C48

Zhang Zhou led Wang Sheng, Wei Da, Yang Xiaolang, and Erniu to temporarily live in Fuxiang's house. With Cao Yi's help and the face of a 'imperial guard', the arrangements for Wang Sheng and Wei Dazhi were extremely smooth. Yang Xiaolang and Erniu did not have any official status, and they were still retainers. There was no rule of law in the Tang Dynasty regarding who could be qualified to serve as a retainer. As long as you had the ability, you could bring your retainer along. However, according to the rank of officials, the imperial government would restrict the number of servants. The emperor was not allowed to have more than five hundred people, and the state would not be responsible for paying food. Therefore, compared to the number of retainers, the officials were much more restrained, and the rich didn't attract too much attention, lest they arouse too much jealousy. However, for a vice commander of a torture camp, bringing along two subordinates was absolutely allowed.

The Ministry of Justice has a total of eight torture camps. One hundred and eighty to two hundred and twenty men from each battalion, with one battalion commander and two battalion aides, varied from one hundred and eighty to two hundred and twenty men. Each of them commanded sixty to seventy people, and these people were divided into several squads. The main responsibility of the torture camp was to investigate major cases and important cases throughout the country! Normally, he would also be in charge of handling some of the criminal cases on the surface of the capital. The original rule was that each battalion would be responsible for the provinces, but now this rule had long been blurred. In the Tang Dynasty, except for rebellion, rebellion, or the extermination of bandits, which required troops, the lower level incidents were dealt with by the torture camps. They would not easily mobilize the Regional Army, which greatly restricted the authority of the Regional Armies. However, it was not a big deal for those high and mighty to use some of the state army to do private things. Since no one had reported them, and since the military department was more humane, as long as the emperor did not pursue the matter, they would turn a blind eye. Therefore, it was not uncommon for the various states to use the state army to do private things.

The eight torture camps were: Black Tiger, White Tiger, Black Hawk, White Eagle, Black Wolf, White Wolf, Black Panther, and White Panther! The one directly in charge of the eighth battalion was none other than the Left Attendant of the Ministry of Law, Xu Huaiyan! Cao Yi was the Right Protector and was in charge of the prison trial!

Zhang Xingzhi was a vice captain of the White Tiger Camp, Zhang Zhou was a vice commander of the Black Tiger Camp, and Yue Ting was a team officer of the White Wolf Camp.

Because the yamen's background was different, the authority to arrest and torture in the torture camp was not as simple as it was for a higher level.

The officer of the torture camp was the highest ranking member of the first-string torture squad. He was also the only one with the title of general. At this level, if you are unable to move further within the immediate system, you can be transferred to the military. However, very few people in the Great Tang Empire had successfully transferred their torture to the military. This was because the military did not approve of it, unless one had a strong relationship with the military. The system's improvement was to be sent to the various provinces. Cao Yi's experience could be considered as the most classic and perfect system promotion in the world of torture. After leaving the capital's torture camp, he had traveled a few times in the outer prefectures before finally returning to the capital and being promoted to a right-hand servant.

To be able to be a officer of the eighth battalion, he could be considered one of the peak existences in the world of sentencing. All of them were well-versed in black and white. They were all experienced martial artists, and there was no lack of true experts from the martial arts sects.

The Black Tiger Battalion Commander, Han Zhen, was already close to fifty years old and was born in the martial arts world. According to Cao Yi's suggestion, this person was Xu Huiyan's absolute direct descendant, because Xu Huiyan was Han Zhen's brother-in-law.

Zhang Zhou did not have a good impression of Han Zhen. He felt that this person was overly efficient. His small eyes, in particular, revealed a sense of shrewdness and scheming! However, this did not affect him from respectfully handing over a not bad greeting gift to Han Zhen.

"Brother, there's no need to be so courteous. You are the personal guard appointed by His Majesty. Brother, you have to take care of me when the time comes! "

Han Zhen looked as if he understood the ways of the world, but Zhang Zhou appeared extremely respectful.

"Master is too serious, this humble servant just happened to have a bit of luck, I can't compare to master at all." Master is too serious, this humble servant just happens to have a bit of luck, I can't compare to master. If the Lord despises this humble job as stupid, then it would be very difficult for this humble job to get any closer.

This time, it was Han Zhen's turn to exaggerate in his heart. In the capital, there were a lot of people with some background. There were a lot of people who were proud of their promising future, but in the end, they were completely annihilated by the crowd. Since Zhang Zhou was tactful, it couldn't be better. Han Zhen politely invited Zhang Zhou to sit down. He then asked with a smile, "Are you still a student of Cao Zhiding?"

"Master, I am indeed Master Cao's disciple!"

Han Zhen's eyes flashed brightly as they swept over the gift slip. He smiled and said, "I heard that you are also the manager of the Yao Tai Song Dance Group?"

As for Zhang Zhou's identity, most people only knew about it through the performance of the Yaotai Songs and Dance Company. In the Nine Regions, all businesses were run by Guan Yu-niang in front of the stage, while behind the scenes, Zhang Zhou gave out orders in the Nine Regions. Other than those who had close contact with Zhang Zhou, not many people knew the specifics of the matter. Just like Cai Gui, no one was sure what kind of role Zhang Zhou would play in the Nine Regions. The people who knew about his background would not spread the news. Rather, they would conceal their identity, and that would be more to their own benefit.

"Master has misunderstood!" The truth is, in Hezhou, this humble servant had the privilege of participating in the formation of the Yaotai Dance Group, and had only composed a few pieces! "He's not the manager at all!"

"That's true. With that fortune, why would they come out and capture him?"

"Master, you are right! However, this lowly official has a deep relationship with the singing and dancing group. If the singing and dancing group comes back to the capital to perform, it's not a problem to arrange a few seats for the lord! "

"Hahaha! Good! Then it's a deal!"

With that, he pointed to the gift slip and an envelope on the table, "We're all brothers from our own family now, why are you being so polite? It's better to take the gift back! "

Zhang Zhou naturally did not take it seriously, and politely replied, "How can I? In the future, this lowly position will depend on the lord! If Master does not accept, then how will you act in the future? "

"Haha, then we won't do it another time!" If this continues, it will hurt our brotherly feelings! "

"This humble servant will definitely remember the benefits of being a great man. It would only harm our relationship if I don't know how to repay your kindness!"

"En, reasonable. In the future, be a good servant. I, Han, will not mistreat you, my brother!"

"Thank you, master, for your guidance!"

Han Zhen carelessly picked up the envelope in front of him. When he saw that there was a stack of banknotes inside, he realized that it was at least two thousand taels of silver and his smile became even more sincere.

"Our battalion will be in charge of the area east of the Forbidden City everyday! They are mainly responsible for criminal cases, the teasing of women, the stealing of chickens and dogs, and the fights and brawls. They are responsible for the criminal arrest of the yamen brats, so there is no need for us to interfere. However, he was under the watch of the Son of Heaven, so it was no small matter. When doing something, he had to be alert and not be careless. However, he had to distinguish between what he should care about and what he shouldn't care about … "

Zhang Zhou firmly remembered Han Zhen's teachings by heart.

Zhang Zhou easily accepted the first impression that an outsider gave him. It was the same for Guan Yuniang and Fu Xiang. Simply put, it was to judge a person by his appearance, but it was not the appearance of beauty or ugliness, but a sense of good and evil. Therefore, Zhang Zhou didn't think that Han Zhen was someone who would forget about Han Zhen just because he was his brother.

Being a servant in the capital was naturally not the same as being a servant in Hezhou. There were many rules and regulations, and there were also many big shots that he couldn't afford to offend. Although he had Cao Yi's care, he was not a close relative. Zhang Zhou did not want to bring any trouble to his teacher, so he tried to be as mediocre as possible and keep a low profile. Of course, he wouldn't be too cautious. If he did, he would be easily bullied. Only with a strong background and a low profile could one be considered humble! If they didn't have a background, they would be classified as a "soft persimmon" if they kept a low profile. Many people had the habit of pinching soft persimmons, as well as their human nature! Zhang Zhou didn't want to feel that sensation, so he had at least three things that he never tried to conceal. First, Cao Yi was his teacher. Second, Fu Xiang was his uncle. Third, he was his personal bodyguard.

He had never set foot in any of the Nine Prefectures' shops in the capital. There were all sorts of secret methods that Old Yellow had used to report to him.

When he returned home at night, he saw Fu Xiang, who had just returned from his duty at the palace, waiting for him in the living room with a displeased expression on his face.

"Uncle, what's going on?" Who dares to make you so unhappy? "

"Who else? That Ding Qi refused to come out, so why didn't you tell me? "

Zhang Zhou chuckled.

"I thought it was a big deal! If he doesn't come out, then he won't come out. It's not like we can't do without him! "

"He, Ding Qi, is such a arrogant person. If I hadn't saved his life, he would still be a ghost," Fu Xiang said with a dark expression.

"Uncle, my good uncle, can you calm down and see how angry you are? The weather is colder than this outside!" Quick, smile for your nephew, and let me feel the warmth of kinship! "

Fuxiang was amused by his rogue look and immediately lost his temper. He scolded, "Scram!" "If Erniu had not told this servant, I would have thought that the matter would have been settled. But in the end, this is how it works. Say, if Uncle sees your wife in the future, how can you put your old face?"

"Of course, put it in front of your head!" Of course, put it in front of your head. Besides, two of the three experts you arranged last time have already been conquered by my temperament. Am I that great? "

"Amazing my ass!"

"Aiyo, what's wrong? Why are you still speaking such vulgar words!" "Uncle, this won't do, you'll teach my son a lesson in the future!"

He pointed at Zhang Zhou, shook his head, and said, "You, you've met a few experts?" Listen to Uncle, if you want to accomplish something big, no matter how hateful Ding Qi is, you have to do your best to take him in for your own use! "If it really can't be used, then …"

Finishing his sentence, he made a head-butchering gesture! This caused Zhang Zhou to have no choice but to pay attention to this Ding Qi.

"Who the hell is this Ding Qi?"

"That year, the Emperor had four experts by his side, His Majesty's personal eunuch, Eunuch Cheng. As one of the masters of the Great Deity Temple, Grandmaster Kong Xuan was known as the invincible Ye Chong Xu, and he was also the number one person in the Imperial Guards, Spear God Zhu Dingqi!"

Zhang Zhou listened attentively as Fu Xiang continued, "At that time, His Majesty was still in his prime. He wanted to organize and manage the martial arts world. Naturally, he had incurred a lot of hatred! However, because of the presence of the four experts, there was no one who could truly endanger the safety of His Majesty. The only exception was ten years ago, when His Majesty had made a private visit to Wu Zhou with only Eunuch Cheng and Zhu Dingqi by his side, he had encountered an encirclement and killed them. Zhu Dingqi had underestimated his enemy, causing Duke Cheng to die in a bloody battle, and if it were not for the fact that Eunuch Cheng and his men had arrived in time, His Majesty might have encountered an unforeseen situation. His Majesty had insisted on killing Zhu Dingqi to comfort Duke Cheng's soul in heaven, and in the end, when Kong Xuan and Ye had begged for mercy, the Emperor had not executed him. Upon hearing the news that he had been dealt with, his enemies naturally would not let him off. He had been intercepted by his enemies twenty li away from the capital, and now that Zhu Dingqi had suffered a hundred stick strikes, how could he ever be as brave and fierce as before? He was the only survivor in the family. It just so happened that I led a group of Imperial Guards back to the capital outside the city, which was why I saved him. He struggled for a good two months before coming back from the gates of hell and changing his name to Ding Qi.

Eunuch Cheng, Zhang Zhou had heard Cao Yi mention him before. He hadn't expected that he would die like this. Zhang Zhou did not ask about Ding Qi, but instead asked about him.

"Uncle, are Ye Jingxu and Grandmaster Kong Xuan still here?"

"Night Walk had suddenly disappeared a few years ago. Master Kong Xuan had already turned silent three years ago."

Ah!" That meant the four experts were gone? "Isn't the Emperor standing beside him …

"Haha, there are many talents in the martial arts world. With four great experts, there will naturally be new four great experts!"

"Then who are the four experts beside the Emperor now?"

"There are no longer any rumors about the four experts!" There was a Dragon Guard inside, and a cloud outside. His Majesty's protection measures were much more thorough than before. Now, not just me, but even the empress might not know who the masters hiding by His Majesty's side are? "

"How old is this Ding Qi?"

"Of the four experts, he is the youngest, he is only in his forties when the accident occurred! This person's martial arts are high, but he is a stubborn person. His character is not bad, if he is an evil person, then I would not have saved him. "

"An expert! It was normal to have a little bit of personality! but I'm afraid it's going to be hard for me to use. "

Fu Xiang thought for a moment and asked, "Did you give him the letter and jade pendant I gave you?"

"That day, his attitude was extremely unsightly. I did not give it to him!"

Fu Xiang heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's good that he didn't give it to you. If you give him the keepsake and he's still unwilling to leave the mountain, it'll actually be difficult."

"What do you mean?"

"He had an outer room in the capital, so he wasn't implicated at the time. After saving Ding Qi, I helped him hide that lover, and that woman was pregnant, so I gave him a son. I helped him take care of the mother and son, and this jade pendant was a keepsake that Ding Qi had prepared for the children back then, but it was too sudden and I didn't have enough time to give it to him. He swore that he would return the favor, that he would not return it, and swore that he would not see his mother and son. This jade pendant will be given to me. If I repay his favor as per the agreement, I will return the jade pendant! "

Zhang Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "Uncle, I think I understand why he is unwilling to help me."

"Oh, why?"

"Uncle, look and see if I guessed right. It has been ten years since he last saw his son, and I'm sure that as time passes, he will be more eager to see his child. The more quickly he wants to repay your kindness, the more we can part ways." And the fact that you haven't been looking for him all these years is torture for him! When I went to look for him that day, if he was the one who killed someone, he would agree without hesitation. However, he needed to protect Madam Jade; he didn't want to use such a long period of time to repay the debt of gratitude! If Uncle wants me to go find him, he will definitely know the importance of this matter. Since he is unwilling to agree, I think … He wants to state his condition with you, but is unable to say it out! "

"Are you saying that it's not that he doesn't want to repay the favor, but that he wants to see his son earlier?" Hm! This is extremely possible! "

Seeing that Fu Xiang agreed with him, Zhang Zhou continued, "Then this matter will be settled. I can settle that mother and son in Hezhou. He can see them often. I don't need him to do all the work for me. Just help me protect Madam Yu!"

Fu Xiang nodded. "Then let's do it this way. This time, I'll personally go!"