Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Time flies, and it's already mid-May. The weather is gradually getting warmer.

That morning, Xue Wei went upstairs to have breakfast with Yuan Min, as usual.

This was how the two lived a few years ago. They used to sleep in separate courtyards and rarely saw each other for one or two months. But now it's a little different. They each live in a large single-level apartment, but they are together every morning, noon and night.

Xue Wei peered around, searching for Yuan Min, but immediately spotted her standing in front of the life-sized Jiangxin Mirror, inserting a hairpin. Xue Wei then suddenly attacked from behind and hugged her.

Yuan Min shifted her body. "I'm all sweaty and sticky, aren't you hot?"

"If you won't even let me hug you, then I..."

"Here you go! Here you go!"

Yuan Min smiled charmingly, turned around and kissed him on the cheek, "I won't neglect our Uncle Xue."

"That's more like it!"

Xue Wei's Lu Shan claws have become increasingly aggressive, and he has begun to scale mountains and cross valleys.

Yuan Min was truly helpless. If things continued like this, she wouldn't even be able to hold out for three months, let alone three.

Fortunately, Xue Wei didn't go too far; after satisfying his desires, he stopped.

What should we have for breakfast?

"Your favorites: multigrain porridge and steamed buns."

Laowan is just a type of dumpling. Apart from the name, its shape and filling are no different from dumplings in later generations.

The Tang people did not have the habit of eating breakfast. Wealthy families would eat a couple of snacks to fill their stomachs, but Xue Wei had to eat breakfast. Yuan Min also got used to Xue Wei's three meals a day, just like him, and also got used to his many strange words and habits.

Vocabulary doesn't matter, as long as you can understand it. The key issue is some of Yuan Min's habits that give her a headache.

For example, Xue Wei needed to use paper when he went to the outhouse. Even though it was cheap coarse hemp paper, it was still very extravagant and strange. In the end, they had to burn it all over the course of a month.

Of course, Tang Dynasty nobles would wash with warm water and then dry themselves with a warm, soft, damp towel. Yuan Min did not follow Xue Daye's roughness in this respect; she was still quite particular.

Xue Wei found washing with water troublesome, so he would just wipe it off each time. He would never use bamboo strips from ordinary households.

There are three more maids now. Yuanmin used to have two maids, Xiaohuan and Xiaoluoer. Since Xiaohuan died, only Xiaoluoer is left, and she is having a hard time serving two masters.

After returning from Chang'an, Yuan Min bought two more young maids, one named Song'er and the other Xiao Guang. They were both only eleven years old, which is the traditional Chinese age age, and only ten years old in Western age.

Xue Wei felt very reluctant, but his reluctance terrified the two young maids, who often cried and hugged each other, thinking that their master was going to drive them away. In the end, Xue Wei had no choice but to accept the young ladies' service and stop causing trouble.

After breakfast, Yuan Min rested her chin on her hand and looked at Xue Wei with a smile, saying, "Advisor Xue, you promised to help me with the property transfer at the counter, is that alright? If not, I'll have the head manager handle it; it'll cost a little money!"

"What do you want to spend money on? I'll go find Wu Sansi."

If it were just a small amount of money, that would be fine, but this is tens of thousands of strings of cash for bribes, which Xue Wei cannot accept, especially since he had patted his chest and guaranteed it.

"Okay, I'll wait a few more days."

The shop has long since changed owners, but the ownership transfer hasn't been completed. The owner is still listed as Shangguan Wan'er, and the name is still Qingyun Shop.

The name Qingyun Department Store is good, and Yuan Min doesn't want to change it, but the owner's name registered with the municipal government must be changed, otherwise, in the official yellow register, they will still be Shangguan Wan'er's property.

The transfer of ownership of ordinary shops is relatively simple. Land deeds are changed at the county government office, and shop ownership is changed at the city government office. But it is different for money counters. They involve the deposit, withdrawal and safekeeping of large sums of money, which falls under the financial category. The requirements are very high, the approval is very strict, and in the end, it must be approved by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

The Vice Minister of Revenue was none other than Wu Sansi. Xue Wei was a bit of a headache, but since he had already promised, he still had to bite the bullet and go find Wu Sansi.

"I'm going to find Wu Sansi today!"

You might run into him somewhere else today.

Yuan Min handed him an invitation, saying, "This is an invitation to Old Master Dugu's 60th birthday celebration. It was specially given to you."

Xue Wei took it and looked at it. "Respectfully inviting Commandant Xue to attend" was indeed for him. Why was he called Commandant Xue? He'd explain later.

Xue Wei accidentally dropped the emperor's gold token at the Yuan residence last time, which left a deep impression on Dugu Xu.

"And what about you?"

"Of course I also have an invitation, but we're not a couple, so it's not appropriate to give one."

Xue Wei was somewhat depressed. The two were no longer husband and wife, and it would be difficult to remarry. This had always been a thorn in his side. On the contrary, Yuan Min was open-minded. As long as the two of them were together, and as long as Xue Wei did not marry Wu Suisui, it didn't matter if the marriage was delayed by a few years.

"Then how should we meet up?"

"I have to go help out this morning. You can go by yourself after lunch. I'll look for you at the Dugu residence then."

Xue Wei was a little unhappy; he thought of Dugu Yizhi.

"You're not the granddaughter-in-law of the Dugu family, what help do we need? Besides, is this the dress you're wearing out in public?"

Yuan Min sighed, "I promised to accompany Ajiao on her blind date today. Also... is this dress inappropriate?"

In the summer, noblewomen of the Tang Dynasty mainly wore light gauze dresses, with a hezi (a type of breast wrap) underneath. However, the length of the hezi varied from person to person.

Yuan Min is very tall, so the robe she wears looks too short, just past her hips. As long as there is light, her two thighs will be clearly visible, even more so in the sunlight. Xue Wei likes Yuan Min to dress like this, but only at home.

Actually, this was how women dressed in the Tang Dynasty, and everyone was used to it. Just like how women wear short skirts and show their thighs in the summer, it's not surprising because everyone dresses like that. But in the winter, if a woman dressed like this on the street, she would definitely attract a lot of ambiguous glances.

Yuan Min's clothes were normal in the Tang Dynasty, but Xue Wei's mindset was rooted in winter, and he couldn't accept his woman going out dressed like that.

"inappropriate!"

Xue Wei bluntly stated, "The bra underneath is too short, and the sheer skirt is too see-through, clearly revealing both of my thighs. I don't want other men to see it, especially the likes of Wu Chongxun and Cui Shi."

"Hey! You can look at other women, but you won't let anyone else look at your woman."

Yuan Min sighed. "I'll change into a long white satin dress, is that alright?"

Xue Wei hesitated for a moment, "Won't it be too hot?"

Yuan Min rolled her eyes at him. "What do you think?"

Xue Wei laughed. "I was just saying. You should dress as you normally would and not overthink it."

"You're such a hypocrite!"

"You yourself told me to be honest, to not keep anything to myself, and to be open with you. Now I..."

"Alright! Alright! You're so long-winded. Master Xue, please go to court quickly, or you'll be late."

Yuan Min giggled, her voice sweet enough to be cloying.

Xue Wei pointed to his face, and Yuan Min leaned forward and kissed him on tiptoe.

Xue Wei then got up and set off, satisfied...

Xue Wei wore a light vermilion round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe embroidered with a tiger descending a mountain. He wore a black silk turban, a gold belt around his waist, a silver fish-shaped pouch on his side, a long sword, and black leather boots.

This is the everyday uniform of a fifth-rank military officer, which is what he wears to court on ordinary days, not the court uniform he wears to attend court assemblies.

After returning from Chang'an, Xue Wei submitted an investigation report to Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian said nothing, and a few days later he was promoted. He was previously a sixth-rank Qianniu Beishen, and this time he was promoted to a fifth-rank Fengche Duwei, with the official rank of Youji Jiangjun.

There were no officials holding the position of Fengche Duwei in the Tang Dynasty; they were all temporary appointments. This appointment was tailor-made for Xue Wei.

The Fengche Duwei was the official who drove the secondary carriage when the emperor traveled. He was a ceremonial official and did nothing else, especially now that the emperor no longer travels.

Xue Wei's true position was that of a hidden guard, but this position could not be found in the official roster of the court. He was the emperor's private advisor, somewhat similar to a royal merchant, but far more powerful.

Being a hidden guard is not a position that can be held on call at all times. When things are quiet, there may be nothing to do for a whole year, but when things are busy, you may be on your feet every day. It mainly depends on the emperor's mood and the changes in the political situation.

The position of Fengche Duwei was not only a ceremonial official for Xue Wei, but also a cover officer. After all, only a very few members of the royal family and relatives of the empress knew his identity as a hidden guard, and none of them were willing to reveal it. Even Wu Chongxun, who hated Xue Wei, knew his limits. If he spoke recklessly and angered the emperor, his life would be in danger.

So even though Wan Guojun had been with Wu Chongxun all along, he didn't know that there was such a position as the Hidden Guard. In Chang'an, he always thought that Xue Wei was the Lieutenant General of the Plum Blossom Guard.

Of course, Xue Wei still had his silver medal as the General of the Plum Blossom Guard, but it was just a silver medal. His name was not on the list of the Plum Blossom Guard. He had no troops and no power, but it was enough to intimidate people. After all, he still had a silver command token that could mobilize fifty people.

Xue Wei did not need to attend the morning court every day like civil officials. As a fifth-rank military officer, he only needed to attend the morning court once every five days. Wu Zetian did not give him any special treatment in this regard. He also had to clock in and sit in the office every day like other military officers.

To facilitate Xue Wei's duties as a secret guard, Wu Zetian gave him a temporary official position as a local customs inspector. This way, he wouldn't have to work regular hours and could leave at any time, even if he didn't come to court for several days.

The main reason is that he has no superiors, no one evaluates him, and he has an independent official house in the Left Guard. He can come and go as he pleases, and no one cares about him.

The combination of the Imperial Carriage Commandant and the Commissioner for Investigating Local Customs, one a military officer and the other a civil official, is quite unusual. However, during Wu Zetian's reign, all sorts of strange things happened, and the court officials were already used to it.

For example, someone who was a servant yesterday could be promoted to a high-ranking official of the fifth rank the next day, all because of a letter of denunciation. The most typical example is Hou Sizhi.

Moreover, Xue Wei was known for his dissolute lifestyle, and since everyone knew it was because of Princess Taiping, they didn't take him seriously.

Just as Chenshi arrived, which was seven o'clock in the morning, Xue Wei appeared precisely at his Left Guard Office.

The position of Left Guard General is currently held by Prince Xiang, Li Dan, but since Li Dan is stationed in Chang'an, daily affairs are handled by two generals, one named Cao Jinling and the other named Chang Wen.

There were five positions in Fengche Duwei, but in the Tang Dynasty, this position was only an official post without a real person. When needed, someone would be temporarily hired to hold the position. Xue Wei was the first official to hold a real position.

Xue Wei's nominal superior should be Cao Jinling, but Cao Jinling has already received a hint from the palace, so apart from greeting him on the first day, he basically ignores Xue Wei and never looks for him.

"Good morning, Commandant Xue!" Registrar Gao Yuanli greeted him with a smile.

"Why is Advisor Gao so happy today!"

"Today is payday, so of course we should be happy."

Xue Wei then realized, "How much is my salary?"