Xuanqing Guard

The Emperor summoned Pang Ban once again in Fuan Palace.

Pang Ban waited in a quiet chamber for a full half an hour before he saw the Emperor enter, steam rising as he wore loose clothing, clearly just returned from a soak in the warm soup.

So, the Emperor bathes immediately after court? Has he grown so indulgent in enjoyment now? Or is there another reason? A strange thought flashed across Pang Ban’s mind.

"Sit and speak." Without asking Pang Ban to bow, the Emperor casually pointed to the soft chair in the quiet chamber for Pang Ban to sit. He himself lounged on a recliner, while the Eunuch beside him poured him a cup of tea and respectfully withdrew.

"Any new developments on your end?"

Pang Ban, adhering strictly to ceremony, bowed before sitting and replied, "There has been some progress. We have identified a Captain involved, but to trace further up we have not made any moves yet. Additionally, according to reports from Hai Xia and Beach Stone, the garrison and garrisoned armies in both places are worrying, somewhat... rotten."

"People, after being comfortable for too long, often forget the fundamental reason for their existence. The purpose of establishing Beach Stone as a military garrison was to guard against the Southern Barbarians. Now, before the Southern Barbarians are even mobilized, our own are already digging their own graves."

The Emperor, hearing Pang Ban’s words, showed no surprise; it seemed like he was lamenting, or perhaps making an insinuation.

"Continue having your men investigate the case. Don’t worry about anyone obstructing you. As long as the evidence is solid, no matter whose head you discover, I’ll back you up."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

"I saw you remained silent in the corner throughout today’s court meeting. Were you trying to avoid suspicion?"

"Your Majesty misunderstood. I only feel the situation is still unclear. Whether military or civil servants, both sides are too hasty and far too rigid. Moreover, my duties are neither military nor concerning civil affairs, so I am unqualified to speak."

The Emperor snorted; unclear if displeased with Pang Ban’s answer, he hesitated before continuing: "There will definitely be war.

The Left Minister Ye Lansheng has only served as minister for just over ten years. Among the Six Ministers, only the Minister of War, Yang Yansi, who also bears the title National Pillar General, has personally experienced the last Great Barbarian War. The remaining five Ministers have no real understanding of warfare. Their estimation of the Southern Barbarians’ strength and resilience is gravely insufficient. They also way overestimate the Dynasty’s power. In fact, you could say Ye Lansheng and others have no understanding of military matters at all.

These civil servants simply do not want the military to return to prominence. Their elaborate rhetoric is nothing but bullshit."

Pang Ban listened quietly. The Emperor was swearing; he could not join in, but he felt relieved. If anyone in court is the firmest advocate for war, it’s certainly the Emperor. Forty years ago, the Emperor was willing to spend seventy percent of the Inner Mansion’s silver coins to subsidize the National Treasury for warfare, and now he certainly wouldn’t abandon war for some civil servants advocating peace.

Moreover, the enmity between the Barbarian Race and the Jingjiu Dynasty is far deeper than territorial hostility; the internal opposition can’t simply be resolved through negotiation.

"Yet it’s not time for all-out war. Bai Changqing of the Ministry of Revenue has made it clear that it will take about three months to gather enough supplies to support a national war, during which large-scale actions cannot take place. Moreover, once true war begins, your Xuanqing Guard’s case can only be pushed aside.

Therefore, there’s still a buffer period. I’ll give you two months. By the fifteenth of July, if you can’t produce ironclad evidence, all your investigation records are to be sealed—without my permission, you can’t touch them again. Understood?"

Pang Ban was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly stood to bow in acceptance.

The Emperor’s meaning was clear: he gives Xuanqing Guard two months to investigate. If there’s no ironclad evidence within those two months, the case must be closed, locked in the Records Room, forbidden for further investigation. Unless the Emperor allows you to reopen it, it remains hidden.

"Also, the Military Supervisor set up by civil servants in the military mainly targets high command and decision-makers. They know very little about the lower ranks, nor do they have solid evidence. Aren’t your Xuanqing Guard’s Inspectors in the military idle all day? Have them investigate the current actual conditions among the lower ranks of the Border Army, in every detail. You oversee it. In five days I expect to see your report. Can you do this?"

"I can! Your Majesty will not be disappointed."

"Very well. Then you may leave."

Pang Ban bowed and departed.

On the way back, Pang Ban’s mind was filled with the Emperor’s words. The first arrangement was easy enough to explain. The "Ma San Case" involves the Ministry of War, likely implicating high-level officials, and also affects the Border Army and Jingxi Army, with broad repercussions. So the Emperor’s intention is "ironclad evidence, swift action," to quickly cut out the poison and minimize collateral impact.

If speed is lacking and the two-month deadline is exceeded, the case must be suspended or temporarily forgotten. Because after this buffer period, the Emperor expects the entire military to enter full war readiness. At this time, striking at upper echelons of the military would cause chaos.

The latter command, however, Pang Ban found puzzling.

To mobilize the Xuanqing Guard, planted in the military and both scorned by the military and civil servant groups as useless, even the Emperor calls them "idle"—the Xuanqing Guard Inspectors? And explicitly order them to probe into the base-level situation of the Border Army. What does this mean?

Previously, Pang Ban wouldn’t have thought much; he might have assumed the Emperor was deliberately empowering Xuanqing Guard, raising its voice within the military. But now he no longer thinks so.

According to intelligence submitted by Jiang Cheng, the grassroots level among the garrison and garrison troops at Hai Xia and Beach Stone is a complete mess. Soldiers assigned to guard the Teleportation Array—a key position—didn’t even possess a single Summoning Talisman or General Spirit Stone. Most had never even seen what a General Spirit Stone or Talisman looked like after enlisting. The military funds must have been horribly embezzled.

The abilities of Xuanqing Guard Inspectors are not much different from grassroots Xuanqing Guard in different regions. Both operate in rotation, coordinated jointly by the Governor’s Office and Thousand Households Station. These people aren’t welcomed by the military or Supervisors, have little authority, and thus are branded as "useless." They hold no affection for the military or Supervisors in turn.

To set Inspectors in motion and probe into the base-level of the Border Army seems unproblematic, but actually it’s fraught with issues.

What time is it now? With the Southern Barbarian threat looming and military tension rising? Is it appropriate to thoroughly investigate grassroots corruption at this sensitive juncture? If corruption is found, must it be punished by law? What consequences would this have for the Border Army?

Or does the Emperor have some other intention?

Pang Ban couldn’t figure it out for now. But whatever the Emperor instructed, he had to act first. As for the underlying meaning, Pang Ban would continue to ponder until he understood thoroughly.

That day, two top-secret orders went out from the Commander’s Office, dispatched to the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office and the South Military Road Chief Office respectively.