Chapter 197: Heavenly Demon, Heavenly Fairy
"Commander, we have lost several spies near the Long Wei Palace."
Zhu Hao brought bad news early in the morning.
"But the arrangement is not right?" Lu Bing asked.
"I ordered them to pretend to be beggars. It worked quite well at first, but then they disappeared without a trace."
Zhu Hao was somewhat bewildered. "I sent someone to investigate, but those beggars knew nothing."
"Send another person and try another method."
"Yes."
"Wait." Lu Bing stopped Zhu Hao who was about to leave and thought for a moment, "Who do you think is the most suspicious of the two assistant ministers of the Ministry of War?"
Zhu Hao said: "Right Vice Minister Lan Shou is upright and honest, while Left Vice Minister Wu Hua is jealous of talented people and a mean person."
"Keep an eye on Lan Shou and investigate Wu Hua!"
"Yes."
Lu Bing watched him go out and murmured, "Hurry up!"
His subordinates saw that he was normal as usual, but they didn't know that Lu Bing was under tremendous pressure at the moment.
The Jinyiwei are numerous and powerful, and they are professionals in this work.
Jiang Qingzhi was almost alone and was an outsider.
But in the case of corruption in the Ministry of War, the professional households with more numbers and power were actually at a disadvantage. How could Lu Bing accept this?
He then went to the Western Garden, ready to accompany Emperor Jiajing in practicing Taoism and calm his somewhat restless heart.
As soon as I entered the West Garden, I heard someone in front of me say, "Hey! Commander Lu is here."
The person who came was Rui Jingxian, the governor of the Eastern Depot, and Lu Bing bowed.
"I reported to His Majesty about the Ministry of War earlier, and His Majesty praised Chang Wei Bo. The Jinyiwei are numerous and powerful... but I feel like they are just like a group of pigs, running around aimlessly. Hehehe."
Rui Jingxian laughed sharply.
Lu Bing was silent.
Later in the evening, in the smoke, Lu Bing sat cross-legged on a cushion.
Emperor Jiajing sat at the top, his expression as calm as a statue of a god.
Lu Bing has been meditating according to the method that the Taoist master taught him before... He doesn't need to think about anything, just sits there. He doesn't think about any distracting thoughts...
"Distractions are demons. The more you pay attention to them, the more rampant they become. If you turn a blind eye to them, they will naturally disappear..."
The voice of Emperor Jiajing was distant, as if it came from the sky.
Lu Bing wanted to ignore those distracting thoughts, but the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but follow them, and gradually fell into them...
——If I lose, what will Your Majesty think?
——Your Majesty must think that I am incompetent and unqualified for the position of Commander of the Imperial Guard.
——If I lose my job, how can I face my wife and children?
——Those who used to treat me with respect will surely sneer at me, curse me behind my back, and gloat over my misfortune...
——I will become a street rat and no one will care about me anymore.
——I can’t lose!
Lu Bing's face was distorted and his brows were furrowed.
He felt upset and his chest was hot and uncomfortable, so he opened his eyes.
Emperor Jiajing was looking at him calmly, "Your mind is disturbed, please do not disturb my practice, go away!"
"Yes."
Lu Bing took his leave.
In the palace, Emperor Jiajing said, "I wanted to enlighten Lu Bing, but he refused to change his mind. Qingzhi, that idiot, had the leisure to come to my West Garden to steal flowers and trees. In comparison, Lu Bing is inferior."
Ding!
The sound of the jade chime is clear and crisp.
Emperor Jiajing closed his eyes and his breathing gradually became longer.
Lu Bing left the West Garden, and his men waiting outside reported, "A brother spotted Wu Hua meeting someone, and he looked suspicious."
"Where?" Lu Bing was greatly encouraged.
"In a restaurant."
"Keep an eye on him, don't act rashly. By the way, where is Jiang Qingzhi?" Lu Bing asked.
"That guy...seems to be in a brothel."
What the hell!
It's already this late, and this guy still has the mind to go to a brothel?
……
"I say, Old Zhu, you have a lot of women in the Duke's Mansion. Why do you think that domestic flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers?"
Outside Baiyun Tower, Jiang Qingzhi looked at the crowd in front and sighed, "There are so many people, let's go back!"
"Last year, the madam of Baiyun Tower announced that the top prostitute she had raised for ten years would be getting married today. Qingzhi, the last time Baiyun Tower had a top prostitute was twenty years ago! I remember that day was also packed with people. I followed those people in, and guess what happened?"
"Could it be that the top card is a man dressed as a woman?"
Jiang Qingzhi deliberately disgusted him.
Zhu Xizhong shook his head, with a look of disappointment in his eyes, "What a fairy! Qingzhi. It's a pity that my brother was young at that time and didn't snatch them away."
He perked up, "This day must not be missed."
People from the Duke's Mansion and the Earl's Mansion cleared the way in front, and the two of them walked into the hall leisurely.
"Ten strings of cash per person!"
The madam waved her handkerchief and shouted, "It's not that I'm greedy, there are too many people. If we don't put a threshold, there won't be enough space in the hall."
Hey!
Jiang Qingzhi was furious. "Ten strings of cash, why didn't she just go and rob it?"
"Qingzhi, brother paid for you." The old playboy waved his hand, and his followers naturally went to pay.
"Ten strings of cash, is it worth getting angry?" Zhu Xizhong glanced at him.
"This is not about money!" Jiang Qingzhi said seriously, "She is just cutting leeks."
"Cut leeks?"
"That's right, I hate being a leek the most."
Just when Zhu Xizhong was about to ask more questions, he ran into an old acquaintance. They all got together to chat and soon became very active.
These were all powerful people. Someone laughed and asked, "Why is Duke Cheng here too?"
"Why, you can't come?" The old dude glanced at the man.
"Haha! Last time the top girl in Baiyun Tower got married, the one who paid the most had to paint a picture. I'm afraid this year there will be no shortage of such elegant events. You..."
Oh shit!
Painting?
Zhu Xizhong was doubtful in his heart, but he did not lose the battle. He said stubbornly: "I have practiced hard for the past 20 years and I am proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
"Haha!" Everyone burst into laughter.
Zhu Xizhong went back and said angrily, "Qingzhi, you must fight for your dignity today."
"What are you fighting for?" Jiang Qingzhi was leaning against a wooden pillar and eating melon seeds. He discovered that the melon seeds from Baiyun Tower were surprisingly delicious.
In his previous life in South America, he had been to such places of entertainment many times, but most of the drinks and snacks were not good. Especially the fruits, most of them were discounted. The bad parts were cut off and sent up, and the price was more than five times the market price.
Those black-hearted businessmen not only make money from women, but also make a lot of dirty money from customers' food. They are really morally corrupt!
As a result, Jiang's opinion of the madam improved. The food in Baiyunlou was at least edible.
"Drink, drink." Zhu Xizhong felt that he had thought too much. "Open your eyes today, women! That's how it is. Don't be nervous."
"I'm not nervous!" Jiang Qingzhi thought to himself, do I look nervous?
"Haha!" Zhu Xizhong laughed and whispered, "She was kept in seclusion for ten years and no one knew about her. Once she got married, the whole circle of the rich and powerful in the capital would be moved. If anyone can win the first prize, he would be famous in the capital."
clap clap!
At this time, the madam clapped her hands, and after everyone quieted down, she looked up at the second floor.
The sound of the piano rises, melodious and elegant.
Then a young girl appeared, dancing slowly on the second floor.
Her waist is like a silk ribbon, her face is like a silver plate...she is so shy and timid that one forgets to eat.
"Beauty!" someone exclaimed.
Jiang Qingzhi took a look and lowered his head to continue eating and drinking.
Zhu Xizhong's eyelids twitched, hoping that this little brother, this fledgling, would still be able to remain so calm later.
After the song was over, someone shouted, "I'll give you a hundred strings of cash!"
"I am out..."
Everyone made bids, but Jiang Qingzhi found that they were all young people, and those over 30 years old were as still as a mountain.
The girl suddenly turned sideways.
A flute sound like a breeze came.
Everyone was startled.
The sound of the flute is natural and smooth, like the gurgling of flowing water...
After an unknown amount of time, the flute sound stopped.
A girl in white clothes walked out slowly.
Her eyebrows were as dark as green mountains, her eyes were as white as lacquer, her skin was like the finest porcelain, every inch of it was extremely delicate. Her lips were red without any makeup, and they were so tender that they were dripping with water... Just by raising her eyebrows, she actually gave people a feeling of being a fairy.
"This is Ning Yu!" Zhu Xizhong looked at those young boys with disdain.
Then he sighed, "Twenty years ago, I also made a bid like them and made a big fool of myself."
"Ning Yu, nice to meet you all."
The girl is blessed.
"This one is fucking amazing..." Zhu Xizhong slapped his thigh, "It's even more magical than the one from 20 years ago."
"I'll offer three hundred strings of cash!" someone shouted.
"Three hundred strings of cash?" Zhu Xizhong said disdainfully, "You can't even get close to it."
Everyone made bids.
Soon the highest bid was raised to one thousand strings of cash.
"Qingzhi, why don't you take action?" Zhu Xizhong shouted three times, his face flushed.
"Lao Zhu."
"What?"
"You are driving up prices." Jiang Qingzhi found that eating melon seeds was addictive and he couldn't stop.
"Stop." The madam suddenly shouted.
After everyone quieted down, the madam said, "I have raised Ning Yu for ten years, and the expenses are not small. I wanted to let the highest bidder win, so that I can at least make some money."
The madam's calmness actually made this group of wealthy people look up to her.
"But Ning Yu refused, saying that money is not worth anything." The madam glanced at the girl and said, "She said that only the most talented people can win!"
"Fuck! Why didn't you say so earlier!" Someone stood up, "I've got a few poems here. Who can beat me?"
Seeing him so proud, Zhu Xizhong sneered, "This man is my brother's mortal enemy. He has many literati at home. Most of the so-called poems were written by others. He was going to use them to show off, but he didn't expect that he would hit the jackpot today."
Jiang Qingzhi's mouth was dry from eating melon seeds. He picked up the wine glass and took a sip of the wine. He felt even more thirsty, so he waved to the waiter, "Do you have any boiled water?"
Just as everyone was preparing to listen to that man's poetry, the hall was exceptionally quiet, and Jiang Qingzhi's words were heard clearly by everyone.
"Boiled water?"
"Come to the brothel to drink boiled water. Who is this young man? He didn't start yelling, did he?"
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone laughed.
Jiang Qingzhi sat on the side of the wooden pillar, with the other side of his face mostly covered by the old dandy. He was not annoyed by the laughter, and after the boiled water was served, he drank a few glasses in one breath.
"Cool!"
At this time, the man began to recite poetry.
These two consecutive poems were, in Jiang Qingzhi's opinion, mediocre works, and were considered quite good.
"This man is called Peng Li. His family is quite wealthy and he was born into a marquisate. However, his sister was a concubine of the previous emperor, so he enjoyed a period of glory in the past few years."
Over there, Peng Li finished reciting, glanced at Zhu Xizhong, and bowed, "Duke Chengguo, I'm sorry to make you laugh."
It's your turn, old man.
"Damn it, what kind of poetry can I recite!" Zhu Xizhong cursed, "Twenty years ago, the top girl in Baiyun Tower got married, and this person was also there. He argued with me, your brother, and that's how we became enemies. Qingzhi..."
"Duke Cheng?" Peng Li urged again, "Duke Cheng is the most respected today. If you don't speak up, how can others take action?"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhu Xizhong cursed inwardly: "Fuck his ancestors for eighteen generations!"
But he still had to be prepared to take action, otherwise he would lose the Zhu family.
But he thought that the few poems he had thought of in his head were no match for him, and his biggest helper was still eating melon seeds...
Zhu Xizhong scolded, "Why are you in such a hurry? I'm still planning."
"How long will it take?" Peng Li asked.
Everyone was staring at Zhu Xizhong.
paralysis!
This bastard, I'll find someone to put a sack around him and kill him!
Zhu Xizhong secretly became angry.
Then Ning Yu also looked over.
The young man next to Zhu Xizhong threw the melon seed shells onto the table and clapped his hands.
The powerful Duke Chengguo saw this and his eyes lit up as if he had seen a savior...
This boy.
who is it?
(End of this chapter)
