Twenty-six-year-old Zhang Fu was fully armored. As a guard of the Eastern Palace, he didn't see the Crown Prince often, but he still had to accompany him occasionally. Whether the Crown Prince was leaving the palace or practicing martial arts, he was always by his side.
Xu Yingxu, who was missing two fingers, also hurried over. He was only twenty-eight years old and still young.
"Your Highness," Xu Yingxu greeted with a smile, "So you're also going to enter the palace?"
Zhang Yu had distinguished himself in the Northern Expedition a few years ago and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wuding for his merits. This naturally elevated Zhang Fu's status as well, and he is now the rightful 'Heir Apparent of the Marquis of Wuding'.
Zhang Fu dared not be careless and quickly greeted the Marquis of Wucheng, saying, "This humble servant greets the Marquis of Wucheng."
Xu Yingxu's identity goes without saying; he was the second son of Xu Da, the Prince of Zhongshan, who was still alive, the second elder brother of the Empress, and the second maternal uncle of the Crown Prince. This nobleman from a prominent family had also served as bait in the Northern Expedition a few years earlier, which is why he was able to be ennobled for his merits.
Although many people knew that Xu Yingxu's reward was a bit too generous, no one could find too much fault with it. After all, Xu Yingxu had truly made contributions, and he could be considered a true son of a military family, not disgracing the reputation of the Prince of Zhongshan.
“We are about the same age. Years ago in the north, Marquis Wuding could be considered a comrade-in-arms.” Xu Yingxu laughed, but also with a hint of regret. “I’m physically disabled. Otherwise, I might have had some opportunities in Goryeo. I might have even been able to win the imperial edict.”
Marquis Wucheng is indeed a marquis, but unfortunately, the title is not hereditary, which is a small regret for Xu Yingxu. Fortunately, he is still young, and even though he has few opportunities to go to the battlefield again, he still has the chance to obtain a hereditary title.
A young eunuch appeared and immediately said, "This servant greets Marquis Wucheng and the heir apparent of Marquis Wuding. By order of the Crown Prince, the two of you are to enter the Chunhe Palace. Commander-in-Chief Xu Zengshou is to enter the Imperial Guard Orphan Army to inspect the officers."
Xu Yingxu paused for a moment, then his expression turned serious. "This eunuch, the Ministry of War is responsible for inspecting the military officers..."
The young eunuch said with a bitter face, "My lord, please don't make things difficult for me. How would I know about these things?"
Zhang Fu then said, "My lord, I think it's best to just follow orders. It's just a matter of mustering troops, nothing else."
It can only be said that Xu Yingxu was a little too concerned and confused. This was just a troop-calling ceremony, simply fulfilling his duty. It wasn't about leading the soldiers out of the camp, so there was nothing to be afraid of. He had indeed been overthinking things a bit.
I followed the eunuch to the East Palace and went directly to see His Highness the Crown Prince.
Little Zhu sat in the chair, and said in a serious tone, "Marquis Wucheng, today I bestow upon you the military tally. Inspect the orphans of the Imperial Guard, their troops, and their weapons. The number of soldiers and officers must be counted."
Xu Yingxu was not flustered at this moment. Having the military tally was naturally a good thing. "Your subject obeys the decree."
Having the military tally was no problem, especially with Shuangquan standing right next to him. He was a eunuch who had always been by the Emperor Emeritus's side, which meant that the Emperor Emeritus had also given his approval.
Xiao Zhu, with a stern face, continued, "The Ministry of War's transfer order will arrive soon. You should return to your camp first. The orphan of the Imperial Guard will be transferred to the capital garrison and established as the Imperial Guard. Zhang Fu, you are the commander of the Imperial Guard."
Zhang Fu's expression brightened with joy. This was a third-rank official position! He could now be said to have "entered the inner sanctum" of the court, and was now truly no longer inferior to the emperor.
Xu Yingxu also felt somewhat excited, mainly because of the characteristics of these Imperial Guard Orphans, which everyone knew. At first, everyone understood that this was somewhat imitating the Imperial Guard Orphans during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, who took in the orphans of meritorious soldiers.
However, as everyone has noticed, the Imperial Guards of the Ming Dynasty have always been under the Crown Prince's command. This seems to be even more important than the Crown Prince's Three Guards, making them the true core of the Crown Prince's faction.
Now that the orphans of the Imperial Guard have been established as a separate garrison, it's clear that a formal plan is underway. The inclusion of such a garrison into the Capital Garrison naturally signifies a more special status for the Imperial Guard, and it appears that the Imperial Guard can now also serve His Highness the Crown Prince.
At this moment, Xiao Zhu continued, "Zhang Fu, I intend to send you to lead the Imperial Guard north to Goryeo to serve under the Duke of Zhongshan. I will be attending court tomorrow, and Marquis Wucheng should also be careful."
Xu Yingxu's expression immediately turned awkward. There was no problem with the Crown Prince attending court; in fact, it would be a pleasant surprise for Xu Yingxu. After all, the Crown Prince hadn't attended court for a long time, so his presence in the court was somewhat diminished, even though everyone knew that the Crown Prince's position was secure and that he was indeed quite young.
However, appearing more often in court can be said to be absolutely not a bad thing. It's just that now, as soon as one attends court, one has to participate in military discussions. Isn't that a little bit sensitive?
Moreover, according to the Crown Prince's wishes, he still hopes that the nobles of the Zhongshan Prince's lineage will support him after the court session tomorrow, which is undoubtedly even more sensitive.
Just as Xu Yingxu was wondering how to answer, Xiao Zhu said, "It's not easy for Second Uncle to come to the palace. Let's go see Mother. We still have things to say to Zhang Fu. Our Imperial Guards are going to Goryeo this time, so we can't let them lose face."
Xu Yingxu had mixed feelings, but at this point he could only obediently leave. He even felt a sense of relief; if the Crown Prince acted recklessly, he would complain to the Empress first. He couldn't easily persuade the Crown Prince, but the Empress could restrain him.
Xu Yingxu's biggest fear was that the Crown Prince was fond of martial arts; it seemed that all the emperors of the Zhu family were fond of military affairs. The independence of the Imperial Guards was a good thing, but Xu Yingxu was afraid that the Crown Prince would act on his own initiative and try to incite the Xu faction to make their voices heard in court.
That would certainly not be a good thing. The current emperor is still young; how could he allow such a thing to happen? The Xu faction naturally supports the crown prince, that much is certain. However, if the Xu faction acts rashly, it would be the biggest blow to the crown prince, as they are his core supporters.
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