Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 36 Alien Race
When I first heard this...

The Imperial Guards who went to arrest him were stunned.

A Marquis? What Marquis?! Whose nickname is that?!
This person isn't on the list. Did I miss them?

No, no, I need to compare them carefully to avoid missing anyone and ruining my future.

This time, His Majesty is personally present, so we must do our job well.

Ever since.

With this mindset in mind, the group of Imperial Guards immediately began to check the roster.

After searching through the roster and failing to find anyone named "Lord Marquis," the Imperial Guards finally realized what was going on.

The so-called Marquis was probably just a backer that the shopkeeper made up on the spot.

It's true that loan sharks need someone to back them up.

But a mere money exchange is not something a high-ranking official of the Ming Dynasty would personally handle.

There might be collusion behind the scenes, but that's not something these low-level staff should worry about; they should just focus on arresting the person.

Ever since.

The group of Imperial Guards immediately drew their Embroidered Spring Blades and slammed the backs of the blades down on the shopkeeper.

They beat the money shop manager half to death and reported this matter concerning the reputation of nobles to their superiors.

The matter eventually reached Cao Huachun's eyes.

Upon hearing the words "Lord Marquis," Cao Huachun personally interrogated the man and then roughly understood the reason for the matter.

It turns out that the shopkeeper was actually trying to use the Marquis's name to his advantage.

His real backers were a group of people from foreign countries.

He had heard that this group of foreigners had a connection with a certain marquis, so he thought he could try to escape the law by borrowing the marquis's power.

Because this case involved the reputation of dukes and marquises, Cao Huachun dared not make a decision on his own. Just then, His Majesty was still awake, so he reported the matter to him.

"Your Majesty, among the criminals arrested today, one is a loan shark from a private gambling den who is colluding with foreign tribes."

To Cao Huachun's surprise, before he could finish speaking, His Majesty interrupted him.

"Alien?"

His Majesty's voice was devoid of any extra emotion.

But Cao Huachun suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold envelop him.

Even the captains in the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters suddenly felt that the atmosphere above them seemed a bit off.

The tall and highly skilled Cao Huachun involuntarily bent his body even lower:

"Your Majesty, yes, that man revealed that his backer was a group of foreign tribes, and the backer of that group of foreign tribes might be a certain duke or marquis."

Zhu Youjian nodded: "Go and summon the Embroidered Uniform Guard who will handle this task."

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Cao Huachun hurriedly left, and soon after, he summoned the group of Imperial Guards who had been on duty earlier.

The Imperial Guards had no idea why the emperor had suddenly summoned them, low-ranking officers, and were so frightened that they didn't dare to breathe.

The Imperial Guards kneeling on the ground heard a faint voice from above: "Who made the first move during the arrest just now?"

Upon hearing this question, several Imperial Guards were instantly terrified, kneeling on the ground and trembling uncontrollably.

Could it be that the person behind that money shop manager is actually a nobleman, and the Emperor wants to eliminate us all to silence us?!
But I was simply following orders and the roster!

The group was terrified, but dared not refuse to answer the Emperor's question. The captain at the very edge answered in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, whose name is on the register? It was I who made the first move."

Zhu Youjian looked at Cao Huachun: "This man is promoted to centurion, and the rest are promoted to captain. Proclaim this to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Then Zhu Youjian said calmly, "Go and capture all the other foreign tribes, and take them alive." Several Imperial Guards were startled upon hearing this.

Overwhelmed with joy, he slammed his head on the bluestone floor.

Then the group crawled backward on their knees until they were out of the courtyard before slowly getting up.

After leaving.

The Imperial Guards didn't dare to linger for a moment and immediately extracted the address of the foreign tribe from the money exchange manager.

Then, as they left the Embroidered Uniform Guard office to carry out their duties, they suddenly felt as if they had woken up from a dream.

On the one hand, the oppressive feeling of the emperor was too great.

On the other hand...

The idea of ​​being promoted three ranks in a row is something that only exists in the mouths of storytellers; anyone would find it tiresome.

After the group of Imperial Guards left.

The events that had just occurred in the yamen quickly spread among the people.

Besides envy, a seed was planted in the hearts of all the members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard at this time.

What is a Marquis?
We are on a royal mission!
Cao Huachun, being within the government office, could naturally perceive this change in mentality.

At this moment, Cao Huachun's eyes were slightly red, and he felt a mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

A few days ago, he promised His Majesty that he would restore the prestige of the Ming Dynasty's Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) to its former glory within three years.

It turned out that after His Majesty's personal visit, the three years might be shortened to three days.

Cao Huachun raised his sleeve and wiped his eyes, taking a while to calm down his excited emotions.

Besides this, Cao Huachun also keenly grasped a hint of the emperor's intention.

His Majesty seems to have a strong aversion to people of other races.

Cao Huachun silently kept this matter in mind.

If there is something good on the top, it will be great on the bottom.

Before long, the group of foreigners were captured and taken to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

After a period of torture, Cao Huachun arrived at Zhu Youjian's temporary palace and respectfully said:
"Your Majesty, the investigation has been completed. That group of foreign tribes did indeed collude with a duke, namely Marquis Wuqing, Li Guorui."

"At first, they used the superstitious rituals to curry favor with a steward in the Marquis's mansion."

"Because this group of people were quite adept at profiting from lending, they were gradually introduced to Marquis Wuqing by the steward."

"According to the confession of this group of foreigners, since they got in touch with Marquis Wuqing, they have taken control of several money shops in just a few years and have been engaging in lending and even market manipulation."

"The Marquis of Wuqing himself and some officials in the court profited greatly from this."

After saying this, Cao Huachun bowed and stood aside, saying no more.

Marquis Wuqing was a descendant of Empress Dowager Li during the Wanli era, making him a legitimate maternal relative.

The Emperor will decide on the matter; he only needs to report the investigation results to the Emperor.

"Send someone to keep a close eye on Li Guorui."

"This servant obeys the decree." Upon hearing this, Cao Huachun realized that Li Guorui was already dead, and immediately bowed and withdrew from the courtyard.

After Cao Huachun left, Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes, his aura sending chills down people's spines.

Although executing those foreigners and Li Guorui would be a simple matter for Zhu Youjian now, it would only take a word.

But he did not give the order immediately.

He has political implications when he kills people; he'll kill these people a couple of days later.

Because a good show awaits the people of the capital tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)