Chapter 173: A Heaven-sent Opportunity

“I am here.”

With Wu Huiyou’s order, a Brocade Guard Baihu who had rushed over upon hearing the news quickly stepped forward.

“Report to the Commander immediately, hurry!”

What Wu Huiyou held was a memorial from a Brocade Guard Qianhu officer stationed far away in Guizhou, overseeing military affairs. It was a strange victory report.

Normally, these reports from various regions would be categorized and filed away by the Brocade Guards, then either sealed for storage or submitted to the palace in transcript form.

However… this victory report was just too strange.

A hastily assembled Mountain Brigade of three thousand had actually killed five thousand rebels. Wu Huiyou’s first reaction was… disbelief!

With a stern face and clenched teeth, he said, “Has this Wang Dao gone mad?”

Anger flared in Wu Huiyou’s eyes. He felt his intelligence was being ground into the dirt by Wang Dao.

Typically, when there were special military campaigns and the imperial court expressed concern, the Brocade Guards would also dispatch personnel to the front lines. Their task was neither to fight nor to interfere with combat—it was to observe.

Wang Dao was one of the dispatched overseers. This Qianhu officer had usually been quite capable, but now Wu Huiyou couldn’t help cursing him under his breath.

Truly insane!

Three thousand troops killing five thousand was nearly impossible. If the rebels were that easily defeated, why had the court previously been driven to distraction over this matter?

Wu Huiyou had seen plenty of cases where military achievements were exaggerated. In small-scale operations, such claims often went unquestioned; subordinates could report exaggerated numbers based on their whims. Although the court knew that lower-ranking Military Officers often falsified reports, they generally overlooked minor embellishments, simply deducting excess figures when assessing merit.

But for a large-scale campaign like suppressing the rebellion in Guizhou—to boast of such exaggerated achievements… it could only be seen as madness.

With so many eyes watching—the palace, the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of War, the Brocade Guards, and the Eastern Depot—every action was scrutinized. Who would dare to fabricate achievements?

Thus, in minor skirmishes, claims of killing dozens, hundreds, or even a thousand enemies were made based entirely on the Military Officer’s conscience. But in large-scale campaigns against the Oirats, the Tatar tribes, or similar rebellions like the one in Guizhou—involving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops—reports of major victories such as killing dozens, around a hundred, or a few thousand rebels were considered extraordinary successes, worthy of being recorded in history books as rare and monumental accomplishments.

In Wu Huiyou’s eyes, that damned Wang Dao must have taken the wrong medicine—how else could he have come up with a claim of killing five thousand rebels?

“Also, immediately investigate. Go to the Ministry of War, inquire discreetly within the palace…” Taking a deep breath, Wu Huiyou’s eyes gleamed with a sharp, penetrating intensity.

“Yes.”

…

In fact, it wasn’t just the Brocade Guards.

Even the Eastern Depot was in an uproar.

The Eastern Depot was divided into two parts: one comprised Eunuchs within the palace, and the other consisted of external Dongtou officers, Commandants, and Enlisted Soldiers.

It was still early dawn. Urgent dispatches from the Brocade Guards had arrived in the Capital, and the Eastern Depot’s urgent reports had also entered the capital through their own channels.

However, the Eastern Depot’s report had arrived slightly earlier. As a result, several Dongtou officers gathered in the records room, staring at this victory report, utterly baffled.

They scratched their heads; the situation was too sudden.

This was a private confidential report from Yang Xiong, the Palace Eunuch.

Yang Xiong was a palace insider, but he was also Eunuch Xiao’s godson. As a godson, his godfather was his entire world; so, as soon as something happened, he had to report it immediately through the Eastern Depot’s channels.

As a trusted confidant of Eunuch Xiao, in the eyes of all the Dongtou officers, Yang Xiong wouldn’t dare to play any tricks—yet here they were…

They exchanged bewildered glances, gathered tightly together. Usually, these fierce and astute Dongtou officers were now completely stunned.

Each of them was lost in thought, their minds racing through countless possibilities.

Could it be true?

Was this some kind of joke?

Or was it an insult to their intelligence?

Finally, one of the Dongtou officers recalled something, his face turning pale. “Until verified, we must not report this to Godgrandfather…”

Eunuch Xiao was reputed to have thirty godsons and seventy grandsons—thirty of them were Eunuchs within the palace, while those outside, such as in the Eastern Depot, were considered grandsons.

Within the Eastern Depot, being able to address Eunuch Xiao as “Godgrandfather” was considered a matter of great prestige.

Everyone nodded in agreement. That was one of the reasons they had hesitated for so long—to report it immediately was not an option. The news was too shocking. If such unverified information reached Godgrandfather, he would surely have them castrated.

Eunuch Xiao was widely praised within the palace for his sincerity, kindness, and peaceful nature, but within the Eastern Depot, he was feared by all.

The problem was, how could they verify the news? Send someone to Guizhou? That was over a thousand li away! By the time they confirmed it, the opportunity would be long gone.

One of the Dongtou officers suddenly thought of something and said immediately, “The Northern Garrison Command.”

“The Northern Garrison Command?” At the mention of the Northern Garrison Command, the other Dongtou officers immediately showed displeasure!

On the surface, the relations between the Eastern Depot and Imperial Guard appeared harmonious, but in reality, they were rivals. The current Commander of the Brocade Guards, Mou Bin, was not someone to trifle with—even Xiao Jing was somewhat wary of him. Though they weren’t exactly at odds, interactions between the two agencies were minimal.

This Dongtou officer continued, “If I’m not mistaken, by now, the Northern Garrison Command must have also received news. The only way to verify the truth is to cross-check with the Northern Garrison Command. If Eunuch Yang were colluding with officials in Guizhou, then could the Brocade Guards also be bribed?”

In this world, no one could bribe everyone, nor would anyone risk execution by inflating achievements just to grant you undeserved credit.

Everyone suddenly saw the logic in this. “Right! This is no time for us to be at odds with the Brocade Guards. How about you, Dongtou Yang, go to the Northern Garrison Command?”

“You go. Last time, I arrested a Brocade Guard Qianhu for harboring an official courtesan from the Jiaofangsi, and to this day, the Brocade Guards still glare at me with hatred.”

“Me? Impossible. Last time, I caught a Baihu and beat him up. If anyone recognizes me, I’m afraid…”

Just then, an Enlisted Soldier outside announced, “Director Zhu Jin of the Ministry of War has arrived…”

The Ministry of War…

Everyone was stunned again.

What was the Ministry of War doing here?

“Put it away, act as if nothing happened.” Compared to the Brocade Guards, these civil officials were even less trustworthy—not a single one of them was reliable.

Someone quickly hid the report away. Two Dongtou officers hastily retreated into the side room, while another pretended to be asleep, sprawled over his desk.

The last Dongtou officer sighed helplessly, forced a bitter smile, and composed himself.

A moment later, Zhu Jin hurried in. His eyes were red, and seeing the Dongtou officer, he showed none of the usual awe towards the Eastern Depot. He blurted out without preamble, “Is there any military news from Guizhou?”

“What military news? I know nothing.” The Dongtou officer replied instinctively.

Zhu Jin’s eyes were bloodshot. “The Eastern Depot’s reports have always been one step ahead. To be frank, I am here under orders from the Ministry Halls to verify the news.”

To a careful listener, his voice trembled.

The Ministry of War couldn’t bear it any longer. They had been overwhelmed by the rebellion in Guizhou. Originally, this was the responsibility of Provincial Governor Wang Shi, who was far away and beyond the court’s immediate control. But His Majesty was deeply anxious. One must blame where blame is due—the Ministry of War was accountable. Since they couldn’t berate the distant Wang Shi, they had no choice but to summon you and give you a stern look.

And then… the victory report arrived.

It was delivered urgently by Regional Commander Zhang Wu of Guizhou. The Regional Commander was appointed and overseen by the Ministry of War—so they were indeed his direct superiors.

The Dongtou officer, startled, asked, “Your victory report has arrived too?”

In an instant, he had let it slip.

The Dongtou officer in the side room shot out.

The one pretending to sleep poked his head out like a turtle.

“How many rebels did your side claim to kill?” the Dongtou officer asked, still somewhat guarded.

Zhu Jin hesitated, thinking these Eastern Depot officers were not to be trusted. He held up two fingers.

“Two thousand?” The Dongtou officer frowned. “That doesn’t match. It’s clearly five thousand.”

“That’s right, it’s five thousand!” So it was confirmed. Upon hearing this, Zhu Jin became elated and said excitedly, “Regional Commander Zhang Wu might exaggerate his achievements to claim merit, as he has a share in the glory. But Eunuch Yang is a palace insider—he is credible. It seems… indeed… indeed… Your Majesty is Sagely and Wise, the Great Ming will last thousands of years!”

The Dongtou officers immediately became professionally alert, staring at Zhu Jin. One of them sneered, “Thousands of years? Director Zhu, what are you implying?”

Zhu Jin’s heart sank. “That’s just a rhetorical figure of speech.”

But the Dongtou officers had no time to dwell on that. Someone said, “Quick, report it immediately.”

Yes, it seemed almost verified. They had to hurry and deliver the news to Godgrandfather.

This… was a great achievement.

Zhu Jin took the opportunity to slip away. A victory report—a great victory! How could the Ministry of War miss such a heaven-sent opportunity?

…

Early that morning, as the first rays of the sun gently touched the earth, Emperor Hongzhi dragged his weary body, as usual, to the Warm Pavilion.

Due to the Palace Examination in recent days, he hadn’t slept well for a long time.

Although he already had an idea of the results, he was an extremely meticulous man and dared not neglect the futures of the Tribute Scholars. He had to review the examination papers several more times.

The Eunuch on duty carefully served him a cup of hot tea. He took a sip and felt somewhat refreshed. The Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat had also entered the palace before dawn.

Being a minister under Emperor Hongzhi was the most challenging.

With such a diligent Son of Heaven, the court officials couldn’t afford to be lazy either. The three Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat rose earlier than roosters every day and couldn’t leave until after dark. At one time, feeling guilty for overworking his elderly ministers, Emperor Hongzhi ordered lanterns to be lit to escort the three Grand Secretaries out of the palace after their duties.

That… was practically the greatest perk for Liu Jian and the others. Speaking of it was pitiable. Although this became a celebrated anecdote, it was born from everyone’s extreme efforts and exhaustion.

They paid their respects to Emperor Hongzhi.

Emperor Hongzhi nodded slightly, lowered his head, and began reviewing the examination papers again.

Liu Jian and the others remained silent, tacitly lowering their own heads to review the papers as well.