High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

The court sessions during the Eastern Han Dynasty were not as strict as in later times. They only went to court once every five days. For example, the official position of Tang Ke Zhi Jinwu, although responsible for protecting the capital region, did not need to attend court sessions from dawn to dusk like other court officials.

"The best way to become an official is to be the Commander of the Imperial Guards" is the best description of this position, which has real power but doesn't require much busy work.

Since the last assassination attempt, Tang Ke has carefully selected a young general with high martial arts skills from the Imperial Guards to serve as his personal bodyguard and to handle external communications.

This man was called Li Jin, two years older than Tang Ke. He had striking features, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a refined and elegant appearance. He wielded a formidable spear, and his strength was at least at the sixth rank. Tang Ke estimated that the two of them working together should be able to easily defeat Qu Mu.

In addition to being responsible for his personal protection, Li Jin also took on the responsibility of external liaison, essentially making Tang Ke a secretary for himself.

Today's situation is rather special. Tang Ke was dragged out of bed early in the morning by Li Jin because Emperor Ling of Han issued an edict requiring him to attend court for discussions.

He rushed to the court assembly and forced himself to listen attentively to the memorials presented by the ministers.

The most pressing matter at hand is the roundup of Taiping Dao followers. He Jin and Zhang Rang reported on the progress of their investigations. While there are many believers in various prefectures across the land, there are also over two thousand believers in Luoyang city alone.

At this moment, besides Tang Ke, Feng Xu was also distracted. He had already learned from Jian Shuo that Tang Ke had obtained evidence that he was a member of the Taiping Dao sect. Seeing that Emperor Ling of Han was searching for him urgently, yet he did not mention how to deal with him, he found it difficult to guess his master's intentions.

"You've all worked hard. We must interrogate the arrested Taiping Dao members thoroughly and eradicate evil completely."

Emperor Ling glanced at Feng Xu and Xu Feng, then changed the subject: "Of course, we cannot generalize about all believers. Those believers who did not participate in the treason or other crimes, but were simply deceived by the doctrine, can be forgiven."

"Your Majesty is wise! Your kindness and benevolence have been unmatched since the Three Sovereigns." Zhang Rang immediately flattered Emperor Ling of Han.

These words pleased Emperor Ling of Han greatly, but he said aloud, "Zhang Changshi is too boastful. If none of you ministers have anything else to report, then the court may adjourn."

"Your Majesty, I have another matter to report!" Zhang Rang's words seemed to have been waiting for this: "My son, Zhang Feng, has been missing for many days and his whereabouts are unknown. I request Your Majesty to have the people of the Three Judicial Offices help to find out where he is."

Emperor Ling of Han clearly did not have a good impression of Zhang Feng, and frowned, saying, "Your son is missing? He must have gone to some brothel to squander money. Otherwise, who in Luoyang would dare to touch him?"

Zhang Rang shook his head: "My son has never been interested in women, and he always reports to me when he goes out for more than three days. This time is very unusual, so I dared to tell Your Majesty the truth."

"In that case, I've heard that the Commander of the Imperial Guards is currently leading his elite cavalry to hunt down assassins. While we're at it, let's also help you find your son."

Tang Ke bowed and said, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

"Your Majesty, this is probably not a good idea!" Xu Feng jumped out, a cold smile on his lips.

"Oh?" Emperor Ling of Han looked puzzled.

"I heard that there was a misunderstanding between Young Master Zhang and the Commander of the Imperial Guards. They even got into a fight. If he investigates, I'm afraid there won't be any results."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ling of Han and Zhang Rang were both taken aback, looking at Tang Ke with suspicion.

"Nonsense! What misunderstanding could there be between me and Young Master Zhang? Don't make baseless accusations." Tang Ke retorted without changing his expression.

Xu Feng said coldly, "Whether it's slander or not, we can find out by finding Young Master Zhang and asking him. I'm afraid he has been framed by someone with ulterior motives and may have already met with misfortune."

"Eunuch Xu, don't try to sow discord. I know exactly what you're thinking." Although Zhang Rang said this, he was clearly already suspicious.

Xu Feng continued in a sarcastic tone, "You naturally understand my thoughts, but I'm afraid you don't understand some people's thoughts. They don't even realize that their own sons have been cuckolded. It's truly pathetic and lamentable!"

These words were quite pointed, and Zhang Rang did not continue the conversation. He turned to look at Tang Ke, and although he tried his best to appear natural, his face still twitched involuntarily: "Lord Tang, please find my son as soon as possible to dispel everyone's doubts."

Tang Ke didn't know whether Zhang Feng was alive or dead, but he reluctantly agreed, "Don't worry, sir, I will do my best."

"If that's the case, then let's adjourn the court if there's nothing else to discuss." Emperor Ling of Han was already getting impatient.

"Your Majesty, I have a petition to impeach Tang Ke, the Commander of the Imperial Guards." A man stepped out from the crowd, his expression indignant.

Tang Ke glanced at him but had no recollection of the person. He was puzzled. Could this be another member of Feng Xu's faction? He looked at Feng Xu and Xu Feng, who both had expressions of anticipation, seemingly unaware of the inside story.

What is the matter you wish to report?

"Tang Ke, relying on His Majesty's decree, disregarded the law, using the pretext of investigating an assassin to forcibly enter my residence and search it, harassing my young daughter and causing utter chaos in my household..."

After rambling on for a while, Tang Ke finally remembered that in order to capture Qu Mu, he had indeed forcibly broken into many people's residences. This person's daughter was quite pretty, so he chatted with her a bit, but nothing more. He didn't expect that the man would write it down in his little notebook.

"I also want to join King Wu!"

"Your subject also wishes to submit a petition..."

In an instant, more than a dozen ministers jumped out to impeach Tang Ke. When questioned, they all accused him of disregarding the law and forcibly entering the mansion to search for the assassin. Some accused him of extortion after offering him money, some accused him of being lecherous and unscrupulous after their daughters were harassed by him, and some accused him of being domineering and tyrannical after being beaten for their bad attitude.

The atmosphere in the court instantly became awkward. Emperor Ling of Han looked at Tang Ke with a disappointed expression, as if he wanted to rush down and slap him on the spot.

Even though Tang Ke was thick-skinned, being impeached by so many people still made him feel a little embarrassed. He thought to himself that he had indeed been too flamboyant lately and should keep a low profile for a while.

Since his transmigration, he has had an incredibly smooth journey, both in the Taiping Dao and the imperial court, to the point that he has become complacent and forgotten that one must blend in with the world in officialdom.

"Tang Ke, what do you have to say?" Emperor Ling's words pulled Tang Ke back from his thoughts.

“Your Majesty, since I began investigating the case, I have been repeatedly attacked. Thinking of Your Majesty’s recent assassination attempt, I am extremely anxious. The security in Luoyang has reached the point where lawless criminals can act with impunity. Therefore, I am a little impatient and have been pressing the officials more hard.”

Tang Ke pondered carefully how to exonerate himself without taking his anger out on others: "In the future, I will try to slow down and investigate more thoroughly, and be more diligent in my work. I hope that you gentlemen will be understanding."

"No, you must investigate the assassination matter immediately. This is not just your responsibility. The Commandant of the Capital Region has not yet woken up after being assassinated. You must investigate it thoroughly. Anyone who dares to obstruct you does not need to be reported. I grant you permission to act as you see fit!"

After Emperor Ling finished speaking, he rose and left, leaving Tang Ke and a group of ministers bewildered in the main hall.