Emperor Qing set out for Great Eastern Mountain in grand procession, bringing the "Grandmaster" Hong Sixiang, civil officials including Minister of Rites Guo Youzhi, priests, Fan Xian, over a hundred Tiger Guards, and three thousand Imperial Guards.
This was an elite and formidable force, its fighting strength rivaling that of the hundreds of thousands of Border Prefecture troops in the Qing-Qi War.
The three thousand Imperial Guards were all experts chosen from a hundred, while the hundred Tiger Guards were seventh- and eighth-rank elites chosen from a thousand. With the "Grandmaster" Hong Sixiang overseeing them, such a force was enough to sweep across half the world.
Even by the time Emperor Qing left the Capital, he had issued no further decrees, nor had he lifted the confinement of Zhou Cheng, Li Yunrui, the Second Prince, or the Crown Prince. He had not even allowed them to attend the departure ceremony.
Prince Cheng's Residence.
"Your Highness, His Majesty's procession has left the city."
After announcing himself, Chen Quan strode into the study and cupped his hands in report.
Zhou Cheng leaned against the back of his chair, holding an intelligence report without looking up.
Though he was confined to his residence, his subordinates faced no restrictions.
During this time, Chen Quan and Chen Bao had been moving around the Capital on his behalf.
They visited and maintained contact with people such as the censors of the Censorate and officials from the various ministries.
Chen Quan and Chen Bao were utterly loyal to him and knew what he was truly capable of.
Others might have felt uneasy because of his confinement, but those two remained perfectly at ease.
As they saw it, even the Grandmaster in the Imperial Palace had followed Emperor Qing to Great Eastern Mountain. Now, their prince was the