A Pawn's Passage

In the previous dynasty, the Green Phoenix Guard were secret agents, assassins, and guards for the emperor.

However, in this dynasty, the Green Phoenix Guard’s role was somewhere between the Black Robes and the local police force.

Although the Green Phoenix Guard still retained the title of the emperor’s personal guard, they were no longer responsible for guarding the palace. They still acted as the emperor’s eyes and ears, but their main responsibility was to investigate serious crimes, including murders, large-scale robberies, and cases involving secret societies, pirates, and gangsters.

The main responsibility of the Lieutenant Colonel’s Office and the Major’s Office was to maintain stability within their jurisdiction, assuming some of the responsibilities from the Ministry of Justice and the Provincial Surveillance Commission.

There were obvious differences in terms of the weapons and equipment introduced. The Black Robes mainly used various heavy artillery, capable of destroying cities. The local police force was mainly equipped with batons, metal chains, short swords, and at most a pistol.

The Green Phoenix Guard was somewhere in between the two, equipped with higher caliber firearms, sabers, armor, crossbows, long guns, repeating firearms, and cavalry.

Before the use of firearms was popularized, private ownership of crossbows and armor would be regarded as treason. In ancient times, the Green Phoenix Guard could be regarded as an army. However, in the existing society, the typically smaller division of the Green Phoenix Guard was no match for the organized and well-trained Black Robes with heavy artillery. However, the Green Phoenix Guard was a small elite team proficient in single combat.

Due to this, the image of the Green Phoenix Guard gradually improved. They were often seen all over the world, earning them another nickname, the Green Robes. However, the Black Robes’ reputation still surpassed the Green Phoenix Guard, who had a notorious reputation due to their history.

Of course, this improvement was somewhat negligible, as they still had many internal problems. For example, the Green Phoenix Guard in Fengtai County were even capable of executing the county magistrate’s entire family. So no one would expect them to treat regular civilians kindly.

In fact, whether the Green Phoenix Guard played the role of a secret agent or the police made no difference to the bigwigs in the Imperial Court. Only ordinary civilians were afraid of the Green Phoenix Guard, who had the power to arrest, try, and execute civilians in the name of the emperor. If one day the emperor stripped the Green Phoenix Guard of their power, no one would be afraid of them anymore.

The Green Phoenix Guard was like a knife that was not terrifying on its own. What people feared was the person wielding said knife.

The current emperor no longer prioritized the Green Phoenix Guard, so they did not have much of a presence in court. Thus, there were no longer Green Phoenix Guards who could be on an equal footing with a cabinet minister.

To put it harshly, the Green Phoenix Guard was like a hunting dog struggling to perform in hopes of gaining its owner’s attention. This was the reason the Green Phoenix Guard repeatedly cracked down on secret societies, sometimes even more so than Tiangang Hall.

However, this was only the perspective of the bigwigs. For ordinary folk like Qi Xuansu, the Green Phoenix Guard was still an unshakable behemoth.

At this time, the Green Phoenix Guard had locked down Shimen County. If Qi Xuansu was alone, he could have sneaked away or forced his way through. However, with Liu Hu and two horses, it would be difficult to do so.

Moreover, Qi Xuansu had to be on guard against powerful enemies at this time, so he did not want to provoke the Green Phoenix Guard for no reason.

Qi Xuansu removed his face mask, revealing his true appearance.

From a distance, he saw Eighth Tianyang lecturing a group of Green Phoenix Guards. The senior major’s expression was grim.

Qi Xuansu led Liu Hu over to Eighth Tianyang. But before he could get close, two hostile-looking Green Phoenix Guard troopers stopped him.

Seeing this, Qi Xuansu calmly took out his two badges and introduced himself. “Your boss and I are old acquaintances. Please inform him that his old friend, Wei Wugui, is here to visit.”

The two troopers were shocked when they saw the two badges. If they had not seen the badges, they would not have believed a commoner would be friends with their boss.

However, the man in front of them was somehow related to the Black Robes and the Daoist Order, obviously not an ordinary person. Even if he was not an old friend of their boss, they could not afford to offend him.

The troopers immediately plastered on a smile as they asked Qi Xuansu to wait, while one of them hurriedly went to inform Eighth Tianyang.

After a while, Eighth Tianyang hurried over to greet his friend. He clearly did not expect to see Wei Wugui here. He motioned to the two troopers to tend to Qi Xuansu’s horses and said, “Brother Wei, let’s talk somewhere else.”

Under the guidance of Eighth Tianyang, Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu came to a residence that was temporarily requisitioned by the Green Phoenix Guard. Many guards in uniform were coming in and out. They all gave way and saluted their boss.

The trio came to the living room and sat down separately.

Eighth Tianyang smiled and asked, “Brother Wei, when did you join the Black Robes?”

Qi Xuansu chuckled. “Brother Eighth, I’m just trying to make a living here. I have yet to congratulate you on your promotion, though.”

If Eighth Tianyang was still at the Yongzhou Lieutenant Colonel’s Office, he would not have appeared here.

“Brother Wei, you’re joking.” Eighth Tianyang waved his hands repeatedly. “It’s not a promotion, just a lateral transfer.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Well, I think being transferred here will certainly guarantee you a faster track to promotion.”

Eighth Tianyang did not deny it. “You’re right, Brother Wei. I’ve just been transferred to the Seventh Lieutenant Colonel’s Office. Although I’m still a senior major, my future path will indeed be easier.”

The headquarters of the Green Phoenix Guard was the Imperial Guard’s Office located in the Imperial Capital. It was divided into the Northern and Southern Military Commissions. The Southern Military Commission focused on internal matters, and the Northern Military Commission dealt with external affairs. Both Military Commissions had several Lieutenant Colonel’s Offices established in the area.

The First Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was engaged in the Green Phoenix Guard’s old trade, in charge of gathering intelligence on the hundreds of court officials. In the past, this department was either one of the most critical departments to the emperor, or it could be just for show.

The Second Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was also involved in intelligence, with mainly external responsibilities like sending spies to enemy countries. This office had a close relationship with the Black Robes because they often worked together. It also had the best reputation in the country.

The Third Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was responsible for supervising the 19 states in the empire. They used to have great power, but now they suffered the same fate as the First Lieutenant Colonel’s Office.

The Fourth Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was responsible for assassinations and related matters. However, the business was in short supply because most of these jobs had been outsourced to The Inn.

The Fifth Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was in charge of arrest and interrogation. They were infamous for their horrific torture of criminals.

The Sixth Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was responsible for guarding the palace. They were also the emperor’s ceremonial guards.

The Seventh Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was a newly established rising star, specializing in various major cases that were difficult to solve. These included the massacres of large families or robberies involving princes and dignitaries. They were one of the more outstanding departments of the Green Phoenix Guard.

Eighth Tianyang looked at Liu Hu, who had been silent all this while. “Is this—”

Qi Xuansu interrupted him. “This is my niece. Her father and I are old friends, and he asked me to send her to her aunt in Zhili.”

“After I was transferred to the Seventh Lieutenant Colonel’s Office, I haven’t had the time to report to the Imperial Capital. It’s a pity that I can’t go with you to Zhili, as I am tied up with official duties.” Eighth Tianyang sighed.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Brother Eighth, have you encountered any difficulties?”

Eighth Tianyang regained his spirit and pleaded. “Speaking of this, I would like to ask for your help, Brother Wei.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I will do anything in my power to help you, Brother Eighth.”

Eighth Tianyang explained, “To be honest, the reason I’m here in Shimen County is to solve a serial murder case. The local Lieutenant Colonel’s Office couldn’t solve the case, so they reported it to us.”