The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 336 Unfilial Son

Shuntian Mansion.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's office, the Northern Garrison Command's office.

Two Imperial Guards on duty in the courtyard were standing under the eaves, laughing and talking in hushed tones.

Suddenly, one of them twitched his ears, his smile vanished, he raised his left hand and pointed to the roof, then slowly pulled out the knife from its hilt with his right hand and quietly walked along the eaves to the other side.

The other person understood immediately and continued talking in the same tone, pulling out his knife as well. He stood still, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

When the Imperial Guard stopped walking, turned his head and gave him a wink, the two of them simultaneously began to count in their minds.

"three."

"two."

"one!"

warehouse!--

With their long swords drawn, the two men leaped up simultaneously, raising their hands to grab the eaves and climb onto the roof.

With a whoosh, a dark shadow flashed by, and almost simultaneously, both men felt a hand press down on their shoulders, forcing them back to their original positions. Their long swords were also drawn away and sheathed.

"Not bad."

A young, slick voice rang out behind them.

"Good hearing, good reflexes, but a bit slow on the uptake. How could you jump right up when you see a thief? If they know you're coming up, they could just slash you over the head without you even having a chance to dodge."

"We still need to practice!"

He patted them warmly on the shoulders with both hands.

The two recognized the voice, but their reaction was strange—the hostility on their faces disappeared, but their vigilance rose again. They turned around and bowed to the person while subtly distancing themselves from him.

"Commander You, you're back."

"You Baihu".

You Zi'ang smiled warmly.

"Yes, you're back. How's everything at home lately?"

One of them smiled wryly.

"Ugh, don't even mention it."

"Ever since the garrison commander held the moon-viewing banquet, the roof of this house has been in turmoil. Every few days, some notorious thieves and demons break in, saying they want to find out the divine skill the garrison commander is practicing."

"Both Commander Wang and Commander Li are away on official business, and Commander An has also been leaving early and returning late these days. It's only because Commander Mei is at home keeping watch that things are going well... sigh."

The other person also had a bitter face.

"It's not just this. In the past six months, the commander has been arguing with those civil officials. Since the New Year, our prison has been busy."

"Before the previous one was even finished being interrogated, the next one would be brought in. There was no way to get a turn for the tiger bench, the nail chair, the clamps, or the finger crushers. If you wanted to interrogate a prisoner, you had to carve out the instruments yourself, and as soon as you turned your head, your colleagues would steal them."

“The last time my brother and I interrogated a prisoner, the tiger bench was gone in the time it took to go to the outhouse. The prisoner was left naked on the ground, and even the tweezers stuck between his fingers were removed—how can you explain this?”

"I'm not bragging, but with the skills we two brothers have now, if you want to interrogate a prisoner, we can make you a set of all eighteen kinds of torture instruments in an afternoon."

He lowered his voice as he said this.

"If you need anything, just tell us. The old set is fifteen taels of silver, and the new set is twenty taels. We'll deliver it to your torture chamber the next day."

You Zi'ang said with a smile.

"So expensive?"

The Imperial Guard grinned.

"Where's the price? It's been this price for months. It's tough for us brothers. You have no idea, we—"

He was halfway through his sentence when another person kicked him and chuckled dryly.

“You Baihu, you’re joking, you’re joking. We’re not that capable. We’re very poor.”

You Zi'ang wasn't annoyed. He chatted with the two for a few minutes, then turned and left.

Once his figure disappeared, the two Imperial Guards simultaneously reached for their waist pouches, and only after confirming that they were still there did they breathe a long sigh of relief.

As You Zi'ang walked away, he casually tossed two silver ingots aside, humming a song as he entered the guardhouse of the Northern Garrison.

As soon as he stepped inside, a cold female voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Give it back."

The traveler stood still, stiffly turning his head.

Mei Qinghe was leaning against the corner of the wall, holding her sword, and coldly watching him.

"Uh, Mei, Commander Mei... I thought you were in your own cell..."

You Zi'ang chuckled dryly.

Mei Qinghe shook her head and said coldly.

"A thief has broken into the garrison commander's belongings. I'm waiting here to kill him." "What do you want?"

You Zi'ang chuckled dryly.

"It's important, it's important."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter. He shifted his feet but didn't take a step. Instead, he used a hidden weapon technique from a distance to toss the envelope to Mei Qinghe.

Mei Qinghe reached out and took it, her expression turning serious.

"News from the Garrison Commander?"

You Zi'ang nodded.

"Yes."

"to whom?"

"Commander."

"What's the matter?"

You Zi'ang shrugged.

"The garrison commander instructed that only the three commanders, Wang, Li, and An, are allowed to open it. But if they are not present, then you, Commander Mei, should hand it over to the commander."

"As for the contents, only the Commander, besides the four of you, can see them."

Mei Qinghe nodded and walked out of the cell without stopping. As she passed You Ziang, she said coldly again, "Give it back." Seeing You Ziang nod repeatedly with a dry laugh, she turned and walked towards Zhu Zai's cell.

Ta-da! Ta-da!

Mei Qinghe knocked on the door with both fingers.

"Come in."

A somewhat agitated voice came from inside.

Mei Qinghe pushed open the door and entered, only to find the room littered with scraps of paper and several rolls of bright yellow cloth piled in the corner, on which the words "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees" could be faintly seen.

Zhu Zai sat behind his desk, his face weary as he frowned and pondered over a blank imperial edict. He held a piece of paper covered with names in one hand and a pen in the other, but did not write anything for a long time.

Mei Qinghe stood aside and waited.

After waiting for almost half an hour, Zhu Zai sighed, picked up his brush and wrote a few names on the imperial edict. After rolling it up, he put it aside and then looked at Mei Qinghe while rubbing his temples.

"What's the matter?"

"The garrison commander sent a message, which was personally delivered by Commander You, and it is to be given to you directly."

Mei Qinghe stepped forward and placed the letter on the table.

"Tsk!"

Zhu Zai's face was full of disgust.

"You damned thing, what kind of mess have you made and dumped on me now!"

He quickly opened the letter and unfolded it to read it carefully.

Upon seeing this, the old man frowned.

After looking at it a couple more times, her face turned red.

By the time he finished reading, Zhu Zai's chest was heaving, his beard was being blown around by the wind, and his teeth were grinding together.

"Damn it! He dares to sell Ming Cult's stuff!"

"You traitorous scoundrel!!!"

"A misfortune for our family! A misfortune for our family!!!"

Whoosh! —

Mei Qinghe skillfully dodged the writing implements that flew out of the door, then used her sword to block the flying table and put it on the ground. Finally, she leaped down to pick up the teacup and teapot that were flying in the air and placed them back on the table as they were.

"Hu-hu-"

Zhu Zai's face turned red with anger, and he said through gritted teeth.

"Go, go and capture that beast!"

Mei Qinghe's expression remained unchanged.

Who are you talking about?

Zhu Zai roared.

"Who else could it be!?"

"My unfilial son! Zhu Yijing, Commander Zhu, Lord Zhu! Tie him up and bring him here to me!"

Mei Qinghe nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

Zhu Zai was left to slowly sit down in a chair, panting heavily.

(End of this chapter)