The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Lu Bing's words sounded like a casual remark, but what lay beneath was something very dangerous.

The functions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot overlapped, and it was never a case of the East Wind prevailing over the West Wind, but rather the West Wind prevailing over the East Wind.

Since Emperor Taizu established the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Emperor Chengzu established the Eastern Depot, the Eastern Depot has mostly suppressed the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This is because the Director General was a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, who lived in the palace and could see the emperor at any time. He could make secret oral reports without needing complicated documents.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard operated outside the palace, and reports had to go through the formal memorial process. In addition, Emperor Chengzu established the Eastern Depot, which was also intended to monitor the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

During the reigns of Wang Zhen and Liu Jin, the Eastern Depot completely suppressed the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and its commanders had to kneel and bow to the depot's chief.

But now the situation has changed. The current commander, Lu Bing, entered the palace with his mother at a young age and is the emperor's wet nurse brother. He has been by the emperor's side since the time he went into hiding.

When the Weihui Palace caught fire and flames engulfed the buildings, he risked his life to rush into the inferno and carry the imperial carriage to safety. During the Renyin Palace Incident, he again led his personal guards into the palace overnight to rescue the emperor.

The greatest merit is to save one's master. His two acts of saving the emperor were so great that even Mai Fu, the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the director of the Eastern Depot, had to give way to him, let alone others.

"What are you saying, Commander? The Chief Inspector would never have meant that." Teng Xiang lowered his body and smiled obsequiously, "It was just that this servant was too talkative. I was worried that Your Highness was leaving the palace for the first time, so I said that to the Chief Inspector."

Lately, the streets have been in great chaos. As you know, those who have inherited their positions or received special privileges are idle all day long, and once they've had a few drinks, they don't even recognize the Emperor.

"The Governor's men are naturally skilled and capable. Our Eastern Depot people may not have many other skills, but they are numerous and have a wide network of eyes. They can hide in every nook and cranny. If anything happens, having an extra pair of eyes is always better than having one less, isn't it?"

After speaking, Teng Xiang looked up at Lu Bing, but couldn't read any meaning from his face, so he slapped himself seven or eight times.

"I never expected the Governor to misunderstand me. This servant deserves to die."

The slaps were solid, each one crisp and loud, carrying far and wide, completely disregarding the numerous Imperial Guards and Secret Service agents watching nearby.

His fair face quickly turned purplish-blue, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he seemed completely unaware. After he finished hitting him, he lowered his hand and still maintained that humble posture with a forced smile.

Lu Bing's lips twitched slightly. These eunuchs were truly shameless. They were supposed to be the heads of a department, yet they resorted to such underhanded tactics.

Isn't this just trying to make things difficult for him in front of Prince Jing?

Zhu Zaizhen, however, watched with great interest. "Wow, we've only just arrived at the palace gate and we've already seen something so interesting. I can't even imagine how much fun it must be outside the palace."

"Alright, Master Teng." Lu Bing's tone was indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter. "If His Highness has no objections, then I do too. I was just asking casually, why make such a fuss?"

Why didn't you say so earlier, you bastard!

Teng Xiang cursed inwardly, but still smiled and said, "That's good, that's good."

Little did Lu Bing know that he was also very unhappy. If it weren't for His Highness Prince Jing being there, he wouldn't have been able to get away with it so easily with just a few slaps.

In other words, he didn't want the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot to compete in front of Prince Jing, because if word got out, it would be bad for both of them.

Moreover, if Mai Fu were to come, it would be fine, but Teng Xiang is not worth making a big fuss about.

Having watched the commotion, Zhu Zaizhen spoke up, "Now that everything is arranged, Governor and Teng Ban can get on with their business. There's no need for you to follow me."

Lu Bing nodded: "Then I shall take my leave."

His personal visit was already a great honor for Prince Jing, and he would even be impeached by many officials because of it. If he were to personally accompany him out of the palace, it would be going too far.

Lu Bing summoned a tall, burly commander: "Be careful and cautious, make sure nothing goes wrong!"

The commander solemnly agreed and then silently followed behind Zhu Zaizhen. Seeing this, Teng Xiang also called someone to give instructions, and then said to Zhu Zaizhen, "In my current state, I will not follow Your Highness, so as not to embarrass you."

After exchanging a few more polite words, the two left separately. Now, only Zhu Zaizhen was in charge. Wherever he looked, all the officers and guards of the thousand and hundred households bowed their heads, and not one dared to look him in the eye.

so good.

"Alright, you two can make the arrangements, but I don't want too many people around me."

"promise."

The commander and the head of the Eastern Depot immediately began to make arrangements. Their gestures were concise, and their voices were extremely low. In a short while, nearly a hundred people silently dispersed out of the palace gates in batches, like water seeping into sand. Apart from Ma Dezhao and Zhang Xing, only eight guards remained beside Zhu Zaizhen.

"What are your names?"

"Your Highness." The commander stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed his head: "Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Chen Zhao."

He was extremely tall with broad shoulders and a wide back. Even under his casual clothes, one could still see the bulging muscles on his arms. His face was somewhat rugged, with high cheekbones and an old scar on his left eyebrow that slanted into his temple.

The other man from the Eastern Depot was half a head shorter, short and thin. He walked forward with very light steps, as if he were stepping on cotton.

He was fair-skinned and beardless, with slender eyebrows and eyes that made it impossible to guess his age. The corners of his mouth were naturally slightly upturned, giving him a three-point smile, but upon closer inspection, there was no smile in his eyes at all.

"This servant is Gao Zhen, a head of the Eastern Depot."

Zhu Zaizhen looked at them and suddenly asked, "Between the two of you, who's better at kung fu?"

His Highness Prince Jing is indeed a wicked man. Having just watched the Grand Commandant and the Chief Seal Clerk clash, he still felt it wasn't enough and wanted them to have a showdown between themselves...

Chen Zhao and Gao Zhen both fell silent for a moment. This was a difficult question to answer. If they said they were good at martial arts, it would be tantamount to putting down the other party in front of Prince Jing, which would make their next task difficult.

If you say the other person is good at kung fu, you won't be able to explain it to your boss when you get back. After all, although you can't say you're completely incompatible, you still have a lot of disputes and conflicts with each other.

Chen Zhao spoke first: "Your Highness, I fought my way up from the battlefield and was selected by Commander Lu to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard. My skills in swords, horses, bows, and arrows are barely passable."

Gao Zhen waited for him to finish speaking before slowly adding, "This servant is no match for Commander Chen. I only know some minor skills, nothing respectable. Your Highness only sees me as a cat, someone who sneaks around walls and eavesdrops. I can recognize any prominent servant in the capital."

Zhu Zaizhen smiled. Often, you can roughly tell what kind of person someone is just by listening to them talk, especially when you have to answer seriously and can't lie.

"Governor Lu and Minister Mai sent them, so I suppose they're useful. Do your best. From now on, when I leave the palace, you two will still be in charge."

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness and unease. Whether it was a blessing or a curse was still difficult to determine, but they had no choice.

"promise!"

…………