The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 351 The Government Office
Gu Feixuan's eyes darted around, and after a moment, he slowly exhaled and said to Gao Anyu, who was still stuffing himself with food.

“Brother Gao…you are truly calm. With our martial arts skills, if those two eunuchs had given the order just now, we would both be dead here.”

Gao Anyu stuffed food into his mouth and mumbled indistinctly.

"Brother Cao said that as long as we don't tell them the truth, they won't attack us. They'll just lock us up and treat us well!"

Gu Feixuan smiled bitterly.

That makes sense, but to actually reach the level of Gao Anyu, who doesn't treat two people who could kill him at any moment as human beings, is something he can't do.

"Although they didn't find out anything, they'll definitely have us kept under close surveillance... Brother Gao, what should we do next?"

After Gao Anyu finished gnawing on the beef leg, he picked up the bone and pointed at Gu Feixuan.

"Brother Gu, do you know what the most important thing is when you're navigating the martial world?"

Gu Feixuan's expression turned solemn.

"It's just—eating!"

Gu Feixuan's face fell.

Gao Anyu reached out and placed a plate of crystal pork jelly in front of him, eating as he spoke.

"Don't think about it anymore, Brother Gu."

"In terms of martial arts or intelligence, there's nothing we can do. Let's just eat and drink well and wait for the moment to fight to the death."

Gu Feixuan remained silent for a moment, then sighed, sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and put some food into his mouth.

"There's nothing else we can do but accept it."

A moment later, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the door. Shadows swarmed in, blocking most of the sunlight streaming in through the window.

Neither of the two people inside looked up; they continued eating.

A moment later, someone pushed the door open and brought in a plate with two lamb legs, placing it in front of Gao Anyu.

"Sir, would you like me to cut it for you?"

he asked softly.

Gao Anyu looked up.

This man looked to be in his thirties, with an ordinary appearance and build, easily lost in a crowd. He was dressed as a servant, and his face showed a timid and ingratiating expression.

"Trouble."

Gao Anyu nodded.

Upon hearing this, the man picked up his sharp knife and quickly cut the lamb leg into a pile of chunks. He then picked up the plate and respectfully presented it to Gao Anyu.

"My lord, please use it."

Gao Anyu smiled at him, reached for the meat on the plate, but paused as he pulled his hand back.

From the man's sleeve, a centipede about the thickness of a thumb poked half its head out and was shaking its head at him.

Gao Anyu's pupils contracted, and he glanced at the guards outside the door. He pretended to be nonchalant, stuffed the meat into his mouth, and then reached for the plate.

"Brother Gu, this lamb leg is really good, you should try it!"

As he spoke, he reached out to the other person's hand.

The centipede, taking advantage of the clothing, silently slipped into his sleeve, slowly slithered to his waist, clung to the garment, and then remained motionless.

Their eyes met, and neither of them showed any unusual expression.

Gao Anyu grabbed a handful of meat and placed it in front of Gu Feixuan, then waved his hand.

"You should leave. I can't eat if other people are watching."

"Yes."

The man bent down, stepped back, and closed the door.

After a while, Gao Anyu felt the centipede on his waist move, tap on his stomach, and then crawl into his sleeve and rub against him.

Gao Anyu stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Immediately, guards came over and looked at him warily.

Gao Anyu frowned: "My lord, I need to relieve myself. Where is the latrine?"

The man looked at him suspiciously and gestured with his hand.

"My lord, please follow me." Gao Anyu followed behind him, surrounded by more than a dozen people, marching in a grand manner toward the latrine.

As they passed a corner, the centipede tapped Gao Anyu's arm three times.

Gao Anyu glanced at the wall beside him out of the corner of his eye, but made no move.

After using the latrine, as the group returned, Gao Anyu, taking advantage of a brief moment when he was out of sight of the guards behind him, reached out and touched the wall, slipping a piece of paper the size of a fingernail into his sleeve.

The centipede bit the piece of paper, crawled back into Gao Anyu's arms, and remained motionless.

It's getting dark.

After Gao Anyu and Gu Feixuan had eaten and drunk their fill, they were escorted to their room to rest as if they were thieves.

Gao Anyu lay on the bed, using the blankets to cover himself, and unfolded the piece of paper in front of his eyes.

A few sentences were written on it in tiny, neat characters.

"The city is under control. The garrison eunuch, in collusion with the escaped retainer, already knows the truth about the imperial tomb. If the garrison commander is not present, do not show any unusual behavior."

"The purpose of the garrison eunuch has not yet been determined, but it is related to a person known as 'Master Zheng'."

"Do not trust anyone who resembles the Commander of the Garrison, even if they are from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Especially those whose appearance is subtly different from before."

Gao Anyu flipped the note over.

There was only one sentence on the back, but it made his pupils shrink.

"Do not approach the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office."

“That ‘Master Zheng’ is right here.”

Gao Anyu quietly crumpled the paper into a ball. The centipede crawled over, tore the paper into pieces and ate it, then crawled back to his waist.

Gao Anyu closed his eyes and prayed silently in his heart.

"Aunt Zheng, Brother Cao..."

"You absolutely must not go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office!"

--------

"This is the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Cao Hanyan and Zheng Yi, dressed in black, lay prone on the rooftop, looking at the buildings not far away.

Zheng Yi gripped the hilt of the sword.

"You shouldn't go. The other side may have already colluded with Yingzhou or Penglai Sect."

"They probably knew we were coming here to investigate, and they may have already laid an ambush with Celestials. If a fight breaks out later, I won't be able to take care of you."

Cao Hanyan nodded.

"In that case, Senior Zheng, if you haven't been discovered, come find me at the restaurant where we ate during the day."

"If you are discovered, find an opportunity to leave a sword mark in a conspicuous place, and I will naturally find it. When you are safe, leave half a cut blade of grass on the roof of the restaurant, and I will meet up with you."

After saying that, Cao Hanyan slowly retreated into the shadows.

Zheng Yi nodded and flew towards the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) office.

As soon as the square landed, Zheng Yi frowned.

"Indeed, this is unusual."

At this moment, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) headquarters was completely silent, without a single sound or light. All the doors were wide open, revealing a pitch-black interior, like a ghost cave.

Zheng Yi drew her sword and walked forward slowly and quietly.

The second time I entered, it was still the same.

The same applies to the third entry.

Zheng Yi looked around and found some bloodstains and hair that had not been cleaned up in the cracks between the bricks.

Clearly, most of the Imperial Guards stationed in Nanjing have met with misfortune.

Zheng Yi slowly walked into the last courtyard.

A firelight shone through a window, casting the shadow of a person in a tall hat and wide belt, holding a book.

Zheng Yi channeled her inner energy, ready to strike at any moment, and slowly walked towards the brightly lit room.

(End of this chapter)