Chapter 26: The Superior Man Hides His Weapon; If He Can Refrain from Moving, He Does Not Move

In modern times, taking a girl to the zoo on a first date would mostly get you tagged as a clueless straight guy.

But in this era, apparently it was still fine.

Outside the Tiger Enclosure in the Western Park, Zhou Yu was carefully using a long iron fork, spearing a chunk of bloody fresh meat and slowly extending it into the cage.

The fierce tiger in the cage merely lifted its eyelids lazily, glanced at the meat, yawned, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

"Hey! You stupid tiger, why won't you eat!"

Zhou Yu was instantly a bit annoyed. She pulled back the iron fork, put one hand on her hip, and scolded the tiger in a delicate, angry voice.

Zhu Youjian watched from the side, unable to hold back his amusement.

Just then, a junior eunuch came running hurriedly from the distance and whispered a few words into Gao Shiming's ear.

Gao Shiming immediately stepped forward, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, Xu Yingyuan, the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, has sent word that the eunuch corps has finished assembling on the inner parade ground and awaits Your Majesty's inspection."

As soon as the words were spoken, the smile on Zhu Youjian's face faded.

The relaxed ease about him vanished without a trace in an instant, and his entire being switched back into imperial mode.

"Let's go, Changqiu." He turned around, his tone flat. "Accompany us to take a look at this eunuch corps."

With that, he strode outward.

Zhou Yu could clearly feel the shift in his aura. She dared not say more, merely gave the tiger a "hmph," lifted her skirts, and hurried after him.

Behind them, the tiger, which had been sound asleep, slowly opened its eyes.

It leisurely climbed to its feet, walked to the edge of the cage, and swallowed that chunk of bloody fresh meat in one gulp.

Then it gazed at the retreating figures of the group, narrowed its eyes, and lay back down to sleep again.

The inner parade ground was only a few hundred paces away and was reached quickly.

Before they even drew near, a wave of stern, lethal energy struck them head-on.

Looking out from a distance, the parade ground was filled with an endless expanse of brilliant yellow.

Three thousand soldiers of the eunuch corps wore brand-new bright-light armor, covered by brilliant yellow lamellar surcoats, and sported sun-shading hats adorned with swan feathers dyed indigo blue, which fluttered gently in the autumn breeze.

When Zhu Youjian's imperial carriage appeared at the edge of the parade ground, a small stir rippled through the crowd, but it quickly subsided.

He did not immediately ascend the reviewing stand. Instead, accompanied by Zhou Yu and a retinue of inner attendants, he slowly walked along the edge of the formation.

Countless gazes converged upon him.

He could clearly see the faces beneath those helmets — most were very young, some uneasy, some nervous, and some wearing expressions of pure ingratiation.

Among them, several units stood beside tall, large horses. The horses snorted restlessly and occasionally pawed at the ground, their sounds the only shifting noise amid the silence.

Expressionless, Zhu Youjian climbed the tall reviewing stand step by step, slowly.

The moment he stood firm.

"Clash—"

The three thousand soldiers below, as if pressed down by a single invisible giant hand, dropped to one knee in perfect unison!

The clang of armor colliding and the roar of acclamation merged into a torrent, deafening.

"Long live His Majesty, long live, long live!!"

Zhou Yu stood behind Zhu Youjian, awed by this imposing momentum. She could not help holding her breath, her small hands tightly clutching Zhu Youjian's sleeve.

Zhu Youjian raised his right hand and gently pressed it downward.

"Clash—"

Another perfectly synchronized sound — the three thousand men rose instantly and stood in silence, their movements crisp and clean, without the slightest drag.

The vast parade ground fell silent once more, leaving only the sound of the wind rustling through the banners.

Xu Yingyuan, the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses, jogged up onto the high platform and knelt.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the authorized strength of the eunuch corps is three thousand and seventeen men. Seven are on sick leave; three thousand and ten are present. Your Majesty, please conduct your review!"

Zhu Youjian drew a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Begin."

A flag officer beside him fiercely swung the command flag in his hand.

The three-thousand-man formation stirred in an instant!

Starting from the west side, companies of soldiers marched out in orderly steps, forming two horizontal ranks, and slowly passed beneath the reviewing stand.

The friction of armor and the stomping of military boots merged into one continuous sound. Men, horses, banners, and armor advanced like a wall — looking out, they resembled flowing yellow brocade.

Zhu Youjian held his breath.

No wonder — no wonder in the Diaries of Daily Activity, the Martial Ancestor Emperor called reviewing the eunuch corps "passing brocade." This lavish, magnificent aura truly lived up to its name!

The military formation stretched on unbroken, then returned to its original position, fitting together so seamlessly it seemed as if it had never moved.

Xu Yingyuan stepped forward again to request instructions: "Your Majesty, shall we drill the battle formations?"

Zhu Youjian rested his hands on the railing, his gaze fixed, and merely nodded lightly.

The flag officer swung the command flag again!

The three thousand men instantly formed an enormous square formation — in front, the infantry's long spears were like a forest; in the center, the cavalry stood steady.

"Your Majesty," Xu Yingyuan explained in a low voice from the side, "this is the defensive formation."

The command flag swung a third time!

The formation shifted again — a wedge formation in front, cavalry arrayed on both wings, and a square formation pressing forward in the rear.

"Your Majesty, this is the offensive formation."

The flag officer swung the command flag continuously, and the formations evolved without cease. Whether dividing or combining, every movement flowed like clouds and water, without the slightest sense of stagnation.

The formation drill concluded, and Xu Yingyuan spoke again: "Allow us to demonstrate mounted archery for Your Majesty!"

The cavalry units flew out in a continuous stream, drawing bows and loosing arrows from galloping horseback. In an instant, the straw-man targets outside the field were shot full, bristling like hedgehogs!

When this final act came to a close, Zhu Youjian could not help but close his eyes, remaining silent for a long while.

His fingers tapped unconsciously against the cold white marble railing, producing a soft "tap, tap" sound.

On the parade ground, three thousand soldiers stood motionless. The atmosphere, so fervent moments before, was gradually turning oppressive.

Could the eunuch corps actually fight?

Zhu Youjian was clear as a mirror in his heart — most likely, they could not.

Because of castration, eunuchs lose male hormones and the gaps between their bones widen, which often makes them appear taller and sturdier than ordinary men.

But for that very reason, they cannot perform heavy manual labor and are extremely prone to back pain and soreness.

To say nothing of expecting a pack of eunuchs and eunuch banner officers to possess any blood-drenched courage that scorns death.

Still… judging by today's spectacle, they were certainly more than impressive enough for show.

Bright armor, ample pay, drills performed with full effort — more than sufficient to bluff the poor militia soldiers of the guard stations around the capital region.

And that was enough.

The Book of Changes says: the superior man keeps his weapon concealed upon his person and bides his time to act…

Zhu Youjian thought wryly to himself, But this "weapon" of mine can only stay concealed — it absolutely must not be moved.

Its value lies precisely in being "concealed," in deterrence.

By now, on the parade ground, the soldiers had begun to stir with faint murmurs and restlessness at the Emperor's prolonged silence.

Zhu Youjian hurriedly opened his eyes. If he did not speak soon, this army was about to show its true colors.

He stepped forward and declared in a ringing voice: "The troops have given their all — truly worthy of the name elite!"

"We are greatly heartened!"

"Let Our decree be proclaimed: every man who took part in today's review shall be rewarded one tael of silver! Squad Leaders and above shall receive increments according to rank!"

The words had barely fallen when an orderly spurred his horse and galloped down the line, carrying the imperial decree throughout the entire army.

The deathly-silent parade ground erupted in an instant!

"Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long, long live!!"

Emotions pent up for so long burst into even wilder cheers, prolonged and unceasing.

Seeing Zhu Youjian in excellent spirits, Xu Yingyuan seized the moment. He stepped forward and spoke in a roundabout way: "Your Majesty's heavenly grace is boundless. This slave… this slave makes bold to recall the brush-holding eunuch Eunuch Li…"

Before he could finish, the smile on Zhu Youjian's face vanished completely.

"Oh?"

That single word sent Xu Yingyuan into a soul-scattering terror. With a splash he dropped to his knees and kowtowed heavily: "This slave deserves death! This slave spoke out of turn! I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Zhu Youjian looked at him and sighed.

"Xu Yingyuan, those two rules We laid down in Qianqing Palace — We spoke them to you in earnest, and We truly wish to share wealth and honor with you all."

"We hope you will not bring ruin upon yourselves."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of every eunuch on the platform with perfect clarity.

Xu Yingyuan lay prostrate on the ground, his body trembling like a winnowing sieve, not daring to utter a single word.

Zhu Youjian ignored him and turned to ask: "What is the true state of the Four Guards Camp and the Braves Camp at present?"

Xu Yingyuan gritted his teeth. Countless lies flashed through his mind, but in the end he answered truthfully: "In reply to Your Majesty, this slave… this slave has spent these two days clearing out the eunuch corps, and has… has not yet fully grasped the troops of the Braves and Guards camps."

"Very well." Zhu Youjian nodded. "The eunuch corps is indeed more important."

He paused, then said: "Here is what you will do — arrange for the eunuch corps to provide escort tomorrow. We shall go in person to review the Tengxiang Four Guards."

He thought for a moment, then sighed and added one more line.

"Give them advance notice. It would not do for them to disgrace Great Ming when the time comes."