Chapter 4: Consolidating the Imperial Guards (Part 1)

The sound of cracking! It resembles the sound of a whip striking!

At this moment, everyone was utterly bewildered, not knowing how the Emperor suddenly came up with this statement. The eunuch was equally perplexed; logically speaking, if the soldiers were dissatisfied with their rations and had assaulted a eunuch, the Emperor should have long since taken them out for a beheading game! Only the old eunuch understood in his heart that this unfortunate colleague was in for a misfortune

Along the way, Tang Xuan did not allow the old eunuch to shout anything like "His Majesty has arrived". Firstly, the old fellow's voice was truly unpleasant, and secondly, he did not want to startle anyone. As it is written in a certain book, being ugly is not your fault, but scaring people everywhere is indeed your mistake! With his own appearance, combined with the eunuch's shrill voice, it was simply a perfect match! Going out to scare people would surely frighten them half to death! With his own appearance, combined with the eunuch's shrill voice, it was simply a perfect match! Going out to scare people would surely frighten them half to death!

Tang Xuan smiled faintly and said, "If you don't put in some effort, you might really be thrown down to face the fire!" He whispered, "I need to borrow your money and make use of your people! Don't say you don't have any. You are a smart person and know what to do, right? Rest assured, I will repay you double for your money. By then, the whole world will belong to me, and you will certainly benefit from it."

Tang Xuan smiled and then spoke to the old eunuch in a serious tone: "Old Yu, I need to borrow some items and books from you. Are you willing?" The old eunuch hurriedly replied: "As long as Your Majesty finds any use for this old servant, I am willing to go through fire and water for you"

"One or two taels of silver?" The soldiers' eyes widened; this could be their salary for half a month! At that moment, no one hesitated any longer, and they rushed forward madly to scoop up the food, desperately shoving it into their mouths! They feared that if they ate too slowly, there would be no second bowl to eat!

Ah! A tyrant is not truly terrifying! A wise ruler is also not truly terrifying! What is truly terrifying is when you consider him a tyrant, yet he understands more than anyone else, and when you regard him as a wise ruler, he becomes confused!

The sergeant scolded, "What are you so proud of, you worthless thing? I will directly follow General Zheng's orders! If there is to be punishment, it won't be from you bunch of dogs!"

The old eunuch lowered his head and said, "Yes! Your Majesty!" Tang Xuan said, "Quickly go and order someone to prepare the meal again!" The old eunuch exchanged glances with several other eunuchs, and those few hurriedly ran out.

Tang Xuan asked the eunuch to take him to the dining area of the Imperial Guards. His next objective was to win over the Imperial Guards, transforming them into a truly loyal army. Otherwise, his position as emperor would be in constant jeopardy.

When Tang Xuan and his companions arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Guard's mess hall, a sudden crash echoed as a food tray fell to the ground. Following that, someone shouted in dissatisfaction: "What kind of food is this? It’s barely fit for pigs! My brothers are risking their lives; are we really expected to eat this?"

The eunuch had never heard such an order before, but considering that the Emperor today was unlike any other day, as if he had become a different person, he did not dare to make wild guesses. He respectfully acknowledged with a "yes." Embezzlement, accepting bribes, and cutting expenses were things he often did. However, now that he was ordered to do so, it felt rather awkward.

When Tang Xuan looked at the group of soldiers again, he saw that each of them had their heads lowered, not daring to make eye contact with him. Many of them could not help but tremble, as in the palace, for individuals in their position, it was a trivial matter for the Emperor to execute a few hundred when displeased.

How bold! You have gone too far! Pick up this food and eat it! Otherwise, do not blame our whip for being merciless! Another shout from the eunuch echoed.

Tang Xuan thought: "It is still difficult to find the first person to eat crabs! I will add some incentive for you! People say that under heavy rewards, there must be fools; I will give it a try!" He then spoke loudly: "What? Afraid there is poison in this food? Haha! If I wanted to harm you, I would just chop you down! Why waste this food? Old Yu, serve me a bowl!"

The eunuch, without a moment's hesitation, resolutely said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this old servant will obey all your commands, and I will have no other intentions!" Tang Xuan nodded, quite satisfied, and said: "First, help me raise one million taels of silver!"

Tang Xuan sneered softly, leisurely pacing his steps as he slowly walked to the center of the dining hall. Stepping on the food scattered on the ground, he suddenly shouted loudly: "Is this all my Imperial Guard eats every day? This is utterly unacceptable!"

Tang Xuan sneered and said, "What is going on here?" As soon as he spoke these words, he found it amusing himself. He had heard everything clearly from beginning to end just moments ago. However, as the emperor, he naturally had to put on a show and have his subordinates report to him.

The eunuch appeared to be extremely angry, raising his voice and cursing: "You lowly warriors! Just wait and see how I will deal with you!"

Tang Xuan thought about putting on the dragon robe, but felt there was still some distance between him and the soldiers. He then ordered the old eunuch to bring a set of Imperial Guard uniform. Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, he put it on and immediately felt quite impressive! His imposing presence was reminiscent of a scarecrow placed in the vegetable garden to frighten away the chickens and birds. Tang Xuan recalled that he had once found a tattered, yellowed military uniform to dress the scarecrow! Looking back now, he realized he had quite the foresight as a child. What if he had found a skirt for the scarecrow back then? Perhaps he would have transformed into a noble lady by now!

Tang Xuan walked to the front and laughed aloud, "Have the guards from yesterday been accounted for? I shall reward each of them with ten taels of silver!" Upon hearing this, the soldiers were filled with joy and expressed their gratitude in unison. Shortly thereafter, the food was brought back, far better than before, leaving the soldiers in awe. Tang Xuan smiled with satisfaction and said, "You need not be polite; eat more! I will join you in your meal!" Yet, not a single person dared to step forward to eat.

The soldiers felt even more ashamed upon reflection! They saw that the old eunuch had already prepared a bowl of food for the Emperor, who picked it up and began to eat, casually saying: "For every bowl eaten, I will reward one tael of silver. If you are unwilling to eat, haha! I shall save some silver!"

"Do you dare?" the sergeant shouted fiercely, "Looking for death! Get out of my way!" With a loud bang, it seemed that the eunuch fell heavily, crying out in distress, while the other soldiers erupted in cheers!

One million taels? The eunuch hesitated, unsure why the Emperor needed so much silver. Tang Xuan said, "As long as it does not disturb the common people, you can use any means to obtain it. Have the ministers contribute some, or even cut back on the palace expenses! It doesn't matter if the food is a bit less or the clothing is a bit poorer"

Tang Xuan and the eunuchs entered like phantoms. The soldiers, who were in high spirits just moments before, were instantly taken aback upon seeing Tang Xuan and his companions. Almost simultaneously, they reacted, hurriedly kneeling down and exclaiming in unison: "Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long, long live!" The soldiers felt a sense of unease in their hearts, ... just a moment ago ...! ... they had been mocking the eunuchs, which was a capital offense!

Emperor Tang Xuan pointed at the food on the ground and said to the eunuch, "You will lick these dishes clean for me! If you leave even half a bite, beware of your head!" He then spoke softly to the kneeling soldiers, "Get up! I have come today merely to take a look! You need not worry!" He turned to the old eunuch and said, "From now on, I will eat with the Imperial Guards! Whatever they eat, I will eat! Do you understand?" You need not worry!" He turned to the old eunuch and said, "From now on, I will eat with the Imperial Guards! Whatever they eat, I will eat! Do you understand?"

A eunuch in his thirties crawled over from the ground, weeping: "Your Majesty! These imperial guards are running amok here, bullying the servants! You must stand up for me!"