Ch. 518 - Prepare for 'Military Supplies'

"Inspector, take your time."

Zhao Liben lifted the front of his official robe, crossed the threshold of more than four inches, tilted his shoulders outward, and respectfully retreated to the bottom of the steps.

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Sun Shaozong's crimson robe, and a hint of envy and jealousy flashed in his eyes. Last year, he and Sun Shaozong were still on equal footing. Who could have imagined that after only half a year, and there would be a gap between the two?

However, as soon as the feeling of jealousy rose in his heart, it was forcefully suppressed by Zhao Liben.

Nowadays, compared to before, Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun were in cahoots. If he really wanted to deal with this unpopular Lord, it might only be a matter of one sentence!

Thinking of this, Zhao Liben's waist softened a bit again until he saw Sun Shaozong's back disappear in the lane to the west of the registered residence office. He then breathed a sigh of relief, changed his face into official prestige, turned back, and scolded, "What mistake did you make that the Lord came to investigate in person?!"

"His Excellency is clear!"

The two petty officials in charge of the registered residence filing hurriedly cried out, "We have always been devoted to our duties, however..."

"Hmph!"

Zhao Liben was too lazy to listen to these excuses, so he shook his sleeve and sneered, "His Excellency can discern every detail. Who in this office doesn't know? If there are any mistakes, there's no need for me to act; you two take care of it yourself."

As he spoke, he shook his sleeve and walked steadily away, leaving only the two confused and frightened officials standing silently in front of the door.

Sun Shaozong, who left first, looked back at the registered residence office in the shade of maple leaves when he came to the end of the lane. His originally stretched eyebrows were also tightly wrinkled.

Although he didn't expect too much, he was still disappointed when he walked around the leaky registered residence.

A remote courtyard; a roof with a distance and drop of less than one meter from the wall, an air window that allowed people to penetrate easily; the rusty door lock that opened with just a poke.

That was all for it, but he still met a petty official with a cleanliness fetish!

Trying to find any clues from it was simply a pipe dream.

Being helpless, Sun Shaozong could only use his last move to remain aloof throughout the entire journey, exploiting some loopholes.

However, according to the reaction of the two junior officials of the registered residence office, it was unlikely that they would steal from themselves. At present, they hope that after the news has spread, the spy would be in fear of his past brilliant achievements and would show his flaws in panic.

With such thoughts in mind, he strode to the Criminal Investigation Department.

He originally wanted to remind Zhao Wuwei to look for some trustworthy people and secretly monitored the wind and grass in the office. Since Zhao Wuwei was a spy of the Northern Detective Department, he had undergone multiple investigations and should not have any connection with the White Lotus Sect.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the main hall, he saw Jia Yucun sitting steadily on the Grand Tutor's chair at the top.

As soon as Sun Shaozong walked in, he stood up with a smile and said, "You have finally returned."

Hearing this, he might have been waiting for a while.

Most likely, as soon as he arrived at the Yamen, he received a report.

Sun Shaozong could not help but be moved. If nothing had happened, the old fox should have guessed what secrets he had secretly investigated; otherwise, he would not have known that he went to Zhao Liben's place and still came to the Criminal Department to wait.

However, his actions clearly showed that he didn’t want to get involved.

Therefore, Sun Shaozong seemed to have nothing to do and asked with a smile, "My Brother, who has been here for a long time, is not going to cause me any trouble again, right? Let's talk about it first. I can go to the Crown Prince's place to hide and relax at any time."

Jia Yucun's face turned bitter, and he said helplessly, "It's not that I intentionally put pressure on you, but rather that the situation is forcing you. Look at it yourself!"

As he spoke, he turned around and took out the memorial from the coffee table, presenting it to Sun Shaozong.

Sun Shaozong was not in a hurry to go and take a look. He first asked Jia Yucun to take his seat again, and then he sat behind Sun Chengye's commonly used official case and unfolded the memorial for a closer look.

He saw the words "Jishizhong of the Ministry of Rites" prominently written on the heading.

Sun Shaozong was taken aback for a moment. In this matter, he was an official responsible for supervising the six departments and a hundred departments, collectively known as the Six Departments of the Ministry of Personnel. He also formed a department with the Imperial Censorate as a sage. Although he was only of a seventh rank, he was well-known for his nobility and difficulty in dealing with.

However, how could the memorial submitted by the Ministry of Rites, which was specifically supervised, fall into the hands of Jia Yucun?

As he continued to scrutinize with suspicion, Sun Shaozong couldn't help but burst into tears and laughter. The memorial accused the Central Judicial Office of its inadequate education, which led to a proliferation of popular slang and lewd practices

This statement was particularly indignant, as the women in the Capital were wearing increasingly unattractive clothes. In summer, they dared to expose their arms and chest in the streets!

Although the statement here was exaggerated, the people of the Zhou Dynasty have been praising Tang style in recent years, and their clothing and attire have naturally become more open.

But this hadn't reached the point where they needed to rectify the atmosphere, had it?

Sun Shaozong flipped over and read the memorial, but in the end, he inexplicably said, "What does it mean for the elders to pass on this memorial to us? It's almost September now, and there are no women on the street who bare their chests and arms?"

Jia Yucun sighed and answered in a tone that was not in line with his question, "Did you read the newspaper from the previous two days?"

The newspaper from the previous two days?

Sun Shaozong's head became increasingly foggy, and the news in the palace newspaper seemed to have nothing to do with the atmosphere of the Capital, right?

Jia Yucun saw Sun Shaozong puzzled and sighed, "I'm afraid the southwest will be in chaos."

What was the connection between the chaos in the southwest and the atmosphere in the Capital?

Was it true that the Wuxi Barbarians and the Six Kingdoms of Southern Xinjiang had heard that women in the Capital liked to expose their chests and arms, which was why they were enemies of the court?

Just kidding, those barbarians seem to be wearing even less, okay!

"Brother, stop playing riddles."

Sun Shaozong stood up and bowed to the end, "Hurry up and tell me what kind of tricks are inside."

***Sigh***

Jia Yucun still sighed incessantly and shook his head, saying, "You are from a general's family. I thought you could get the point. The Southwest is going to be in chaos. Thus, we will need to send a large army to suppress the rebellion, right? And if we want to send troops to suppress the rebellion, we must raise military supplies, right?"

What about raising military supplies and promoting the culture of the Capital?

Wait!

Was it…

Sun Shaozong exclaimed in shock, "Is it true that the military supplies you are referring to are camp prostitutes?"

Seeing Jia Yucun nod silently, Sun Shaozong's face immediately darkened.

This camp of prostitutes referred to military official prostitutes. In peacetime, because there were already brothels in the local area that could meet the physiological needs of soldiers, only a very small number of border military towns were equipped with them.

In wartime, the court often temporarily would *’allocate’* a batch of troops to serve in front of the army. Victory was rewarded, while stalemate was used to boost morale. If defeated, it was considered good not to be punished; how could there still be women to sleep with?

Because the number of official prostitutes in the Imperial Brothel was not very large, coupled with the fact that the court can’t force good people to become prostitutes, at this time, private prostitutes, half-hidden doors, and even brothels with incomplete procedures, and less profound backgrounds welcomed a wave of anti-pornography and anti-illegal activities.

Obviously, this memorial was a proclamation to crack down on pornography and illegal publications, which would make the court appear famous for its achievements. Secondly, those who had connections would report to the government in advance after hearing the news, so as not to be *’accidentally injured’* by the court.

However, even though the other party was originally a woman who had fallen short, Sun Shaozong still found it difficult to accept such methods of openly soliciting camp prostitutes.

"Brother."

Just as Jia Yucun said, "I'm afraid we need the support of the Five Cities Army and Horse Division for this matter, so..."

Sun Shaozong suddenly interrupted him and asked in reverse, "Have you ever heard that I recently had a disagreement with Prince Zhongshun?"

"How could this happen?!"

Jia Yucun widened his eyes and instinctively twisted his beard, pondering, "Prince Zhongshun has always liked you. How could he suddenly develop resentment?"

Although his statement was a question, he did not want to know the answer or details.

Sun Shaozong had no intention of telling him, but instead spread his hands and said helplessly, "So I'm afraid I'll have to shelter myself from the Crown Prince for the time being. The tasks in this office are really..."

This was naturally an excuse. With the Crown Prince's current trust in him, even if he officially withdrew from the task force, he would still come forward to protect him.

Jia Yucun's brow furrowed even tighter as he slowly stood up and solemnly arched his hand, saying, "You are ten times more talented than me. You must have had a plan in mind long ago, and I won't be too noisy anymore. In short, I am responsible for everything in the Yamen, and you don't need to worry too much."

The words sounded clear, but there was no intention of offering a helping hand.

However, Sun Shaozong never expected him to share the joys and sorrows with him. As long as he didn't force himself to collect military supplies, it was enough.

Two flowers bloom, each representing one branch.

While Sun Shaozong was shirking his duties, the male owner of a mansion in the west of the city happily arrived in the backyard. There was still some distance from the main hall, and he couldn't help but shout, "Madam, the matter has been settled! My husband will soon..."

As he stepped inside the door, the male protagonist's excited voice suddenly stopped, as if someone had grabbed his throat. After a while, he stubbornly squeezed out a few words, "Mom, why are you here?"

It turned out that in the small hall of that house, besides the young and beautiful hostess, there was also a middle-aged woman with gray sideburns.

The woman slammed the tea bowl in her hand onto the table and asked coldly, "Why can’t I come here?"

"How could it be, how could it be!"

The male host hurriedly chuckled and said, "What I meant is that it's appropriate for me and Xiuyun to go and greet you, how dare I trouble you..."

"Kneel down!"

Before he finished speaking, the woman suddenly gave a stern reprimand.

The male host's body trembled, and without hesitation, he immediately bent his knees and knelt. He took a few steps on his knees and leaned in front of his mother.

The woman didn't even glance at her son, softened her voice slightly, and then ordered, "Xiuyun, you go down first. I have something to explain to him."

The young woman named Xiuyun glanced at her husband in embarrassment and cautiously advised, "It's okay for you to punish him, mother, just don't get angry and damage your body."

"Don't worry about it."

The woman waved her hand and said, "I just can't bear to see him so proud and forgetful. I just need to give him some family teachings."

The young woman finally got down and put her hands on her lower abdomen. She bent back and walked out, then closed the door with her backhand.

As she heard the footsteps outside gradually fading away, the woman suddenly jumped up from the chair, her thin arms supported the armrest with force, and her veins below her swollen elbows were exposed.

Her originally kind facial features suddenly twisted and ferocious, and the voice thrown from her trembling lips was as cold as an ice knife, piercing through bone marrow, "Do you remember how your father died?"

The male protagonist seemed to have a conditioned reflex and blurted out, "On the seventh day of the twelfth month in the 31st year of Jianping, he was killed by the puppet imperial bandit Wang Ziteng. His body was hanged at the Chengnan Gate of Pingliang for seventeen days without decay! Later, he was burned by the evil bandit with fire, and there were no bones left!"

"So you do still remember!”

The woman slapped her son in the face with a fierce slap. Before the man could do anything, she swayed and almost fell to the ground, only to find out that the woman was limping on one leg.

The man quickly helped her back to the chair, but was pushed away by the woman desperately, shouting and cursing, "You unfilial son, don't touch me!"

"Mother! I..."

"Don't call me mother, I can't bear it!"

The middle-aged woman let out a stern shout, and the man quickly knelt on the ground, grabbing the ground with his head, and repeatedly said, "I’m unfilial. Please calm down, mother."

"Calm down?"

The middle-aged woman sneered and said, "Since you still remember how your father died, how could you be so overjoyed by the meager benefits given by this puppet court?"

"I didn't..."

"If you still remember that the hatred of killing your father is irreconcilable, why do you push back and refuse to unite with the people sent by King Ming to find the reincarnated saint?"

"Mother!"

"If you..."

"Mother!"

The man finally couldn't help but look up angrily and said, "No matter what nonsense Woman Li has said, I have a clear conscience heart! I have already helped them with their demands, but if we follow their reckless behavior, one day we will be discovered by the court... by the puppet court, causing the disaster of annihilation!"

"Are you afraid? Are you risking your life?!"

The old woman widened her eyes and said angrily, "When your father sacrificed his life and death for King Ming, did he ever care about life and death? You... you are truly not worth a man of our Su family, a disciple of Maitreya!"

"I am indeed a disciple of Maitreya!"

The man also spared no effort and looked up to distinguish, "But Xiuyun is not, and the child in her belly is not too! Even if I have to sacrifice myself for Maitreya, I will have to wait until she is safely sent away!"

Upon hearing *'the child in her belly,'* the middle-aged woman couldn't help but struggle on her face. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "But as Leader Li said, now the puppet court is facing internal and external troubles, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we don’t find the saint as soon as possible, thinking about it in the future..."

"Mother!"

This time, it was the man who persuaded his mother, and he heard him say in dissatisfaction, "If we can find the saint, how can I not help? But they... but they are clearly in chaos. They know that the baby boy who died in the government's house arrest is a boy, but they still want to provoke Rongguo Mansion!"

"Leader Li said that the nun also took away a baby girl..."

"But that was born a few months ago!"

The man became increasingly angry and gritted his teeth, saying, "From my perspective, they haven't even figured out whether a reincarnated saint has been born or how old she is right now!"

"A few days ago, I even thought about going to the Crown Prince's Residence, saying that since Li-Shi had cut off the *'dragon root'* of the puppet court, maybe she was pregnant with a reincarnated saint!"

The middle-aged woman finally hesitated and stuttered, "Then you..."

"Mother, don't worry about it. I'll find time to discuss this with Woman Li. We've finally stood firm in the Capital, and we can't let those foolish youths from the northwest continue to act around!"

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