In the Ming Dynasty, I became invincible simply by extracting memories!

Headache!

My head hurts so much!

At that moment, Shen Lian felt as if someone was hitting his temple with a hammer. He was trembling all over, sweating profusely, and could barely stand.

Fortunately, Zhu Xixiao was not in the mood to look at Shen Lian at the moment.

Why would Shen Lian know that he was also a Silver Seal Envoy? After being granted the Silver Seal edict, he could report many confidential matters directly to Jiajing himself without having to pass them on to others.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for my identity to be revealed, unless...

Zhu Xixiao gave a wry smile and said, "Has His Majesty already lost trust in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Shen Lian finally caught a breath from his splitting headache and smiled, "What makes you say that, Commander?"

"Did His Majesty send you to test me? Did you deliberately get yourself imprisoned for this reason?"

Shen Lian felt that Zhu Xixiao was like a resentful woman at this moment, a resentful woman who watched her husband find a new lover but was helpless. He couldn't help but find it a little funny.

"Lord Zhu, you are mistaken! Commander, your loyalty and integrity are beyond questioning, even by Heaven's eyes. Has His Majesty ever doubted you in the slightest?"

"and you……"

"The court is currently in chaos, and its officials are a mixed bag. His Majesty fears that Your Excellency is not up to the task, therefore..."

Zhu Xixiao lowered his head in deep thought: Since being appointed Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he had been constantly thinking of repaying the Emperor's favor. However, the court was rife with powerful factions vying for power, and as the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was often drawn into political struggles, exhausted from dealing with them, and thus hadn't accomplished much. In contrast, Shen Lian, living in seclusion in Jiangnan, was able to obtain a large amount of accurate and timely intelligence. In that sense, he was inferior to Shen Lian.

After a long silence, Zhu Xixiao only sighed, "Your Majesty's wisdom is beyond my reach."

"My lord, there is no need to belittle yourself. As you hold a high position in the court, you are naturally bound by power struggles and cannot personally handle everything. I, on the other hand, am far removed from the court, which is why I am able to investigate these details clearly. It is precisely because you are in the open that I can act freely in the shadows."

"Hmph, you certainly know how to comfort people."

"I dare not accept such praise."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Xixiao asked, "Was your analysis of the Ming Dynasty just now the truth?"

"If even a single word is false, I am willing..."

"Alright," Zhu Xixiao waved his hand to interrupt Shen Lian, "Come with me." Then he walked deeper into the hall.

Shen Lian followed him to the chair behind the main seat in the hall, where he saw Zhu Xixiao groping around on the wall for a while before giving it a hard push, opening a hidden door in the wall.

Inside the door was a dark corridor, with a faint light emanating from its depths.

Shen Lian followed Zhu Xixiao into the hidden door, and after walking a short distance down the corridor, they arrived at a room.

The room was brightly lit, and as soon as Shen Lian entered, he saw a figure.

It turned out to be Chen's advisor. At that moment, he was holding several lit incense sticks in his hand, and in front of him was an incense burner.

"My lord, you—" Staff Officer Chen turned around, saw Zhu Xixiao and Shen Lian beside him, and his eyes widened. "He...how could he..."

Zhu Xixiao said, "It's alright, we're all on the same side."

Chen, the advisor, looked at Shen Lian, then looked at Shen Lian again, finally lowered his head, answered "Yes," and then inserted the incense into the incense jar.

Shen Lian then had time to carefully observe the room. He saw that many portraits were hung on the four walls, and a memorial tablet stood on the table below the portraits. In the center of the room was an incense altar, and on the wall opposite the door hung a plaque with three large characters: "Hall of Loyal Martyrs".

At this moment, Chen's advisor came over with several sticks of incense. Zhu Xixiao took the incense, lit it on the candle, inserted it into the incense burner, bowed, and then looked up at the portrait on the wall.

Then Shen Lian followed Zhu Xixiao's gaze: the portraits depicted men in official robes, all portrayed as noble and upright, exuding an aura of righteousness. Looking at the memorial tablets, Shen Lian's heart stirred: Xia Yan, Yang Jisheng, Shen Lian… these were all loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty who had been persecuted by the Yan faction.

"Do you recognize these people?" Zhu Xixiao asked, pointing to the portraits on the wall.

Shen Lian answered without hesitation: "Xia Yan, courtesy name Gongjin, was from Guixi. He passed the imperial examination in the twelfth year of the Zhengde reign, was appointed as a messenger, and later promoted to the position of Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War. He rose through the ranks to become Minister of Rites, Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and was also granted the titles of Junior Tutor, Grand Master of the Palace, and Pillar of the State. He was outspoken and dared to remonstrate, upright and proud, which made him unacceptable to Yan Song's faction. He was framed by Yan Song and died as a result. Yang Jisheng, courtesy name Zhongfang, was from Rongcheng, Zhili. He passed the imperial examination in the twenty-sixth year of the Jiajing reign and served as a Principal of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing and an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. He was framed for impeaching Yan Song and was unjustly killed in the West Market. Shen Lian, courtesy name Chunfu, was from Kuaiji, Shaoxing. He passed the imperial examination in the seventeenth year of the Jiajing reign and served as the magistrate of Liyang, Chiping, and Qingfeng counties. He was honest and upright. He was demoted to Bao'an Prefecture for impeaching Yan Song and was later framed by Yan Song's faction for treason and died. These are all loyal and righteous ministers of our Great Ming Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xixiao slowly turned to look at Shen Lian, his eyes slightly reddening: "That's right, these are all loyal martyrs of our Great Ming Dynasty. But do you know that this shrine not only enshrines these well-known loyal ministers, but also 137 brothers from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Back then, they couldn't stand Yan Song and his son's monopolization of power and chaos, so they wanted to join forces to collect evidence of the Yan faction's treason. However, the news leaked, and the Yan faction uprooted them all, and the whole group perished inside."

At this point, Zhu Xixiao reached out and stroked a wooden plaque beside him engraved with names, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force: "Back then, I was just a commander of a thousand men. I was supposed to join them in the uprising, but the day before we were to set off, I was assigned to receive a secret report outside the city, thus escaping death. When I returned, the imperial prison was piled high with their corpses, each one beaten with hundreds of blows, their flesh mangled beyond recognition. Since then, I've been waiting, waiting for the day when I can proudly engrave these names on a stone tablet, waiting to kowtow to these unjustly killed brothers."

Looking at the wall covered with wooden plaques bearing countless names, Shen Lian felt as if a boulder was blocking his chest, making even his breathing heavy. The names he had just read out were from major cases that shook the world, but who could have imagined that behind these well-known heroes, there were 137 nameless Imperial Guards, buried in the gutter of the imperial prison, without even a proper name?

At this moment, Chen's advisor sighed and said softly, "Over the years, the lord has been secretly taking care of these brothers' families, and even risked his life to secretly enshrine their memorial tablets here, just in case the Yan Party falls one day and no one remembers that they once gave their lives to bring down the Yan family."

Shen Lian remained silent, stepped forward, and took three lit incense sticks from Chen's assistant. He respectfully bowed three times to the memorial tablets filling the room and placed the incense sticks in the incense burner. The rising smoke blurred the neat characters. Shen Lian raised his head, his voice as steady as a nail driven into the ground: "Lord Zhu, rest assured. The Yan faction has held power for so many years, incurring the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people. One day we will bring these traitors down. When that time comes, I will accompany you to rebuild a grand shrine for all the loyal martyrs, and have their names engraved on stone tablets so that future generations will remember what they sacrificed for our Great Ming Dynasty."

"Good, well said!" Zhu Xixiao clapped his hands.

"As things stand now, the best way to honor them is to eradicate the Yan faction. Although Yan Song has retired and Yan Shifan is imprisoned, there are still many Yan faction members in the court. As long as things are not settled, they will certainly not give up their ambition to make a comeback."

"That's right. We must seize the opportunity to investigate Yan Shifan's collusion with the Japanese pirates. Once it can be proven, Yan Shifan will be convicted of treason, and no one in the court will dare to associate with him again. Once the Yan faction is completely eradicated, our Great Ming Dynasty will be free from all trouble."

"I'm afraid that's not necessarily true," Shen Lian said, shaking his head.

"What's wrong?"

"Even if Yan's faction is gone, there will be Liu's faction, Zhang's faction, and Li's faction in the future. If we don't change things at the root, it will only be a temporary solution."

"What you say is exactly what I know. The emperor is neglecting his duties, court officials are gaining power, and there are numerous factions in the court, with no consensus. Even if we wanted to eradicate these problems, what could we do?"

"The only solution now is—" Shen Lian slammed his hands heavily on the desk, "Reform!"

Zhu Xixiao was startled. "Reform?"

"Indeed, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, all emperors have strictly adhered to the ancestral teachings of the founding emperor, daring not to overstep the boundaries of the city. The founding emperor originally intended to use these teachings to prolong the dynasty's lifespan, but times have changed. Many of the teachings, which were beneficial at the time, have now led the court into a rut, unable to extricate itself. The systems for selecting officials, taxation, and conscription are all riddled with flaws, resulting in rampant corruption in the court, exorbitant taxes that cause immense suffering to the people, and unclear command structures that weaken the army's combat effectiveness. Only a thorough and comprehensive reform can change these problems. If these flaws are not eliminated, my Ming Dynasty—forgive my boldness—will never have a peaceful day."

"This reform is certainly a good thing. Since the founding of the country, there have been quite a few people who have submitted memorials calling for reform, including many wise men. But since reform is necessary, it is inevitable that the interests of many people will be affected. At that time, there will be great resistance, making it difficult to implement. In the end, it will come to nothing, and some people may even die a horrible death."

"Therefore, we need someone with power, courage, and ability to take the lead," Shen Lian said, his eyes burning as he looked at the portrait on the wall. "And I happen to know someone like that in the imperial court."

"The person you're referring to, sir, could it be—Xu Jie?"

Shen Lian sneered, "Xu Zisheng is too conservative and not ambitious enough. He only flatters the emperor. How can he be a person who can shoulder such an important responsibility?" Then Shen Lian changed the subject, "However, after Yan Song falls from power, the position of Grand Secretary will most likely go to Xu Jie. At that time, any action we take will have to be approved by him, so we must be careful."

"Then, in your opinion, who is suitable for this important task?"

"This person, you actually know him too, he is—Zhang Juzheng!"

"Ah, him!"

Do you know this person?

"It's more than just knowing him," Zhu Xixiao's eyes gleamed. "I've known Zhang Juzheng for many years. From our first meeting, I knew he possessed great talent and ambition; within a few years, he would surely become a pillar of the state. Back when he was still a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, I recommended him many times. Later, it was I who acted as a go-between for Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, allowing him to meet Prince Yu, and from then on, he secured his position in the court. Are you saying he has the talent to save the country?"

"Given time, Zhang Juzheng will surely shine brightly in the court. What we need to do now is to pave the way for all of this in advance. The first thing to do is to eliminate Yan's faction."

"You're right, sir!"

Zhu Xixiao turned around, took out a neatly folded sheet of Xuan paper from a hidden compartment under the incense table, and handed it to Shen Lian. Shen Lian took it and opened it, and saw that it contained a neat record of evidence of the Yan Party's crimes over the years, including accepting bribes, forming cliques, and framing ministers. Each case was marked with the time and place, as well as the names and whereabouts of the witnesses, and it was written on more than a dozen pages.

"This is everything I've collected over the years," Zhu Xixiao said, looking into Shen Lian's eyes, enunciating each word clearly. "I initially thought you were sent by His Majesty to test me, but now I believe you. His Majesty intends to deal with the Yan faction, and this is my pledge of allegiance to His Majesty, and also my explanation to these fallen brothers. However, there's one thing I must tell you: the Yan faction not only holds power, but also the capital garrison, and Yan Shifan has spies planted in the palace. If things really come to a head, there's no turning back. Are you afraid?"

Shen Lian carefully folded the incriminating evidence and tucked it into his pocket. He smiled at the shrine full of martyrs and said, "From the day I started investigating Yan's faction, I never thought of turning back. It is my honor to stand here in this shrine of martyrs and take on this responsibility."

"Also, I have something to show you." Zhu Xixiao placed a wooden box on the table.

"What is this?" It was the box that Shen Lian had seen in Zhu Xixiao's memory.

Zhu Xixiao opened the box, inside which was a silver medal and a book.

That plaque was the token of the Silver Badge Envoy, and as for that book...

Shen Lian picked up the book. The cover had four large characters: "Silver Badge Manual," and the signature column clearly read: Shen Lian.

How come my name is on this?

Then he was startled to realize that this Shen Lian was not himself, but the Shen Lian who had died many years ago for speaking out against injustice.

"His Majesty initially bestowed upon me the silver seal and imperial edict, entrusting me with the protection of the Ming Dynasty," Zhu Xixiao stroked the silver seal, "but I have repeatedly failed to live up to His Majesty's expectations. Although I was only supposed to act according to His Majesty's orders, I was forced to be controlled by others, hindering my progress and making it difficult to achieve anything. Meeting you today, sir, has truly enlightened me, like a refreshing breeze!"

Shen Lian's eyes, however, were fixed on the "Silver Badge Handbook." "Lord Zhu, this book... could it be?"

"Indeed, this book was compiled by that Lord Shen. It details the duties and conduct of a Silver Badge Envoy and was given to you, sir."

Shen Lian quickly shook his head, "I can't accept such a valuable gift."

"It's alright, I've already memorized the contents. Besides, since you share the same name as Lord Shen, it's fate. If he has a spirit in heaven, he can rest in peace."

"In that case, I shall accept it without hesitation." Shen Lian tucked the book into his robes and solemnly added, "I will never dishonor this book!"