I manage female characters in all the heavens.

The Forbidden City generally refers to the Palace Museum in Beijing, but at this time it was still the Southern Song Dynasty, and the Palace Museum had not yet been built, so the Forbidden City did not exist.

However, the meaning of the Forbidden City has existed since ancient times, originating from the "Purple Palace Enclosure" in ancient Chinese astronomy, which symbolizes the residence of the Heavenly Emperor.

The emperor called himself "Son of Heaven," so his palace was called the "Forbidden City," reflecting the divine right of kings.

The Forbidden City at Zhongdu naturally refers to the highest point of the Jin Dynasty's imperial palace.

By choosing this location for the decisive battle, Li Mochou was undoubtedly slapping the face of the entire Jin Kingdom, making her a traitor among traitors.

Upon receiving the news, the Jin emperor was naturally furious and dispatched a large army to search everywhere for the rebels, but to no avail; they had simply vanished without a trace.

Unable to find her, the Jin Kingdom searched everywhere for information about her origins and was shocked to learn that the Tomb Fairy came from Zhongnan Mountain.

She wiped out 28 well-known mountain strongholds and gangs along the way, not to mention countless unnamed ones, killing countless people, far more vicious than many demonic villains.

Moreover, he always claimed to be incredibly powerful and praised Zuixianlou to everyone he met, making the names of the ancient tomb and Zuixianlou unforgettable.

Zuixianlou's success has made it a force to be reckoned with in the martial arts world. It's likely that its business will soon expand beyond Jiaxing and become a nationwide sensation, bringing in a fortune.

Boss, you're welcome. This is all Miss Li should do.

Emperor Jin looked at his old friend Qiu Chuji, who had just arrived in Zhongdu and whom he had invited into the palace, and laughed in extreme anger:

"Master Qiu, is this how you repay kindness with enmity? It seems I must carefully consider Minister Yan Ji's suggestion and give the Quanzhen Sect a good dressing down."

If the South hadn't been out of Jin control, he probably would have sent people to Jiaxing to take down Zuixianlou.

But the Quanzhen Sect was different; it was located within the territory of the Jin Dynasty, so they could be dealt with at will.

Qiu Chuji: "..."

What am I even doing here? Turning myself in?

Chapter 71: The Boss's Direct Hiring

In a village outside Zhongdu City, "Li Mochou" and her entourage came to stay.

This village is called Hongping Village, named after a large natural red stone slab behind the village, which definitely contains minerals underground.

This place is only about ten miles from Zhongdu, which is quite close. It is not a particularly secretive hiding place, but "Li Mochou" still chose it.

She never intended to hide. Given the current corrupt political situation in the Jin Dynasty, a martial arts expert like her would be someone the army would avoid at all costs.

Since settling in Hongping Village, several groups of Jin soldiers have passed by and noticed her conspicuous palanquin, but they have all chosen to pretend not to see it, keeping the peace.

The imperial court has been in arrears with salaries for over a year. Why risk your life? Just use your status as military officers to bully and oppress the people. Let the officials go first to die.

Even the Golden Emperor would never have imagined that the rebels he had dispatched almost all the relevant forces in Zhongdu to hunt down were right under his nose, and that his own people had deliberately concealed them.

If he could find all those people, the Jin Dynasty wouldn't have been destroyed in just a few years.

Not only the Emperor Jin, but also the important officials, princes, and high-ranking generals in the Jin court never expected such a thing to happen.

After all, they only swindled some money from the poor and left them struggling to make ends meet. Is it really worth risking your life for them?

They have absolutely no spirit of hard work and perseverance!

No wonder my great Jin Dynasty is declining; it's all the fault of those peasants!

Instead of reflecting on its own actions, it blames the victims; Dajin is truly doomed.

Guo Jing scratched his head and asked innocently, "According to what my masters said, the situation on the Song Dynasty is similar. Is the Song Dynasty also doomed?"

Yang Tiexin glared at him suddenly and shouted angrily, "Stop talking nonsense! The Great Song Dynasty will not be finished!"

As a descendant of the Yang family generals, he had complex feelings towards the Song Dynasty and couldn't bear to hear the words that the Song Dynasty was doomed.

Guo Jing shrank back: "Yes, I'm sorry, I was just talking nonsense, Uncle Mu, please don't be angry..."

Yang Tiexin is currently using the alias Mu Yi, which he has been using for over ten years. Even Mu Nianci doesn't know his real name.

When Huang Rong saw Guo Jing being scolded, she immediately became indignant. She slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and pointed at Yang Tiexin: "You, surnamed Mu, did Brother Jing's words of truth hurt your beautiful illusions about the Song Dynasty?"

"Have you been in the North for too long that you think the North is in dire straits under the Jin Dynasty, while the South is peaceful and stable under the Song Dynasty?"

Are you blind or just stupid?

Mu Nianci stood up and stood in front of her father, glaring with stubborn eyes: "You're not allowed to talk about my father like that!"

"I told you, what can you do about it? You and your dad combined can't beat me!"

"You've wasted decades of your life. Your martial arts skills are terrible, you're blind, and you're stupid. You're hopeless. Just wait to die!"

Huang Rong put her hands on her hips, exuding full aggression, and fiercely attacked her teammates who had fought alongside her.

"You, you..." Mu Nianci couldn't find the words for a long time and got stuck.

Guo Jing stood up to smooth things over, looking flustered: "Stop arguing, it's all my fault, just beat me up to vent your anger!"

Li Mochou fanned the flames from the sidelines: "Fight! Fight! Fight! I want to see rivers of blood!"

"What's the point of words? Arguing all day is pointless. Let's just use knives. Whoever survives wins!"

Listening to Miss Li's cheerful encouragement, Huang Rong and Yang Tiexin, father and daughter, looked at each other in silence, sat down again, and stopped arguing.

"What do you mean? Did you extinguish my fire because I didn't do a good job of stirring it?" Miss Li was displeased. "You are insulting me!"

Yang Tiexin shook his head and smiled wryly: "I lost my composure just now. I'm sorry, Young Hero Guo. I apologize to you."

Huang Rong snorted coldly: "At least you have some attitude."

"Uncle Mu, you're too kind. I was also at fault." Guo Jing politely accepted the apology, then scratched his head and asked, "So, is the Song Dynasty ever going to end?"

Yang Tiexin immediately turned red again, "Damn it, are you done playing?"

Even Huang Rong couldn't hold back anymore: "Hey, Brother Jing, stop talking!"

Huang Rong was certainly eloquent, but compared to Guo Jing, who was rather dull-witted, she seemed to be inferior in terms of attack power.

With a creak, Old Ma pushed the door open and came in, his face full of seriousness.

Everyone was startled, wondering what major event had occurred that even such a master would show such a solemn expression.

The Jin army has surrounded us?

Li Mochou also felt a little heavy-hearted: "Old Wu is dead?"

Ma Xiaotian shook his head: "Wu Santong is doing very well. His injuries have stabilized. With the precious medicine he got from Chongyang Palace, he will recover completely in a few days."

Miss Li: "..."

Why are you looking so glum? You scared me!

Ma Xiaotian plopped down, poured himself a cup of tea, and began to pour out his grievances:

“Wu Santong has fallen, but the girls he recruited for you haven’t. They need someone to manage them, and he’s temporarily entrusted this task to me.”

"I thought it was a small matter that I could easily solve. But after going to visit the girls just now, I'm completely overwhelmed!"

"This person has a sprained ankle that needs treatment, that person has a cut that needs healing, someone's zither string is broken and needs fixing, their flute is broken and needs buying a new one, their clothes are torn and need mending, their sword is lost and needs to be found, and there are a whole bunch of other miscellaneous things coming to me. I'm so busy I can't keep up!"

Ma Xiaotian looked utterly devastated: "Wu Santong, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, I never imagined he was so meticulous and meddlesome. I really can't do this job! Mochou, please help me!"

That's it?

Miss Li looked at her with disdain and exasperation: "You can't even handle this simple thing. You've lived this long for nothing."

Her gaze swept over the other four people in the room, finally settling on Mu Nianci:

"Suzaku, I'm leaving this matter to you."

Mu Nianci, dressed in red, was full of energy and indeed possessed a fiery temperament, making her a perfect fit to be the Vermilion Bird.

But she was completely bewildered at this moment, pointing to herself in confusion and asking, "Zhu, Zhuque? Me?"

Clearly, Miss Li did not discuss the matter of appointing her as the Vermilion Bird with her beforehand.

“Our Ancient Tomb Sect has four guardians: Old Ma is the Azure Dragon, Old Wu is the White Tiger, and the remaining two positions are vacant. I think you are quite suitable, so I will help you become the Vermilion Bird.”

Miss Li looked completely matter-of-fact, as if Mu Nianci had long been her person and had to follow her arrangements.

Mu Nianci, like Yang Tiexin, immediately blushed: "Miss Li, don't bully me! I don't agree to this! I'm not even a member of your Ancient Tomb Sect!"

"Disagree? Is it because you think the Four Symbols Guardian is not high enough, and you want to be the Three Talents Elder, the Yin-Yang Dharma King, or even the Primordial Heavenly King?" Miss Li asked with some doubt.

Before Mu Nianci could speak, Ma Xiaotian jumped to his feet: "How come I didn't know I had so many people above me?"

Am I, Azure Dragon, not the head of the Four Symbols, only below the Twin Immortals of the Ancient Tomb? How come so many new positions have suddenly appeared, and they all seem to be above me?

This is not what we agreed on!

Miss Li gestured for Ma Xiaotian to calm down: "Old Ma, sit down. I'm not lying to you. I made all of this up on the spot. It didn't exist before."

"But since we've already come up with this, let's just perfect the organizational structure. Even though you're currently one of the Four Symbols Azure Dragons, with your abilities, can't you rise step by step and climb to the position of Heavenly King?"

"I have high hopes for you, and you should also have confidence in yourself and not underestimate yourself."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaotian suddenly understood and sat down happily.

So that's why I'm so outstanding in Mochou's eyes. A Heavenly King? It really is a position that suits my temperament perfectly.

Mu Nianci said in a low voice, "I don't want to be the Vermilion Bird of the Ancient Tomb Sect, nor do I want to be an elder, Dharma King, or Heavenly King. I just want to live a peaceful life with my father. A simple and ordinary life is the true way to live."

Yang Tiexin had some things he couldn't say outright, but he felt that it was a good choice for Mu Nianci to join the Ancient Tomb Sect as the Vermilion Bird Protector.

According to his observation, the Ancient Tomb Sect was truly remarkable, with numerous experts. Li Mochou, as the leader, possessed superb martial arts skills but was approachable and extremely generous, making her a rare find among good bosses.

My child, you're still young and don't understand the benefits of having a strong background. But I've been there, so I'll help you seize this opportunity.

"My child, this can be done!"

Ultimately, under the tyranny of Miss Li and the persuasion of her father, Mu Nianci succumbed and was even forced to wear the Biyue Liuyun hairpin that Miss Li had previously offered to give her.

I have to accept the gift from Miss Li, even if I don't want to!

"Very good, Zhuque. During this time, familiarize yourself with the relevant work and take good care of the girls. I will teach you martial arts when I have time. You must practice hard so as not to embarrass me when you go out."

Then don't take me on as your person!

The night gave Mu Nianci black eyes, but she used them to roll her eyes.

Then Li Mochou looked at Guo Jing and said, "Xuanwu, you and Qinglong go to the Zhao Prince's mansion and bring back a person and a snake for me."

Guo Jing suddenly raised his head, his eyes glazed over. "Am I going to become an official too? And my first task is to kidnap someone?"

Is this a legitimate organization?