Although it was "no easy matter to live in Linzi," the commander of the Nine Legions still had a grand mansion to call home.
The Xiu Residence stood in the heart of Jinxian Ward. Built under the supervision of a renowned master craftsman of the current court, it was imposing and magnificent.
After Cui Zhu's assassination attempt on the Emperor, Xiu Yuan—the commander of the Lightning Jailer Army and the one who had directly recommended Cui Zhu to participate in the Yellow River Assembly—was dismissed from his post pending investigation that very day.
He was not locked away in the Heavenly Prison, but he was confined to his home and forbidden to step outside.
Unlike Cao Jie's house arrest, where he had openly repaired the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang route, Xiu Yuan was truly a prisoner in his own home. Even his cultivation had been sealed. Only out of consideration for the dignity of a commander of the Nine Legions had he been spared prison.
But several months had passed since the assassination attempt. The investigation into Xiu Yuan had made no significant progress. The Son of Heaven had not appointed a new commander of the Lightning Jailer Army, either. Instead, the army's First Senior General under Xiu Yuan had been left in temporary command of this elite force.
And so the matter had dragged on.
On this day, a distinguished guest arrived at the Xiu Residence.
It was Yan Tu, another commander of the Nine Legions, who led the Rain Cutter Army.
He and Xiu Yuan were close friends, a fact known throughout the court and the country. They had both come from humble backgrounds, climbing up from the lowest ranks of the military until they became commanders of the Nine Legions. They felt a deep