by Zhi Bai
In the beginning, the Grand Autumn Ceremony was just a simple selection, but because these young talents were quickly given great importance after entering the imperial government, all the yamen authorities started to pay attention to this selection method.
This was because in the years of war, not only were there a shortage of troops, even the various departments were lacking in manpower. Once you join the military, the fastest way to advance is to gain merits on the battlefield.
The general that was in charge of bringing An Zheng to Shang Wu Academy was called Fang Daozhi. He was not very old, and looked to be only around twenty-five to twenty-six years old. However, the armor he wore clearly told others that he was a genuine fourth rank Eagle General Yang.
"The Martial Arts Academy never accepts trash nor people who enter through the back door."
Fang Daozhi had a cold and indifferent personality, moreover, when he spoke, he didn't seem to care too much about the feelings of others.
He walked in front with An Zheng following behind him. From start to end, his words made people feel disgusted.
"Thus, I do not have any good impressions towards the two of you."
Fang Daozhi stopped and turned back to look at An Zheng and Du Shoushou: "You two should be very clear that for the sake of entering the Shang Wu Academy, the most direct method for those youths is to go to the border and fight with the enemy using their True Blade and Spear. And for the sake of this dream, not even one in a hundred would be able to succeed. There are many reasons for this. The biggest reason is that they died before they could accumulate enough military merits. "
"I don't know why you two were directly recruited into the Martial Arts Academy. You can even ignore the selection process." I believe that the military is fair and I believe that the academy is fair. Therefore, I forced myself to believe that all of you are extraordinary. Even so, I still think you're thieves. You guys stole a few slots from those youngsters who were working hard at the border. "
He turned around and said, "I've finished speaking. You guys should be unhappy, but it doesn't matter. I never intended you to like me, because I don't like you. "
An Zheng followed behind and said calmly: "We didn't steal a few spots, we stole them."
Fang Daozhi stopped again, his tone becoming even more severe: "Then I hope that you can fight for it fair and square."
An Zheng stopped and said, "That's why I don't plan to go to the Martial Arts Academy."
Fang Daozhi frowned, "You should know the crime of disobeying an order."
An Zheng turned around: "I don't know what crime it is, I just don't want anyone to poke my spine. If even the military did not believe the recommendation, then it was not that they were harsh, it was because they were arrogant. I'm not going to change my mind about someone, even if you're a fourth rank General Ying Yang. "The reason I'm not going to the Martial Arts Academy right now is because I want to give you some chances to those people who want to change their fates. We will participate in the exam, and if we enter the Martial Arts Academy on our own, I believe you will shut up."
As he walked, he said, "Wouldn't it be a good thing for the general if we were eliminated because we couldn't get through the back door?"
Fang Daozhi's body flashed and stopped An Zheng, anger evident in his eyes: "Do you know of the consequences of doing this, you are looking down on the rules of the army, and disobeying the orders of the army?"
An Zheng replied seriously: "Do you know why I want to enter the Martial Arts Academy? Do you think I want to change my fate? No, I entered the Martial Arts Academy just to prove to a dead man his judgement. If I don't enter the Martial Arts Academy, I can still live a good life. However, if those brothers of the border armies did not enter the Martial Arts Academy, there would be no possibility for their lives to change. I can compete with them in an open and aboveboard manner, so naturally, I won't lose on purpose to anyone. "
Fang Daozhi was a little confused, he did not understand what An Zheng meant. He was one of the generals that Tie Liuhuo had left behind in the War Department. This time, he did not follow the army south.
"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you in accordance with military law if you do this?"
he asked.
An Zheng replied: "That only means that you are not fit to stay in the army, and that you are unworthy to wear the Eagle Armor."
Fang Daozhi was so angry that he laughed instead. "Alright, then let me see what abilities you have. I'll wait for you in the examination hall of the Martial Academy."
An Zheng and Du Shoushou walked in large strides: "No need, you just wait for me on the stage."
Du Shoushou asked An Zheng: "Why are you opposing that general?"
An Zheng answered: "Firstly, we don't want others to say that we entered the Martial Arts Academy on our own. Secondly, I want to be worthy of Qiu Changchen's recommendation. "
Du Shoushou: "Anyway, I don't understand these things, I'll do whatever you say. However, it was good to be able to enter by relying on one's own abilities. It was better to avoid being gossiped about by others and also be able to spar with those examinees. Just the thought of it made him excited. We've cultivated in Fringe City for three and a half years, so it's time for us to test out our strength. "
The two of them left the military headquarters and returned to their residences.
Fang Daozhi looked at the backs of An Zheng and Du Shoushou, and suddenly laughed: "I hope the two of you don't forget what you just boasted. Sometimes, when you stand up straight, you have to prove yourself. I have said, I do not doubt the justice of the military, I do not doubt the justice of the Martial Arts Academy. I just hope that you two can straighten your backs when you walk like this, and are not afraid of being poked by anyone. "
Hao Pingan, the Minister of War, walked to his side, coughed and said: "I really shouldn't have left you here, how long are you going to take to vent your anger?"
Fang Daozhi shrugged his shoulders, "Sire, tell me, if I were to go to the Southern Wilderness and fight against the people from the Youguo, my military merits should not be small."
"Of course not."
"Therefore, if I stay in the military, I won't get a raise, nor will I get a promotion. If I don't have any grievances, how can I handle it?"
"You are already the fastest person in great swallow to date. "He's twenty-four years old and has only been in the army for four years. He's already a fourth rank Ying Yang, and has never been seen before."
"You shouldn't say that. If General Fang Zhiji had allowed me to join the army before the age of twenty, I might have already reached the second rank."
Fang Daozhi turned around and was about to leave: "So Master doesn't plan to buy me a drink to make up for it?"
Hao Pingan shook his head: "I can't afford it, I've already used up my salary."
Fang Daozhi was startled for a moment, then suddenly remembered the support center for the military in the capital city, the soldiers who were severely injured in the war. Seventy percent of Hao Pingan's salary as a senior second rank official was sent to the maintenance to improve the lives of the wounded soldiers.
Fang Daozhi laughed bitterly: "My salary is almost spent too, but it just happens to be enough for two pots of wine and a roasted goose."
Hao Pingan said in all seriousness: "What kind of roasted geese do you want? "Three jugs of wine!"
When An Zheng and Du Shoushou returned to their residences, it was already noon. These big sized men were actually not Heavenly Awakening Sect disciples, because they could not cultivate. But An Zheng had given them the correct body transformation method, so their fighting strength was much stronger than ordinary martial artists. These people were all from similar backgrounds, all of whom An Zheng had taken in.
The State of Zhao and the State of Yan did not have a war, but there were some conflicts with the Zhuo Nation. Some of them were from State of Zhao, some were from State of Yan, and some were from other people. They were all from
poor families that couldn't get over the border, and they wanted to be taken in by An Zheng. They had a good temper and had to rob the rich to make a living in that environment, but they never hurt anyone. These people could be saved, so An Zheng saved them all.
With An Zheng's eyesight and his methods, earning money was as easy as flipping his palm. Therefore, during the three and a half years in Fringe City, An Zheng had accumulated an enormous amount of wealth.
An Zheng said that if a good person had to suffer, who the hell would be willing to be a good person? Therefore, to be a good person, one had to have wine, eat meat, and spend money. No matter how comfortable they were, they had to go through with it.
"Don't enter the Heaven Defying Seal for the next few days."
An Zheng explained: "This place is the Fanggu, it is not the border city or an illusory city, experts are as common as the clouds here. So, as long as we use Heaven Defying Seal s, we might be discovered. "
Du Shoushou nodded: "In the few days before the assessment, I'll train with them."
Although he was still young, he liked to drink with the big men the most. Du Shoushou's alcohol capacity was astonishing now, and the number of times he had knocked the big men down increased. He was naturally frank and unscheming, and everyone liked to get along with him.
"Go."
An Zheng patted Du Shoushou's shoulder: "In a while, I'll go out to buy a few sheep. I'll roast some food in the courtyard. However, it was still the same old rule: whoever drank wine or caused trouble would be directly crippled. Whoever caused the most trouble would be killed without mercy. This is the great swallow, but I do not follow the laws and rules of the great swallow, I only follow the rules of the Heavenly Awakening Sect. "
Du Shoushou said: "Alright, you can rest assured. Don't you know these guys? No one can do the dirty stuff of drinking and making trouble. "
Du Shoushou waved and ran off to wrestle with the men.
When An Zheng walked to the door of his own room, he saw through the window that Qu Liuxi was helping him tidy up the room. No matter where he lived, the bed sheets would never be washed clean by Qu Liuxi in more than seven days.
An Zheng wanted to greet her, but he was afraid that Qu Liuxi would blush, so he stood at the door and looked at her quietly. After Qu Liuxi finished packing and was ready to leave, An Zheng left first.
Gu Qianye sat on top of a wall far away and watched as she swung her beautiful legs with a wine jug, then curled her lips: "Truly two troublesome people.
She jumped down from the wall and found the Old Huo leaning against the wall, drinking from a wine jug.
"Master, you will scare me to death if you do this." "He clearly doesn't know how to cultivate, but why is it that he doesn't even make a sound when he walks?"
Old Huo: "Pfft, my walking sound is loud, you can't hear me, my thoughts are all over there, do you blame me?"
Gu Qianye would never blush, she laughed: "Aiyah, that kid is so handsome, so what's wrong with looking at him for a bit?"
Old Huo: "I have knockout drugs, you can put them in a wine pot for that brat to drink. He was confused, so he just let you do whatever you want. "
Gu Qianye: "Master, you don't seem to respect your age by saying that. Even if I wanted to snatch someone from the Xiao Liu'er, it would be a fair and square snatch, how could I use knockout drugs! "
Old Huo nodded: "I respect you for being a man."
Gu Qianye moved closer, "Do you have aphrodisiac?"
Old Huo: "Cough, cough …"
He left.
Gu Qianye raised her eyebrows, "This master, no matter how old you are, your skin might not be as thick as mine."
She skipped away as if she had forgotten her displeasure in the blink of an eye.
Chapter 73 - Murder by Borrowing a Knife
In just a day's time, everyone in the vicinity knew that a group of rugged men from Fanggu was helping the old granny cross the road. After helping the old granny out, he began to beat people up on the streets. Legend said that the person who was beaten up that day went to Fanggu to complain. Fanggu also sent people to An Zheng's residence, but they did not bring him back. Later on, he heard that An Zheng went to the Military Department, and then to the Martial Academy.
The people of Fanggu had to wait for more than two hours, but no one came back. So they had no choice but to return and inform An Zheng that they needed to make a trip to the magistrate court.
An Zheng had to go, although he really didn't like that kind of place.
It was said that the capital officials had a high profile. This saying was not false at all. Who could become a magistrate in the capital? Of course, the person who knew how to be an official was the best.
In the six divisions of the capital, fourth-rank, fifth-rank officials in red official uniforms could easily meet a few of them on the streets. If he could not do it skillfully in these yamen, he would not be able to do it as the official in charge of the Fanggu. Everything had to be done according to plan. As a result, the overseer of the Fanggu was not to be underestimated, because the people sitting on this official seat would often rise very quickly. He might just turn into some important official in the court.
However, the current Prefect of Fanggu, Xu Zhengsheng, was more unlucky because he caught up to a bad time.
Ever since the death of the Swallow King, when the empress dowager held the power of the imperial court, almost all of it had been taken by the Su Family. Therefore, no matter how well he did, it was almost impossible for him to advance. Originally, when he had just become the official in charge of Fanggu, Xu Zhengsheng was in high spirits. This was because he knew very well that as long as he did a good job, he would soon be moved to a higher position.
The Right Prime Minister, Zhuge Yan, was transferred from the position of the Prefect of Fanggu. However, when the Empress Dowager Su was in power, Zhuge Yan's authority gradually went into the air. The imperial power was gradually transferred into the hands of Prime Minister Su Mao. Empress Dowager Su's two younger brothers, Su Mao was the leader of the Wen Chen. It was rumored that his other brother, Su Zong, would soon be appointed as Great General soon, and his authority would even surpass that of Great General Fang Zhiji. The key thing was that these two brothers weren't close to her. Her own brothers were currently in King Zhao.
Who was Fang Zhiji? This was a grand character that had been personally invited by the late emperor, a person called a general. And who was Su Zong? It was said that they didn't know how to lead soldiers.
Therefore, Xu Zhengsheng was very agitated, and felt that he should think of a way to move away from this annoying Fanggu. He had spent a lot of money these few days, and the Ministry of Public Affairs had made quite a few preparations, but there was no news of him at all.
Now that he was troubled about Gou Hanshi, he wished that he could tear that An Zheng who suddenly popped out into a thousand pieces.
However, he could not, because he still had not figured out where this An Zheng came from, nor why he had garnered such great attention from the army. During a war, the army was the strongest, so Xu Zhengsheng didn't dare to take the risk to side with them. Besides, Gou Hanshi was still locked up in the military. Even after sending his men over twice, they were still unable to get him back. This morning, they heard that An Zheng had taken a few people and levelled the whole place up, leaving not a single person behind, and sent them all flying.
If An Zheng didn't really have a powerful backing, how could a youth who just came from a foreign land have such big guts?
So when the people outside said that An Zheng had arrived, even if Xu Zhengsheng did not like this young man, he still went out personally to welcome him.
The light in the living room dimmed a little, so when Xu Zhengsheng saw An Zheng, he looked carefully for a while. He heard that An Zheng was a young man, but he never thought that he would be so young. From the looks of it, he was only sixteen or seventeen years old. However, although An Zheng looked slightl
y older, he was actually only fifteen years old.
"Greetings, milord."
An Zheng bowed.
He had the rank of an official. Although it was not a formal standard set by the military, he was still a sixth rank official. When a sixth rank official saw a fifth rank official, there was no need for them to pay their respects.
"He really is a young genius."
Xu Zhengsheng revealed a sincere smile, he quickly walked forward and held onto An Zheng's arms with both hands: "There's no need to be so courteous, inviting you to come is just to understand the circumstances of the battle."
An Zheng said: "Master is the parent official of the citizens of Fanggu, you must be very busy with official matters, and even took the time to personally see me, this humble servant is truly flattered."
Xu Zhengsheng's impression of An Zheng had greatly changed. He thought that An Zheng was someone who did not know what was important and what was not, but after seeing An Zheng being so courteous, it actually made his heart feel a little better.
"Sigh, I do have a lot of things to do in this position, so there's no harm in having my opponent teach me …" Gou Zhili out of such a heartless scum, I can not let go of the blame. Fortunately, you have noticed this person's sinister intent. Otherwise, you would not know how many people have been killed. "
An Zheng sighed: "To know a person's face but not their heart, no one would have thought that such a thing would happen. When I first arrived in the capital, I had already caused you trouble.
Xu Zhengsheng immediately replied: How can that be, we are both officials, there is no need for you to be so courteous.
He pulled An Zheng and sat him down, and An Zheng turned around to take a box from the big sized man's hands and placed it on the table, "This gift box is something special that I brought from the south, it can't be considered as anything precious, but it's rare in the capital."
