Xie Ming

The city of Nanjing, which had been ravaged by northern enemies, now has its northern gate collapsed, and there is not enough time to repair it.

About 20% of the houses in the city were destroyed by fire.

They plundered the people's wealth, and looted countless valuables, gold, silver and other valuables from the palace and other households.

Fortunately, because they were in a hurry to pursue the Southern Ming emperor, and the city had not been under enemy control for long, the palace, mansions, houses, wine shops, and entertainment venues were still relatively well preserved.

The common people were not killed in large numbers, which was fortunate amidst the misfortune.

It was the fifth day of the sixth lunar month, around 3:30 PM.
Xiao and Ma had just held a banquet to raise over six million taels of silver for military supplies, but before they could even get their hands on the money, the imperial envoy, Zeng Ji, the newly appointed Minister of War, arrived shortly after.

After entering the city through the South Gate, the group didn't stop. They changed into a sedan chair inside the city, completely transforming themselves, and headed straight for the Duke of Jing's mansion.

On that day, Nanjing was shrouded in intermittent rain. Despite it being June, the northerly river winds caused the temperature to drop considerably. If you were caught off guard and went outside, you would find yourself shivering.

A wisp of cloud suddenly darkened the sky over Nanjing, bringing rain; a single day brought the startling autumn chill of June.

Just as the weather was perfect, Zeng Ji's sedan chair hurried along without any obstruction and quietly approached the Duke's mansion.

The sedan chair bearers pressed down on the poles, and Zeng Ji peeked out.

Standing before the gate of the Duke's mansion, a light drizzle fell, dampening the carefully ironed, dark-patterned satin robes on his body.

Zeng Ji frowned at this, his eyes seeming to hold even more disgust for this trip than before.

He adopted an air of importance, gazing at the sky with his hands behind his back, his facial expression revealing a complex and unfathomable nature.

"Ghost weather"

As he muttered a curse, his attendants hurriedly pulled up umbrellas to shield him from the rage.

"Hey, ouch."

"Master, it's only been a few days since we came back, why is the rain so relentless?"

"Damn weather, what kind of world is this?"

The attendant, Old Feng, a middle-aged man, wore a black six-cornered hat, an ochre robe, and a dark blue vest. He followed the emperor to this place, and while busy shielding him with an umbrella, he also cursed casually.

"Hmph, it's just a trick to stir up trouble, it won't amount to anything."

Zeng Ji's words to this situation were loaded with hidden meaning, a cold and sarcastic remark.

Old Feng, understanding the implication, smiled and agreed.

"Uh, yes, yes."

“Sir, we’ve had a long and tiring journey. Why don’t we rest for half a day first, and then proceed with our official business when we’re refreshed?”

"Why did you rush here in such a hurry, changing into ordinary clothes to specifically seek out the Duke's mansion?"

"This time we are here with an imperial decree, an imperial envoy."

"Even if you don't care about the monk, you should at least care about the Buddha. Why lower yourself to come and visit his residence?" He got more and more worked up as he spoke.

"Look how tightly the gate is closed; even the gatekeeper can't see a single person."

"How does this resemble the act of receiving an imperial decree?"

"This isn't a 'warm face' offer, you know, that kind of offer."

Old Feng, who relied on his master's power and acted like a fox borrowing the tiger's might, had been traveling a long and arduous journey and finally wanted to rest when he got back to Nanjing.

Unfortunately, her master wouldn't allow it, so she secretly disguised herself as a sedan chair and came to deliver the message.

The man, unaware of the situation, took advantage of the fact that the master had just spoken, and became even more arrogant, spouting these nonsensical words.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Ji became angry, suddenly raised his eyebrows, and quietly turned his head to reprimand him.

"shut up!"

"They don't care where they're going to criticize others."

"He has no sense of proportion in his actions."

"After all these years with me, why haven't you grown any smarter?!"

"What kind of place is this Duke's Mansion?"

Is Nanjing still the same as it used to be?

Things are very different now.

"You've seen the Xiao family's army along the way."

"A strong and well-equipped army!"

"Ugh"

After a sigh of sorrow, he immediately gave another stern instruction.

"Old Feng, you better keep your mouth shut for me from now on."

"Imperial edicts and decrees are none of your business."

"That's our death warrant. Don't think that just because you're out in the world you're some kind of imperial envoy."

"Whether it's a blessing or a curse, it's hard to say."

Zeng Ji remained tight-lipped, speaking in a sarcastic and scathing tone.

Seeing this, Old Feng knew that his master had a stern and unpleasant temperament, so he lowered his head and shrank back, not daring to provoke him any further. "Uh, yes, yes, I understand," he bowed and replied.

Seeing the situation, Zeng Ji's expression changed, but then his eyes darted around, and he remembered something else and changed the subject.

"Ah, yes."

"You, you go, take the ginseng I prepared with you later."

"You can't hit someone who's smiling at you, right? We're both in the officialdom, and the Duke of Jingguo... he should still consider our relationship, right?"

As Zeng Ji spoke to himself and gestured with his fingers, a sense of unease crept in.

"Yes, yes, that's how it should be, that's how it should be."

Old Feng dared not say another word, so he simply continued the conversation, turned around and waved his hand to instruct the servants below to do it.

Zeng Ji hesitated for a long time in front of the gate, unable to move. In fact, at this moment, in the wind and rain, he was also very uneasy and flustered.

Looking back, I saw Old Feng's old eyes staring at me, and he recited a few more words.

"It's not that I'm afraid, sir."

"The main reason I came here is to ask for money."

"Hmph, what a lousy job this is."

"Trying to reason with a brute?"

"Now that he commands a large army, if anything happens to him, my old life will be in danger."

"I'm afraid I'll end up here in a muddle."

Zeng Ji was filled with anxiety and felt dragged along, reluctant to get involved.

But before the person can fully grasp their feelings.

Suddenly!

Click, click, click

Suddenly, at that very moment, a gatekeeper jumped out from the crack in the gate of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion.

This man was young and strong, and at first glance, he looked like a former guard.

"Gentlemen, you are guests from afar. May I ask, who exactly is Zeng Ji, or Minister Zeng?"

The young and strong gatekeeper bowed respectfully, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked questions fluently and clearly.

Seeing this, Zeng Ji was also taken aback.

However, since the final calculation has been completed, it is best to quickly respond with appropriate words.

"Uh, hehe, my name is Zeng Ji."

"What a handsome young man! As expected of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, a place where heroes emerge from outstanding people! Haha!"

"We have come from afar. Please inform us that we are old friends visiting and hope to meet with the Duke."

"Please, thank you."

In the past, official documents were written with a touch of sentimentality. Now, on someone else's turf, one should be cautious and flattering in all dealings with people and matters, and one can't go wrong.

The worst thing is that it's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings.

Only by lowering himself to such an attitude can Suo Ji do this.

Unexpectedly, the young and strong gatekeeper didn't take the bait at all.

He turned around and peered through the crack in the door, as if there was someone else inside.

There was no need for Minister Zeng to ramble on.

With a whoosh, the three-bay Duke's mansion suddenly opened wide from the inside, becoming completely open.

Zeng Yi's journey left him no time for further apprehension.

Chachacha——

The sound of armor rubbing against each other as they hurried along could be heard.

Following the three main gates, two rows of armored soldiers suddenly emerged from the left and right, each holding a sword at their waist.

As soon as it appeared, people on both sides stopped and surrounded Zeng Ji's sedan chair procession.

This scene was accomplished in a short time, and its awe-inspiring effect was very strong.

Zeng Ji felt as if he were trapped in a den of dragons and tigers, and his expression showed surprise and astonishment.

The group that followed were even more terrified, their faces pale and their breaths held in their throats.

"Minister Zeng!"

"Please come in!"

"The Duke has been waiting at the manor for quite some time."

(End of this chapter)