Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 299 Clan Uncle Lian Bingcheng

Chapter 299: Chapter 299 Clan Uncle Lian Bingcheng

Logically, secretly summoning someone into the palace for an audience was the most prudent plan, and that had been his original intention.

However, from Hu Miaomiao’s words, he learned that Little Concubine’s Clan Uncle was named Lian Bingcheng, a man whose temper neither bent nor broke, deeply suspicious, trusting no one.

Having brought the person under protection for some days now, Hu Miaomiao was at a loss, as nothing useful had ever been extracted from him.

When asked if he knew they had always been under surveillance, he dropped a single sentence, saying he didn’t know, then with his hands clasped behind, he held his head high and refused to speak further.

Asked why someone wanted to capture them or if they had disputes with anyone, he again claimed ignorance.

In any case, his answer to everything was consistently "do not know," leaving no room for further questions, and one couldn’t even get close, as the person thoroughly did not engage.

Hu Miaomiao’s universally effective smiling face completely lost its power before this person, and he had not managed to inquire a single thing that the Emperor asked him to find out indirectly.

This person’s brother, on the other hand, was somewhat interesting. At the time Hu Miaomiao was bringing Lian Bingcheng’s family back, just before returning they passed a house next door, which had its gate facing a different side. Someone was peeking at them with a sneaky look, craning his neck.

Upon asking, he found out it was Lian Bingcheng’s brother, named Lian Bingcai, and so he also brought him back.

This Lian Bingcai, initially thought his brother had caused trouble that dragged him into it, cried and screamed that it was not his fault, but after Hu Miaomiao conversed kindly with him for a few moments, he looked at Hu Miaomiao as if he had seen a family member.

Upon seeing Hu Miaomiao, he wept and cried out "Great Lord, good Samaritan," saying that someone had captured and beaten him recently, and with the Great Lord protecting him, he felt less afraid.

After a detailed questioning, it was discovered that the man was a gambler who had been tricked and amassed a significant debt. He had almost exhausted his family’s wealth, and had been captured and interrogated fiercely before being finally released, jittery as a startled bird.

Hu Miaomiao, chuckling, circled around him, hoping to extract information about Master Lian’s background.

Upon hearing this question, Lian Bingcai wailed, lamenting, "Why this question again? His brother has only a daughter, no sons, and he even planned to adopt a son for his brother to inherit his wealth."

"He has only one niece, and he’s not even sure when an extra niece came about, if it’s really an extra niece; he absolutely has no idea," he had asked his brother, who utterly ignored him.

At that point, Hu Miaomiao understood that Master Lian’s matters were probably quite secretive, known only to Lian Bingcheng, who kept tight-lipped, not even telling his own brother.

These matters were also corroborated by those sent by Noble Consort Xue to surveil, who said that Lian Bingcheng was like a rock in a cesspool, stinky and hard, and even under the threat of his brother’s life, they couldn’t pry a word from him.

All this Hu Miaomiao reported to the Emperor, hence the Emperor changed his mind and decided to go in person.

His Little Concubine’s Clan Uncle was a respectable man who, even now, continued to protect his Little Concubine. If not for a compelling reason years ago to send his Little Concubine into the palace, he could think of no other reason.

Therefore, due to Lian Bingcheng’s decision, he and his Little Concubine had the opportunity to meet in this life,

If Lian Bingcheng were not discreet, letting those with ulterior motives learn of his Little Concubine’s origins, especially those from the former court who denounced his Little Concubine as a bewitching consort who brought disaster to the country, it could be very dangerous.

Lian Bingcheng had held his ground, causing those who monitored him and those who set traps for his brother to return without success.

Such a person deserved his respect. By reason and emotion, he had to personally visit him—to express his gratitude for everything Lian Bingcheng had done for his Little Concubine and to understand the mysteries associated with his Little Concubine.

Hu Miaomiao stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will make the arrangements immediately, ensuring everything is perfectly and completely prepared. I have preemptively placed our networks at every key point; we will be informed in advance of any unusual activities. I dare guarantee that, within the Imperial City, unless all 25,800 Imperial Guards of the Imperial City Division are mobilized, there is no place in the Capital City we cannot reach. Besides, the strings of the Imperial Guards are still in your wise and valiant hands. Who else could mobilize everyone except you? It will certainly be foolproof."

This time, the Emperor didn’t interrupt Hu Miaomiao’s seemingly boastful speech, but after he had finished, he merely instructed, "Hmm, go and prepare."

Though Hu Miaomiao’s words were numerous and dense, showering praises in sets, his words were not without foundation.

The Internal Guard Bureau excelled at intelligence gathering, interrogation, and punishment, collecting evidence of crimes, and monitoring the movements of ministers, an apt institution for investigating treasonous officials and scrutinizing the powerful noble families.

Hu Miaomiao, in charge of the Shadow Guard, bore the responsibility of defense. Their methods in concealment, defense, offensive, retreat, and counterattack were systematic, embodying the phrase ’secure as a shadow.’

The selection and trials for the Shadow Guard were extremely rigorous; every aspect, from the inside out, required vetting. Claiming it was a selection of one in a thousand was not an overstatement.

The first criterion in the selection was to investigate three generations of a candidate’s ancestors and all nine related families, ensuring no connections with any political factions within the court.

The second was personal attributes, including physique, martial skills, and personality traits.

There were many other rigorous criteria. For instance, those with specific addictions were not selected; those who were timid were not selected; those entangled in love or hate were not selected; those who harbored many secrets were not selected; those with enemies were not selected, among others.

Those who were chosen had to undergo special training and trials, only becoming true Shadow Guards after passing the final test.

After this step-by-step vetting process, with countless individuals being eliminated, each Shadow Guard was among the elite, highly skilled in martial arts, cool-headed and calm, hardly swayed by external influences, difficult to bribe or coerce, and dependable and loyal, serving only the Emperor.

The Internal Guard Bureau and the Shadow Guard were his left and right arms, both trustworthy.

Hu Miaomiao, beaming with joy, bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will prepare at once. Your Highness trusts me, and I am profoundly grateful. It must be the virtue accumulated by my ancestors that I have the honor to serve you, Your Majesty. With your unyielding support, even someone as insignificant as me has found a purpose. I swear to repay you body and soul, serving in gratitude for your kind recognition..."

As soon as the official business was done, Hu Miaomiao became less serious, and the Emperor, growing impatient, waved his hand, unwilling to listen to more of these empty words and headed straight for the Side Hall.

His Little Concubine was asleep, and he had to be by her side. He better hurry back and see if she had kicked off her blankets, lest she catch a cold.

Thinking this, the Emperor strode forward.

Zhang Qing had tried several times to interrupt but couldn’t as Hu Miaomiao spoke too much, too densely, and too quickly for him to get a word in.

Seeing His Majesty had left, Zhang Qing still wanted to follow and offer a few more words of advice.