Chapter 35: Alien Races

When the Imperial Guards first heard the word "Marquis," they were stunned.

"Marquis? What Marquis? Is that some sort of nickname for a local tyrant?"

There was no such person on their list. Could they have missed someone? They couldn't afford that—not with the Emperor personally overseeing the operation. They had to execute their duties flawlessly to secure their futures.

With this mindset, the guards immediately cross-referenced their rosters. Finding no "Marquis" listed, they realized the shopkeeper had simply invented a powerful backer to intimidate them. While money lenders often sought protection, it was unlikely a noble of the Great Ming would personally involve himself with a mere pawn shop. There might have been illicit ties in the shadows, but that was not the concern of these low-level officers; their job was simply to make the arrests.

The guards drew their Xiu-chun blades and struck the shopkeeper with the backs of their swords, beating him half to death before reporting the mention of the noble’s name to their superiors.

The matter eventually reached Cao Huachun. Upon hearing the word "Marquis," Cao conducted his own interrogation and uncovered the truth: the shopkeeper had merely been using a tiger’s skin as a banner. His true backers were a group of foreigners. The shopkeeper had heard rumors of these foreigners being associated with a certain Marquis and had tried to leverage that connection to escape the law.

Since the case now touched upon the reputation of the nobility, Cao dared not act alone. With the Emperor still awake, he went to report the findings.

"Your Majesty, among those arrested today, one of the usurers from a private gambling den is colluding with foreigners..."

Before Cao could finish, the Emperor interrupted.

"Foreigners?"

There was no discernible emotion in the Emperor’s voice, yet Cao felt a bone-chilling cold envelop him. Even the officers in the Imperial Guard office felt an sudden, oppressive shift in the atmosphere. The tall and formidable Cao Huachun instinctively bowed even lower.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The prisoner confessed that his backers are a group of foreigners, who in turn are allegedly backed by a certain Marquis."

Zhu Youjian nodded. "Bring me the guards who handled this arrest."

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

Cao hurried away and soon returned with the team of guards. Terrified by the sudden summons from the Emperor, the low-ranking officers were afraid to even draw a full breath.

As they knelt on the ground, a faint voice drifted down from above: "Who struck first during the arrest?"

The guards were paralyzed with fear, trembling uncontrollably. Did the man behind the shopkeeper truly have the backing of a Marquis? Was the Emperor planning to silence them? But they had followed their orders and the roster to the letter!

The officer at the edge of the group stammered, "Replying... replying to Your Majesty... his name was on the roster... it... it was this servant who struck first."

Zhu Youjian looked at Cao Huachun. "Promote this man to the rank of Centurion and the others to Banner Commanders. Post this in the Imperial Guard office."

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian added coldly, "Go and capture all the remaining foreigners. I want them alive."

The guards were stunned, then surged with overwhelming joy, slamming their heads against the stone floor in gratitude. They crawled backward on their knees until they reached the courtyard exit before finally standing up.

Once out, the team did not hesitate for a moment. They extracted the location of the foreigners from the shopkeeper and set out. Only then did they feel as if they were waking from a dream. The sheer pressure of the Emperor’s presence had been immense, and the sudden promotion—the kind of thing one only heard in storytellers' tales—left them dazed.

After they left, the events in the office spread rapidly among the guards. Beyond envy, a new seed had been planted in their minds: What is a Marquis? We serve the Emperor!

Cao Huachun, still within the office, sensed this shift in morale. His eyes reddened, filled with complex emotions. Only days ago, he had promised the Emperor that he would restore the prestige of the Imperial Guard to what it had been under the Founding Emperor within three years. Now, it seemed that with the Emperor’s personal involvement, that timeline might shrink to three days.

He wiped his eyes, struggling to compose himself. Furthermore, he had caught a subtle intent from the Emperor: His Majesty seemed to hold a deep-seated contempt for foreigners. Cao committed this to memory. Where the sovereign leads, the subjects will surely follow.

***

Before long, the group of foreigners was brought to the office. After a brutal interrogation, Cao Huachun approached Zhu Youjian’s temporary quarters.

"Your Majesty, it is confirmed. That group of foreigners is indeed colluding with a noble—the Marquis of Wuqing, Li Guorui."

"They initially bought the favor of a steward in the Marquis’s estate through superstitious rituals. Because they were adept at extracting profits from usury, the steward introduced them to the Marquis himself. They confessed that since securing the Marquis’s protection, they have seized control of several money shops in just a few years, engaging in usury and market manipulation. The Marquis and several court officials have profited greatly."

Cao stood silently, awaiting orders. The Marquis of Wuqing was a descendant of the Empress Dowager Li from the Wanli era, a relative of the imperial family with deep roots. The Emperor would decide the outcome; Cao simply provided the facts.

"Have someone monitor Li Guorui in secret."

"As you command." Hearing this, Cao knew Li Guorui was a dead man. He bowed and withdrew.

After Cao left, Zhu Youjian narrowed his eyes, his aura chilling. Executing the foreigners and Li Guorui was a simple matter of a single command, but he did not act immediately. He had to consider the political implications. These people would have to wait two more days to die, for tomorrow, a grand spectacle awaited the people of the capital.