Patrol Captain

"Shu, it's Shu again!"

"What on earth happened there that has delayed His Majesty's attendance?"

"I remember that the Demon Suppression Envoy newly appointed by His Majesty has already gone to Shu to take up his post a few days ago."

"That's right. I don't know what has happened. Humph, that place is just like that patrolling angel. It doesn't let people have peace and quiet."

"."

In the Dragon Court, inside the Golden Palace, the time had already passed. All the civil and military officials in the court were standing inside the palace, discussing things as they had not yet arrived for His Majesty to attend the court session.

On the way to the court, a swift horse arrived with an urgent report from Shu, which caused all the officials to discuss it. As the officials talked, they thought of the angel Chen who had recently caused chaos in the court. They were naturally unhappy and did not forget to make a few sarcastic remarks in their words.

As the hour of Chen was almost over and the sun was rising high in the sky, someone urged the official from the Honglu Temple who was presiding over the court ceremony to go and ask.

At this moment, a loud shout came from outside the palace.
"Your Majesty is here!"

The noisy Golden Palace finally became quiet, and all the officials knelt on the ground to salute and shouted "Long live the emperor".

When all the officials finished their ceremony and raised their kneeling bodies, the current Emperor Wu appeared on the dragon throne.

"Pingsheng!"

Emperor Wu's calm and majestic voice sounded.

All the officials stood up to express their gratitude and glanced at the emperor's face.

Most of those standing in the court were good at observing people's words and expressions. When they saw this, they could catch a glimpse of a gloomy look in the corner of Emperor Wu's eyes. They felt a chill in their hearts and became more curious.

Just as the officials of the Honglu Temple were preparing to call on the heads of various ministries to submit their reports in accordance with the regulations,
Emperor Wu raised his hand and eyelids, "I will not ask about government affairs today. Please take a look at a memorial first!"

As he spoke, Emperor Wu turned his head and looked at the eunuch Feng Bao who was serving beside the dragon throne.

"Feng Bao"

"I obey your order!" The emperor's attendant immediately bowed, then stepped aside, took the yellow cloth-covered tray from the hand of a young eunuch holding a gold and jade tray behind him, and walked down the platform.

He was the first to come among the officials, stood in front of Prime Minister Huangfu Liuyun, who was in the middle of the front row, and handed the cup forward.

On the yellow cloth supporting the lamp, there was a folded book lying unexpectedly!
Prime Minister Huangfu Liuyun looked calm as he picked up the memorial, unfolded it, and quickly scanned the contents of the memorial with his eyes.

But soon, his eyes paused, and his originally calm eyes suddenly lit up with a gleam, his body shook, and the hair on the brim of his hat was lifted up by a gust of wind that came from nowhere.

Soon, the gleam in his eyes faded away, and he silently put the letter away and placed it back in the saucer.

The eunuch Feng Bao continued to pass it to the commander on the left!

During this interval, all the civil and military officials looked sideways at Prime Minister Huangfu, whose back was as strong as a pine tree. They could clearly feel that the Prime Minister's mood had changed a lot after reading the memorial.

As the memorial spread to the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, and Second Rank officials, without exception, everyone here, no matter how much energy they had put in, had varying degrees of excitement after reading the memorial, and some even revealed undisguised shock.

What exactly was written in the memorial?
This made the officials of lower rank almost go crazy with curiosity, scratching their heads.

After the memorials were circulated, the court was noisy. Some of the dukes and ministers who had read them were eager to take action, while others looked at each other with surprise and doubt.

At this time, Emperor Wu spoke slowly, his eyes were as deep as a deep pool, as if there was a giant dragon lurking in it.
"What do you think about this matter?"

Prime Minister Huangfu Liuyun, who had never "charged into battle" in the court, was the first to step forward. He raised his hand to salute, his eyes lowered, "Your Majesty, although the saying of the celestial being in Baiyujing is illusory, it has a huge appeal to martial artists all over the world. The eunuch Cao of the Imperial Household Department reported that the news of this matter has spread, and there may be unrest. The court should make a decision quickly!"

"And now, the demon-suppressing envoy sent by His Majesty is suspected to be dead."

"We should send strong men from the imperial court to suppress the rebellion before any unrest occurs, and then make plans later."

At this point, the Prime Minister lowered his voice, sounding deep and powerful.
"This involves the affairs of the martial arts world. The knights are breaking the law with force. This matter will definitely attract some hidden masters who have lived for hundreds of years. These people do not follow the rules and are afraid of getting into trouble. We need someone with prestige to deter them."

"This old minister is willing to go and investigate this matter and help you relieve your worries!"

After explaining the dangers and benefits, the Prime Minister of Daqian volunteered to take the lead.

"I second the motion!" A drawn-out voice sounded beside the prime minister.

The Imperial Censor Meng Ziyi's white beard trembled, and his voice was vigorous.

"Master Huangfu is right. This matter can be big or small. It just requires a quick decision by the court. However, the court cannot be without a prime minister for a day. Besides, I think it is just right for the matter of Jianghu. My Meng family has a good reputation and many students all over the world."

As he spoke, the Imperial Censor, who advocated Confucian governance, supported the Emperor on the dragon throne, with his wide sleeves falling like a waterfall.
"Your Majesty, why not let this old minister take charge of this matter!"

This Imperial Censor had a head full of white hair, but his words were sonorous and powerful.

There is a hidden meaning in these words as they fight for this job.

The Meng family and the Huangfu family, one has three dukes in four generations, one family has three gentlemen, and one family has a Bodhi Martial Saint who has lived for who knows how many years and even traveled to the Western Pure Land alone!

Although they are usually close in the court, there are no real allies in the court. When it comes to interests, they have to fight for it by their own means.

In the court, all the civil and military officials looked at the two big men who were killed directly with expressions of surprise and suspicion.

In particular, what the two said caused a great uproar in the court.
Bai Yujing, a celestial being, the new demon-suppressing envoy was suspected to be dead, a hermit in the world.
All this was caused by that memorial.

So he naturally thought of the urgent news from Shu, and for a moment he could not help feeling surprised and suspicious.

What exactly happened in Shu?

It seems to be very involved!

There were many knowledgeable people in the court, especially the military generals. When they heard the three words "Bai Yujing", they were shocked and their eyes lit up.

But before they could say anything more, another of the Nine Ministers spoke up and expressed a similar idea.

The military commander of the Shendu Army, the Minister of the Dali Temple, and the Imperial Clan Chief.
The three dukes, nine ministers, and second-rank officials spoke up one after another to discuss how to deal with the matter, showing an unusually strong interest in the matters in the memorials, as if a large piece of cake was placed in front of everyone and these ministers were discussing how to divide it.

Among them, those who were seeking to benefit became more and more vocal in their discussions, and the discussion gradually turned into a quarrel in the court, with each of them pursuing their own agenda.

As for the new Demon-Suppressing Envoy of Shu who was suspected to be dead, it was just a foreshadowing in the discourse and no one cared about his life or death.

And as we heard each other speak in this way in the court, all the officials gradually pieced together the contents of the memorial and were shocked.

In short, a secret place appeared in Shu, which was suspected to be related to the legendary mysterious land, the residence of the gods. This caused a commotion in Shu and fighting broke out. There were also suspected tombs of gods there, which attracted many powerful people in the martial arts world to flock in.

As for Gou Yue, who was appointed by Your Majesty not long ago, he is suspected to be dead in that mountain!

It's that simple.

And now, a group of ministers in the court are arguing over who to send to take charge of the overall situation. They are rejecting each other's proposed candidates, just thinking about whether they can get a piece of the pie and then find a balance.

This situation is not new in the court.

When strange phenomena occurred in Shu, many rumors about rare treasures came out, and there were similar debates in the court.

It was just that the argument was a little more intense this time. After the person in charge finished speaking, the people below understood what he meant and started to argue.

In this way, the argument lasted from morning to noon, but no result was reached.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Emperor Wu just let his ministers argue with each other. His eyes were dark and it was hard to tell what the emperor was thinking.

Just as the argument was going on in the court, an urgent cry suddenly came from the palace gate outside the hall.

"Report!"

Then, in the distance, there was a series of thunderous horse hoof sounds and the sound of bronze bells colliding with armor tore through the imperial city. When the palace gates burst open one after another, the bronze wind chimes under the eaves vibrated together.

When passing through the nine palace gates, a man in armor dismounted from his horse and galloped up the white marble steps.

A soldier in purple armor quickly stepped into the silent throne room, knelt on one knee before the emperor, and then handed over a memorial with both hands.
"Two urgent reports from Shu!"

"The demons are knocking at the gate, Jinguan is sealing off the city!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the court changed color.

Emperor Wu on the dragon throne narrowed his eyes, leaned forward and waved his hand. The eunuch Feng Bao beside him immediately walked down the platform, took the urgent report from the soldier, then returned to the platform, bowed and handed it to Your Majesty.

Emperor Wu did not take it, but said in a deep voice, "Read it!"

Feng Bao immediately stood up straight, opened the memorial, and read out loud the contents of the memorial.
"Your humble servant, Cao Zheng of the Imperial Household Department, is sending another urgent report to Your Majesty: Recently, after the soul token of the new Demon Suppression Envoy Lord Gou was shattered, the soldiers of the Ninth Mountain who stayed behind in the ancestral mountain received an order to return to defend Jinguan. Not long after, Jinguan City was sealed off, as if facing a great enemy. Nine-headed monsters appeared one after another and besieged Jinguan. There was also a big monster hiding in the dark, brazenly attacking and trying to break the formation. At this moment, the Jiannan Daofu Division is leaderless, and your humble servant can only put on armor and go to the city. I implore Your Majesty to send troops and send people to report to you!"

As the voice echoed in the Golden Palace, officials in the court either frowned or were in an uproar.

All of a sudden, the demons have reached the capital of Jiannan Province?

Now, the situation immediately became complicated.

The big demon also got involved.

In this way, if one is not careful, Shu may fall into an irretrievable situation.

"Since all of you have just expressed your concern for me, who is willing to go?"

Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the ministers sitting below him, and spoke slowly.

As a result, the ministers who had been arguing just now avoided Emperor Wu's gaze, looked at their noses, looked at their hearts, and fell silent.

The situation suddenly changed. The people from the Imperial Household Department who were sent to Shu sent two urgent reports in succession. The demons from the Ten Thousand Mountains suddenly intervened, and things became different.

You can go, but you cannot be the leader. You have to take responsibility. If you don't do it well, you will be blamed and you may even lose your life.

Emperor Wu looked at the silent ministers, snatched the memorial from Feng Bao's hand, and threw it down fiercely. With a loud bang, the hall buzzed.

"You're already talking, why don't you say anything!"

"Just now you said that you would all share my worries, why are you all silent now?"

"Do you think I don't know what's in your mind? If there's something good, do it yourself. If you encounter something bad, I won't say anything."

"Huangfu Liuyun!" Emperor Wu shouted.

"I'm here!" the prime minister of Daqian responded.

"You just asked for permission, so go." Emperor Wu's voice turned cold.

"I am an old minister who has lived up to the emperor's grace. However, with the involvement of demons and people from the martial arts world, the situation is likely to fall apart. I have not yet been to Shu and am not familiar with the situation. I am afraid that I will fail the emperor's grace. In my opinion, we need to find someone who is both brave and martial to take charge." Huangfu Liuyun was neither anxious nor panicked, his face was not red, and his heart was not beating fast.

"Humph, you old man, you speak very nicely. Where can I find someone?"

Emperor Wu snorted coldly and his face darkened.

"Imperial Censor Meng!" As he said this, he turned his gaze to the Imperial Censor on the other side.

"Your Majesty, how could you forget that there is such a person in the court?"

"The three patrol angels in the southwest, Chen Yuan!"

"Your Majesty, I heard that he is waiting for you to make amends for your crimes. Why not ask him to go? He told you that Jinguan City is leaderless now. Those are his former subordinates. I think they can help your Majesty."

Meng Ziyi raised his eyelids and spoke at this time.

As soon as these words came out, the censor who had fiercely criticized Chen Yuan in the court immediately spoke up.
"Yes, Your Majesty. This Lord Chen is redeeming himself for meritorious service. He is also the angel patrolling the three southwest roads, which is within his scope of duties."

"It's him who should go!"

"."

The eyelids of Emperor Wu on the dragon throne twitched, and anger rose in his eyes. He didn't believe that these people didn't know that he didn't want to let the tiger go back to the mountains, but when it touched their own interests, they pretended to be ignorant and didn't care about it.

What a good subject I have!

He is the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. Why should he be controlled by others?

"Retreat!"

Emperor Wu left in anger.

But His Majesty still underestimated the shock of this news.

That day, after the court was dismissed, news about Shu was flying everywhere, shocking even the gods.

When the students of the academy heard the news, they immediately called their friends, rode out of the city wall with their backs bent and their swords shining in the frost.

Those aristocratic families quickly sent their clansmen to Shu to gather information for them, and more people set off later.

It was even reported that old monsters hiding in the imperial city were coming out one after another!

For a while, there was a commotion inside and outside the capital. At dusk, outside the city gate of the capital, lights streamed out from the sky and the ground. It was a rare sight.

So that night, an imperial decree was issued from Taiji Palace.

"Announce, Chen Yuan, the angel patrolling the three southwestern roads, is here to see you!"

Not long after, in front of Chengtian Gate, a figure in purple Qilin costume, under the lamp of the summoning eunuch, passed through the deep palace walls and came to the Taiji Palace where candlelight was flickering.

The dark clouds pressed down the Chiwen almost to the palace wall, and the flying eaves looked like the fangs of a lurking beast in the dark night. When the drum broke the dead silence, the copper bells on the eaves did not ring.

"Your humble servant Chen Yuan pays respect to Your Majesty!"

Inside the Taiji Palace, a sound of hammer broke the gloomy night.

The next day, a loud shout was heard in the Jinluan Palace, echoing inside and outside the nine palace gates.
"According to the order of Emperor Daqian, Chen Yuan, the three patrol angels in the southwest, was ordered to lead the army to suppress the unrest in Shu. Zhao Wuji, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, and the chief censor were ordered to accompany the army and serve as the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's Office." (End of this chapter)