Chapter 135 Old Man Yue
Chapter 135 Old Man Yue
In the sixth year of Xuanhe, early November.
Five days had passed since the personal soldiers conveyed the military order.
In the bedroom of Bo's house, Jiang He finished his daily practice. At this moment, there were only nine aphid blood stones left, but he also opened up the sixth main meridian.
[Hint: Your energy value +300]
[Energy value: 2201]
[Tip: Rare skill quality trait: Withering, causing 9% → 18% additional withering damage]
Jiang He stood up and exhaled. The aphid blood stone came from the accumulation of the aphid emperor during his thousand years of sleep. It was extremely useful in directly increasing lifespan. Once it was exhausted, similar resources would be difficult to replenish in a short period of time. However, he had no regrets about using it to strengthen his combat power.
After a simple wash, Jiang He changed into a single layer of clothing and a scarlet robe. Just as he was about to go out to the Dusi Mansion to check on the mobilization situation, an embroidered messenger came hurriedly to the door.
"My Lord, the old madman went crazy in Yonglu Street this morning and injured more than a dozen gangsters." The embroidered robed messenger reported.
"Let's go and take a look." Jiang He said.
The two men left the Earl's Mansion one after the other and rode towards Yonglu Street. Most of the people living on this street were wealthy families, with the Yan family being the exception. As the family of the Prime Minister, the Yan family occupied two streets alone and had a very restrained reputation.
At this time, a large number of martial artists gathered in Yonglu Street. An old madman, like a beggar, was sitting in the middle of the street. There were more than a dozen people lying around him. Although they were wailing, no one dared to step forward. The old madman was a genuine master-level expert, and few in the martial arts world could match him.
Yonglu Street is located in the north of the city. When the gangsters saw people coming from the Dusi Mansion, they all felt more confident.
"This old madman's fists are not light. He is basically killing people."
"He has been crazy for twenty years. Why are you outsiders messing with him? Even if he is no longer on the list, he was once the tenth in the world."
"He took the initiative to cause trouble for us."
"kill!"
Sensing the malicious intent, the old madman immediately turned his head, his blood-red eyes looking for someone to devour, and the discussions instantly died down.
Jiang He reined in his horse. At the door of the mansion next to him, an old man wearing a white scarf nodded slightly, with a dignified demeanor.
"Young uncle."
Jiang He raised his eyebrows. There were not many people in Daqian who were conferred the title of earl or above, especially the rank of marquis. Because of the existence of the four governors, the total number was pitifully small. Even Young Master Yan, who was in the enemy camp, had to address him according to the law. At most, he could retreat and make some sarcastic remarks. However, the other party seemed to be accustomed to it.
The embroidered messenger came closer and explained in a low voice: "My Lord, this is the Minister of War, former Deputy Minister of the Cabinet, and Academician Yue. He has always advocated the Northern Expedition. His parents passed away three years ago, and he returned to his hometown to observe three years of mourning according to the rules."
Jiang He understood that Dingyou was a ritual system under the background of filial piety, and sometimes it turned into a means in the court. Loyalty and filial piety were inseparable, and it was natural for important officials to return to their hometowns to mourn for their deceased relatives. However, being away from the center of power for three years would result in heavy losses, and it would be basically impossible for them to make a comeback.
In this situation, the emperor can adopt the method of "seizing affection" and use the justice of the world to override personal filial piety, so that important officials can stay in the court and be obeyed by the people.
But as everyone knows, His Majesty discusses metaphysics and Taoism, pursues immortality, and lives in the deep palace for a long time. This kind of behavior requires a long-term stable environment. The war hawks who call for the Northern Expedition have always been unpopular. The most important factor that has enabled the Prime Minister to sit firmly in the palace for thirty years is not how unparalleled his political tactics are, but that he is closely following the emperor's will.
"What is Senior Yue going to do?" Jiang He said calmly, "I may not be a match for this old lunatic."
Without enough benefits, he had no interest in fighting with the Grandmaster. The little blood poison progress provided was quite cost-effective. With that much strength, he could kill a dozen middle-grade warriors. "Let's go in and talk in detail." Old Man Yue stepped aside and stretched out his hand.
Jiang He dismounted and walked forward to walk side by side with the other party. The embroidered messenger was waiting at the door, leading the horse.
"This old warrior outside the door was once a hero in the martial arts world when he was young. He was ranked tenth in the world at the age of 23. He was very romantic. However, he went crazy on the way to the Jianchi Mountain Sword Contest and ended up in this situation today. The ups and downs of life are nothing more than this."
The two came to a small pavilion, where there was a middle-aged man dressed in cloth with a snake-head sword hanging on his waist. He was listening quietly to a maid playing the zither. Her snow-white fingertips stroked the strings. Two tunes followed one another. The sound of the zither was sometimes soothing and low like a whisper, and sometimes high-pitched like metal and stone, or like fresh rain in an empty mountain.
Seeing the two people coming, the middle-aged man began to make tea. There was a lotus-painted teacup. Upon closer inspection, he saw a layer of emerald green at the bottom of the cup. There were also some tiny, crystalline objects mixed in the tea leaves, giving off a rich, sweet fragrance. Accompanied by the sound of the piano, it looked particularly elegant.
Old Man Yue sat down, casually speaking, "Today's incident is boring. I just wanted to see you before returning to Beijing. The dozen or so Jianghu people outside were planning to offer themselves to me and serve as my escort, but they accidentally provoked the ghosts in my mansion. The old madman is extremely sensitive to ghosts, so he attacked and hurt people. We will wait for the guardian of Jianchi Mountain to come over later to calm down."
Jiang He didn't care at all whether the other person's words were true or false.
Old Man Yue pointed at the middle-aged man and said, "He was the runner-up in the early years of Xuanhe, and he was about to go to the capital to serve as the governor of the capital. However, rebellions broke out in the south, and it was late autumn, and refugees went north to gather in the three prefectures. If the chaos cannot be quelled in a short period of time, the time between taking office and losing one's head will only be half a month. That's why he took the initiative to come to me today and ask for a way to save his life."
The middle-aged man stood up and bowed thoroughly.
"Please give me some advice, Lord."
Old Man Yue smiled faintly: "I am old now, you might as well ask the young people."
The middle-aged man did not feel any resentment when he heard this. He adjusted his position and bowed again.
Jiang He looked at the snake-headed sword on the other party's waist and said, "If it is useful, you have to pay for your sword skills."
"It's impossible."
The middle-aged man nodded without hesitation. He was still a mid-level martial artist and had been unable to break through the barrier of cultivation. As a result, he shifted all his energy to his career, and his sword skills gradually became a way of self-defense. He no longer had any thoughts of being stingy.
"My Lord, there are a million refugees gathered in Fufeng County in the capital. The previous governor of the capital has been dismissed and beheaded. The Ministry of Revenue has only allocated 800,000 taels of silver, 80% of which has been embezzled. Now local merchants are driving up the price of grain. A pound of coarse grain costs as much as 140 coins. 160,000 grain money is simply a drop in the bucket. The transfer order has been issued, and I have to go, but I am afraid it will be extremely dangerous."
Old Man Yue just sipped his tea. He was used to such things in his long life.
Jiang He pondered for a moment. He was really doubtful about the other party's "having to go". According to the usual practice of Daqian, the next step for the mayor of the capital would be the vice minister of the six ministries, a third-rank official in the central government. If he suddenly shouted at the court meeting in the palace, it could scare the emperor, and he would be very close to the real center of power.
In other words, this is an ambitious guy.
"How much money can you give?"
The middle-aged man laughed, "My Lord, you don't know that I am poor and have no extra money. If I were wealthy enough to appease millions of refugees, I wouldn't have to work so hard."
(End of this chapter)