Jiang Yuechu's Background

Chapter 49: Jiang Yuechu's Background

Xu Changfeng said no more, merely stepping forward and slowly vanishing into the curtain of rain.

Jiang Yuechu watched that receding figure, a thousand thoughts churning in her heart.

Since she could be appointed as Vanguard Captain, the matter of a Core Formation Realm great demon at Yumen Pass had likely been confirmed.

Vanguard Battalion Captain.

Put bluntly, it meant trading her life for advancement.

But she didn't care.

Fortune favors the bold.

For her, the more dangerous the place, the more Dao Cultivation she gained, and the faster her strength grew.

By transferring her away from Liangzhou Prefecture, this nest of trouble, and sending her to Yumen Pass, Xu Changfeng's move let her both avoid the sharp edge of the Jeweled Temple and gain experience on the battlefield.

Killing two birds with one stone.

Though she didn't know if it was Wei He's idea or Xu Changfeng's, she noted this debt of gratitude.

Demon Suppression Bureau Captain was a seventh-rank position.

Monthly salary: forty taels of silver, twenty dan of rice, eighty jin of meat.

Besides these, there was also a substantial Promotion Bonus.

Of course, none of that mattered most.

What mattered most was that a Captain could mobilize a hundred men.

This meant that Jiang Yuechu was now a proper official in her own right.

Thinking this, Jiang Yuechu couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Damn.

Too fast!

She hadn't even collected her first month's salary, yet she'd already been promoted twice in a row.

Such fortune, if placed in her past life, even novels wouldn't dare write it like this.

"The future looks promising..."

The rain continued to fall.

The long street paved with bluestone was washed clean by the rain, reflecting the gloomy lead-gray of the sky.

Xu Changfeng walked ahead, the man behind him holding an umbrella. The two stepped through the puddles, unhurried and steady.

There were few people on the street. Occasionally, a peddler carrying a load would see these two and steer far clear, not daring to approach.

"Seven years have passed in a flash since I came to Longyou." Xu Changfeng looked at Liangzhou City shrouded in the rain before him and slowly exhaled a turbid breath.

Seven years ago, he was eighteen, young and spirited, charging headlong into this windblown, sand-filled northwest.

He had thought that with his skills, he could carve out a bright and clear world in this land overrun by demons.

But now, the world was still murky, and he was trapped in this square city.

"Sir."

The man holding the umbrella behind him hesitated for a moment before speaking: "The Prefecture sent another letter recently. The Master and Madam... miss you very much. They ask if you can return to the Capital City for New Year's Eve this year."

"Return to the Capital City..."

Xu Changfeng's steps faltered.

"But there are so many people watching me now. If I leave, they probably won't be able to sleep soundly."

"You say..." Xu Changfeng suddenly spoke blankly, as if asking him, or asking himself, "Do I still have a chance to go back?"

"..."

The man dared not answer.

If this lord truly conceived the idea of returning to the Capital City, never mind whether the Capital City's headquarters would agree, that General Wei He would likely be the first to personally hold him down.

The reason was simple.

The Demon Suppression Bureau was too short of people.

Especially in a bitter, cold place like Longyou, where demons were everywhere and the pickings were slim.

Those noble scions in the Capital City, every one of them was scrambling to get into the wealthy lands south of the river. Who would be willing to come to this godforsaken place and deal with demons and monsters day in and day out?

But once you entered the Demon Suppression Bureau, it was one thing for ordinary people. For a genius like Xu Changfeng, who carried great expectations, many things were no longer up to him.

From the start, enjoying so many privileges inevitably came with responsibilities. In that position, one must attend to its affairs, walk its path, and bear its duties.

The Demon Suppression Bureau supported him. Taking their offerings without complaint about being constrained, yet crying about being constrained when it was time to bear responsibility—if that were the case, it would truly be contemptible.

As if he hadn't expected the man behind him to answer anything, Xu Changfeng shook his head and suddenly asked again: "You say, was it improper for me to promote her to Captain?"

The man holding the umbrella was called Zhou Daniu, who had followed Xu Changfeng for many years, from the Capital City all the way to Longyou. In name, he was a personal guard, but in reality, he was more like a steward.

At his words, Zhou Daniu froze, somewhat baffled, but still answered honestly: "My lord, although Lady Jiang has some achievements and her strength is decent, her experience is still shallow. As a woman and the daughter of a disgraced official, being suddenly promoted to the rank of Captain... I'm afraid it will inevitably invite some discontent."

He paused, then added: "Even in the Capital City, I've seen many sons and daughters of high officials and nobles sent down to various bureaus to gild their resumes, and not even they have seen such a rapid pace of promotion."

These words were already very tactful.

It wasn't just "inevitably invite some discontent"—it was downright shocking.

From a ninth-rank Demon Suppression Guard to a seventh-rank Captain, even if an ordinary person had enough merits, it would take at least three to five years to achieve.

This Jiang Yuechu, all things considered, how long had it been?

She probably hadn't even received her first month's salary yet, right?

Xu Changfeng turned his head to look at him, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"But do you know, at the very beginning, I even proposed to Lord Wei to promote her directly to General of the Guard."

Zhou Daniu's hand trembled, and he nearly dropped the umbrella.

What?

General of the Guard?!

That was a sixth-rank official post! In charge of an entire battalion, with several Captains under command and nearly a thousand soldiers!

You really dared to promote her that high!

He stared at his lord's face, so handsome it seemed almost otherworldly, and a thousand absurd thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Could it be... that this Lady Jiang had some unknown connection with his lord?

He dared not think further and quickly shook his head like a rattle-drum.

Impossible!

His lord was not the type to bend the rules for personal favors!

Xu Changfeng watched the strange expression on Zhou Daniu's face and could easily guess what he was thinking, but he only smiled faintly.

"In the end, Lord Wei shared the same concerns as you, thinking it too shocking to the world, so we had to wrong her by letting her serve temporarily as a Captain."

Zhou Daniu was completely dumbfounded.

So... you two actually discussed this matter?

One dared to propose it, and the other actually gave it serious consideration?

He couldn't help himself and asked cautiously: "My lord, this... why is this so?"

Xu Changfeng shook his head, raindrops dripping from the edge of the umbrella and splashing onto the bluestone slabs.

"This woman is indeed remarkable."

"Her temperament, methods, and talent are all of the highest caliber. Given time, she may well become another great general of our Demon Suppression Bureau."

"But none of that is the most crucial point."

Zhou Daniu was even more confused.

That wasn't crucial enough?

Then what counted as crucial?

"It's her identity," Xu Changfeng said calmly.

Identity?

Zhou Daniu's mind struggled to keep up.

As Xu Changfeng's personal guard, he naturally knew Jiang Yuechu's identity.

Her father, Jiang Xun, held the post of Vice Minister of Rites, a third-rank official.

That title sounded impressive, but everyone knew the Ministry of Rites was a cushy, powerless sinecure for those waiting out their years.

Moreover, the Jiang Family was no great noble clan.

And now, that Vice Minister Jiang was still locked up in the Capital City's Heavenly Prison.

What special identity could the daughter of a disgraced official possibly have?

"I beg my lord to enlighten me..." Zhou Daniu bowed, his face full of confusion.

Xu Changfeng stopped walking and glanced at him.

"There's no harm in telling you."

"Of course, these are just my speculations. Lord Wei hasn't confirmed them with me either."

Zhou Daniu pricked up his ears, afraid to miss a single word.

"In his early years, my father had some acquaintance with that Jiang Xun."

Xu Changfeng said slowly, "I once heard my father mention a secret after drinking."

"Two years before Jiang Yuechu was born, Jiang Xun was injured in an accident and lost... the ability to father children. He even sought a precious medicine from my father."

"What?!"

Xu Changfeng ignored his loss of composure and continued on his own, "And from the moment Jiang Yuechu was born, the Late Emperor promoted Jiang Xun all the way. In just over a decade, he went from an obscure minor official to the position of Vice Minister of Rites."

"Though it was only a sinecure, he had still entered the central court."

Zhou Daniu suddenly understood something, and his breathing quickened.

A minister who could not bear children suddenly had a daughter.

And after this daughter was born, his official career soared, rising step by step.

Anyone who wasn't a fool could guess what that implied.

"Could it be... could it be that Jiang Yuechu is... is the Late Emperor's..."

"Of course, this is just my speculation."

Xu Changfeng's voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the rain, "Perhaps Jiang Xun later cured his hidden ailment, or perhaps he truly had some unknown skill that won the Late Emperor's favor. Who can say?"

Zhou Daniu stammered in response, "Yes... yes..."

"Keep this secret to yourself and don't spread it."

Xu Changfeng's tone grew heavier, "Now that the New Emperor has ascended the throne, speaking too much of the Late Emperor's affairs is a path to self-destruction. This is where we part ways."

"Your subordinate understands! I'll bury it in my gut and never speak a word!"

The rain seemed to lighten a little.

Xu Changfeng stopped, looked back toward the direction of the Demon-Pacifying Ward, but the rain blurred his vision, and he could see nothing clearly.

"According to the message from the Heaven Battalion, that Core Formation Realm great demon is no ordinary beast. It comes from the Demon Kingdom beyond the pass, with an extraordinary bloodline."

"If she can survive at Yumen Pass, then from now on, this Longyou Circuit, and even the entire Great Tang Demon Suppression Bureau, will have a place for her."

A faint, ambiguous smile curled at the corner of Xu Changfeng's mouth. "I'm quite looking forward to seeing how far she can go."

Zhou Daniu looked at the long-unseen smile on his superior's face and felt a stir in his heart.

Perhaps his superior had promoted her not merely to forge a good connection.

But because, in this young girl, he saw a shadow of a kindred spirit.

Equally brilliant, equally trapped by circumstance.