Chapter 96: Honor Guard
Three days later, Xiao Yi focused on reorganization and training.
In addition to his unique training methods, he incorporated weapons, archery, and horsemanship. It was a simple formation, with repeated thrusts and chops.
Every morning, they would run four laps around the palace walls with weights, about twenty li. Their shouts shook the heavens. In the evenings, they sang. On horseback, the Imperial Guard’s various units came to recognize this new Inner Palace Guard.
On November 24th, just after returning from a weighted run, he saw an eunuch waiting between the corridors.
Xiao Yi had seen the man once before and stepped forward to ask, “Are you Duke Wang, the Deputy Envoy of the Gate Bureau?”
“You don’t need to call me ‘Duke,’ General Xiao. It’s good that the old servant is remembered. Just call me Wang Yan.”
After speaking, Wang Yan coughed twice and said, “The Empress Dowager’s oral decree, for the Commander of the Inner Palace Guard, Xiao Yi, to receive! You are ordered to lead twenty men to transfer their post to Zi Chen Hall.”
Xiao Yi paused slightly.
His current superior was the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, Wang Yin, and above him was Guo Wei.
He was not familiar with the rules and did not know if Empress Dowager Li’s transfer of him was in accordance with regulations.
Wang Yan smiled as if he had expected this and said, “At noon today, Duke Guo and the officials will enter the palace for discussions. If General Xiao believes the Empress Dowager cannot move you, then *ha*, this is an Imperial Guard transfer order. Accept it.”
At this point, Wang Yan produced Wang Yin’s order from his sleeve.
It clearly stated that from now on, Xiao Yi and Li Chongjin would alternately guard the inner court on even and odd days.
Since there was an order, and yet this happened, it was likely the Empress Dowager’s intention to play a small trick, to gradually cultivate his habit of acting on imperial decrees.
Xiao Yi was also quite gracious and replied, “Your subordinate respectfully receives the Empress Dowager’s oral decree.”
“Good, good. General Xiao is a sensible person.”
This was the attitude Wang Yan wanted. A smile spread across his face, and he returned to the inner palace through the gate.
That gate, though guarded by Xiao Yi, he had never entered…
Having selected twenty soldiers of similar build, he began to don the armor of the Inner Palace Guard.
This was the finest ceremonial uniform of the Imperial Guard – the lamellar and bright light armor.
It differed from his original lamellar armor in several respects.
The main breastplate was a gilded silver bright mirror, with fine scales on the sides. Xiao Yi’s set had a ring of bronze gold studs around the edge, distinguishing it from ordinary soldiers.
As Old Pan helped him put on the armor, he couldn’t help but sigh, “This armor is so exquisite, the scales are smaller than my thumb!” It took him and Hua Nong working together to tighten the leather straps.
Furthermore, the shoulder guards were gilded wrought iron wrapped in black leather, carved with swallowing beast motifs; the waist guard was three inches wide, enhancing a tall physique and supporting the waist; the leg guards were adorned with fine scales; the helmet was a phoenix-wing helmet, adorned with plumes and a face guard, which usually flipped up, but would fall down in the event of an assassin.
It was indeed heavy, weighing more than thirty catties.
“General, this is too magnificent!”
“General, you are truly heroic! I am far inferior…”
This time, as they changed armor, the brothers Lu You and Lu Chou happened to be nearby. They no longer dared to say that Xiao Yi’s appearance was comparable to theirs, but the two of them could only repeat the same few phrases, and couldn’t offer much praise.
It was Zhang Mantun who spoke the truth.
“When I put on armor, I kill people. General, you are seducing young women. You’re not fighting or killing enemies, so what’s the point?”
“Get lost. Go to your drills.”
Xiao Yi hung the ceremonial sash, adorned it with various pendants, tied a purple silk tassel to his sabre, and displayed his bronze tablet to show he was the Commander. His golden fish pouch contained his entry permit to the palace.
Finally, he meticulously inspected each person’s clothing, armor, and bronze tablet, adjusting all the details.
After they were fully equipped, they no longer looked as rough as before. They were refined yet deadly, cold yet rigorous.
“March!”
The Inner Guard Gate slowly opened.
Entering the palace, they passed through the long Yong Alley, flanked by towering vermilion walls, with only the sound of their orderly footsteps echoing.
Xiao Yi already valued his demeanor. Today, clad in armor as a palace ceremonial guard, he stood as straight as a pine tree, marching with a standard, square-stepped gait.
His posture and steps had been diligently practiced and refined. In the past, he had substituted for others’ backs, hands, feet, muscles, and various movements, so he was naturally outstanding.
An aura of presence caused the armored soldiers behind him to respectfully follow in silence.
Upon reaching Jiafu Gate, an old eunuch examined Xiao Yi’s talisman and said with a smile, “It’s General Xiao. Beyond this gate is the imperial harem. There are many rules, General, so please be mindful.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yi did not speak much and led his men inside.
Indeed, the atmosphere changed as soon as they entered.
Palace servants walked lightly, their eyes all fixed on him. Occasionally, the sharp reprimands of elderly female officials could be heard.
“Still looking? Don’t you know the rules?”
“But that general is so heroic and handsome.”
“He walks so beautifully…”
Xiao Yi looked straight ahead, continuing through Yong Alley and passing Tai Ji Gate.
Ahead lay a vast plaza, with Zi Chen Hall standing tall, appearing even more majestic in the daylight.
It had double-eaved hip-and-gable roofs, with layers of interlocking brackets.
Ascending the steps, he arranged his subordinates to line up under the corridor outside the hall. He then removed his sabre and helmet, stepped into the hall, and reported to Empress Dowager Li.
Zi Chen Hall was still as cold as ever, with a chill seeping from the cracks in the blue bricks.
Inside, vermilion pillars were wrapped with white silk streamers, which hung down.
The imperial throne had been removed and replaced with a temporarily erected mourning hall, which was quite simple.
The coffin was covered with plain gauze. In front of it was a bronze square ding, with smoke swirling, mingling with the eunuchs’ soft sobs.
A mourning table was set with offerings of three sacrifices, flanked by two plain banners that swayed gently.
There were no officials in the hall, only eunuchs and musicians, creating a somber atmosphere.
Empress Dowager Li sat in the mourning tent to the east of the coffin, dressed in coarse linen mourning clothes, which were loose. Her gold hairpins and jade pins were removed, leaving only a bamboo hairpin. She wore no makeup, her skin pale, her eyes slightly red, yet she maintained her dignity and composure.
Beside her was a young woman, who must be Empress An. She was also dressed in mourning clothes, her hair in a hanging coil, tied only with white hemp thread.
Empress An knelt, her hands on the ground, motionless, like a sculpture. Xiao Yi walked over ten paces without seeing her move.
“Your subordinate pays respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Please accept my condolences.”
Xiao Yi bowed as he approached.
Last time, Feng Dao had not bowed to him, so he wouldn’t either. This time, being in armor, he could not perform a full ceremony.
Empress Dowager Li turned her head and said, “Xiao Yi, see His Majesty off.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yi, unfamiliar with the etiquette, simply stepped to the front of the coffin and lit three incense sticks.
Recalling the sight of the young man being stabbed to death by the woods, he stood silently for a moment, then placed the incense, raised a cup of sweet wine, and lightly sprinkled it on the white felt in front of the coffin.
Empress An, somehow seeing him light the incense, finally moved. She rose, walked forward gracefully, pulled out the nearly burned incense string from the ding, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and handed the handkerchief to a palace servant.
Xiao Yi glimpsed her appearance. She was very beautiful, with an oval face, a well-proportioned figure, and a dignified demeanor. Her features were flawless.
He had seen many beautiful women, so he knew few could display such poise because they were too thin… Empress An was not fat, but her bone and flesh were well-balanced, giving her a prosperous and peaceful look.
But she was too wooden, like a decorative vase.
Her expression seemed a bit sad, but in reality, she had no emotion. Neither sorrow nor anger, no “vitality,” like a mannequin performing with its shell.
Xiao Yi turned to Empress Dowager Li.
“Your subordinate has been ordered to guard Zi Chen Hall. Please instruct me, Your Majesty.”
“The Son of Heaven is in mourning, and it is so desolate. I have made General Xiao laugh… I heard that you found the Emperor. Tell me about the circumstances at the time.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yi recounted everything, omitting only his conversations with Wei Renpu and Song Yanwo in the woods.
He was not inhibited, and his storytelling differed from that of his contemporaries. Like a theatrical performance, he made the events dramatic, downplaying Liu Chengyou’s tragedy and emphasizing the search process.
By the end, the surrounding palace servants were listening with keen interest. The eunuch tending the charcoal basin even forgot to stir the fire, staring at him with shining eyes. These expressionless palace servants could also be lazy like ordinary people.
It was likely that Liu Chengyou had not been kind to his subordinates, so everyone, when distracted, forgot their sorrow.
Only Empress Dowager Li sighed, her hand gripping the handkerchief tighter, muttering, “What is left in this life for me?”
Xiao Yi felt a pang of guilt and whispered, “The deceased has passed. The living must eventually live on. Your Majesty is in the prime of her life; do not abandon yourself.”
A flicker of surprise seemed to cross Empress Dowager Li’s eyes, but she quickly regained the impassive demeanor of a person in power. She said, “The Emperor was ultimately harmed by these fawning sycophants.”
Empress An obediently sobbed twice.
Her acting was mediocre. It seemed she had no intention of carefully refining her role as Empress anymore.
Xiao Yi said, “The deceased flows like water back to the sea; the living are like solitary boats sailing the river. These few sycophants are but duckweed on the river’s surface. Your Majesty need not concern yourself.”
“This storm has forged you into true gold.”
Empress Dowager Li offered a perfunctory compliment and waved her hand, telling Xiao Yi to stand guard by the hall door.
After about half an hour, as palace servants were sweeping the snow from the stone steps, Feng Dao arrived with the contingent of civil officials.
He wore mourning clothes and leaned on a bronze-and-wood mourning staff. He walked slowly into the hall, bowed three times to the coffin, and took his place in the front row of civil officials on the east side.
Shortly thereafter, Guo Wei arrived with a group of generals, wearing armor and a simple mourning robe draped over it like a cloak, exuding a powerful aura.
He had indeed lost his courtly manners, but his entire family had died and they had not yet held a funeral for them.
“Your subordinate’s armor is on, so I cannot perform the full ceremony. I beg your forgiveness.”
According to protocol, Guo Wei should have been in the ranks of meritorious officials on the west side. However, after speaking, he walked to the east side, towards Feng Dao’s position.
He strode with the clatter of armor. With each step he took, the civil officials’ ranks became more tense.
Xiao Yi watched, seeing Feng Dao, a withered old man, as a solitary boat beneath a giant wave, about to be shattered by Guo Wei’s imposing presence.
Just as he thought Guo Wei was going to seize the front row, Guo Wei stopped and bowed solemnly to Feng Dao.
“Duke Feng, the current situation is unstable. Although I hold military power, I am ignorant of many matters of ritual and governance. I still rely on you to mediate.”
Xiao Yi glanced at the expressions of Wang Jun, Wang Yin, and the others. The generals were all staring intently at Feng Dao, as if pressuring him to submit quickly.
However, Feng Dao did not evade, nor did he help Guo Wei up. He nodded slightly, his hands still gripping the bronze-and-wood mourning staff, accepting the bow calmly, and slowly said, “The late Emperor’s funeral rites concern the nation’s dignity. As the head of the civil officials, I must contribute this ‘last bit of effort’.”
“Duke Feng’s dedication to the nation is admirable.”
Guo Wei then stood with his hands at his sides on the west side.
Instantly, the civil officials visibly relaxed, and a portion of Guo Wei’s generals looked displeased. Yet, there was a subtle calm in the situation.
It was extremely difficult to make the martial men restrain themselves.
In the brief exchange, Xiao Yi pondered Feng Dao’s composure and Guo Wei’s broad perspective. He mused that this was likely a test, and also a way to set the tone of “civil administration and military governance,” which would bring about some change in the current atmosphere.
From the heavy military blockade of the city and layered defense, to selling grain at low prices and reconsidering old cases, and then to attending the national mourning today and respecting Feng Dao, at least in Xiao Yi’s eyes, Guo Wei’s process of assuming power was very stable, forming a stark contrast with Shi Hongzhao.
After the simple memorial rites, the crucial moment of the court discussion soon arrived.
“My Lords.”
Empress Dowager Li spoke, her voice soft and mournful, yet it carried throughout the hall.
“The nation has suffered this misfortune. The imperial artifact cannot be without a master for a single day. We must choose a worthy successor among ‘the Liu clan’ to pacify the state… I ask all officials to discuss.”
