gnovel Chapter 18: The Hidden Dragon Guards, their ambition to monitor the world!
Chapter 18: The Hidden Dragon Guards, their ambition to monitor the world!
The following day, at the main hall of Bowang Garden.
"Your Highness."
Zhang He, the Crown Prince's steward, strode in.
"Um."
Liu Ju, who was fiddling with his gold and silver inlaid dragon and phoenix ring-adorned sword, glanced up at him and said indifferently, "How many?"
"Return to your highness."
"Twelve men surrendered."
"The rest of my relatives have been taken into custody."
Zhang He answered meticulously.
"Twelve, that's about right."
Liu Ju hadn't expected that these 29 intermediaries would all obediently serve him.
After all, these people were pawns cultivated by princes, princesses, and noble families to infiltrate the Crown Prince's palace. Without absolute certainty, how could those forces feel at ease?
"Your Highness."
"The rest of the people?"
Zhang He asked cautiously.
"Family Orders".
"How many years have we known each other?"
Liu Ju did not answer him directly, but instead asked a question in return.
"Ugh!"
Zhang He paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Your Highness and I have known each other since childhood, which is twelve years ago."
"yes."
A look of reminiscence appeared in Liu Ju's eyes as he sighed, "That year, you were 9 years old, and I was 6."
"In the Jiaofang Hall of Weiyang Palace, the Empress Dowager asked me if I wanted a servant."
"From then on, you often came to the palace to accompany me to school and practice archery and horsemanship."
"Zhang He, can I trust you?"
*Thud!*
Zhang He knelt on one knee, his face resolute, and said, "Your Highness, whatever your command, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
"What if that person were the emperor?"
Liu Ju pointed to the top of his head.
"Your Majesty, I have only one sovereign, and that is His Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhang He said it with absolute certainty.
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, may have been a god to the Zhang family, and even more so to his father, Zhang Tang, but not to him.
All he knew was that Zhang Tang had devoted his life to serving the emperor, only to meet such a tragic end.
If he hadn't become the Crown Prince's tutor, the Zhang family would probably have been torn apart by Zhang Tang's enemies long ago, and they wouldn't be living such a peaceful life now.
To him, Crown Prince Liu Ju was not only a monarch, but also a benefactor, for whom he would not hesitate to give his life.
"I trust you."
Looking at the unassuming young man before him, Liu Ju nodded solemnly.
Historically, Zhang He was castrated due to the influence of the witchcraft scandal, and the former head of the Crown Prince's household was reduced to a laborer chopping grass in the horse-breeding office.
Everyone kept the death of Empress Wei Zifu a secret, but he alone collected her body from the mass grave at Tongbai Pavilion south of Chang'an and reburied her. When he learned that the only bloodline of the Crown Prince was alive, he did everything he could to bring Liu Bingyi to his side and raise him.
Without Zhang He, there would have been no Emperor Xuan of Han, and Liu Ju's lineage would never have had the opportunity to reclaim the Han throne.
Liu Ju could doubt the loyalty of anyone, but he never doubted Zhang He.
"This knife is given to you."
"I hope you will grasp this knife, remember your words today, and clear away the thorns ahead for me."
As he spoke, Liu Ju picked up a horizontal sword with a rosewood handle and brass openwork handguard from beside him and threw it over.
This is his reward for signing in today: a fine steel broadsword that only a Tang Dynasty general could be equipped with.
There were four types of standard horizontal swords in the Tang Dynasty. Only members of the imperial family could possess horizontal swords with gold and silver inlaid dragon and phoenix rings. Horizontal swords with sandalwood handles and brass openwork guards were issued to military officers of the rank of Zhechong Duwei and above. Horizontal swords with silver-gilt handles were issued to Guoyi Duwei. Ordinary guards were equipped with horizontal swords with black lacquered wooden handles and white iron fittings.
These swords were not only symbols of status, but also exquisitely crafted killing weapons, made by the Imperial Arsenal of the Tang Dynasty.
"Sizzle!!!"
As soon as Zhang Hegang took over, he drew his sword as if possessed, the bright blade reflecting on his face, revealing a chilling glint.
"A fine knife!"
Zhang He, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, immediately fell in love with the sandalwood-handled, brass-hilted, openwork sword. Overjoyed, he quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Qin has the Black Ice Platform, an infiltration organization responsible for spying on the enemy, carrying out assassination missions, and internal surveillance."
"Emperor Gaozu established the Da Shui He, which was ostensibly responsible for investigation, arrest, and palace guards, but secretly monitored the princes and kings of the realm."
"Today I have established the Hidden Dragon Guard to monitor the court and the country, serving as my eyes and ears."
"These twelve people are just the beginning. All the expenses for forming the Hidden Dragon Guard will be covered by the Crown Prince's treasury."
"The rest of the people are of no use to me, so they are worthless."
"You know what to do."
Liu Ju picked up the wine cup, took a sip, and his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's.
"promise."
Zhang He felt a chill run down his spine. He picked up the horizontal sword with its sandalwood handle and brass openwork guard and strode away from the main hall.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"The lady is here."
Shortly after Zhang He left, a servant hurriedly entered the room to report.
"Oh?"
Liu Ju quickly put down his wine cup, stood up and looked towards the palace gate, where a dignified and virtuous figure appeared in his line of sight.
She wore a dark black peony-patterned curved-hem robe over a straight-hemmed women's dress with cloud patterns. Her jet-black, lustrous hair was styled into a cloud-shaped bun and secured with a pearl and jade hair crown. Simple yet graceful, she was a beautiful woman to all who saw her.
"Jie'er".
"Why are you here?"
A smile immediately appeared on Liu Ju's expressionless face.
The visitor was none other than Lady Shi. She entered the Crown Prince's palace in the fourth year of the Yuanding era (113 BC) and gave birth to a son the following year (112 BC), who was the eldest son of the Crown Prince, Liu Jin. The saying "young couples are the most precious" perfectly describes the relationship between Crown Prince Liu Ju and Lady Shi.
Consort Shi was gentle and kind. Whenever Liu Ju suffered setbacks in court, he would always return to the palace to find comfort from Consort Shi.
According to the system, the Crown Prince's harem was divided into three ranks: Consort, Consort of the Right, and Consort of the Young Lady. The Consort of the Right was second only to the Crown Prince's Consort.
The reason why Consort Shi did not become the Crown Princess was largely due to Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. Firstly, Emperor Wu had a lingering fear of losing his wife, Chen Ajiao, when he was young, and he hesitated to marry his eldest son. Secondly, Consort Shi was of low birth. Thirdly, it would further weaken the Crown Prince's prestige.
Ironically, this Consort Shi, who did not become the Crown Princess, made indelible contributions to the Han dynasty. Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xun, who single-handedly brought the Western Han dynasty to its peak, was Liu Jin's son and Consort Shi's grandson.
"There have been many changes in the palace recently."
"I am worried about Your Highness."
Shi Liangdi clasped her hands together in front of her chest, slightly bent her knees, and bowed her head in greeting.
"We are husband and wife, there's no need for such formalities."
"The recent events are nothing more than minor troubles."
Liu Ju waved his hand, completely disregarding the events of the past few days.
If even such a small matter requires such a large-scale effort, then how could he dare to oppose Emperor Wu of Han and even plot for the throne?
"Your Highness."
Shi Liangdi's eyes sparkled; after just a few days, Crown Prince Liu Ju seemed to have changed quite a bit.
He used to resemble a Confucian gentleman more than the crown prince of the Han Dynasty. He was nothing like the confident demeanor of a ruler he exuded in his every move, his composure unwavering even in the face of a collapsing mountain. This captivated her.
PS: Shi Liangdi, originally named Shi Jie, came from the Shi clan of Lu State and was the younger sister of Shi Gong, the General of the Central Army and Governor of Liangzhou.