pertwk Chapter 15 I've seen shamelessness, but I've never seen shamelessness to this extent.
Chapter 15 I've seen shamelessness, but I've never seen shamelessness to this extent.
A figure dressed in a qilin robe, yawning, slowly walked out of the door.
The morning light fell on the dark official robe embroidered with a qilin, and the qilin, made of gold thread, seemed to be baring its fangs and claws in the sunlight, as if it were about to pounce out of the clothes.
Xu Ming put his hands on his hips, tilted his neck back slightly, opened his mouth wide, and let out a long yawn.
"Gentlemen, have you been waiting long?"
He stretched and raised his arms above his head, his bones crackling like a string of firecrackers.
No one answered.
Dozens of eyes peered over from above the collar of the flying fish robe, silent, cold, and scrutinizing.
Those gazes converged into an invisible pressure, enough to make ordinary officials tremble and sweat profusely. But Xu Ming seemed to be standing in the spring breeze basking in the sun, completely unaware.
"Oh dear, you all look so scary."
Xu Ming seemed completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere. He walked down the steps with a grin, went straight to the front of the line, tilted his head, and looked at each of the Imperial Guards one by one.
etc.
Finally, his gaze fell on the leading officer, a thousand-household commander.
The man was tall with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He wore the flying fish robe of a commander and had an embroidered spring knife hanging at his waist. The copper ornaments on the scabbard gleamed dimly in the morning light.
His face was stern, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, as if carved with a knife. His eyes were not large, but they shone like two knives.
"Lu Zhen, right?"
Xu Ming tilted his head, as if trying hard to recall the name.
"Aren't you going to control your men? Don't scare me. I'm easily frightened; my hands tremble when I'm scared, and if they tremble, I won't be able to do my job properly. If I do something wrong and His Majesty blames me—will you take the responsibility?"
Lu Zhen looked at him expressionlessly, his cold, hard eyes devoid of any emotion.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xu Ming, the gesture was standard, but it showed no respect whatsoever.
"Young Master Xu, matters of state are of utmost importance. It's getting late; let's set off as soon as possible."
He addressed him as "Lord Duke," but didn't even bother with the title "Imperial Envoy."
In the eyes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a temporarily appointed imperial envoy without rank was merely a figurehead.
"Okay, I'll do as you say, let's go."
Xu Minghun waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.
He swaggered ahead, his steps light and quick, his shoulders swaying as he hummed a little tune.
Dozens of Imperial Guards, dressed in flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring knives at their waists, escorted a carefree playboy through the main street of the capital.
This bizarre combination immediately attracted a large crowd of onlookers.
The main streets of Beijing are always bustling.
Breakfast vendors push their carts, shouting their wares; farmers hurry to the market, carrying their wares on shoulder poles; and shop assistants at silk shops stand at their doors, greeting customers with smiles.
"Look! Isn't that that spendthrift son of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion?"
An old woman selling vegetables stood on tiptoe, squinted, and looked for a long time before recognizing Xu Ming.
"How did he get involved with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
A silk shopkeeper peeked out from behind the counter, scrutinizing Xu Ming's qilin robe from head to toe. His eyes widened suddenly, and his mouth formed an "O" shape.
"That official robe... with a qilin insignia? My God, he's become an official?"
A young man who looked like a scholar shook his head and said in a low voice to his companion, "Don't you know? At yesterday's court meeting, His Majesty appointed him as Imperial Commissioner to oversee the cases of the Huang and Qi families. I heard... his entire family will be executed."
The people around gasped in shock.
"I heard the Huang and Qi families are going to be raided, and the emperor sent this mad dog to bite them!"
An old man, leaning on a cane, spoke shakily.
The old woman next to him quickly covered his mouth, her face turning pale.
"Shh! Are you out of your mind?!"
The old man realized he had spoken out of turn, shrank back, and dared not say another word.
"What a tragedy! The Duke of Zhenguo's family is known for its loyalty and integrity, how could such a scoundrel emerge from them..."
"That's right! I heard he demanded an official position in court and even wanted to confiscate the property of his female relatives. He's worse than a beast!"
"General Xu's spirit in heaven would probably be so angry he'd come back to life..."
Xu Ming, however, seemed to have heard some words of praise, and his steps were as light as if he were walking on clouds.
He turned to Lu Zhen behind him and said with a grin, "Commander Lu, did you hear that? They're praising me."
Lu Zhen seemed not to hear him.
A centurion muttered under his breath, "Praising you? They're clearly insulting you."
Xu Ming paused, turned around, and earnestly corrected, "Insulting me? You misheard. As the saying goes—good people don't live long, but evil people live a thousand years."
He explained slowly and deliberately, counting on his fingers, in a very serious manner.
"They call me a menace, a mad dog—isn't that the same as praising me for living to be a hundred years old, even a thousand years old?"
He spread his hands, looking smug.
"These are all kind words, very kind words! You Imperial Guards are always fighting and killing, you don't understand these subtleties. Sometimes, insults are actually compliments, it all depends on how you interpret them. I don't have any other merits, except that I'm good at listening."
Several Imperial Guards nearly stumbled.
I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone so shameless that they can even convince themselves.
A young flag officer's lips twitched twice as he desperately tried to suppress a laugh.
The person next to him glared at him, and he lowered his head, but his shoulders still trembled slightly.
Lu Zhen said, "What the young master says is true."
It was so perfunctory that it was impossible to find fault with it.
Xu Ming didn't care, turned around, and continued to swagger forward.
Behind him, Lu Zhen's gaze pierced through the mask and landed on Xu Ming's back.
There was no hatred or anger in that gaze, only one thing—scrutiny.
It's like looking at a puzzle.
He had met all sorts of people: corrupt officials, honest officials, loyal ministers, treacherous ministers, tough guys, spineless guys, fearless guys, and terribly afraid of death.
But he had never seen anyone like that before.
He accepted the task of executing nine generations of his family with a grin, swaggered ahead of the Imperial Guards, took the people's curses as praise, and even thought he was going to live to be a hundred.
Is this person truly insane, or—pretending to be insane?
Lu Zhen lowered his eyes and looked away.
Whatever it was, it was none of his business. He had only one task: to cooperate with this imperial envoy and do his job well.
As for who this person is, that's none of his business.
The procession soon stopped in front of Huang Cheng's residence.
The vermilion gate was tightly shut, and the two stone lions at the entrance had their mouths wide open, revealing their ferocious fangs.
The stone lions still have red silk ribbons tied around their necks and paws, left over from the New Year, which have been washed white by wind and rain.
The mansion walls stood tall, their glazed tiles gleaming dimly in the morning light. Through the walls, one could see the canopies of several old locust trees, their lush foliage obscuring most of the sky.
But this mansion was unusually quiet.
There were no roosters crowing or dogs barking, no human noise; it resembled a grave.