The two men had not touched the chopsticks in front of them.
One of them, solemn in demeanor, bowed his hands toward Yang Ge, "Second Master, if you speak these words, it greatly underestimates us at Lianhuan Fort. If I were to bring these words back unchanged, our young fort master would break my three legs!"
The other man gave Yang Ge a thumbs up, "Second Master, you are benevolent, and the brothers of Lianhuan Fort are not lacking either. With your words, we at Lianhuan Fort know what to do next. Rest assured, we will definitely not disgrace you, Second Master!"
Yang Ge returned the bow, "That’s too kind of you. I know the brothers at Lianhuan Fort are all exemplary… Go on, eat. The soup is nearly boiled dry."
...
In the afternoon.
Yang Ge arrived outside the upper right bureau.
The two embroidered guards outside the gate, upon seeing him, cheerfully bowed their hands, "Sir, how come you are here today?"
Tomorrow is only the 10th. When he usually arrived, they were all counting the days.
Yang Ge waved his hand and asked indifferently, "Where is Qin Feng?"
The two guards paused for two seconds before realizing he was asking about Deputy Commander Qin.
For some reason, both subconsciously straightened their faces, stood straight, and loudly replied, "Sir, Master Qin is resting at home and has not come to the bureau to report!"
"He really knows how to enjoy himself..."
Yang Ge shook his head with a smile, speaking gently and softly, "Send someone to call him back to work, and tell him if he does not return within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he need not come back ever."
The embroidered guards suddenly stiffened, responding loudly, "Yes, sir!"
Yang Ge stepped through the doorway, heading directly toward the Thousand Households Office, "Where is Fang Ke? Have him come see me!"
"Yes, sir!"
One guard approached at the call and instinctively responded before turning to run.
Halfway there, he scratc his head, wondering, ’Eh, has the lord resumed his official position?’
As soon as the thought emerged, he slapped his forehead and took off running again.
Reaching the Thousand Households Office, Yang Ge took out a key to unlock the large lock hanging on the gate, and stepped through the doorway.
"Someone, bring all the intelligence documents from Jiangzhe of the past two months."
"Someone, bring all the patrol duty rosters of the bureau from the past two months."
"Someone, bring all the periodicals from the past two months..."
Three calls dispelled the festive air and the laziness inside the upper right bureau.
The intense oppressive atmosphere reminded those officials and soldiers who had followed Yang Ge to Jiangnan of the days spent running around in Jiangzhe.
Within the short span of one tea time, the usually quiet upper right bureau was filled with the sound of bustling heavy footsteps everywhere...
Before even an incense stick could burn down, the disheveled Deputy Qin rushed hurriedly to the outer gate of the upper right bureau, "Where is the lord?"
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The gate guard replied, "Master Qin, the lord is in the office."
"The office?"
Deputy Qin’s right foot had just crossed the threshold when he suddenly retracted it as if electrified, and urgently asked the gate guard, "How did the lord look? Was he angry? Did he have a knife? Did he curse?"
The gate guard looked around cautiously and replied, "The lord didn’t bring a knife or curse… but his expression seemed quite severe!"
"Ah?"
Deputy Qin felt a chill in his heart, an urge to turn and flee overwhelming him, but he couldn’t suppress it.
Seeing this, the gate guard quietly pointed to a corner of the gate.
Deputy Qin followed his pointing finger and saw an incense stick about to burn out, emitting faint smoke… He was completely numb.
He let go of the gate guard, straightened his attire nervously, took a deep breath, and ran headlong inside.
The gate guard watched his heavy figure disappear, his face showing a bit of schadenfreude as he gestured with his mouth to his fellow guard on the other side of the gate: ’See, who’s in charge here?’
The other guard sneered, straightened his posture holding his saber, and stared straightforward without looking aside.
Soon enough, a sweating Fang Ke also rushed to the gate; he grabbed the gate guard and gasped, "The lord..."
Gatekeeper: "Master is in the office without his sword, he hasn’t burst into rage, nor has he cursed anyone. However, his expression is quite unpleasant, you should be cautious."
Fang Ke:...
...
Qin had not yet entered when he spotted Yang Ge from afar, dressed in festive clothes that were neither here nor there, sitting attentively in the hall, flipping through a mountain of documents.
His heart soured, but he had no choice but to brace himself and walk into the hall, greeting with a clasped fist and bow, "Master, how do you happen to have time to come over today..."
Yang Ge, without looking up, grabbed the inkstone from his desk and hurled it at him.
Qin saw the inkstone flying toward his face.
He could dodge.
But he dared not dodge.
"Snap."
The inkstone exploded on his forehead, a streak of fresh blood trickling down from his temple.
Instead, Qin lowered his head even more.
"Splash."
Several scrolls fell in front of him, scattering on the ground.
Qin hurriedly bent down to pick up a scroll, wiping the blood from the corner of his eye, and perused it with focused attention.
This document had come from Jiangzhe before the New Year, recording the assassination of a flag troop left behind in Jiangzhe for rearguard actions, and it even contained his own endorsed "gather the troops, do not cause additional problems."
With just one glance, Qin dared not look at the remaining documents any further, and once again, he clasped his fists and bowed deeply, "I admit my mistake!"
"Mistake?"
Yang Ge put down the document in his hand and chuckled lightly, "You really know how to excuse yourself... The troops I entrusted to you, is this how you led them?"
His voice suddenly rose, and he stood up to grab a teacup from the side and hurled it at Qin’s head.
"Snap."
The teacup followed the inkstone’s fate.
Qin only felt darkness before his eyes, and a great surge of panic welled up in him; his knees buckled in distress, and he knelt on the ground: "I know my crime, please, Master, be magnanimous and grant me mercy beyond the law."
With his rank and level, he normally wouldn’t need to be so submissive.
But he felt that if he didn’t kneel now, the killer in the hall would immediately follow with, "Drag him out, chop him."
He was absolutely certain that the killer would dare to say it.
And those fools outside would indeed dare to chop!
Yang Ge, trembling with rage, had thought before coming that with such a big change in Jiangzhe, and his frequent visits in and out of the upper right bureau, how could he not have caught any wind of this?
He distinctly remembered, when he returned to the capital last year, he had left several troops in Jiangzhe for rearguard actions.
So it wasn’t that no reports had come back, but that this fool had downplayed everything!
"Spare you?"
He sat back in the Taishi Chair, laughing with anger: "I don’t have that much capability. Return to the capital by yourself and seek Shen’s forgiveness. If he spares you, you may live... get in here!"
Fang Ke, holding an inkstone and a cup of tea, walked into the office with a shamed look and bowed body: "Subordinate Fang Ke, at your service, Master."
Yang Ge extended his hand, and Fang Ke quickly placed the inkstone and tea on the desk, adeptly picking up the inkstick to grind.
Yang Ge pulled out a blank sheet, picked up his brush, and detailed the news received from Lianhuan Fort and Qin’s actions in the upper right bureau point by point on the sheet, then sealed it with wax and tossed it to the floor: "Return to the capital immediately, and personally hand over this document to Master Shen... You are very welcome to destroy this document or run away halfway; I really hope you would do so!"
Qin picked up the document and raised it high above his head: "I would never dare to cut myself off from my Brocade Guard and from the official family!"
"Get out!"
Qin, holding the document, stood up and again deeply bowed: "I take my leave, Master!"
Fang Ke, with a pitying look, watched him leave... Just two days ago, Master Shen had been publicly beaten by our Master; your going there now, could you possibly expect any good outcome?