Xie Ming

Chapter 830 A Stormy Night

The jinx, drunk, recounts his tales before the steps; the cold moon shines on the quiet house, a solitary soul awaits.

"Here, let me pour you some more."

Splash—

As he spoke, the drunkard swayed and leaned forward, his hands trembling. He barely managed to stagger forward, leaving two more streaks of alcohol on the ground.

He leaned to one side, and even went up there like a fool.

"Hehe, hehehe."

"Alright, now that you've taken care of things, I feel much more at ease."

It was as if a huge stone had been lifted from the ground, and a harbinger of doom had descended upon the night. He let out a long breath, shook himself, tightened his cotton-padded coat, pulled it back around his neck, rubbed his face, and forced himself to stay alert.

"To be honest, this time when I came back, I, hehe, I... I also have something to do myself that I haven't taken care of yet."

He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, seemingly talking to himself, though he also seemed a little restrained and embarrassed.

"People always have to look forward and take a step forward."

"Who the hell would have thought that I, a jinx, would one day be in this situation?"

"Zhecheng, I... I haven't told anyone about this yet."

With a flick of the finger, two figures appear, one in each other's shadow.

"Last month, in Nanjing, I saw a girl I liked."

"Singers may not be considered high-class, but they're incredibly kind to me."

"What's wrong with girls in brothels? We're just roughnecks. If it weren't for the warlord's promotion, would we be where we are today?"

"I'm content, anyway, I don't mind."

"It's good enough that they didn't look down on us, don't you think?!"

"I don't need your house or your family background. As long as you're caring and willing to settle down and live a stable life with me, that's enough. What more could I want?"

His speech was still somewhat slurred, but he grinned widely, seemingly trying to make himself at ease.

"Hehe, to be honest, I'm going to take care of this matter on this trip back."

"The madam said five hundred taels of silver isn't much, but it's enough to redeem her."

“I agreed, but... but we’re poor. I was just thinking that I could take advantage of this New Year’s visit to ask the warlord for a favor.”

"Okay, tomorrow, I'll tell you first thing tomorrow morning." He seemed very confident, as if it were a serious matter.

"This deal is a good one, the warlord would love to have it, wouldn't you say?"

"Hey hey hey"

It's like walking at night in a thick fog, unable to see anything ahead.

If you still want to keep going, to bolster your courage, you'll unconsciously start shouting loudly.

I've had my fill of drinking and complaining.

The jinx was satisfied, waiting to see the outcome tomorrow morning.

He slapped his thigh again, gritted his teeth, and awkwardly propped himself up.

"Okay, okay, I'm not going to fucking talk nonsense with you anymore."

"We have other errands waiting for us if we get up early."

"Time to go to sleep."

After a long, rambling discussion about gods and ghosts, the jinx, dragging his two unruly legs, swayed back and forth a couple of times before finally deciding to go back to his room to rest.

But now is the time!

Suddenly, on a corner of the eaves and a high wall, the moonlight swayed, and several dark figures seemed to dart down one after another.

"Who"

Even if the jinx is drunk, he still has some sense of vigilance after years in the military.

Fortunately, his "who" hadn't caused too much of a stir.

The group of men in black on the other side were clearly no ordinary people, and it was unclear how long they had been lying in ambush there.

Without further ado, they leaped forward and rolled, whoosh—

A cold glint appeared; two fists could not defeat four hands.

One thrust to the waist and ribs, one grabbing both fists, and another slashing the throat with a broken blade.

The jinx's eyes widened in shock and horror, but he quickly sobered up and tried to struggle again.

However, the group rushed forward and stabbed him repeatedly in the chest with ruthless, swift, and decisive methods, leaving no room for retreat.

After finishing their work, several people gestured to each other, and even more people climbed over the wall to enter.

The jinx had his throat cut, his hands and feet severed, and he was completely paralyzed.

He stared intently at everything before him, and in his dying moments, he strained so hard that his face turned purple, as if he wanted to make some noise to serve as a warning.

But all efforts were in vain.

Mouthfuls of blood gushed from his chest, choking him and leaving him utterly exhausted.

All that is transformed is illusory; all things are ultimately empty.

As the year draws to a close, the cold moon hangs low.

The red gates and embroidered doors are adorned with lantern wicks.

Red candles hang low, awaiting the new gauze.

Little did they know that the night breeze carried deadly intent.

The sedan chair is ready, and the wine has been purchased on credit.

Laughter and chatter filled the front hall as they awaited the newlyweds.

From then on, he was no longer entitled to the dragon and phoenix bed.

Before the character for "happiness" was written, blood had already seeped out.

That day and night. Inside Hangzhou city, in front of the Forbidden City gate.

The newly appointed Minister of Works, Qi Gang, arrived slowly in a small sedan chair in front of the gate.

The sedan chair bearers pressed down the poles, and Minister Qi lifted the hem of his court robe and stepped out.

He had just revealed himself and landed when someone suddenly called out to him from behind.

"Minister Qi, wait for me."

He turned his head to look, and another sedan chair arrived. Ma Minglu peeked out from behind the side curtain and greeted him.

Once they had both landed steadily, Minglu stepped forward.

"Oh?"

"Minglu, how could it be you?"

"Uh, it's Minister Zeng's turn to be on duty in the cabinet tonight, not you..."

Upon seeing that the person was Ma Minglu, Qi Gang couldn't help but look surprised.

According to the Ming dynasty system, it was customary for cabinet ministers to be on night duty in the palace.

The fear is that if any urgent matter arises, especially during a major festival, there might not be anyone to handle or consider it.

Generally speaking, only senior cabinet officials are qualified to guard the cabinet.

Qi Gang, the newly appointed Minister of Works, was originally a cabinet member, and at that time, he was just doing his job and there was nothing to say.

As for Ma Minglu...

Although he only held the title of Vice Minister of War, due to the needs of the court, Duke Jing intended to place him in the cabinet to balance the situation.

Therefore, last month he was appointed as a Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion. Although this was lower than entering the cabinet in this way, at least he could participate in the affairs of the cabinet and had a status, so that he would not overstep his bounds.

Therefore, it is because of this strategic pass that we have the opportunity to meet these two former brothers-in-arms tonight.

Moreover, when Qi Gang came to inquire why he had come, Minglu didn't care and casually gave a reply.

"Ah, Minister Zeng is on his way here, but he is ill and bedridden at home."

"And here I am, they've dragged me here."

"Alas, the holidays are not a time for anyone to relax. A substitute is here."

"A higher-ranking official can crush you."

"But it's also a good opportunity for us two brothers to have a chat."

"Tonight, comrades are fulfilling their duties, ah, comrades are fulfilling their duties, hahahaha."

Ma Minglu and Qi Gang were both promoted by Jing Gong and rose to their current high positions at a young age.

A white-robed prime minister, holding a high position in the government, is destined for rapid advancement and should be a picture of triumph and high spirits.

As a result, the sharp edge he carried with him was hard to contain, and he was full of energy and spirit.

Seeing this, Qi Gang also smiled.

"Hahaha, good, I was just looking forward to catching you."

"Let's go into the palace."

As he spoke, Qi Gang grabbed Minglu, and the two walked together to the palace gate.

The guards, performing their duties, checked the palace pass without delay, clasped their hands in greeting, and opened the gate to let him in.

Fortunately, Qi Gang arrived at this time. After all, he was Qiu Zhizhong's subordinate, and he was meticulous and had excellent eyesight.

He never overlooked or missed a single person he had ever met.

Upon seeing this person standing before the palace gates tonight, I realized he was not one of the guards who should be on duty.

Upon meeting, doubts immediately arose in his mind, and he began to ask questions.

"hiss--"

"You're the centurion under Commander Mei."

"Pei, Pei Huan, right?" He had a photographic memory and called him by his name.

Upon hearing this, the garrison foreman looked up in surprise.

"Ah, Minister Qi has a good memory."

"It is your humble servant."

“They all call him Pei Big Head, that’s his subordinate.” The man answered readily.

Listen, Qi Gang continued speaking.

"Hehe, that's quite fitting."

"Hey, where's Commander Qin?"

"It seems that Yao Luwen, the commander-in-chief, should be on duty today, according to the usual schedule."

How so?

"He was also bedridden and didn't come?"

It may seem like a casual joke, but such wit is far beyond the reach of ordinary people. (End of Chapter)