace wall.

"Your Majesty summons you!"

A figure in a crimson official robe got off the carriage, looked up at the corpse on the city wall, took a breath, his expression tense and solemn.

The Jinwu Guards guarding the gate were full of solemnity today. They had stern faces and said nothing. They moved away and let him pass.

The visitor stepped into the deep city gate and palace wall and passed through Chengtian Gate. On the way, he could see palace servants walking close to the wall, with their heads lowered and taking small steps, light and silent, revealing a sense of oppression.

Outside the Xuanwu Gate, the eunuch on duty had already been waiting. When he saw the person coming, he hurried over to greet him.

"Lord Xu." The eunuch spoke softly, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.

"Eunuch, how is His Majesty now?" Xu Lianglai had already heard the news. He calmly held the eunuch's arm and moved his sleeves.

"His Majesty was furious today, and his majesty is unpredictable. He has issued several orders in a row, holding the imperial guards accountable and detaining many people." The eunuch understood, and his eyes turned left and right before he leaned towards Lord Xu and spoke carefully.

After saying that, he stood up and put on a serious expression, "His Majesty wants to see you, please follow me quickly, don't keep His Majesty waiting for too long."

Then he led the way, walking in small steps.

Xu Liang pondered while adjusting his state and keeping up.

The two of them arrived at the solemn and majestic Tai Chi Palace, one in front and one behind.

At this time, dusk spread down from the battlements of Xuanwu Gate, and the eaves of Taiji Palace were stained with a hint of gold.

I don't know when the censors at the door had dispersed.

In the gaps between the marble bricks, there were still traces of blood that had not been washed away, emitting a bloody smell.

The palace gate was wide open, and a chilly air wafted through.

The eunuch leading the way reached the door, bowed and called carefully:

"Your Majesty, Master Xu, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Academy, is here to see you!"

At this time, the Taiji Palace was filled with palace maids kneeling with their heads down and trembling. Porcelain pieces, delicacies, jade wares, and bronze pieces were scattered all over the ground.

Following the eunuch's shout outside the door, the palace servants kneeling inside stood up and stepped back as if they had received some order, as if they had been pardoned, and then left the hall in an orderly manner.

"Sir Xu, His Majesty allows you to come in!" The eunuch said, lowering his head.

Xu Liang understood, his face solemn, and stepped into the palace gate. The shadow cast by the setting sun was reflected on the ground, appearing long and slanted.

With a long "creak", the palace door behind him was slammed shut by the eunuch outside, swallowing up his shadow.

At this moment, Taiji Palace became dim, and the spots of light shining through the windows further highlighted the depth and depression inside.

In the dim light, the golden dragon throne stood tall and clear. The current Emperor Wu sat on it in a black dragon robe, leaning sideways with his face backlit and shrouded in darkness, appearing obscure and unclear.

"Your Majesty, please pay homage to your Majesty!"

Xu Liang stepped forward and performed the etiquette between a king and his subject.

"Get up."

Emperor Wu's voice echoed in the empty hall, without any ripples or emotions. However, the objects scattered on the ground filled the hall with a suffocating depression.

Xu Liang stood up slowly, lowering his head slightly.

"Mr. Xu, why don't you look up at me?" Emperor Wu's voice was full of oppression.

Xu Liang continued to lower his head, holding the armrest, and spoke word by word, "I heard that His Majesty was angry about the incident at the Imperial Army camp this afternoon. I am afraid that I will offend His Majesty."

He was not pretending to be deaf. The news had probably spread by now, so there was no reason for him not to know about it.

"Yes, I am an elite imperial guard who is said to be able to fight ten enemies at once. I am the Jinwu Guard who guards the Great Qianlong Court. But I can't even survive a few rounds under the hands of the border troops. How can I not be angry?"

"If this is the case, I will not be able to sleep or eat in peace!" Emperor Wu expressed his worries in a deep voice.

This is the fundamental reason why the emperor was furious.

Xu Liang's eyelids twitched, and he leaned down slightly.

"I heard that in the fight at noon, the Imperial Guards suppressed their cultivation, and the cultivation of the warriors from the Ninth Mountain is generally low."

What he meant was that the imperial guards were still capable of fighting, but they just didn't let go.

Some of it was true. The imperial guards were generally a level higher than the border troops. That fight simply put both sides on the same level of cultivation.

"Xu Qing would comfort me, but the Imperial Guards accepted the best weapons and training resources in the world that I gave them. The so-called Ninth Mountain's soldiers are just a group of soldiers who can't even get food and wages from the imperial court."

Emperor Wu suddenly became angry, his voice turned gloomy, he sat up straight, his eyes were like the sharpest swords in the world, staring at Xu Liang standing below, and said word by word,
"Let me ask you!"

"Are all the soldiers under Chen Yuan like this?"

"When you go to Shu, tell me the truth. I want to hear the truth."

In the empty hall, the emperor's slight panting sound was like a real dragon awakening, full of oppression. Xu Liang, the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple below, felt the emperor's suspicion, and his heart trembled. After pondering for a while, he quickly lowered his body.
"Return to your majesty!"

"I have been to Jinguan City and have personally come into contact with the soldiers there. Their soldiers are generally not very skilled, and they are currently short of soldiers and major generals. All in all, the border troops of the entire Fusi are only tens of thousands strong."

When he said this, his voice became a little low.
"Most of their soldiers died in the battles with demons on the front lines. Most of their troops were wiped out. The soldiers who survived were naturally strong in military skills, but they were only a part of them. Most of them were recruited later."

"The guards accompanying General Chen into the capital are just a bunch of old soldiers!"

He told the truth about what he saw and heard, without hiding anything, but was a little biased in his emotions.

Emperor Wu, who was sitting on the dragon throne, listened to the words without saying a word, and the hall was completely silent.

Xu Liang continued to lower his head, his eyelids drooping slightly, waiting for His Majesty to speak.

"You came to the capital with this person. What kind of person do you think he is?" After a long silence, Emperor Wu suddenly spoke.

"He is ruthless."

“Acting in Rebellion”

"The soldiers under his command are loyal to him"

"He has made outstanding military achievements and protected the people of Shu from the calamities of demons."

This is Xu Liang's brief and concise evaluation of Chen Yuan based on his interactions with Chen Yuan and the intelligence he obtained from investigations.

He tampered with the oral order in front of everyone, which was an act of treason. He killed the lantern bearer without leaving anyone alive, which was cruel and ruthless. As for the other things, we can check his battle record, which gives us a glimpse of it. For example, in order to make the noble families in Jinguan City obedient and support the front line, this General Chen forcibly suppressed and cleansed the people and committed bloody cases.

But it seems that everything he did was to resist the demons. Since he became famous, this General Zhonglang has been fighting against the demons in the Shiwanda Mountains. He has put down many disasters caused by demons and made great military achievements.

Hard to comment!

Therefore, he did not judge such a person out of personal motives, because there were huge issues involved, and the time was so short that it was not enough to see a person's heart. I think Your Majesty also knows this.

Emperor Wu on the dragon throne narrowed his eyes and said quietly,
"If someone like this were to rebel, it would be a big trouble."

Xu Liang's eyelids could not help but twitch, and he could not help but say solemnly, "I hope Your Majesty will reconsider this."

"Forget it, you can go down. I'm a little tired!" Emperor Wu seemed a little tired, and his voice was a little tired.

Xu Liang wanted to say something, but the gate of Taiji Palace had already been opened, so he could only retreat and walk out of the hall.

"boom"

When Xu Liang left the hall with a heavy heart, the door of Taiji Palace slammed shut again.

The hall became quiet and dusk fell.

An old and muddy voice suddenly sounded in the hall. It was a little erratic, like a sound from outer space, yet it seemed to be nearby, yet hard to find.

"Your Majesty wants to take action against that little kid?"

"This person is not simple."

"He has an ordinary background and a traceable origin, but he has reached the pinnacle of martial arts in recent years. He is different from ordinary people, incredible, and curious. The old guy in the martial arts temple seems to be interested in him."

Sitting on the dragon throne, the Emperor Wu, who had just shown signs of fatigue, now had a chilling gaze, without even a hint of fatigue.

The emperor placed his hand on the backrest of the dragon throne, his aura was as deep as a pool, his eyes were as bright as flames, he slowly shook his head, his voice was domineering.

"There are so many talented people in the world, let me manipulate them!"

"Then why did you kill those people in public and send such a signal to Xu Shaoqing?" The old voice continued.

"Give each of them thirty lashes of the cane, and make those old fellows of the three families behave themselves. Those who are old and unwilling to die are monsters. They have lived too long and always want to come out and make some moves." Emperor Wu's eyes flashed with an intimidating cold light, and the aura of an emperor was undoubtedly revealed.

As he spoke, his eyes were dim,

"This Chen Yuan is a good sword that has shown its sharp edge. I thought it would be good to deal with those old guys from the three families who were ready to make a move. It would save me a lot of trouble, so I indulged him again and again and did not make trouble. But today's incident made me hesitate. The sword has no eyes. I am afraid that I will hurt others and myself."

"Your Majesty wants to use this man as a sharp sword, taking advantage of the conflict to curb those people in the court, but he doesn't want the sword to be too sharp. He is far away in Shu and has troops to rely on. Isn't this simple?"

"Just leave this person in the capital of God!"

The old voice was filled with laughter.

"How to solve it?" Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes.

"Isn't the Sky Patrol Department in need of a patrol angel right now?" The old man's laughter became a little playful, as if he had encountered something quite interesting.

The vacant position was naturally the one vacated by the patrol angel killed by Chen Yuan.

Three patrol angels from Sanqin, Shu, and Beiliang!
"Haha, if this is the case, it will not cause a mutiny, and it will allow the other party to stay in the capital, so your majesty won't worry. Your majesty is just thinking too much. This person has not received the emperor's grace, so how can he be loyal? If you want him to be a good sword for you, you have to give him some benefits, right?"

The voice was disrespectful, spoken casually and jokingly. If it were an ordinary person, he would have been dragged out and chopped to pieces long ago. However, the Emperor Wu on the seat seemed to be used to it. His captivating brows actually relaxed, revealing a pensive look, and it seemed that he was really thinking about the possibility.

After a while, the emperor shook his head. The possibility was too small.
"I agree, but the ministers will not agree!"

"It all depends on your majesty. I am leaving now." The old voice said, and then disappeared. (End of this chapter)