Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 1028: Mysterious Commander of Imperial Weapons

Upon hearing the name “White Lotus,” Song Qingshu on the rooftop was startled. 

The White Lotus Sect was incredibly audacious, daring to openly assassinate a high-ranking official of the Southern Song Dynasty. He wondered if Zhou Zhiruo had participated in this mission; if she were injured by Linghu Chong, it would be troublesome.

However, Song Qingshu quickly dismissed his worries. Although Linghu Chong’s swordsmanship was high, his specialization was too extreme. He had only half-finished the Cosmic Absorption Technique. 

Zhou Zhiruo, on the other hand, was a master who had won the title of the world’s number one at the Lion-Slaying Assembly. Furthermore, in the past two years, she had occasionally practiced dual cultivation with him, achieving a balance of Yin and Yang. Her internal strength foundation was already exceptionally solid, and the risks of rapid martial arts development had been eliminated. She had now cultivated the Nine Yin Scripture to an extremely high level. Even if she encountered a master of the Five Greats level, she would be more than capable of protecting herself, let alone Linghu Chong.

What puzzled Song Qingshu most, however, was why Linghu Chong, who had intervened to help those in need, would stay with Han Dingxiao.

Linghu Chong was known for his carefree and open-minded nature, and hated being controlled. It was indeed surprising that he had become a henchman of the imperial court.

Unfortunately, Song Qingshu could never have guessed that the main reason Linghu Chong followed Han Dingxiao was because of him. It turned out that Linghu Chong had previously agreed to go to Fujian to investigate the whereabouts of the Evil Exterminating Sword Manual in order to help Ren Woxing and his daughter deal with the difficult situation at Blackwood Cliff, and also hoping to see if he could meet his junior sister.

Unfortunately, news of a marriage alliance between Blackwood Cliff and the Golden Serpent Camp arrived halfway through his journey. Linghu Chong was devastated. He wanted to return to Blackwood Cliff to find out the truth, but then he felt sorry for himself, thinking that he was inferior to Song Qingshu in both looks and martial arts. Moreover, Song Qingshu was a powerful warlord with tens of thousands of elite soldiers, controlling a vast territory. Linghu Chong, on the other hand, was a lonely orphan. Even if he went to Blackwood Cliff, what could he change? Why would Ren Woxing choose him as his son-in-law?

Thus, he drifted aimlessly to Fujian, where he encountered the group from Mount Hua. Seeing Lin Pingzhi and Yue Lingshan’s constant displays of affection, he became even more disheartened.

To avoid being recognized, he adopted the alias Wu Tiande and wandered aimlessly, drowning his sorrows in alcohol. By chance, he rescued Han Dingxiao and learned that Han Dingxiao was actually a vice-ministerial-level figure in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Han Dingxiao admired Linghu Chong’s amazing swordsmanship and high martial arts skills, and wanted to recruit him. Linghu Chong instinctively prepared to refuse, but then he suddenly remembered that Ren Woxing had broken his promise by betrothing Yingying to Song Qingshu because the latter was more powerful, and a marriage alliance with him would help the Sun Moon Holy Cult. If he could also make a name for himself and rise above others, wouldn’t he be able to rightfully win Yingying back?

Han Dingxiao was a high-ranking official, akin to a prime minister; following him would be a shortcut to success.

Having figured all this out, Linghu Chong resolutely accepted Han Dingxiao’s offer: 

Han Dingxiao promised him a position as a “Imperial Guard.”

While the words “Imperial Guard” seemed ordinary, they carried immense prestige. The Southern Song emperor’s guard was generally composed of four forces: the Palace Guards, the Imperial City Guard, the Three Guards, and the Imperial Guard.

The Palace Guards were composed of the most valiant soldiers selected from the army, numbering approximately three to four thousand.

The gates of the palace were guarded by the Imperial City Guard. Five lines of guards were typically drawn from the emperor’s side, interspersed with those of the Palace Guards, creating a system of checks and balances to prevent any unauthorized activity.

The Three Guards were the Merit Guards, the Imperial Guards, and the Personal Guards. However, compared to the Palace Guards and the Imperial City Guards, their martial prowess was significantly lower, as these were primarily the families and relatives of officials. Their duties were mostly ceremonial, but due to their close proximity to the emperor, the selection process was very rigorous. For example, the guards standing on either side of the palace during court sessions were required to be sons of imperial concubines or officials of the rank of Imperial Inspector or Hanlin Academician.

Compared to these three forces, the Imperial Armed Guards were the most mysterious. They were the true imperial bodyguards, and there were very few of them. Most of the time, there were only three or four; throughout the nearly three hundred years of the Song Dynasty, the maximum number never exceeded six.

With such a small number, the selection criteria were naturally extremely strict. They were generally highly trusted by the emperor and possessed exceptional martial prowess. 

In “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”, there’s a scene where Qu Lingfeng, Huang Yaoshi’s disciple, was expelled from Peach Blossom Island. To win Huang Yaoshi’s favor and return to his master’s school, he risked everything to steal a painting from the palace to present to his master. He ended up dying in Niujia Village, along with the pursuing imperial guards.

The military officer wore a waist badge that read “Shi Yanming, Military Governor of Zhongzhou, Martial Arts Master, and Commander of Imperial Weapons.” The Song Dynasty’s official system was complex; “Military Governor of Zhongzhou” and “Martial Arts Master” were merely titles. The truly important title was “Commander of Imperial Weapons.”

In the original novel, Huang Yaoshi, upon learning of this, lamented that if Qu Lingfeng hadn’t had his legs broken, he wouldn’t have died at Shi Yanming’s hands. However, the truth is quite the opposite. As a Commander of Imperial Weapons, Shi Yanming’s martial arts were extremely high; Qu Lingfeng was no match for him. If Qu Lingfeng hadn’t underestimated him, he wouldn’t have fallen into Shi Yanming’s trap on Peach Blossom Island, ultimately suffering a mutual destruction.

Han Dingxiao’s reward of giving Linghu Chong the Commander of Imperial Weapons was a meteoric rise for a martial artist like Linghu Chong. Commanders of Imperial Weapons were usually close to the emperor, easily gaining his favor and achieving great success.

Normally, such an important position as the commander of imperial weapons wouldn’t be something a single minister could decide. However, since a certain favored concubine in the imperial harem was on his side, making him to be the commander of imperial weapons wasn’t particularly difficult.

Song Qingshu was unaware of Linghu Chong’s extraordinary encounter; he was simply listening intently to the conversation between the two parties below.

Han Dingxiao and Li Kexiu continued their discussion of the White Lotus Sect. 

Han Dingxiao asked, “Lord Li, so many days have passed. What have you thought about what we discussed last time?”

Li Kexiu smiled bitterly, “Prime Minister Han, you know my whole family is still held hostage in Yanjing. If I openly change my allegiance and submit to the Song Dynasty as you demand, wouldn’t that cost them their lives?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Han Dingxiao replied. “We will naturally arrange for someone to rescue Lord Li’s family.”

Li Kexiu frowned. “It’s not that I don’t trust Prime Minister Han, but the current situation in the Jianghuai region has attracted attention from all sides. I’m in the eye of the storm, and the court will definitely keep a very tight watch on my family. How could they be rescued so easily?”

Li Kexiu wasn’t an idiot. He had already sent people to the capital several times to try and rescue his family, but unfortunately, the court’s tight control over them made it impossible for his men to get anything done. 

Upon hearing his words, Han Dingxiao thought to himself, “Lord Li, ask yourself, compared to the daughter of Wu Sangui, who is more valued by the Qing court?”