The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 8 Leaving Beijing
"I won't be able to be the commander for long."

Zhu Zai finally let out a long sigh and told the story.

As mentioned before, this Dashuo is quite similar to the Ming Dynasty in Li Miao's previous life. And the situation Zhu Zai is facing at this time is actually similar to the situation of the Ming Dynasty at a certain period of time.

The current emperor has been on the throne for more than 20 years. He is very old and has not been involved in government affairs for many years. At this time, the eunuchs, civil officials, and relatives of the emperor are intertwined in the court, and undercurrents are surging.

The head of a sensitive organization like Jinyiwei will definitely not be able to escape this fight.

Zhu Zai noticed this and wanted to promote his confidants before leaving. First, he wanted to leave some political legacy for his subordinates while he was still in power. Second, he wanted to leave some capital for himself, at least not to be completely kicked out of the power center.

The successor he chose was Li Miao.

Li Miao had been under his command for more than 20 years and knew him inside out. He had the heart, brains, and means.

In terms of martial arts, although he rarely used his skills, in Zhu Zai's opinion, he had at least quietly mastered martial arts to the level of a top master. He could be said to be his most promising successor.

It was just like a rolling knife, which moved with every twitch. It was as if the high-ranking officials and nobles had a grudge against him.

Zhu Zai looked at Li Miao and said, "Big Li, why don't you want to do something?"

"A real man cannot live without power for a day. Without power, he is powerless. Being powerless is wrong and he will be at the mercy of others."

"I know you are good at martial arts, but if you don't train yourself to be as good as a land immortal, how can you fight against elite soldiers and cavalry?"

Li Miao smiled.

A summer insect cannot talk about ice. Zhu Zai certainly did not understand his thoughts, because he always looked at the problem from the perspective of an ordinary person who is fragile, short-lived and powerless.

What is the meaning of power? What is the meaning of money?
Born to live in a world where martial arts exist and regard martial arts as a means to gain power, in the eyes of Li Miao, who comes from a boring, materialistic world, it is such a waste of talent.

What is martial arts? It is idealism and transcendence.

Can power allow people to stroll in the woods, step on the blood-red maple leaves, and look at the bright moon?
Can power make people open their clothes, dance wildly in the snow, and drink boiling liquor?

Can power make people settle scores, kill powerful enemies, and make their blood boil?
Can power allow people to ride the waves and travel all over the world without worrying about dying on the road?

No. But martial arts can.

Just like Yan Xiaosheng, Li Miao doesn't care what his life can bring.

He just poked this scumbag in the chest with his finger, making him suffer so much that he would commit suicide three days later. He wanted it to be so quick! Without martial arts, could Li Miao do it?

He had already seen the road ahead, but he just hadn't figured out how to go about it.

Li Miao couldn't tell Zhu Zai these words because he couldn't understand them.

Just as a healthy person would not understand a blind person's desire for color, Zhu Zai could not understand the significance of martial arts to Li Miao, nor how boring power was to Li Miao.

So Li Miao nodded and said, "I understand." Zhu Zai turned his head suddenly and looked at Li Miao in disbelief: "What did you say?"

"I understand. Can I just watch you lose power? If there is any important errand outside the capital, I will do it." Li Miao said.

This sentence choked Zhu Zai so much that he couldn't speak for a long time.

After a while, he looked Li Miao up and down and asked hesitantly, "Something went wrong with your practice? Did you go astray?"

Li Miao was amused by these words. He said with a smile: "You have been giving me a lecture for half a day. I understood and did what you said. But you asked me if I was sick. You are a senior official of the third rank. Why are you teasing your subordinates?"

Zhu Zai said angrily, "Stop playing crazy and stupid here. If you were so sensible, would I have been mad at you for twenty years? What are you planning?"

"Hiss—that's not right!"

Zhu Zai seemed to have suddenly figured something out and looked at Li Miao with squinted eyes.

"You're not planning to fake your own death while on a mission out of the capital, and then hide away in some remote village to live out your lazy life, are you?"

"How could that be?" Li Miao said seriously, "It's definitely not a remote and poor place. I love to eat and play, and I can't live a hard life."

"Get lost." Zhu Zai cursed, "Tell the truth!"

Li Miao knew that his eight-hour workday was an extremely lazy act in the feudal era. This impression had long been deeply engraved in Zhu Zai's mind, and he could not get away with it without a reasonable reason.

He had no choice but to tell the truth: "I have practiced martial arts for a long time, and I am eager to move. I thought it would be a good idea to go out for a walk and have a look."

Li Miao is now 35 years old. Since he joined the Jinyiwei at the age of 15, he has stayed in Yanjing without moving.

One reason is that martial arts is interesting enough for Li Miao, and he doesn’t feel bored even after practicing for twenty years.

Secondly, because this world is full of vendettas and the social atmosphere is much more violent than in the previous life, Li Miao is unwilling to easily get involved in the martial arts world without practicing martial arts to a certain level. The environment of Jinyiwei is also suitable for his golden finger to play a role.

Thirdly, Zhu Zai relied on him so much that he kept him in Yanjing and kept him in his sight.

Now his martial arts have reached a certain level. Looking around the world, there are few rivals for him and he can protect himself safely.

Zhu Zai had taken good care of him for many years, and now he needed him to do something. And he himself was also very impatient and wanted to go out for a walk and see the world with his own eyes.

After hearing this, Zhu Zai reluctantly nodded: "That sounds like what you said."

He turned back to the table, took a piece of paper, and handed it to Li Miao: "Just go and do this job. It will take about a year to do it. If you do it well, it will be enough for me to run it for you."

Li Miao lowered his head to look at the paper, on which were clearly written a few large words.

"Anti-Eradication of the Five Mountains Sword Sects".

(End of this chapter)