After leaving the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yu Huatian did not head straight out of the imperial compound. Instead, he first made his way to Cining Palace. Once again serving as a convenient tool for the insatiable Consort Wan, he left the palace with a chilling expression on his face.
It was not that Yu Huatian's heart was pure as ice and completely immune to female charms, but rather that his physical affliction rendered him utterly powerless.
Each visit to Cining Palace amounted to little more than exchanging intimate embraces with Consort Wan, after which he used his supreme hand techniques to guide her to her peak through various tricks, while he himself could do nothing at all.
Furthermore, his frequent trips into the palace every few days had given rise to all sorts of scandalous rumors at court. Many people even whispered behind his back that he owed his current position entirely to climbing into Consort Wan's embroidered bed.
As a result, although the West Depot had been established for nearly half a year and wielded the power to execute first and report later, its prestige at court still fell short of the East Depot's.
The civil and military officials were far from being as apprehensive or fearful of the West Depot as they were of the East Depot.
Such a situation was intolerable to anyone.
Over time, this bred a sense of resistance and even revulsion within Yu Huatian's heart toward visiting Cining Palace.
Yet Consort Wan remained the most favored imperial concubine in the palace, and before he seized absolute control of the inner court, the time was not right to fall out with her.
Therefore, no matter how much disgust and reluctance he felt inside, whenever Consort Wan summoned him, Yu Huatian had no choice but to carve out time to enter the palace and satisfy her private desires.
One day, this seat will surely break this deadlock, rely on no one, and place the West Depot above all institutions to become the true uncrowned king of the Ming!
Emerging from the palace with a gloomy expression, Yu Huatian felt his desire to pursue power grow all the more intense.
To live a life where one's life and death were controlled by others and one was forced to do things one loathed was an agony with every passing day.
Once an opportunity fell into his grasp, he would fight tooth and nail to climb upward, step by step to the very peak, never again to be subjugated by anyone!
By the time he returned to the West Depot, night was already falling.
Deputy Director Tan Luzi, Ma Jinliang, and several other chief investigators were nowhere to be found, and over half of the West Depot experts were away from the bureau. Yu Huatian summoned a subordinate to inquire, only to learn that they had all gone out on assignments.
Hearing this, Yu Huatian immediately understood what they had gone to do. Without pressing for details, he headed straight for his inner chambers into secluded cultivation, continuing to transform the True Qi of the Sunflower Manual.
According to the intelligence gathered by Tan Luzi, there should still be some time before the treasure of the Great White Upper Kingdom emerged.
Before setting out, he had to finish converting the True Qi of the Sunflower Manual as quickly as possible so that he would possess a greater measure of self-preservation when heading out to the vast desert to contend for the treasure of the Great White Upper Kingdom.
Night shrouds the city, threads of chilling wind sweep across every corner of the capital, and the myriad household lamps extinguish.
In the northern section of the imperial palace, outside Shenwu Gate, lies the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Northern Pacification Office.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard is divided into two bureaus, the Northern and Southern Pacification Offices. Owing to their differing jurisdictions, while the Southern Office also undertook missions, its primary responsibility was managing the personnel files of internal military officers and military artisans within the Embroidered Uniform Guard; thus, it possessed only a single commanding thousand-household officer and a total force of fewer than two thousand men.
The Northern Pacification Office, by contrast, was responsible for penal matters, establishing imperial prison wards to arrest criminals, and shouldered far more external missions. Consequently, of the fourteen thousand-household offices of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Northern Pacification Office claimed thirteen of them, with a total strength exceeding thirteen thousand men.
The thousand-household officers of these thirteen offices were known as the Thirteen Guardians of the Northern Pacification Office, ranked according to the seniority of their promotions to the thousand-household rank.
Most of the time, these thirteen thousand-household officers were away handling cases in the field, though naturally someone always held down the fort at the Northern Pacification Office headquarters.
The one on duty at the bureau today was the Thirteenth Guardian, Lu Wenzhao.
Before joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lu Wenzhao was a frontier military officer who had once participated in the renowned Battle of Sarhu. Lacking backing at court, through unyielding strength and competence, coupled with a discerning eye for judging the situation and remarkable forbearance, he had managed to rise to the rank of a thousand-household officer in the span of just a few short years.
Furthermore, subordinates under his command such as Lu Jianxing and Shen Lian were each extraordinary in their own right, possessing exceptional case-solving abilities; they were prominent young talents within the Embroidered Uniform Guard in recent years.
As a result, Lu Wenzhao's reputation had also grown quite illustrious over the past few years. With him personally stationed at the Northern Pacification Office, generally no blind fool dared to come and stir up trouble.
Yet at this moment, as the veil of night fell, a group of figures wielding sabers and blades brazenly broke through the gates of the Northern Pacification Office.
"Bang, bang-"
Accompanied by two crisp cracks, the two Embroidered Uniform Guards on duty at the entrance were struck directly into the compound, letting out two miserable cries.
This group did not deal fatal blows, and a man in the lead draped in a purple python robe spoke calmly: "Have Lu Wenzhao come out to see me!"
"What manner of men are you?!"
The Embroidered Uniform Guards collapsed on the ground demanded through clenched teeth.
"This seat is Tan Luzi, Deputy Director of the West Depot!"
Tan Luzi said coldly.
"The West Depot..."
The complexions of the two Embroidered Uniform Guards shifted, their eyes filled with terror as they immediately turned to run and report.
"Tramp, tramp, tramp-"
Before long, accompanied by the sound of dense footsteps, a group of figures clad in Flying Fish Uniforms hurried over.
At their head was none other than Lu Wenzhao. At this moment, his brows were tightly locked and his expression solemn, for he had no idea what the people from the West Depot had come to do.
When he saw the aggressive crowd of West Depot experts gathered at the entrance, resembling a pack of wild wolves, Lu Wenzhao's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart grew all the heavier.
With his discernment, he could naturally tell that these men were entirely elite operatives of the West Depot. They had clearly come with ill intent!
Looking toward Tan Luzi, who stood ahead with a gloomy and indifferent expression, he grew even more certain of his inner suspicions. Suppressing the apprehension in his heart, he stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "I know not why Deputy Tan has come to our Northern Office in the dead of night?"
Tan Luzi cast a cold glance at him and said, "I am now the Deputy Director of the West Depot. By rank, I am your superior. Does this seat need to teach you how to pay respects to a superior?"
Lu Wenzhao's expression flickered slightly, but he managed his emotions, bowed deeply to Tan Luzi, and said, "This subordinate greets the Director. I know not why the Director has come to seek Lu out?"
Seeing this, Tan Luzi narrowed his eyes. No wonder the Director said this Lu Wenzhao harbored immense ambition; capable of such forbearance, he was indeed not someone ordinary men could hope to match.
Yet his status today was vastly different from before, and he felt no fear of Lu Wenzhao. He pulled a scroll from his bosom, tossed it to Lu Wenzhao, and said, "Acting on the Director's orders, I am here to command you to accompany our West Depot on a mission three days hence. This is the transfer order for the Northern Office."
Lu Wenzhao's expression shifted once more. Hurriedly opening the scroll, he saw it indeed bore the handwriting of Northern Office Pacification Envoy Wang Yi, accompanied by the official seal of the Northern Office at the bottom.
Lu Wenzhao's heart sank as he instantly understood the purpose of Tan Luzi's visit.
The West Depot was preparing to make a move against the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
No wonder!
That Yu Huatian had single-handedly orchestrated the internal strife in the East Depot, and now the principal figures of the East Depot were all dead. It was the prime moment for the West Depot to expand its sphere of influence-how could he possibly let slip this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
Only, Lu Wenzhao had not expected Yu Huatian to bypass a struggle with Cao Zhengchun, the current Director of the East Depot, and instead strike at the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Moreover, merely two days had passed, and he had imperceptibly persuaded the Northern Office Pacification Envoy to secure a pacification envoy's transfer order.
This was a premeditated strike!
Lu Wenzhao's heart felt heavy, but since Tan Luzi held the Northern Office transfer order in hand, his actions entirely conformed to the rules, leaving Lu Wenzhao with no grounds for refusal.
What was more, this was not yet the time to fall out with the West Depot...
Reflecting upon this, Lu Wenzhao suppressed the fury in his heart, cupped his fists solemnly, and said, "This subordinate obeys!"
Tan Luzi gave him a deep look, somewhat surprised that Lu Wenzhao proved so compliant.
Between the two offices of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, compared to the Southern Office, Northern Office Pacification Envoy Wang Yi was merely a cowardly fence-sitter who cowered wherever the wind blew; otherwise, he would not have allowed himself to be bossed around like a dog by the East Depot. Securing that transfer order had cost Tan Luzi hardly any effort at all.
Conversely, among the "Thirteen Guardians" beneath the Northern Office, there were several hard nuts to crack. Although he held the pacification envoy's transfer order, these thousand-household officers wielded real power and possessed their own independent strength and backing. Had the order merely been issued downward, they could easily have offered lip service while defying it in secret, dispatching a couple of subordinates at random to perfunctorily handle the matter.
Thus, after acquiring the transfer order, Tan Luzi had taken the extra trouble of personally visiting these thousand-household officers to summon them.
The Director had stated that this Lu Wenzhao had secretly defected to Prince Xin and was plotting a rebellion; Tan Luzi had originally expected Lu Wenzhao to have a stiffer spine, but the current outcome left him somewhat surprised.
No matter the case, he could find no fault with Lu Wenzhao's attitude now. Glancing at him once more, Tan Luzi said, "Three days from now, before the Hour of the Dragon, bring your men to assemble at the West Depot."
"Remember: you, along with Lu Jianxing, Shen Lian, and Jin Yichuan under your command, must all attend!"
With those words, Tan Luzi offered no further remarks. He turned, waved his hand, and led his men away.
As Lu Wenzhao gazed at his retreating figure, his heart plunged once more.
The West Depot possessed such a thorough understanding of his situation that they specifically named Lu Jianxing and the other two-they were leaving him no avenue of retreat whatsoever!
Under normal circumstances, it would matter little if he led all his men out, but this happened to coincide with the critical juncture when the Emperor was leaving the palace on an imperial tour...
Recalling the plan arranged by Prince Xin, Lu Wenzhao's brows furrowed tightly.
At present, Prince Xin had virtually no capable men at his disposal; if he led all his subordinates away, he feared it would disrupt the Prince's plans...
After deep meditation, Lu Wenzhao turned his gaze toward a certain direction in the capital, letting out a long sigh in his heart.
It seemed some of his hidden trump cards would have to be exposed ahead of time...
At the same time.
In a courtyard located within the northwestern district of the capital, a dense multitude of West Depot experts tightly encircled the tranquil little compound.
This small courtyard bore no name, yet its master was none other than the Sixth Guardian of the Northern Pacification Office, Jing Tianluo!
That Jing Tianluo could rank as the Sixth Guardian among the Northern Office's Thirteen Guardians naturally meant he possessed extraordinary traits; his mastery of spear techniques was peerless, and his martial arts realm had already reached the Innate Realm.
Furthermore, he was a disciple of the renowned Three Masters of "Snowmoon City", the "Spear Immortal" Sikong Changfeng. Yet for reasons unknown, he had later broken away from Snowmoon City, entered the capital to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and after ten years of service, had risen to the rank of a thousand-household officer.
With such connections backing him, even the imperial court afforded him a measure of respect, rendering him a person of some renown within the Northern Office.
Yet at this moment, Ma Jinliang-garbed in a blue python robe and wearing a bronze beast-faced ghost mask-showed him not the slightest trace of courtesy. With the twin swords at his back unsheathed, he stood before a host of West Depot experts, gazing coldly at Jing Tianluo in the center of the courtyard:
"I shall ask you only once: will you accept this transfer order or not?"
Jing Tianluo gripped a black longspear. Handsome in appearance and roughly thirty-some years of age, he cut quite a striking figure.
Hearing this, he tightened his grip on his spear and said coldly, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the West Depot both belong to the law enforcement agencies of the Ming. No matter how formidable the West Depot may be, it has no authority to meddle in the affairs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If you want me to accept this transfer order, have the Pacification Envoy come and speak with me in person!"
A flash of murderous intent crossed Ma Jinliang's eyes: "You flatter yourself!"
"And what if you are a disciple of the 'Spear Immortal'? Kill them!"
As his voice fell, Ma Jinliang's figure flickered as he charged straight at Jing Tianluo.
Simultaneously, the group of West Depot experts behind him launched their assault in unison, every one of them radiating surging blood Qi and boiling murderous intent.
If placed out in the pugilistic world, these men could carve out reputations for themselves wherever they went, yet at present, they were the most despised "court running dogs" of the realm.
Within their hearts, there was no such thing as "martial justice"; so long as they could slay their target and complete their mission, any method was fair game-let alone cooperating to encircle and annihilate a single Innate expert.
Though Jing Tianluo's spear techniques were extraordinary, under the siege of so many experts, he soon found himself unable to hold out.
In less than the span of a single quarter-hour, Jing Tianluo was pierced by Ma Jinliang's twin swords, completely losing his combat capability as he collapsed onto the ground, unable to rise.
The West Depot crowd swarmed forward in an instant, hacking him to pieces with wild blows of their blades.
A dignified disciple of the "Spear Immortal" thus met a lonely and wretched death within this small courtyard, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.
Ma Jinliang retrieved his twin swords, cast a glance at the heap of mangled flesh on the ground without the slightest change in his expression, waved his hand, and strode out toward the outer courtyard.
"Next!"
As the moon climbed to the zenith, in the eastern section of the capital, the Jiang Residence.
A group of West Depot experts brazenly forced their way into the estate, while Ding Xiu shouldered his Imperial Guard Saber, looking lazily at a saber-wielding man ahead and completely ignoring the crowd of private experts raised by the Jiang family lingering behind him.
"Jiang Yifan, by the Director's command, you are ordered to report to our West Depot three days hence and accompany us on a mission. Will you accept this Northern Office transfer order or not?"
Ding Xiu asked lazily.
The saber-wielding man was none other than the Eleventh Guardian of the Northern Office, Jiang Yifan.
Gazing at the seemingly harmless Ding Xiu before him, Jiang Yifan felt a soaring sense of crisis erupt within his heart. Subconsciously tightening his grip on his saber, he spoke in a deep voice, "I am an Embroidered Uniform Guard, taking orders solely from my superiors. I have no wish to meddle in the strife between your East and West Depots."
Ding Xiu casually flipped the transfer order in his hand and said, "This is the transfer order issued by your Northern Office Pacification Envoy, Wang Yi. If you doubt it, you may go and ask him in person tomorrow."
"I..."
Jiang Yifan's brows furrowed. He naturally knew what kind of character the Northern Office Pacification Envoy was.
He felt no surprise that the West Depot had managed to secure a Northern Office transfer order.
Yet at a time like this, accepting this transfer order meant branding himself with the mark of the West Depot.
Presently, the Eastern and Western Depots were locked in a struggle for power; though the East Depot had just undergone internal turmoil, no one could predict the strength and methods of the East Depot's newly appointed Director.
If he chose a side now and the East Depot stabilized its position to rise once more in the days to come, the Jiang family would inevitably face liquidation by the East Depot.
Pacification Envoy Wang Yi had the backing of the Wang clan of the capital, and many members of the Wang clan served as officials at court-which was why Wang Yi feared no retaliation from the East Depot and could act as a fence-sitter leaning whichever way the wind blew strongest.
He, however, could not afford to do so.
With merely the meager backing of his Jiang family, they could never withstand a liquidation by the East Depot.
Reflecting upon this, Jiang Yifan clenched his teeth and said, "I am the head of the Jiang family and must answer for the hundreds of lives within the household. I ask that the Lord spare Jiang this difficulty!"
Hearing this, Ding Xiu narrowed his eyes, murderous intent instantly surfacing in their depths as he lost all patience to continue waiting.
Submission meant survival; defiance meant death!
Clang-
The Imperial Guard Saber instantly leapt from its scabbard, slashing horizontally toward Jiang Yifan's face.
"You..."
Jiang Yifan's expression shifted, yet his reactions were swift indeed. He immediately drew his own Embroidery Spring Saber and raised it horizontally in a reverse parry to block the blow.
Yet the moment he made contact with that Imperial Guard Saber-which was far longer than an ordinary long saber-he regretted it.
A tremendous force surged along the blade, causing Jiang Yifan's entire body to vibrate violently as if struck by a thunderbolt. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he was sent flying backward by the sheer force of the slash.
Before he could even recover his equilibrium, a fierce blade-light materialized before him once more, carrying a chilling intent as it descended upon his face.
Slash-
"My lord, stay your hand! Spare my life, spare my life..."
A heart-rending cry echoed from within the estate.
The blade stopped precisely three inches above Jiang Yifan's head. The razor-sharp blade-qi had already sliced open his scalp, leaving behind a faint streak of blood; had it moved a mere two inches further, that blade-qi would have shredded him to pieces.
Ding Xiu glanced at him and said indifferently, "Have you figured it out?"
"I've figured it out, I've figured it out!"
Jiang Yifan nodded repeatedly, his gaze filled with lingering terror.
He had never imagined that this fellow would prove so ruthless, striking the instant the words left his mouth. Moreover, his own forty-and-odd years of bitter cultivation in saber techniques had failed to sustain him for even two moves against this youth.
At a time like this, he no longer had the luxury of considering any potential liquidation by the East Depot.
He was the head of the Jiang family; if he died, all the connections he had cultivated in official circles over the years would vanish into thin air. By then, even if the West Depot did not exterminate the Jiang family, other clans would devour them down to the last scrap.
He had no choice whatsoever!
"Those who submit to circumstances are brilliant men, Thousand-Household Commander. You have made the correct choice."
Ding Xiu nodded in satisfaction, tapped the flat of his blade against Jiang Yifan's cheek, retrieved his weapon, and waved his hand. "Fall back."
Subjected to such humiliation by Ding Xiu, Jiang Yifan dared not utter a single harsh word. Gazing at that arrogant and domineering figure, his complexion shifted through shades of green and white.
Ultimately, every emotion in his heart dissolved into a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Yu Huatian of the West Depot... truly the bearing of an overlord..."
Over the next three days, undercurrents surged throughout every corner of the capital.
Nearly all the elite operatives of the West Depot mobilized, paying uninvited visits to every faction of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Northern Office remaining within the capital.
Through intimidation or enticement, those who remained impervious to both soft and hard tactics simply vanished altogether.
They either submitted or they died.
There was simply no third option!
Naturally, although the West Depot operated exclusively under the cover of night, the commotion they stirred up was by no means small, ultimately drawing the attention of certain parties.
Many were so cowed by the thunderous methods of the West Depot that they dared not step out of their doors, yet others found the arrogance and tyranny of the West Depot utterly intolerable.
But with such a commotion, there was no way the one in the palace had heard nothing of it. Yet he had made no response at all.
This inevitably led many to wonder in private: had the one in the palace tacitly approved of this?
Otherwise, how would the West Depot dare to act so brazenly?
At that thought, those who had wanted to enter the palace and lodge an accusation against Yu Huatian, taking the opportunity to suppress the West Depot, fell silent as well.
Meanwhile, unrest had just broken out at the East Depot, leaving over a hundred dead and everyone on edge. Cao Zhengchun already had his hands full with those headaches, leaving him even less time to bother with these trifles.
Besides, the West Depot had moved far too quickly.
By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late...
A double-length chapter, five thousand Chinese characters.
Updating too quickly during the new-book period isn't advisable. Otherwise, the book might have to go behind the paywall before it even finishes a full round of promotion. If the initial paid subscriptions are too low, it really takes a toll on my morale.
So I hope everyone will wait patiently. During the new-book period, please try not to stockpile chapters; keep up with each one as it comes out. Once the book goes behind the paywall, I'll definitely pick up the pace. Thank you, bosses!
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(End of chapter)
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