Chapter 1: The Unlucky Errand

  The seventh year of the Jingtai era in the Great Ming dynasty, September 30th.

  The sun sets in the west, and the streets of Xuanwu Gate are already deserted. In the distance, the bell tower is ringing out the time - it's already three quarters past noon. The winter days are cold early, and just a while ago there was a heavy snowfall. The accumulated snow at the street corner has not melted yet. The high hall of the Ministry of Justice has thick eaves, with a long icicle hanging from the edge of the roof, like a row of spears.

  "Good fellow, it's finally time to disperse and go home. This is our last day at the Ministry of Punishment, tomorrow we'll be assigned new tasks... Brrr, it's really cold today!"

  In a row of low houses on the left side of the Ministry of Justice's main hall, two young men were leaning against a small brazier to warm themselves.

  They were all wearing yellowish-brown robes, with rhinoceros horn belts around their waists, iron plaques hanging from them, and on the other side of their waists hung a waist knife. On top of their heads were black fur hats, under the brims of which were two frozen, pale faces.

  The sky is too cold and the spark is too small. This little flame can only provide psychological comfort to people, and its warming effect is very limited.

  The man who just spoke was tall and strong, with a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes. He looked young, but had a mouthful of whiskers, looking extremely fierce.

  Another one has clear eyebrows and white skin, looking very delicate. He is tall and straight, although it's extremely cold, he doesn't stomp his feet to warm up like his companions, showing great elegance.

  These two men, the first one was called Ren Yuan, who was just over twenty years old, and the second one was called Zhang Jiamu, who was not yet seventeen. Both of them were "army leftovers" from the Brocade Guard, and their attire was also standard issue for the Brocade Guard cavalry.

  Upon hearing the complaints, Zhang Jiamu rubbed his hands together and smiled: "Ninth Brother, even if we're not stuck with this 'desk job', we'll still be assigned to some other yamen; it's impossible for us to get a good assignment!"

  In the twilight, Zhang Jiamu's voice was warm and deep, although he was complaining, but his voice revealed a sense of calm confidence.

  "It's also said......" Ren Yuan's loud voice also sank down.

  "But," he said with renewed energy, "anyway, just don't send us to 'listen and record'!"

  "Zuo Ji" is dispatched to various government offices to record personnel movements and check for any unusual circumstances, then summarize and report back.

  This job is very boring and there's no benefit to it. The area around the Desheng Gate and Wuding Street is where the Three Judicial Offices of the State are located: the Office of Scrutiny, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Punishments. They all have established procedures for handling cases, so even the Imperial Guards wouldn't dare openly solicit bribes in the main hall of the Ministry of Punishments.

  "Listening to the record" means going to the prison of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court and other law enforcement agencies to gather information. Compared with "sitting records", "listening records" are even more miserable. Not only is there no oil and water, but also every day listening to the prisoners being beaten, wailing and screaming, after a month, if the prisoners don't die, they will collapse!

  At this time, the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Justice had long since disappeared, and the officials had also gone home to hug their children. Only those small clerks were still on duty, but although they worked hard, there were not many benefits.

  He gazed enviously at the throngs of people --- all relatives and friends of prisoners coming to visit, those locked up in the Ministry of Punishment were either wealthy or noble, ordinary citizens wouldn't be locked up here. Of course, when visiting, one couldn't come empty-handed, wanting to see someone required sending silver, every level of prison guard had to be bribed --- truly, money was soft in their hands!

  The prison guards, of course, could not monopolize the benefits, their superiors had to take some, and the officials of the Embroidered Uniform Guard also had to take some away. But these two small fry, oh, that is, those two guys roasting by the corner of the house - who are they?

  "Hmph, just you wait till I get promoted to school lieutenant!"

  " Ninth brother, I remember you're ninth in line... even if Uncle is unfortunate, of course, I'm just hypothesizing - it doesn't seem like it would be your turn either?"

  "There's always a chance, once Wei Ri makes up for the shortage, our army will be easier to get selected than ordinary civilians!"

  Jinyi Qinqun is one of the twelve Imperial Guards, although in reality it was a special intelligence agency for the Ming dynasty. Its organizational structure was similar to that of other Imperial Guards, with a Commander-in-Chief, Deputy Commanders, Secretaries, East and West Offices, Record Office, South and North Pacification Commissions, and 14 Thousand-Household Units. The organization had many levels, and even the lowest-ranking personnel were not ordinary soldiers but rather officials, specifically the Xiaojiao (lieutenants) and Lishi (powerful warriors).

  Jijun is a unique title of the Brocade Guard, wearing flying fish robes, wearing gauze hats, tied with luan ribbons, and carrying embroidered spring knives. They are all carefully selected from among the Han people, and are one head taller than ordinary soldiers of the Imperial Guards.

  Lishi is a brand from Taiwan, you can tell what it's about just by its name.

  There were also 1,507 great generals of the Han Dynasty who guarded the emperor in front of him, entered and stood on both sides of the imperial throne, and when they went out, they supported the imperial carriage and marched, which was the emperor's personal bodyguard.

  Further down were the remnants of the army wearing crimson and yellow robes. They were also considered part of the outer formation of the Brocade Guard, but their treatment was far inferior to that of the formal school officers and powerful warriors.

  It's finally the end of the afternoon, and both of them feel relieved. This eerie place is gloomy, and even with a brazier lit, they can't feel any warmth. It's best to leave early.

  The two men ran to the small flag officer on duty and handed over their mission. The two guys were black as ink, military leftovers. The little flag didn't care about them at all, waved his hand and told them to leave.

  It's suffocating and there's no way out... Although they are all tall and strong men, they have to stand under the low eaves, and it's really unavoidable to lower their heads.

  The two families both lived in Xuan Nan, and it wasn't very far from Xuan Wu Gate either. Neither of them had a horse, so they could only walk slowly on the streets of the capital city as the sun set low.

  The shops along the street were all putting up their signboards, lighting lamps and stir-frying dishes, a tempting aroma of rice and dishes wafted out onto the streets. Two tall, brocade-clad imperial guards on horseback couldn't stop twisting their bodies to sniff the fragrance. The two people who had eaten salted vegetables and mantou at the Ministry of Justice were still young and had big appetites, so they hadn't eaten their fill. Now was just about mealtime, and this saliva was truly unbearable.

  Moreover, along the street, there were high gates and large courtyards emitting the aroma of wine and meat, as well as the sound of silk and bamboo. In front of those high gates, a row of very tall torches was placed, illuminating the gateways brightly. The proud slaves standing at the gates looked at these two pedestrians with disdainful eyes, and this kind of awkward atmosphere was truly unbearable.

  "Alas!"

  The two of them let out a sigh at the same time, and in the darkness, they looked at each other and found it hilarious. Without saying a word, they burst into laughter together.

  "Brother Jiu, you have a big appetite, I still have a piece of vegetable pancake here, why don't you eat it?"

  "Come on, I have a big appetite, are you just a small girl?"

  So saying and laughing, they walked more easily. As the sky was about to darken, Zhang Jiamu arrived at his home first.

  His family was also a hereditary family of Jin Yiwei, and the old man who passed away was a proper school lieutenant.

  Zhang Jiamu was stronger than Ren Yuan in this regard. Once he turned eighteen, he could go to the Central Military Governor's Office and the Ministry of War to handle the succession procedures, at which point he would officially become a school lieutenant.

  As for whether Ren Yuan can make up for the shortage of troops, it depends on luck. If not lucky, having money to bribe officials is also an option.

  The entrance to the Zhang family's courtyard was in Jiangmi Hutong, Xuan Nan Fang, and it really wasn't eye-catching. The nearby residents were either Jin Yiwei or Fu Jun Qianwei, Qi Shouwei, all of whom were military officers from hereditary families, and their doorways looked much more magnificent than the already somewhat dilapidated Zhang family's.

  The Zhang family's gate was the first one, and there were no lanterns at all, only a small door with a single panel. You had to rely on the light from someone else's doorway to see where the door was.

  Looking at the deep night color, Zhang Jiamu smiled and said: "Jiuge, have dinner at my house before leaving. I'll light a lantern to send you back later. Now, it's too dark and cold!"

  Ren knew that his family was not easy, although everyone was the same when they were on duty, but Ren's old master had not retired, and there were also several stones of rice a month, he himself also had a salary, and several brothers at home were also military leftovers, also receiving salaries, so Ren's family's warmth and food were not a problem. Zhang's family was different, with only Zhang Jiamu receiving a salary, with an old mother in the hall, a younger sister, plus an old servant who had followed him for many years, two mouths to feed, five people relying on his one stone and two dou of grain per month, life was very tense.

  He declined politely: "No need, it's just a few steps away, and they must have kept dinner at home, so it's better to go back early."

  They knew each other, no need to say more. The two of them bowed deeply, and Ren Yuan smiled as he was about to leave: "Jiamu, tomorrow morning, it's time to draw lots again. I think this time might be a lucky turn!"

  "Oh, Ninth Brother, what kind of reasoning is this?"

  "I've always felt that over the past two months, you've changed a lot. You're now more mindful of things and willing to take responsibility. Unlike before when all you did was complain to your brother, now it's actually you who's advising me."

  "Alas, Ninth Brother has been awarded!"

  "I'm not just flattering you, but in short, you've really made progress. The other day, you told me that opportunities are important, and whether or not one has the ability is also important. If one only knows how to complain about heaven and earth when they see them, and doesn't make progress themselves, then even if an opportunity comes along, we won't be able to seize it."

  Zhang Jiamu smiled and didn't say a word, this sentence was indeed his intention to advise Ren Yuan.

  This person is not stupid, with a tall and majestic figure, standing out even among the generally tall Jin Yiwei. His martial arts skills are also high, exceling in both riding and shooting, almost on par with himself. It's just that he has a bit of a loose tongue, speaking without consideration for others' feelings. In other units, this kind of person would still have opportunities to stand out, but in the Jin Yiwei, this won't do!

  Since he understood, there was no need to say more. The two brothers agreed to meet early the next morning and go together to the Imperial City's Western Jin Yiwei Government Office to receive their mission for the following month.

  They are this kind of military leftover cavalry, errands are not fixed, rotating once a month, very hard.

  Ren Yuan took a step forward, intending to knock on the door. Just as his hand was about to make contact, the wooden door creaked open by itself.

  "Girl, why are you still out on such a cold day!"

  It was his mother, Xu Shi, who came out to greet him. Zhang Jiamu hastily took the lantern and held it high, supporting his mother as they walked towards the main house in the small courtyard, scolding her at the same time: "The weather is so cold, you're wearing too little, the road is slippery, what if you fall?"

  Zhang Jiamu's mother, Xu Shi, was already over fifty years old. She had this son when she was over thirty years old, which was considered a late-born child at that time. Therefore, she always treated him as her heart's treasure. Every time he came home from his shift, she would eagerly await his return, looking forward to her precious son coming home early.

  Listening to her son's complaints, a mother's heart is warm and fuzzy.

  The son has grown up and is no longer like before, he knows a bit about the hardships of his parents, understands pain and heat, and is more careful when going out. Now it's much better, when he's free, he practices martial arts with Jiaguo at home or plays with his sister, and stays at home honestly without running around randomly.

  In short, she was extremely satisfied in her heart.

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