Liver in Water Margin, outlaw madman

The soldiers guarding the city gate could only watch helplessly as the thieves rode away.

"Brother, should we chase after them?" a soldier asked in a low voice.

"Go after them, lead a small squad," the leader said calmly.

"Ah, I'll go, but I don't have a horse!" The soldier's face was rather grim.

"Well, how can we be afraid of difficulties? Once the thief is caught, we'll reward him accordingly. Go on!" The leader glanced at his subordinate.

He spat on the ground.

Everyone else is asking, but you are.

I'm a gatekeeper, not a fugitive hunter.

If you want to make a name for yourself, don't drag me into it. Otherwise, you'll end up with nothing to do but clean up my mess!

"Leave one team behind to cooperate with the Imperial Guards in sealing off the Yue Temple. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Check for any hidden thieves."

"Notify the Kaifeng Prefecture and send them to investigate the scene."

"The rest of you return to defend the city gates to prevent the enemy from launching a feint attack!"

The leader made all the arrangements clearly, in a reasonable and legal manner.

His main duty was to guard the city gates, and he was responsible if the gates were lost.

The rest is none of his business.

The news of Gao Qiu's execution spread like wildfire through the palace.

Emperor Huizong was painting when he saw a flock of cranes perched on the roof of the palace yesterday, and he was overjoyed.

This is an auspicious omen, a blessing from Heaven.

It must be drawn and passed down so that future generations will know how they received the favor of Heaven.

Liang Shicheng stood guard nearby; he had already received news of Gao Qiu's death.

But he dared not disturb Zhao Ji while he was painting.

He knew that Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) did not like to be disturbed when he was painting; he enjoyed the feeling of being immersed in the painting.

After a long while, Zhao Ji slowly got up, put his paintbrush aside, stretched out his arms, and relaxed his body.

Taking this opportunity, Liang Shicheng handed over the cleaning towel.

Then he said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Grand Commandant Gao is dead."

Zhao Ji was taken aback, somewhat confused: "Who?"

"Gao Qiu, Grand Commandant Gao." Liang Shicheng said expressionlessly, as if recounting a very ordinary matter.

Zhao Ji heard clearly now and turned to look at Liang Shicheng: "How did he die? A sudden, serious illness?"

"No, he was murdered!" Liang Shicheng said, his heart pounding with apprehension.

Since the founding of the nation, Emperor Taizu has been extremely wary of military men. Unexpectedly, after so long of this, there are still military men who dare to rebel against their superiors.

"Who dares to be so bold as to kill one of my most trusted ministers!" Zhao Ji shouted angrily.

Liang Shicheng slowly said, "He's an instructor in the Imperial Guards. He's the one who was harassed by Gao Qiu's son a few days ago. I think his surname is Lin."

Zhao Ji was slightly surprised, his face showing confusion: "Just because of this? You killed someone simply for teasing them?"

"No, Grand Commandant Gao also wanted to kill that instructor, but the instructor discovered it and killed Gao Qiu instead!" Liang Shicheng tried his best to keep his tone calm and suppress his emotional fluctuations.

Otherwise, he was afraid he would laugh out loud!

Emperor Huizong was truly stunned. He had never imagined that a Grand Commandant would be killed by his subordinates, and because of this very matter.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

After a long silence, Zhao Ji finally roared, "Useless! Utterly useless! You can't even be a proper official! You let your subordinates kill you!"

Liang Shicheng stood aside, not daring to say a word; he knew a little about history.

Before the founding emperor, these things would have been considered normal.

Those military generals, relying on the troops at their disposal, often defied their superiors.

That is, after the founding emperor Taizu established the strategy of using civil officials to control military forces, the backbone of military men was gradually broken.

Only then did the internal situation of the Song Dynasty gradually stabilize.

"Your Majesty, this servant has already arranged for people to investigate," Liang Shicheng said in a low voice.

Zhao Ji's expression softened slightly. His good mood for the day had been completely ruined. He sighed and said, "Gao Qiu is still pretty good at football. It's a pity that I won't have anyone to play football with anymore."

Liang Shicheng stood aside, his expression neither sad nor happy, his face calm and expressionless.

He and Gao Qiu were at odds, and he had tried countless ways to make Gao Qiu fall out of favor.

But Gao Qiu, that fellow, could also please Zhao Ji, but he could never completely turn him around; at most, he could only do some trivial things.

What about corruption, bribery, oppression of the people, and harassment of women?

In Zhao Ji's view, these things were not a big deal.

I never expected it to end like this.

"This old servant has arranged for someone to go to the Grand Commandant's residence to handle the funeral arrangements," Liang Shicheng said, feigning grief.

Emperor Huizong waved his hand: "Go, go, keep everything simple, it's not appropriate to make a big fuss."

He also knew that it would be shameful to talk about this kind of thing!

Seeing this, Liang Shicheng understood the situation and slowly withdrew.

People change as they go; judging by the Emperor's behavior, it won't be long before a new replacement is found.

At Grand Commandant Gao's residence, people came and went in a hurry.

The servants' faces showed little grief, but rather worry—worry about their future.

Gao Kan sat blankly in the courtyard, unable to cry, truly unable to cry.

He was Gao Qiu's adopted son, not his biological son.

Knowing he had no future, he spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, indulging himself and earning the reputation of a playboy.

Now that Gao Qiu is dead, his patron is gone.

Having offended so many people in the past, Gao Qiu naturally wasn't afraid with him around.

Gao Kan wasn't stupid; his mind was racing, trying to figure out a way out.

Run, you have to run.

This capital city is unbearable to stay in.

Gao Kan's mind raced. None of his relatives in the capital could be relied upon; they all depended on Gao Qiu's power and had offended many people in the past.

Yes, go to Gaotang Prefecture, Gao Lian is there.

There, although it won't be as carefree as before, at least there's a high chance of survival.

If I stay here any longer, my life will certainly be in danger.

"Help! Help! Don't panic! Don't panic!" Gao Kan shouted.

He dared not go to Gaotang Prefecture alone, as it would be too dangerous to travel through prefectures and counties. He would need to find some guards.

While Gao Qiu's influence is still intact, it shouldn't be a big problem to keep a few people in check.

Upon hearing Gao Kan's words, the people in the Grand Commandant's office gradually quieted down.

Gao Qiu had amassed considerable influence in the Grand Commandant's office for many years, and his influence was deeply ingrained in their very being. For a time, they instinctively obeyed him.

"You, you, and you, take your men and come with me to Gaotang Prefecture. Gao Lian is the prefect there. You will accompany me to report the death!" Gao Kan, in a moment of inspiration, came up with a brilliant reason.

Before long, these people had prepared the luggage wagons and guard equipment.

Gao Kan took out a box of gold and silver from the backyard, placed it on the carriage he was riding in, and took out more than a dozen ingots of silver, handing them out: "Please take these first, there will be a great reward when we arrive in Gaotang Prefecture!"

When these people saw that they could get money and had somewhere to go, they calmed down for a while.

Although Gao Qiu is dead, Gao Lian is still alive. He is a prefect, no less. Wherever he goes, he might be more comfortable than here, far from the emperor's reach!

Seeing that he had stabilized the situation, Gao Kan couldn't help but feel a little smug. It seemed that he wasn't entirely useless after all.

Without pausing for even a moment, he led his men outside.

Just as I reached the door, I heard a shrill voice:

"Nephew, where are we going?"