Chapter 3: The Imperial Guard

Jiang Nian and He Yun stepped into the hall.

Inside, there was only one person—a man in his early thirties, broad-shouldered and imposing.

He was Ren Pijiang, an imperial guard dispatched by Emperor Taishun.

The imperial palace guards of Daqing numbered five hundred seventy in total.

Among them were sixty first-class guards with the official rank of third grade; one hundred fifty second-class guards ranked fourth grade; two hundred seventy third-class guards ranked fifth grade; and ninety fourth-class guards ranked sixth grade.

Ren Pijiang was a second-class guard of the fourth official grade, serving as an imperial guard in close attendance to the emperor within the inner court. His duties included protecting the emperor’s person and sometimes carrying out secret missions under imperial orders.

Such a man naturally had an extraordinary background.

Ren Pijiang was a trusted military officer of Emperor Taishun. He had served as a palace guard at the Taishun prince’s residence before Taishun’s ascension to the throne, after which he was promoted to second-class imperial guard.

During his time as a palace guard, Ren Pijiang had been sent secretly more than once to Jiangning to meet with Jiang Xuelian, Jiang Nian, and He Yun. This time, he came again on imperial command.

Ren Pijiang was seated on an intricately carved nanmu wood chair in the main hall. Upon seeing Jiang Nian and He Yun enter, he rose and addressed He Yun, “I have a secret imperial edict to deliver. Ensure there is no one else inside or outside this hall.”

He Yun understood immediately and carefully inspected the hall and its surroundings, confirming there was no one else present.

Ren Pijiang then fixed a solemn gaze on Jiang Nian. “The emperor has a secret order. Jiang Nian, kneel and listen!”

With that, he stepped to the center of the hall, standing facing south.

Jiang Nian understood and approached Ren Pijiang, performing a deep bow and kneeling, “Your humble servant Jiang Nian respectfully wishes the emperor good health!”

“May His Majesty be well!” Ren Pijiang answered solemnly and then delivered the decree: “You may proceed to the capital, but I do not wish to recognize you as my son. You must keep your true identity secret. If you reveal it without permission, I will punish you severely without mercy!”

Jiang Nian replied respectfully, “Your humble servant obeys and thanks Your Majesty!”

Ren Pijiang stepped aside, restoring his official demeanor, and clasped his hands respectfully to Jiang Nian, “Your servant pays respects to Young Master Nian.”

Jiang Nian returned the gesture politely, “Please be seated, sir.”

Ren Pijiang admired the young prince’s composure. Though unacknowledged as a royal son, he was mature beyond his years—addressing himself humbly as “your servant” when receiving the edict, and now respectfully calling Ren Pijiang “sir.”

After resettling, Ren Pijiang discussed the arrangements for Jiang Nian’s journey to the capital with Jiang Nian and He Yun. Then he handed He Yun a set of official garments, a license, and a badge for the rank of fifth-grade Long Jinwei.

This signified that He Yun had been granted the rank of fifth-grade Long Jinwei.

In Daqing, there was a military rank called Long Jinwei. The Long Jinwei numbered three hundred in total and were similar to palace guards but held honorary positions without the requirement to stand watch.

He Yun was overjoyed.

Jiang Nian was also pleased, knowing that He Yun’s new status would be more advantageous for their purposes.

...

Jiang Nian returned to his study.

Seated by the desk, sipping tea, he pondered deeply...

He felt not disappointment, but relief.

From what he knew, the reason his father had never acknowledged him was mainly due to concerns about Emperor Jingning.

Years ago, Emperor Jingning had sent his fourth prince south on an important imperial mission. The prince, however, fell in love with a common woman named Jiang Xuelian in Jiangning and fathered a son.

The prince believed that if Emperor Jingning found out, he would be displeased; bringing the mother and son back to the capital would only worsen the emperor’s anger.

Since the prince was cruel and self-serving, he abandoned Jiang Xuelian and Jiang Nian in Jiangning to avoid damaging his standing with Emperor Jingning.

Yet, he did not neglect them entirely—he ensured their material needs were met and secretly assigned He Yun and his wife to protect, care for, and supervise them.

Although he had now become emperor, Emperor Jingning was still alive as the retired emperor.

Under such circumstances, it was not surprising that his father refused to acknowledge Jiang Nian as his son or reveal his true identity.

What Jiang Nian was grateful for was that his father was now willing to let him enter the capital.

For him, this was a significant step forward.

“Could it be that I truly have this fate, this golden touch?”

“Emperor Taishun allowing me to enter the capital must be the workings of destiny.”

Jiang Nian thought.

He looked at the manuscript of the poem "Little Pine" on his desk and softly recited:

“From youthful stubbornness in deep grass,
Now gradually emerging through the weeds.
The world does not recognize the lofty tree,
Only when it towers do they call it high.”

He felt this poem perfectly expressed his current ambitions.

...

On that day, He Yun hosted a banquet to entertain Ren Pijiang. Jiang Nian also attended, feeling it necessary to cultivate a good relationship with this imperial guard.

After the banquet, He Yun came to Jiang Nian’s study, accompanied by his wife, Lady Meng.

He Yun asked Jiang Nian, “Young Master, as you move to the capital, what do you intend to do with this residence? Will you keep it or sell it?”

Jiang Nian looked at He Yun and Lady Meng and asked in return, “What do you two think?”

Lady Meng quickly replied, “I think it’s better to keep it. We’re not short of money. This house is where Young Master was born and raised, and it’s been the home of you and Madam for over a decade. It would be a pity to sell it. Keeping it preserves your attachment, and when you return to Jiangning, you’ll have a place to stay.”

Jiang Nian smiled, “That is how I thought as well. Then we shall keep it.”

Lady Meng said, “We could have the Qiu couple stay behind to look after the house. However, since we already lack servants to manage, losing the Qius would make it worse. We should buy a few more servants.”

Jiang Nian nodded, “Agreed.”

Lady Meng continued, “Also, Young Master’s status has changed greatly. Even if you haven’t been officially recognized by His Majesty as his son, you are still a dragon son of the emperor. At fifteen years old, in a big household, which young master of your age doesn’t have a chief maid to attend to him? We should buy a chief maid for you to serve your daily needs.”

Here, a "chief maid" does not mean an older servant but rather a personal maid who attends closely to the master’s daily life, both in matters of dining and resting, often chosen for her beauty.

Jiang Nian’s household only had two maids, Qi’er and Qin’er, who were rough maids—unattractive and responsible for chores like cleaning and laundry.

Jiang Xuelian, devoted as she was, held a strict principle against spoiling her son, so even as Jiang Nian grew into his teens, he had never been assigned a chief maid.

Now, with Jiang Xuelian having passed for a year and his father becoming emperor, Lady Meng believed this was the right opportunity to buy a chief maid for Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian nodded again, “Agreed.”

He Yun then asked, “If we buy servants at the market in haste, it’s hard to find good ones. I intend to ask Wang Dian to select a few good ones.”

Jiang Nian nodded once more, “Agreed.”

In his mind, he thought of a certain golden hairpin from the original tale.

That was Xiangling.

In the original story, Xiangling was kidnapped as a child during the Lantern Festival while watching the festive fire shows. She was taken to Jinling by her captor, who raised her and then sold her first to Feng Yuan, a young master from Jiangning, and then secretly sold her to Xue Pan, intending to abscond with the money from both families. However, they were caught, and Xue Pan ordered his men to kill Feng Yuan in a dispute over Xiangling, after which she became a maid in the Xue household and later Xue Pan’s concubine.

Now, as He Yun and his wife planned to purchase a chief maid for Jiang Nian, he couldn’t help but think of Xiangling.

But in the vast sea of people, where could he possibly find that kidnapper or Xiangling herself?

He did not even know whether Xiangling was still with Xue Pan.

...