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The Commander of the Imperial Guards was tall and strong. He was not a scion of a noble family but had risen through the ranks of the military. Even though he knew that his actions would offend the Crown Prince, he remained resolute.
Li Jian Cheng admired such a person, provided they did not cause trouble. Before he could speak, Yuwen Huaji impatiently made his move.
Yuwen Huaji had not been faring well in recent years. His father had returned to Jiangnan to take up a post, and after Li Jian Cheng had beaten him, he would lead others to mock him when in good spirits and would take people to trick him into a beating when in bad spirits.
Naturally, he had sought the Crown Prince for justice, but each time it ended with both sides suffering equally. Given that he was already at a disadvantage, this only made things worse.
Finally, he had the chance to handle important matters, yet he still found himself following Li Jian Cheng's lead. Frustrated, he noticed that the Commander of the Imperial Guards showed no respect to Li Jian Cheng and thought to seize this opportunity to let the Crown Prince know who was a loyal and capable general.
Yuwen Huaji stepped forward proudly, swaggering up to the commander and raised his hand for a slap. It was loud and crisp, but the commander did not even blink; he merely stared coldly at Yuwen Huaji.
Yuwen Huaji's confidence immediately faltered by half, but he still forced himself to shout threateningly, "Do you know who I am? Who gave you the audacity to speak back? You better follow orders quickly, or I will make sure your wife and children..."
The commander ignored Yuwen Huaji and turned to Li Jian Cheng, speaking loudly, "I have heard of Lord's great name. The General is loyal to his duties; is there something wrong with that?"
"Since Lord is only tasked with taking over the Summer Palace Garrison, why must you strip the General of his military authority? Is this truly your intention or that of the Crown Prince? Does the Crown Prince harbor any disrespect?"
Li Jian Cheng replied slowly, "The General is not at fault. The decision to strip him of command is mine. With His Majesty and the Crown Prince present here, we cannot allow any negligence or oversight. Therefore, I must ensure that every soldier in the Summer Palace is under my command."
"Can you guarantee absolute safety while holding authority? The General believes himself loyal to His Majesty and the court; he will certainly fulfill his duties!"
"How many people in court know who you are? What qualifications do you have to guarantee loyalty?"
Li Jian Cheng seemed to explain patiently: "I am from the Li Clan, with hundreds of family members. I hold the title of Duke and possess vast lands. I am trusted by the Crown Prince; His Majesty just rewarded me with precious gold as encouragement. And what about you?"
The commander's face flushed red but he could not find words. A few deputy generals behind him, including the City Gate Captain, advised him: "Li Langjun's reputation is known throughout the land; we cannot compare. With the Crown Prince's decree in hand, it would be best to follow orders."
Seeing no one supporting him and realizing that His Majesty indeed had little time left, making it likely for the Crown Prince to ascend without issue, he decided to bow to Li Jian Cheng and accept the orders.
Li Jian Cheng turned to Li Jing beside him and said, "Master Li will temporarily command the Imperial Guards."
Then he looked at Yuwen Huaji and instructed, "You will take charge of the Garrison. Ensure they double their vigilance; without my orders, they must not act recklessly!"
Facing Li Jian Cheng, Yuwen Huaji instinctively shrank back. He wanted to retort defiantly, but recalling past lessons, he hesitated. Considering that Garrison was under his command and deserved credit, he hurriedly left, fearing that Li Jian Cheng might regret it later.
At first, this man walked with a slight hunch, but suddenly straightened up as if struck by a thought. He began to look ahead through his nostrils, a sight that made anyone who saw him shake their heads in disbelief.
Garrison was not weak, but the Imperial Guards were the true elite troops. With both in hand, the Summer Palace was completely under Yang Guang's control; the lives of all within rested on the prince's whims.
Just as Li Jian Cheng was about to return to report, he was stopped by a pair of eunuchs who requested him to go somewhere. Li Jian Cheng scoffed and ignored them.
Seeing him about to leave, one of the eunuchs, who had been keeping his head down, raised it. Li Jian Cheng raised an eyebrow; this man was none other than Minister of Personnel Liu Shu.
Liu Shu knew he couldn't say much, so he leaned in and hurriedly said, "You are a very clever person and must understand that Yang Guang and Yang Su are cruel and jealous of talent. They are not wise rulers for governing the world; you will surely be harmed by them in the future."
"The prince is benevolent. As long as you abandon the dark and embrace the light, he will not hold past grievances against you. Once you grow a bit more, the position of Left Minister will surely be yours."
What a tempting offer! Li Jian Cheng laughed and asked, "Oh? So what do you want me to do?"
"I have an imperial edict sealed with the jade seal for succession. Now that you have military power, as long as you control Yang Guang and lead people to bring the prince here, everything will be settled!"
"Impossible; His Majesty would never be so foolish." Li Jian Cheng suddenly looked at Liu Shu with surprise and said, "Hah, Consort, you truly waste His Majesty's trust in you by daring to privately draft an edict and seal it with the jade seal."
Liu Shu felt a burning anxiety inside. Originally, he hadn't planned to approach Li Jian Cheng so soon, but he never expected Li Jian Cheng to quickly seize control of the Imperial Guards' military power.
They were already at their wits' end, retreating further and further from their bottom line while making increasingly grand promises. Now it had come to this: if Li Jian Cheng nodded, he would become the Grand Tutor and Left Minister of the current dynasty and command all troops.
Yet this only made Li Jian Cheng feel that these people were utterly foolish and without prospects. He had initially thought they possessed some real skills, but now without an emperor, their true nature was laid bare.
Li Jian Cheng's control over military power was predicated on having the prince's orders; he would merely carry out his duties normally. If there were any unusual movements, not a single soldier could be commanded otherwise.
He did not believe that Yang Guang could truly trust him. Within Garrison and the Imperial Guards, there must still be other confidants placed as checks against him for unforeseen circumstances.
Indeed, imperial power was remarkable; even such fortunate individuals could suppress talents like Yang Su to the point where they struggled to breathe under its weight.
Li Jian Cheng pushed past Liu Shu and approached the prince's quarters to pay his respects. He briefly explained that he had taken control of the Garrison and the Imperial Guards, mentioning that he had just encountered Liu Shu but withholding some details.
He wanted to see what other desperate schemes Liu Shu might be plotting. Having finally grasped military power, any movement would only serve to highlight his loyalty and achievements.
When speaking with his superior, it was imperative to avoid lies, as that was a grave taboo; however, he could choose to speak selectively.
“Just now, Liu Shu appeared flustered while searching for his nephew and uttered some treasonous words, seemingly with the intention of reinstating the deposed crown prince. Should I have him apprehended?”
“Additionally, I believe we should ensure that the deposed crown prince Yang Yong and Yang Xiu are kept under control, just in case. If there is any real change, we should execute them immediately.”
“Rest assured, I ordered them to be watched before I left the capital,” Yang Guang replied.
Yang Guang patted his shoulder and smiled. “They must have come to you with promises of high office and wealth. Did you not feel tempted?”
Li Jian Cheng shook his head solemnly. “Without Uncle, how could Jian Cheng be where he is today?”
Yang Guang felt reassured and said, “Whatever they promised you, Uncle would never hold back from giving it to you. Jian Cheng, they are getting old; you are still young. Take heart!”
Li Jian Cheng felt as if he had just been slapped with a large pie in the face but still pretended to be filled with gratitude and excitement.
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