Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Xue Wei opened the door, and a middle-aged man stood there with a long face and narrow eyes that revealed a sinister and ruthless cunning.

Xue Wei recognized him at a glance; it was this man who had led him out of the Dali Temple water dungeon.

Xue Wei knew his name was Zheng Rongchang and that he seemed to be Zhang Changzong's advisor, but he didn't know how to address him.

"Young Master Xue, it's been a long time."

A fake smile appeared on Zheng Rongchang's face.

"Come in!"

Xue Wei's tone was cold. He knew that no matter which tone he used, the result would be the same, so he might as well stay true to himself.

Zheng Rongchang walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looked around, and then shook his head. "It seems your mother hasn't accepted you?"

Xue Wei remained silent and did not answer him.

Zheng Rongchang sensed Xue Wei's coldness and stopped pretending. He took out a bronze token and waved it, his face immediately turning stern. He said coldly, "I'm here to remind you not to forget your mission. You should get started as soon as possible, or you know the consequences."

He then took out another name card and handed it to him, saying, "Need help? Come find me here!"

Xue Wei actually wanted to see the bronze medal in his hand, but unfortunately he had already put it away. These people are so self-righteous; they think others can see it clearly just by flashing it.

He glanced at the name card in his hand again; it read "Rongchang Tea Shop, Taipei".

"Do you own a tea shop?"

Zheng Rongchang chuckled, turned and left. Xue Wei suddenly remembered something and stepped forward to ask, "The deadline is still three months, right?"

"Eighty-two days!" Zheng Rongchang said calmly, "You've already wasted eight days."

Zheng Rongchang left without looking back. Xue Wei returned to his bedroom, eager to know what Zheng Rongchang meant by that bronze plaque.

Suddenly, he heard a faint noise from the tree outside. He flicked his wrist, and a throwing knife shot out of the window like lightning. A crisp "clang!" rang out, like the sound of something hitting metal.

Xue Wei grabbed his sword, leaped out of the window, and jumped out.

Under the big tree in the courtyard stood a woman in a tight-fitting samurai outfit, dressed in blue. Her hair was styled in two loops, and she held a sword in her hand. A throwing knife landed beside her, which she must have deflected with her sword.

Xue Wei remained silent, staring coldly at her.

When Zheng Rongchang arrived, he sensed someone outside, but he assumed it was one of Zheng Rongchang's men, so he didn't think much of it.

"Who was that person just now? What task did he give you?" The woman turned to look at him.

She was not old, only seventeen or eighteen, with a small nose and eyes, slightly dark skin, and an ordinary appearance. She exuded a stern aura, just like the class monitor who collected homework in high school.

Xue Wei immediately realized that she was not the woman in white who had saved him that night; the feeling was completely different.

"From what standpoint are you asking me this?" Xue Wei asked calmly.

"I was sent by your mother to protect you."

"It's surveillance, isn't it!" Xue Wei sneered.

"Think what you want, but tell me, what was that person's mission?"

"Then you should follow him; it'll be easier for him to confess."

"My mission is to protect you, not him."

"Since it's about protection, then don't ask questions about things that don't concern you."

After saying that, Xue Wei jumped back out of the window and closed it behind him.

"you--"

The woman in green stamped her foot in anger, leaped onto the wall, a puff of white smoke rose, and she vanished in a flash.

Xue Wei could see clearly through the crack in the window that the woman's movements were somewhat like Japanese ninjutsu! A wisp of white smoke rose, and she disappeared.

Xue Wei was a bit of a headache; he guessed she had gone to report to Princess Taiping.

........

The next morning, Xue Wei was awakened by a series of knocks on the door. Who was it this time? Why was he making his life miserable all day long?

Xue Wei opened the door, and his brother Xue Chongjian rushed in like a gust of wind, followed by five or six servants, each carrying large and small bags, totaling more than a dozen large bundles.

"Hurry up and wash up and change your clothes, we're going to the West Market!"

"What are these?"

"These are all your things; I packed them all up and brought them over for you."

"Wait a minute, weren't all my things confiscated?"

"Your baron's mansion has indeed been sealed off, but you still have a courtyard in your mother's mansion, where there are still many of your belongings. I've brought them over; they are all your clothes and everyday items."

Xue Wei suddenly realized that the robe was not made of silk. He was slightly taken aback. He then looked through all the clothes and found that they were all made of fine linen, with not a single piece of silk.

No, Xue Wei in the past would never have worn fine linen; that's the kind of fabric used by lower-middle-class people.

"Chongjian, what's the deal with these clothes?"

Xue Chongjian looked a little embarrassed, and forced a smile, saying, "Let's go to the West Market to get something to eat first, and I'll tell you all about it on the way."

"Let's go!" Xue Wei put down the clothes.

Xue Chongjian glanced at his elder brother's clothes, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Brother, why don't you change into a robe?"

Xue Wei glanced at his shabby clothes and said indifferently, "I won't change them now, I'll talk about it when I get back."

The two brothers boarded an oxcart and headed towards the west market...

"You didn't ride a horse, was it specifically to take care of me?"

"Yes, I'll get my brother a horse later, so it will be easier for him to go out in the future."

Xue Wei glanced at his brother, then said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, you must have come from Mother's."

Xue Chongjian gave him a thumbs up, "Big brother, when did you become so amazing?"

"So, all those clothes and supplies were given to me by my mother?"

"How did you guess, brother?"

Xue Wei shook his head. "My clothes used to be made of fine linen. This was specially prepared for my current identity. You wouldn't have thought of that."

Xue Chongjian paused for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "Brother's guess is absolutely correct. Mother summoned me last night because she wanted to..."

Xue Wei waved his hand to interrupt him; he didn't want to talk about Princess Taiping.

"I want to ask you something. A very arrogant person showed me a bronze medal. What did he mean by that?"

Xue Chongjian frowned. "Is it the bronze plaque with a few flowers on it?"

"It seems so!"

"That's the waist badge of the Plum Blossom Bronze Guard, meaning he's an informant."

"What do you mean by 'informant'?"

Xue Chongjian sighed and said, "The Plum Blossom Guard is the inner guard of the Tang Dynasty. It is divided into five organizations: gold, silver, bronze, iron, and jade, representing the five petals of a plum blossom. Everyone is equipped with a waist tag, and the bronze tag is one of them, as well as the lowest-ranking one."

"What exactly do they do?" Xue Wei asked curiously.

Xue Chongjian smiled and explained, "The Plum Blossom Golden Guard refers to the censors and cruel officials, such as Lai Junchen, Zhou Xing, Qiu Shenji, Suo Yuanli, and Hou Sizhi. They held the highest positions and had the power to enforce the law. However, after Lai Junchen was executed in the second year of the Wansui Tongtian era, the Plum Blossom Golden Guard became a mere shell of its former self."

"What about the other four guards?"

"The other four guards are much simpler. The Plum Blossom Silver Guards were tasked with monitoring officials, but they have been disbanded. The Plum Blossom Iron Guards are still around, and the army is responsible for arresting them. The Plum Blossom Bronze Guards were originally subordinate to the Gold Guards and were professional informants. The Gold Guards collapsed, and the Bronze Guards are about to be disbanded as well. The Plum Blossom Jade Guards are quite special; they are all women."

At this point, Xue Chongjian lowered his voice and said, "Rumor has it that there is also a Plum Blossom Guard, the most mysterious organization, consisting of only three people. No one has ever seen their true faces. It is said that Prime Minister Di Renjie is one of them. Of course, this is just speculation, and perhaps the so-called Guard does not exist at all."

"What does it mean to wave a bronze medal in front of me?"

Xue Chongjian sighed. "Of course, they're warning you. They mean that if you don't obey, they can easily pin a charge on you for informing on others, and you'll be arrested by the Plum Blossom Guards."

But you don't need to worry. Lai Junchen and his cruel officials are finished, and informers are universally hated. He only dares to threaten you. Of the Five Plum Blossom Guards, only the Iron Guard and the Jade Guard remain.

So that's how it is. Zhang Changzong was threatening me in another way, indicating that he could use the Plum Blossom Guard, not just the Dali Temple.

Xue Wei pondered for a moment and said, "Yesterday evening, a young female swordsman appeared in my courtyard. She said she was sent by my mother to protect me. Is that true?"

Xue Chongjian's expression turned serious. He shook his head. "As far as I know, Mother didn't send anyone to protect you. After you completely fell out with her when you were seventeen, she stopped caring about you. She didn't help you when you were imprisoned, and she certainly won't send anyone to protect you now. That female warrior has nothing to do with Mother."

Xue Wei nodded slightly. Xue Chongjian was right.

Why did I fall out with my mother when I was seventeen?

"Because of Father, Mother stopped worshipping him five years ago. On the anniversary of Father's death, you had a complete falling out with her over the matter of worshipping him. She was only there the year you got married, and then you rarely saw each other. Brother, actually, Mother's feelings for you..."

"That's strange. Who is that female warrior? Why is she spying on me?" Xue Wei changed the subject once again.

"Didn't I say I'd protect you?"

Xue Wei took out a copper coin, smiled and said, "One side of the copper coin is called protection, and the other side is called surveillance. They are actually the same thing."

..........

The West Market was located at the southernmost part of Luoyang City, right next to the southern city wall. The Tongji Canal passed through the West Market, which was a major distribution center for bulk goods. Large quantities of commodities such as grain, oil, cloth, livestock, medicinal herbs, vegetables, meat, seasonings, tea, wine, sugar, and sauces were traded here.

This place is even more lively, with various strong smells permeating the market area. People from all walks of life gather here, and suspicious-looking people can be seen everywhere.

They found a restaurant and sat down. After a moment's thought, Xue Wei slowly said, "I wish to see the Emperor. Is there any way to do that?"

Xue Chongjian stared at Xue Wei. "I can help you, but you have to tell me the truth. What exactly happened? We're brothers. If something's wrong, don't hide it from me!"

Xue Wei pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I was released from prison thanks to Zhang Changzong using the Emperor's golden token."

"Zhang Changzong, how could he?"

"Of course he had conditions. He asked me to do three things for him, and if I didn't agree, he would send me back to Blackwater Prison, a place I really don't want to go back to."

"What?" Xue Chongjian's eyes widened suddenly. "You're in... Blackwater Prison?"

"You don't know?" Xue Wei smiled bitterly. "I stayed in there for a whole year, surrounded by human bones, bodily fluids, and rotting flesh. To survive, I even ate raw rats and snakes."

"Big brother, stop talking..."

Xue Chongjian trembled all over, covered his face with his hands, and tears streamed down his face through his fingers.