From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

Faced with the relentless questioning from several constables, Zhu Hong turned his head, his lips tightened, and he nodded in response:

That's right.

"That's what Gu Zhangbo said."

"Damn it!" Bai Ri Mang plopped back into his chair, swearing again. "The higher-ups are all cowering and not moving, while they send us guys to mess with the Jiang family? No way! I'm not going! You guys go!" He spat fiercely, his voice sharp and menacing.

"Jiang Yannian and his son Jiang Boyong are warriors of the third realm."

Samurai of the Three Realms!

Three Realms!

"He alone is enough to give the six of us a run for our money." As he spoke, he looked at Zhu Hong and Wang Zhenshan very seriously and said, "Wang Zhenshan, this whole mess was caused by this kid under your command, so it's your job to clean it up. You two need to have a serious talk with Manager Gu about this."

At least……

There are six of us, we absolutely cannot be the first to go!

Song Jiwen quickly waved his hand in agreement, his tone smooth:

"Yes, yes, Zhenshan, Lao Bai is right~ Every word he said is true." He frowned and said in a deep voice, "This matter must not be handled hastily. We must consider it carefully and think it over before acting."

Qingshan and Wei Qingyuan remained silent.

They kept their eyes downcast, their faces calm and expressionless, but deep within their eyes lay a bottomless darkness.

"Alright, alright, everyone calm down."

Amidst the commotion and shirking of responsibility, Jin Buhuan glanced at everyone and gently raised his hand: "Since Clerk Gu has given such an order, he must have his reasons. We only need to follow his orders." After saying this, he looked at Zhu Hong and waited for a response.

Zhu Hong remained silent.

Having spent many years navigating the complexities of the yamen, Jin Buhuan was naturally shrewd and adept at balancing power and maneuvering, both overtly and covertly. He believed that although the imperial decree came suddenly, it must have been part of a carefully planned scheme orchestrated by the Prefect and the Clerk, with every step meticulously planned and every move prepared.

This is what I've been thinking about.

That makes perfect sense.

However, Jin Buhuan probably never imagined, even on his deathbed, that the Prefect would suppress this probing move.

The question was directed at Zhu Hong.

The ones who were thrown at them like stones were their six head constables.

"I do not know what the clerk is thinking."

but."

Zhu Hong raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd, and said, word by word, "Just as Officer Jin said, since the higher-ups have given their orders, we will follow them. As for…," his tone was ambiguous, making it difficult to discern the truth:

"What deeper meaning is hidden in it?"

I think.

When the time comes, all of you constables will understand.

Bai Rimang was taken aback, his brows furrowing into a knot. He muttered irritably, "What kind of talk is this? It's like saying nothing at all." Despite his words, he didn't press the matter further, but simply snorted sullenly, tacitly acknowledging the truth.

"Then let's get straight to the point."

Having said all that, and with the reasoning laid out, Song Jiwen stopped beating around the bush and looked at Zhu Hong directly, asking, "You summoned us here today, is there a plan in mind?"

"It's not a matter of planning."

Zhu Hong spoke in a light tone, cupping his hands in greeting to the crowd: "There are just a few things I need to trouble you constables with." His words were polite, and his posture humbled. Hearing this, the crowd's expressions softened slightly.

"Please feel free to speak."

Song Jiwen spoke first.

Zhu Hong nodded, and without further ado, said directly, "I had an audience with Clerk Gu yesterday, and there's something I wanted to tell you." He paused, then slowly continued:

"The Jiang family has secretly colluded with the Golden Valley Garden."

Furthermore, with Jiang's inside help, a group of people have already infiltrated the city.

The group looked at each other, their expressions varied.

"Is the information reliable?"

Jin did not ask.

"The registrar himself testified," Zhu Hong said. "It is certainly true."

Song Jiwen frowned slightly.

As a detective in the sixth squad, specializing in gathering intelligence, he was more perceptive than others.

He immediately asked:

"How could the Jiang family be colluding with Jingu Garden?"

Song Jiwen's tone was full of confusion, so he simply kept asking until he got to the bottom of it: "Putting that aside, I haven't gotten the slightest bit of information from my side. But those bandits in Jingu Garden are nothing but a minor ailment. What is Jiang's plan in colluding with them? Surely she doesn't intend to use them to fight against the government? That's wishful thinking."

He paused briefly, his tone becoming increasingly resolute:

"The government office has a governor in charge."

"Let alone the Golden Valley Garden, even if they were to collude with the Chi family, what kind of trouble could they possibly stir up in Jinyang City?"

The words may be rough, but the principle is sound, and everyone who heard them agreed wholeheartedly.

Although the Prefectural Lord usually keeps a low profile and doesn't easily show himself, everyone in Jinyang knows that his strength is unfathomable. Back in the day, many arrogant and domineering clans that had been powerful for centuries had fallen to him.

Before the Jiang family, the Li family came first.

The Jiang residence in Jinyang City was originally called the Li residence.

"Officer Song is right."

Zhu Hong had a general idea of ​​what was going on, but he only said calmly, "No one knows what the Jiang family's intention is in this risky move, and I don't care to know. Or rather," he added casually, "what the Jiang family is thinking right now is not important."

"only……

The key is how the government offices act.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Hong slowly stood up, bowed slightly to everyone, and said sincerely, "My lords, let's get straight to the point. There are indeed a few important matters that I would like to entrust to you all to handle together."

"you say."

Everyone's expressions turned solemn, which was considered an agreement.

"Officer Song."

His gaze first fell on Song Jiwen: "The Fifth Class has eyes and ears all over Jinyang. This time, I ask you to send out all your informants to find out where the bandits in Jingu Garden are hiding. Keep a close watch on them. You need to know the whereabouts of everyone who is breathing."

"no problem."

Song Jiwen pondered for a moment, then nodded immediately: "As long as they remain in the city for half a day, they will have no chance of escape!"

"Captain Bai." Zhu Hong then looked at Bai Ri Mang: "Sixth Squad should work closely with the boss and continue patrolling the streets as usual. There's no need to deliberately increase manpower. Just focus your manpower on the vicinity after receiving Lord Song's message."

Bai Ri Mang replied, "Okay."

"Master Jin".

Zhu Hong finally looked at Jin Buhuan, his tone softening slightly: "There's something I need to ask of you."

Please?

"Oh~ it seems to be something important." Jin Buhuan raised an eyebrow slightly, twirling the black iron bead between his fingertips, and slowly uttered a single word:

"explain."

"In the muddy alley in the east of the city, there lives a family surnamed Liu."

Zhu Hong's expression was solemn as he spoke with utmost seriousness: "His name is Liu Housheng. I request that Master Jin provide him with covert protection. If my guess is correct, the Jiang family will send someone to him."

"Arrest a poor person?"

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Jin Buhuan's eyes. "There's something fishy about this. There's probably more to it than meets the eye."

But whatever.

With a light tap of the iron bead between his fingers, Jin Buhuan spoke in a cold and steady voice: "With me here, not a single hair of Liu Housheng will be missing."

Upon seeing the gold, he readily agreed without hesitation.

Zhu Hong felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. He clenched his fists in front of his chest and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your trouble, Master Jin."

Jin Buhuan simply raised his wrist slightly and casually swung it twice.

"Um."