Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 87 Jinyiwei

Soon after arriving in Suzhou, Lin Yi intended to visit the Mantuo Villa.

Embarrassingly, he couldn't find the place.

If it were on land, it could be searched slowly, but Mantuo Villa is located deep in the clouds and waters of Taihu Lake, where lotus flowers and water chestnut leaves are ever-changing, making it extremely difficult to find.

The local boatmen and fishermen knew nothing about it either.

Lin Yi had no choice but to give up.

He went into the city, found a large restaurant, ordered a table of fine wine and food, leaned against the railing, looked down at the bustling street below, and drank by himself.

After a few rounds of drinks, a burly man suddenly approached, all smiles: "Brother, why are you drinking alone here? If you don't mind, I'll have a few drinks with you."

Lin Yi noticed that although the man was speaking to him, his eyes were gleaming as he scanned the wine and meat on the table.

He smiled faintly, not caring at all, since it wasn't his money being spent anyway: "If you don't mind, please go ahead."

The burly man quickly sat down, poured himself a large bowl of wine, toasted Lin Yi, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good wine, good wine!"

The man grinned, then tore off a chicken leg with his hand and began to eat heartily, asking between bites, "Brother, you don't seem to be a local?"

Lin Yi said, "I'm from Fuzhou. Judging from your accent, you seem to be from Guangdong province?"

As the two chatted, Lin Yi noticed that the man's breathing was deep and steady, which told him that his internal strength was quite remarkable, making him a skilled fighter even among various sects.

The man ate meat heartily and drank heartily. When he got excited, he ripped open his collar with a hiss, revealing a patch of black hair on his chest, through which several tattooed characters could be seen.

"Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming."

Lin Yi was surprised; they were actually members of the Heaven and Earth Society.

The man noticed his gaze but didn't seem to mind. He laughed loudly, "My name is Wu Liuqi, thank you for your hospitality, brother."

"So it's Master Wu, my apologies for not recognizing you."

The burly man was surprised: "Brother, you've heard of me too?"

Just as Lin Yi was about to give a perfunctory reply, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the stairwell. The stairs were pounding loudly, and the entire floor was shaking.

Wu Liuqi stood up abruptly. Lin Yi looked towards the stairwell and saw a group of people dressed in black brocade robes with long swords at their waists rushing upstairs, drawing their swords and surrounding them.

Wu Liuqi quickly picked up a long bench and swept it across, knocking one person down. A man next to him raised a knife and slashed at him, cleaving the long bench in two. Wu Liuqi dodged the knife with two punches and began fighting with the group.

“These are government officials, and they’re all elites,” Lin Yi said, glancing at the patterns on their brocade robes.

Wu Liuqi was highly skilled in martial arts, but these soldiers were also well-trained. The six or seven of them attacked him in a very organized manner, and they were focused on keeping him occupied, which left Wu Liuqi with little room to maneuver.

After killing the three men, another shouting came from downstairs. Wu Liuqi dared not linger and turned to flee.

"Brother, let's go!" He stepped forward, ready to grab Lin Yi's hand.

Lin Yi deftly dodged him with a flick of her wrist, not even glancing at him, and continued drinking.

"Huh!" Wu Liuqi exclaimed in surprise, realizing that he was skilled in martial arts. Without lingering any longer, he leaped out of the window.

"Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow quickly!"

Shouts came from downstairs. Lin Yi looked over and saw soldiers firing a volley of bullets, but Wu Liuqi was skilled in light footwork and dodged the attack with a few leaps, escaping far away by stepping on the rooftops.

At this moment, another group of people came upstairs. Lin Yi looked at the leader, who wore a black crown, a silver-white flying fish robe, and an embroidered spring knife at his waist.

"As expected, he's a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and a commander at that." Lin Yi poured himself another cup of wine.

"Where is he?!" A member of the Imperial Guard stepped forward, sword in hand, and shouted. Judging from his uniform, he was a centurion.

The group of Imperial Guards who had gone upstairs earlier stood with their heads bowed, receiving training. The wounded on the ground pressed their wounds, gritting their teeth and daring not to make a sound.

"You, a whole bannerman, can't even keep one of them? You're all useless!" After cursing, the centurion looked at Lin Yi.

Upstairs, the other diners were so frightened they dared not breathe, standing against the wall, some even crouching down with their heads in their hands. Only Lin Yi dared to remain seated at the table…

One of the Imperial Guards said, "Sir, this man was drinking with Wu Liuqi earlier, so he must be a member of the Heaven and Earth Society."

The centurion frowned and shouted, "Who are you?"

At this moment, everyone in the room looked at Lin Yi, who laughed and said, "Sir, I am not a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, nor do I know that person. He was the one who took the initiative to talk to me and freeload off my food and drink."

The centurion sneered, "You drank with a traitor, so you must be a traitor yourself. How dare you argue? Guards, seize him!"

With a wave of his hand, several people rushed forward.

Suddenly, with a whooshing sound, the centurion screamed in agony. Everyone looked over and saw that his hand had been pierced by a bamboo chopstick, half of which was embedded in the wooden table behind him.

The Imperial Guards were terrified, and in an instant, the sound of swords being drawn filled the air upstairs.

"and many more!"

Suddenly, the commander of a thousand raised his hand and gave the order. The Imperial Guards immediately stopped in their tracks, except for the centurion who was still screaming in agony.

The commander stared at Lin Yi's face for a while, then tentatively asked, "Is this the Huashan Sect Leader Lin in person?"

Lin Yi was not surprised at all. He was famous in the martial arts world, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern and Western Depots must have his portrait.

In addition, his exceptionally handsome appearance made him highly recognizable, so it was quite normal for this commander to recognize him.

He said calmly, "Your people are bothering me."

Qianhu was taken aback, then quickly waved his hand and said, "You all go down, everyone go down."

The Imperial Guards immediately carried out the order, driving the diners downstairs and taking away the centurion. In just over ten breaths, only Lin Yi and the chiliarch remained upstairs.

Lin Yi put down his wine glass, took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and looked at the man.

The commander, with a broad smile and a hint of joy, bowed respectfully and said, "I am Lu Wenzhao of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I have long admired the reputation of Master Lin. It is truly an honor to meet you today."

“Lu Wenzhao?” Lin Yi felt that the name was somewhat familiar. “I have no connection with the court. Just say what you want to say.”

Lu Wenzhao pondered for a while, somewhat hesitant, but he knew that experts like Lin Yi were elusive and unpredictable, making them difficult to encounter in ordinary times.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I have long heard of the unparalleled chivalry of Sect Leader Lin. It is a good coincidence that we have met today. I am shameless enough to ask Sect Leader Lin for a favor."

Lin Yi laughed: "You think you can ask me to help you?"

Lu Wenzhao gave an awkward laugh, "I am merely a lowly commander, of course I am unworthy, but..."

He took a few steps closer and whispered, "But His Highness Prince Xin should have that kind of weight, shouldn't he?"

"King Xin?"

Lin Yi recalled what Zhao Min had said.

The current Emperor Xuanzhi is physically weak and has no heir. He has only one younger brother, who is granted the title of Prince Xin.

However, Wei Zhongxian now controls the court, and Prince Xin's power is not great.

Lu Wenzhao said, "His Highness Prince Xin is eager to find talented people, and he has long admired and respected Master Lin. It would be best if we could cooperate on one occasion..."

Since he had already spoken, Lu Wenzhao wanted to find a way to win him over, so he quickly said, "Master Lin is a reclusive master who certainly disdains gold, silver and treasures, and riches and honors... But I heard that Yu Huatian has offended Master Lin. If Master Lin needs it, the Embroidered Uniform Guard can provide some support in terms of intelligence."

Lin Yi remained noncommittal, and asked calmly, "What do you want me to do?"

Lu Wenzhao was overjoyed, but quickly suppressed his smile and said seriously, "This is just a small matter for Sect Leader Lin..."

"Recently, the Heaven and Earth Society rebels have attempted to harm the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai. Their rebellion is rampant, and we fear that things may change. We request that Sect Leader Lin take action."

Lin Yi frowned: "The Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai? What's his name?"

Lu Wenzhao said, "Lin Ruhai... Lord Lin is known throughout the Huai River region for his integrity as an official."

(End of this chapter)