In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 816 The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but a pair of adulterers...
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's sunset.

The weather became even more muggy at this moment, and a sense of weariness permeated the entire city of Yingtian.
The workers, exhausted from their shifts, dragged their weary bodies home.
Sweating profusely as we walked, the heat intensified with each step we took.

Sweat dripped down his cheeks onto his clothes.

Only a few manage to land on the ground, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

The Yingtian Trading Company, located on Fudong Street, was even more bustling and weary.

People walked out of the shops in groups, carrying large and small bags.

They were still tired and hot, but their faces showed more joy from shopping.

Not far away, a group of adults poured out from the side door.

They walked towards the carriage parked by the roadside, chatting and laughing.

Everyone looked radiant.

They didn't care even though the weather was hot.

The amount of money they received in a single day was more than what the government offices used to painstakingly extract from the Ministry of Revenue, making it hard for them not to be happy.

Lu Yunyi, lagging behind, looked at the weary waiters and the people walking on the street, and suddenly laughed.

He said with some emotion:
"so good."

The surrounding guards exchanged bewildered glances, unable to find anything appealing after a long look.

Duke Xu Huizu of Wei turned around and asked:
"Yunyi, what's so good about him?"

"Fortunately, I don't have to work overtime."

Lu Yunyi said something completely out of the blue.
Xu Huizu looked bewildered, but didn't delve into it further.

Instead, he stood in front of the carriage that had been waiting for him, turned around and said:

"Tomorrow the Governor's Office will distribute the rewards for the war in the north. Don't wander around at home then, as an imperial edict will be delivered."

Lu Yunyi was taken aback, but his joy grew even stronger, and he laughed:
"Duke of Wei, it's finally time to bestow rewards. I'm getting moldy from staying in the capital."

"Hahaha, you're so young, you should go out and have some fun instead of staying cooped up at home all day."
It's getting late, shall we have dinner at home? Yun Gong is coming today too.

Lu Yunyi shook his head vigorously, refusing immediately:

"Duke of Wei, I have other matters to attend to today, so I will not go for now. Let's do it another day."

"Alright, just let me know whenever you want to come. See you later."

"Duke of Wei, please wait."

Lu Yunyi bowed deeply, and after straightening up, he put his hands on his hips, looked around, and thought for a moment.

"Yunfang, go to Zhongzheng Street ahead and buy some food."
"We'll be leaving after the awards are given, and we should at least try some of the delicious food in the capital."

"Yes!"

Feng Yunfang laughed and quickly ran away with two guards.

Lu Yunyi sat idly by the carriage, waiting.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto him, making him shine with dazzling golden light.

Lu Yunyi squinted, watching the people coming and going at the entrance of the trading company, all of them drenched in sweat, and muttered to himself:

"It would be great if we had air conditioning."

Lu Yunyi tilted his head, looked at Basong who was standing guard to the side, and asked:
"Basong, are there many trees where you live?"

Basong nodded: "Reporting to my lord, there are many trees."

Is it cool in the summer?

Basong shook his head:

"It's very hot in summer, even hotter than Yingtian. Even the water is scalding hot."

"hold head high"

Lu Yunyi already knew the answer, and he said:
"What kind of work do you Siamese people do in the summer? Have any of you died from the heat?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, we also need to plant and weed."
Sometimes they would go into the forest to pick fruit and dig in the soil; quite a few of them died from the heat.

"Do you still want to go back to Siam?"

Lu Yunyi turned to look at him, anticipating his reaction.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Basong's eyes, but he quickly nodded firmly:

"My lord, I wish."

"Why? Isn't the Ming Dynasty good enough?"

"My lord, when you are poor, you should cultivate your own virtue; when you are successful, you should benefit all under heaven."

My subordinates are living a good life here.
But millions of people in my homeland are still suffering, and I am Siamese, always have been.

After speaking, Basong was somewhat worried, fearing that the adult before him would fly into a rage.

Because of this year of contact,
He already knew that the adult before him regarded human life as worthless.

They were ruthless when it came to killing outsiders, and sometimes even killed more people than they were worth, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yunyi nodded in satisfaction, a smile playing on his lips:
When are you planning to go back?

Basong looked somewhat bewildered and shook his head:
"Reporting to you, sir, I do not know."

"Then let's wait. When the building is about to collapse, if we can't be beams, we'll be foundation stones."

You may speak to me at any time when you feel the time is right.

Basong was beaming with joy, his expression one of surprise, and then he bowed deeply.
"Thank you, sir!"

"The person is back, let's go."

Lu Yunyi pointed to Feng Yunfang running towards them in the distance, and stood up with a smile.
The carriage from the Lu residence followed the departing crowd, swaying and rattling as it drove away from the east street of the residence.

On the second floor of the inn opposite the Yingtian Trading Company,
Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was standing by the window.
Holding a makeshift telescope, he watched the carriage depart with a somber expression.
The clerk beside him took out a document and put a checkmark on Lu Yunyi's name to indicate that he had left.

As members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they were not only responsible for finding treacherous officials and rebels in the capital, but also for maintaining stability in the city.

The presence of ministers, vice ministers, governors, and marquises at the Yingtian Trading Company meant they were in great need of them.

That's a fair statement.
Except for the absence of His Majesty and the Crown Prince, this is the "Imperial Palace".
If something goes wrong, the first to suffer will be the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At this moment, Miao Yong, the newly appointed centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, pushed open the door and walked in.

He was dressed in a proper flying fish robe, with a long sword hanging at his waist and a thin hardcover book in his hand.

"My lord, all the officials have left Yingtian Trading Company. Should we leave now?"

Upon hearing this, some of the clerks who had been engrossed in taking notes looked up.

A hint of longing appeared in his eyes.
Even though they are members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they still have to leave work and go home!

The time for the end of the official business has already passed.

But the tall figure whose gazes were focused on simply uttered a single sentence, which immediately dampened everyone's spirits.

"Wait, there's no rush."

For a moment, it seemed as if more than one sigh could be heard from inside the house.

Mao Xiang turned around and coldly swept his gaze over the crowd.
A hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes, and he sighed softly in his heart.

The elite of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already suffered heavy losses in the two upheavals.

These are all newly recruited and transferred personnel, and they are not as easy to use as the previous ones.

As time passed, the ice in the four corners of the house had long since melted.
A stifling heat lingered in the room; the person who had been protecting them had already left.
The clerks sat idly behind their desks, fanning themselves with documents, looking like they'd had enough.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

A figure rushed in from outside the door, quickly walked to Mao Xiang, and bowed deeply.
"My lord, this is the meeting minutes from today regarding the profit distribution of Yingtian Trading Company."

"Okay, let's go down."

Mao Xiang took the document, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

He quickly opened the app to check, and when he saw the staggering turnover, his eyes clearly faltered.

When he saw the enormous sum of silver that each family had received, his eyes turned red.

He even dented the hard cover of the document, and his whole body became clenched with rage!
After repaying Mu Jinghe 20,000 taels of silver,
The entire Embroidered Uniform Guard was already on the verge of collapse.
The money issued by the imperial court was only enough for his salary; there was no money for any other activities.

Mao Xiang was already worried about this, and now that he saw such an astonishing dividend, how could he not be envious!
"hateful!!"

Mao Xiang felt his body getting slightly hot, and his blood rushing to his head, making his face turn red.

Everyone present looked at the adult in this state, bewildered and wondering what had happened.
But they dared not speak and could only wait silently to the side.

After a long while, Mao Xiang finally recovered from his impulsiveness, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice:

"Are the surveillance cameras still on near Xianmen Street?" Centurion Miao Yong replied softly, "Yes, sir."

"Withdraw it."

Mao Xiang spoke coldly, and a hint of doubt flashed in Miao Yong's eyes.
If I remember correctly, the surveillance on Xi'anmen Street was the most important thing to the adults, and now they want to remove it?

He tentatively asked:

"Sir, there are only a few days left until next month. Should we let them stay a few more days?"

His thinking was simple: it had been hot for so many days already, what difference would a few more days make? He could get a higher salary then.

"I said, withdraw!!"

Mao Xiang's voice suddenly intensified, like that of a raging beast.

"Also, bring back the records from these days, especially the records from the three alleys near Xi'an Gate!"

Startled by the sudden shout, Miao Yong nodded hastily.
"Yes, sir."

The room was completely silent. Mao Xiang put his hands on his hips, glanced around, sighed, and waved his hand impatiently.
"Alright, alright, pack your things and go home."

"call"

Everyone present secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly began to tidy up.

Compared to the stuffy inn, the cool basement is much more refreshing.

Mao Xiang entered the underground government office of Miaoyinfang through a secret passage.

Upon entering, a refreshing coolness immediately filled the air, extinguishing some of the anger in his heart.

When he saw that the huge government office had very few officials, a surge of anger rose within him again.
It's already a matter of life and death.

And yet he left the office so early!

Mao Xiang suppressed his anger and returned to the innermost part of the government office.
Sun Zhixue, the centurion responsible for monitoring Xi'anmen Street, was already waiting here.

Seeing him approach, she quickly came to greet him.
"Sir, this is the clerk from Xi'an Gate Street."

Some of these suspicious individuals had already been noted down by his subordinates, and…

"And what?"

Mao Xiang took the document and sat down.

Sun Zhixue's eyes darted around, and he felt he couldn't be so direct; instead, he would speak more tactfully:
"Sir, people frequently come and go on Xi'anmen Street after the curfew is imposed."

"Hmph, they're all high-ranking officials who disregard rules. As long as the patrolling soldiers don't catch them, there's no need to worry about them."

"Uh..." Sun Zhixue's face stiffened, and he awkwardly began to speak:
"My lord, there is no need to worry if some powerful and noble people are encountered by the patrolling guards. They have tokens in their hands."

"Token?"

Mao Xiang raised his head, glanced at him, and then continued looking at the document in his hand.

He turned the pages extremely quickly.

They quickly located the mansion where someone had left that night.
At first glance, Mao Xiang's eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Looking around, nearly 80% of the area consists of the Lu family residence in the three alleys!

He felt a surge of anger when he saw those two words.
"Lu Yunyi is so arrogant because he has the Crown Prince's protection that he disregards the law!"

Sun Zhixue broke out in a cold sweat and said tremblingly:
"My lord, it's not Lord Lu who's coming and going from the Lu residence, but rather someone who's using a token to enter and exit."

Mao Xiang frowned and continued flipping through the pages.

After seeing those densely packed, familiar names on the previous page.

He felt a surge of blood rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his eyes immediately became bloodshot, blurring his vision for a moment.
"Mu Jinghe entered the Lu residence at midnight on the fourth day and left at dawn."

"Mu Jinghe entered the Lu residence at 1:00 AM on the 26th and left in the morning."

The text was densely packed; at a glance,
Mao Xiang only noticed that he hadn't visited the Lu residence on two of those days.

As for other days, it was like being at the government office.

Mao Xiang gritted his teeth, unable to vent his anger, and slammed the document onto the table.

"Bang!!"

He let out a deafening roar:

"You two shameless bastards, just rushing off to get fucked like that!"

You bastard, I thought you were pure and innocent, but you're just a slut! A slut!!!

Where is she?!

Mao Xiang's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Sun Zhixue, his breathing rapid.

"Get her here! Grab her!"

How could she, living above the Imperial Guard, possibly sleep with her enemy?
How absurd, utterly absurd!

Mao Xiang's roar echoed outwards through the gates of the government office.

The few remaining clerks who were still busy suddenly looked up, a hint of apprehension flashing in their eyes. They exchanged glances, and then...

He then began to quickly tidy up the countertop.
He grabbed his things and left, intending to lay low for a while.

For a moment, the entire underground Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) headquarters was deserted.

Inside the innermost room, Mao Xiang was breathing heavily, while Sun Zhixue stood trembling to the side.

"What are you still doing here? Get up and go!!"

Sun Zhixue's eyes darted around, and he spoke hesitantly:
"My lord, please don't be angry. I think this is an opportunity."

Mao Xiang's gaze was like lightning, piercing fiercely at Sun Zhixue, his facial features contorted in pain.
"Opportunity? What opportunity?"
This woman is so clueless; she knows too much about our Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If she were to leak the information to Lu Yunyi,

Do we still have any secrets left between us? Are we still the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Sun Zhixue blinked and tentatively asked:

"Lord Mao, even if she leaked information about our Embroidered Uniform Guard, what can Lu Yunyi do?"

"how?"

Mao Xiang was about to get angry, but suddenly stopped and frowned.
Sun Zhixue pressed his advantage, saying:

"My lord, this is Yingtian Capital, right under the Emperor's nose, not some other place."

Even if Lu Yunyi knew our secret, would he dare to take any action?
This is a challenge to the imperial authority.
Moreover, love between men and women is a natural human emotion, and Shopkeeper Mu is not young anymore; it's inevitable that he would experience romantic feelings.

However, I find it somewhat unlikely that Manager Mu would leak information about the Embroidered Uniform Guard to others.

Mao Xiang paced back and forth inside the yamen with his hands behind his back.
Seeing this, Sun Zhixue continued:
"Sir, Manager Mu has provided us with considerable financial support over the years; he has truly done his utmost."
I believe that Manager Mu is loyal to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Now that she's involved with Lord Lu,
Why not go with the flow?
Manager Mu can provide us with information about Lord Lu, and can also help us win him over.

As far as I know, Lord Lu's feud with Governor Yu is no ordinary one.

Having said this, Mao Xiang's anger had subsided considerably.

He glanced at Sun Zhixue and snorted coldly:
"He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's money is obligated to do so. You seem to be doing this willingly."

"Sir, although Manager Mu is a woman..."

But she's the god of wealth in our government office, and many brothers are grateful to her.

If you, sir, were to discard them after they've served their purpose, it would chill the hearts of our brothers.

"call"

Mao Xiang breathed a long sigh of relief.

He has calmed down now, and what he said is true; the government has suffered heavy losses.
If we lose the hearts of the people, then things will be terrible.

After careful consideration, Mao Xiang suppressed his anger and asked:
Do you know where Mu Jinghe went?

"Reporting to you, sir, Manager Mu should be at the shop in the large workshop right now."

Is someone watching us?

"Yes, he's a newly recruited member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He's said to be a scholar from Shandong, and he's very efficient at his work."

Mao Xiang glanced at Sun Zhixue but did not expose his lie.

How efficient can a newly appointed Imperial Guard be?
However, now is not the time to dwell on this matter.

He said in a deep voice, "Alright, alright, bring me his records."

"Send someone to keep an eye on Mu Jinghe, and see how much that adulterous couple loves each other!"

"Yes"

(End of this chapter)