Chapter 7: That's what's written in the contract

"Don't throw the bowl over, there's soup in the bowl. I'm wearing a flying fish suit now, if I get it dirty, it's deceiving the Emperor."

Li Miao said.

In Li Miao's previous life, many people had the impression that the Embroidered Uniform Guard should wear flying fish suits and carry embroidered spring blades.

Actually, this is not the case.

Under the productive conditions of the feudal era, there was no ability to issue embroidered uniforms to groups other than officials.

In reality, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's uniform was an ordinary official uniform, and the tight-fitting outfit worn when handling official business changed according to the shape of the Ministry of War at that time.

The flying fish suit was actually one of the rewards bestowed by the Emperor on meritorious officials and subordinate officials; whether one could wear it depended on whether the Emperor bestowed it.

The bestowed uniforms recorded as being bestowed on Embroidered Uniform Guard officials included four types: python robes, flying fish suits, bull-fighting suits, and qilin suits. The flying fish suit Li Miao was wearing was bestowed by the current Emperor; not to mention getting it dirty, even washing it was a crime.

Such imperial bestowed clothes were rarely worn on ordinary days.

Wang Hai putting this suit on Li Miao directly was because he had anticipated that Zhu Zai would do this to Li Miao and had defended against it in advance.

Sure enough, choked by Li Miao's words, Zhu Zai put down the bowl he had raised.

It was just that he still stared fiercely at Li Miao, breathing heavily.

After a long time, Zhu Zai cursed angrily: "Look at you! Rotten mud can't be supported on the wall!"

Li Miao said without raising his head or opening his eyes: "My lord, I have been working under you for twenty years. I have long known that I am a piece of rotten mud; why do you insist on supporting me?"

"You always insist on supporting me, the rotten mud is uncomfortable, and you get angry. Why don't you just treat me like a fart and let me go, what do you say?"

"You mother..."

Zhu Zai was over fifty, from the imperial clan, and was an old man with a temper but quite a demeanor. At this moment, he was cursed by Li Miao's dead pig not afraid of boiling water attitude.

The hand holding the bowl had just been put down and was raised again, about to throw the bowl at Li Miao's face.

"Hey, hey..." Li Miao puffed out his chest, revealing the embroidered flying fish on his chest, and pointed at it with his hand. It meant to remind Zhu Zai of the imperial bestowed clothes.

Slap!

Zhu Zai threw the bowl down hatefully and pointed at Li Miao's nose and cursed.

"Why can't you strive for success and move a little! How long have you been a Thousand-Household? Fifteen years, right!"

"In the seventh year of Jiajing, you were a Thousand-Household under me! In the twenty-third year of Jiajing, you are still a Thousand-Household! Do you want to be a Thousand-Household for a lifetime!?"

"How many times, how many opportunities have I given you? I haven't spent so much thought on my son's official career! Can't you move your lazy bones and come up to share the burden for me!?"

Zhu Zai looked at Li Miao, who was leaning back in the chair with an indifferent face, looking like he was hating iron for not becoming steel.

"Why didn't you come back to report last night!?"

Li Miao replied: "I was sleepy, a few petty thieves, Wang Hai pressed them back, and I went back to sleep."

"Who cares about those few petty thieves!? I'm asking you why you let Yan Xiaosheng go!?" Zhu Zai said. The few outlaws pressed back from Yan Xiaosheng's place last night had quite a few good hands who had made a name for themselves in the martial arts world, but in his mouth, they became petty thieves.

"This matter of Yan Xiaosheng, there is plenty of oil and water, everyone wants to grab it, why did I have to be the one to do it? Can you not understand?"

"I understand, I understand," Li Miao said.

"Isn't it because the money Vice Commander is about to step down, and Yan Xiaosheng has the background of the Ministry of War. You want me to bring him back and hand him over to the Ministry of War to get a favor. So that they can lift their hands and let me take the position of the money Vice Commander."

When the founding Emperor of Great Shuo established the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he wanted to leave a secret service organization independent of the imperial court for later emperors, with personnel promotion and salary decided by the Emperor alone. Only in this way could the loyalty and reliability of this secret service organization be guaranteed.

But the rules are dead, and people are alive. After experiencing the games between several emperors and the imperial court, the current Embroidered Uniform Guard is no longer a pure private army of the Emperor. The two Vice Commanders under the Commander are now recommended by the Ministry of War. It is equivalent to nails buried by the imperial court inside the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Zai's meaning was to let Li Miao use the pretext of cleaning up the capital to catch Yan Xiaosheng back and make a deal with the Ministry of War, so that he could justify promoting Li Miao to the position of Vice Commander.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is from top to bottom: Commander, Commander Vice Commander, Commander Assistant, Town-Suppressing Commander, Thousand-Household, Hundred-Household. Li Miao, this Thousand-Household, is a regular Grade Five, and the Commander Vice Commander is a supplementary Grade Three; this span is not small, belonging to a very rare cross-level promotion, which only appears in special Yamen like the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Such an opportunity, if placed outside, would probably be fought over.

But Li Miao just beat the person half to death, let him go, and let Yan Xiaosheng go to break it off himself. He also talked a lot of nonsense with Yan Xiaosheng.

Only by holding the handle in one's hand can one have the basis for bargaining. He let Yan Xiaosheng go, which would only turn this matter into a tacit interest exchange.

I think the Ministry of War will send a large sum of silver in a few days, but Zhu Zai's calculation of letting the Ministry of War open its mouth to promote Li Miao to Vice Commander will be impossible to mention.

How could this not make Zhu Zai, who had painstakingly found an opportunity, angry and furious?

He said hatefully: "You are not a reckless man whose brain is only filled with Wu Gong; you know this matter clearly! Why do you have to go against me!"

"How many years, how many times! Every time I want to promote you, you have to make trouble. You don't come for roll call, you don't go for protection. Others grab credit, you sleep, others get promoted, you cheer!"

"Others work at sunrise and rest at sunset, you do four hours of work every day like a young master. Fine, you have great ability, you have high Wu Gong, I endure you. But does promotion hinder you!? Do you love being that Grade Five Thousand-Household so much!?"

Zhu Zai was so angry that his face turned red, walking back and forth in the room, cursing every step, cursing until his beard was scattered and his clothes were wrinkled, without any demeanor of a heavy minister, looking like an old man angrily cursing his unfilial son.

Li Miao saw Zhu Zai was truly angry, so he took his hand supporting his face, sat upright, and took out a yellowed piece of paper from his bosom.

As soon as Zhu Zai saw that piece of paper, his momentum weakened, and he waved his hand impatiently: "Don't use this broken thing to talk about things!"

Li Miao ignored him and spread that piece of paper he took from under the paperweight on his desk on the table.

On that piece of paper, words like "Li Miao" and "four hours a day" were vaguely written, and other places were polluted by dried blood, black and black. Only a handprint could be seen at the bottom, looking like someone's signature.

"This was exchanged for my life back then. The handprint you pressed on this was pressed with my blood," Li Miao said.

This was when Li Miao was twenty years old and still a Hundred-Household.

At that time, he did a life-threatening job for Zhu Zai and almost didn't make it. Zhu Zai rescued him and asked him what he wanted while supporting the blood-covered Li Miao.

As a result, Li Miao took out a "labor contract" he had imitated from his previous life and coaxed Zhu Zai to press his handprint.

Zhu Zai only thought it was a joke Li Miao made at the time; who knew that from then on, he would really only work four hours a day. Every time Zhu Zai scolded him for being lazy, he would use this piece of paper to block Zhu Zai's mouth.

And every time Zhu Zai saw this piece of paper, thinking of Li Miao lying in his arms covered in wounds back then, he wouldn't make things difficult for him again.

However, this time is different.

Zhu Zai was silent for a while and finally spoke: "Li Miao, this time is not a joke."

"His Majesty has looked old in recent years and has already built a mausoleum, intending to pass away and pass the throne to the Crown Prince."

"I, this Commander, won't be doing it for long."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 8 =====