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Chapter 118 Silver Armored General
Fu Wen turned his head and looked at Lu Qing with some confusion.

Logically speaking, for a military commander like the Commander-in-Chief, apart from the maids and old women who take care of his daily life, almost all the male members of his family have some martial arts skills.

Although the imperial court did not explicitly stipulate that the servants in the families of military generals had to be martial artists, this had actually become an established rule in private.

It is just like the servants in the homes of civil servants who can quote from classics whenever they speak. Even if they cannot read, they are at least well-educated.

These things are related to the owner's reputation.

Especially the doorman. It is not really important if you say it is important, but it is not important if you say it is not important. He is the first person that guests see when they visit.

Therefore, in general, the doormen of wealthy families are either smart or strong.

The commander-in-chief was puzzled. The doorman was not only very old, but also had a weak leg.

After a while, the old doorman limped back and hurriedly invited the five people in.

"Dear guests, our commander is training new soldiers in the Imperial Guards camp today and has not returned yet.

"The steward said we'd all go to the living room for some tea and a rest. It's getting dark, and I think the master will be back soon," the old doorman said with a smile.

Zhu Yu originally didn't know the rules of the Jin State military general's home, so when he first saw the old doorman's age and legs, he didn't react much. But now he realized that something was wrong.

From what the old doorman said, he knew that the head of the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion was not at home. He went in to ask the housekeeper, who then took the initiative to invite them in to wait.

From beginning to end, no one asked them their names, what positions they held in the capital, and what they were doing in Lizhou to find the commander-in-chief!

It would be fine if the five of them were dressed in their usual attire, but now all of them were wearing veils on their heads, and one of them, Fu Lu, was particularly tall and strong, and he didn't look like a good person.

Are the servants in the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion a little too credulous and careless?

After entering the gate, two young servants came and led the five people into the guest hall. The steward of the mansion was an extremely thin middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. Seeing that the five people who came in were all dressed mysteriously in black clothes and veils, he seemed very nervous. He served them tea and snacks with great trepidation and then hurriedly retreated outside the guest hall.

"Why do the servants in the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion all look so timid and nervous? What are they afraid of?" After sitting down, Zhu Yu turned his head towards Lu Qing and asked in a low voice.

Logically speaking, the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards stationed in various states is a prestigious rank of fourth grade, although it is still a long way from the highest position in the country. However, in a central state like Lizhou, the highest official in the state government, the prefect, is only a fifth-rank official.

Although it sounds like there is only a difference of half a level, a commander of the imperial guards of the fourth rank who holds military power is much more powerful than a prefect of Zhongzhou of the fifth rank, and is more respected by the emperor.

In the home of such a powerful military commander, from the steward to the doorman, not counting the few servants, all the servants in the house are like a group of mice seeing a cat, shivering and trembling with fear. This is really unacceptable.

Perhaps they all thought the Commander-in-Chief's servants' reaction was a bit strange. The five of them sat in the classroom, and despite the hardship of their journey, none of them touched the tea and cakes on the table. It was unknown how much time had passed before it was completely dark outside. The Commander-in-Chief's servants lit the lamps in the living room. Finally, a young servant hurried in. In his haste, he tripped over a raised stone slab in the middle of the courtyard and fell hard.

"The master is back! The master is back!"

Lu Qing and Zhu Yu immediately turned their attention to the corridor on the other side of the courtyard, but Yan Daoxin, who was sitting opposite them, did not move. He still kept his head supported by one arm, without moving at all.

A tall man in silver armor walked over from the other end of the corridor. He took big steps and the armor on his body made sounds as he moved.

The Shuo Kingdom not only produces minerals, but also possesses the most advanced smelting and forging techniques in the world. Many of the world's most famous weapons and armors are made by the craftsmen of the Shuo Kingdom.

It was also because of this that Zhu Yu did not know martial arts, but he knew that the silver armor weighed at least thirty or forty kilograms. Most people would find it very difficult and unbearable to just walk a few steps while wearing it.

The commander-in-chief walked lightly, as if he didn't care about the dozens of kilograms of weight on his body.

It seemed that after he came back, he had received a report from the steward and knew that a mysterious guest from the capital had come to his home. Therefore, he was not surprised at all to see their attire. He strode into the classroom and clasped his fists towards Lu Qing, Zhu Yu and others who had already stood up.

"I am Situ Jing, the commander-in-chief of the Lizhou Imperial Guards and the captain of the light chariots. May I know your names? What brings you all the way from the capital to see me?" Situ Jing spoke in a very loud voice. While asking, he silently looked at the people in front of him with his eagle eyes.

Situ? Zhu Yu was stunned.

I heard before that Emperor Jin arranged a marriage between Prince Yi Lu Zhang and the princess of Jie State, and the one who went to the Jie-Jin border to "welcome the bride" was General Situ, who had made great military achievements and was famous far and wide.

Situ is not a common surname anywhere.

From this point of view, the commander-in-chief Situ Jing is indeed of great origin, and is definitely the descendant of a meritorious official and a general.

Lu Qing raised his hand and took off the veil on his head, revealing the golden crown on his head and the hideous golden mask on his face.

Situ Jing was indeed well-informed. Originally, his eyes were filled with speculation and doubt. When he saw the mask on Lu Qing's face, he was only slightly stunned. Then he immediately clasped his fists and knelt in salute, and the silver armor on his body rustled. "This general greets the Lord Censor!"

"General, there's no need to be so polite." Lu Qing took two steps forward and offered Situ Jing a hand to help him up. "I heard that you've been supervising the troops in the camp and it must be very tiring. Why don't you take off your armor and sit down to talk?"

Situ Jing didn't bother to be polite with him. He called two servants to help him take off the silver armor and put it away. Only the robe inside was left. He sat down in the living room, picked up the teapot beside him, poured a glass of water, and drank it in one gulp.

"Your Excellency the Censor, have you been sent by the Emperor to Lizhou? What instructions do you have?" He put down his teacup and asked Lu Qing.

"I'm here on the orders of the Emperor to investigate the strange happenings in the Lizhou Imperial Guards' barracks." Even though Situ Jing had recognized him, Lu Qing still took out the gold-faced censor's badge from his bosom and handed it to Situ Jing so that he could take a closer look.

(End of this chapter)