nycdaug Chapter 36 Three Heroes and Five Righteous Men
Chapter 36 Three Heroes and Five Righteous Men
The original owner had heard of the illustrious reputation of Judge Bao of Kaifeng as "Bao Qingtian" (Judge Bao the Upright Official), who was known for his integrity, advocacy for the people, and the countless corrupt officials he had eliminated.
This time, the distribution of grain in Chenzhou even resulted in the execution of the emperor's brother-in-law. Such a good official who speaks up for the people is truly rare and deserves our utmost respect.
Now that Zhan Zhao is willing to serve in Kaifeng Prefecture and protect Lord Bao, the resentment he felt for the title of "Imperial Cat" has almost completely dissipated.
With this indifferent attitude towards winning or losing, the original owner was not in a hurry to go to Kaifeng Prefecture. Along the way, she enjoyed sightseeing and even became sworn brothers with Yan Chasan. When she learned that Yan Chasan had been falsely accused of murder, she secretly went to Kaifeng Prefecture at night to send a letter and leave a knife, asking Judge Bao to overturn Yan Chasan's case.
Who knew that when he went to retrieve the knife, Zhan Zhao used his Zhanlu sword to cut it in half, thus creating enmity between the two and leading to the series of events that followed.
The original owner died because of the injustice and resentment in his heart.
His sworn brother, whom he regarded as a brother, was the first to come and arrest him. The fact that his own brother was killing him was something he could hardly accept.
The original owner's parents died early, and his elder brother Bai Jintang also died young, leaving only his beautiful wife and young children to accompany him through the days.
The original owner was only a teenager at the time, but he felt that he was an adult. He thought that it would be bad for people to talk about a young widowed sister-in-law and a young brother-in-law living together without any elders in the family.
He simply left most of his family fortune to his sister-in-law and nephew, and ventured out into the world with only a small portion of his wealth, rarely returning to his hometown of Jinling.
After becoming sworn brothers with Lu Fang and others, the five brothers lived on Trap Island. They were as close as brothers and had a deep bond. They spent their days eating, drinking, having fun, competing in martial arts, and playing music. Occasionally, when the mood struck them, they would go out into the world together to uphold justice and live a carefree life.
I thought life would continue like this forever, but then the 'cat and mouse war' started.
The original owner felt that his brothers were on the opposite side of him, conspiring with outsiders to plot against him, showing no brotherly affection whatsoever, and was extremely saddened.
On a rational level, he felt that things had escalated to such a great extent, implicating his brothers, and he was truly sorry to them. He felt so ashamed that he might as well die.
As the saying goes: Death! Death! Death ends all! Death eliminates all!
He was unwilling to give up his life due to the internal conflict between emotion and reason, which allowed the current Bai Yutang to successfully transmigrate.
Bai Yutang inherited the original owner's memories, but he also noticed something fishy about them.
He never hesitates to assume the worst about others.
And this speculation actually yielded some results.
The original owner's rampage in Kaifeng Prefecture could very well have been the result of someone's secret plot.
The original owner was young and impetuous, but he wasn't stupid.
Zhan Zhao's title of "Imperial Cat" was bestowed by the Emperor; it wasn't something he could simply refuse. Moreover, Zhan Zhao was known in the martial arts world as the "Southern Hero," a figure of exceptional chivalry. For him to provoke Zhan Zhao over a mere title would inevitably draw criticism from his fellow martial artists.
So when the original owner first learned about this, although he was dissatisfied, he only cursed Zhan Zhao for being dishonest. It was far from enough to warrant traveling all the way to Bianliang City in Tokyo to cause trouble. In addition, Lu Fang, Han Zhang, and even the straightforward Xu Qing were all trying to persuade him, and the matter almost passed. Who knew that Jiang Ping would add fuel to the fire.
Unable to withstand Jiang Ping's provocation, the original owner of this body angrily left Trap Island and went to Bianliang City in Tokyo to cause trouble for Zhan Zhao, thus triggering this series of events.
The original owner of this body was blinded by the situation, but Bai Yutang, who had transmigrated from another era, was able to stand from an objective perspective and calmly analyze the cause and effect of the matter.
He wasn't trying to excuse the original owner of the body, but rather he came to this conclusion after learning about the original owner's memories and the plot of the novel "The Three Heroes and Five Gallants" that he had read before.
The original owner did indeed go to Bianliang City in Tokyo in a fit of anger after arguing with Jiang Ping.
Why would Jiang Ping do this? What benefit would it bring him?
benefit?
A sudden thought flashed through Bai Yutang's mind, and his expression turned cold:
Jiang Ping got the benefits!
He is now a sixth-rank military officer, working in Kaifeng Prefecture. He is now considered an official, having achieved a class leap from a江湖草莽 (jianghu grass) to a court official. How could this not be a tremendous benefit!
Don't spout nonsense about how people in the martial arts world don't want to become officials in the imperial court; that's just something incompetent people say to comfort themselves.
As the saying goes: "Master both literary and martial arts, and you can sell them to the emperor!"
Which fine young man doesn't want to make a name for himself in this world?
He prayed for glory for his ancestors and for a high position for his wife and children!
People who are indifferent to fame and fortune do exist, but they are far too few in this world!
Most people in this world are ordinary mortals who spend their lives pursuing fame, fortune, and wealth, and strive tirelessly for them.
Everyone has emotions and desires, and everyone wants to stand out from the crowd. Jiang Ping is no exception.
If he wanted to enter the court as an official, the only two paths the public knew were the civil service examination and the military examination. He was somewhat learned, but it was absolutely impossible for him to take the civil service examination. Even the military examination, in addition to testing archery and horsemanship, also required policy essays. Moreover, although he was good at underwater combat, his land skills were really ordinary.
The Five Rats of Trap Island each have their own strengths, but in terms of martial arts alone, Bai Yutang is the most powerful, followed by Han Zhang, Xu Qing, Lu Fang, and Jiang Ping is the least powerful. Fortunately, he is quick-witted and plays the role of the strategist among the Five Rats.
In a mere island called Trap Island, his skills wouldn't even rank among the best. In the martial arts examination, which gathers heroes from all over the world, it would be even more difficult for him to stand out.
If you try to become an official through the proper channels, you'll never succeed.
It wasn't until Zhan Zhao presented his martial arts at the Martial Arts Tower and was appointed a fourth-rank bodyguard with a sword that he saw hope and realized that if he wanted to enter officialdom, there was a third path besides participating in the civil and military examinations.
But rushing around isn't a good thing. First, the emperor might not care if I recommend myself, and if things don't work out, I'll inevitably be ridiculed by my fellow martial arts practitioners. Second, my other brothers might not be willing to do it either.
So Jiang Ping set up a trap.
First, he used the title of "Imperial Cat" as bait to lure the original owner to cause trouble for Zhan Zhao. Then, under the pretext of dissuading the original owner, he pulled Han Zhang and Xu Qing to help cause trouble, making the Five Rats of Trap Island famous in the martial arts world and successfully bringing the names of the five people into the sight of Lord Bao and the Emperor.
He even feared the matter wasn't serious enough, so behind Lu Fang's back, he dragged Han Zhang and Xu Qing onto the pirate ship, collaborating with Liu Qing to steal 100,000 taels of gold. This was just as serious as what the original owner had done, and both were capital offenses.
Fortunately, he succeeded!
His series of operations were undeniably ingenious, and reality did not disappoint him. Although there were some setbacks along the way, the general course of events unfolded as he had planned. Lu Fang, Xu Qing, and he all successfully presented their martial prowess to the emperor and were subsequently granted official positions.
Judge Bao also agreed that after finding the original owner and Han Zhang, he would also request information from the Emperor.