After returning to his Ganlu Palace, Min Huang summoned the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The late emperor not only left Min Huang with a vast territory, but also gave him the two most secret powers in his hands.

One of them is the Embroidered Uniform Guard, an institution founded during the reign of the previous emperor.

Initially, it was intended to understand the situation across the country, but later it developed into a means of collecting intelligence and monitoring officials.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard took orders directly from the emperor and could bypass the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple and other departments to directly arrest, interrogate and sentence "criminals".

For a period of time, the late emperor made extensive use of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, causing everyone in the court to feel insecure and panic.

Especially in the later years of the late emperor, when he felt his body weakening and his life slipping away, he wanted to control everything more and more.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were omnipresent and fabricated many false cases in order to curry favor.

It was such a bloody storm, fortunately the late emperor passed away. If he had continued to make trouble, it would probably have triggered a palace coup!

After this extremely tragic experience, the court officials hated the Embroidered Uniform Guard deeply.

After Min Huang ascended the throne, in order to exercise benevolent governance and win over court officials, he took the initiative to state that he would never use the Embroidered Uniform Guard easily!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was suppressed and was no longer as aggressive and domineering as it was a few years ago.

However, from the moment he heard the secret in Yongshou Palace, Min Huang suddenly realized——

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is still very necessary!

He, an emperor, was like a deaf and blind man.

Not to mention the secrets of "the past", even the secrets between the Queen Mother and Ah Xian should not be considered top secret in the harem.

Otherwise, Zhou Shouyuan would not have said something like "it looks like a riot of colour on the surface, but it's actually a mess".

Even an old eunuch like Zhou Shouyuan had heard of it, but Min Huang, the real owner of the palace, knew nothing about it.

The more Min Huang thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

Therefore, even if it is not specifically for the purpose of investigating what happened "back then", Min Huang still wants to restart the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

"Your Majesty, your ... servant Lu Yuan pays respects to you!"

The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a middle-aged man in his thirties.

His name is Lu Yuan, and he was promoted by the late emperor.

Lu Yuan was originally a descendant of a marquisate. He was the eldest son of the Marquis of Yongchang.

Unfortunately, his biological mother passed away early, and Marquis Yongchang married a second wife, who was also a powerful woman.

Just one year after marrying into the family, the second wife gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, for Marquis Yongchang.

This is an auspicious sign, even the late emperor and the empress dowager gave rewards.

With the help of these two children, the second wife was able to gain a firm foothold in the Yongchang Marquis' Mansion.

As the eldest son of the original wife, Lu Yuan naturally became a thorn in the side of the second wife.

Within a few years, the second wife plotted to cause a rift between the Yongchang Marquis and his son, and Lu Yuan was kicked out of the house.

Lu Yuan is also a ruthless person.

The young man who once lived a life of luxury, when he fell into poverty, did not seek refuge with his maternal family or other relatives and friends, but joined the army directly.

He did not rely on his status to get a medal, but started as a private.

He was a ruthless person, and by fighting recklessly, he managed to gain some fame among the Sixteen Guards.

Once, the late emperor went hunting and "accidentally" encountered a mad black bear. At the critical moment, it was Lu Yuan who bravely stood in front of the late emperor without fear of death.

The late emperor escaped the disaster, and later rewarded Lu Yuan for his merits and called him to his side.

After asking carefully, the late emperor found out that he was the son of a noble family and a young man he had met several times. The late emperor became even more delighted.

People with good background, drive and loyalty should naturally be given important positions.

The late emperor kept Lu Yuan by his side and promoted him all the way. Eventually, Lu Yuan became one of the late emperor's most trusted confidants and commanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Unfortunately, Lu Yuan had just become the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and had not enjoyed his success for two years when the late emperor passed away.

Min Huang, who succeeded to the throne, did not make use of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for various reasons.

Lu Yuan, the once famous and glorious commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, seemed to have become a rat crossing the street.

Those who had been arrested by Lu Yuan or their families all came to "avenge" him.

Lu Yuan had a really hard time in the past three years.

However, Lu Yuan has experienced lows before, and he will not give up easily.

Without mentioning any chicken soup literature about “after bad times come good times”, based solely on facts, Lu Yuan firmly believes that—

The emperor will not keep the Embroidered Uniform Guard silent forever.

Those in power still prefer the feeling of being in control of everything.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards are the emperor’s eyes and ears, and his minions!

As expected, Lu Yuan waited for the opportunity to be "reinstated".

He received the emperor's summons and entered Ganlu Palace again.

Lu Yuan knelt down respectfully and bowed, his cold and sinister face full of awe for the emperor.

Min Huang did not rush to shout.

He looked down at Lu Yuan with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, as if he could see through him.

Lu Yuan lowered his head, his fingers clasped on the floor——

[Your Majesty, though young, already possesses the majesty of a king.]

[Your Majesty is worthy of being the late emperor's chosen successor. Although his aura is slightly weaker than the late emperor's, it is still extremely powerful.]

Min Huang's eyes flashed.

Well, although this guy is still thinking about my father, he doesn’t look down on me.

Unlike those old ministers in the court, who smile on the surface but are disgusted and complaining in their hearts.

Min Huang couldn't "hear" any respect at all.

As for Lu Yuan, although he didn't have much respect, at least he didn't take advantage of his seniority.

Besides, this was the first time Lu Yuan met Min Huang after the death of the late emperor. It would be abnormal if he respected Min Huang from the bottom of his heart.

Lu Yuan is not a loyal minister who abides by the rules and regulations. He is a cruel and ruthless member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who has killed countless people.

He will be loyal to the emperor, but it will take time and effort to completely conquer him from the root.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yuan's knees became numb from kneeling, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Min Huang finally spoke: "Commander Lu, can I trust you?"

Lu Yuan's heart trembled slightly.

He knew this was his only chance.

Whether the Embroidered Uniform Guard will continue to be sealed or can regain its former glory depends on today.

[Your Majesty probably wants to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he's worried that we, the former emperor's old ministers, won't be loyal to Your Majesty!]

[Actually, Your Majesty, you're worrying too much. The Embroidered Uniform Guards are always loyal to the Emperor!]

The previous emperor was the emperor, and the current emperor is also the emperor!

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were loyal to the previous emperor, so naturally they can also be loyal to the current one.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard itself depends on the emperor's favor. Once the emperor no longer values ​​them, no matter how prominent they were in the past, they will only become a stray dog.

After three years of being treated like a rat, not only me but also the brothers were unwilling to live that kind of life again.

Whether out of responsibility or for his own wealth, Lu Yuan had no reason not to be loyal to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you at my utmost!"

Min Huang: ...

Well, although it’s not that satisfactory, it’s not too bad either.

Lu Yuan’s loyalty is definitely not pure enough, but it is still within the range that Min Huang is willing to accept!