Detective Conan: Birth of the Demon Child

Leaving aside the many guests present, including underworld experts and outlaws, even those from reputable sects like Yue Buqun had a few lives on their hands.

The lives of those in the Demonic Cult are naturally considered human lives as well!

According to the laws of the imperial court, Yue Buqun and his accomplices were guilty of murder for killing members of the Demonic Sect, and as serial killers, they deserved immediate execution.

Therefore, people in the martial arts world don't like to deal with people from the imperial court. On the one hand, they can't stand the behavior of those imperial lackeys, and on the other hand, they are worried about getting into unnecessary trouble.

Just as everyone was completely bewildered, Liu Zhengfeng, dressed in a brand-new silk robe, hurriedly rushed out of the inner hall and ran towards the door.

Chapter 429 When the Imperial Court is Weak, the Martial World is Strong

(o_o)??

Amidst the bewildered gazes of the crowd, Liu Zhengfeng quickly led in another official dressed in official robes.

"Could this person also be a martial arts master?"

"This person's steps seem unsteady; he doesn't look like he knows martial arts."

"Liu Zhengfeng is a prominent gentleman in Hengshan City. He inevitably has to associate with government officials. Today is his big day, so it's not surprising that local officials come to pay their respects."

Just as everyone was whispering among themselves, the official strode in and stood in the center. Behind him, the bailiff knelt on his right knee, raised his hands above his head, and presented a tray covered with yellow satin, on which lay a scroll.

The official bowed, accepted the scroll, and announced loudly, "Imperial edict has arrived. Liu Zhengfeng, listen to the decree."

!!!∑(?Д?ノ)ノ

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically. They thought to themselves, "Liu Zhengfeng has retired from the martial arts world and gone into seclusion. That's a matter for the martial arts community. What does it have to do with the imperial court? Why is the emperor issuing an imperial edict?"

Could it be that Liu Zhengfeng is plotting a major rebellion, and the court has discovered it? That would be a capital offense, punishable by death, confiscation of property, and extermination of nine generations of his family!

Many guests considered this possibility, and some impatient guests had already picked up their weapons, ready for a fight.

Judging from the guests' thoughts, now that the official had come to deliver the imperial decree, Liu's residence must have been surrounded by soldiers, and a large-scale battle was inevitable.

Most of the guests who came to attend the Golden Basin Washing Hands Ceremony had a good relationship with Liu Zhengfeng, and they could not stand idly by. Moreover, when the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?

If Liu Zhengfeng really does commit treason, everyone present will naturally be treated as traitors, so it's better to fight back!

︿(￣︶￣)︿

Suzuki Seimei noticed the guests' actions and chuckled inwardly. He knew, of course, Liu Zhengfeng's true purpose in inviting this official.

(o_o)?

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Liu Zhengfeng suddenly knelt down on both knees before the imperial edict held by the official, and loudly proclaimed, "Your subject Liu Zhengfeng obeys the decree, long live the Emperor!"

The official unfolded the imperial edict and said: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: According to the report of the Governor of Hubei Province, Liu Zhengfeng, a commoner from Hengshan County, is public-spirited, has made great contributions to his hometown, is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and is capable of great things. He is hereby appointed as a military officer. He will serve the court in the future and live up to the Emperor's expectations. This is the imperial decree."

"Your humble servant Liu Zhengfeng thanks Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

Liu Zhengfeng kowtowed again to receive the imperial edict, then bowed to the official and said, "Thank you for your cultivation and promotion, Lord Zhang!"

Lord Zhang stroked his beard and smiled, "General Liu, congratulations. From now on, we will serve as ministers in the same court, so there is no need for such formalities."

"I was originally just a commoner, but today I have been granted an official position by the court. This is not only due to the Emperor's great favor, which has brought honor to my ancestors, but it is also due to the extraordinary cultivation by the powerful minister, the governor and Lord Zhang."

Liu Zhengfeng first flattered the official a couple of times, then turned to Fang Qianju and asked, "Brother Fang, where is the gift to Lord Zhang?"

"We were prepared to be here a long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Fang Qianju quickly handed the package in his hand to Liu Zhengfeng.

"This is just a small gift, nothing more, but please accept it, Lord Zhang!"

“We’re all brothers, Lord Liu, there’s no need for such formalities.”

Lord Zhang was very polite, but he secretly gave a wink to the bailiff beside him.

When the constable took the package, his arms sank down, indicating that the contents were quite heavy and were gold, not silver.

Seeing this, Lord Zhang's smile grew even brighter.

"I have official duties to attend to and cannot stay any longer. Come, come, pour three cups of wine. Congratulations to General Liu on being appointed to an official post today. May you be promoted and ennobled in the future. May His Majesty's grace continue to bless you."

After finishing his words, Lord Zhang drank three cups of wine before leaving the Liu residence, accompanied by Liu Zhengfeng, with a satisfied expression.

The sounds of gongs and shouts rang out again outside the gate, and the Liu family fired ceremonial cannons as a send-off, causing the guests present to look at each other in bewilderment, wondering what kind of act Liu Zhengfeng was putting on.

If this were during the prosperous Ming Dynasty, the position of a military officer, ranking as a third-grade official, would indeed be considered a high-ranking official.

However, nowadays, treacherous officials are in power, and Wei Zhongxian is openly buying and selling official positions. For example, a third-rank military officer position like the Assistant General can be bought as long as you have money.

Of course!

These military officer positions obtained through buying and selling were merely empty titles; the officers held little real power.

As the second-in-command of the Hengshan faction, and not a former member of the imperial court, Liu Zhengfeng's position as a military officer was certainly not obtained through legitimate means, but rather bought at a high price.

If Suzuki Seimei was not mistaken, Liu Zhengfeng spent a lot of money to buy this position of military commander, clearly intending to use the imperial court's influence to intimidate the restless Songshan Sect.

However, Liu Zhengfeng underestimated Zuo Lengchan's ambition. A mere military officer position bought with money was not enough to scare away the Songshan Sect.

Wei Zhongxian openly bought and sold official positions because he wanted to amass wealth. As for whether those who bought the positions lived or died, that was no longer his concern.

Since Liu Zhengfeng could buy his way into office, Zuo Lengchan could also bribe his superiors and subordinates to make those greedy officials turn a blind eye.

As the saying goes: When the imperial court is strong, the martial arts world is weak. When the imperial court is weak, the martial arts world is strong.

To put it nicely, people in the martial arts world are chivalrous heroes or outlaws; to put it bluntly, they're just a bunch of thugs who know martial arts.

Whenever the imperial court was powerful, it would try to suppress and restrict the major sects in the martial arts world to prevent them from disrupting the national order.

Therefore, the background of Jin Yong's martial arts novels is almost always the period at the end of a dynasty or the beginning of a new dynasty.

Only when the power of the imperial court weakens can the martial arts world usher in a golden age, and the Beggars' Sect is the best example of this.

The stronger the Beggars' Sect's influence in the martial arts world, the weaker the nation's power often is.

If someone really couldn't survive, who would want to be a beggar?!

After seeing off Lord Zhang, Liu Zhengfeng returned with a beaming smile and invited the guests to take their seats.

However, what Liu Zhengfeng didn't know was that many of the guests present were already dissatisfied with him.

Those who receive Liu Zhengfeng's invitation are basically well-known figures in the martial arts world, who are arrogant and have never taken the government seriously.

The reason these guests were willing to come and participate in Liu Zhengfeng's "Golden Basin Washing Hands" ceremony was mainly because of the Hengshan Sect's reputation, and also because they admired him as a hero of the martial arts world.

Seeing Liu Zhengfeng currying favor with the emperor and being granted a minor military post with nothing more than a tiny title, he was moved to tears and made all sorts of nauseating gestures. Moreover, he openly offered bribes. People couldn't help but look down on him, and many couldn't help but show their contempt.

Chapter 430 The Chief Position

Liu Zhengfeng's initial intention in buying an official position was perhaps to use the imperial court's authority to intimidate the Songshan Sect, this wild wolf.

However, in Suzuki Harumi's eyes, Liu Zhengfeng had made a terrible move.

Judging from the original plot, the corrupt officials in the imperial court simply couldn't care less about Liu Zhengfeng's life or death. Otherwise, the Songshan Sect wouldn't have escaped unscathed after the Liu family was wiped out.

If it were during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, and a martial arts sect dared to openly wipe out an entire family of court officials, they would inevitably be met with a massive army that would destroy the entire sect.

It was obvious that Liu Zhengfeng had overestimated the prestige of the imperial court. His obsequious attitude of kneeling and bowing to the imperial edict in front of everyone had already aroused the dissatisfaction of the crowd, which was tantamount to pushing himself into a dead end.

That is why, when the Songshan Sect attacked Liu Zhengfeng, few of the guests present spoke up for him.

Liu Zhengfeng naturally noticed the dissatisfaction on the faces of some guests, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, he smiled and invited them to take their seats.

You can't hit someone who's smiling!

Faced with Liu Zhengfeng's obsequious smile, the others felt embarrassed to turn hostile and took their seats.

However, no one was willing to take the seat of honor.

To the left of the chief sat the oldest martial arts master, Master Xia of the Six Harmonies Sect, while to the right sat Zhang Jin'ao, the vice-leader of the Beggars' Sect.

Although Zhang Jin'ao himself did not have an impressive reputation, the Beggars' Clan was the largest gang in the martial arts world, and its leader, Xie Feng, was highly skilled in martial arts and had a great reputation, so everyone respected him.

Therefore, no one dared to sit in the chief seat unless they were more famous than Master Xia and Zhang Jin'ao. Otherwise, sitting in the chief seat would only invite ridicule.

"Second Uncle, since none of them dare to sit in the chief seat, why don't you sit there? Otherwise, it won't look good if the chief seat remains empty!"

A childish voice suddenly rang out, silencing the entire hall and drawing all eyes to Li Maozhen.

Suzuki Seimei was just a child, and people would only take his words as innocent childish talk and wouldn't pay too much attention to him.

What everyone is curious about is what Li Maozhen will do next. Does he really dare to sit in the chief position?

"Can!"

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Li Maozhen nodded slightly and strode slowly toward the chief's seat.

Whether it was a misperception or not, every time Li Maozhen took a step, everyone felt that his aura seemed to grow stronger, and the atmosphere in the hall became even more tense.

When Li Maozhen reached the chief's seat, his aura reached its peak.

Sitting on either side of the chief's seat, Master Xia and Zhang Jin'ao could clearly feel the domineering aura of Li Maozhen, which seemed to look down upon the world.

I felt a chill run down my spine and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!

Normally, if Master Xia and his group believed that Li Maozhen was not qualified to sit in the chief position, then they should have taken action to stop him.

However, the two men, intimidated by Li Maozhen's imposing manner, dared not do anything to stop him.

Because Master Xia and his companions' intuition was frantically warning them that if they dared to stop Li Maozhen, they would surely die today!

Wow!

!

Li Maozhen casually lifted his long robe, sat down in the chief seat with an air of superiority, and coldly scanned the crowd with his somewhat eerie eyes.

Anyone whose face was swept by Li Maozhen's gaze felt as if their skin had been scraped by a knife, and they all looked away, not daring to look him in the eye.

Seeing this, Suzuki Seimei skipped over to Li Maozhen's side and said with a smile, "Since no one has any objections, then my second uncle will take the chief position!"

Upon hearing Suzuki Harumi's words, everyone's expressions changed slightly, but no one dared to be the first to object.

"Weiyi, what are you standing there for? Can't you see the guests are already seated? Hurry up and have them serve the food and drinks!"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere in the hall, Liu Zhengfeng quickly patted his apprentice Mi Weiyi on the shoulder and took the opportunity to speak to break the awkward silence.