Just as the commander of the personal guards was about to draw his sword and attack the ship owner and the madam in the street, a dignified voice suddenly came from the crowd of onlookers.
The commander of the personal guards was instantly enraged, turning around and cursing, "Damn it, which blind fool is tired of living, huh? This general..."
But when the guard turned around and saw the man's face clearly, the harsh words he was about to say were swallowed back down his throat.
His previously arrogant and domineering expression instantly transformed into a fawning smile as he nervously asked, "Vice Commander Chang, what brings you here?"
Indeed, the newcomer was Chang Yuchun, the deputy marshal of the right wing of the Longcheng army.
Behind him were Chen Qingzhi, deputy marshal of the left wing of the Longcheng army, Pang Xianchu, the brave general of the Polu army, and Zuo Liangcai, the deputy general of the left wing who was acting as the commander-in-chief of Anxi.
Although these people were all dressed in casual clothes.
However, their murderous aura and heroic spirit could not be concealed.
Um?
Chang Yuchun raised an eyebrow and said in an icy tone, "Do you recognize me, Vice Commander?"
The personal guard commander, trembling with fear, replied obsequiously, "Reporting to Deputy Commander Chang, this humble general is the personal guard commander of Governor-General Su Chen of Liangjiang;"
"I once served under Lord Su in the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army under Deputy Commander Chang!"
oh!
Chang Yuchun nodded expressionlessly, then pushed aside the guard and went to the side of the fallen pleasure boat owner and the madam of the Yichun Brothel. He asked with concern, "Are you two alright?"
The owner of this pleasure boat and the madam of the Yichun Brothel, who welcomed and saw off the high-ranking officials and nobles of Jinling City every day, had long since developed a keen eye for discerning people.
At first glance, one could tell that the middle-aged man with a magnificent appearance and extraordinary bearing must be a high-ranking and powerful figure in the new Tang Dynasty.
He immediately grasped at a straw, kowtowing and sobbing, "My lord, please do justice for me!"
"Sir, you've chartered my pleasure boat for amusement on the Qinhuai River but haven't paid me! We're just a small business, and our money comes from hard work. We can't afford this kind of treatment. Please, sir, do me justice!"
The madam standing nearby hurriedly said, "Sir, this soldier took twenty-seven girls from our Yichun Brothel without paying them. The girls earn their money through hard work and blood; how can he treat them like this!"
"My lord, although the girls of our Yichun Courtyard have fallen into prostitution, they are still citizens of the Tang Dynasty. We beg you to do justice for the girls of Yichun Courtyard!"
As the boat owner and the madam talked, they began to kowtow to Chang Yuchun repeatedly.
After the onlookers learned the whole story, those self-proclaimed literati and poets who still had some integrity couldn't help but start criticizing the arrogant and domineering commander of the personal guards.
"This is truly a spectacle! We've only ever heard of people dining and dashing, but this is the first time we've ever seen someone visit a brothel and not pay for the girls!"
"Yes, we found twenty-seven of them at once!"
"They've completely lost face!"
"......"
Immediately, the onlookers, always eager for a good show, began pointing and whispering about the military commander.
Chang Yuchun frowned slightly, his gaze towards the commander of the personal guards was unusually cold, and he said with an imposing air without being angry, "Is this how your Lord Su disciplines his personal guards?"
"It's one thing to dine and dash at a restaurant, but to dine and dash at a brothel? I, the deputy commander, am ashamed for you!"
As he spoke, Chang Yuchun glared and said angrily, "What, this deputy commander paid for your money?"
"This humble general dares not!"
The personal guard deputy commander was terrified and hurriedly knelt down in front of Chang Yuchun, saying, "Deputy Commander Chang, this humble general knows his mistake and begs for forgiveness!"
As he spoke, the captain of the personal guard hurriedly pulled out a silver pouch from his clothes and shoved it into the hands of the ship owner and the madam, saying, "It's not like I said I wouldn't give you the money, why are you in such a hurry!"
"They're all here; there's plenty more to go around as a reward!"
snort!
Seeing that the guard commander had taken out his money voluntarily, Chang Yuchun stopped making things difficult for him.
He also knew that if a mere commander of a thousand personal guards was like this, one could imagine how arrogant and domineering those nobles and fierce generals of the previous dynasty must be.
Chang Yuchun said sternly, "You should be glad that you're not on duty under my command right now, otherwise, based on what you did tonight, I could have chopped off your head!"
"Get out!"
"Yes, Vice Commander Chang!"
The guard commander felt as if he had been granted a pardon. After receiving Chang Yuchun's order, he hurriedly led his few terrified henchmen to flee in panic, and they soon disappeared into the bustling banks of the Qinhuai River.
The boat owner and madam, having received their due payment, hurriedly expressed their gratitude to Chang Yuchun and his party.
If it weren't for the help of a powerful figure, they would never have been able to get the silver from that military commander tonight, and they might have even lost their lives.
Amid cheers and applause from the onlookers, Chang Yuchun and his entourage boarded a carriage and left the banks of the Qinhuai River.
Little did they know that their every move was witnessed by the Longcheng Inner Guards, who were disguised and hidden among the onlookers. They then compiled the information into a book overnight and reported it to Deputy Commander Luo Yucheng.
On the way back to their inn, Chang Yuchun and Chen Qingzhi, who were in the carriage, inevitably brought up the matter.
Chang Yuchun was still furious and said with a serious expression, "Vice Commander Chen, why do you think these arrogant and domineering soldiers dare to be so arrogant and domineering? They just refuse to pay five hundred taels of silver?"
"Could it be that he's only got that broken knife in his hand?"
"Vice Commander Chang, please calm down!"
Dressed in white, Chen Qingzhi spoke with a gentle and refined manner: "Clearly, for that commander of the personal guards to treat the city's residents with such impunity, he must believe that someone is backing him up."
"Just now, I vaguely thought I saw the figures of Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, and Liu Ziyu, the chief military commander of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun;"
"In other words, that commander of a thousand personal guards was most likely working for 'that group,' which included both the new dynasty's empress's sworn brother and powerful regional officials who had controlled the Liangjiang area for years."
"Thinking about it this way, isn't it obvious why that commander of a thousand personal guards could be so arrogant and domineering?"
Um?
Upon hearing this, Chang Yuchun frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "How did Su Chen and Liu Ziyu get together?"
hehe!
Chen Qingzhi smiled but remained silent.
Chang Yuchun continued, "Vice Commander Chen, there's something fishy about this. I think we should draft a memorial and submit it to the Emperor. Now that the new dynasty has just been established, we must not let these arrogant and fierce soldiers ruin the atmosphere!"
"Otherwise, what difference would there be between our Great Tang Dynasty and the Great Xin Dynasty under the rule of the former tyrant Zhao Gan!"
Um!
Chen Qingzhi nodded and said, "Vice Commander Chang, I had the same idea. We're on the same page!"
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