Everyone remained silent, and I didn’t dare to talk much, so I walked away with my head down. After walking for about half an hour, we were already in the wilderness, and the surrounding areas were completely silent. Although we passed some villages, there were no lights at all, not even the sound of dogs barking. This is an official road, which used to be busy with traffic and dotted with villages and towns. Although it was midnight, it was so quiet that it gave people a feeling of desolation. Suddenly, there was fire and even noisy sounds in the woods in front. Liao Jianzhong immediately made a gesture. Everyone slowed down their horses and then got off their mounts in a secluded place. According to Liao Jianzhong's gesture, more than 20 people split into two groups. Tip-toeing, he headed straight for the woods.
I followed Liao Jianzhong and quickly entered the woods. Everyone's footsteps became lighter and lighter. I was also cautious, for fear of making any noise. The fire in front became brighter and brighter, our steps became smaller and smaller, and we gradually heard people talking. We immediately hid in the grass, and through the gap, we saw a group of people sitting around the fire, and we could see that they were roasting. When you eat something, you can even smell it.
Some people said: "This meat is so delicious!" Others said: "I have been hungry for a long time, how can it not be delicious?" Someone laughed and said: "It's okay for us to say that the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, and those brothers are close to each other. I'm afraid It’s hard to even drink water!”
"I don't know who came, but we had to work for days and nights. In this place, the road is in the sky. A group of people were suppressed a few days ago, and the people were hiding far away. What else could happen? "One person muttered, and someone coughed and said: "Don't talk nonsense, be careful that the walls have ears."
"Brother Wang, you are really careful. Who could be there in the middle of the night?"
"It's better to be careful. It's not peaceful here recently. The court has sent people here many times just to worry about another accident. We can't be careless!"
"Yes! The people from the imperial court are really cruel. After a eunuch died, they went from house to house to find the murderer. I heard that they also killed many people unjustly!"
These people are so eccentric and talk non-stop. I generally understood that what they were talking about was the Mahu civil uprising two months ago, in which a father-in-law was killed. However, before leaving, I heard that the court no longer pursued the matter and was instead appeasing the people. What they said was another story. Although they couldn't see their faces clearly, from the horses tied to a tree on one side, you could guess that they were definitely not ordinary people. There were a lot of people, probably more than thirty people. There were many people with loud voices among them, and the smell of meat became more and more permeated.
We slowly surrounded these people. Among these people, they seemed to be tall and powerful, and the horses even had weapons hanging on them. I didn't know the Jin Yiwei who was traveling with me at all, and I was even worried that he might take action soon, so I wouldn't accidentally hurt one of my own. Unknowingly, I felt a little nervous and couldn't help but touch the dagger in my boot. What happened today was so sudden. I came back from a distant place. Not long after I returned home, I changed from a doctor to a leader of the Imperial Guard. In the blink of an eye, I was here again. Everything was like a dream.
At this time, Liao Jianzhong whispered to me: "Little brother, follow me!" I nodded quickly and suddenly realized that I had a Xiuchundao in my hand, which I had forgotten. He quickly let go of the sword and involuntarily tightened his grip on the Xiuchundao. My grandfather asked my uncle to teach me a lot of kung fu, but my sword skills were average. I thought my grandfather was cautious and knew my kung fu very well, but he didn't expect that I would go into battle tonight. I couldn't help but think about it, should I use the skills passed down from my family or the skills taught by people around me? !
We slowly approached each other, but the other party didn't notice and continued to drink and eat meat. Liao Jianzhong made a gesture and we divided into two groups. Then he whistled, and more than a dozen Jin Yiwei jumped out together and shouted: "Don't move, Jin Yiwei." Come here to handle the case!" I wanted to follow, but I was pulled by Liao Jianzhong, and we both leaned down and did not go out. Several people around me also did not go out.
The group of people were startled and stood up one after another without panicking. A man named Hua Shichun on our side reported his name and said, "Who are you? Why are you here late at night?" One person, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, came out and saluted: "It's you gentlemen of the Jinyi Guards. We are the police officers of Baoding Prefecture. I am the arrest envoy Wang Daxie!" As he said that, he took out his waist badge and showed it to Hua Shichun.
Hua Shichun took it and inspected it carefully, put away the weapon, signaled everyone to put down their weapons, and said in a lower voice: "What are you doing here?" Wang Daxie said: "Back to Master Baihu, I heard that there is a noble person in the capital here. My master sent us out, because our positions are low, we can only stay here to guard!"
Hua Shichun said with a smile: "Your adults are indeed capable of causing trouble. That's great. You are just trying your best. You are still drinking and eating meat. If there are really thieves coming out, you are still on guard!"
Wang Daxie smiled awkwardly and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Baihu, we have arranged mobile sentries there, and we are checking closely every day. We don't want adults to come over here, so my subordinates will make corrections immediately. It's just that my subordinates have been patrolling for a long time. I was a little hungry, so a local brother happened to get some wild boars. We used local materials and roasted them as a midnight snack. If adults from a hundred households don't mind, let's come and drink and eat meat together."
Hua Shichun glared at him and said, "Who's coming to drink with you? I have something to do, so be careful and don't scare the noble's driver!" Wang Daxie quickly saluted and said yes. Hua Shichun asked again: "Is there anything unusual on the road?" Wang Dashie said: "My subordinates are taking the official road, which is peaceful." Hua Shichun said: "There has been a lot of trouble in Mahu recently. You should be more careful. Be on guard. However, it is better not to discuss court matters in the future." Wang Daxie nodded repeatedly. Hua Shichun said and blew a whistle. Liao Jianzhong also whistled back. Hua Shichun and others retreated one after another, and then turned over. Mount your horse and move on.
Liao Jianzhong stood up and said to me: "Let's go, they are police officers from Baoding Prefecture. They often have to go out, and it is really hard. Let's go and look elsewhere!" Later, I understood that for people who are also from official service backgrounds, , Jin Yiwei has an unwritten rule, which is to be more generous. We are all members of the public family, and the pain of traveling around is indispensable. It would be a relief to everyone to be friendly to each other.
I followed Liao Jianzhong for two days and one night, and everything was fine along the way. Liao Jianzhong was not very talkative on the surface, so I just kept moving forward with him, and occasionally someone would report information. By noon on the third day, we could already see the majestic city of Beijing!
Looking at this big city, I became confused for a moment. And when I saw the clothes I was wearing, I suddenly realized that I was already a member of the Jin Yiwei. At this point, I began my fifteen-year career as a royal guard!
I remember when I was a child, my grandfather told me anecdotes about the kings of the past dynasties. When talking about Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, he said a poem: Officials should be treated like Jinwu, and wives should be treated like Yinlihua. This is when Emperor Guangwu visited the capital, he saw Zhi Jinwu wearing beautiful clothes and armor, riding a tall horse, and walking proudly in the market. He was very envious and blurted out this poem. That Yin Lihua was the beauty he had dreamed of when he was a boy, and later he finally got the beauty he wished for.
I don’t know what kind of official Zhijinwu is. My grandfather once treated a county magistrate. The county magistrate was very arrogant and should be a high official. I always thought so in my mind, but my grandfather dismissed it as a minor official. , not worth mentioning, I asked what kind of official Zhi Jinwu was, and my grandfather replied calmly, he is the current Jin Yiwei...
【Jin Yiwei is beautiful】
The Jinyiwei is first of all the emperor's personal bodyguard and honor guard, consisting of generals, lieutenants and warriors. The general was originally named "Tianwu", but in Yongle he was renamed "General of the Han Dynasty". Those with majestic appearance and courage were selected to serve as palace guards. The school captain and the strongman are selected from among the people who are healthy and have no criminal record. The school captain is in charge of the book and umbrella cover, and the strongman holds the golden drum and flag.
On weekdays, when there are no court activities, each guard's army is on duty at the four gates of the imperial city. Only General Jin Yiwei guards outside the Meridian Gate day and night, with a total of one hundred people. The Meridian Gate is the main entrance of the palace city, which shows the high status of Jin Yiwei.
When the emperor was listening to the government at the Fengtianmen Royal Gate, a member of the Jinyi Guards Hall stood on the west side of the throne and was responsible for delivering the decree. One hundred and twenty-nine Jin Yiwei generals, two from Qianhu, and four from Baihu guarded the gates of Danbi, Yudao, Jinshui Bridge, and Fengtianmen Square respectively. In addition, there are 500 guards in brocade robes, arrayed inside and outside the Meridian Gate, responsible for blowing whips and holding guard of honor.
During the three major court gatherings of Zhengdan, Winter Solstice, and Wanshou Festival every year, Jinyiwei and other pro-army soldiers assume the responsibilities of bodyguards and honor guards. There are more than 4,000 people in the honor guard, including 1,500 royal guards. During the court meeting, the closest thing to the emperor was the royal guards, who were always on hand and ready to be dispatched.
Whenever the emperor leaves the palace for sacrifices or parades, the royal guards must also be in front of him. Some of them are responsible for patrolling along the way, some are responsible for delivering news between Luangzhi and the capital, and some are riding beside the chariot to report the rise and fall of the imperial chariot.
Because of their function as an honor guard, the Jin Yiwei's costumes are extremely gorgeous. The official uniforms worn by the school captains were modeled on the formal dress of the Yuan Dynasty. Whenever the emperor offered sacrifices or went on parade, the school captains, as attendants, would wear flying fish uniforms and carry embroidered spring knives at their waists. The Feiyu suit is the most ceremonious dress after the python robe, and can only be worn by officials who have reached a certain level. Xiuchun Dao is light and short, and cannot be worn without permission unless given by the emperor. During the Jingtai period, the commanders of the Jinyi Guards and the bodyguards on duty were allowed to wear Qilin uniforms. This was a dress that only dukes, marquises, uncles, and consorts were eligible to wear. When on duty, the Han generals of Jinyiwei must wear a helmet decorated with a small flag and a double-breasted hood. The armor comes in various colors such as gold helmet, gold armor, red helmet and red armor, and red helmet and green armor. There is also a palace-banned gold medal and a sword hung around the waist, and a gold melon or ax is also held in hand.
【Jinyiwei is scary】
"Inspection and arrest" is what distinguishes the Jinyiwei from other imperial guards of other dynasties. The Jinyiwei agencies responsible for investigating crimes are the South and North Town Fusi. Among them, the North Town Fusi was added in the 15th year of Hongwu and was appointed by the emperor. case. In the first year of Chenghua, the seal of Fusi in Beizhen was cast, and Bai Benwei was not required to be imprisoned in all prisons. Beizhen Fusi has its own imperial prison, and can arrest, torture, and execute on its own without going through the general judicial institutions. There are five guard posts under the Fusi of South and North Towns. Their commanders are called Qianhu, Baihu, Zongqi, Xiaoqi, and ordinary sergeants are called Xiaowei and Lishi.
The imperial staff was used to drag ministers who offended the emperor out of the Meridian Gate and beat them with a staff. The person responsible for the execution was the Jinyi Wei Xiaowei, and the person overseeing the execution was the eunuch Si Li. The officials who received the cane were stripped of their official uniforms, tied with straw ropes, lying on the ground, and received eighty sticks. The execution school captain changed every five sticks, for a total of sixteen people. The execution officer used the facial expressions and movements of the eunuch as the basis for the severity of the stick: if the eunuch's legs were spread out, the person who was being tortured could still survive; if the eunuch's toes were close together, the person who was being tortured would die. Under the staff.
