Chapter 170: Sights and Sounds of the Capital

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Early this morning, before the rooster had even had a chance to crow, three members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived at a relatively remote courtyard in the capital and pounded urgently on the front gate.

"Coming, coming—who is it?" Before long, a somewhat impatient voice answered from the other side of the door.

"We are men of the Northern Provost Office, sent by imperial order to invite Masters Bi Maokang and Bi Maoliang into the capital for an audience with His Majesty!" Because Guard Commander Li Ruolian had given special instructions, the guardsmen showed none of their usual arrogance and bluster—instead, they were perfectly respectful.

Bi Maoliang, who had opened the door, was somewhat puzzled by the change in the guardsmen's attitude. He glanced back into the house and said, "I am Bi Maoliang. My elder brother is still fast asleep inside. But how could His Majesty wish to summon us two brothers? And how do you know where we live?"

Hearing this, the Centurion leading the guardsmen laughed heartily and said, "That is not something the two masters need to know—we naturally have our ways of finding out."

"May I ask when the one inside will be ready to come out for the audience?" another guardsman asked.

Bi Maoliang glanced at the guardsman and said, "Since it is an audience with His Majesty, I shall go inside and urge him along."

With that, he turned to head back in.

The Centurion turned and rebuked the subordinate who had spoken, then hastily said, "No need, no need—our superiors specifically instructed us not to press too hard. Since the master is still asleep, we shall wait outside the gate."

Having said this, the Centurion led the other two guardsmen out of the courtyard, shut the gate behind them, and stood outside, forming a rather striking sight.

"How extraordinary—the Embroidered Uniform Guard being so well-behaved?" Bi Maoliang shook his head with a chuckle and went back inside to find Bi Maokang.

Bi Maoliang knew his elder brother very well—knew that if he did not get his full sleep, he would be groggy all day—and also knew how seriously he took an imperial summons.

If his brother heard that the Emperor had summoned him, Bi Maokang would certainly leap up in alarm and rush straight to the audience. So Bi Maoliang waited until Bi Maokang had woken on his own before mentioning the morning's events.

Upon hearing this, Bi Maokang, who had just stretched his limbs, was startled greatly and scolded, "It's nearly the hour of Si! Why did you only tell me now? How could one not go when the Emperor summons? This has delayed a matter of great importance!"

Bi Maokang and Bi Maoliang began frantically throwing on their clothes. By the time they had tidied themselves and gone out again, they found the three guardsmen dozing at the door in three different postures.

The Centurion leaned against the wall, another sat on the ground propping his chin on his hand, and the last lay flat on the ground—none of them showing the slightest bearing of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Bi Maokang cast another reproachful glance at Bi Maoliang before nudging the Centurion leaning against the wall and saying, "Centurion, please lead this old man into the palace for an audience."

The Centurion nodded and hastily kicked his two subordinates awake.

Along the way, Bi Maokang and Bi Maoliang saw the changes in the capital. Street ruffians picking fights and causing trouble were fewer and fewer, and one could always spot constables of the Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Wards Troops and Horses Office patrolling the streets. Even in the deepest alleys, they regularly sent men to make inspections, lest any lawless elements harm the common folk.

"What are those people doing?" Walking a short distance further, Bi Maoliang saw a group of laborers digging under the direction of several constables and officials, with quite a crowd of onlookers gathered around. He asked with sudden interest.

"Oh, the two masters haven't heard." The Centurion was quite patient with the question, pointing as he said, "His Majesty the current Emperor has decreed that roads be built. Those ahead are laborers of the Shuntian Prefecture yamen, expanding the roads outward ring by ring."

"Word has it that once the roads in the capital are finished, men will also be sent to repair roads in the villages outside."

Speaking of this, the several guardsmen all wore pleased expressions. After all, road-building concerned everyone—the families of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the capital troops all lived in the capital, and no matter how the roads were built, they would pass by their own doorsteps. This was benevolent governance that benefited themselves—how could they not be pleased?

Passing the hawkers crying out their wares along the streets, the party arrived outside the military camp at Donghua Gate. Seeing the officers and soldiers inside fully clad in armor, Bi Maokang asked again:

"Is this the camp drilling?"

Hearing this, Bi Maoliang also turned to look.

After all, though soldiers were not a rare sight, witnessing soldiers drilling in person was still uncommon. Local troops who drilled twice a month were considered diligent; most could barely manage once in half a year, being extremely lazy.

Even when they did manage to hold a drill, it was merely to cope with inspections from superiors, and there was no real order or method to it.

Moreover, most men had long grown accustomed to idleness—after running a few laps they would be staggering about, complaining to heaven and blaming others. Superiors were unwilling to inspect, officers and common soldiers alike were happy to be left alone, and so drilling naturally became rarer and rarer.

"Not entirely so." The Centurion smiled and continued, "His Majesty has decreed that the Capital Camps and the Regimental Camps be reorganized into the Capital Army and the City Defense Army. They are now drawing lots and flipping cards anew."

"Yes, every card-flipping is quite entertaining," another guardsman said.

"Drawing lots and flipping cards?" Bi Maoliang asked back. The strange and novel things he had seen today were truly many—after all, this was the capital, at the very feet of the Son of Heaven, vastly different from the provinces.

"The two masters wouldn't know—the lots are drawn by the Capital Army, while the cards are flipped by the City Defense Army." As the Centurion spoke, he stepped forward to exchange a few words with a Company Commander who had come to inquire, and produced the Provost Office's token.

Thanks to the guardsmen's escort, the Company Commander did not obstruct them. He allowed Bi Maokang and Bi Maoliang to approach closer than ordinary people so they could see clearly—though he did not permit them to enter the camp.

As far as the eye could see, the entire camp was filled with soldiers in full armor. The Capital Army drew lots for their barracks and regular training grounds; the City Defense Army did much the same, but with one additional element—each man also drew for the section of city wall he would patrol on a daily basis.

Those who drew the original Capital Camp barracks were naturally overjoyed. If some Capital Army men drew the roughly thrown-together Regimental Camp barracks, they wore looks of bitter frustration—why couldn't they control their own hands?

Just as barracks and training grounds had so-called good locations, so too did the city walls. Some places had tall, imposing corner towers and watch platforms—if City Defense Army soldiers drew those, they would naturally be more comfortable and convenient.

If someone was especially fortunate and drew a post close to his own home, he would be even more overjoyed.

Though these City Defense Army soldiers also had rotations, most still had to endure wind, rain, and scorching sun. Now, after the reform, both the Capital Army and the City Defense Army were treated equally.

However, because of the City Defense Army's daily hardships, their treatment was to a certain degree even better than that of the original Capital Camps.

In terms of military regulations, both the Capital Army and the City Defense Army currently adopted the regulations of the Twelve Regimental Camps from the Jingtai era. The Capital Army was required to drill once every three days, while the City Defense Army, which only defended the walls and did not fight in the field, drilled once every five days.

Of course, these regulations were the current version—they would be adjusted later according to circumstances.

After watching for a few moments, Bi Maokang pulled Bi Maoliang along to continue into the palace. To be honest, all the people and events they had seen and heard along the way had greatly changed Bi Maokang's and Bi Maoliang's impression of the Chongzhen Emperor.

Arriving before the Chengtian Gate of the Forbidden City, the Centurion breathed a sigh of relief, said something to the Company Commander guarding the gate, and then led the other two guardsmen back to the Provost Office.

Bi Maokang and Bi Maoliang waited a short while before they saw Li Chun, the seal-holding eunuch of the Palace Maintenance Directorate, run out and say to them:

"You two are Bi Maokang and Bi Maoliang, I take it? His Majesty has been waiting in the warm pavilion for some time. Come quickly with me into the palace."