Mei Qing somehow never felt excessive fear in his heart. Although his rational mind kept reminding him that the situation he faced was as bad as it could get, with no sign of any possible way to turn things around, there was still a strange sense deep inside that all of this would never cause him any real trouble.
This feeling was truly bizarre—completely without reason, yet utterly certain.
As Sibiao approached with a whip in hand, slowly letting it unfurl and fall onto the ground before Mei Qing, Mei’s attention wasn’t focused on Sibiao’s ugly face. Instead, his gaze drifted absentmindedly to a shadowy spot on the wall behind Ma Shiqing. It was from that hidden door that the messenger in dark blue had previously entered.
Sibiao definitely noticed Mei Qing’s gaze and instinctively turned his head, glancing several times at the concealed door. As a frequent visitor to this secret chamber, he naturally knew of the hidden entrance and understood that during urgent or confidential situations, messengers would come and go through it. Seeing Mei Qing’s curious look, he assumed someone might have arrived again. But when he turned to look, the shadowed door appeared perfectly normal, with no movement at all.
A surge of anger, born from a sense of mockery and disregard, rose in his chest. His face full of coarse flesh trembled as he suddenly turned his head back, glaring fiercely at Mei Qing, who was still glancing behind.
“You’re really something, sweetheart. Let me show you how much I care!” Sibiao growled in a low, furious voice. With a flick of his wrist, the water-soaked leather whip cracked against the damp, hard stone floor, producing a dull, heavy sound.
At that very moment, the door hidden in the shadows was gently pushed open.
“Hold on!” A voice called out sharply as a man dressed entirely in black strode in. Paying no heed to the surprised glances in the room, he walked straight to Ma Shiqing and whispered something into his ear.
When the black-clad man entered, Ma Shiqing had already risen to his feet in astonishment. After hearing the man’s words, he quickly glanced at Mei Qing, his eyes flashing with intense surprise before returning to normal.
“Sibiao, quickly bring down Mei Qing,” Ma said with a warm, cheerful smile.
“What? Sir!” Sibiao widened his eyes, involuntarily flicking his whip in frustration. “You’re not going to let this brat go without even beating him senseless—”
“Fool!” Ma Shiqing’s smiling face instantly turned furious, his eyes flashing with a sharp, threatening glare. “Didn’t I tell you to release him immediately?”
The cold old man sitting across the room slightly lifted his eyes, casually glancing at Mei Qing.
Mei Qing, brought into this dimly lit secret chamber by the black-clothed man, felt extremely uneasy. Although the old man before him didn’t have a particularly fierce appearance, the icy, death-like aura emanating from him was deeply unsettling.
“Someone will come to take you for the handover later. You can start your duties tomorrow,” the cold old man said in a rather unfriendly tone. “These damn kids are getting worse and worse—can’t even handle small matters without dragging me into it.”
“Start… duties?” Mei Qing’s mind was spinning, unable to keep up. He couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of duties?”
Without looking up, the old man replied, “Of course, it’s for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Your previous post at the Ministry of War has been canceled. Starting tomorrow, you’re one of us. As for the specific tasks, someone will handle the details for you.”
“The Embroidered Uniform Guard? But why? What’s going on?” Mei Qing was stunned. He couldn’t understand why, just when he was about to be punished, someone suddenly appeared to save him. Then he was led through a maze of turns into this secret chamber to meet this old man, only to find himself suddenly enlisted in the ranks of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
“Why? Do you think the Embroidered Uniform Guard needs to explain their reasons to others?” The old man raised his eyes again, giving Mei Qing a cold stare. “You seem sharp enough at first glance, but you sure act like a clumsy fool. Wubing, get this idiot out of here. He’s making me angry just looking at him.”
The black-clothed man immediately appeared beside Mei Qing, politely escorting him out. Ignoring Mei Qing’s request to return home first, he was directly taken out and led onto a horse-drawn carriage that had been waiting there.
“May I ask your name, brother?”
“…”
“You don’t seem much older than me.”
“…”
“Where are you from, brother?”
“…”
“Are you mute, by any chance?”
“You’re the mute!”
“…”
Wubing, the black-clothed man with such a unique name, was truly as silent as a clam. After taking Mei Qing out, he immediately got into the carriage without saying a word. At the driver’s shout, the carriage began to roll forward.
Inside the carriage, Mei Qing’s mind was filled with confusion. He tried to ask a few questions, but Wubing remained completely silent, making Mei Qing almost think he was mute. Finally, Mei Qing, unable to contain himself, snapped, “So you can talk after all. May I ask your name, brother?”
“…”
When the carriage finally came to a stop at the driver’s call, Mei Qing eagerly jumped out. But as he looked around, he was greatly surprised—it was a place he recognized quite well.
The location was called Yingzi Alley. The carriage had stopped at the side entrance of a prince’s mansion. Actually, this place wasn’t far from his own home. In the previous dynasty, this had been the residence of a royal prince. But in the current dynasty, it had not been granted to any new prince, and later became the office of a transport commissioner.
Mei Qing often passed through this alley, but he never imagined that there was a branch office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard hidden inside.
Wubing, silent as ever, got out of the carriage and walked directly toward the gate. As he approached, he slightly shifted his cloak, discreetly revealing a waist tablet. The guard at the door, who seemed to be dozing off, gave a quick glance and then resumed his nap against the wall.
Once inside the courtyard, Mei Qing realized that this was originally one of the courtyards within the entire mansion complex, now completely separated from the front section—likely to avoid drawing attention. Wubing led Mei Qing along a small path, making two turns before stopping in front of a main house. After showing his waist tablet, he handed over a message to a guard for delivery inside.
Though unseen, Mei Qing felt a sense of being watched from the moment he entered the courtyard, and the feeling grew stronger as they moved deeper inside. He realized that although the courtyard appeared quiet, there were certainly hidden guards stationed in secret spots, making it heavily guarded.
After a while, the guard came out, saying nothing, merely gesturing for the two to enter.
“Director Liu has already sent word over. The procedures at the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War have already been arranged,” a middle-aged man with a weathered face and calm demeanor said.
From their conversation, Mei Qing quickly understood that this official was named Qiu Ming, an associate officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The title of associate officer usually referred to a clerical position, but given Qiu’s presence in this secret branch and his covert manner of operation, there must be some hidden significance.
Smiling, Qiu Ming looked at Mei Qing and said, “Brother Mei, you truly have the look of a distinguished gentleman. Our Records Office is in need of more educated men like you. Since you were personally assigned by Director Liu, I won’t say much more. Tomorrow I’ll host a banquet at the Xiuchun Pavilion to welcome you properly.”
Mei Qing humbly declined the compliment but curiously observed Qiu Ming. It was clear that Qiu was a military man by background, evident from his speech and mannerisms. Yet, the position of associate officer was usually held by civilian officials. Mei Qing couldn’t help but wonder what exactly this branch office was doing here and why a soldier like Qiu Ming had been assigned to such a role.
Mei Qing’s mind was full of questions. From his arrest and imprisonment in the imperial jail, to being rescued during interrogation, then forced into service with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and finally brought to this mysterious little courtyard—everything was confusing and strangely ominous. Since the old man had refused to explain anything, Mei Qing decided to keep his wits about him, observing quietly while maintaining a polite and indifferent facade.
After completing his task, Wubing wasted no words and immediately took his leave. Qiu Ming escorted him to the door before returning inside with Mei Qing, smiling as he said, “Brother Mei, don’t be so formal. I’m an old soldier myself, not one for unnecessary formalities. Just sit down and let’s have a chat.”
Mei Qing smiled and said, “I could already tell Director Qiu is a straightforward man. I’m new here and still unfamiliar with the rules. I hope you’ll give me your guidance.”
“Guidance? What guidance?” Qiu Ming replied dismissively. “You’re under Director Liu, so you can walk around here however you like. Besides me, there are only two other thousand-man commanders here. Although you hold the rank of a five-grade general, you’ll have to start as a deputy commander for now. There’s no help for it—everything’s full, and you came in rather suddenly. Let’s see what we can do in a few days.”
Mei Qing humbly declined again, and Qiu Ming then gave him a brief overview of the situation and basic duties of this secret branch.
It turned out that this branch was considered a confidential location within the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Internally, it was known as the Records Office. On the surface, it appeared to be a clerical department, but in reality, it was a critical hub responsible for collecting and organizing various classified documents and intelligence.
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