This time, Zhengde was smarter and asked directly, "What kind of status do you intend to have?"
Without hesitation, Li Yao replied, "Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
"What? The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
Zhengde's eyes widened, and he said, "But the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard already has someone."
Li Yao said calmly, "This is even simpler. Just issue an order to dismiss him."
Zhengde looked very distressed and stammered, "This... I'm afraid it's not appropriate..."
laugh!
An invisible burst of energy struck Zhengde.
"No...no..."
Zhengde was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Li Yao said, "Don't be afraid. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already."
Zhengde found that there was nothing wrong with his body and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
However, what Li Yao said next sent chills down his spine.
Li Yao said calmly, "However, I just planted a Miao-style Gu poison in you. You must take a special antidote regularly to suppress the poison. Otherwise, once the Gu poison takes effect, it will feel like thousands of ants are constantly biting your brain, causing you unbearable pain..."
"Stop talking, stop talking..."
Zhengde covered his head with his hands, his expression one of terror, on the verge of collapse.
Yang Yuying and Lu Yichuan gasped, feeling a chill run down their spines.
Li Yao laughed and said, "Then, is there still a problem with me becoming the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
Zhengde quickly shook his head and said, "No problem, definitely no problem."
Li Yao nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good. I'll stay at the Yuelai Inn in the south of the Forbidden City and wait for your good news."
Having said that, he took Yang Yuying's small hand and walked towards the door, leaving behind a parting remark:
"By the way, let me remind you, this Miao Gu poison is no ordinary poison. Don't even think about finding an imperial physician to cure it, otherwise, if the Gu poison takes effect, don't blame me for not warning you."
Lu Yichuan glanced at the distraught Zhengde with a strange look, thinking to himself: So the emperor, who is high above all others, is no different from an ordinary person; he is also afraid of death!
He then caught up with Li Yao and couldn't help but ask, "Master, is the Gu poison from Miao territory really that terrifying?"
Li Yao laughed and said, "How about I plant a Gu poison in you too, then you'll know!"
Lu Yichuan was so frightened that he quickly waved his hand and said, "No need, no need."
Chapter 138 Decisive Action: Taking Over the Embroidered Uniform Guard
Is the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard a very high rank?
It's very high!
In the world of "Brotherhood of Blades," Lu Jianxing racked his brains and used all sorts of means to bribe his superiors in order to become a centurion.
Therefore, for those Jinyiwei who had always remained in the lower ranks, the position of commander was simply out of reach.
However, this was not unusual for Li Yao, who had been emperor twice.
The reason he asked Zhengde for this position was because he wanted to find a suitable identity to do some things he wanted to do.
In fact, he could have asked Emperor Zhengde to issue an imperial edict to overturn Yang Yuxuan's case.
But he didn't do that.
His main goal was not to exonerate Yang Yuxuan.
His main purpose was simply to use this opportunity to obtain a suitable identity.
Of course, he didn't actually poison Zhengde; he was just trying to scare him.
The next morning, just after Li Yao finished breakfast, Lu Yichuan stumbled over, panting, and said, "Master...Master, the imperial edict has arrived."
Li Yao smiled and muttered, "Zhengde, that kid, is quite efficient!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a royal eunuch arrived with a group of guards.
Although this eunuch had never met Li Yao, he had already learned about what happened in the Imperial Study last night from other eunuchs.
He knew that Li Yao was not someone to be trifled with!
So, with a smile on his face, he politely asked Li Yao, "You must be Lord Li. Here is an imperial edict for you. Please accept it."
Li Yao sat in a chair, sipping his tea, and said, "I understand, you can read it now."
The eunuch's face froze for a moment, then he gave a bitter smile. This is too much for me!
But there was nothing he could do; he had no power or influence, and this miserable job was his only option.
If it were in the past, how could he possibly have been given such a coveted job as a messenger of imperial decrees!
He shook his head slightly, and the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict unfolded it and began to read it aloud.
As soon as the eunuch finished reading, Li Yao put down his teacup, stood up, and said to Lu Yichuan, "Take the imperial edict and come with me."
After saying that, he walked out.
Lu Yichuan was stunned for a moment, took the imperial edict from the eunuch, and caught up with Li Yao, asking, "Master, where am I going?"
Without turning his head, Li Yao said, "Of course, I'll go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters!"
The Embroidered Uniform Guard, officially known as the Imperial Guard Commander's Office.
Originally, the Embroidered Uniform Guard wielded considerable power.
However, because Zhengde was wary of the Iron-Blooded Marquis who controlled the Dragon Guard Villa, he vigorously cultivated Cao Zhengchun, greatly enhancing the power of the Eastern Depot.
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was opportunistic and attached to the Eastern Depot, which led to the Embroidered Uniform Guard becoming an appendage of the Eastern Depot.
Now that Li Yao has become the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his first priority is naturally to change all of this.
Unlike other government offices scattered throughout the city's alleys, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was located near Chengtian Gate, the main gate of the Imperial City, on the west side of the Thousand-Step Corridor, adjacent to the Five Military Commissions, and across the street from the Six Ministries on the east side. It was situated at the heart of the Ming Dynasty's power structure.
Soon, Li Yao and Lu Yichuan appeared in front of the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) office.
In front of the yamen, four guards were standing watch, chatting and joking around, occasionally bursting into laughter.
Li Yao frowned and gave Lu Yichuan a wink.
Lu Yichuan understood, pointed at Li Yao, and said to the four guards, "This is the newly appointed commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You should quickly inform your superiors to come and welcome the commander."
Since Lu Yichuan had never been to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office before, none of the guards here recognized him.
The four guards were all taken aback when they heard Lu Yichuan's words.
"The new commander?"
One of the guards glanced at Li Yao, sneered, and said, "We only know that our commander is Lord Shi Wenyi, how come there's another commander?"
Lu Yichuan was taken aback. Had the Emperor not yet issued an edict to the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
But it doesn't matter, he has the imperial edict.
So he took out the imperial edict and shouted at the four guards, "This is the imperial edict. Why don't you immediately welcome the new commander?"
The four guards were taken aback at first, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.
A fat guard angrily shouted, "You two are too damn bold! Don't you know where you are? You actually dared to forge an imperial edict and impersonate the commander? Have you lost your minds?"
Snap!
A loud thud echoed through the mountains.
The fat guard's right cheek swelled up at a visible rate.
The fat guard covered his cheek, staring at Li Yao in disbelief, and cursed, "You son of a bitch..."
Snap!
Another loud thud echoed through the mountains.
The fat guard's left cheek swelled up at a visible rate.
"Damn it, they actually came to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters to cause trouble, they're asking for death!"
The other three guards reacted quickly, drawing their embroidered spring knives and slashing at Li Yao.
With a flick of his sleeve, Li Yao sent three guards flying into the air.
Immediately, he strode into the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) headquarters.
On the way, he encountered many more Imperial Guards blocking his path.
This time, he no longer showed any courtesy to these people, and with a wave of his hand, he knocked them to the ground.
Soon, he arrived at the main hall of the yamen and shouted, "Summon Shi Wenyi out here!"
Originally, he planned to take over the Embroidered Uniform Guard in a polite and proper manner, following the normal procedures.
However, judging from the performance of the four guards at the gate, it was clear that the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard was already corrupt and rotten.
Therefore, he decided to take swift and decisive measures to thoroughly reform the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Who the hell is making such a racket here so early in the morning?"
A weak, feeble voice came from behind.
Immediately, a middle-aged man with disheveled clothes staggered into the main hall.
This person was sleepy-eyed and had a sallow complexion; it was obvious at a glance that he had indulged in excessive sexual activity.
Li Yao's sharp gaze swept over them, and he said in a deep voice, "You are Shi Wenyi?"
Shi Wenyi was still dazed and about to lose his temper when he suddenly felt Li Yao's sharp gaze. Startled, he immediately came to his senses.
He looked closely and saw that the other person was a young man he didn't know.
Immediately, he shouted, "Who are you, daring to trespass into the Jinyiwei headquarters?"
At this moment, Lu Yichuan stepped out from behind Li Yao and said, "Lord Shi, don't you recognize me?"