bestfiction Chapter 644 A Very Important Person
Chapter 644 A Very Important Person
Unlike most officials in the imperial court, Li Gang came from a very ordinary background.
In reality, it was impossible for a scion of a powerful family to become the commander of the Black-Clad Guard. After all, the Black-Clad Guard was originally established to monitor officials and to counterbalance powerful families. No matter how foolish the emperor was, he would never allow a scion of a powerful family to become the commander of the Black-Clad Guard.
Therefore, most of the members of the Black-Clad Guards were recruited from respectable families, mainly those with good martial arts talent.
Li Gang was recruited into the Black-Clad Guard thirty years ago. Because of his talent, meticulousness, and intelligence, he slowly climbed up from a spy to the high position of commander.
After taking the position of commander, Li Gang should have been enjoying immense prestige. In fact, in the eyes of outsiders, he was indeed enjoying immense prestige. After all, the commander of the Black-Clad Guards was equivalent to the emperor's close advisor and confidant. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was second only to the emperor.
However, family members know their own business.
Compared to officials from powerful families, Li Gang's power was pitifully small. He could only command the men in the Black-Clad Guards, and even... there were many middle-ranking members of the Black-Clad Guards who were close to powerful families. These people always outwardly obeyed him but inwardly defied him, and he could not touch them, simply because behind these people stood the major families of the capital. He, Li Gang, was not powerful enough to provoke these powerful families, so he could only ignore these middle-ranking members.
If it were just a matter of limited authority and some disobedient subordinates, that would be one thing, but Li Gang's problems are not just that!
The Black-Clad Guards' power all came from the emperor. In a sense, they were similar to the palace eunuchs, essentially the emperor's household servants.
However, with the passing of the previous emperor and the ascension of the new emperor, the position of the Black-Clad Guards became increasingly awkward.
After the new emperor ascended the throne, he spent his days indulging in debauchery in the deep palace, leaving all political affairs to the prime minister and officials of the six ministries. The existence of the Black-Clad Guards seemed to have been completely forgotten by the new emperor, which caused the power and functions of the Black-Clad Guards to gradually shrink and become completely marginalized. Li Gang himself became a transparent figure in the court...
In the years since the new emperor ascended the throne, the Black-Clad Guards, who were not valued by the emperor and were repeatedly suppressed by the prime minister and officials of the Six Ministries, have suffered from the frequent failure to pay their salaries. At least half of the lower-level spies have resigned, and most of the high-ranking members of the Black-Clad Guards in the capital have been taken over by powerful families. Li Gang, the commander of the Black-Clad Guards, has been almost completely sidelined.
Fortunately, just as Li Gang was about to be completely sidelined, shocking news came from Qingzhou: the King of Qing had been killed!
The momentous news of the murder of a prince of the imperial court finally provoked the emperor, who had been indulging in pleasure, to emerge from the depths of the palace in anger. He once again took notice of the Black-Clad Guards and issued them an order: to capture the murderer of the Prince of Qing and bring him to the capital for trial.
It was difficult for outsiders to understand Li Gang's excitement when he received the emperor's order. The new emperor had been on the throne for several years and had never issued any orders to the Black-Clad Guards. This order made Li Gang feel like he had received rain after a long drought, and he was extremely excited.
After receiving the order, Li Gang immediately instructed his spies in Qingzhou to find out the identity of the murderer as soon as possible.
Although the number of Black-Clad Guards has been reduced by half in the years since the new emperor took the throne, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. With spies all over the land, it is still quite easy for the Black-Clad Guards to find out the identity of a murderer.
Sure enough, the Black-Clad Guards of Qingzhou have now identified the murderer and provided detailed information about his location.
"Chen Dao of Chenjia Village, I have no choice but to offer your head to the new emperor as a reward!"
Li Gang stared intently at the letter in his hand. In order to regain the emperor's trust, he had to handle this matter perfectly.
"Send word to gather the best members of the Black-Clad Guards and have them accompany me to Qingzhou!"
Li Gang said to the man who came to deliver the letter.
"Yes!"
The man clasped his hands in agreement, then quickly left the mansion to gather his men.
Li Gang stood in the living room, his gaze deep and unsettling.
This time, he planned to personally go to Qingzhou to capture Chen Dao, who had murdered the King of Qing.
If he can handle this matter well, he will surely regain the emperor's trust and then obtain more power from the emperor!
An hour later, Li Gang, dressed in a black python robe, mounted his steed and led a group of skilled black-clad guards out of the west gate, galloping towards Qingzhou.
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Qingzhou, the capital of Taicang Prefecture.
Prefect Zheng Qing was naturally unaware of the impending arrival of the Black-Clad Guard Commander.
At this moment, he was standing outside the city gate with Zheng Qiuyan and Qingying, frequently looking towards the direction of the official road outside the city, as if waiting for some important person.
"Father, who are you waiting for?"
Zheng Qiuyan, who was standing next to Zheng Qing, asked with a puzzled look on her face. Early this morning, Zheng Qing had taken her to the city gate, saying that he was waiting for someone. But who was he waiting for, and why was this person personally coming out of the city to greet him? Zheng Qiuyan had no idea about these questions.
"Waiting for someone who is very important to me as a father."
An old figure flashed through Zheng Qing's mind, and his eyes filled with endless nostalgia.
That aged figure truly embodied the meaning of selflessness; he was Zheng Qing's idol and the person who changed his destiny!
"A very important person?"
Zheng Qiuyan was still very puzzled, but she didn't ask any more questions and just stood there quietly waiting.
The temperature in Qingzhou was already quite low at the end of July. Although it hadn't snowed, the wind was still very cold. Fortunately, Zheng Qing, Zheng Qiuyan, and Qingying were all martial artists, so the slight chill was nothing to them.
However, the three people who had been standing outside the city attracted the attention of many people entering and leaving the city.
"Look, that woman is so beautiful! I wish I could marry her!"
"Are you crazy? That's the governor's daughter!"
"Huh? Then isn't the person next to him the prefect?"
"Nonsense! Who else could it be but Prefect Zheng with such an air about him?"
"So it's Prefect Zheng! I wonder what the Prefect is doing standing outside the city gate?"
"They're definitely waiting for some important person."
"..."
Many people who recognized Zheng Qing immediately showed their respect. Zheng Qing's governance of Taicang County can be said to be quite successful. Many people benefited from his policies, so whenever Zheng Qing was mentioned, most people would show a respectful expression.
Of course, while respecting the official, the people still harbored fear of him. Therefore, although Zheng Qing was standing not far from them, not a single person dared to approach him and strike up a conversation.