He knew Lu Xuan's true fighting strength. Those heavily armored Tartars were like sugar figurines in front of him; he could mold them however he wanted. These Eastern Depot bannermen and the useless men of his own Imperial Horse Stables probably wouldn't even be enough to feed Lu Xuan.
Yes, after witnessing firsthand the brutality of the Liaodong battlefield, the ferocity of the Tartars, and Lu Xuan's unparalleled strength, Guo Zhenli naturally dismissed the Imperial Guards of the capital as useless... He even recruited some veteran soldiers to serve as instructors, intending to give the Imperial Horse Administration troops a good workout.
"Stop right there! Anyone who dares to move again will be killed without mercy!" Guo Zhen shouted. The Imperial Guards of the Imperial Stables were carrying a large number of military crossbows. These were a significant threat to martial artists. The banners of the Eastern Depot also panicked. Both sides cautiously retreated.
"Eunuch Wei, you must explain why the banners of the Eastern Depot appeared in my Imperial Palace. Or do you, as the Director of the Eastern Depot, believe that there are traitors and rebels within the Imperial Palace?"
After all, they were sworn brothers. Guo Zhen immediately dragged Wei Zhongxian into the mess, but made no mention of Lu Xuan's involvement. Wei Zhongxian, of course, knew that the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration and Lu Xuan, the General of Liaoyang, were sworn brothers. The key issue was that he himself was incredibly frustrated (isn't something amiss?).
"A team of elite Eastern Depot officers came to the Inner Palace to arrest people, how the hell didn't I know?" Wei Zhongxian shouted at Zhao Jingzhong, his face ashen.
"Zhao Jingzhong, have you lost your mind? This is not a place you can come to!"
"Godfather..." Zhao Jingzhong knelt down with a thud. He wanted to say something in his defense, but in the end, he didn't dare to speak. At this point, anything he said would be wrong. Wei Zhongxian showed him no mercy whatsoever.
In front of hundreds of people, the whip in his hand lashed down on him. He was truly enraged. When he learned that Zhao Jingzhong was leading men to deal with the Liaoyang garrison commander, he knew something was wrong.
He actually understood Zhao Jingzhong's meaning. No matter how high your official rank, if you have no connections in the court, I'll arrest you without hesitation. A severe beating, a label of traitor and rebel hung up, and then you can justify whatever you say. This was the consistent style of the Eastern Depot. The reason why later agencies like the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard had such a bad reputation was because they did so much of this kind of dirty work.
Ultimately, whether it's the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard, if they wanted to, so-called evidence was merely a formality. No one could ever truly withstand the brutal tortures of the imperial prison.
Moreover, Lu Xuan and Guo Zhen are on the same side. Bringing Lu Xuan down would effectively weaken Guo Zhen's power in court and curry favor with him. However, this fellow doesn't understand that His Majesty currently intends to use both Guo Zhen and Lu Xuan. If Lu Xuan is truly overthrown and Liaodong falls, then it will again be Wei Zhongxian's responsibility.
Wei Zhongxian always understood one thing perfectly: the power of eunuchs derives from the emperor. Regardless of which emperor it was, as a eunuch, you had to obey the emperor's will. If the emperor wanted to use someone, and you turned around and threw him into prison, that wasn't just courting death, that was idiotic...
He lashed Zhao Jingzhong dozens of times, leaving his skin torn and bleeding. Only then did Wei Zhongxian angrily throw away the whip.
"Get out of the way!" Zhao Jingzhong scrambled to the side, too ashamed to rise, kneeling with his head bowed. This man was not yet the Zhao Dudu who would later inherit Wei Zhongxian's position as the Eastern Depot Commander. He was merely a dog who had just gotten on Wei Zhongxian's good side. He sensed that Wei Zhongxian was truly angry. He was terrified, fearing that Wei Zhongxian would throw him into prison.
"General Lu, the men below are ignorant and have offended you. I apologize to you."
"This is too much to bear," Lu Xuan said, 'hurriedly' helping Wei Zhongxian up. "We're all working for the Emperor. It's just a small misunderstanding, nothing to worry about." Lu Xuan was actually quite annoyed; if Guo Zhen hadn't intervened in time, he would have been ready to take action. However, seeing Wei Zhongxian's reaction, he realized that it didn't seem to be Wei Zhongxian's idea after all.
This way, Lu Xuan wasn't angry anymore. Not for any other reason than that Wei Zhongxian was the future financial god of the Ming Dynasty. It was all thanks to him that the more than ten million taels of silver in Liaodong military pay could be received annually. Lu Xuan was still counting on him to raise the funds for his army. He couldn't afford to turn against him. Making money was the priority! Giving him a smile wouldn't be shameful.
Lu Xuan's responsiveness made Wei Zhongxian feel proud. He had only recently come to power and hadn't yet reached the level of the "Nine Thousand Years Old" (a high-ranking official). Lu Xuan's position as a powerful general, combined with Guo Zhen's role as the Imperial Horse Supervisor, still put considerable pressure on him.
"General Lu, you are too kind. You are fighting for His Majesty outside, how can we compare? It was my men who offended you today. How about I host a banquet at Qinlou tonight? Firstly, to apologize to General Lu, and secondly, to welcome you back. After all, it is rare for General Lu to come to the capital, so let me do my best to be a good host."
"Then... I shall respectfully accept your offer?"
They exchanged pleasantries, acting as if nothing had happened. Lu Xuan got the one million taels he wanted and didn't pursue the matter with Zhao Jingzhong.
However, Zhao Jingzhong dared not relax. He remained kneeling on the ground the entire time, not daring to even lift his head.
As he passed by him, Lu Xuan suddenly became interested.
"Zhao Jingzhong, your kung fu is quite good. And I've heard you're literate?"
Zhao Jingzhong looked up at Lu Xuan blankly, then whispered.
"He was well-versed in poetry and prose from a young age and also knew some Manchu."
"Good kung fu, cultured, and ambitious, not bad, not bad."
As Lu Xuan spoke, he stood up and said to Wei Zhongxian beside him.
"Eunuch Wei, your adopted son is quite talented. Why don't you reluctantly part with him and give him to me?"
Zhao Jingzhong: "......"
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Chapter 127 The Willful General Lu
Zhao Jingzhong was completely bewildered to have become Lu Xuan's man. This made him even more terrified, thinking that Lu Xuan wanted to torture and take revenge on him. But Lu Xuan simply said something casually.
"From now on, you will be under Ding Baiying's command. When we return to Liaodong, we will reorganize you." It was as if she really treated him as one of her own.
Invited by a eunuch to drink at a brothel was a first for Lu Xuan. However, he had to admit that the song and dance arts of the Ming Dynasty were indeed more refined. Whether it was the set design, the music, or the performance, everything was more exquisite and delicate than in Lu Xuan's previous life.
The group of girls, regardless of their figures or appearances, were no less beautiful than those in his former harem. However, Lu Xuan could sense a strange sadness emanating from them. Yes, sadness. No matter how glamorous they were or how brightly they smiled, Lu Xuan could still feel that sorrow.
The brothels were government-run, also known as the "Education Bureau." This meant that the women there were all wives, concubines, or even children of officials, who had been forced into this situation after their masters were implicated in a crime.
Lu Xuan had always disliked the Department of Prostitution. Because, fundamentally, this department carried a strong sense of humiliation. Of course, for the families of corrupt officials, who enjoyed the benefits of corruption, they naturally had to pay a corresponding price. But throwing young girls into it and raising them as prostitutes from a young age was still an operation Lu Xuan found unacceptable.
If you can't understand this idea, I can explain it in modern terms and give you an example.
An official was caught embezzling funds and was subsequently executed. His five-year-old daughter was thrown into a brothel and trained to be a prostitute... This shouldn't be something the state should be doing. Really, from any perspective, it shouldn't be something the state should be doing. Yet, throughout history, very few scholars have criticized the Jiaosifang (a government-run educational institution), and some have even lavishly embellished the rare, albeit beautiful, stories within it. Can you guess why?
Most importantly, the existence of the "Education Bureau" provides a huge advantage to the higher-ups' operations, especially when they have their eye on a woman but cannot obtain her. The Education Bureau is incredibly useful.
In his previous life, Lu Xuan held a high-ranking position, even being granted a fiefdom, yet he never visited a brothel, especially not a government-run one. He wouldn't comment on privately owned brothels, where consent was mutual. But government-run establishments were truly one of the most egregious vestiges of feudalism. No matter how later generations romanticized brothels, the stories that unfolded within them would always be tragedies.
At the banquet, Wei Zhongxian noticed Lu Xuan's unpleasant expression and assumed that Lu Xuan disliked the dancers.
"If General Lu is not satisfied, we can change the dancers." Lu Xuan glanced sideways at the old man. An old eunuch going to a brothel—who knows what he felt? But changing the dancers wouldn't be necessary.
"It's nothing, I just realized that you can't find beauties like these in Liaodong. I want these women."
"..." Wei Zhongxian was completely bewildered, not understanding what Lu Xuan was doing. Guo Zhen, on the other hand, echoed Lu Xuan's words.
"They're just a few dancers. If you like them, Brother Lu, you can take them with you."
He made it sound simple, but the Jiaosifang (教司坊) was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites. Redeeming someone from there wasn't just a matter of having money; you also needed connections in the court. The key point is that, judging from Lu Xuan's demeanor, Wei Zhongxian didn't seem inclined to spend money to redeem him.
"I'm tired, let's call it a day. Zhao Jingzhong, I have a task for you. Deliver these dancers to my residence. Remember, I want them all. Not a single one less."