Mountain Patrol Military Officer

Dusk fell, and the autumn wind held a murderous chill.

Outside the Chengtian Gate, four corpses were hung from the city walls, exposed to the elements, their deaths gruesome.

An ancient carriage came clip-clopping up to the palace wall.

"The Emperor summons!"

A figure in a deep crimson official robe descended from the carriage, looked up at the bodies on the wall, took a breath, tightened his expression, and assumed a solemn demeanor.

The Imperial Guards at the gate today were filled with a sense of murder. They kept stern faces and said nothing, stepping aside to let him pass.

The visitor strode into the depths of the city gate's palace walls, passed through the Chengtian Gate, along the way seeing palace staff walking pressed against the wall, heads lowered, taking small soundless steps, exuding an air of oppression.

Outside Xuanwu Gate, a duty-bound eunuch was already waiting, and upon seeing the visitor, hurried over.

"Lord Xu." The eunuch spoke softly, as though afraid to disturb something.

"Eunuch, how fares the Emperor?" Xu Liang had already caught the drift, unobtrusively gripping the eunuch's arm, his sleeve twitching.

"The Emperor is in great anger today, his fury unfathomable, having already issued several orders, holding the Imperial Guard accountable, and detained many people." This eunuch, comprehending the situation, glanced around furtively, then leaned closer to Lord Xu and spoke cautiously,

Having spoken, he straightened his body, his face becoming stern, "The Emperor wishes to see you, sir. Please come with me quickly, so as not to keep the Emperor waiting."

He then led the way, taking small steps.

Xu Liang pondered as he adjusted his demeanor and followed.

The two arrived one after the other at the solemn and majestic Taiji Palace.

By this time, the twilight was cascading down the battlements of the Xuanwu Gate, and the eaves of Taiji Palace were tinged with a gleam of gold.

The advisors at the door had dispersed at some point.

In the marble-paved tile cracks, there were crimson bloodstains yet to be washed away, exuding the smell of blood.

The palace gates stood wide open, an air of chill emanating from within.

At the doorway, the eunuch leading them bowed and called softly inside:

"Your Majesty, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Xu, seeks audience!"

Inside Taiji Palace at that moment, a multitude of palace staff knelt with their heads buried, trembling, scattered across the floor were fragments of porcelain, exquisite food, jade, and bronze pieces.

With the eunuch's call from outside, the kneeling palace staff inside seemed to receive some command, as if granted amnesty, they quickly stood up and retreated, then exited the great hall in an orderly fashion.

"Lord Xu, the Emperor invites you in!" The eunuch stooped low and said softly.

With understanding, Xu Liang assumed a solemn expression, crossed the threshold into the palace, his shadow elongated by the setting sun stretched out over the ground.

With a drawn-out creak, the palace doors were closed with a bang by the eunuch outside, consuming his shadow along with it.

At this moment, the interior of Taiji Palace became dim, the patches of light through the windows further accentuating the profoundness and oppression inside.

In that dim light, the golden dragon throne loomed with majesty, and the current Emperor Wu, clad in black dragon robes, sat upon it, leaning his body diagonally, his face shadowed in the darkness, indistinct and obscured.

"Subject greets Your Majesty!"

Xu Liang stepped forward to perform the rites of a subject to his sovereign.

"Rise."

The voice of Emperor Wu echoed in the vast hall, devoid of any ripple, with no emotion discernible, but the scattered objects on the floor filled the hall with a suffocating oppression.

Xu Liang slowly rose, his head slightly bowed.

"Mr. Xu, why do you not raise your head to look at us?" Emperor Wu's voice was laden with pressure.

Xu Liang kept his head bowed, holding his hand steady, enunciating slowly, "I have heard that Your Majesty was angered by the matter of the Forbidden Army Camp at noon today, and your humble servant fears provoking Your Majesty's wrath."

He did not pretend to be deaf; the whole affair had likely spread by now, and he had no reason not to be aware of it.

"Indeed, my elite Imperial Guard, reputed to fend off ten foes alone, tasked with defending our Daqian Dragon Court, was unable to withstand several bouts against the border army; how can I not be angry?"

"If it continues this way, I will find no peace in rest or meals!" Emperor Wu's voice took on a soft undertone, voicing his anxiety.

This was the fundamental reason for the Emperor's wrath.

Xu Liang's eyelid twitched, and he slightly bowed his body,

"I heard that in the battle at noon, the Imperial Guard suppressed their cultivation, while the armored soldiers of the Ninth Mountain generally had lower cultivation."

His subtext was that the Imperial Guard was still capable, they just weren't letting loose.

Some of it was true; the Imperial Guard's cultivation generally outclassed that of the border army by a tier, and that duel merely leveled the playing field at the same cultivation level.

"Mr. Xu, you do console me, but the Imperial Guard receives the finest military preparation and cultivation resources I bestow upon them, while those armored soldiers of the Ninth Mountain are merely a bunch of troops who can't even secure the Court's grain provisions."

Emperor Wu's tone suddenly swelled with vigor, turning angry and sinister, he straightened up, his eyes as sharp as the most lethal blades in the world, staring at Xu Liang below, speaking deliberately,

"I now ask you!"

"Are all the troops under Chen Yuan like this?"

"You went to Shu, speak to us truthfully, I want to hear the truth!"

In the vast hall, the Emperor's slightly hasty breaths were like the awakening of a True Dragon, filled with a sense of oppression.

Below, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Xu Liang, sensed Emperor Wu's suspicion, his spirit tightened, after a moment of introspection, he promptly bowed low,

"Your Majesty!"

"This humble servant went to Jingguan City and personally interacted with the soldiers there. Their soldiers generally have low levels of cultivation, and currently, they are short of troops and generals. Calculating it, the entire border army of the Overseers is only tens of thousands in scale."

As he spoke of this, his voice became somewhat somber,

"Most of their soldiers were sacrificed in battles against demons at the front lines. The military forces were largely depleted. The surviving armored soldiers naturally have strong military skills, but that's only part of them. Most of them joined later."

"The trusted aides accompanying General Chen to the capital now are a group of veteran soldiers!"

He truthfully recounted what he had seen and heard, with no concealment, though there was a slight bias in emotion.

Emperor Wu on the dragon throne listened without uttering a word, and the great hall was silent.

Xu Liang kept his head lowered, his eyelids slightly drooping, waiting for His Majesty to speak.

"You came to the capital together with this person. What kind of person do you think he is?" After a long silence, Emperor Wu suddenly spoke.

"Ruthless and merciless."

"Rebellious in actions"

"His troops are unwaveringly loyal to him"

"Brilliant in battle merits, protecting the people of Shu in the face of the demon disaster."

This was Xu Liang's assessment of Chen Yuan, combining his interactions and intelligence gathered, concise and efficient.

In front of everyone, altering the imperial decree was rebellious in action, killing the lamp holder without leaving any survivors was ruthless and merciless. As for the rest, his battle achievements are verifiable, partially visible, like when he forcibly suppressed and cleansed the noble families of Jingguan City to make them support the front line, this General Chen had once created a bloody incident.

But it seems everything was for resisting demons, ever since he gained fame, this Colonel has been continuously fighting demons from the Ten Thousand Mountains, quelling multiple demon disasters, with remarkable achievements in battle.

It's hard to judge!

Therefore, he didn't use personal bias to judge such a person because the implications were significant, and such a short period was insufficient to understand a person, thinking that His Majesty also knew this.

Emperor Wu on the dragon throne squinted his eyes and said slowly,

"If such a person has a rebellious bone, it would be a big trouble."

Xu Liang's eyelid couldn't help but twitch. He couldn't help but say heavily, "I hope Your Majesty will think thrice."

"Enough, you can go now, I am a bit tired!" Emperor Wu seemed a bit weary, and his voice carried some fatigue.

Xu Liang wanted to say something more, but the gate of the Taiji Palace was already open, and he could only step back and leave the great hall.

"Bang"

As Xu Liang left the great hall with a heavy heart, the gate of the Taiji Palace slammed shut again.

The hall became quiet, and the twilight deepened.

An aged and muddled voice suddenly rang within the great hall, somewhat erratic and elusive, like a sound from beyond the heavens, yet seemingly nearby, faint and hard to pinpoint.

"Does Your Majesty want to take action against that young lad?"

"This person is not simple."

"Though his origins and background are ordinary and traceable, he has reached the pinnacle of martial arts in recent years, beyond ordinary, incredible, intriguing, and the old folks in the Martial Temple seem interested in him."

On the dragon throne, Emperor Wu, who earlier showed signs of fatigue, now had eyes narrowed sharply and intensely, showing no trace of tiredness.

This Emperor rested his hand on the arm of the dragon throne, his aura as deep as a pool, and his eyes were fiery bright as he slowly shook his head, his voice domineering.

"Talented people are as common as carp in the river, none can escape my manipulation!"

"Then why publicly kill those few people and send such a signal to Xu Shaoqing?" That aged voice continued.

"Beating both sides with thirty boards also makes the old fellows of the Three Families behave. If the old don't die, they become demons, living too long and always wanting to stir." Emperor Wu's eyes gleamed with a sharp chill, unmistakably showing his imperial power.

Saying this, his eyes were dim,

"This Chen Yuan is indeed a sharp knife protruding boldly, initially thinking it would be good to deal with those restless old fellows of the Three Families, saving much of my concern, which is why I continue to tolerate without taking action, but today's matter causes me some hesitation, for a sword without eyes could harm others and oneself."

"Your Majesty wants to use this person as a swift knife, utilizing conflicts to curb those people in the court, yet does not want the knife to be too sharp, far in Shu, holding troops to rise, isn't this simple?"

"Just keep him in the Divine Capital!"

The aged voice carried a hint of mirth.

"How to solve it?" Emperor Wu squinted his eyes.

"Isn't the Sky Patrol Department lacking a Patrol Angel right now!" The aged laugh turned more teasing, seemingly encountering a quite interesting matter.

The vacant position naturally was the one left by the Patrol Angel killed by Chen Yuan.

Three Dao, Shu, Beiliang's Three Dao Patrol Angels!

"Ha-ha, with this, it wouldn't cause a military rebellion and would keep the other party in the Divine Capital, preventing Your Majesty from worrying. Your Majesty is overthinking, this person hasn't received imperial grace, so how can loyalty be discussed? If you want him to be your excellent knife, you have to offer some benefits."

This voice was not very respectful, speaking casually, with a jest, and if it were anyone else, they'd already be dragged out and executed. Yet Emperor Wu seated seemed accustomed, his sharp brows and eyes indeed softened, revealing a pondering look, seemingly seriously considering the possibility.

After a long while, this Emperor shook his head, as the possibility was too small,

"I agree, but the ministers will not agree!"

"It all depends on Your Majesty, I will take my leave." That aged voice, after speaking, vanished on its own accord.