She Is Different

Since it concerned her third sister, Su Li, Su Jin had originally wanted to hold back her questions, but after a moment of hesitation, she spoke up anyway.

"Your Grace, your subordinate is bold enough to ask a question."

"Ask away."

Ren Tianye now considered Su Jin one of his own people. He had always been generous to his own, and in relatively private settings, he did not put on airs.

"Your Grace, where did that pouch come from?"

Su Jin asked, then immediately explained, "This is quite important to your subordinate. I beg Your Grace to tell me a little about it."

"It is not a big deal, there is no need for all this," Ren Tianye laughed. "It is quite embarrassing to talk about, actually. The Empress, Xiao Mingzhao, gave this to me. She even told me to keep it safe and become a peerless hero who could save her in the future..."

Ren Tianye shook his head. "Her idea amused me for quite a while."

Su Jin understood.

The Empress, Xiao Mingzhao!

However, the fact that Empress Xiao Mingzhao and the person suspected to be her third sister used the exact same true-love knot pattern did not lessen the doubts in her heart at all; instead, they surged even more fiercely.

Her third sister had lived in the Northern Frontier for a long time and rarely came to the capital.

Even the few times she did come to the capital, Su Jin had accompanied her. It was absolutely impossible for her to have had any interaction with Empress Xiao Mingzhao.

Furthermore, that was Empress Xiao Mingzhao.

Her third sister, Su Li, was merely the daughter of a minor merchant family in the Northern Frontier. No matter how much wealth the Su family possessed in the north, they were simply not on the same level as Empress Xiao Mingzhao, who ruled the world.

How could there be such a connection between them?

"Could it be that it is not my third sister?"

Su Jin pondered in her heart.

But right now, to get the answer, she had to wait for her second uncle Su Hong's reply. She had already sent a letter to Su Hong, but unfortunately, the capital and the Northern Frontier were far apart. A round trip would still take some time.

"What is wrong?" Ren Tianye also noticed Su Jin's unusual expression at this time and asked.

Su Jin said, "Your Grace, your subordinate feels that this true-love knot is somewhat unusual."

"Items from the imperial palace are naturally unusual. Is that so strange?"

"No!" Su Jin said. "This true-love knot is not different in terms of its material, but its style. There are many common true-love knots on the market, but this style is completely unique."

"This style is peculiar, bold, and has an indescribable aesthetic appeal. It seems exceptionally... uniform."

Uniform?

This word instantly struck a chord in Ren Tianye's heart.

Because what he instantly associated it with was an industrialized process.

He immediately had Su Jin bring over patterns of true-love knots from the market and compared them one by one. The smile on his face completely vanished, replaced entirely by solemnity.

This pattern... was so damn modern!

It was truly completely different from the true-love knots of the Great Yu Dynasty!

"It is not Xiao Mingzhao, it is the Prostitute Empress... But what is the deal with this true-love knot?"

Ren Tianye was also confused inwardly, but he acted decisively and ordered Su Jin, "The next direction for your Demon Suppression Division, apart from what I just told you about the lovestruck fools in the capital, the late Emperor, and the Prostitute Empress, is that this true-love knot must also be taken seriously!"

Su Jin nodded and said, "Your Grace, right now, our Demon Suppression Division has indeed uncovered such a matter. It is the matter your subordinate just reported, concerning the late Emperor..."

"It also seems to concern this true-love knot."

Pausing for a moment, Su Jin said, "Your Grace, do you still remember the Tiqi Division?"

Ren Tianye naturally remembered.

Gu Qingyue, whom he had deliberately let go, was the Commander of the Tiqi Division. How could he not have a deep impression?!

"The current Commander of the Tiqi Division is named Chen Liang. Under him are three captains, each commanding hundreds of men. They are responsible for daily training, patrol dispatching, and in the event of an incident, they act as the vanguard, responsible for patrolling the capital, making arrests, and issuing summons."

"Now, one of the captains under his command has been replaced by our own man. Through his clues, we learned that one of them, named Du Tao, is a demonic paramour, and his ancestors were attendants to the late Emperor, possessing a true-love knot pouch."

Ren Tianye nodded. He rarely took the initiative to handle these trivial matters, so right now he naturally delegated authority to Su Jin: "Just go ahead and do it. If anything happens, I will naturally take the responsibility for you."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Su Jin took her leave, organized her personnel, and headed straight for the Tiqi Division.

...

Pei Residence.

Pei Jingzhi looked like a walking corpse, merely muttering from his mouth, "Chen Liang, how is your organization of the Tiqi Division's personnel coming along?"

"Can they all be handed over to me to use?"

Pei Jingzhi did not even refer to himself as this official, but rather as this old man.

This abnormal posture allowed Chen Liang to quickly grasp Pei Jingzhi's intentions; it seemed he was preparing to burn his bridges and do something drastic.

He immediately replied, "Of the three captains in the Tiqi Division, one was planted by Ren Tianye's men. The one who wanted to abandon his official post and accompany a woman to wander the world was persuaded by me to stay after much talking. Now, these two units of the Tiqi Division, totaling over seven hundred men, are all under my control."

"If you want them, My Lord, I can bring them over very quickly."

Pei Jingzhi nodded and said, "Good, go make the arrangements and bring them to me. And then..."

Pei Jingzhi gave Chen Liang a deep look. "Take advantage of the fact that the four gates of the capital are currently wide open, and quickly flee for your life. In the future, the tasks of cleansing the emperor's side, executing treacherous officials, restoring the imperial lineage, and rectifying the court's discipline will still require knowledgeable young men like you to accomplish."

Chen Liang's body trembled as he completely understood Pei Jingzhi's thoughts.

He originally wanted to say something more, but seeing Pei Jingzhi wave his hand to dismiss him, he had no choice but to take his leave.

Filled with grief, he had already decided that he absolutely must hand over the Tiqi Division completely intact into Pei Jingzhi's hands to lend him a helping hand.

Meanwhile, Pei Jingzhi cast his gaze into the distance.

This was the final struggle!

It no longer mattered whether he lived or died.

However, before this final struggle, he needed to go see his wife. With Madam Liu's assistance, his chances of success would be somewhat higher.

Besides, it was also time to say goodbye to his wife.

...

Tiqi Division!

Chen Liang sat upright in a high position. Below stood two rows of men, all Tiqi guards of the Tiqi Division. However, of the three captains, only one had arrived.

Since this was his private mobilization, Ren Tianye's man naturally dared not interfere.

But there were clearly supposed to be two captains left, so why...

Was there another one missing?

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the one who wanted to accompany his wife to wander the world had disappeared yet again!

Chen Liang's chest full of grief and indignation instantly turned halfway into helplessness. He asked weakly, "Where is Ji Bing?"

"Commander!" The remaining captain, Du Tao, said, "Ji Bing, he went off to wander the world."

"He said he thought about it for a long time and still felt he could not let down his lover. Therefore, he had no choice but to let you down, My Lord. So, he quietly left to wander the world last night."

Chen Liang: "..."

No, could he really not be reasoned with?

Did he absolutely have to go wander the world?

Damn it, he was originally supposed to hand over seven hundred men to Lord Pei, and now only half were left. He felt incredibly infuriated. If it were not for the urgency of the current situation, he really wanted to grab a blade, catch up to him, and split his head open to see what kind of filthy garbage was inside.

But right now, he could only endure it.

"Only a little over three hundred men are left. Lord Pei, the chances are even slimmer now. But for now, we can only try our best to hold onto these three hundred or so men. We absolutely cannot afford any more mistakes."

With a sharp gaze, Chen Liang said, "Gentlemen, I know many of you have concubines, lovers, or even old acquaintances in the brothels, but..."

"A major event is currently unfolding, and the stakes are extraordinarily high."

"Therefore, if you still consider me a brother, and if you still consider me your Commander, you will follow my orders."

Pausing for a moment, Chen Liang's eyes swept over the crowd like cold blades. "Everyone must cut ties with those women. They are nothing but enchanting demons who will only ruin our grand plans. Do you understand?"

The Imperial Guards below shouted in unison.

"Yes, Commander!"

"We will strictly obey your orders, Lord Commander."

"We will go and break things off with those brothel women right now."

...

Their attitude brought Chen Liang a wave of relief. Just as he was about to offer a few words of encouragement, he noticed that his only remaining squad leader, Du Tao, was standing in complete silence. He couldn't help but ask, "Du Tao, why aren't you saying anything?"

Du Tao finally stepped forward, hesitating for a moment.

Yet, with a face full of determination, he said, "Lord Commander, she... she is different!"

With a loud boom, Chen Liang felt as if his head had just exploded.

He immediately looked at Du Tao with a face full of disbelief.

He had three squad leaders under his command, men he had painstakingly cultivated into his trusted aides. As a result, when Ren Tianye's people aggressively demanded men, he had pushed out the one who was slightly more distant, leaving only two to support him.

But then, Ji Bing had run off to roam the world, leaving Du Tao as his sole remaining pillar. How could it be...

That he also had a damn problem?

Chen Liang rushed down and grabbed Du Tao by the collar, his voice trembling slightly. "Who... who is she? How is she different?"

"What could possibly be different about these bewitching demons?"

Du Tao was almost lifted off his feet, but he still remained silent. It was a nearby Imperial Guard who whispered, "Lord Commander, that woman is from the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. She has natural beauty..."

"A prostitute?!" Chen Liang's headache worsened. "A whore? A thing whose lips have been tasted by a thousand men, whose arms have been a pillow for ten thousand? How is she any different?"

Hearing this, the silent Du Tao instantly bristled.

"I will not allow you to speak of her that way!"

"She rises from the mud unsoiled! She is like a pure angel in this murky world. She is just different!"

"Besides..."

Du Tao's tone grew even more defiant. "Even the late Emperor's beloved once came from a brothel. I am merely learning from the late Emperor, what is wrong with that?"

The fact that the late Emperor Xiao Jingyuan had married a prostitute, and that the former empress was a Prostitute Empress, was quite a massive secret. Most people in the capital were unaware of it. Therefore, as soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding Imperial Guards were left dumbfounded.

The late Emperor married a prostitute?

Wasn't it said that she came from a prestigious noble family?

How could there be such a thing?

Chen Liang's expression, however, drastically changed in an instant.

As someone who frequently mingled in the capital and had the most well-connected network, he had naturally learned of this from hidden sources. But this matter had been strictly forbidden from being spoken of by the late Emperor Xiao Jingyuan. For Du Tao to dare shout it out in public was a grave taboo!

His immediate instinct was to reprimand and stop him.

But he immediately bit his tongue. Firstly, it was too late to stop him. Secondly, Du Tao's identity was somewhat unique.

Du Tao's father had once been the late Emperor's personal guard and was deeply trusted by him back in the day. Unfortunately, for the sake of a woman, he embezzled five thousand taels of silver and fell into ruin, which was why Du Tao ended up idling away in the Imperial Guard Division.

However, the late Emperor's divine favor probably still lingered.

So he shouted, "Cease your nonsense!"

"How dare you comment on the late Emperor's affairs?"

"Furthermore, I don't care if she's different from others or not. You will go to her right now and break it off. Otherwise, do not blame me for reporting this and charging you with the crime of corrupting official decorum."

Du Tao, however, showed no fear. "My Lord, for her, so what if I am punished? Besides, you cannot punish me!"

A brilliant light suddenly burst forth in Du Tao's eyes. "The late Emperor once bestowed an item that can keep my family safe and sound for generations. My father could not bear to use it and passed it down to me. Right now..."

"For her, I am willing to use it!"

He still had something from the late Emperor?

But, to use an item bestowed by the late Emperor for a prostitute?

Chen Liang's head exploded once again.

This truly left him instantly bewildered and confused.

After finally calming down, the thing he wanted to do most was to dismiss Du Tao and replace him with his own man for the squad leader position. But as a mere Imperial Guard Commander, he had the power to use men but not the authority to appoint or dismiss them. If he reported this, the replacement sent would undoubtedly be a supporter of Ren Tianye.

This made him feel on the verge of a breakdown.

This Du Tao right in front of him could neither be treated lightly nor harshly. He was exactly the same kind of headache as Ji Bing, who had just gone off to roam the world!

He originally could have sent over a thousand men to Lord Pei, but now... damn it, out of three squad leaders, one belonged to Ren Tianye, one ran off to roam the world for love, and one was throwing everything away for a prostitute. It was spiraling out of control.

Damn it, why is it so hard to just get something done?!

Just then, an Imperial Guard hurried over to report.

"Lord Commander, the people from the Demon Suppression Division are here!"

Chen Liang was suddenly startled.

Although the Demon Suppression Division had only recently been established, it had already stirred up massive waves within the capital. Moreover, it was commanded by Ren Tianye's most trusted subordinate, and most of its selected personnel were drawn from the Northern Frontier's personal guards.

Now that Ren Tianye held unparalleled power over the world, this Demon Suppression Division under his command was an existence that struck terror into the hearts of all who heard its name.

Why...

Were they here?

Chen Liang suppressed the boiling anxiety in his heart and did not dare to delay. He immediately led his men out to greet them. He saw a squad of cavalry rushing over rapidly. Leading the group were two people. On the left was a valiant-looking man, who was precisely the former deputy general of Lu Qing, the recently deposed Great General. On the right was a woman with charming eyes yet a valiant and heroic demeanor.

Chen Liang knew she was called Su Jin, and she was deeply trusted by Ren Tianye.

He immediately stepped forward to speak with them, but unexpectedly, before he could even reach them, Su Jin waved her hand, and a guard threw a corpse down from his horse!

"Bang!"

The corpse hit the ground.

Su Jin's voice rang out: "Ji Bing, Squad Leader of the Imperial Guard Division, received deep grace from the state and was entrusted with the duty of the palace guard. Yet, he dared to leave without notice, abandoning his post to elope and roam the world with a woman. This constitutes the three simultaneous crimes of betraying the sovereign, deserting one's post, and fleeing confinement!"

"According to the laws of the Demon Suppression Division: Imperial guards who desert their posts shall be executed immediately!"

"He has now been executed by our Demon Suppression Division!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it felt as if the heavens and earth rumbled.

Seeing Ji Bing—the man he had just been having a heart-to-heart talk with yesterday—now with his head separated from his body, Chen Liang instantly felt a bone-chilling cold sweep over his entire body!

...

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[Only one chapter update today]

[Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a healthy family. The author wishes you all a happy new year.]

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