Chapter 82: Yang Feng’s Past

    The Champion Marquis Han Shi had personally come to visit for the purpose of, surprisingly, hiring Yang Feng. Han Ruzi was stunned for a moment, looking at the eunuch standing at the door, “You wish to invite him to be a strategist in the army?”

    The Champion Marquis gave a faint smile, “Strategist is just a colloquial term. There is currently a vacancy for the position of Adjutant of the Northern Army. I have consulted with many people, and everyone recommended Master Yang to me.”

    “What does the Adjutant of the Northern Army do?” Han Ruzi asked casually.

    “Assist the Grand Marshal in managing the army, managing the roster, military laws, official documents...”

    Han Ruzi laughed, “Then you’ve found the wrong person. Yang Feng can’t even manage the accounts of over a hundred people in the manor, how can he manage the miscellaneous affairs of a hundred thousand people in the Northern Army?”

    The Champion Marquis also laughed, “You may not be aware, but the Adjutant is the head of the civil officials and clerks in the army. The miscellaneous day-to-day affairs are handled by them, and the most important duty of the Adjutant is to assist the Grand Marshal in managing the army. The position is comparable to that of a hundred fierce generals.”

    Han Ruzi sat in his chair and twisted his body, causing his sore legs to ache. He couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

    Champion Marquis Han Shi asked with concern, “Are you injured?”

    “No, I’m not injured. I practised horse stance for a while in the morning.”

    “Haha, do you like martial arts as well? It’s always a bit uncomfortable when you first start practicing. It was the same for me at first. Later, I got a type of cream which has miraculous effects in relieving soreness. Afterwards, I will have someone send some to your manor.”

    “You are too kind. I’m just practicing for fun, there’s no need for a cream.”

    “Training is for strengthening the body, so even minor pain and injuries should not be overlooked. My cream is not particularly rare or valuable, there is no harm to trying it out.”

    “Then... I would be rude to refuse.”

    Han Shi put away his smile and asked again, “I know you are reluctant reluctant to let Master Yang go, but shallow waters cannot hold a dragon. It’s a pity for a talent like Master Yang not to venture out and make a career.”

    “Yang Feng used to be an attendant in the palace, advising the Emperor. This manor is but shallow waters compared to the palace, but the waters of the Northern Army do not seem much deeper.”

    Han Shi laughed loudly. He cupped his fists and said, “Lord Marquis, you are right, I was being rude. If you are unwilling to let him go, I certainly can’t force the issue. I just plead one thing: if you are willing to release the tiger, the Northern Army, though small, is a place the tiger can sharpen its claws and teeth, waiting for the right time for the tiger to roar.”

    “Sorry, by ‘tiger’ do you mean Yang Feng?”

    Han Shi nodded.Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

    “There’s no need to wait for another day, let’s ask him today.”

    Both of them looked at Yang Feng. After all the discussion, they had not yet asked the opinion of the person in question.

    Yang Feng bowed, “I am a person guilty of crimes. It was by the grace of the Empress Dowager that she forgave me and assigned me to the Marquis’s Manor as the steward. I shall therefore serve the Marquis with all my heart, and I dare not harbor any wild thoughts. I am not a tiger, but a guard dog.”

    The Champion Marquis laughed heartily, “Master Yang is too modest. Alright, I have made my intentions clear. I shall no longer disturb you and shall take my leave.”

    The Manor Clerk had asked the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs, and was informed that the Weary Marquis did not need to provide a meal. So Han Ruzi did not hold him back. He stood up and said, “I’m sorry that you have come all this way for nothing. I still have a few idle eunuchs here, if you see any you like, I can let you have them right now.”

    The Champion Marquis took this as a joke and laughed it off.

    Han Ruzi escorted him to the second gate. Steward Yang Feng escorted him to the front gate.

    In the study, Han Ruzi sat still, not moving. Zhang Youcai was just about to say something when he was waved away.

    He did not need anyone’s advice. He just needed to think on his own.

    “He had a reason. There were too many local heroes, some of whom had become too powerful, to the point where even the local government offices didn’t dare to provoke them. The fugitives pursued by the court could be safe as long as they took refuge under the heroes. If this continued, the imperial court would only be an empty shell.”

    “And for that the Martial Emperor indiscriminately executed people?”

    “Heh, the Emperor is high above, how could he distinguish right from wrong among the people? Moreover, this so-called right and wrong are subject to change. Marquis Junyang was once a famous hero in the world. But when he sensed danger, didn’t he also abandon his heroics for power? The Martial Emperor did kill people, but the results did not meet his expectations. He thought he could kill one to warn a hundred, or just kill them all if necessary. But there were always those who were not afraid of death. One batch of heroes would fall, and another would rise, even more numerous.”

    Han Ruzi still had many questions. He held them back and asked, “Were you also involved in this at that time, Lord Yang?”

    “Mm, I chose to get involved because I had to repay kindness and take revenge.”

    At that time, Yang Feng had no power or influence. Unable to save the hero, he brought his old mother to the Capital, mingling among the powerful and wealthy. Using the Martial Emperor’s anger towards the heroes, he managed to annihilate the family that had caused the hero to be imprisoned and executed.

    By this time, Yang Feng couldn’t extricate himself from the grudges between the heroes and the court. He served as the pawn of the court, which naturally also attracted the revenge of the heroes. Fortunately, he wasn’t particularly important out of all the Martial Emperor’s agents— indeed, he didn’t even have the privilege to meet the Martial Emperor in person. So he did not get caught in the brunt of the backlash, only its aftershocks.

    But even the aftershocks resulted in significant blows to Yang Feng. He lost his official position, lost his reputation, his mother passed away in poverty without a word of complaint, his wife mysteriously died, leaving behind an infant son, his house was often on fire, there were always people following him like assassins on the street... Yang Feng had no choice but to hide and even seek help from the heroes he had offended.

    Unfortunately, he sought help from the wrong person, or perhaps he misunderstood the rules of the pugilist world, or perhaps the person was unwilling to forgive his transgressions against the pugilist world. Strange things kept happening, and Yang Feng felt danger was at his side. Even when he left the Capital and hid in the countryside, danger still followed him.

    Years later, Yang Feng finally woke up to the fact that he had not offended a hero, but a gang hiding in the shadows.

    Han Ruzi was increasingly astonished as he listened, “You mean to say that the heroes of the pugilist world have formed a large gang?”

    “The heroes are not a gang, but there is a gang hiding among them. I had been looking for clues, but first I needed to disappear, to evade their eyes and ears.”

    Yang Feng entrusted his only son to others, changed his name and identity, and after undergoing castration, he managed to enter the manor of the then Prince Donghai, subsequently Graceful Emperor, as a eunuch. Finally, the strange occurrences around him stopped. Yang Feng silently hid and observed. He believed that such a powerful gang would inevitably leave traces.

    “All along, I had focusing on heroes from all over the country. It was only after the rebellion of Prince Qi that I realized I had been looking in the wrong direction: the heroes are like pearls, connected by a thin thread. I only saw the pearls and thought the largest one was the leader. In fact, the hidden thread is the key, and many heroes were being used without realizing it.”

    “Are you seeking revenge?”

    “Revenge? Of course, I want revenge, but that’s just part of the reason.” Yang Feng stared at the Weary Marquis. He had only told the truth to two people, one was the deceased Thoughtful Emperor, and the other was the young man before him, “I can’t stand being manipulated. I want a head-on fight, to cut off that thread. Even if I die, I will have no regrets.”

    Han Ruzi finally understood, Yang Feng was a madman, Luo Huan-zhang and Chunyu Xiao were all madmen. Marquis Junyang, who used his reputation to save his life, was the normal one.

    But if he wanted to retake the throne in nearly impossible circumstances, he had to first find supporters among these madmen.

    “If you’re willing to sincerely help me, I can help you as well,” Han Ruzi said.

    “How can you help me?” Yang Feng asked coldly.

    “If there really is a mysterious gang in this world as you said, Chunyu Xiao must be one of them.”

    “Mm, very likely.”

    “They wish for the empire to fall into chaos, right?”

    “Mm.”

    “So, wouldn’t a deposed emperor be very useful to them?”

    Yang Feng remained silent.

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