| If you don't believe me, open it and see," said the dwarf
The officer flew into a rage and punched him on the shoulder"Hand it over!" he roared
The dwarf put on a sorrowful expression"I dare not deceive you," he said"The dispatch is inside the leather case, but I cannot spirit it out again!"
Master Liang walked over to the Imperial Guardsman"What is your honourable surname, sir?" he asked politely
"My surname is Lin
"Master Lin, these marketplace scoundrels have no sense of proprietyPlease take a hand in this matter and return the dispatch to him
"This case is the property of the Emperor," Lin replied"Who would dare to open it without the Emperor's permission?"
Master Liang frowned, as if in a quandary
"If you don't return that dispatch to me, you will be guilty of delaying important government business which is a capital offence," said the officer"What do you say brothers?"
Seated around the room were another dozen or so army officers and men who began to edge towards Lin
Wang Weiyang, with his decades of experience, felt there was something strange about the sceneHe guessed that the dwarf was the key to the affair and stretched out his hand to grab his armThe dwarf shrank away, crying: "Master, master, have mercy on me!"
Wang noted the dwarf's agility and became even more suspiciousHe black and white chanel was just about to chase after him when the military men began brawling with the lead escorts and Imperial GuardsmenHe clutched the leather case to his chest and a lead escort stood guard on either side of himThe Guardsman Lin pulled out his dagger and slammed into the table
"Enough of this!" he roared"Back off, all of you!"
The army officer drew his sword"If you don't return the document, I'll finish you off even if I die doing it!" he shouted"Brothers! All together!"
He lunged forward and clashed with LinThe other armymen drew their weapons and charged into the fray and a great battle ensuedGuardsman Lin was one of the best fighters in the Imperial Guard, but after a few strokes he found this lowly army officer gaining the upper hand
Wang Weiyang shouted repeatedly for them all to stop but no-one listenedIn the midst of the confusion, another group suddenly surged in through the door and someone commanded: "Seize the trouble-makers!"
The army men all stopped where they wereGuardsman Lin took a deep breath and saw that a young official had entered surrounded by several dozen soldiersHe and immediately recognized the man as the Emperor's favorite, Fu Kangan, who held the posts of military governor of Manchuria, commander-in-chief of the Nine Gates of Beijing as well as commander of the Imperial fendi handbag replicas GuardLin hastily pushed his way forward and greeted Fu as the other Imperial Guardsmen bowed before him
"What's going here?" the official asked
"They started making trouble, Commander," Lin replied, and gave an account of what had occurred
"And where is the magician?" the official askedThe dwarf, who had hidden himself in a far corner, now came forward
"This is a very strange business," the official said"You will all come with me to HangzhouI wish to conduct a thorough investigationA wise decision, sir," said Lin
"Let us go," the official said, then walked outside and remounted his horseThe soldiers under his command gathered together the agency men, the army officer that had started the trouble and even the Muslim envoy and herded them out after him
"Master Fu," said Lin to the official"This is the head of the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency, Wang Weiyang
Wang went over and bowed in greeting, but the official merely glanced at him once from head to foot and grunted
The column of men entered Hangzhou city and made its way to a huge private residence by the West Lake
"This must be where the commander is staying," Wang thought to himself"Being the Emperor's favorite, it's not surprising he has such a strong force of men with him
They entered the rear hall of the residence"Please be seated," the official omega speedmaster olympic special edition said to Guardsman Lin, and continued on into an inner chamber by himself
A short while later, an Imperial Guard officer came out and escorted the army officer who had started the trouble, the conjuring dwarf, Master Liang and his servants inside
"I was getting a bit worried during that brawl," said one of the lead escorts"There was something funny about those army menI thought they might try to damage the jade vases
"Yes, their kung fu was surprisingly good for army officers," Guardsman Lin replied"It's lucky Commander Fu turned up or we may have had some trouble
"Commander Fu's Inner Strength Kung Fu is superb," said Wang Weiyang"It's very unusual for such a senior nobleman to be so accomplished in the martial arts"Commander Fu's kung fu is good? How do you know?"
"You can see it in his eyes
As they were talking, an officer came out"Wang Weiyang of the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency, come with me," he saidWang stood up and followed him out
They passed through two courtyards and into another hall in which sat Commander Fu Kangan on a daisHe had changed into an official gown with a huge plume in his cap, and the imposing atmosphere was enhanced by the long official desk in front of him and the many Imperial Guardsmen standing on either side
As he walked in, two officers shouted in unison: "Kneel!" Wang tiffany |
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