bookbashuk Page 406
Page 406
"Laugh if you want to, why are you making that face? Do you not like me?"
"Your Highness, please calm your anger! This humble servant would not dare!"
"A real man shouldn't even admit to laughing a few times. You're supposed to be a guard. I wonder who taught you that."
"Your Highness, you may scold me, but you cannot scold Lord Guo."
"Oh, you've got quite a temper. Now you're talking back. Why didn't you say anything earlier? What's your name?"
"Your Highness, my name is Chai Hu."
Seeing that Chu Yang was relentless, the guards knew they couldn't escape this fate today. With a "what's the use" attitude, they suddenly became tougher.
Chu Yang was taken aback. "What's your name? Say it again."
The guard looked displeased and had a rougher, more uncouth air about him. He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "My name is Chai Hu. It was given to me by the town doctor. It doesn't sound very nice. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
"That's not what I meant." Chu Yang waved his hand, looking the guard named Chai Hu up and down, and suddenly noticed that the man was very strong and looked like a master of physical strength.
He was so surprised because this man named Chai Hu was supposed to be a member of Li Gexiao's "One Plum Blossom" team, nicknamed "The River-Turning Bandit," who specialized in robbing the rich to help the poor.
Now he has become a guard, responsible for guarding the main gate of the Forbidden City.
"Were you brought into the Imperial Guard by Lord Guo?"
"That's right, sir, you have shown me great kindness."
"Hehe, you got into trouble and were caught by Lord Guo. He valued your talent, so he put you in the Imperial Guard for training so you could make amends, right?"
"How...how did you know?!"
Chai Hu became extremely flustered. Only Guo Bujing knew that he was the "Great Bandit Who Turns the River Upside Down," and Guo Bujing had promised him that he would never tell a second person.
Where did this "useless prince" in front of me get this information from?
A ruthless glint flashed in Chai Hu's eyes. He had finally decided to settle down and live a peaceful life. If people found out his true identity, how could he continue living like this?
If all else fails, we'll have to resort to drastic measures...
"Hey big oaf, can't you use your brain for once? This is the main gate of the palace. You're asking for death if you make a move here."
"You don't think the guards patrolling nearby are all idiots, do you?"
Chu Yang looked at him speechlessly.
Upon hearing this, the fierce expression on Chai Hu's face gradually disappeared, and he returned to his harmless appearance, his eyes revealing a clear stupidity.
Killing him was one thing, not killing him was another; the big, clumsy man stood there, completely at a loss.
Chu Yang was too lazy to tease him anymore and said, "Since you know Lord Guo, why don't you go back and ask him? He will give you the answer. With your temperament, you shouldn't be a guard. Sooner or later you will cause a big disaster."
After saying that, Chu Yang left, and Chai Hu stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Chai Hu was unaware that Chu Yang thought he had great potential and it would be a waste for him to stay in the palace as a guard.
Perhaps Guo Bujing just wanted to hone his skills before taking him to the Six Doors as a constable. If he didn't have the aptitude, he wouldn't be able to be teammates with Li Gexiao.
Moreover, the person who knows thieves best is definitely the thief himself. On this point, the famous thief-catching expert, "The Saint of Thieves" Bai Zhantang, has a lot to say.
This shows just how well Chai Hu, the "River-Turning Bandit," was suited for the work of the Six Doors.
……
The location of the Prince Xian's Mansion is quite special. As the most dissolute playboy in the capital, Chu Yang's mansion is not located in the most prosperous area, but is only one street away from the slums.
The so-called slums are places where people who engage in lowly occupations gather.
Retired soldiers, blacksmiths, actors, thieves, pickpockets, and other professions that are not respectable in the public eye almost always band together for mutual support, but there is also a hierarchy of contempt among them.
Interestingly, at the very bottom of the hierarchy of contempt is Prince Chu Yang.
Being neighbors with a prince is not something anyone would consider a glorious thing; on the contrary, it might bring bad luck to one's ancestral graves. This prince is already the most famous joke in the capital, and anyone who gets close to him might become the next joke.
When Lu Xiaofeng first arrived at the Prince Xian's mansion, he thought he had gone to the wrong place. The mansion, which was even more spacious than the Paradise Tower, only had two or three old servants and maids.
According to the old steward, the current emperor dismissed most of the servants in the mansion to punish the prince for his extravagance and debauchery.
As a result, Chu Yang rarely returned to the manor, spending his days indulging in pleasure outside. Some of these people wouldn't even see Chu Yang for several years.
The clever Lu Xiaofeng discerned a different meaning in these words.
"Our Emperor is quite wary of his own brothers, not keeping any able-bodied men in his residence, for fear that the prince might rebel."
"He's already the emperor, why is he still so suspicious all the time? Is that really necessary?"
"You're wrong. It's precisely because you've become emperor that you're so suspicious. Only a beggar isn't afraid of being targeted by thieves."
Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing were having a heated discussion about this in the courtyard of the Prince Xian's mansion, completely unaware that Chu Yang had already arrived behind them.
"That's enough, you two. Who are you calling a beggar?"
Chu Yang interrupted their conversation with a displeased expression.
Lu Xiaofeng turned around and saw Chu Yang, exclaiming in surprise, "Your Highness, you left the palace alive?!"
Chu Yang glared at him irritably, "Lu Xiaoji, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you want me to die in there?"
Lu Xiaofeng laughed awkwardly, "How could that be? I was just worried about you. The emperor is wary of you like a thief. What if he couldn't resist..."
Chu Yang said, "I managed to hold back today, but who knows what will happen in two days."
Lu Xiaofeng's smile faded, and he asked seriously, "Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"He probably wants to invite me to the palace to admire the moon." Chu Yang smiled and said calmly, "I originally wanted to watch the show, but I didn't expect to become the main character myself."
"I hope you won't disappoint me." (End of Chapter)
Chapter 193. The Mid-Autumn Festival is here!
193.
late at night.
Two guests arrived at the Prince Xian's residence, along with Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing, bringing a touch of liveliness to the usually quiet mansion.
Although it wasn't Mid-Autumn Festival yet, Chu Yang still set up a table of food and wine in the courtyard. Over the years, he would drink until he was drunk, but this was the first time he had ever drunk at the Prince Xian's residence.
"You shouldn't have come back."
Guo Bujing, dressed in casual clothes, sat directly opposite Chu Yang, looking at him with a worried expression.
"I will punish myself by drinking a cup for causing Lord Guo to lose his position as head instructor of the Imperial Guards."
Chu Yang raised his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"It doesn't really matter who becomes the head instructor of the Imperial Guards. I never care about these things. Without these trivial matters to worry about, the Six Doors will at least not be as neglected as before."
Guo Bujing remained calm, showing no trace of regret on his face; he genuinely disliked the position of Imperial Guard Instructor.
Guo Bujing's lack of skill in vying for power and profit does not mean he was unaware of the emperor's intentions. The Six Doors alone would find it difficult to control the two Divine Marquises, which is why the emperor gave him the title of Imperial Guard Instructor.
"Indeed, without the burdens of trivial matters, Lord Guo even had time to capture the notorious river bandit."
Chu Yang smiled and looked at Chai Hu, who was drinking alone.
"Hahaha, you surnamed Chai, you've finally met your match."
Sikong Zhaixing and Chaihu were old acquaintances. When he learned that Chaihu had been recruited by the legendary hero Guo Juxia, he burst into laughter.
Chai Hu felt embarrassed, so he turned his head to the side, where he met Lu Xiaofeng's sly smile.
He was an old acquaintance of Sikong Zhaixing, so he naturally recognized Lu Xiaofeng as well.
“Big guy, I told you long ago that you would be caught sooner or later. To be honest, your methods of robbing the rich to help the poor are really crude. A little investigation would reveal your background.”
Lu Xiaofeng shook his head helplessly.
"Is this the legendary Lu Xiaofeng? My disciples say that Master Lu is very skilled at solving cases."
Guo Bujing greatly admired Lu Xiaofeng, and rarely showed a smile.
Chu Yang knew that he wanted to get Lu Xiaofeng into the Six Doors.
"There's no such thing as a great hero in front of Master Guo, please stop teasing me."
Lu Xiaofeng waved his hands repeatedly, showing rare humility. Like most martial arts figures, he greatly admired Guo Bujing.
"You two stop flattering each other; it's making my drinking tasteless."
Chu Yang looked at Guo Bujing and asked, "Lord Guo, what brings you here so late at night with Chaihu?"
Guo Bujing sighed and said, "Chai Hu told me everything that happened during the day. Fortunately, he's not too stupid and didn't do anything reckless. But besides that, he also brought me some news."
“Chai Hu, you tell me yourself.” Chai Hu, who had been drinking alone, was startled by Guo Bujing’s voice. He put down his wine cup and slowly turned around to say, “After the prince left the palace during the day, the newly arrived Instructor Li suddenly summoned most of the imperial guards into the palace and secretly practiced battle formations inside.”
"It's a special formation designed to deal with martial arts masters. I'm a lay disciple of Buddhism, and I've seen similar formations before."
Guo Bujing continued, "My old subordinates in the Imperial Guard were either dismissed and investigated, or transferred to other places."
"Because Chai Hu had just joined the Imperial Guard and had no connection with me, and his background was relatively clean, he reluctantly stayed there and heard some rumors."
Sikong Zhaixing chuckled to himself; he was truly amazed that the notorious thief who had turned the river upside down could be described as having a clean record.
Guo Bujing glanced at him.