High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

Emperor Ling of Han was furious and shouted, "The land under the emperor's feet should be the most virtuous place, yet people have repeatedly committed such heinous acts. Is this still the land of my great Han Dynasty?"

"We deserve to die ten thousand times!" The crowd hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Emperor Ling of Han was even more furious. "Stop spouting nonsense about death! Who is so audacious? Do you have any leads?"

He Jin replied cautiously, "There are no leads yet, but we are investigating."

Feng Xu took a deep breath, his tone calm yet firm, yet sharp: "In my opinion, the person who assassinated the Commandant of the Capital Region probably didn't want him to continue investigating Zhang Rang's treason, and it's likely that the Zhang family is involved."

Emperor Ling of Han seemed to be deep in thought, and asked, "He Jin, what do you think?"

He Jin calmly replied, "Without evidence, I dare not make a rash judgment."

"This case is of great importance. I must find out the truth. No one can stop the case from moving forward. The real culprit must be severely punished as a warning to others."

Emperor Ling of Han slowly swept his gaze across the faces of his ministers, his eyes sharp and his voice authoritative and steady: "Since the Commandant of the Capital Region is injured, then we will arrange for someone else to take his place and continue the investigation."

He Jin nodded: "In order not to affect the investigation of the case, I have arranged for Tang Ke to temporarily lead the Imperial Guards. Your Majesty, please find another suitable candidate to take over the duties."

Emperor Ling tapped his fingers on the dragon throne, his tightly furrowed brows relaxing slightly. He had already privately instructed Tang Ke to investigate the matter, and now he was naturally happy to go along with it.

"Since he is investigating, there is no need for further arrangements. Issue my decree to temporarily appoint him as the Commander of the Imperial Guard. If he handles this case properly, the position will be his. If he makes a mistake, be careful of losing his head."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." He Jin was secretly pleased. With this position in the hands of his own people, he could still firmly maintain control over the case.

Feng Xu's hand wound, pierced by Tang Ke, immediately triggered his sensitive nerves, and he voiced his objection: "Your Majesty, this man is a commoner with an unknown background, and it is truly inappropriate for him to hold such an important position."

"Therefore, I said to temporarily take charge. You don't need to worry. He hurt you unintentionally. If he can really solve this case and be used by the court, it would be a good thing. If he is incompetent, I will kill him to avenge you."

Having said that, Feng Xu dared not say more and steered the conversation back to Zhang Rang: "This servant believes that the reason why there has been little progress in the Zhang Rang case is mainly because the investigation efforts are not strong enough. Everyone is watching and waiting. I request Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree to formally seal off the Zhang residence and order someone to interrogate him under torture."

He Jin sneered inwardly. Zhang Rang, who was supervising the trial, had been arrested, and Yuan Shao, one of the presiding judges, had been assassinated. Only Jian Shuo, whom he had appointed, remained. He was really shrewd.

"Oh, this matter will also be handled by the Commander of the Imperial Guards. He is permitted to act as he sees fit."

These words shocked everyone. They couldn't understand why the emperor, who always favored eunuchs, would repeatedly refuse Feng Xu's request and instead trust Tang Ke, an outsider, so much.

Emperor Ling of Han waved his hand gently, signaling the court to adjourn. The crowd left the hall one by one, each lost in their own thoughts.

He Jin and Feng Xu unexpectedly met outside the palace gates. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with hostility, though not intense. In the past, although they held different positions, they shared the same goal—to overthrow Zhang Rang and eliminate the Ten Attendants.

Now it seems that some subtle change has occurred.

"Your Excellency, regarding the Zhang Rang case, I hope we can work together with one heart and one mind," Feng Xu spoke first, his tone cold yet revealing a hint of sincerity.

He Jin smiled slightly: "Since Attendant Feng has spoken, how could I dare disobey? I only fear that even if I exert all my strength, someone will hinder me from behind, which would be quite unpleasant."

Feng Xu looked puzzled: "What are you saying, Your Excellency? We have the same goal. Just say the word, and I, Feng, am willing to be the vanguard."

"Then let's each do our part and work together to complete the task assigned by His Majesty!"

After saying this, the two exchanged a smile and, each lost in their own thoughts, stepped out of the palace gates...

Tang Ke wasn't particularly surprised to receive the imperial decree appointing him as acting commander of the Imperial Guard, even though it was a meteoric rise for a commoner like him.

Emperor Ling of Han and Empress He both instructed me to investigate this case, and it was only a matter of time before I was given a formal title; all I needed was a trigger.

Their goal was the same as ours: to find a way to let Zhang Rang go, and then everyone would be happy.

He had been worried about how to find an excuse to bring Zhang Rang's letter to the Zhang residence, but now that he had been ordered to search the Zhang residence, he could openly pay a visit.

The most frustrated were naturally the members of the Imperial Guards. They had thought that this frivolous and dissolute playboy would only lead the Imperial Guards temporarily, and that everything would be fine once Cao Cao recovered, without affecting the Imperial Guards' illustrious reputation too much.

It seems this guy is going to be his own boss for a long time now; life is truly unpredictable.

When Tang Ke visited the Zhang residence for the second time, the scene was quite different from the first time.

When he first came here, he had no official position or post, but as a follower, he mingled in the crowd. At that time, Zhang Rang was in power, and almost no one noticed him, this nobody.

Now the situation has reversed. Zhang Rang's family is almost homeless and living in constant fear, but he has taken command of the imperial guards and is ordered to investigate the case.

With this shift in power, the Zhang family, from top to bottom, dared not be negligent in the slightest. They treated him with utmost respect, and from the moment he entered the mansion, flattery was incessant.

He readily accepted all the flattery, and readily accepted the silver notes sent by Hou Fu, the steward of the Zhang family. Ru Yan's affair had made him fully realize the importance of money; if he didn't seize this opportunity to make a fortune, when would he ever get such a good chance to get rich quick?

Anyway, Zhang Rang was just squeezing money from the people, so we can consider it as eliminating a scourge for the people.

"I'm not taking your money, but using it to do your own thing!" Tang Ke even shamelessly lectured Hou Fu as he stuffed silver notes into his pocket.

This Lord Tang is quite a nice person! His words reassured Hou Fu, and after consulting with his master, he decided to load all the gold and antiques in the mansion into a cart and send them to the lord's house, striving to get it done in one go.

Since they were going to get banned anyway if they didn't send the packages, Tangke naturally turned a blind eye.

There were so many things to be seized at the Zhang residence that the accountants were practically working themselves to the bone. Tang Ke, feeling rather bored, wandered around the mansion. The layout was elegant, comparable to a garden, with Hou Fu accompanying him and introducing everything.

As they approached the backyard, they suddenly saw a woman moving gracefully, directing the servants to tidy up her clothes.

Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with pearls and jade, which accentuated her peach-blossom face and flawless skin. Her eyes seemed to hold a thousand words, exuding charm without uttering a sound.

The skirt swayed gracefully, like a spring breeze rippling across a lake.

Tang Ke was taken aback and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects: "Tang Ke, Commander of the Imperial Guard, greets Your Majesty the Empress."