Inside the military tent!
Xia Chen observed Qian Nan, remaining silent for a long time, and cold sweat immediately broke out on Qian Nan's forehead.
Just as Qian Nan was feeling terrified, a calm voice came from beside his ear.
"Get up!"
"Thank you, sir!"
Qian Nan felt a weight lift from his heart as the pressure that had enveloped him dissipated; though it was only for a brief moment, he felt as if time had stretched on endlessly.
He felt that the new Company Commander's imposing aura was even more formidable than that of the Zhonglang General in the army.
"Is this truly a direct descendant from the Zhendong Marquis Manor? This bearing is truly extraordinary!"
Qian Nan sighed inwardly.
"How was the patrol?"
"Everything is well. We encountered a theft incident midway, and the thief has already been apprehended and taken to the Ministry of Justice’s prison!"
Qian Nan quickly and respectfully replied.
Xia Chen asked some more questions, mainly about the scope of the Yulin Guard's duties and some precautions. Of course, he already knew most of it; he was asking for details.
"The capital has been a bit restless lately. Spies from Great Qing have started to emerge, and our Yulin Guard has been ordered to assist the Lantern Bearers in quickly finding these spies!"
Qian Nan mentioned another matter that caught Xia Chen's attention.
The Lantern Bearers are an organization with a unique status in the Great Wu Dynasty. They are not subordinate to the Cabinet nor the Six Ministries, but rather an organization independent of the civil and military official systems, reporting directly only to the Emperor.
It was somewhat similar to the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Ming Dynasty in Xia Chen's memory.
Xia Chen nodded thoughtfully, not pressing further.
Although the Imperial Army was powerful, this was not a time of war. In fact, the Imperial Army's influence in the capital was not as great as one might imagine.
At least, whenever cases or enemy spies emerged, the Emperor's first thought was the Lantern Bearers, followed by the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and so on. Their Yulin Guard mostly just assisted, or helped with arrests and confiscations after matters were settled.
...
Noon!
Xia Chen invited his colleagues and subordinates to eat at Tongfu Restaurant in the capital, and all his colleagues were very supportive.
Everyone in the army who was not on duty came to Tongfu Restaurant.
In the end, even Li Wenzhong and Qin Mu arrived at the scene, which made Xia Chen's colleagues feel a sense of awe. Everyone mixing in the capital was a shrewd person and understood perfectly what this scene represented.
Therefore, they treated Xia Chen with even greater respect, frequently and enthusiastically offering toasts.
Just as Xia Chen was feeling pleased with himself, the Marquis Jin Wu Residence in the capital had already erupted into chaos.
"Young Master, Young Master, what happened?!"
In front of a magnificent gate, the gatekeeper saw Zhao Yu being carried back by the family guards from a distance.
At this time, Zhao Yu looked extremely miserable; not only were both his arms hanging limply, but his entire back was already a bloody mess, and he himself had long since fallen unconscious, insensible.
The gatekeeper who rushed over saw this scene and his expression changed. The injuries were so severe that if Zhao Yu didn't have martial arts cultivation, he would probably have already died from such injuries.
The formerly quiet Marquis Jin Wu Residence began to grow noisy, with various servants and maids running about.
Someone quickly headed to the East City to invite the best doctor from Xuanji Medical Hall.
"My son!"
Zhao Yu's birth mother, the Marquis Jinwu’s wife, rushed into the room and saw her son lying unconscious on the bed.
"Who did this? How could they be so vicious, showing no regard for my Marquis Jin Wu Residence at all!"
Madam Zhao looked at the family guards who had always followed Zhao Yu and said sharply, but as she spoke, tears streamed down her Face. He had been fine when he left this morning, so how did he come back being carried?
Could it have been done by enemy spies?
"Madam!"
Several family guards quickly knelt down to apologize and then explained the situation in detail.
"This brat is so cruel to his colleague! My Marquis Jin Wu Residence is also considered a martial merit family, and we are on the same side. He shows no regard for our kinship! We must have my husband impeach him!"
Madam Zhao's eyes turned vicious after hearing this. First, he broke her son's arms, then gave him 100 military floggings, and even expelled him from the Imperial Army. Is there any justice left?
This is simply too much!
"Enough!"
At this moment, a middle-aged man walked into the room and looked at his furious wife, saying with some displeasure.
"Husband, you must seek justice for Yu'er! That little brat wants to cripple Yu'er!"
Madam Zhao saw Marquis Jinwu, Zhao Yue, walk in and quickly pulled him to Zhao Yu's bedside, pointing at Zhao Yu and sobbing.
Zhao Yue's eyes also narrowed when he saw his son Zhao Yu in this state, but he still kept a clear head.
"He brought this upon himself. Yesterday, I specifically pulled him into the study and thoroughly explained the stakes, telling him not to get into a fight with that boy from the Xia family. He is his direct superior now; it would be effortless for him to deal with him.
Moreover, I already said that in a while, I would help him secure another position as a Company Commander. Yet, this fool still went to contend with him, and not only did he contend, his methods were so crude. He's simply brainless!"
There was anger in Zhao Yue's eyes. This youngest son was far inferior to his two older brothers in both intelligence and ability.
He simply didn't seem like a descendant of their Zhao family.
Otherwise, with his background as a direct descendant of the Marquis's residence, being over 20 years old, how could he still be stuck in a mere Company Commander position?
Madam Zhao's Face turned pale from Zhao Yue's furious scolding.
But she still said unwillingly:
"It's true that Yu'er provoked first, but we are both martial merit families, on the same side, so it's not an exaggeration to say we're one family.
Even if there's a conflict, couldn't they have sat down and talked it out? Why resort to such vicious methods? If Yu'er hadn't reached the Eighth Realm, 100 military floggings would have truly beaten him to death!"
When Marquis Jinwu heard his wife say this, a fierce Qi flashed in his eyes, but reason quickly regained the upper hand.
"Matters in the military are not like ordinary affairs. The other party just took office on the first day, and he took the lead in giving him a 'show of force.' If he didn't use him to establish his authority, how could he continue to mix in the Imperial Army in the future? From the moment this fool prepared to take the lead in causing trouble, this matter could no longer end well!"
Marquis Jinwu said calmly. Although he inherited this marquisate, he had also led troops and naturally understood the stakes involved.
He was very disappointed in this son; his methods were too crude. If it were him, he would never openly give the other party a 'show of force' on their first day in office.
That boy from the Xia family was already his superior, naturally holding the moral high ground. If he wanted to act, he would do so behind the scenes, causing that boy from the Xia family to suffer a major setback.
"Then this matter is just going to be settled like this? He directly expelled Yu'er from the Imperial Army. Does he, a mere Company Commander, have that authority?"
Madam Zhao still said angrily.
"Enough, I have my own plans for this matter. He doesn't have that authority, but your son is too foolish; he let them catch him with all sorts of charges. If this matter is reported upwards, the result will be the same.
Be honest during this time. Don't send people to target him. His situation is very special; perhaps the Emperor's gaze is on him, understand?"
Marquis Jinwu looked at his wife with a serious gaze and warned her.
"Und...understand!"
Seeing his wife's still unwilling expression, Marquis Jinwu sighed. His eldest son and second son inherited his intelligence, but did this youngest son inherit all his intelligence from this woman?
He didn't inherit any of his wisdom!