Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"This is a minor matter, Brother Lu, there's no need to worry about it."

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, Yuan Xun couldn't help but laugh.

It seems that Lu Chen has been staying in Chengtian Prefecture all this time and hasn't had much opportunity to learn about the inner workings of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

That's great. Even if I made many mistakes on this trip, he won't be able to see them.

"There are many situations where it is inconvenient for us Jinyiwei to reveal our identities, so we must have tokens that can be used anonymously."

Yuan Xun took out a small, dark blue-black token from his pocket and placed it in front of Lu Chen.

"I also have one on me."

This token, called the "Impermanence Token," was carried by the Embroidered Uniform Guard when carrying out secret missions, and it did not contain any specific identity information of the holder.

It can only prove that the holder is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and is carrying out official duties of the imperial court. Local people must cooperate when they see this "Unpredictable Plaque".

Having found Brother Lu today, the task assigned by the Assistant Magistrate can be considered complete.

After Brother Lu goes to Linqing to take up his post, I, your humble brother, will also return to the capital.

This "Impermanence" amulet will be given to Brother Lu for now.

"Thank you, Brother Yuan."

Lu Chen gently picked up the "Impermanence Plaque" in front of him. It was a small plaque about ten centimeters long and three centimeters wide, and it was quite heavy.

However, it doesn't feel like metal; it's more like it's made of some kind of rare wood.

The front of this plaque features an incised image of a mythical beast, a Xie Zhi, with fierce eyes and sharp horns, and bold lines. In the center, four dark red seal characters, "Jia Tie Wu Chang," are vertically engraved, resembling bloodstains. Below, there are carved cloud and water patterns.

Lu Chen flipped the "Impermanence Plaque" over to the back. The top was engraved with the Big Dipper, with the stars slightly concave. A string of numbers was engraved in the middle, presumably the number of this "Impermanence Plaque".

At the bottom, the eight characters "Verify the talisman but not the person, violators will be beheaded" are engraved in regular script.

Both the front and back are carved with great detail, with strokes as fine as a hair.

With such craftsmanship and rare materials, it should be extremely difficult to imitate with the technology of this era.

"Brother Lu, with this token in hand, you are a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who is carrying out secret official duties of the imperial court."

Yuan Xun pointed to the "Impermanence" card in Lu Chen's hand.

"No other documents are required. You must be allowed to pass through all the checkpoints along the way. You can also stay at any post station for free in your official capacity, and requisition post horses and ferries. The local authorities must cooperate."

This token was obtained by my brother from the Embroidered Uniform Guard office before he departed from the capital.

After the Lu brothers arrive at the Linqing Thousand-Household Office and receive their official robes, talismans, and seals, they can hand over this "Death Token" to the Thousand-Household Office.

"Brother Yuan, since official business is urgent, I will set off for Linqing to take up my post now."

Having received the anonymous "Impermanence Token," Lu Chen didn't want to linger any longer. He stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Yuan Xun, and

"Next time we meet, I'll share a drink and a good chat with Brother Yuan."

. . .

That night.

Nanyang Prefecture, Sheqi Post Station.

After leaving the patrol office in Wadian Town, Lu Chen did not delay for a moment. He took a boat from the north ferry of Wadian Town across the Baihe River, and then rode eastward along the official road for dozens of miles. Finally, he arrived at Sheqidian, another large town in Nanyang Prefecture, before dark.

This time, Lu Chen didn't pay for his own accommodation.

After Lu Chen presented the "Unpredictable Card" to the postmaster of Sheqi Post Station, the postmaster immediately arranged the best room for him.

He also took the horse that Inspector Zhang of Wadian Town had prepared for Lu Chen to the stable and instructed his postmen to feed him bean cakes in addition to hay at midnight.

All services provided by the inn, including meals, were paid for through the public account, so Lu Chen didn't have to pay a single penny.

After dinner, Lu Chen placed the appointment letter written by Lu Bing and the "Wu Chang" tablet on the table.

This long day is finally over.

What should I do next?

Are you really going to take up your post at the Linqing Thousand-Household Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Judging from the appointment letter in front of him and Yuan Xun's attitude, Lu Bing had no ill intentions towards him; in fact, he was quite considerate.

However, Lu Bing did not want to appear in the capital, which was somewhat contradictory.

But it's not a big problem. If I don't want to go to the capital, I don't have to. I never planned to go anyway.

Lu Bing's attitude towards himself was more like that of someone who needed to be treated well, but whom he didn't want to associate with.

So he found a lucrative position in another province and sent himself far away.

This is not a bad thing for me.

By not going to the capital, he would also avoid contact with Lu Kun's legal wife and legitimate son.

Lu Chen had been left in his hometown of Chengtian Prefecture for a long time. His birth mother had died long ago, and now Lu Kun was also dead.

Lu Kun's legal wife and legitimate son probably have little interest in spending time with "Lu Chen," a son he hasn't seen for many years, or may never have even met before.

In other words, almost no one will come looking for you.

Does this mean that if I really go to Linqing to take up my post as "Lu Chen" and become the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there is absolutely no risk of being exposed?

of course not!

Lu Chen's travel permit was found by chance in that shady shop.

Even if the appearance description on the travel permit matches him fairly well, and no one has noticed anything wrong with him in the past month, it doesn't mean that he can continue to use the identity of "Lu Chen".

The description of appearance on the road sign is just a textual description, describing some obvious features.

It cannot be truly tied to a person's appearance.

I am not the real "Lu Chen" after all!

So far, nothing has been exposed, simply because he hasn't interacted with anyone who has actually seen the real "Lu Chen".

If one day I meet someone who knows the real "Lu Chen", I won't be able to hide it anymore.

This is not impossible!

Lu Chen picked up the exquisitely carved "Impermanence" plaque.

He had tricked Yuan Xun into giving him this anonymous Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) identity document.

With this, you can not only travel to Linqing Prefecture, but also go anywhere in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty!

He also possessed the clean identity "Lin Chaoxi" that Ma San Kui had painstakingly obtained for him.

Ma San Kui is dead, and no one in the world knows that Lin Chao Xi's household registration and travel permit are in his hands.

Should we just disappear altogether?

Use this "Impermanence" token to go to a certain prefecture or county that "Lin Chaoxi" can pass through on his travel guide, and then make "Lu Chen" disappear completely.

From then on, he adopted the identity of "Lin Chaoxi" and, as written on the travel permit, went to a small county town in Xiangyang Prefecture to settle down.

Keep a low profile for a while, avoid the limelight, and then go to a major city in another province as originally planned?

Linqing is definitely out of the question, and Yangzhou in Jiangbei should also be eliminated.

Suzhou and Hangzhou, these major cities in the Jiangnan region, are quite good; they are prosperous enough and suitable for settling down.

If this had happened before today, this plan would certainly have been feasible.

With the only person in the know, Ma San Kui, dead, he could live peacefully in the Ming Dynasty under the clean identity of "Lin Chao Xi," and decide which path to take and how to develop as he pleased.

But after today, everything is different!