The Ming Dynasty 1626 Enlightenment

Chapter 54 The Shadow Guard - Ya Zi

Zhu Ming stepped out of the courtyard gate. The afternoon sunlight fell on his moon-white robe, making him look no different from any other young gentleman on the street.

Behind him, Shen Yourong stood on the inside of the threshold, watching his figure disappear into the alleyway. She muttered something under her breath and turned to look at Yuan Keli.

Yuan Keli ignored him, gazing only towards the alley entrance, and said, "Old Shen, let's talk about it when His Majesty returns!"

Shen Yourong opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything.

The sunlight at the alley entrance was blindingly bright, and the distant, sparse sounds of market noise drifted by.

Yuan Keli walked through three narrow alleys and turned into an inconspicuous courtyard.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and when he pushed it open, the hinges made a dull creaking sound.

The courtyard was small, with several bundles of firewood piled in the corner. The branches of an old locust tree stretched over the wall, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick ground.

A man was sitting on the stone steps, leaning against the door frame, holding a gourd in his hand, and a long cloth bag lying at his feet, the opening of which was tied with a hemp rope, so it was impossible to tell what was inside.

The man wore a dusty old robe with frayed cuffs, and his hair was haphazardly tied in a bun with a few stray hairs hanging down from his temples, stained with something that was hard to tell whether it was dust or wine.

Hearing the door open, he slowly raised his eyelids, looked at Yuan Keli, then lowered them again, and took a swig from the gourd.

"Lord Yuan, what brings you to this wretched place?" he mumbled a greeting, which served as a gesture of respect.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Yuan Keli walked up to him, stopped, looked down at him, and said, "Do me a favor!"

The man took another sip, slowly put down the gourd, and asked, "What is it?"

"To secretly protect someone."

The man lifted his eyelids slightly, his gaze piercing through his disheveled hair, lingering for a moment on Yuan Keli's face. "Hasn't Lord Yuan done a good job governing Linqing this past year? Patrols, defenses, dock surveillance—everything you need is in place."

"This is different!" Yuan Keli said, his hands behind his back, his voice lower than before. "Multiple layers of protection, foolproof."

The man wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, placed the gourd at his feet, and finally looked directly at Yuan Keli. "Who are you? Where are you from?"

"A young master from the capital."

Upon hearing the words "Young Master," his lips twitched slightly, as if he had heard something interesting. "Oh? It's him. He's actually from the capital?"

"When did you start paying attention to where people come from?" Yuan Keli asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

The man stood up and dusted off his robe.

Only when he stood up could one see that he was quite tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He casually carried the long cloth bag in his hand, as if it were something that didn't weigh much.

"Lord Yuan, please don't misunderstand," he said, leaning against the doorframe, his chin slightly raised towards the alleyway, his tone languid. "These days, who among the people coming from the capital isn't incredibly sought after? The Ming Daily, high-yield sweet potatoes, Ice and Snow Honey City, Baohe Store... each and every one of these is quite novel. This young master, is he perhaps the descendant of some high-ranking official?"

He smiled when he said the word "celebrity".

Yuan Keli looked at him but didn't reply.

After a brief silence, the man added, "Lord Yuan, these days on the black market, people from the capital command quite high prices!"

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," the man said, slung the long cloth bag over his shoulder, "This order is free!"

"Free? That's not like you!"

The man turned around, took two steps towards him, stopped, lowered his eyes, and said in a lower voice, "I was wondering if I could use the connections Lord Yuan has? Like information from the capital, details about major merchants—I don't need much, just a quick look now and then."

Yuan Keli looked at him, his expression unchanged, but his gaze darkened. "I told you long ago that once you become a bodyguard, you'll be entitled to know those things."

"Secret Guards?" The man scoffed softly. "The kind of organization where people risk their lives to survive? Lord Yuan, a veteran of three reigns, has the nerve to cultivate cronies in the shadows?"

That's a very direct statement.

But Yuan Keli's expression remained unchanged; he simply said slowly, "Wouldn't you know once you become a secret guard?"

The man looked into his eyes, but couldn't glean any information from that calm gaze.

"I see. This isn't Lord Yuan's intention," he paused, his voice lower than before, "It's the intention from higher up. That's very interesting."

"The position of Shadow Guard Ya Zi is reserved for you!" Yuan Keli said calmly.

The secret guards were established by Zhu Ming's secret order a year ago. They were not affiliated with any government office and were not recorded in any files.

Only three people knew the list of secret guards: Zhu Ming, Sun Chengzong, and Yuan Keli.

Outsiders have only vaguely heard of this organization, but they don't even know what it does.

As for the code name "Yazi", it is taken from one of the ten ancient ferocious beasts, which is warlike and bloodthirsty, and fits this person's past.

After all, the current Embroidered Uniform Guard is ostensibly the emperor's surveillance mechanism, but after more than two hundred years, it has long lost its original function.

The current move to have Luo Sigong reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard is merely a show of force.

The intelligence network and network of people within the secret guards were the true guardians of the Ming Dynasty, a turbulent empire.

"Given your deeds and your identity, I'm afraid only becoming a bodyguard can offer you a slim chance of survival," Yuan Keli continued.

The courtyard fell silent. The leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the wind.

The man stood with his hands hanging down for a while, and the long cloth bag in his hand paused slightly on the blue brick ground.

Then he looked up and gazed toward the alley entrance.

Sunlight slanted in from the top of the wall, falling on his dusty face and revealing the outline of an old scar at the corner of his eye.

"Ha!" He chuckled, a short, cold laugh. "Let's leave it at that for now, Lord Yuan. Perhaps I'll reconsider when I'm truly desperate again!"

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the main room, the long cloth bag slung over his shoulder. He walked at a leisurely pace, the dusty corner of his robe shimmering in the sunlight before disappearing into the shadows behind the threshold.

Yuan Keli stood there, watching his figure disappear.

A moment later, a dark figure silently emerged from the shadows of the courtyard wall and stood behind him.

The dark figure spoke, his voice low and deep, "Lord Yuan, are you sure you want to send him to protect His Majesty?"

"Of course, this kind of江湖人 (jianghu person, someone from the underworld) is the most suitable!" Yuan Keli said calmly. "Moreover, this person deliberately exposed himself. Although it's still unclear whether he has anyone backing him, at least he's smart and knows when to hide and when to reveal himself. Using someone like this in the shadows is actually safer than using our own people."

"The descendants of Qi Jiguang's army can indeed be trusted!" the shadowy figure said slowly.

"Li Ruolian, His Majesty sent your Embroidered Uniform Guard here, not to keep an eye on headquarters, do you understand that!" Yuan Keli rebuked.

The dark figure moved slightly, revealing half of its face from the shadows. It was Li Ruolian, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He cupped his hands and said, "Lord Yuan's teachings are correct."

"Alright," Yuan Keli said, withdrawing his gaze and walking towards the courtyard gate. "You Jinyiwei guards should also be careful and ensure His Majesty's safety. Keep your visible personnel at a distance, so His Majesty doesn't notice; he doesn't like being followed."

"yes!"

Yuan Keli pushed the door open and went out, the hinges creaking once more.

Inside the alleyway, various secret operations have already begun.

The sounds of the market outside the alleyway drifted in, layer upon layer.

The streets of Linqing present a completely different scene.

Zhu Ming walked along the busiest street in Linqing, lined with shops on both sides, their flags fluttering in the breeze.

Silk shops, grain stores, teahouses, pawnshops, and money exchanges stood side by side, each with an imposing facade.

He had walked less than a hundred steps when he saw a shop with a black signboard and gold lettering that read "Baohe Shop". There were seven or eight people lined up at the door, holding new Ming Dynasty banknotes and waiting to go in.

Two shops away, there was another "Ice and Snow Honey City". The bamboo curtain was half rolled up, and the place was full of people. Bowls of steaming iced drinks were placed on the table. These drinks were the most popular in June. Zhu Ming could see from a distance that the waiter was busy and sweating profusely.

A few steps further on, a crowd had gathered at the street corner, and laughter could be heard from time to time.

Zhu Ming moved closer, squeezed to the outside of the crowd, and stood on tiptoe to take a look. He saw a man performing martial arts, shirtless, tossing and catching three fire sticks. The three fire sticks drew bright arcs in the sunlight, and he caught them steadily when they landed. A cheer erupted from the crowd.

A four- or five-year-old child was riding on his father's shoulders, clapping his hands and giggling.

Zhu Ming stood at the edge of the crowd for a few moments, then turned and stepped back, continuing to walk forward.