Chapter 14: Secret Fight (5)

Zhou Liangkun cleared his throat and finally spoke: "General Chen Huai, you have brought people to monitor me day and night these days, and it's hard work." Chen Huai frowned slightly when he heard it, and only replied coldly: "Where is the responsibility, why not talk about the word "hard work?" Zhou Liangkun smiled embarrassedly and asked: "I don't know when General Chen plans to monitor?"

Chen Huai lowered his face and replied bluntly: "Is Lord Zhou here today just to talk about this? If Lord Zhou is not satisfied with Chen Huai's surveillance, please go directly to discuss with Lord Di. Chen Huai was just ordered to act." Zhou Liangkun shook his head and said casually: "Oh, General Chen is a little at ease, my father is just a few greetings." Chen Huai sneered: "It is not common for such greetings."

Zhou Liangkun was stunned for a moment, his eyes suddenly shone brightly, looking at Chen Huai, he said meaningfully: "General Chen, I have been an official for decades, and my experience and rank are not worse than your Lord Di Renjie. I know what kind of person to greet." Chen Huai was shocked and lowered his head and fell silent. Zhou Liangkun looked at Chen Huai thoughtfully: his angular face, his smart and capable expression, especially his eyes, deep and gloomy, and he looked very mature. Zhou Liangkun sighed in his heart, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, are you really sure of such a person?

However, due to the situation, there was no longer much time for them to hesitate and wander. Zhou Liangkun decided to go straight in and caught the other party off guard: "General Chen Huai, as far as I know, you have been the guard of Master Di for a long time, right?" "Master Zhou said it well." Chen Huai adjusted his attitude to a little humble and agreed: "Bi Zhi was sent by the emperor to Master Di at the end of last year." "Where did General Chen hold a position before?" "Before, Bei Zhi served as the commander of Guo Yi in Zhechong Prefecture, Bingzhou for five years." "What before?"

"Before?" Chen Huai glanced at Zhou Liangkun with some doubts, but saw the other party sitting upright with a expressionless face. Chen Huai thought for a while and replied: "Before going to Bingzhou, Chen Huai served in the Yulin Guard of Shendu for many years." Zhou Liangkun followed his voice and said, "But General Chen joined the inner guard before going to Bingzhou, right?"

Zhou Liangkun's voice was not high, and his tone was very plain, as if he was asking about an inconspicuous household matter, but a shocking thunder sounded in Shen Huai's ears. As experienced as him, he couldn't help but feel panic in the deepest part of his eyes. He was really afraid!

The Wu Emperor's Inner Defense Organization was an open secret in the Great Zhou court. As early as when the Empress was just the Empress Dowager, in order to strengthen her rule, monitor and crack down on all opposing forces, the Empress began to gradually establish this force outside the court, which was fully controlled and sent. During the first period when the Empress ascended the throne, the Inner Defense played an important role in her killing dissidents and quelling rebellions one after another. In the process of quickly and completely eliminating the opponent, the inner guards can be said to have used all kinds of despicable and cruel means to the extreme in the process of performing their missions: secret reports, undercover agents, assassinations, counter-espionage, frame-ups, frame-ups... The various conspiracies and cruel killings made people terrified of the inner guards. When the Wu Emperor was at its peak and the activities of the inner guards were the most rampant, the Great Zhou court, no matter what faction or official origin, suffered more or less from the inner guards, and they could be said to be hated to the core.

If you do unrighteously, you will die, and the inner guards will not be able to get out of the law of prosperity and decline. The rule of Emperor Wu gradually stabilized, and the Great Zhou court moved from chaos to order. At least on the surface, the court situation also changed from darkness to prosperity. Emperor Wu, who consolidated the throne, began to correct his cruel and perverted image, and increasingly valued upright officials including Di Renjie. The inner guards and cruel officials who were once her confidant minions slowly lost their power. After losing power, their fate was usually the most tragic. The first thing to be affected was the cruel officials headed by Junchen, who had committed so many crimes of persecution and murder, and had been hated by the people of the world to grit their teeth. In order to calm the public's grievances, Emperor Wu abandoned them without hesitation. So Lai Junchen and other groups of cruel officials were sentenced to death one after another. After their death, they were corpsed on the streets and allowed the people to peel and tear their flesh to vent their anger.

The situation of the inner guard is relatively complicated. Compared with cruel officials, their behavior is more concealed and the organization is tighter. The members are of mixed quality and cannot be generalized. In fact, the real inner guard members are divided into two categories. One is led by the inner guard Pavilion of the Wu Emperor’s confidant, and is responsible for completing the secret tasks assigned by the Wu Emperor. During the execution of the mission, some public position may be temporarily granted due to needs, but once the task is completed, they will still return to the jurisdiction of the inner guard office and belong to the official member of the inner guard. Since the magical power, the inner guard’s tasks have become fewer and less and less effective, so

To calm down the long-term hatred of the inner guards of officials at all levels, Emperor Wu gradually abolished many formal inner guards, and the number of people under the inner guards under the jurisdiction of the inner guards has decreased to one-tenth and two of the heyday. Since the second year of the Shengli period, Emperor Wu's illness has been depressed and basically ignored the affairs of the inner guards. Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong took over. In the eyes of outsiders, the inner guards today have completely become the minion institution in the hands of the second Zhang, and they are just relying on the remaining power of Emperor Wu to do whatever they want. The majority of the inner guards who have been cut off are despised because of their reputation.

However, few people know that there is actually another type of inner guards in Wuhuang. The identities of this type of inner guards are much more secret than those under the inner guards under the inner guards, because they are actually formal officials appointed by the court, and their names have never appeared on the list of inner guards. They are the group of people with the darkest secrets in the Great Zhou court. These people are all located in every corner of the court and the country, and they all have serious appearances and prominent positions. They are in their respective careers. They should not have been with the inner guards.

They are all disgraceful. They are only because of their extreme desire for wealth and glory; or because of some bad deeds in their early years; or simply for excitement, by various chances, they were recruited privately as secret members of the inner guards, and completed a special mission for the Emperor of Wu at a certain period. The rewards they received were huge, either a leap in their career or a large amount of money. In the course of their lives, they should be gambled appropriately, which is about the behavior of these people.

Because this type of inner guard is all official officials with formal positions, the recruitment process is extremely confidential. Usually, only those responsible for recruitment can directly know their identity. The tasks assigned to them are often one-time. As long as the mission is completed well, they can get corresponding rewards and then they can continue to do their public careers safely. As an inner guard, this process seems to be temporary. Apart from the strange success, it will not have any other impact on their lives. Later, even they themselves almost forgot the special identity they once had, and wishfully hope that the past will pass. As an inner guard, the short process is like a stain on the most important part of the body, covered by layers of clothing, and has long been invisible.

Unfortunately, no matter how deep the secret is, as long as two people know it, it will not be considered secret. What is terrible is that it is precisely because of the degree of secrets that even these people themselves do not know. Who is in their hands, and among the people they face every day in the court, are there any of their own kind? Even if the hidden stains are buried deep, they always make them unable to sleep or eat, like a thorn in their throats. After all, the tasks they have completed are shameful, and they all involve the highest power of the court. Once known, they will pose a fatal threat to the glory and even their lives. The taste of being coerced is the most uncomfortable, but I am afraid that one day they will be coerced will be even more uncomfortable!

Chen Huai should be considered the last group of members of this type of person. Chen Huai, who had been in the Yulin Guard for many years but was not promoted. Chen Huai, who was depressed, accepted Wu Zhifei's recruitment and went to Bingzhou with him to investigate the rebellion case of King Wu Chengsi of Wei. Everything that happened in Bingzhou was heartbroken for Di Renjie, but Yu Chen Huai was like an opportunity from heaven. Not only did he complete his mission, but he also unexpectedly replaced Li Yuanfang's position, came to the side of the important minister Di Ge Lao, and became his chief guard, and was promoted to several levels, from the sixth-rank Guoyi Duwei to the fourth-rank general. Although Chen Huai still had some unpleasant things today, he could still be called a proud and proud spring breeze. At the same time, what he cared about most was his former identity as an inner guard. In his opinion, Di Renjie's approach to him was largely due to his past.
Chapter completed!