Chapter 46: A Five-Year Veteran, an Eighth-Rank Imperial Guard

Zhang Yuan ignored the disoriented Chen Wu until they came to a halt before the gates of a massive five-entry manor.

Golden characters reading "Tang Residence" hung above, flanked by five-foot-tall stone lions. Three tiers of stone steps led up to the entrance, where two gatekeepers stood guard.

With such grandeur, this was considered a great clan within Luyang Prefecture.

Chen Wu was not wearing the official black uniform, but Zhang Yuan was dressed in black, holding a whistle-bat with a pair of sabers at his waist.

From this attire, the gatekeepers could tell at a glance that they were from the Martial Guard Office.

"Please announce that Zhang Yuan of the Martial Guard Office has brought Chen Wu to the Tang family to apologize," Zhang Yuan spoke loudly, standing before the gate.

The two gatekeepers, both around thirty years old, exchanged a glance. One turned to report to the manor, while the other stood at the entrance with arms crossed, his gaze falling on Chen Wu.

"So you're the brat who beat up our Seventh Young Master last night?"

With contempt in his eyes, the gatekeeper clicked his tongue. "One against eight? You're quite the fighter. Don't act like a coward if you've got the skill."

"And you might want to ask around about the status of my Tang family."

Chen Wu clenched his fists tightly, his face taut. Zhang Yuan had brought him here to apologize; he could not cause trouble for him.

Zhang Yuan remained calm, standing there silently with his hand gripping the whistle-bat.

Finding it boring, the gatekeeper let out a few chuckles and stood at the entrance with his arms crossed.

A moment later, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from within the manor, and a group of bruised and swollen youths rushed to the entrance.

"It's him!"

"Didn't they say they were going to lock him up for three to five years?"

"Good timing! Let's break his legs today!"

The men shouted aggressively, rolling up their sleeves, yet none actually stepped forward. The beating they had taken last night was still aching.

Standing at the front was a middle-aged man in a grayish-black brocade robe with three wisps of a beard on his chin. His gaze swept over Zhang Yuan and Chen Wu as he said in a deep voice, "Since you are here to apologize, come inside and speak."

Blocking the entrance would look bad. After all, the Tang family disciples had suffered a loss last night.

As the crowd moved inward, Zhang Yuan and Chen Wu followed them up the steps and into the manor.

"Hey, how do you think Third Master will deal with these two?"

"Don't tell me, he might actually break their legs and throw them out."

"Surely not. They are from the Martial Guard Office, after all."

"So what? Our Eldest Young Master is a seventh-rank official. These black-clad dogs have to kowtow when they see him."

The voices of the two gatekeepers drifted from behind, filled with anticipation.

The Tang disciples huddled to the side also looked excited, though a smile immediately brought a wince of pain to their faces.

Up ahead, the middle-aged man standing on the stone steps outside the main hall turned around to face Zhang Yuan.

"What is your status in the Martial Guard Office that you bring him here to apologize to my Tang family?"

Zhang Yuan stopped in his tracks and replied, "A five-year veteran, an eighth-rank black-clad guard."

That was it?

The middle-aged man in front was momentarily stunned.

The words caused the Tang disciples behind them to freeze for a second before they broke into mocking laughter.

"Third Brother, I thought the Martial Guard Office would show our Tang family some respect, but I didn't expect them to send just an eighth-rank guard."

"Exactly. They didn't even send a seventh-rank leader. They clearly look down on our Tang family."

"Third Brother, see? The Martial Guard Office isn't that destitute office begging for support from the city's clans anymore. Now they have four or five hundred soldiers and hold great power."

The injured Tang disciples continued to fan the flames.

The middle-aged man, addressed as Third Brother, felt his face twitch. He did not enter the hall but remained on the steps. He stared at Zhang Yuan for a long time, hands behind his back, and said condescendingly, "I am Tang Wenbo, the third son of the second generation of the Tang family. Outsiders call me Third Master Tang."

He raised a hand to stop Zhang Yuan from offering a formal greeting. Tang Wenbo was in no mood for pleasantries, his expression tense. "If you hit someone, you must be punished. That is only natural."

Pointing at Chen Wu, Tang Wenbo said sternly, "Do you admit to hitting a member of my Tang family?"

Chen Wu took a deep breath and shouted, "I did it!"

The Tang disciples nearby began rolling up their sleeves again, cursing under their breaths, though they did not dare approach.

Tang Wenbo raised his hand to silence the commotion and turned his gaze back to Zhang Yuan.

"My Tang family is a great clan in this prefecture; we will not bicker with a lowly black-clad guard."

"But there are some matters where the Tang family's dignity cannot be compromised."

Looking at Zhang Yuan, Tang Wenbo said indifferently, "Can you act as his guardian and make decisions for him?"

"Since I have accompanied him here, I am naturally capable of making those decisions," Zhang Yuan replied loudly, his posture straight and his hand gripping the whistle-bat. "I brought him here to apologize. Whatever requirements Third Master Tang has, feel free to state them."

Chen Wu kept his head down in silence. The surrounding Tang disciples looked on with excitement and smugness.

Tang Wenbo's gaze swept over Chen Wu as he said coldly, "My Tang family's requirement is simple. I won't send you to prison. Just kneel outside the Tang gates for one day, and you may leave at sunset."

"Young people rely on a bit of martial cultivation to act recklessly. My Tang family will discipline him on behalf of the Martial Guard Office—and on behalf of your elders—"

"Don't even think about it—" Chen Wu's roar interrupted Tang Wenbo.

With his fists clenched tight, a surge of blood and energy pulsed through Chen Wu's body. He could come to the Tang family to apologize, but he would never kneel!

A cold smirk played on Tang Wenbo's lips as he looked at Zhang Yuan. Zhang Yuan had just said he could make decisions for Chen Wu.

"Change the requirement. No kneeling."

Zhang Yuan's expression was calm, his voice carrying an unshakeable firmness.

"His father died for the country. Your Tang family is not qualified to discipline him on his father's behalf."

"As for disciplining him on behalf of the Martial Guard Office, your Tang family is even less qualified."

Tang Wenbo's face turned completely cold.

The Tang disciples nearby stopped fanning the flames. It was no longer necessary.

Was this the attitude of someone apologizing? These two did not seem to be here to apologize sincerely at all.

The men were ready to strike, waiting only for Tang Wenbo's command. Two clever ones had already signaled the guards in the courtyard to surround the hall entrance.

"Heh, fine, fine," Tang Wenbo sneered, his face full of cold contempt as he looked at Zhang Yuan. "Then strip him of his black uniform, and pay a hundred taels of silver in medical expenses."

"That is the Tang family's demand. If you cannot fulfill it, my family will see him spend the New Year in the prefectural jail."

Stripping the uniform meant expulsion from the Martial Guard Office. While the children of great clans looked down on a monthly salary of one and a half taels, ordinary martial guard families relied on that salary to support their entire households. To be stripped of the uniform was to face starvation for the whole family.

As for the hundred taels of silver for medical expenses, it was an impossible sum. An ninth-rank guard could not save a hundred taels in a lifetime.

Both of Tang Wenbo's demands were designed to drive Chen Wu into a corner. How did a lowly guard dare to disrespect the Tang family? He intended to squeeze Zhang Yuan and Chen Wu until Chen Wu had no choice but to kneel outside.

Whether they were elites of the Martial Guard Office or martyrs who died for the country, they would all have to bend their knees before the Tang family.

"Fine."

Zhang Yuan's answer left everyone in the courtyard stunned.

"Fine"? What did that mean? He agreed? He agreed to such harsh conditions?

Tang Wenbo's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. The Tang disciples were bewildered. Even Chen Wu was at a loss. He could not fulfill either of those conditions; how could Zhang Yuan?

Zhang Yuan reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and unfurled it.

"This is the dismissal notice for Chen Wu from the Martial Guard Office, mandating that he hand over his duties within three days."

"In accordance with your Tang family's requirement, the Martial Guard Office has stripped him of his uniform."

A dismissal notice!

They were actually expelling Chen Wu from the Martial Guard Office?

The Martial Guard Office would actually agree to such terms?