Logging into the Game World Early and Starting with a Royal Marriage to the Empress - Chapter 17

Inside the military tent!

Xia Chen sized up Qian Nan, remaining silent for a long moment. Immediately, cold sweat began to bead on Qian Nan’s forehead.

Just as Qian Nan was internally trembling with fear, a calm voice reached his ears.

“Rise!”

“Thank you, sir!”

Qian Nan felt a sense of relief as the oppressive aura that had enveloped him dissipated. In that brief moment, it had felt like an eternity.

He sensed that the new commander’s imposing presence was far more terrifying than the Leader of court gentlemen in the military.

“This is truly someone from the legitimate line of the Marquis of Zhen Dong. His demeanor is truly extraordinary!” Qian Nan marveled inwardly.

“How was the patrol?”

“All is well. We encountered a theft during the patrol and have already apprehended the thief and taken him to the Ministry of Justice’s prison!”

Qian Nan quickly responded with respect.

Xia Chen asked a few more questions, mainly about the scope of work of the Imperial Guards and some precautions. Of course, he already knew most of it; he was inquiring about the details.

“Recently, the capital has not been very peaceful. Spies from the Great Celebration have started to emerge. We, the Imperial Guards, have been ordered to assist the Lamplighters in quickly identifying these spies!”

Qian Nan mentioned another matter that caught Xia Chen’s attention.

The Lamplighters were an organizational name. In the Da Wu Dynasty, they were a special case, not belonging to the Cabinet nor affiliated with the Six Ministries. They were an organization independent of the civil and military official systems, reporting directly to the emperor.

It was somewhat similar to the Jinyiwei that Xia Chen remembered from the Ming Dynasty.

Xia Chen nodded thoughtfully and did not continue to ask further questions.

Although the Imperial Army was powerful, it was not a time of war.

In fact, in the capital, the Imperial Army’s influence was not as great as imagined. At least, when it came to cases or enemy spies, the emperor’s first thought was the Lamplighters, followed by the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, etc. The Imperial Guards mostly just assisted, or helped with the final arrests and property seizures after the matter was settled.

…

At noon!

Xia Chen invited his colleagues and subordinates to dine at the Tongfu Building in the capital. All his colleagues were very considerate.

Anyone in the military who was not on duty came to the Tongfu Building.

In the end, even Li Wenzhong and Qin Mu arrived, which made Xia Chen’s colleagues feel a sense of awe. Everyone in the capital was sharp and understood what this scene meant.

Therefore, they treated Xia Chen with even greater respect, frequently and warmly offering toasts.

While Xia Chen was basking in this favorable situation, the Marquis of Jinwu’s mansion in the capital had already erupted into chaos.

“Master, Master, what has happened!”

In front of an imposing and grand gate, the gatekeeper saw from a distance Zhao Yu being brought back by the family soldiers.

At this moment, Zhao Yu looked extremely miserable. Not only were his arms hanging limply, but his entire back was a bloody mess. He had already fainted and was unconscious. The gatekeeper’s face changed when he saw this.

The injuries were so severe that if Zhao Yu did not have martial cultivation, he would have likely died from such wounds.

The originally quiet Marquis of Jinwu’s mansion began to buzz with noise, with various servants and maids running around. Someone quickly went to the eastern city to invite the best doctor from the Xuanji Medical Hall.

“My child!”

Zhao Yu’s mother, the Marquis of Jinwu’s wife, rushed into the room and saw her unconscious son lying on the bed.

“Who did this? How could they be so ruthless, showing no regard for the Marquis of Jinwu’s mansion at all!”

Lady Zhao said sternly to the family soldiers who had been with Zhao Yu, but tears began to flow as she spoke. He had been fine when he left this morning; how could he be carried back like this?

“Could it be the work of enemy spies?”

“Madam!”

Several family soldiers quickly knelt down to apologize and then recounted the entire situation in detail.

“This young man is so ruthless towards his colleagues. Our Marquis of Jinwu’s mansion is also a member of the military establishment. How could he be so ungrateful! We must have my husband lodge a complaint against him!”

After hearing the story, Lady Zhao’s eyes turned fierce. First, the boy had his son’s arms broken, then he was given a hundred strokes of the military rod, and finally, he was expelled from the Imperial Army. Was there any justice left?

This was simply too outrageous!

“Enough!”

At that moment, a middle-aged man walked into the room. Seeing his wife in a rage, he spoke with some displeasure.

“Husband, you must stand up for Yu’er. That little brat is trying to ruin Yu’er!”

Lady Zhao, seeing Marquis of Jinwu Zhao Yue walk in, quickly pulled him to her son’s bedside, pointing at Zhao Yu and crying out.

Zhao Yue’s eyes also tightened when he saw his son Zhao Yu in such a state, but he still kept his head clear.

“He brought this upon himself. I specifically called him into the study yesterday to explain the pros and cons to him, telling him not to provoke that young man from the Xia family. He is now his direct superior, and it would be easy for him to take advantage of him.

Moreover, I told him that I would help him plan for a position as a commander in due time. But this fool still chose to confront him. Not only did he choose to confront him, but he also used such crude methods. He’s simply brainless!”

Zhao Yue has anger in his eyes, this little son compared to his two brothers, whether it is IQ or ability, is simply too poor.

He just doesn’t look like the seed of their Zhao family.

Otherwise, with his background as a legitimate son of a marquis family, and already in his twenties, how could he still be stuck in the position of a mere brigade commander?

Lady Zhao’s face turned pale from her husband’s scolding, but she still retorted reluctantly:

“It’s true that Yu’er was the one who started the trouble, but we are both from military families and are on the same side. We could almost be considered family. Even if there were conflicts, couldn’t we just sit down and talk things through? Why resort to such harsh measures? If Yu’er hadn’t reached the eighth rank, those 100 strokes of the military rod could have really beaten him to death!”

Upon hearing his wife’s words, a flash of ferocity crossed Marquis Zhao Yue’s eyes, but soon reason regained the upper hand.

“Military affairs are not ordinary matters. On his first day in office, he led the way in giving a warning. If he doesn’t use this opportunity to establish his authority, how can he continue to serve in the Imperial Army? From the moment this fool prepared to cause trouble, this matter could no longer be resolved peacefully!”

The Marquis of Jinwu said calmly. Although he had inherited the title of marquis, he had also led troops and naturally understood the implications.

He was very disappointed in his son, whose methods were too crude. If it were him, he would never openly challenge someone on their first day in office.

That young man from the Xia family was already his superior and naturally held the moral high ground. If he were to act, it would be behind the scenes, tripping up the Xia family’s young master and causing him a major setback.

“So we just let this go? He directly expelled Yu’er from the Imperial Army. Does a mere commander have that kind of authority?” Lady Zhao still spoke angrily.

“Enough. I have my own plans for this matter. He doesn’t have that kind of authority, but your son is too foolish, giving the other party every opportunity to seize on any faults. Once this matter is reported upwards, the outcome would be the same.

For the time being, keep a low profile and do not send anyone to target him. His situation is very special. It’s possible that the emperor’s attention is already focused on him. Do you understand?” The Marquis of Jinwu looked at his wife sternly, warning her.

“U… Understood!”

Seeing that his wife still looked reluctant and dissatisfied, the Marquis of Jinwu sighed.

His eldest and second sons had inherited his intelligence; did this youngest son inherit all his wits from her, and none from him?

It seemed he hadn’t passed on any of his wisdom at all!