The Second Carriage

The Commandant of the Northern Regions was a military officer, holding the rank of fourth grade.

This position is below the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Commandant's Office, and is the highest-ranking position that the new emperor can appoint.

This position filled Anguo with both excitement and trepidation.

His excitement stemmed from the possibility that he might gain the new emperor's favor and even rise rapidly through the ranks.

Anxiety is what this Northern Commandant must do; only by doing a good job in this position will the new emperor use his merits to promote him.

Anguo visited again to deliver gifts. In addition to returning the favor to the person who had helped him rise to power, Anguo also wanted to find out some things so that he wouldn't be without direction when he took office.

The Northern Commandant was neither the Northern Border Commandant nor a special envoy of State of Liang. The military officers under his supervision covered many regions in the north, a scope so vast and distant that Anguo was momentarily unsure of his position.

"His Majesty has ordered me to investigate corruption throughout the northern regions, so that I may have a clear understanding of the situation!"

Anguo quietly relayed the tasks required for his position.

Anguo's military post as Commandant of the Northern Regions is quite interesting. It was a position that the new emperor had placed in the Grand Commandant's office, but the current court did not have the official title of Grand Commandant.

After Marquis of Wu'an Tian Fen, was removed from his post as Grand Commandant, the Empress Dowager did not appoint a new Grand Commandant. In the court, only Chancellor Xu Chang and Imperial Censor Zhuang Qingdi held the titles of the Three Dukes.

This led to Anguo being appointed to an official position, but without any guidance from his superiors, he acted haphazardly and lacked confidence.

"I'd like to know where I should investigate corruption?" Anguo said. "Why do I feel that this official position doesn't seem to be specifically targeted at State of Liang?"

"There's no problem with doing more; the real problem is doing too little," Zhang Xuezhou replied meaningfully.

"This... this is a big deal!"

If Anguo were to investigate State of Liang State of Liang expose its various shortcomings so that the imperial court could intervene and take control of State of Liang's army, it wouldn't be difficult for Anguo to uncover the truth.

But just thinking about the Northern Border Military Region, made his heart skip a beat.

Zhang Xuezhou's intention was not only to have him investigate State of Liang, but also to take into account the corruption within the Northern Border Military Region.

This made Anguo feel like he was stirring up a hornet's nest.

He came to the court seeking stability and to band together for protection, not to seek death.

The Northern Border Military Region is like a giant hornet's nest; anyone who investigates it again will be severely punished. No matter how tough it is, it can't withstand the repercussions of exposing someone's secrets.

Anguo's anxiety subsided, and then turned into a dark abyss.

"Your Majesty, this is not the time to act," Anguo said in a low, serious voice. "If Academician Dongfang can persuade Your Academician Dongfang, I hope he will say a few kind words!"

"I also think that now is not the time for Your Majesty to act," Zhang Xuezhou agreed.

"You also think it's not the right time to act, so why would His Majesty assign me to do such a thing?" Anguo asked in a low voice.

"Precisely because this is not the time for His Majesty to act, this is the time for you to act!"

Zhang Xuezhou responded in a low voice, his words sounding like a tongue twister.

When Anguo first received the confirmation, he felt a chill run through him, as if he had fallen into an abyss. It wasn't until Zhang Xuezhou reminded him that he came back to his senses.

If the new emperor is not in a position to act, no matter how much the northern region investigates, they will be dealt with leniently and will not offend many people.

If the new emperor were to conduct a ruthless and forceful investigation, anyone who did such a job would easily lose their head.

Anguo landed a hot potato of an official position, but it wasn't exactly a deadly one.

The different timing gave Anguo room to maneuver during his investigation, instead of having to conduct a relentless and ruthless investigation and being targeted by certain high-ranking officers in the Northern Border Military Region.

"I see!"

Anguo had served as an official in State of Liang for over twenty years, and by this time he had fully understood.

"If this is not the right time for His Majesty to act, then he will surely investigate lightly and let it go. If I investigate lightly, it will be the same as not doing anything at all, which is also inappropriate, isn't it?" Anguo asked.

"Then we'll see how Brother Anguo seeks to achieve merit and advance his career!"

Thanks to the mahogany box given to him by Anguo, Zhang Xuezhou spoke more today.

Seeing that Anguo still wanted to pester him, Zhang Xuezhou understood the situation better and deflected the attack with a tactful gesture.

It's hard to guess what an emperor is thinking, and it's also difficult to make decisions in the court. Zhang Xuezhou only had a rough guess because the new emperor had asked him several related questions recently. But Zhang Xuezhou couldn't figure out the new emperor's principles of action, and it was hard to determine whether the other party was taking things easy or wanted to make a big move based on the idea of young people being fearless.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't speculate on things he couldn't be sure of; he was just doing his job for money and didn't want to form a private clique with Anguo.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou felt that it would be difficult to have the opportunity to meet the new emperor in the near future, and he would not be able to obtain accurate information.

The new emperor had agreed to purchase many potent medicines from the Marquis of Pingyang and had previously promised a hefty reward to Li Shaojun if his diagnosis of "imminent disaster" was accurate. However, the reward has not materialized, and instead, Palace of Peace and Happiness has taken over the follow-up matters. The new emperor has lost face in this matter and it will be difficult for him to visit the Zhang residence again anytime soon.

Wishing Brother Anguo a safe return and a high promotion in advance!

Zhang Xuezhou offered his congratulations with a cupped-fist salute, which caused Anguo's expression to subtly shift, clearly indicating that this search for information had come to an end.

This is indeed something Zhang Xuezhou cannot guarantee. Even if Anguo gets an answer from Zhang Xuezhou, it will only be another person to take the blame when he encounters the emperor's displeasure in the future. Anguo's meritorious service and promotion will have little to do with Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou appeared polite, but his attitude clearly indicated that he would not get involved in this mess.

"The court is rife with intrigue and treachery. I hope Lord Dongfang will offer his assistance and support in the future, so that we may both find refuge in the court!"

"No problem!"

Anguo also stood up politely and said a few polite words.

After bowing and exchanging pleasantries, Anguo left the Zhang residence with his servants.

He sat in the carriage and looked back, feeling that the small house had limited capacity. He must have been recommended by Zhang Xuezhou by fortuitous opportunity.

Unless something unusual happens, he will likely never come to a place like this again.

Anguo's carriage turned into Old Tree Alley and, as he approached the fork in the road, he saw a palace carriage speeding past, and even his coachman reined in his horse to make way for it.

"Where did this carriage come from?" Anguo asked.

"Your Excellency, it's a carriage from the Imperial Palace, and it looks like it's from the Palace of Peace and Happiness!"

The servant sitting outside the carriage asked the coachman, and then reported back.

This caused Anguo's expression to change repeatedly.

The residents of Old Tree Alley were mostly ordinary merchants, with few officials. His carriage would turn back onto the main road when it entered the alley, so Palace of Peace and Happiness's carriage obviously wouldn't cut through the alley.

With just a simple deduction, Anguo knew that the carriage from Palace of Peace and Happiness must be looking for Zhang Xuezhou and his group.

It was one thing for the carriage from the Marquis of Marquis of Pingyang to be of such high rank, since it was only a carriage belonging to a marquis.

But the arrival of the official carriage from Palace of Peace and Happiness made Anguo sense something was amiss.

He had previously thought that Zhang Xuezhou might have gotten in touch with the Marquis of Pingyang's household, and by asking the Marquis of Pingyang to convey a message, he had coincidentally helped him with his business.

But the arrival of the carriage from Palace of Peace and Happiness shattered all his expectations.

He took a deep breath, momentarily bewildered as to how the officialdom of Chang'an City had become like this.