Xie Ming

Chapter 834 Difficulty Leaving the Palace Gates

A fire broke out in the palace on a snowy night for no apparent reason.

Although the fire was not as large as the main fire, it was nonetheless a matter concerning the emperor's presence and therefore of great importance.

For a time, both inside and outside the palace walls, chaos reigned.

Internal fire prevention was entirely under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Eunuchs.

The palace had designated personnel responsible for managing fire-fighting water sources, such as copper vats and wells, so that they could respond promptly in the event of a fire.

Meanwhile, the palace guards and protectors could only watch from the outside.

Even if the emperor's palace caught fire, only eunuchs with credentials could enter the inner palace to provide assistance; outsiders were not allowed to enter without permission, and the regulations were extremely strict.

At midnight, Qi Gang and Ma Minglu, who were originally on duty in the palace, considered the situation and suspected that this dangerous situation might lead them to attack Duke Jing.

So Minglu, being impetuous and impatient, didn't care about anything else.

He swung his arms, rushed out of the house, and headed straight for the palace gate.

Afterwards, Qi Gang hesitated and failed to devise a sound and reliable strategy.

However, things couldn't wait any longer. Now that Minglu had emerged, he couldn't afford to remain hesitant any longer.

So, chasing each other, both in a panic, they both tried to break through the palace gate.

At this moment, the Chengqian Gate, where the two brothers entered the palace that evening, was under strict guard.

The outer guards were responsible for protecting the outer walls of the city.

There was no relaxation in the guard posts, fences, and even the steps inside the city walls.

Inside the gate, the inner shifts of the guards also consisted of layers of inner posts.

No one may trespass on the inner walls of the palace, the gates of the palace, or the halls without permission.

At present, there are more than forty guards stationed at Chengqian Gate.

A special guard general and a key officer were appointed to oversee the duties of guarding the troops.

Now, it is past midnight, and the palace gates have long been locked and closed, with the keys handed over to the palace gatekeepers for safekeeping.

In theory, no one can open the city gates without cause.

Da da da—

In the dead of night, in the shadows by the wall, Minglu hurried along, his black boots clattering rapidly on the ground.

In front of the palace gate, the general on duty, his hand on the hilt of his sword and his boots treading on the blue bricks, was pacing back and forth.

It's hard to know where things are going; a fire just broke out in the back courtyard. Has the news already reached the front of this place?

"kindness?"

"who?"

Suddenly, a series of light footsteps were heard, approaching from afar.

Subconsciously, the duty general frowned, lowered his voice, and asked in a low voice, while staring intently into the shadows to find Ma Minglu's location.

This will cause the person to appear, quickly holding a palace lantern to illuminate the area for easy identification.

By candlelight, the duty general, who was tall and slender and looked to be in his early twenties, was revealed.

He was dressed in the blue cloth armor of the Ming Dynasty imperial guards, with a bright red, shoulder-length python-patterned lining, and the iron breastplate at his collar gleamed faintly in the candlelight.

He wore a wide cowhide belt around his waist, from which hung a short knife and a fish bag; the belt buckle was polished to a shine with copper patina.

He had a thin face with slightly high cheekbones, giving him a stubborn and strong profile.

With narrow, upturned eyes that always seemed alert, and an old scar between his brows that added to his fierce look, he resembled a leopard ready to pounce at any moment.

"Enough with the nonsense. I am Ma Minglu, Vice Minister of War, Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, and concurrently a member of the Cabinet."

"I'm on duty tonight. There's an important document that needs to be sent out immediately."

"Open the palace gates and let me out."

Following the sound, Minglu ran over and approached, gritting his teeth and trying to suppress his panting and panic.

As they drew nearer, the palace lanterns shone upon him, and it became clear that he was still breathing heavily, his face was agitated, and he was glaring with his beard puffed out.

This made the general on duty even more vigilant.

He looked her up and down, but didn't want to focus on anything else.

After all, working in the palace requires observing people's expressions and demeanor. Everyone coming and going is a big shot that cannot be offended. As a gatekeeper, he has to be even more cautious in his actions and words.

"This"

"Scholar Ma, it is already past midnight, and a curfew has been imposed in the palace."

"Besides, the palace gates are locked, and the keys have long been handed over to the Inner Palace Guard. They cannot be opened without a valid reason."

"Look."

The general on duty spoke politely, but his expression was wary, and he was still quite courteous in his speech.

He had a stubble around his lips and spoke slowly and deliberately. However, Ma Minglu was worried about the safety of Jing'an tonight and didn't have the patience to argue with him.

"Oh dear, what do you know? I have military duties to attend to, and it's extremely urgent."

"Stop arguing and open the door right now!"

Minglu's haughty demeanor was also intended to overpower the other party and expedite the process.

However, once he got to the point, it was hard to hide his tone. The gatekeeper on duty visibly darkened his expression, clearly not one to back down.

Upon seeing that he remained silent and uncooperative, Minglu became impatient and, in a fit of rage, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to his face.

"I am ordered to leave the palace and I must leave immediately. If you do not move and things are delayed, no one can protect you."

We had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

Minglu's move, with its clenched teeth and stern rebuke, a combination of intimidation and threats, might be somewhat effective against timid opponents.

However, this time it seems like bad luck.

The man before him remained unmoved; on the contrary, he seemed to be secretly competing with him even more.

When their eyes met, the man showed no fear whatsoever and spoke coldly.

"Scholar Ma, please have some self-respect."

"This humble general only follows the rules. You said you were acting on imperial orders, so bring the tally here for verification."

He was unyielding and insisted on handling matters strictly by the book.

Thus, Minglu's situation became quite troublesome.

As for the general on duty mentioning the talisman, there was actually a set of procedures for passing through the palace during the curfew.

Even in the most urgent situations, no matter what the imperial decree is, one must leave the palace at midnight and ensure that the document is verified; this is the rule.

This talisman is made of gold and consists of two separate panels, one for yin and one for yang, with inscriptions on the inner side.

The raised half of the inscription was kept by the emperor or the central government, while the inscribed half was kept by the chief guards at each palace gate.

If someone needs to leave the palace late at night, the person must bring a talisman with a positive seal.

The two doors were fastened together to ensure they were secure before the doors were opened and the person exited.

Furthermore, the next morning, the guards on duty would be required to perform their duties specifically in this manner, and report to their superiors immediately so that they would be fully informed.

But right now, Minglu is impatient, and he doesn't care about any of that.

Hearing this, he was momentarily speechless with embarrassment, his anger intensifying, and he was about to force his way in.

"Military intelligence is extremely urgent; if we are even a step too late, countless lives and property will be lost in an instant."

"Who the hell are you, daring to stop me?"

As the fighting raged, the duty general was grabbed by the collar by Minglu, while his left hand secretly pressed the hilt of his sword.

He rubbed the red rope hilt of the knife with his thumb, and judging from the situation, if Minglu continued to cause trouble, he would draw his knife in response.

At this critical juncture where tensions are running high.

Suddenly, another guard emerged from the side.

Holding another palace lantern in her hand, she seized the opportunity and rushed over.

"Oh, it's General Ma!"

"General Ma, this humble general Guo Heng greets you, General."

Suddenly, Minglu's eyes flashed with anger, about to erupt, but he was interrupted by this situation.

He hadn't put his work down yet, and only glanced at the list to the side.

Deng Jue realized that the person in front of him did indeed look somewhat familiar.

Then I remembered that this was the young man surnamed Guo who had recruited soldiers in Dezhou, Shandong last year, and had fought in several battles, earning the title of a hundred-household commander for his merits.

That's why Minglu could remember him among the leaders in the army.

It was all because this kid had served under the central army when they were fighting Zuo Liangyu in Jiujiang.

He was quick-witted and had a good eye for things.

But times have changed, and now he's bumped into this very place.

Then, a sudden thought occurred to me, and I realized that there was a turning point.

"Oh?"

"Guo, Guo Heng?"

"Hey kid, what are you doing here working?"

(End of this chapter)