Xuanqing Guard

Outside the Imperial City, at the West Suburban Hunting Ground.

It was very close to the Imperial City, and one could get here in less than half an hour by fast carriage or on horseback. Yet it covered an enormous area, nearly seventy li in circumference, with many wild beasts roaming free inside — a place where the Royal Family came to amuse themselves most often.

But June was obviously not the right time for a hunt; many of the wild beasts were raising their young now, and it went against custom.

If a condemned woman was pregnant, even her execution would be postponed until after childbirth; what about these beasts? You had to let them raise their young, so there would be game for next year.

Yet things were strange this year. On a whim, the Emperor not only chose this unsuitable season for a hunt, but invited virtually all the main officials in the Imperial City along.

And what was more intriguing, there wasn’t the slightest hint of the invitation beforehand. The ministers had no time to react—not even a chance to refuse. Constables arrived at their homes before dawn, and even a "to come along soon" was not allowed. They had to follow the Imperial Palace Guard, immediately, with no delay permitted.

This set everyone’s mind on edge. It didn’t feel like an invitation at all, more like being detained.

What was the Emperor trying to do?

Baffled and uneasy, everyone entered the palace, passed a night together in the main hall until dawn, then proceeded to the hunting ground with the Emperor himself—accompanied by no less than five thousand Imperial Palace Guards and an additional twenty thousand Imperial City Guard elites. Such grand protection was rare even on the Emperor’s usual excursions. The sharp-eyed even noticed many cultivators in the throng with golden swords at their waists.

So many Golden Sword Cultivators came too!?

"Is that old man the old Prince?!"

"That’s right! It’s His Excellency himself!"

"I didn’t expect His Excellency to come out. Wasn’t it said that he was cultivating in seclusion at Fenghong Manor?"

"No idea. But just seeing His Excellency makes this trip worthwhile."

Old Prince? They were talking about Yang Xiusheng, the Emperor Yang Jian’s eldest uncle, conferred as "Yong Sheng." Nowadays, he commanded Fenghong Manor and was the head among Golden Sword Cultivators. Rarely seen outside for years, most regarded him as the foremost Strong Person of the present Jingjiu Dynasty—the one who steadied the nation’s fate.

No one expected to see such a legendary figure amid such a suspicious hunting party today.

Yang Xiusheng wasn’t riding, but sharing the same carriage as the Emperor, staying with him to the destination, apparently protecting the Emperor personally.

Besides that, some attentive eyes noticed that the usual, ever-present Black Robe wasn’t among the group. Why was the one nicknamed the "Emperor’s Hound" absent? Did the Emperor mean to distance himself, or was there another reason?

The peculiar "atmosphere" left everyone tense in this grand procession. All understood that this excursion was anything but simple.

Once they reached the hunting ground, the Emperor didn’t even mention hunting—instead, he went straight into his tent and didn’t show his face. Only some Royal Family members were trying to organize archery games, but no one was in the mood.

By the time the sun had risen, everyone knew why the Emperor had truly called them here.

"The Xuanqing Guard’s Black Banner Battalion struck at dozens of core members of the Jingxi Army and Border Army last night!"

What was going on?!

The news stunned everyone. Xuanqing Guard had always been neutral, attaching importance to facts over persons. It wasn’t rare for them to target the military—nor was this the first time. But this was different: with Southern tensions running high, the Guard went after the Border Army at such a critical moment?! And now they’d hit the Jingxi Army as well—taking down dozens of key military officers at once?

Connecting this with the Emperor’s hunting invite, and the absence of Pang Ban, everyone realized this was a setup—a trap personally orchestrated by the Emperor.

This was definitely a major move!

The civil servants, meanwhile, watched the show, using the Thousand-Mile Sound to instruct their subordinates outside the grounds to watch developments closely. They secretly delighted as the military bigwigs fussed and scrambled in panic—except the two chiefs, Yang Yansi and Xu Hong, were nowhere to be found.

That was to be expected. Yang Yansi and Xu Hong were biding their time. Things had just happened, and before the situation developed further, it would make them look guilty if they went to the Emperor right now. Still, everyone could guess they must be fuming in private by now.

Heh, the once-proud Ministry of War—now that the tiger had left, the monkeys ruled, and the Emperor’s people had thrown everything into chaos. Not only did they fail to protect their own, but had become the knives in the Emperor’s hands, delivered into the Xuanqing Guard’s grip, stabbing at their own with every blow drawing blood.

Is this not just internal strife?

Though unexpected, many had opinions about it. Friend or foe, it was always a delight to see a fight between the military and the Xuanqing Guard.

The happiest were, of course, the Civil Servant Group led by Left Minister Ye Lansheng. They were actively persuading the Emperor to deal with the Barbarian Race by "winning hearts and minds"—if they could avoid war, then the military would remain underfoot and there’d be no risk of reprisal if the military ever rose in power.

If they could take this chance to scheme against the Xuanqing Guard behind the scenes, all the better. So the civil servants eagerly sought news from outside, no less than the military officials who were already being roasted over the fire.

The next day, June nineteenth in the morning, another explosive piece of news came in—even those faking enthusiasm for archery couldn’t keep up appearances. All eyes turned variously toward the Emperor’s tent and the tents of Yang Yansi and Xu Hong.

"What do you think the Xuanqing Guard is up to this time? How dare they raid Xu Hong’s mansion?!"

"I still can’t quite believe it’s real."

"Xu Mansion is one of the most prominent in the Imperial City—this morning, a whole squad of Xuanqing Guards surrounded it. Everyone inside, men, women, children, even the servants, were roped together in a string. So many saw it—how could it be false?"

"No, that’s not what I meant, it’s just—it’s unbelievable, you know? It’s Xu Hong! How could the Xuanqing Guard dare..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. The Xuanqing Guard has never lacked for daring. There’s no one they wouldn’t dare to move against. And this time they have Your Majesty covering their backs—if you were in their place, you’d do anything, too."

"True. Since the Xuanqing Guard dared to raid Xu Hong’s home, they must have found something decisive. Xu Hong is finished for sure. The only question is—what exactly happened?"

"I suppose it’s tied up with the Border Army and the Jingxi Army as well. Wonder if Zuo Yuliang will get dragged in."

"Zuo Yuliang? Hmph, whether he gets dragged in is secondary. Didn’t you see Yang Yansi was also brought by the Emperor to the hunt? I think Xu Hong might just be the appetizer—there’s a bigger show coming!"