Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 91: Hangzhou Zhonghua Pavilion, Dragons and Tigers Gather! [30]

The lobby of the Censorate.

Jiang Xuan and the other two sat quietly in chairs, drinking tea and waiting.

Not long after, footsteps were heard hurriedly approaching.

The three of them looked up and saw a middle-aged man striding towards them. He was fat, and the official uniform, which was already too big, seemed a little crowded on him.

This person was none other than Xue Kairui, the Censor of the Censorate.

"I didn't know the envoy was coming, so I didn't go out to greet him. Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

Xue Kairui strode over and before he could even stand still, he bowed to Jiang Xuan who was sitting there.

A local official of the third rank, who was also a branch official of the Censorate, was so polite to Jiang Xuan, a captain of the sixth rank. His attitude was already very humble.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty’s official system was notorious for making a big deal out of small matters, not to mention that the nature of local officials was different from that of Beijing officials.

Especially if he is an official of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is to monitor the world on behalf of the emperor. Now that the Ming emperor is not in charge, Wei Zhongxian is in charge.

On the surface, the Jinyiwei were Wei Zhongxian's dogs.

Once the Jinyiwei were dispatched, they often represented the will of Wei Zhongxian.

In addition, as a third-rank official, Xue Kairui naturally had some understanding of some of the situations in the court.

He had already received the news and knew why Jiang Xuan came this time.

The incident in Hangzhou Prefecture was originally caused by the eunuch party who were responsible for supervising the construction of the ancestral temple. They conspired with local officials in the name of Wei Zhongxian.

He had taken care of all the benefits he had gained, so he was not at all worried.

But the necessary formalities still have to be gone through.

"Master Xue, you're welcome."

Jiang Xuan stood up, bowed calmly, and said, "Your Excellency is very busy with government affairs, and I understand."

"Ha ha……"

Hearing this, Xue Kairui breathed a sigh of relief and walked straight to the main seat. He then said with a smile, "I wonder what brings you here, Lord Jiang? If you need any help from me, please feel free to ask."

"There is indeed something I need Mr. Xue's help with."

Jiang Xuan also sat back down, bowed, and said, "I am here on the orders of the Factory Master to investigate the deaths of Wang Xing, the Grand Secretary, Cui Si, and Xu Yuan, the Minister of Works."

"During their lifetime, they were all involved in the Hangzhou government's public ancestral temple for the factory. Among them, Xu Yuan from the Ministry of Works was the official in charge of the temple's construction. So, could you please help investigate whether any unusual circumstances occurred during the construction of the temple?"

"And this Lord Xu, has he offended anyone?"

"What? Lord Xu is dead?"

Xue Kairui feigned surprise, then frowned and pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Master Jiang, you're putting me in a difficult position. During the construction of the ancestral temple, there were indeed several disturbances. These were caused by some rebels who tried to stop the construction of the temple for the old man, but they were all suppressed in the end."

"After all, Lord Jiang, you also know that among the people, there are indeed some rebellious parties who have always been dissatisfied with the old man, the factory master, presiding over the government and often do some rebellious things."

"Therefore, you want me to investigate so many people and find the murderer of Lord Xu. This is giving me a headache."

The implication is that anyone who is dissatisfied with Wei Zhongxian's administration of the country may be the murderer of Xu Yuan.

There are too many people, it’s difficult to check.

Jiang Xuan's face was calm, not surprised.

He hadn't thought about finding out anything.

"I understand Lord Xue's difficulties."

"But this matter is of great importance. Four ministers have already died in the court. Not only has the entire court been in a state of panic, but the old man, the factory master, is also very dissatisfied."

"Before I came here, the factory owner instructed me to fully supervise this matter. All local officials must fully cooperate and get to the bottom of this matter no matter what!"

"If I can't find even the last clue, I won't be able to report to the factory when I return."

Having said that, Jiang Xuan looked at Xue Kairui meaningfully.

The latter's expression changed slightly, and he naturally understood the meaning of Jiang Xuan's words.

If the investigation is not clear and they cannot report back, it is because these local officials are not cooperating.

By then, they will naturally be in trouble.

Xue Kairui cursed inwardly and frowned, "Then I wonder how Lord Jiang plans to investigate? Lord Jiang, please tell me clearly, I will fully cooperate."

Jiang Xuan nodded slightly and said, "I heard that during the construction of the ancestral temple, there were many rebels causing trouble, but they were all arrested and imprisoned by you, sir?"

Xue Kairui was stunned for a moment, then the corner of his mouth twitched.

Those so-called rebels were naturally the people who were captured when they forcibly levied taxes and land in the name of Wei Zhongxian during the construction of the ancestral temple and encountered resistance.

As for these civilians, Xue Kairui was worried that they would go out and talk nonsense, so he just planned to keep them hanging for a long time. When he had tortured them enough, he would kill a few of them to serve as a warning to others, and then let them go.

After all, keeping it closed is a waste of food.

But from what Jiang Xuan said, he actually planned to take these people back to report?
This bastard is even more cruel than them!
You know, if you plot to murder a court minister, your entire family will be executed.

However, as long as he could solve this problem and get rid of Jiang Xuan, he wouldn't care if a few rioters died.

Xue Kairui then showed an expression of instant understanding and quickly said, "No problem. Lord Jiang, you can take as many of these rebels as you want. I will definitely cooperate."

"Master Xue has misunderstood."

Jiang Xuan said calmly, "I don't want one or two, I want them all."

"You want them all?"

Xue Kairui frowned and reminded, "Master Jiang, there are more than 300 rioters..."

“The more people, the better.”

Jiang Xuan said calmly, "Please, Master Xue, please release all these rioters. I will arrest those you want, so you don't need to worry about it."

"This... is released?"

Xue Kairui was stunned for a moment, and said in confusion: "Master Jiang, these rioters are extremely cruel. If we let them go and want to catch them again, then..."

"Your Excellency need not worry about this."

Jiang Xuan interrupted, "Your Excellency, please just follow my instructions. I will not bother you with the next steps."

Xue Kairui frowned, somewhat confused about Jiang Xuan's intention, but he didn't think much about it. After all, it was Jiang Xuan who released the person, and if something happened, it had nothing to do with him.

"That's fine."

Xue Kairui nodded: "I will release him now. How to arrest him is up to you, Lord Jiang."

Jiang Xuan nodded calmly: "Thank you for your cooperation, Master Xue."

……

Half an hour later.

Under the puzzled gazes of the jailers, people walked out of the cells one after another.

These people were all dressed in rags, and their bodies were filled with various pungent odors. They looked like beggars, with numb, panicked, and confused expressions.

Perhaps they had not seen the light for a long time. After walking out of the cell, they all closed their eyes and raised their heads to block the sunlight. Then they looked at each other, somewhat confused.

"What are you looking at? Go!"

"You still want to go back, right?"

Seeing that these people were still hesitating to move forward after walking out of the prison cell, the jailer next to them shouted and urged them to leave.

Soon, these people who had been imprisoned for a long time finally realized that they were going to be released. They became excited and sped up, running out of the yamen as if fleeing.

Some people were so excited that they couldn't help but burst into tears.

This noisy scene attracted many people to watch, and they stood in the distance and whispered about it. Most of them felt confused and puzzled.

The people of Hangzhou City naturally knew why these people were arrested, but the eunuch party was so powerful that they did not dare to discuss it too much on weekdays.

I thought these people were doomed to die, but I didn't expect that they would be released today?

Could it be that those officials have really found their conscience?
"Master, what's going on?"

In the crowd, a young man with a distinguished demeanor listened to the discussions of the people around him and looked back at the middle-aged man beside him with some doubt: "Could it be that Xue has really had a change of heart?"

"It shouldn't be that simple."

The middle-aged man in plain clothes shook his head, with confusion in his eyes.

At this moment, he suddenly turned his gaze to the three people standing at the yamen gate, frowned slightly, and said, "These three people should not be from the Hangzhou Sansi Yamen, right?"

Hearing this, the young man turned around, took a closer look, shook his head, and said, "Probably not. I haven't seen it before."

"senior!"

Just then, Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou walked out of the crowd.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man turned around, smiled slightly, and said, "You two are here too? Aren't you determined to save the people in the Censorate? Could it be that this scene is the result of your actions?"

"Senior, you have misunderstood. This was not done by the two of us."

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head, with doubt in his eyes: "We were planning to take action tonight, but unfortunately these people were released before we could do anything."

"Not you?"

Hearing this, the young man next to the middle-aged man was stunned for a moment and said, "Since this incident was not done by Brother Lu and Brother Hua, could it be that the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner really had a change of heart and released the people on his own initiative?"

"That shouldn't be possible. If he wanted to release them, he would have done so long ago."

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head, then looked at the three figures at the yamen gate. He narrowed his eyes and said, "After these three people arrived, these people were released. Perhaps this matter is related to them..."

"Brother Lu, do you know them?" the young man asked doubtfully.

Lu Xiaofeng nodded: "They are the Jinyiwei of the capital. The one leading them is none other than Jiang Xuan, the captain who mastered the sword skills at the post-natal realm last year and became a top master."

"It turns out to be him!"

The young man suddenly understood and asked curiously, "This person is actually so young, and he was already a top master last year. I wonder what realm he has reached now?"

"In terms of realm, he is not as good as you, and in terms of martial arts, you are not as good as him."

At this time, the middle-aged man spoke calmly, then glanced at the young man in black standing at the gate of the yamen again, shook his head, turned and left.

"In terms of martial arts, I am not as good as him?"

The young man frowned and murmured softly, but he did not doubt what his master said.

After pondering for a moment, he also shook his head and clasped his fists towards Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou and said, "Brother Lu, Brother Hua, goodbye."

"Farewell."

The two men leaned forward slightly and watched the master and disciple go away.

Only after the two of them walked away did Lu Xiaofeng's eyes show a solemn expression. He frowned and asked, "What is the origin of these master and disciple?"

"With such high martial arts skills, he actually lives in seclusion in a small inn..." Hua Manlou smiled slightly and said, "The world is so big, there are all kinds of wonders. Even if you have great martial arts skills, you don't necessarily have to travel the world."

"Too!"

Lu Xiaofeng smiled, then looked towards the yamen gate again, his eyes narrowed slightly, and said, "I want to see what this Jinyiwei captain wants to do..."

……

Half an hour later.

All the people left, the crowd began to disperse, and the yamen became quiet again.

Jiang Xuan and the other two just watched quietly as these people were released, and had no intention of arresting them.

Jiang Xuan glanced at the crowd and frowned slightly.

Just now, he suddenly felt like he was being watched.

Of course, there were a lot of onlookers. They were standing at the gate of the yamen, and many people would subconsciously look at them.

It wouldn't be surprising if there were one or two martial arts masters among them.

Jiang Xuan shook his head and didn't think much about it.

After watching all the released people leave, he walked down the stairs and said, "Let's go and find a nearby inn to rest."

Wen Lianggong was stunned for a moment: "Master Jiang..., don't we need to monitor these people? Otherwise, I'll keep an eye on a few of them and take them back to report when I leave..."

Jiang Xuan paused and looked back at him: "I said, let's find an inn to rest."

Wen Lianggong's face froze, and he quickly lowered his head: "Yes!"

Jiang Xuan glanced at him coldly, turned and left without saying a word.

Xu Longqing also glanced at Wen Lianggong, shook his head, and followed Jiang Xuan.

When Jiang Xuan discussed with the Censor Xue Kairui in the yamen about releasing these people, he understood what Jiang Xuan meant.

Jiang Xuan didn't want to take these people back to report to his superiors, he just wanted to find a reason to release them.

After following Jiang Xuan for so long, he had a vague understanding of Jiang Xuan's temperament.

When facing those brutal bandits or people in the underworld, the adults are ruthless and show no mercy.

But the adults still had a trace of compassion for these ordinary people and could not bear to see them suffer.

This is also the reason why he has always followed Jiang Xuan wholeheartedly.

Although I am a Jinyiwei, I often have no choice.

But as a subordinate, who doesn’t want his superior to be a humane person?

Wen Lianggong obviously didn't see this point clearly, which is why he made wrong choices over and over again.

This person will most likely stop here in his life.

……

The three of them rode along the street and soon found an inn.

"Zhonghua Pavilion?"

Jiang Xuan was slightly stunned, and inexplicably felt that the name of this inn seemed familiar.

"Sir?" Xu Longqing looked at Jiang Xuan.

"This is it!"

Jiang Xuan nodded, dismounted and walked in.

"Oh! Sir, please come in!"

The inn waiter hurried forward to greet them and tie their horses.

The three of them walked into the inn and found that there were quite a few people there, including merchants, common people, and people from the martial arts world who were dressed like them.

Sitting in front of the counter was a handsome young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He had a sharp aura emanating from him, but his temperament was gentle and elegant, which made people like him at first sight.

Seeing Jiang Xuan and the other two approaching, the young man smiled slightly and asked, "Three gentlemen, would you like to have a meal or stay overnight?"

Sword power...

Jiang Xuan's eyes flickered slightly. This city of Hangzhou really is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

In such a small inn, there is actually a master who has mastered the sword skills!

"Sir, is there anything wrong?" Seeing Jiang Xuan staring at him, the young man did not get angry, but asked with a smile.

"May I know your full name, brother?" Jiang Xuan asked.

In the Zhonghua Pavilion, a young swordsman...

He already had some vague guesses in his mind.

"Thank you for your courtesy, my name is Jianchen." The young man said with a smile.

Jian Chen!

The nameless man, one of the future 'Ten Devils'.

Jiang Xuan looked at Jian Chen deeply and nodded, "Jian is my surname and Chen is my given name. What a good name. I am Jiang Xuan."

"Brother Jiang, you are too kind." Jian Chen bowed without hiding his identity as a man of the world.

Jiang Xuan didn't ask any more questions and nodded, "Just serve a few dishes and prepare three rooms. Thank you."

"Brother Jiang, please sit for a moment."

Jian Chen nodded, and then told the waiter to prepare wine and food.

Jiang Xuan went straight to the corner and sat down.

Xu Longqing glanced at Jian Chen behind the counter and asked curiously, "Sir, is there something wrong with this person? Why do you treat him so carefully?"

He could see that Jiang Xuan was obviously a little nervous.

"No."

Jiang Xuan shook his head, but was secretly thinking in his heart.

This world is big, and the world of martial arts is even bigger.

Many sects and characters from movies, TV shows and novels in previous lives are gathered on one map.

Just in the Ming Dynasty, the world of martial arts is so exciting. It is hard to imagine how many peerless masters there are in this world.

However, it is precisely because this world is so exciting that my trip was not in vain, isn't it?
Thinking of this, Jiang Xuan smiled and his heart was full of expectations for the future.

In terms of talent and qualifications, he may not be as good as those brilliant figures, but with the system panel at his disposal, one day he will become one of the supreme ones.

Sooner or later, Jiang Xuan’s name will be known in this world!

Tread...  

At this moment, two more people walked in from outside. After scanning the inn, they walked straight to Jiang Xuan's table.

"Brother, there are no empty tables in the inn. Can the two of us share a table?"

The leading young man bowed and smiled at Jiang Xuan, as if he had recognized that he was the one in charge.

Jiang Xuan looked at the young man, then at the young man in white robes behind him. He suddenly smiled and nodded, saying, "Meeting is fate, so why not?"

interesting!
The small Zhonghua Pavilion is a gathering place for dragons and tigers.

Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou?

This is so interesting!

"Thank you, brother!"

Lu Xiaofeng also smiled casually, took a seat, and said with a bow, "Meeting is fate, brother, what you said is very good."

"My name is Lu Xiaofeng, and this is my good friend, Hua Manlou, the seventh son of the Jiangnan Hua family. May I know your name?"

Following Lu Xiaofeng's introduction, Hua Manlou also bowed, with a gentle smile on his face.

Jiang Xuan also laughed and said, "Brother Lu, since you came to me directly, you obviously already know my identity, so why bother with this?"

Lu Xiaofeng was stunned for a moment, then he laughed and nodded, "Talking to smart people is straightforward!"

"Here comes the wine."

At this time, Jian Chen personally came over with a pot of wine and said with a smile: "Brother Lu, Brother Hua, it seems that you are having a very happy chat with Brother Jiang?"

“I’m really happy!”

Lu Xiaofeng smiled and gestured for an invitation, saying, "Brother Jianchen, this Brother Jiang, although he is in the imperial court, is also a fellow traveler. Since we have the good fortune to meet, why don't you sit down and have a drink together?"

Jian Chen looked at Jiang Xuan and smiled, "That depends on what you think, Brother Jiang."

Jiang Xuan glanced at Xu Longqing, who immediately understood and quickly stood up and squeezed together with Wen Lianggong.

Jiang Xuan looked at Jian Chen: "Brother Jian Chen, please."

"Thank you."

Jian Chen sat down, opened the wine jug and poured wine for everyone.

Lu Xiaofeng picked up the wine glass and said to Jiang Xuan, "Brother Jiang, I was wrong just now. This drink is just an apology."

After saying that, he raised his glass and drank it all.

Jiang Xuan smiled faintly, also finished his glass of wine, and asked, "I have something I'm confused about. Brother Lu and I just met for the first time. How could you know that we're on the same path just from a single sentence?"

"You must know that with my status, Brother Lu and others should not bother to sit at the same table with me."

"Hey... that's a bit awkward."

Lu Xiaofeng smiled and said, "Brother Jiang, although you are in the imperial court, now that you have entered the martial arts world, why should you care about your status?"

"Besides, when I, Lu Xiaofeng, make friends, I never look at the other person's status. I only look at whether they are to my liking."

"I, Lu Xiaofeng, naturally disdain to associate with those henchmen who help the tyrants commit atrocities and have the final say over life and death. But Brother Jiang, you are different."

"Oh? What's the difference?" Jiang Xuan asked with a smile.

"Brother Jiang, just because of your identity as a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and your compassion for the people, and the fact that you found a way to release the people in the Censorate's prison, it's worthy for me, Lu Xiaofeng, to make friends with you!" Lu Xiaofeng smiled at Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan was slightly startled, then smiled at him.

Given Lu Xiaofeng's intelligence, it was not surprising that he could see the purpose of his visit to the Censorate.

But through these few short exchanges, he also understood the purpose of Lu Xiaofeng and Hua Manlou coming to Hangzhou City.

Obviously, it was also to save those people.

This is the communication between smart people. Without too many words, you can know each other's temperament and purpose.

(End of this chapter)