Chapter 1549 Extra: We're Brothers After We're Born, Why Must We Be Blood Brothers? (Part 1)

Summer of the thirteenth year of Yanhuang.

The emperor selected three locations in the central region for investigation using the method of exploration and planning.

Ever since Shen Tang secretly purged the powerful families associated with the Gods' Society according to the family genealogy, the Central Continent had been a major threat for a long time, with constant rebellions against the Kang Kingdom and various uprisings. However, Shen Tang was adept at sowing discord, eliminating the popular support for these rebels at the root—once the common people of the Central Continent lived decent lives, they would naturally know who the real villains were.

After years of killing, they've basically wiped them out.

The economy in central China is gradually recovering and returning to prosperity.

"...The central continent already possesses a uniquely fertile land and a rich cultural heritage accumulated over the years. As long as the hidden dangers of turmoil are eliminated and development is focused, catching up is only a matter of time." Shen Tang carefully reviewed the memorials submitted by officials from the three regions. On the surface, he sent people to review the account books of the three regions over the years, while privately he ordered people to conduct undercover investigations in various places to see if there were any discrepancies.

So far, she seems quite satisfied.

Just when the officials from the three locations being inspected thought they could have a good New Year, an unexpected incident occurred: a local scoundrel caused a major disaster!

"What...what did you say?"

Upon receiving the news, the official couldn't help but cover his head and scream.

The messenger was also terrified, his legs trembling and his scalp tingling, but he still managed to reply with his strong professionalism: "A quarter of an hour ago, an arrow from outer space struck the imperial banner..."

The official heard what was said.

Her world collapsed.

Enraged, she stomped her feet, her features contorted in a rage, panting heavily, wishing she could tear the culprit to pieces: "Who? Which bastard wants to harm me? Huh? Why does he have to cause trouble when the Emperor is on inspection? This is an attempt to kill me!"

She's innocent!

She's more wronged than Dou E!

A large patch of cold sweat broke out on her forehead!

I dare not even think about what I am about to face.

The Emperor had personally praised her governance during the day, saying that the people under her rule were simple and honest, and that all cases, large and small, were treated with equal importance. The case-solving rate had increased for three consecutive years, and no serious cases had resulted in wrongful or excessive convictions—a truly remarkable achievement. She dared to say without reservation that, with the halo bestowed upon her by the Emperor's words, she would definitely rank highly in the Ministry of Personnel's annual examination; she wouldn't dare say top ten, but top fifty was a certainty.

She was still basking in the afterglow of her joy when this major incident—the attack on the imperial banner by an arrow—occurred. Forget about getting a commendation in the Ministry of Personnel's assessment, forget about being a model citizen; she was lucky to even save the lives of her entire family. Despite her panic, she still forced herself to go before the Emperor to apologize and offer a few words of explanation.

When she arrived, the atmosphere was heavy.

Her heart sank to the bottom.

The bad news is that the dragon banner was indeed attacked.

Good news, it missed.

To be precise, it was the bandits who attacked the direction where the dragon banner was located, and the arrows were intercepted by the guards of the banner camp as soon as they appeared.

Another piece of bad news: the attacker was a wandering knight.

Yes, it's under her jurisdiction.

These thieves and wandering knights didn't fight alone; they came in groups.

A total of ten people were arrested.

When the officials learned of this, they felt a wave of dizziness wash over them.

To put it nicely, they're chivalrous knights; to put it bluntly, they're a criminal gang. I bet they're just remnants of those rebellious thieves from back in the day!

However, as the old saying goes—

The mountains and rivers seemed to block the way, but then a village appeared amidst the willows and flowers.

The arrested gangsters weren't bound hand and foot; instead, they were granted an audience with the emperor. The official, wiping sweat from his brow, cautiously peered ahead. These gangsters were all quite young, their features still somewhat immature, probably around ten years old, brimming with youthful energy. Their leader, dressed as a scholar, sat in the center, and the other nine followed his lead.

Shen Tang looked at the young man in the center with amusement.

Why did you launch a sneak attack on the dragon banner?

The boy opened his mouth and said, "I didn't know that was a dragon banner."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Yi, his temples streaked with gray, secretly wiped away sweat. He suspected he had gotten up in the wrong way today; otherwise, why would he see a country rogue who looked exactly like his father? And it wasn't just that he looked like his father; the young rogue's companions also bore striking resemblances to his deceased uncles. The Duke of Yi wondered if he was dreaming, if he'd been summoned by the King of Hell in a dream, otherwise, how could he have witnessed such an absurd and outrageous scene?

The boy, who looked remarkably like his father, claimed he didn't know it was a dragon banner; he simply wanted to emulate the doctrine and uphold justice.

doctrine?

No, what doctrine?

Are there cult activities secretly taking place in Zhongzhou?

Many people secretly turned their attention to the officials from the three regions.

Well, they boast about their control of the area during the day, but at night they show their true colors. If they were truly dedicated to cracking down on organized crime and illegal activities, how could such blatant cult members emerge?

Local official: "..."

It's a complete injustice! It's truly a complete injustice!

The king asked the question that everyone most wanted to know: "What doctrine?"

The young swordsman proudly declared, "This is the code of chivalry of the Gongxi Chou Conservation Association. We, the people, hate injustice and wickedness as if they were our enemy!"

The tent fell silent for a moment; you could hear a pin drop.

Duke Yiguo nearly choked on his saliva.

"Cough cough cough—"

The young swordsman frowned and glanced at the Duke of Yi, who was coughing violently.

His respect for the elderly and care for the young made him unable to resist showing concern.

The first thing he said was, "Are you sick?"

Duke Yi suppressed his cough, unsure whether to laugh or cry, and hurriedly waved his hand: "I'm not sick, I'm perfectly healthy."

Young swordsman: "Then why are you so weak?"

"...After all, he's just an ordinary person, and he's getting old."

My father had three sons and two daughters. The Duke of Yi, as the eldest son, was just an ordinary person, and now he was approaching fifty. Time had left its mark on his appearance, and even though he had lived a comfortable and carefree life in recent years, his true age was still evident.

The young swordsman's pupils trembled slightly.

Whether it was surprise at the Duke of Yi's casual remark, "After all, they're just ordinary people, getting on in years," or shock at someone in the court holding a high position despite being an ordinary person, or perhaps both, the Duke of Yi had to step forward and say a few kind words, even if only because of the faces of these young wandering knights. He asked gently, "Young man, what's this about the wandering knight doctrine of the Gongxi Chou Conservation Association that you mentioned?"

He naturally knew about the Gongxi Chou Conservation Association.

Even his nephews, nieces, and grandchildren joined in.

He kept praising Gongxi Chou as a paragon of chivalry, which made Duke Yiguo curse him for his "unfilial descendants." What kind of paragon of chivalry is Gongxi Chou? If we truly want to extol classical chivalry, the first name that comes to mind is his late father, Gu Ren.

Gong Xichou is all brawn and no brains.

A bunch of unfilial descendants imitate Gongxi Chou's attire every day.

The Duke of Yi was so angry that he cursed inwardly what kind of evil cult this was.

Looking at it now, wow, it really is a cult!

Even if it's not a cult, it's likely that it's been exploited by malicious individuals.

The young swordsman pulled out a booklet from his robes that looked somewhat familiar to the Duke of Yi, and his eyelids twitched violently. Wasn't this the kind of collectible, autographed booklet that his grandchildren would queue up for two days in advance to buy? It was said to even contain an exclusive interview obtained by the president of the conservation association.

In addition to the interview, there was also Gong Xichou's martial arts experience.

The text also mentions how to eliminate evil and cultivate resonance with the Martial Spirit Totem, leading many younger generations to regard it as a guiding principle.

Good heavens, this has become a doctrine?

These ten naive young adventurers were truly ignorant of their own limitations, perfectly embodying the saying "newborn calves are not afraid of tigers." They came from the same village, grew up playing together, entered junior high school together, went to the same high school together, and even shared the same class. This summer, they made a pact to travel and explore the world, and their first heist was a big one.

Everyone: "..."

How could it not be big?

They actually dared to sneak up and launch an arrow at the dragon banner.

Shen Tang asked with a smile, "You mean you saw injustice on the road?"

The young swordsman at the head nodded, then scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "We actually already had the secret letter on the arrow, but when we infused it with martial energy and shot it, the letter on the arrow burned..."

Therefore, it's clear that the stories of chivalrous knights shooting arrows at city gate plaques, government office plaques, or even corrupt officials' hats as evidence of crimes are all fiction. In reality, it's an artistic embellishment.

Shen Tang: "Then say it yourself now."

The young swordsman said, "There are local officials who have taken office illegally."

Duke Yi: "Just because of this?"

The young man's expression suddenly turned serious: "What do you mean 'just because of this'? This is clearly a major matter concerning the foundation of the nation. If the Three Mutual Assistance Law is not strictly enforced, and local officials cover for each other, falsify documents, and collude to deceive the emperor, how can this be considered a trivial matter?"

The system of recusal for officials in Kangguo differed slightly from the original Three Mutual Law, with more detailed content and stricter restrictions.

However, people got used to calling it that and continued to use it.

The boy said, "We have mentioned it before, but our voices carry little weight."

The people they reported still held their original positions and acted arrogantly. They even claimed that their positions did not count against the official quota of Kangguo, but were specially created for them by their family connections, and that without them, these positions would not exist.

Even if we appeal, what good will it do?

Can they even file a lawsuit?

Would the big shots at the top listen to the nonsense of a little kid?

Will they still take it seriously after hearing it?

Kang Kingdom is too vast. The monarch inspects the royal court annually, and every day there are still countless matters awaiting her attention. Such a trivial matter wouldn't even cross her mind. Even if the monarch did intervene in this insignificant affair, what would be the outcome? At most, a small fine—something she could afford! These commoners and wandering knights have already wasted their energy.

The price they paid was completely disproportionate.

Because these students were all graduates of the Intermediate People's Court and each had good grades, the person who reported them didn't dare to do anything to them, only issuing verbal warnings and privately threatening their relatives and neighbors. As long as they had any sense, they wouldn't dare to continue causing trouble.

However, they underestimated the boy's passionate spirit.

They went directly to Inspector Wang Ting during the summer vacation.

Their original intention was simply to shoot the arrow containing the secret letter of betrayal, hoping the people in the camp would take it seriously and they would achieve their goal. They never expected to be caught, and all ten were captured. At this moment, these teenagers had no fear of losing their lives.

Because they have a legitimate reason for their actions.

Because they stood on the side of justice.

Then they should win big!

The Duke of Yi, his face flushed from the rebuke, did not lash out. Instead, he softened his voice and coaxed, "This is certainly no small matter, but a wise man avoids dangerous situations. You have bright futures ahead of you, so you should think things through carefully before acting. Why waste precious time arguing with worthless rubble and scrap iron?"

As he spoke, Duke Yi himself was stunned.

Her previously healthy face suddenly lost all color.

For a moment, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Those few who knew about the events of that year remained silent inside the tent.

Only ten boys looked displeased.

The leading youth asked, "May I ask who your ancestors were?"

Duke Yi covered his face and sighed suddenly.

The boy was bewildered by his behavior. He reflected that his tone hadn't been harsh or sarcastic, so why did this high-ranking official look so pitiful, as if he was about to cry? He pursed his lips and said, "I was just asking a question. I wasn't planning on insulting your ancestors."

Yi Guogong said, "Ask away if you want."

He couldn't control him either.

juvenile:"……"

These days, do people still proactively ask others to inquire about their ancestors' origins?

Shen Tang interrupted their conversation, saying, "No matter how big or small, if it's illegal, I will naturally pursue it to the end."

The young man, moved, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "My lord is truly righteous."

Shen Tang immediately ordered officials from the three regions to be brought over for a confrontation.

To be honest, the "Three Mutuals" rule was targeted at a specific group, and not every official was required to strictly adhere to it. After taking office, officials typically assembled a team familiar with the local situation, making it impossible to completely avoid familial or in-law connections. However, with development, the scope of compliance with the "Three Mutuals" rule has expanded. These teenagers, having graduated from the small courtyard and entered the middle courtyard, naturally understood this principle.

They dare to cause such trouble because they have something to rely on.

Shen Tang looked at the local officials below with a half-smile.

Some looked unfazed and confident, while others seemed guilty and evasive, clearly aware that they weren't entirely clean. Shen Tang rubbed her temples: "Will you confess? Or should I send someone to investigate?"

They were so focused on checking the accounts for embezzlement and misuse of public funds that they overlooked these minor details. It's understandable that they didn't notice them, because these people who were appointed illegally did actually get things done.

Or rather, they dare not do bad things. If Shen Tang ever relaxes his guard or slacks off, their desires will grow wildly.

Shen Tang scoffed: "Execute according to the law."

The people below secretly breathed a sigh of relief and closed their eyes.

The young swordsman's informant was somewhat connected to them, but not by much. The one with the closest connection wouldn't lose his life even if the law was enforced, nor would his family be affected. At worst, the person involved would just spend a few years in jail, which is better than losing his life.

As for these few wandering swordsmen...

At this moment, the Duke of Yi spoke again.

"Where are the young men studying now?"

The young swordsman asked, "What are you doing?"

Yi Guogong said, "I have observed that you all possess a chivalrous heart and are rare talents with pure character. I have taken a liking to your talents."

What kind of official are you?

Duke Yiguo: "..."

Officials from the three regions who were unaware of the situation were shocked upon hearing this.

A very few who harbored thoughts of revenge secretly withdrew their ideas—the Duke of Yi's open words clearly indicated his intention to protect them. To truly harm these youngsters would mean offending the Duke of Yi. Tsk, what good fortune these lads had, causing such a huge disaster, not only escaping unscathed but also gaining the Duke of Yi's favor.

Little did they know, this favor was not limited to the Duke of Yi.

＿|￣|●

Alright, it's the 15th, let's ditch the plan.

(End of this chapter)