Chapter 46: Departure for Nanjing

  Brocade clothes, hundred households' token, yellow flying fish brocade robe, with a brand new embroidered spring knife in black glossy shark skin scabbard, the certificate of identity issued by the South and North Pacification Commissioner's yamen...

  In the hostel room, the same things were placed on the table, Qin Kan looked dizzy.

  "This... this..."

  The man in the brocade robe smiled and said, "These are all Qin Baihu's, issued by the Nan Town Fu Si Ya Men. Please ask Qin Baihu to take good care of them. Losing things is very troublesome, and those above will investigate the responsibility."

  Qin Kan gradually calmed down, took out his official token and glanced at it, then looked at the man in the brocade robe with an unpleasant expression.

  "You... aren't making fake certificates, are you?"

  The Han man in brocade clothes looked even more unpleasant: "What did you say, Qin Baihu?"

  "For no reason at all, how did I become a hundred households of the Brocade Guard?"

  Brocade-robed Hanzi smiled: "Being able to enter the Brocade Guard is a great honor, the Brocade Guard has always been hereditary, passed down from generation to generation among the military households, and it's rare for outsiders to be directly selected. Moreover, once you're in, you'll become a hundred-household leader, doesn't Qin Baihu feel delighted?"

  Qin Kan curled his lips.

  Should I be delighted? The Embroidered Uniform Guard is notorious, this group's main job is to frame the loyal and good people, their sideline is to bully and oppress the common people, I am a weak scholar, logically speaking, I should stand on the side of the most righteous but also the most hypocritical civil officials, how did it happen that I became an Embroidered Uniform Guard commander?

  Qin Kan smiled and asked: "May I ask your honorable surname and great name?"

  "I am Yang Tian Shou, the registrar of the Nanjing Ministry of War, sent by Commander Mu to deliver official documents and uniforms to Officer Qin. I also have orders to escort Officer Qin to Nanjing for his new appointment."

  Qin Kan was shocked and asked: "Why send me to Nanjing?"

  "This is what the commander means, I don't know either, Qin Baihu listened and obeyed."

  "If I don't want to be this hundred households..." Qin Kan carefully looked at Yang Tian Shou's face and said, "...what consequences will there be?"

  Yang Tian Shou's face was stern as he said, "The Nan Town Fu Si Ya Men specializes in punishing the brothers of the Imperial Guard who disobey orders. The last brother who refused to listen to orders received three knife cuts and six holes, bleeding out with a mournful cry until death."

  Qin Kan's smile suddenly became bright and sunny: "From now on, I am the glorious and sacred Jin Yiwei Bai Hu, Yang brothers take care of me."

  Yang Tian Shou nodded: "Military orders are urgent and cannot be delayed. Qin Bai Hu, let's set off for Nanjing immediately."

  "So urgent? I want to say goodbye to my friends..."

  "It's too late now, I'll write you a letter next time."

  "You'll regret it if you don't let me say goodbye..."

  …………

  …………

  Bang!

  Du Yan kicked open Tang Yin's door.

  Tang Yin sat paralyzed on the bed, staring blankly at the beam with a look of lingering fear.

  Du Yan stood outside the door and peeked inside, scanning the room with her eyes.

  "Where is Tang's great talent, Qin Kan?"

  Tang Yin's whole body shuddered, and he stuttered: "Just now a group of Imperial Guards came and took him away, they should be out of the city by now..."

  Du Yan was shocked and lost her color: "Why did the Brocade Guard arrest him? What crime has he committed?"

  "Do brocade guards need a reason to capture people?" Tang Yin sighed painfully and looked up at the sky: "The Ming dynasty is in such a state, being harmed by the imperial guard until it's beyond cure, alas!"

  Du Yan's eyes quickly welled up with tears, she bit her lower lip and rushed out of the inn without saying a word.

  A few changes of clothes, a large package of silver, and the carriage was hired. Qin Kan didn't even have time to bid farewell to Du's father and daughter and Tang Yin before he was dragged onto the carriage by a group of imperial guards in brocade attire, who were half inviting and half forcing him. The carriage, surrounded by several fine horses, left the city.

  After deliberately getting along with Yang Tian Shou and chatting with him, Qin Kan only then found out that his position as a hundred official was actually a sixth-grade military officer.

  Although he was a low-ranking military officer, he was still considered an "official". Under the Ming dynasty's atmosphere of respecting literature and despising martial arts, this sixth-grade military officer had absolutely no comparison with civil officials in terms of social status. Even when meeting a seventh-grade county magistrate, a sixth-grade military officer would have to show respect and courtesy.

  Of course, the Imperial Guards are special and generally don't bother with courtesy to civil officials. In the capital, they're somewhat restrained, but once they get to the local areas, they're like tigers descending a mountain or wolves entering a flock of sheep, arrogant beyond measure.

  As for why the bigwigs of the Brocade Guard took a liking to him, this scholar, and why they wanted to transfer him to Nanjing for duty, Qin Kan couldn't get an answer. It wasn't that Yang Tian Shou didn't want to say, but rather he truly didn't know. The motivations of the Commander-in-Chief weren't something that someone as low-ranking as him could possibly understand.

  Qin Kan sat in the carriage, holding the silver he had earned with great difficulty over the past few months, occasionally turning his head to look back at the official road behind him, unsure whether he was happy or worried.

  As expected... it won't be long before we have to pay up.

  Thinking of the silver in the bundle about to grow wings and fly into someone else's pocket, Qin Kan felt his heart contracting repeatedly.

  Dada dada dada...

  The sound of horseshoes came from behind, pounding on his heart, and Qin Kan felt more bitter in his mouth.

  A young woman riding a horse came galloping quickly, getting closer and closer. Her agile figure was as stable as Mount Tai on the back of the horse that was jumping up and down, unmoving.

  Yang Tian Shou was completely unaware of his impending misfortune and blurted out in praise: "This woman's riding skills are really impressive, you can tell she's a seasoned pro..."

  Qin Kan in the carriage let out a silent sigh, closed his eyes and hugged the silver in his bag even tighter, as if bidding them a silent farewell...

  Yang Tian Shou had just finished praising, the young woman's horse was less than five zhang away from the crowd. At this time, the woman suddenly let out a soft cry, her body rose into the air from the saddle, and in mid-air, her long legs twisted like a pair of scissors with an open mouth, wrapping around Yang Tian Shou.

  Yang Tian Shou's eyes widened in shock, he turned his head towards the brocade-clad guards and shouted: "What's going on! Who provoked her...!"

  Bang!

  Before he could finish speaking, everyone watched in shock as Yang flew far away like a kite with a broken string...

  The crowd was stunned, and after coming to their senses, they burst into a rage, dismounting their horses and drawing their swords. They cursed loudly: "You little wretches who don't want to live, how dare you provoke the Imperial Guards? Do you not want to live?"

  The girl's eyes were red-rimmed, biting her lower lip without saying a word, but her delicate body charged towards the crowd like a mad cow.

  All that could be heard were a few loud slapping sounds, and in the space of four or five breaths, several imperial guards clad in brocade lay sprawled on the ground, rolling about and wailing incessantly.

  "Can a brocade guard be unreasonable? Who dares to arrest my husband, I'll take his life! I'm not even afraid of the King of Heaven!" The woman shouted angrily with her eyes wide open.

  This woman was Du Yan, and upon hearing that Qin Kan had been captured by the Brocade Guard, she rushed to his rescue in great haste, snatching a horse from the street and hurrying along.

  Yang Tian Shou lay on the ground, gradually catching his breath, groaning and staring at her with a dazed expression.

  "Wait! What are you saying, woman? Who has taken your husband?"

  Du Yan looked around and saw a ghostly figure dodging in the curtains of the horse carriage, so she pointed with her slender hand: "He is my husband, Qin Kan!"

  Yang Tian Shou was shocked, his lips trembling a few times, and he let out a long sigh: "This beating is unbearable, there's no way to avenge this..."

  Qin Kan got off the carriage, hugged the silver and sighed, then gave out 20 taels to each person, 20 taels to each person...

  Yang Tian Shou is an official, who was granted fifty taels...

  Holding a much lighter burden, Qin Kan didn't know whether it was sympathy or physical pain, but he looked at Yang Tian Shou with a somewhat resentful gaze.

  "I told you, don't make me leave without saying goodbye to my friends or you'll regret it...you didn't listen..."

  Wish you all a happy weekend, have fun and don't forget to vote for recommendations on your way back.