Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 439: Father-in-law teaches son-in-law

"Hehe, that's true. My Lord, you're so lucky, how could you be so reluctant to part with these two small coins?" Shen Lian suddenly realized something. Lu Wenzhao, now married to the Luo family, couldn't possibly lack this little bit of money. Lu Wenzhao's original residence was quite secluded and remote, unworthy of his position as Deputy Captain of the Imperial Guard, and even less worthy of being Luo's son-in-law. Shen Lian even began to suspect that the Luo or Hai families had paid for him to move to this house.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll spank you!" Lu Wenzhao leaned forward, leaning over the table, and tried to give Shen Lian a light slap on the head. But Shen Lian dodged and shrank to the side.

"Hehe." After dodging, Shen Lian immediately gave a flattering smile. "If you have no other instructions, my lord, I will leave now."

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao sat back and rolled his eyes at him.

"Please speak, sir." Shen Lian bowed.

"I need you to help me with a private matter." Lu Wenzhao said.

Shen Lian was stunned for a moment. It was unusual for Lu Wenzhao to ask someone to help him with a private matter. Shen Lian came to his senses and agreed before asking the content. "Please give your instructions, sir."

"I want you to help me buy some gifts. Find a carriage shop and hire a cargo carriage. Ask them to drive the carriage to Admiral Liu's house when the office is dismissed in the evening." Lu Wenzhao didn't really want his subordinates to do this kind of thing for him, but he thought he couldn't leave the office for the time being.

Starting the day after his return, the Western Depot summoned him several times to its headquarters to face questioning from the External Auditor's Office. Although the Western Depot hadn't sent anyone to look for him for several days, he knew he couldn't be summoned again until the final hearing was issued, so he simply waited at the yamen and never went on any other missions himself.

"Commander Liu?" Shen Lian said with a wicked smile, "He's also going to promise his daughter to you as a concubine?"

"That's impossible! I haven't heard that Admiral Liu has a daughter at home." Lu Wenzhao's first reaction wasn't to give Shen Lian a hand. With Luo Qing as his new family member, he felt like he was losing his mind to the constant pressure of serving water. A meal was more tiring than going to the government office. And if he added his immediate superior's daughter to his family, how could he possibly survive?

"Who knows." Shen Lian was still servile. "Didn't the Luo family send someone all the way here for you?"

"Hey!" Lu Wenzhao finally came back to his senses. "Are you going to challenge me?"

"How can that be? I will definitely treat you well!" Shen Lian observed Lu Wenzhao's expression and saw that he didn't look angry, so he still had that teasing and shameless look on his face.

"Huh!" Lu Wenzhao shook his head with a wry smile and untied the purse from his waist. He opened it and found only about ten taels of silver inside. He simply tossed the entire purse to Shen Lian. "That should be enough. You can do whatever you want." The last time he visited Liu Chengxi's home, he had spent exactly ten taels of silver on gifts, neither more nor less.

"Okay, I'll definitely get it done for you." Shen Lian took the purse without even looking at how much was in it.

"You can use less, but don't exceed it." Lu Wenzhao frowned. "I've made it clear to you, no matter how much money you put in, I won't appreciate it."

"Then I'll keep this for myself," Shen Lian said, opening his purse and pulling out a copper coin. "Consider it hush money."

"I beg you to shut up," Lu Wenzhao's forced seriousness suddenly broke, and he waved his hands while cursing with a smile. "Stop being so ridiculous."

"I will go and do my job right away." Shen Lian bowed and turned to leave.

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At three quarters past noon, the sky was bright. A carriage with a lantern of the Imperial Guards hanging on it, escorted by a small team of lieutenants, arrived at the main gate of the East Office.

As soon as he saw the carriage, the captain on duty immediately straightened his back.

Legend has it that this chariot was built by Ji Gang, then the head of the Imperial Guard, when Emperor Chengzu restored the Jinyiwei's power 200 years ago. Because the carriage is carved with six qilins of varying sizes and shapes, surrounded by lions, tigers, leopards, and other beasts, it has long been known as the "qilin chariot" or the "qilin lion and tiger chariot."

Although Ji Gang was executed by slicing on the charge of "plotting treason" by Emperor Chengzu in the 14th year of Yongle, and the power to manage the imperial prison was transferred to the Northern Pacification Office during the Chenghua period, this car has been repaired and passed down to this day, and has always been the exclusive vehicle of the Jinyiwei official in charge of the seal.

The official in charge of the seal may not necessarily travel in this car, but as long as this car appears, the official in charge of the seal will definitely be inside.

Sure enough, before the car came to a complete stop, Luo Sigong, the chief guard wearing a bright red official robe, jumped down from it.

"Greetings, Lord Chief of Guards!" The captain on duty at the gate saluted with his fists clasped.

Luo Sigong was in no mood to pay attention to them. As soon as he got out of the car, he hurried over the threshold and headed towards the lobby.

When Luo Sigong entered the East Office lobby, Admiral Liu Chengxi was leisurely writing a report. However, judging by his leisurely posture, it would be more accurate to say that he was practicing calligraphy rather than writing a report.

The lightning-fast action of the rectification committee had freed up the staff below, so how could it not affect him, the chief executive? Lately, even if he only worked half a day, he was still able to handle his daily duties beautifully. However, as the sitting officer of the East Office, he couldn't be late or leave early, so he could only find ways to cultivate his character and kill time without being accused of being unemployed.

Liu Chengxi looked up at the noise and saw Luo Sigong's handsome face, and he immediately shuddered. But despite his trembling, Liu Chengxi remained calm. The "submission" before him, which could have taken a whole day to write, was something a seasoned expert like him had specially prepared to handle a sudden inspection by his superiors.

Liu Chengxi quickly put down his brush, stood up and went to meet him, saluted with great respect, and said, "Your humble servant greets Guard Luo."

"Where's Lu Wenzhao?" Luo Sigong asked directly, "Is he in the government office?"

"Yes." Liu Chengxi nodded and said, "There has been no important work these days, so he has been staying in the yamen. He is finishing up the case in Tianjin and waiting for the summons from the Western Factory. Now the trial is almost over, and I am preparing to submit a statement to the Experience Department. Please be aware of this." Liu Chengxi thought that Luo Sigong came here to ask about the Tianjin case, so he took the initiative to bring up the matter.

Luo Sigong did react, but he only looked confused for a moment and didn't ask further: "Where is he?"

"This old man, please," Liu Chengxi responded immediately, not only waving his hand to point the way, but also acting as a guide. "I will take you there."

"Well. Lead the way." Luo Sigong was not polite to Liu Chengxi.

"Guard Luo," Liu Chengxi said cautiously in a tentative tone as they left the hall, "If you want to see this guy, just send someone to tell him to come. If he's not at the yamen, I'll search the entire capital and find a way to capture him. Why bother making this trip in person?"

Although Luo Sigong's thoughts weren't on Liu Chengxi, with his shrewdness, how could he not hear the probing tone in these words? However, Luo Sigong didn't mind telling him about something that couldn't be hidden and didn't need to be hidden. "The emperor has summoned me, so I don't have time for these things."

"Summoned?" Liu Chengxi was horrified. "Him!?" Liu Chengxi had been in various offices of the Imperial Guard for so many years, yet he had never received a summons from the emperor.

"Not only him, but also me." Luo Sigong said.

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Almost two quarters of an hour later, Luo Sigong's "unicorn lion tiger car" entered the imperial city from Xi'an Gate. Although this car could not be driven in the Forbidden City, Luo Sigong did not have to walk from Xi'an Gate to Xihua Gate.

As the clamor of the city faded, Lu Wenzhao's heart grew heavier. Finally, he couldn't help but break the silence he'd been trying so hard to maintain. In a calm voice, he asked Luo Sigong, "Master Guard, why did the emperor summon me to see him?"

Luo Sigong shook his head in disappointment, then pulled out a rolled-up note from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Lu Wenzhao. "This is all I received."

Lu Wenzhao unfolded the slip and saw a very brief sentence written in standard regular script: "Imperial decree, Luo Sigong and Lu Wenzhao are ordered to come to the palace to see the emperor immediately." After scanning the words on the slip, Lu Wenzhao rolled it up and returned it to Luo Sigong.

"I thought you knew." Luo Sigong took the note and put it away carefully. Maybe when he reaches Xihua Gate, he will need this thing as a pass.

"If you don't know, how can I know?" Lu Wenzhao slowly exhaled a breath of foul air.

"I don't think it will be a bad thing." Luo Sigong felt Lu Wenzhao's nervousness, so he reached out and patted his shoulder, comforting him: "Don't be afraid, kid, the emperor is still very tolerant. Just answer whatever he asks." Luo Sigong said this insincerely. Looking back on the scenes of his several visits to the emperor, he felt that he was not summoned by the emperor for questioning, but was summoned by the King of Hell to be tried.

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao nodded woodenly.

"I remember you had the honor of seeing the Holy Emperor, right?" Luo Sigong asked.

"Yes," Lu Wenzhao's eyes regained some clarity. "That good fortune was bestowed upon me by you, sir. I've never forgotten it." The dreamlike past brought a wave of emotion to Lu Wenzhao's heart.

"I didn't give you anything," Luo Sigong shook his head. "You paid for the job of monitoring Westerners yourself."

"But you didn't sell it to anyone else, right?" Lu Wenzhao replied flatteringly.

Luo Sigong was silent for a while, then he laughed. "Boy, you and Lu Zhi are really different."

When Lu Wenzhao heard Luo Sigong suddenly mention his father, he couldn't help but put away the fake smile on his face. "Ashamed."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Luo Sigong said. "Lu Zhi is upright and capable, but he can't get by in the officialdom. And if he can't get by in the officialdom, he can't accomplish anything great."

"But is it really a good idea to lose your heart in order to accomplish great things?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"Which part of your heart is lost?" Luo Sigong asked back.

"I" Lu Wenzhao hesitated for a moment and answered, "I feel that I have lost my conscience." Flattery, frame-up, kidnapping, threats. He examined his own heart and found that he seemed to have done everything except murder and corruption, but he did climb up step by step because of these things and became the cheap son-in-law of the top leader.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't need a conscience." Luo Sigong responded without any hesitation.

"But people need to have a conscience." Lu Wenzhao replied.

"Then the Jinyiwei are not human beings." Luo Sigong said.

"What are the Jinyiwei?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"Bow your head." Luo Sigong waved his hand.

"What?" Lu Wenzhao was puzzled.

"I told you to lower your head." Luo Sigong repeated.

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao did as he was told.

"Did you see it?" Luo Sigong asked.

"What did you see?" Lu Wenzhao was still confused.

This time, Luo Sigong did not answer.

Lu Wenzhao was about to look up when he suddenly stopped. "Are you talking about the bear?"

Luo Sigong's face showed a teachable admiration. "Humans have consciences, but bears, tigers, leopards, and lions don't. A good Jinyiwei is a bloodthirsty beast. If someone possesses a human conscience but dares not see blood, or refuses to be stained with it, then they're not a good Jinyiwei."

"Can you get any blood on me?" Lu Wenzhao was moved.

"Only you know this." Luo Sigong clenched his fists and gently hit Lu Wenzhao's chest twice.

"What about you?" Lu Wenzhao knew the question was extremely presumptuous, but he asked it anyway. "What blood is on your hands?"

Luo Sigong stared at Lu Wenzhao and didn't speak for a long time. It was not until the wheel crushed the stones and shook slightly because of the insignificant bump that Luo Sigong spoke again: "My dear son-in-law, even Luo Yangxing doesn't dare to ask you this question."

Lu Wenzhao's heart suddenly tightened. "It was my son-in-law who offended me!" He lowered his head, and the passion that suddenly surged up in him quickly faded.

Luo Sigong smiled slowly. He stretched out his hands and gently held Lu Wenzhao's head, saying, "My dear son-in-law, look into my eyes."

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao did as he was told.

"My dear son-in-law, before Luo Qing even entered your house, I could have stained my hands with your blood," Luo Sigong gently patted Lu Wenzhao's face. "Or rather, if you weren't smart enough, I would have already stained my hands with your blood."

Lu Wenzhao's pupils trembled violently. Of course, Lu Wenzhao knew what Luo Sigong said, but when Luo Sigong said it so bluntly, he still felt a fear in his heart as if he was staring into the abyss.

"Don't be afraid, we are a family now." Luo Sigong gently rubbed Lu Wenzhao's head as if he was caressing his own son.

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao suppressed his uneasiness and continued to look into Luo Sigong's eyes.

"Are you satisfied with my answer, my dear son-in-law?" Luo Sigong let go of Lu Wenzhao.

"My son-in-law has learned his lesson."

"Since you are willing to learn, I will teach you one more thing." Luo Sigong said.

"But please enlighten me, Taishan."

"You handled the Tianjin case very well," Luo Sigong whispered in Lu Wenzhao's ear, "but if it were me, I would definitely kill that man named Wang Gui and sink him into the river. Instead of paying him a sum of money to prevent him from returning to the north."

(End of this chapter)