Volume Two: Adults and Children Chapter 81: The Southern Commandery of the Brocade Guard

The Southern Internal Security Bureau was the most easily overlooked department within the Brocade Guard, and an entity completely alien to officials and commoners alike.

To the average person, mentioning the name of the Southern Internal Security Bureau easily brought to mind Nanjing and the alternative set of imperial government machinery located there.

In reality, however, the Southern Internal Security Bureau was not a retirement home or temporary lodging for officials like the Six Ministries in Nanjing; rather, it was a crucial, clearly defined functional agency within the Brocade Guard.

The reason it remained unfamiliar to the outside world was simply because its jurisdiction was internal: its sole purpose was to monitor and arrest fellow Brocade Guard officers who had broken the law!

Later generations always assumed the Brocade Guard was a lawless entity unbound by any constraints, which was clearly a mistaken notion.

Leaving aside the fact that the Brocade Guard had always been kept in check by the Eastern Depot and the Directorate of Ceremonial, even within the Brocade Guard itself, a specialized internal oversight department existed.

This was the habitual tactic employed by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of this secret police apparatus. By pitting officials from various powerful agencies against one another in mutual surveillance and restraint, he could rest easy in his employment of subordinates.

Yet, while the ideal was bountiful, reality was stark.

Granted, the Southern Internal Security Bureau possessed such authority, but in over a hundred years, it had scarcely been invoked a handful of times.

Instead, due to their special authority and status, they were deeply disliked by their fellow Brocade Guard colleagues, existing almost on the margins until they eventually sought out separate quarters elsewhere.

There was no help for it; from ancient times to the present, no one wanted someone by their side constantly monitoring their every word and action. Indeed, to many Brocade Guard officers, their colleagues in the Southern Internal Security Bureau were nothing more than internal traitors.

Consequently, the Southern Internal Security Bureau was naturally ostracized, and the power of oversight and arrest in their hands was rarely exercised.

Of course, being rarely exercised did not mean it could never be used—as was the case at this very moment.

Having revealed their identities, the group of more than a dozen men swiftly entered the compound of the Internal Security Bureau, passing through halls and corridors straight to the rear hall, which was precisely where the two opposing factions were currently deadlocked.

Inside a room, Meng Chuyao was cowering in a corner, panic written all over his face, cursing Liu Botao and the other Brocade Guard members in his heart for the umpteenth time.

These fellows were truly unreliable. Earlier, they had boasted that as long as he could produce evidence and step forward as a witness, everything could be negotiated. Yet now, they were cornered in this room, on the verge of being overrun.

Yes, the situation here was quite dismal indeed. Even though Liu Botao had drawn his saber from its scabbard, he had failed to deter Qu Shan and the other colleagues—who were eager to seize credit—by even half a step.

Asst. Commander Wan Jingdao stood behind him with a half-smile on his face, still sparring verbally with Zhu Chen, who had finally arrived: "Commander Zhu, this case was clearly secured by our Brocade Guard first. How can there be any logic in handing over a vital witness to another agency?"

"The cases our Brocade Guard handles are always imperial decrees. Since when do ordinary murders and kidnappings require our intervention? What you are doing is overstepping your bounds—no wonder the Ministry of Punishments and the Shuntian Prefecture sent men here. Tell me, why bother offending people over such a minor matter? It is not as though you are unaware of the Brocade Guard's current plight!"

Zhu Chen adopted the expression of someone earnestly offering advice, directing his words mostly at the dozens of subordinates guarding the door. If he could persuade them to back down, sending men in to seize the prisoner would be a simple task.

Wan Jingdao immediately adopted a stern expression: "This subordinate, on the contrary, believes that precisely because our situation is precarious, we must all the more steady the morale of our troops. If we simply hand the person over today, how are we to make our brothers convinced hereafter? How are we to conduct our affairs in the future?"

"Assistant Commander Wan, these matters are not for you to worry about in haste. Nor am I discussing with you whether or not we should hand the prisoner over; I am ordering you to hand the prisoner over!"

Zhu Chen's expression darkened as he applied pressure: "If you refuse to surrender the prisoner any longer, I have reason to suspect you harbor other motives. Combined with insubordination, this is an offense that goes far beyond suspension from duty pending investigation. When that time comes, I can have the Southern Internal Security Bureau step in to investigate as well, and you should know the severity of their methods."

"Considering that you and I have served as colleagues, I wish not to damage our harmony over a trifle, so do not make things difficult for me."

"And as for the rest of you, do any of you wish to be hauled away by the Southern Internal Security Bureau for a rigorous interrogation?"

This final sentence was hurled at the low-ranking subordinates below the rank of Captain, causing palpable unease among them.

At that very moment, a voice drifted from the rear, sounding lazy yet tinged with a hint of mockery: "I never imagined Commander Zhu would hold our Southern Bureau in such high regard."

This remark startled Zhu Chen and everyone else present. They instantly turned their heads to see more than a dozen men in dark robes and black cloaks striding forward.

Leading them was a man in his thirties with a resolute face, his eyes carrying a trace of mockery and fierce aura. Like a fierce tiger descending the mountain into a sheepfold, he looked straight at Zhu Chen: "Commander Zhu, it has been many a day since we last met. Have you been well?"

"Luo An!" Zhu Chen recognized the man's identity instantly, his eyelids twitching.

Luo An, much like himself, had once been a member of the current Emperor's household staff during his days as a prince, and they could be considered to share a certain friendship.

However, their subsequent career paths had diverged sharply. Zhu Chen was quickly assigned to the Brocade Guard and rapidly promoted as he exerted effort to overthrow veterans of the Wuzong era such as Qian Ning and Jiang Bin. In less than a year, he had risen to the rank of Commander-in-Chief.

As for Luo An, due to certain reasons, he had not immediately followed Jiajing to the capital. By the time he arrived in the capital around September and October of last year, not a single good post remained, forcing him to temporarily accept a sinecure as an internal security officer within the Brocade Guard.

Then, through some unfathomable train of thought, he had actually taken charge of the Southern Internal Security Bureau, reducing himself entirely to a marginalized figure.

Yet, Zhu Chen still possessed some understanding of this long-time colleague.

This man was shrewd, deeply calculating, and utterly loyal to the Emperor... There was no telling when he might be restored to a position of great trust.

And now, he had suddenly appeared right here!

A flurry of thoughts whirled through Zhu Chen's mind, but he forcefully banished them an instant later. He was the Commander of the Brocade Guard; what of the Southern Internal Security Bureau? Were they not still under his command, bound to obey his orders?

At once, he returned the smile: "What business brings Commander Luo here in the dead of night to report?" He deliberately placed heavy emphasis on the words "Commander" and "report" simply to underscore their respective hierarchical relationship.

Luo An appeared completely unfazed, merely smiling as he replied: "This subordinate is naturally here on official business. Since the Commander happens to be present, it saves me a trip."

With that, he drew a document from his sleeve, unfurled it, and read aloud: "Upon investigation, Brocade Guard Thousand-Householders Qu Shan and Guan Feng, Hundred-Householders Zhao Quan, Zhou Han, Fang Yu..." He reeled off more than a dozen names in one breath, causing the complexions of the many colleagues present to shift dramatically.

Because, by sheer "coincidence," the very individuals whose names had been called out were standing right there before them—they were the trusted subordinates who had followed Zhu Chen to this place to snatch the prisoner!

"...These individuals hold offices in the Brocade Guard yet give no thought to repaying His Majesty, engaging instead in acts of accepting bribes and shielding felons. Their crimes are truly unforgivable. The Southern Internal Security Bureau is hereby ordered to apprehend all of the above individuals without exception, subject them to rigorous interrogation, and make an example of them to deter others!"

As his voice fell, the courtyard lapsed into absolute silence.