Simultaneous Transmigration: From Japanese Comics to American Comics, a Powerful Attack

Page 384

Although there are struggles among the two marquises, the two bureaucrats, and the one guard, they still stand on the same side when facing the civil official group.

Since the formation of the six major powers in the court, the civil service group has been getting worse day by day, as if dark clouds were hanging over them, making it hard to breathe.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was alright; under Zheng Dongliu's control, they merely inspected officials and sometimes dealt with those who were not in the proper conduct.

The Eastern and Western Depots never stopped cracking down on civil officials. Anyone who overstepped the bounds would have their property confiscated or their entire family exterminated.

The feeling of having a knife held to your neck all the time is awful.

Scholars are no match for warriors; they can't kill anyone with just words.

Sometimes they envy the Buddhist and Taoist sects next door, because since that great upheaval decades ago, monks and Taoists can really kill with their words.

"Speaking of sages, how come there isn't a Confucian sage who can speak with the authority of Heaven?"

"It's a waste to let those old Taoist priests and bald monks gain face. Nowadays, there are more people reading Buddhist and Taoist scriptures than reading the classics. What kind of nonsense is this?"

Whenever he thought of this, Yan Song would be furious and, in front of everyone, would smash the teacup in his hand.

"Minister Yan, please don't be angry. Everyone is still waiting for you to take charge. The most urgent task is to find a way to turn the Imperial Guard instructors into our people."

Second Grand Secretary Xu Jie spoke slowly, his tone as gentle as a young wife.

Yan Song nodded, then asked, "Do any of your clans have highly skilled martial artists who could serve as instructors for the Imperial Guards?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, then lowered their heads in silence, their long silence serving as the answer to Yan Song's question.

How can a scholarly family produce a warrior?

Instead of studying properly, you run off to practice martial arts. Aren't you afraid your ancestors will break your legs?

"I do have two people I can recommend, but both are from the military. I wonder if Prime Minister Yan would be interested..."

Tell me first.

"Li Chengliang, the deputy commander of Liaodong, was the general who fought against the Jurchens in the north. The other was Qi Jiguang, who was in charge of fighting against the Japanese pirates and guarding Nanjing."

"Both of them are highly skilled in martial arts and have outstanding leadership abilities, making them more than qualified to serve as instructors of the Imperial Guards."

Yan Song knew the reputations of these two men, but still shook his head and said, "They both come from military families..."

Zhang Juzheng said in a low voice, "Prime Minister Yan, it's not just us who have suffered these past years; the generals guarding the borders of the Ming Dynasty have also had their share of complaints about those few people."

"The responsibilities of the two marquises and their families are too great, and have already encroached on the power of the military."

"It's still unknown which side the general will stand on!"

Upon hearing this, the Second Grand Secretary Xu Jie nodded and said, "Uncle is right. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Before these six major powers existed, we were indeed irreconcilable with those commoners, but that is all in the past."

"To regain control of the civil service, we must cooperate with them once."

Others followed suit.

Yan Song hesitated for a moment, but still agreed to Zhang Juzheng and Xu Jie's suggestion, nodding and saying, "In that case, which of the two is more suitable?"

Zhang Juzheng had the answer in his heart, but he didn't say it directly. Instead, he looked at Xu Jie.

Xu Jie smiled and said, "The situation in the south is complicated. Not only are Japanese pirates frequently harassing the people, but demons and monsters are also rampant. As the person in charge, Qi Jiguang should not act rashly. The situation in the north is better. Those Jurchens have not shown up for several years."

After hearing this, Yan Song immediately made a decision: "Then let's recommend Li Chengliang to return to the capital to serve as the head instructor of the Imperial Guards. This is a rare opportunity, and we must firmly grasp this position!"

Having achieved their purpose, the group exchanged pleasantries for a while before departing.

As soon as they stepped out of the Yan residence, Zhang Juzheng hurriedly found Xu Jie and said, “Master, I was just about to recommend Qi Jiguang. Li Chengliang is quite ambitious, and I’m afraid he will be difficult to control once he becomes the head of the Imperial Guards.”

Xu Jie nodded and said, "I know what you're thinking, but it's really not advisable for Qi Jiguang to act rashly. I received an urgent report this morning that the Japanese pirates in the south are making unusual moves, and it seems that some kind of sorcerer is involved this time."

"Qi Jiguang's departure at this time is detrimental to the overall situation!"

Zhang Juzheng was startled and quickly asked, "How could the Japanese pirates be in contact with demons? The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons is busy dealing with demons, so where would they find the time to provoke us?"

Xu Jie sighed, "I have a bad feeling. In recent years, the demons have become increasingly rampant. I'm afraid the Demon Kingdom won't be able to hold on and has decided to take a desperate gamble!"

"Ultimate chaos is imminent!"

……

After leaving the deserted village, Chu Yang and his companions traveled for half a month before finally arriving at the bustling city of Jinling.

Compared to the grandeur of the capital, Nanjing is more ornate, exuding an air of magnificence. If the capital is likened to a mighty general, then Nanjing is like a stunningly beautiful woman.

Because of its extremely convenient water and land transportation, Jinling City had everything imaginable. All sorts of exotic items from across the Ming Dynasty could be found here, as well as many foreign items.

In short, if you can't find it in Jinling City, you won't find it anywhere else either.

Li Gexiao had worked in the Southern Garrison of Jinling City for several years and was quite familiar with the area, so he volunteered to be the guide.

Yan Nantian had a simple house in the city as a temporary place to stay. He originally planned to take Jiang Feng's family overseas after a short rest.

In his youth, he participated in the fight against Japanese pirates and unexpectedly found a small island with birdsong and fragrant flowers, where he settled down. That was the final resting place for Jiang Feng and his wife.

But now he has to rebuild his skills and has to change his plans, which may require him to stay in Jinling City for a while.

For Jiang Feng, living in Jinling City was not a problem. He was so poor that all he had left was money, so buying a big house to live in was not an issue at all.

After bidding farewell to Jiang Feng and the others, Li Gexiao led Chu Yang to the largest brothel in Jinling City—Xianyu Tower.

It wasn't that the two were in a hurry; rather, they were going there to find someone.

He was known in the martial arts world as having four eyebrows.

Lu Xiaofeng. (End of Chapter)

Chapter 179 The Disappearance of Lu Xiaofeng! A Cunning Plan!

179.

"According to information from my former colleagues, that guy was spending a fortune at Xianyu Tower a few days ago and even slept with their top courtesan."

"How come he disappeared as soon as we arrived?"

Li Gexiao searched the entire Xianyu Tower, but couldn't find Lu Xiaofeng.

Undeterred, he questioned the madam again and learned that Lu Xiaofeng had left with the constables of the yamen a few days ago and had not been seen since.

"A constable from the yamen?"

Chu Yang shook his head helplessly and said, "What law has this bastard broken this time? Let me make this clear, if he goes to jail, I won't bail him out. Let him reflect on his actions in there. He's a real disgrace!"

Li Ge smiled and nodded in agreement.

The madam, who was excellent at judging people, sensed the noble air about Chu Yang and thought to herself that it would be great if she could get close to this outstanding young man.

She chuckled and said, "Young master, you must have misunderstood. That Master Lu was taken away by the constables, it seems he had something important to ask for help with."

"What help can a cunning drunkard be?" Chu Yang scoffed.

"Young master, please don't say that. That guy is quite good at solving cases, and he's also quick-witted in his dealings with people. He's no less capable than the four great constables of the Six Doors. It's normal for the yamen to ask him for help." Li Ge grinned.

"Does that mean we have to go to the government office again?" Chu Yang waved his hand lazily and said, "Go ask for yourself, I'll rest here for a while."

"It's alright, you rest, I'll be right back." Li Ge smiled and hurriedly left.

The madam immediately arranged a superior room for Chu Yang. He lay half-reclined on the bed, and after a while, a group of courtesans carrying musical instruments entered the room and began to play.

At the same time, Li Gexiao also arrived at the Jinling City government office and witnessed a bizarre scene.

In broad daylight, the government office gates were tightly shut.

Li Gexiao stepped forward and knocked on the door with a puzzled look on his face. After a long time without any response, he had no choice but to strike the grievance drum next to him. The door creaked open a crack, and a head peeked out from behind it, cautiously looking him over.

"Who are you? Why are you beating the drum?"

“I came here looking for someone, but you didn’t answer, so I had to beat the drum.”

"Whom are you looking for at the yamen?"

"Lu Xiaofeng."

Upon hearing Lu Xiaofeng's name, the person behind the door screamed, turned, and ran towards the inner courtyard, shouting as they ran, "Master! Someone is looking for Master Lu!"

Seeing his strange behavior and attitude, Li Gexiao had a bad feeling.

Ding Deng Deng.

Rapid footsteps sounded.

Suddenly, the gates of the yamen were opened, and a middle-aged man in official robes led a group of yamen runners to stand in front of Li Gexiao.

The middle-aged man was imposing and dignified, exuding an air of authority. He glanced at Li Gexiao and said in a deep voice, "I am Xu, the magistrate of Jinling City. May I ask who you are and what your relationship is with Master Lu?"

Li Gexiao replied, "Lu Xiaofeng and I are friends. Magistrate Xu, please speak frankly."

Magistrate Xu sighed and said, "To be honest, Master Lu has been missing for several days. I have been looking for him for a long time, but I have not found any clues."

Li Gexiao frowned and said, "Missing? That guy comes and goes without a trace. It's possible he left Jinling City. How can you so easily conclude that he's missing?"

Magistrate Xu said with a wry smile, "Because Hua Manlou, the seventh young master of the Hua family in Jiangnan, also disappeared with him. Young Master Hua has not returned yet, and the Hua family has been searching for him for many days!"

"Hua Manlou?" Li Gexiao pondered, "How did those two end up together?"

Magistrate Xu hesitated, seemingly having some reservations.

Li Gexiao pulled a plaque from his waist and handed it to Magistrate Xu. Magistrate Xu took the plaque, glanced at it, and immediately froze, as if struck by lightning. Large beads of sweat rolled down his pale face.