As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Song Zhong considered himself quite lucky, but this also made him more cautious.
He was originally just a low-ranking commander, with higher-ranking officials such as the Garrison Commander, the Assistant Commander, the Deputy Commander, and the Commander above him. However, he was assigned to serve the current emperor, who was then the Crown Prince, at a young age.
As it turned out, his luck changed. He thought that if he persevered, he might still be of some use, or leave some good karma for his descendants. Who knew that things would turn out like this, and suddenly he became a remarkable commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Mao Xiang was essentially "discarded after his usefulness was over," pushed out by the retired emperor to quell public anger and serve in Goryeo and Japan. However, it was still relatively good that, although he was "exiled," he could be considered to have died a peaceful death, ensuring that his descendants were well-fed and clothed in the Ming Dynasty and received some imperial duties.
Jiang Huan, who was originally considered the most likely successor to Mao Xiang, was a member of the late emperor's inner circle. However, he had only served as commander for a short time when the late emperor passed away. Naturally, Jiang Huan had to relinquish his position as commander and go on to help Wang Chengen set up the Eastern Depot and start afresh.
Having risen to power somewhat unexpectedly, Song Zhong was well aware of the current emperor's temperament, so he naturally needed to be even more careful.
Suddenly, a centurion rushed into the garrison headquarters, his face filled with fear. "Commander, urgent report!"
Song Zhong hurriedly took the urgent secret report, glanced at it, and his expression changed drastically.
"Where is His Highness Prince Wu?" Song Zhongqiang asked quickly, trying to remain calm. "Send men to find His Highness Prince Wu immediately, without delay!"
After saying this, Song Zhong hurriedly ran towards the Wuying Hall.
On the imperial city side, the central government offices were mainly located on both sides of the Thousand-Step Corridor inside the Hongwu Gate. On the east side were the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Imperial Clan Court; on the west side of the Thousand-Step Corridor were the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Rear Army Commandery, the Front Army Commandery, the Right Army Commandery, the Left Army Commandery, and the Central Army Commandery, basically following the layout of civil officials on the left and military officials on the right.
Moreover, behind the Thousand Steps Corridor, departments such as the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Flag Guard also had their own territory, which was their official office.
Zhu Yunying, who was working in the Wuying Hall, was unaware of these matters and continued to concentrate on his official duties. Song Zhong, who had rushed over, glanced at Wang Chengen and thought that Wang Chengen was, after all, just a eunuch, even if he was the head of the Eastern Depot, he was still unprofessional.
Wang Chengen didn't have much of an awareness; he felt his primary task was simply to serve the Emperor. He only held the title of Director of the Eastern Depot; most matters were handled by Jiang Huan, who was far more professional.
As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Song Zhong knew that his position was still quite high. Even though the Embroidered Uniform Guard had had its powers reduced considerably in recent years, Song Zhong knew that it still held a high position in His Majesty's heart, and that His Majesty still had sufficient trust in it.
Sitting in the emperor's confidant's seat, Song Zhong was summoned and entered the Wuying Hall. He remained silent, kneeling on the ground and holding up a secret letter.
Something serious must have happened, otherwise Song Zhong wouldn't have rushed here so hastily. Furthermore, Song Zhong's attitude also made Wang Chengen uneasy. Even Zhu Yunying, sitting on the dragon throne, was worried.
Wang Chengen took the secret letter and hurriedly handed it to Zhu Yunying. Zhu Yunying also quickly opened the letter and was immediately stunned.
Princess Kaiping fell seriously ill half a month ago, but she forbade anyone in the household to discuss it, and even forbade Duke Chang Mao and others from submitting memorials. It was only because the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) in Beiping were observant that they discovered some clues and hurriedly uncovered some information.
He became seriously ill half a month ago, and with the expedited transfer, it's probably been about a month in total.
Zhu Yunying panicked and hurriedly asked, "Where is the Prince of Wu? Summon him to the palace immediately! Quickly!"
Seeing that Zhu Yunying was somewhat out of control, Wang Chengen quickly advised, "Your Majesty, Prince Wu went hunting outside the city today, accompanied by Prince Lu and Prince Jingjiang."
"Bring him back, right now!" Joo Yoon-young hurriedly stood up and said anxiously, "Hurry up, don't delay!"
Wang Chengen hurriedly went to deliver the imperial edict, naturally sending a lowly eunuch to do so. However, Shuangquan, who was guarding outside the Wuying Hall, immediately slipped away and ran towards the Qianqing Palace.
Shuangquan knew that the current emperor was the emperor emeritus's favorite. Although he had once served under Wang Chengen, and was essentially placed under the emperor emeritus's command by the current emperor, Shuangquan had long since learned some things over the years.
The retired emperor wouldn't hide many things from the current emperor. But there were some things he wouldn't help the current emperor hide from the retired emperor.
Just like now, everyone knows that Wang Chengen is the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, but Shuangquan still stands guard by his side. He appears to be the Emperor Emeritus's eyes and ears, but this isn't to monitor the current emperor; it's just that the Emperor Emeritus is too concerned about the current emperor.
Old Zhu received the news, and although he didn't know exactly what had happened, his beloved grandson's outburst meant something serious must have occurred.
Old Zhu, who rushed to the Wuying Hall, asked directly, "Ying'er, what happened?"
"Grandfather, our maternal grandmother is seriously ill," Zhu Yunying said directly without hiding anything. "We're afraid something bad might happen."
Old Zhu took the secret report and read it carefully. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had discovered that the Princess of Kaiping was seriously ill, but she was intentionally concealing the news. After all, her identity was too special, and if this news got out, it would definitely cause a major incident.
Old Zhu sighed and said, "Have Yunhu go there immediately. She's already in this state; I'm afraid it will put you in a difficult position!"
Zhu Yunying nodded, and said with some helplessness, "Grandson knows that Grandmother seems to be closest to Yunhuo, but she has always been thinking about us. Over the years, most of the things we do have been taken care of by her."
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