The next day, Mei Qing arrived at the Guard’s office early. The gatekeeper had already received word and told him directly to wait in the front room. Mei Qing was sitting idly when suddenly footsteps approached from outside, and two men entered one after the other.
“You must be the new guy, right?” The first man, upon seeing Mei Qing, looked surprised, then suddenly understanding, and loudly asked.
Mei Qing looked at the two men. Both wore golden flying fish robes. The one in front was tall and burly, with a large head and a crooked official’s hat. He had two thin mustaches and narrow eyes. In his hand, he carried a dark-colored purple clay teapot. As he spoke, he frequently brought the spout to his mouth, smacking his lips and sipping tea.
“Hey kid, our Brother Zhao is talking to you. Why aren’t you saying anything? You’re not deaf, are you?” Before Mei Qing could speak, the second man, a thin fellow, shouted.
“Alright, Xiao Jiu, this brother must be new here. It’s only natural he doesn’t know me,” said Zhao, shaking his head, then bringing the teapot to his mouth and sipping noisily.
Seeing this, Xiao Jiu hurried out and soon returned carrying a large kettle. He stepped forward, opened the lid of Zhao’s teapot with practiced ease, and began refilling it while saying, “You know, among our Inner Group brothers, who doesn’t know how righteous you, Brother Zhao, are? And how you always look out for your brothers? I personally admire people like you the most. Even our Southern Security Bureau’s Director You is your own dear brother-in-law. If it were someone else, they’d be strutting around like a rooster on a dunghill. But not you, Brother Zhao—you’re always so approachable.”
Turning around, he glared at Mei Qing and said, “Learn from this. Don’t just stand there like a fool. Oh, and by the way, what’s your name? Brother Zhao has been asking you for ages, and you haven’t even said a word.”
Mei Qing smiled and replied, “My name is Mei Qing. I’m new here and unfamiliar with the local customs. I hope you two will be kind enough to give me some guidance.”
“Forget it, forget it,” Zhao waved his hand. “Anyone who makes it through the door of the Inner Group must understand at least some things. But I haven’t heard my brother-in-law mention any important newcomers recently. From your manner, I guess you must have some skills to get in here. Our Inner Group is full of capable people. Without some backing, you won’t last. No worries, though. From now on, just follow me, and I guarantee you won’t be treated unfairly. So tell me, what are you good at?”
Seeing Zhao’s confident manner, Mei Qing couldn’t help but smile inwardly but politely replied, “I don’t have any special skills, I suppose. If I must say something, I do know the ‘Great Ming Code’ quite well.”
Mei Qing wasn’t bold enough to boast too much, but he was confident in his ability to recite texts. Claiming to be somewhat familiar with the Great Ming Code was modest—he could probably recite the entire thing if he really tried.
Unexpectedly, the two men looked stunned, then Zhao burst into loud laughter, his already booming voice becoming even louder. Xiao Jiu joined in with high-pitched laughter, even more enthusiastically than Zhao.
“Ah, brother, you really are something. The Great Ming Code? Haha! If we were to follow the Great Ming Code strictly, we could simply hand everything over to Shun Tian Prefecture and the Grand Court of Justice. What need would there be for us, the Embroidered Uniform Guard?” Zhao laughed so hard he began coughing, and Xiao Jiu immediately stepped forward to pat his back.
“Oh?” Mei Qing asked with a smile, “So how exactly do we, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, conduct our cases and carry out our duties?”
“You silly kid, you know who leads the Inner Group, right?” Zhao said, his face turning serious. “That’s our Sixth Master! In the Inner Group, we don’t need any justification—just one word from the Sixth Master, and if he says to arrest someone, we arrest them; if he says to kill someone, we kill them!”
“Exactly!” Xiao Jiu chimed in with a grin. “I heard that the Sixth Master holds you, Brother Zhao, in especially high regard and always shows you some respect.”
“Haha, that’s not exactly it,” Zhao said, placing his teapot on the table, stroking his smooth chin with his index finger, and smacking his lips. “It’s not that he favors me particularly—what status does the Sixth Master have? It’s just that we have some old ties. Now listen carefully, newcomer: no matter how big the world is, the Emperor is the biggest; under the Emperor comes our Commander Lu. When Commander Lu has important matters, he entrusts them to the Sixth Master. In our Inner Group, you only need to know the Sixth Master. Everything else won’t help you!”
Xiao Jiu picked up the kettle again and started refilling it as he said, “That’s why only you, Brother Zhao, can say such things. We ordinary brothers just need to know you, Brother Zhao, and that’s all that matters!”
Hearing this, Zhao’s narrow eyes squinted into thin lines as he laughed heartily, “Ah, Xiao Jiu, you always flatter me. We’re all brothers here—no need for such talk! Oh, Director Lu!”
Mei Qing turned his head and saw Director Lu entering the room. Zhao immediately rushed forward in two quick steps, saying, “Director Lu, why did you come in person? You could have just sent someone to call me. Please, come in and have some tea. Look at the weather—it’s already the beginning of autumn, yet it’s still so hot!”
“No need,” Director Lu waved his hand, then turned to Mei Qing with a smile. “Zhao Dayou, meet the new arrival, Mei Qing, the new Thousand Household. From now on, Group Four will be under Mei Qing’s command.”
Zhao’s eyes widened like copper bells. After a few “Ah”s, he finally said loudly, “Ah, right! Mei Qing, right? I could tell at a glance that you’re no ordinary person. And such a pleasant manner… Director Lu, please rest assured. When has old Zhao ever failed to deliver? Just one word from Director Mei, and whoever needs to be arrested will be arrested, whoever needs to be killed will be killed. I guarantee it!” As he spoke, he slapped his fat palm loudly against his chest.
“Right, absolutely!” Xiao Jiu nodded in agreement beside him.
Director Lu then walked away with measured steps, swaying slightly. Zhao, now smiling like a blooming flower, approached Mei Qing and said, “Ah, I was just saying—what was your surname again… Oh right, Director Mei, truly a pleasure to meet you…”
Xiao Jiu quickly chimed in, “Exactly! The moment you walked in, I could tell Director Mei was no ordinary person. Look at your bearing, your demeanor. Even among the nobles and aristocrats of the capital, none can compare to Director Mei…”
“Brother Zhao, Brother Xiao Jiu, let’s not speak of such things,” Mei Qing said with a smile. “I’m new here, young, and inexperienced. I’ll need your support and guidance in the days ahead.”
Mei Qing’s words were met with immediate protestations of humility and warmth from Zhao and Xiao Jiu, and the three appeared to be getting along famously.
“Brother Zhao,” Mei Qing changed the subject, “I’ve been serving elsewhere before, and although I was part of the Inner Group, I wasn’t familiar with its inner workings. From your manner, I can see you’re a veteran here. I’d appreciate it if you could give me some pointers about how things work around here,” he asked Zhao.
Zhao’s round face, already flushed with pleasure from Mei Qing’s flattery, broke into an even wider grin. He replied loudly, “Director Mei… ah, I mean, Thousand Household Mei, why so formal? Old Zhao may not be much good at anything else, but I’ve been around this place for years. There’s not much I don’t know about how things work here. Let me tell you, this Inner Group didn’t exist before. It was only established after Commander Lu took over the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
“Why was that?” Mei Qing asked.
“Hehe, Thousand Household Mei might not be familiar with Commander Lu,” Zhao said, raising his voice. “Let me tell you, Commander Lu is truly a man of great virtue!”
“A good man?” Mei Qing almost fell over in surprise. The head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a thin, withered fellow who certainly didn’t look like a good person. He must be a man of treachery and duplicity. Worse still, he had snatched away Bi Zhen upon their first meeting and sealed Mei Qing’s cultivation. How could such a man have the reputation of being a good person?
“You might find it strange, Thousand Household Mei,” Zhao continued, “but even we know the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s reputation isn’t exactly good. But Commander Lu is different from his predecessors. His actions are such that no one in the entire court can find fault with him. Take Zhang Yong from the Inner Court, for example. He was a eunuch favored by the previous emperor. When the current emperor ascended the throne, he purged the corrupt eunuchs, executing some and exiling others. But Zhang Yong was actually a decent fellow. If he had fallen into someone else’s hands, they wouldn’t have hesitated to deal with him harshly. But our Commander Lu insisted on getting to the bottom of the matter. After thorough investigation, he personally pleaded with the Emperor on Zhang Yong’s behalf and spared his life. When this story spread, not a single person in the entire court failed to praise Commander Lu’s benevolence,” Zhao said with emotion.
Mei Qing naturally didn’t agree with Zhao’s assessment, but he didn’t want to argue directly, so he asked, “Even if Commander Lu is a good man, what does that have to do with the establishment of the Inner Group?”
Zhao’s face turned serious as he explained, “You see, this is where you’re missing the point. What’s the difference between a good man and a bad man? The key is that a good man must act uprightly and follow the rules. But doing so often makes things difficult, restricting one’s ability to act freely. Our Commander Lu is a good man, and under him, the Embroidered Uniform Guard changed its style, strictly following procedures. But sometimes, this made things difficult. That’s why the Sixth Master, under Commander Lu’s commission, established the Inner Group.”
Understanding dawned on Mei Qing. So this Commander Lu was the kind of person who wanted to have his cake and eat it too—publicly maintaining a reputation for virtue while secretly setting up the Inner Group to handle the dirty work that couldn’t be done openly.
“Just now, Director Lu mentioned that we’re part of Group Four. I’m curious how the groups are divided,” Mei Qing asked.
“Our Inner Group is divided into four subgroups. The first subgroup is responsible for intelligence gathering. Unlike the Experience Bureau, they handle major operations—primarily identifying the backgrounds, wealth, assets, and business interests of corrupt officials and powerful merchants…”
“Wait a second,” Mei Qing interrupted, sensing something was off. “I understand focusing on officials, but why do we also need to know about merchants?”
“That’s naturally important,” Zhao replied matter-of-factly. “Otherwise, when we arrest someone and their family comes to pay the fine, how can we set the price without knowing their financial situation? Not long ago, Director Lu even remarked, ‘Information is wealth!'”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage