The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 11 The New Master
"A chick, still daring to stand there and stare."

The four men faced each other in the room. One of the guards, with a crooked head and slanted eyes, shouted and sneered, "Listen up, I'm Liu San. I've been with Chief Jie for five years, teaching the servants manners."

Another burly soldier patted his chest and said, "Zhao Chong, you followed the captain in beheading the traitor."

"Xiao Yi," Xiao Yi smiled politely, cupped his fists and said, "Please give me your guidance."

Liu San glared and spat, "I've been in this household for so long, and I've never seen anyone as clueless as you. You don't even kowtow to the officials, are you just waiting to be whipped?!"

Having seen all sorts of people, Xiao Yi could tell at a glance that they were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Knowing that yielding to them would only embolden them, he simply stopped smiling.

"I didn't kowtow to the Commander-in-Chief, so is Commander Jie more powerful than the Commander-in-Chief?"

"Fuck your mother!"

Enraged by these words, Liu San punched Xiao Yi squarely in the chest.

Xiao Yi had anticipated this and calmly responded, grabbing Liu San's wrist with his left hand and pulling him to his side while simultaneously tripping him with his right foot.

"Ouch!"

Liu San couldn't stop his momentum and fell to the ground with a thud, getting a face full of dust.

"Straight bitch!"

Zhao Chong cursed angrily and lunged at Xiao Yi, trying to use brute force to restrain him.

Xiao Yi quickly took half a step back, sidestepped the charge, and in the instant the two brushed past each other, he struck Zhao Chong's side ribs with his elbow.

With a cry of pain, Zhao Chong's burly body slammed against the edge of the bed, causing the wooden bed to creak.

They realized that the two soldiers had underestimated their opponent and were defeated in one move. They were filled with shame and anger, lost their minds, and roared as they drew their swords.

"I'll kill you!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yi glanced at Jie Hui sitting there and decided to capture the leader first, using the injured and unarmed boss as a human shield.

"enough!"

Jie Hui shouted, his face displeased, his triangular eyes coldly sweeping over Liu San and Zhao Chong.

"What kind of behavior is this? Put your knife away. We're all doing this for the young master. Are you trying to make a fool of yourself by drawing swords and guns?"

The two soldiers had no choice but to reluctantly sheathe their swords, their gazes toward Xiao Yi only growing more malicious.

Jie Hui turned to Xiao Yi, a smile that revealed neither joy nor anger on his face, and said, "Such skill! Why not be the commander's child soldier?"

Xiao Yi did not mention the two times he had encountered accidents while doing things for Shi Hongzhao, but only said: "The commander-in-chief has already reached the highest position of the court, so it is natural that he can gain more experience by following the young master."

“That makes a damn sense.” Jie Hui raised his unwrapped hand, picked up a cup of wine, and said, “No wonder the young master took a liking to you and rewarded you.”

"Thank you, Captain, but I don't drink, so I won't waste your wine."

Xiao Yi didn't intend to make things difficult for himself just to please them, as these people would make things difficult for him in the future.

Jie Hui's smile froze, and he chuckled lightly, "You're quite thoughtful, but remember, being good at fighting isn't enough here. You have to know the rules and how to advance and retreat."

"Okay, I'll follow the rules." Xiao Yi smiled.

Seeing him smile, Jie Hui nodded, downed the glass of wine that the man had refused to accept, and said, "Very good, those two idiots were just playing a trick on you. This matter is over."

"it is good."

"Liu San, Zhao Chong, take away your filth and make room for him."

"I can do it myself."

The conflict was over, but both sides knew very well that they were not on the same side.

Xiao Yi remained vigilant, tidying up the messy bedding while listening to the conversation behind him.

Gradually, the three men got into a drunken frenzy and pretended he didn't exist.

Zhao Chong said, "I heard that you, young master, have been granted the titles of Inspector General of Works and Prefect of Zhongzhou by imperial decree. I wonder if this is a nominal appointment or a real one."

"Even if he takes office, he won't be able to do so until spring," Liu San said wistfully. "It's said that Yang Yi went to Suiyang and gave the commander-in-chief tens of thousands of strings of cash every month. Who knows how much he pocketed in private?"

Xiao Yi then realized that Shi Dechong was preparing to enter officialdom, no wonder he was recruiting people everywhere.

"I'm not willing to leave like this," Jie Hui said in a deep voice. "I haven't yet had the Commander-in-Chief reward me with Qiu Shuang."

"Captain, I just don't understand. There are plenty of young women out there, but why is she so special? Is this one bigger? Or this one? Haha!"

"You know nothing! Chun Tao is pretty, isn't she? Qiu Shuang is much younger and more beautiful than her." Xie Hui slapped his knee and said, "Besides, Qiu Shuang is the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister!"

"The prime minister's daughter? How come she's working as a servant in his household?"

"You just don't understand. Two or three years ago, Prime Minister Li Song colluded with the Khitans, and the general killed his entire family. Li Song's youngest daughter was a beauty from a young age, and she was kept as a maid. Do you know what's the funniest thing?"

"What?"

Xie Hui said smugly, "Li Song is innocent. I tortured him, and he couldn't take it anymore, so he signed the document. But I know that Su Niupi framed him."

Zhao Chong asked, "Didn't the constable tell the commander about this?"

"Hahaha, what was the relationship between the Commander-in-Chief and Su Fengji back then? Do you think the Commander-in-Chief doesn't know?" Xie Hui said, "That year was so chaotic. If you didn't kill people to establish your authority, how could you keep things under control?"

Liu San chimed in, "We have to kill people to establish our authority. Last year, someone clashed with the guards, and the commander-in-chief immediately beheaded him. Guess what? A couple of days ago, someone stepped on Zhao Chong's foot, and he was so scared that he offered two strings of cash as a tribute."

"Promising? Is this all you've got? The smart ones under my command, when have they ever dared to refuse someone's request? Finding a charge against them is a piece of cake."

As Xie Hui spoke, he imitated Shi Hongzhao by extending three fingers and making a heavy gesture.

"Once the commander gives the order, regardless of the severity or truth of the crime, kill them all!" "Hahahaha..."

Xiao Yi thought to himself that he was right there in the house, and they were bragging about their evil deeds without any restraint, not because of trust, but because they were used to it.

This trend.

That night, these people made a lot of noise and drank until midnight.

Xiao Yi was worried about being ambushed, so he dared not fall into a deep sleep. He only relaxed a little when he heard their loud snoring.

When he woke up the next day, the three of them were still fast asleep.

Stepping out alone, the courtyard was bitterly cold, instantly jolting my mind, which had been groggy from a light sleep all night.

He had no right to slack off, and quickly threw himself into training. Gradually, sweat soaked his inner shirt, turning into white vapor in the cold morning.

Because there were weapon racks and archery targets in the corner of the courtyard, Xiao Yi practiced archery as well as basic skills and swordsmanship today.

He had also learned archery in his previous life, but his movements were only good-looking; his accuracy was not very good.

One arrow, two arrows... At first, the arrows were a bit erratic, but he adjusted his breathing and calmed down. As a result, his progress was visible to the naked eye, and more and more arrows hit the target steadily.

Just as I was engrossed in the moment, a haughty call came from behind me.

"Xiao Yi, aren't you going to serve the young master?!"

"Whoosh."

Xiao Yi fired the last arrow, put the bow away, turned around and replied, "Thank you for leading the way."

After walking a few steps, he finally had a moment to wipe the sweat from his face and look back.

An arrow is embedded in the bullseye.

--------

Even if you time-travel, you still have to get to work.

Today's task is to accompany Shi Dechong to the Ministry of Personnel to receive his official appointment, to support this young master who has just entered officialdom through imperial favor and has already reached the first rank.

Shi Dechong was clearly more difficult to deal with than Shi Deyuan.

"Xiao Yi, how does it feel to work for me?"

"I feel there is still a lot I need to learn."

“I like that answer; it shows you have good judgment.” Shi Dechong nodded and said, “Don’t think that the guards are superior to you. Precisely because you are a servant, you are my confidante, and your future is bright. Do you understand?”

"Understood, a seventh-rank official before the prime minister's gate."

"What insightful words!" Shi Dechong clapped his hand on his saddle and laughed heartily. "Interesting, interesting! How did you come up with that?"

"I heard it from someone else."

"Even I, the son of the prime minister, have never heard of this place. How do you know I won't actually grant you a seventh-rank official position?"

It sounds like a joke, or at least it's said in a joking tone.

But when Xiao Yi turned his head, he saw a different meaning in Shi Dechong's eyes.

Their eyes met, but Shi Dechong was the first to avoid Xiao Yi's gaze, smiled faintly, and changed the subject.

"That is the Ministry of Personnel. There's no need to be so formal inside. The Privy Council is in charge of military and political affairs, and the Three Departments are in charge of finance. All state affairs are handled at Father's private residence. The officials of the Six Ministries are merely carrying out the orders of the regent ministers and processing documents. My personal presence to receive my official appointment is already a sign of respect for them..."

Xiao Yi looked up and saw that the Ministry of Personnel's government office was magnificent, with a high platform and hipped roof, still exuding the awe-inspiring presence of the central government.

Only after entering the door did one notice that the vermilion paint was somewhat mottled and moss grew in the corners of the stone steps, revealing a sense of decay that was not easily noticed by ordinary people.

The center of power is now in the Shi family mansion.

Shi Dechong entered the official residence of the Minister of Personnel with an air of nonchalance, while Xiao Yi and his entourage of soldiers waited in the side room by the long corridor.

Curious, Xiao Yi walked to the door and looked out. The hall was spacious and deep. The officials coming and going had cautious expressions and their behavior revealed a sense of trepidation brought about by the rule of military men.

After watching for a while, he heard the officials behind him speaking solicitously and footsteps approaching.

"Please take care, Your Excellency. I will not see you off."

Xiao Yi thought Shi Dechong had come out, but when he turned around, his gaze sharpened.

He actually ran into someone he knew in the Ministry of Personnel.

It was the man who had beckoned him by the window after he reined in his runaway horse yesterday. He wasn't wearing his usual luxurious white fur cloak, but rather a purple official robe that seemed out of place for his age.

"Hey, you little rascal."

"Meet sir."

Xiao Yi's attitude did not change because of the other party's identity.

The man seemed pleasantly surprised as well, smiled slightly, and stepped forward.

Xiao Yi looked at him and felt that this person was cynical and lacked the composure of a high-ranking official. Gradually, he realized the playful meaning in that smile.

His narrowed eyes and smirking expression clearly conveyed a sense of disdain and playful control.

"I have something to tell you." The man suddenly leaned close to Xiao Yi's ear and whispered, "If the Shi family sees you whispering to them, they will definitely kill you. Do you believe me?"

Xiao Yi felt it was absurd. He turned his gaze and saw Shi Dechong walking over, his brows furrowed and his eyes full of suspicion.

(End of this chapter)