Chapter 6

"Considering you haven't completely gone bad, I'll spare your life this time, hmpf, be more careful next time, don't fall into my hands again!"

As they turned a corner of the courtyard, there was a lot of commotion on the roof. A tall figure kicked off some tiles and then, as light as a swallow, disappeared.

Gao Fangping, hearing the commotion, looked up and muttered, "You, Lu Zhishen, I've been waiting for you to make a move. You've been putting on a show for so long and secretly arranged for Xu Ning to catch you, but you didn't dare to come. Not coming is one thing, but leaving a few words to save face, how foolish is that?"

There was no response.

Xu Ning came out from the shadows, frowned, and said, "Young Master, after I left, I received a secret letter from you, which only said 'return secretly.' Now it seems you already know who the thief watching you is?"

"Of course I do," Gao Fangping said, looking up at the roof. "This man is a brute, hiding in the Xiangguo Temple."

Xu Ning was startled and clasped his fists. "This is outrageous. If the Young Master gives me twenty imperial guards, I will immediately go to the Xiangguo Temple and bring him back to you!"

Gao Fangping shook his head. "Not yet. Compared to other bandits, this guy isn't too bad. He also has a murder case on his hands, and he fled to Bianjing under a false name. Even if we were to capture him, it wouldn't be the imperial guards' job, but the Kaifeng Prefecture's."

"I understand," Xu Ning nodded and said no more.

As Gao Fangping turned to leave, he said, "Since Instructor Xu is willing to return, it means you have agreed to my request. I will inform my father and help you get a position as a commander, staying in the Gao family to manage the personal guards."

"Thank you, Young Master, for your favor!"

Xu Ning was pleasantly surprised, not expecting to get a commander position and command a camp of troops right away. That would already be the limit of the personal guards of General Gao. In other words, the safety of the entire Gao family would be entrusted to him, which was a significant trust.

Before disappearing, Gao Fangping added, "Remember to keep a close eye on your subordinate Lu Qian, do you understand my meaning?"

"I understand, sir!" Xu Ning immediately recalled Lu Qian's ruthless and cunning nature and his thoughts about Lin Chong when they were at the Zhang family.

A commander is different from a captain. In the local army, it doesn't matter, but in the imperial guards, one must have an official rank. However, for a corrupt father, this is very simple. For a low-level ninth-rank military official, it's just a word from General Gao.

If Gao Fangping had the ambition to pursue a military career, the Song Dynasty had a rule of granting official positions to the sons of important ministers. His father could go to the emperor and get a not-so-low military rank for Gao Fangping.

But that was useless. The previous Gao Fangping was an idiot, and having an official rank would have made him die a very ugly death. So Gao Qiu simply didn't want it. Now, Gao Fangping had his own plans. Such a favor, especially a military rank, was better not to have. Having it would make him stand out too much, and anyone could look down on him. Without an official rank, he wouldn't be under anyone's command, and with the reputation of a playboy and the prestige of General Gao, he could act more freely.

In Gao Fangping's limited historical knowledge, anyone who hadn't passed through the Donghua Gate and been announced was not a true official. If there were any changes, they would die a very ugly death, and their families might not survive. But true civil officials, even if they faced struggles, generally didn't die easily. The worst they could face was being demoted to a remote area to spend their lives.

Perhaps it was Gao Fangping's illusion, but in the things he knew, the Song Dynasty had a nearly pathological tolerance for true civil officials. For military officers, regardless of their rank, they were usually beheaded when something happened, and killing military officers didn't even require an imperial decree.

For this reason, after Cai Jing was dismissed as prime minister, he remained a leader. If it were someone else, like his corrupt father or Tong Guan, they would have died a very ugly death once they fell out of favor. So they always lived on the edge, very cautiously, without dignity or backbone. Old Cai, although a super villain, lived a grand and domineering life...

Gao Fangping, supporting his cheek, was very depressed.

As one of the great weapons of time travel, his knowledge of poetry and literature was too limited. Even when he knew something, he couldn't remember it completely. This lack of knowledge deprived him of the capital to make famous ministers and beauties bow in admiration.

Unless it was true love, who in modern times would have the leisure to memorize a brain full of ancient poetry? What a tragedy.

Recalling, hmm, he did know some poetry and literature, but that was for cheating on exams, not for random use.

During the Song Dynasty's imperial examinations, poetry and literature still held significant weight. There was once a genius named Wang Anshi who abolished this system for a while, but it was later reinstated. It was said that sometimes it was tested and sometimes it wasn't, depending on the emperor's mood.

Gao Fangping suspected that the current era was one of those times when it was tested and not tested. But based on the current emperor's preferences, the probability of testing poetry and literature was still high.

There was no way around it; Emperor Huizong was like that. Whatever the examination, it was his word.

Shaking his head, Gao Fangping made an initial plan. The most urgent task was to find someone to marry... no, actually, to find a teacher. Not to learn martial arts from a Liangshan hero for self-defense, but to find a respected scholar with influence and far from the political arena, and become his disciple. Whether he learned or not was another matter, but his background and reputation among scholars would be completely different.

But which blind-eyed literary master would take in a playboy?

While thinking, he heard Xiao Jiulong, his loyal servant, say outside, "Young Master's arrangements have been made, everything is in order."

Gao Fangping immediately went out, dragging Fu An, "Hurry up, let's go to the Kaifeng Prefecture."

Fu An, no longer foolish, kept backing away, almost saying, "I'll just go buy some soy sauce." He had heard that the young master had been humiliated by the Kaifeng Prefecture official earlier. Given the previous idiotic young master's intelligence and character, it was hard to ensure he wouldn't lead people to storm the Kaifeng Prefecture, which was a capital offense.

"Hurry up," Gao Fangping urged.

"I... I can't move, I was stabbed in the back for Young Master today," Fu An almost wanted to cry. Bullying a small military instructor like Lin Chong was one thing, but causing trouble in the Kaifeng Prefecture hall was something he wouldn't dare to do even if he had the courage of a leopard.

Gao Fangping, impatient, gave him a slap on the back of the head, "Hurry up, don't think I'm stupid. We're not going to die, but to see Lin Chong."

Hearing this, Xiao Jiulong's confidence returned, and he patted his chest, "Young Master is noble, the Kaifeng Prefecture is easy to visit, but the jailers are hard to deal with. The higher-ups are one thing, but dealing with the lower officials is another. With me, Young Master won't be deceived by those bloodsuckers who live off the dead."

This was why Gao Fangping brought Fu An. Xiao Jiulong was still somewhat useful...

They went to the Kaifeng Prefecture, avoiding the main entrance, and went to the jailers' quarters. Fu An didn't go in, shouting from outside, "Wang Wu, my grandson, come out, I have something to say."

"Ah, Master Fu, what wind brings you here today? Is there something good for us? We'll have a drink after my shift."

The jailer, Wang Wu, smiled and came out. Seeing a well-dressed young nobleman with a fan covering his face next to Fu An, he didn't say much, just smiled knowingly, understanding that something good was coming.

Usually, when something good came, you didn't talk to the main person but to Fu An. That was the rule.

Then, as the two fools colluded, a piece of silver from Fu An's hand found its way into Wang Wu's hand...

Always keeping the fan over his face, Gao Fangping followed Wang Wu into the dark, damp dungeon. Fu An stayed outside; he couldn't go in, and Gao Fangping didn't want him to.

Almost overwhelmed by the stench, various odors of feces and urine filled the air. Many prisoners, beaten and unconscious, lay in their own blood and filth.

Finally, they reached the bottom, where a prisoner in a cell, with disheveled hair and a criminal's shackles, was not sleeping, but sitting against the stone wall, lost in thought.

"This is him, Young Master, please do as you wish. If you need anything, let me know," Wang Wu said, taking the jailer with him to give Gao Fangping some space. He also brought a simple chair for Gao Fangping.

Sitting across from the cell, Gao Fangping put away his fan.

Lin Chong, who had been very calm, saw this face and suddenly clenched his hands, trying to stand up in agitation but ultimately restraining himself.

Lin Chong took a few deep breaths, his eyes filled with tears, and said bitterly, "Young Master, are you really going to pursue this to the death? What are you doing here now?"

Lin Chong was a man of weak character, relatively mild-tempered, and somewhat indecisive. To protect his wife, Zhang Shi, he had written a divorce letter and still didn't want to offend the Gao family. He knew that offending them wouldn't change anything and would make it hard for his wife to survive in Bianjing.

This mindset and character led him to endure, until he was driven to the brink in Cangzhou when Lu Qian burned down the granary, leaving him with no way out.

Gao Fangping looked at him with interest, saying nothing.

Lin Chong's anger slowly turned to resignation, and finally, he pleaded, "Young Master, Lin Chong doesn't blame you. I only beg for a way out for myself and for the Zhang family. If there's a way out, Lin Chong won't think too much, won't resent you."

"Am I hearing things wrong?" Gao Fangping asked. "Even now, you still endure?"

Lin Chong said dejectedly, "What else can I do if I don't endure?"

"That's an interesting statement, not easy to hear from a warrior," Gao Fangping said.

Lin Chong was taken aback; this Gao Fangping seemed like a different person, somewhat different.

"You speak, I listen," Gao Fangping smiled.

Lin Chong was puzzled again. This guy came to see someone but let the other person speak. What did that mean?

"From your visit, it seems you have no ill intentions?" Lin Chong tentatively asked.

"All the evil I could do, I've done. What else do you want me to do?" Gao Fangping laughed. "I like your character. Among the bandits, there are few I find agreeable, and you are one of them."

Lin Chong was puzzled, not quite understanding what he meant.