The Ming Dynasty 1626 Enlightenment

Chapter 30 Apocalypse 6 Divine Guards

The Forbidden City, the Qianqing Palace.

After the grand court assembly, the cabinet ministers were invited here by the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Ming.

The grand court assembly ended close to noon, and the sun was blazing.

Zhu Ming did not allow the cabinet ministers to return for their meal. He simply said, "All of you, come with me," and then walked towards the Qianqing Palace with his hands behind his back.

Sun Chengzong and Shen Yourong exchanged a glance, each with their own thoughts, and followed.

Behind him were cabinet members such as Ding Shaoshi, who also followed cautiously.

Of course, after Zhu Ming's six months of training, the cabinet had become his personal fiefdom.

They dared not imagine what outrageous decrees might be issued next, and how they would be impeached by the censors.

After all, it was Zhu Ming who gave the order, so they were the first to be criticized.

Normally it's fine, but if those trolls dare to criticize, they'll go after them mercilessly.

That won't work now. The cabinet's power to issue orders has been hollowed out by Zhu Ming!

Nowadays, there have been five cabinet meetings like this in the last six months, and Zhu Ming kicks one person out each time.

So, I wonder which unlucky guy will be kicked out today.

Several tables of food have been prepared in the East Warm Pavilion of the main hall of Qianqing Palace.

As soon as Shen Yourong entered the door, she felt a cool breeze hitting her face, a stark contrast to the sweltering heat of June outside.

He subconsciously looked up and saw a huge ice jar standing in each of the four corners, filled with solid blocks of ice, with wisps of white steam rising from the carved and openwork.

Beside the ice mirror, there was another strangely large object—a large copper fan with a chain connecting it to a crank. A eunuch was slowly cranking it, and a cool breeze would come.

"This...this ice is free?" Shen Yourong couldn't help but take a second look. "And they're even cooperating like this?"

"His Majesty stored up quite a bit of ice last year," Sun Chengzong said with a smile, stroking his beard. "He also had the Ministry of Works develop a method for rapid ice-making. The Ice and Snow Honey City under Baohe Store is using this ice now!"

"It's His Majesty again!" Shen Yourong exclaimed, then marveled at the large fan. "The fan in His Majesty's palace is much bigger than the one I bought at Baohe Store! How much silver must it cost!"

"These were all specially designed by His Majesty. You'll have to go to Baohe Store to have them custom-made!" Sun Chengzong said.

"Custom-made? You have no idea how heartless Old Master Wei is!" Shen Yourong thought for a moment, almost blurting out a curse, but remembering that they were still in the Qianqing Palace, she managed to restrain herself a little. "A small fan, and he actually sold it to me for fifty taels of silver, it's simply..."

"Ahem... Brother Ninghai, be careful what you say!" Sun Chengzong reminded him, because Wei Zhongxian was arranging the seating for the banquet not far away.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Shen Yourong glanced at Wei Zhongxian, who was directing the eunuchs and palace maids, and looked at him with disdain.

"Well, those things at Baohe Store were all designed by His Majesty, he said they were some kind of industrial machinery, and the prices are a bit high," Sun Chengzong said to him softly. "They are specially sold to wealthy merchants. We ministers have internal discounts and can buy directly from the Ministry of Works. Unlike you, you just buy any good stuff you see without even asking around."

"I just got back, how would I know about this!" Shen Yourong was also somewhat speechless. She had just returned and already felt the great changes in the capital.

Out of curiosity, I went on a shopping spree on the chessboard-shaped commercial street built by Wei Zhongxian at Zhu Ming's behest, only to be ripped off.

"Alright, alright, just mention the expense list later, and I'll apply for reimbursement for you," Sun Chengzong said, patting his good-for-nothing old friend on the back.

"Then I'll trouble you, Grand Secretary Sun!" Shen Yourong said, and sat down in the seat with her name on it, which was right next to Sun Chengzong.

Seeing Shen Yourong and Sun Chengzong take their seats, the palace maids quickly served up a row of food.

A large glass of plum juice, with fine droplets condensing on the sides; plates of golden fried chicken, glistening roasted chicken, fluffy bread, and milky white desserts, their aromas mingling with the cool air, making one's mouth water.

"And this is it again?" Shen Yourong picked up the glass of plum juice, its broth a deep red color and covered with crushed ice, and clicked her tongue in amazement once more. "And it's chilled!"

"Sour plum juice! Perfect for cooling down!" Old man Sun Chengzong had already picked up his cup, taken a sip, and contentedly squinted his eyes. "The latest drink from Bingxue Micheng at Baohe store!"

Shen Yourong nodded, took a sip, and found the taste to be very sour and refreshing.

"And this big cup is so clear... is it pure glass?" He paused, examining the big cup carefully.

"Yes! His Majesty instructed the Ministry of Works to improve the glassmaking process, resulting in pure glass?" Sun Chengzong explained patiently.

After all, he had witnessed the changes in the capital city firsthand over the past six months and was no longer surprised by them.

It's rare to see this old friend, who spends most of his life at sea, acting like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden.

"We now have dozens of branches in the capital and Jiangnan region! Specializing in selling this pure glass!"

"The daily turnover must be at least this much," he said, making a "six" gesture with his aged hand.

But they didn't say whether it was six hundred taels, six thousand taels, or sixty thousand taels.

But that meaningful expression on his face clearly indicated that it was no small sum.

"Damn it! No wonder His Majesty is so rich now, going to Southeast Asia and reforming the Ministry of Works, could it be..." Shen Yourong exclaimed, about to ask further, when footsteps and laughter came from outside the door.

A female general in her fifties, dressed in a worn-out military uniform, with a thin face, yet her eyes exuded a calm and resolute air of someone who had been through many battles.

She walked briskly, and after entering, she clasped her hands in a salute to Sun Chengzong and the others, then sat down by the window with her back ramrod straight.

"General Qin Liangyu?" Shen Yourong recognized Qin Liangyu as soon as she saw the person. She was the only female general of the Ming Dynasty.

Shen Yourong stood up and cupped her hands in greeting, not surprised at all.

Although Qin Liangyu did not attend the court assembly, given her prestige on the border of Sichuan and Guizhou, it was only a matter of time before she was summoned by His Majesty.

What truly surprised Shen Yourong were the four people who came in afterward.

The four men were all dressed in tight-fitting clothes, and they varied in height, weight, and build, but they all had one thing in common: each of them wore a hollowed-out mask.

The masks were neither gold nor jade, but they were exquisitely crafted and cast in the shape of mythical beasts, revealing only the intricate cutouts around the eyes and mouth/nose.

The mask covered most of his face, but one could glimpse his aura from his figure and the exposed eyebrows and eyes.

The first person to enter was an extremely burly man, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, whose footsteps seemed to cause the ground to tremble slightly.

He wore a mask made of the mythical white tiger, with a silver-white base, black stripes, and exposed fangs, making him look extremely fierce and menacing.

The second one is a scholar, tall and slender, with a composed gait.

The mask is shaped like the mythical beast Vermilion Bird, with a crimson base, towering feather crest, and a pair of calm, water-like eyes visible through the openwork.

The third one was the most imposing, extremely tall, with shoulders as broad as a wall, and exuding the fierce aura of a veteran general.

He wore a mask shaped like the mythical beast Xuanwu, with a dark background and a coiled tortoise and snake design, giving it a heavy and ancient feel.

The fourth one was in his early twenties, with a wiry build and an air of nobility from the southern frontier.

The mask is shaped like the mythical Tengshe (a mythical serpent), with a green background and its forked tongue sticking out, giving it a somewhat eerie feel.

"This is the rumored newly formed personal guard of His Majesty, the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi?" Shen Yourong's gaze froze, lost in thought. "Why are there only four?"

"Are there five?" Sun Chengzong asked, pointing to a burly man eating rice not far away.

"Azure Dragon?" Shen Yourong followed Sun Chengzong's finger to a table in the corner. He was holding a Azure Dragon mask in one hand to half-cover his face, and in the other hand, he was showing off a roast chicken.

You could vaguely see him puffing out his cheeks and chewing a few times. A moment later, with a soft "plop," a cleanly gnawed chicken bone appeared on the table.

Judging from his smooth and fluid movements, it was clear that this wasn't the first time he had done it.

Shen Yourong was dumbfounded.

The Azure Dragon Commander, oblivious to the stares of others, grabbed another fried chicken and did the same thing.

In the blink of an eye, a small mountain of bones had already piled up in front of them.

The bright red chili powder sprinkled on the fried chicken dripped down his chin, but he didn't care. He just wiped it with his sleeve and reached for it again.

The palace maids nearby dared not neglect the task and handed it over plate after plate.

"This..." Shen Yourong couldn't help but ask Sun Chengzong in a low voice, "Grand Secretary Sun, is this how cabinet meetings are now?"

"Today is a bit special, don't worry about it!" Sun Chengzong said with a smile.

"So... all the commanders of the Six Divine Guards are like this? That's so unruly!"

"No!" Sun Chengzong pointed to the other four people who had sat down.

The White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Soaring Serpent sat upright with their backs straight, unlike the Azure Dragon which was unruly.

But they seemed completely unconcerned about Qinglong's appearance, as if they were already used to it.

"Who is this great deity?" Shen Yourong continued to observe the Azure Dragon.

The man had strong arms, broad shoulders, and a thick waist. When he sat down, his height was almost the same as that of the Black Tortoise next to him. It seemed that this man was not much shorter than the Black Tortoise, and was at least over eight feet tall.

The half of his face visible at the edge of the mask was quite handsome, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips, and white teeth—the features of a dashing young man.

He was somewhat unsure, so he asked, "The Zhu family army? Did they pull out a powerful regional prince? Or is it a member of that prince's family?"

"You'll find out later!" Sun Chengzong said with a mysterious smile.

"?..."

Just as Shen Yourong was about to continue speaking, she suddenly remembered the new Ming Dynasty banknotes she had seen at the grand court assembly earlier that day.

The banknotes were printed with the names of six founding heroes of the Hongwu Emperor: Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Li Wenzhong, Tang He, Mu Ying, and Lan Yu—six fierce generals in six different denominations.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind like lightning, startling him so much that a cold sweat broke out on his back.

The six guardian deities of Tianqi are exactly six: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Tengshe... and Gouchen, who has not yet appeared.

Five people came today.

The name and the totem on the back of the precious paper are exactly the same.

In addition to the three major camps, His Majesty clearly intends to cultivate his own personal guard, the Six Divine Guards of Tianqi.

These people were all wearing masks, their identities were mysterious, and even he, the naval governor, could not recognize them all.

They obey only the emperor; they are a hidden blade in the emperor's hand.

Thinking hard.

Shen Yourong was lost in thought when she suddenly heard an announcement from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived!"