Get up, cleanse your face, straighten your clothes, tie your hair, put on your hat, carry your sword, line up, and enter the palace!
It was still dark, so we entered through Donghua Gate and divided into two teams. One team went to Meridian Gate and the other team went to Huangji Gate, and then we were assigned to various halls. There were many people coming together, but everyone moved forward in an orderly manner and performed their duties. After standing properly and the sky was dimming, one could see that the ministers who had gone to the morning court were arriving one after another from the Meridian Gate, and the figures were rushing towards the imperial hall. But we watched carefully and did not dare to move easily. An hour later, another group of people would come to take over, and we went to the small courtyard behind the side hall to eat. Then rest for an hour before going on duty inspection.
If the emperor goes on a tour, we must be on guard at all levels. The older the royal guards are, the better they can get inside, which means they can get closer to the emperor. But we can't see, even decent court ministers, we can only watch from a distance.
In this way, we began our duty career in Yiluan Division. The deep palace courtyard, with red walls and yellow tiles, and just a big patch of blue sky above our heads, made our smiles disappear. Soon, many people felt bored and began to complain. Because you are not allowed to leave the imperial city without authorization, and of course, that includes me.
I am a lively person. Once I was trapped here, it was still a novelty at first. After all, the inner courtyard of the palace was a huge novelty for us. But later it became more and more boring. I spent time in the three main halls over and over again every day. I patrol outside, work at sunrise, and rest at sundown. Sometimes I am not allowed to leave the small courtyard where I live without permission.
Half a month later, I became familiar with the original people here. They have been here for a long time, and they especially like to have new people in Yiluan Division. Firstly, they can replace some of them and go elsewhere, and secondly, we can find those who stay. Looking for boredom.
Although I am the general banner, there are twenty general banners and five hundred households in Yiluan Division, all under the unified jurisdiction of Luo Zhong, and Gu Dashou is responsible for leading me. In my eyes, he turned out to be handsome and handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. But the play with Luo Zhong that day completely overturned my original impression. It turned out that this man was so lively and even had no airs. However, it made me feel deeply I prefer people like this. Liao Jianzhong always looks majestic. Although he also smiles, I still like him very much. Luo Zhong smiles all day long, and he doesn't deliberately have a superior-subordinate relationship with us, but we still respect him to some extent.
In my opinion, Gu Dashou must be a lively person. His subsequent behavior made me believe in my judgment even more. He often organizes us newcomers to stand, squat, and even fight in the small yard on hot days. We were so exhausted that we couldn’t gossip. But he moved a wicker chair, sat in the shade of a tree, drank tea, and watched us train. What he often muttered was: "...I don't care how you all got here, but if you are under my disciples, you have to follow my arrangements." , don’t think that you are a young master, this is the Royal Guard, and to be precise, it is directly protecting the emperor. Please stay alert and don’t be embarrassed. If you don’t act well, get out of here..."
We gritted our teeth and persisted. I was considered good and had good martial arts skills, but Ning Boyang and Hardy attracted a lot of abuse and additional punishments. This place was completely different from Liao Jianzhong's. Many people began to secretly curse Gu Dashou, and even He scolded his elder brother Gu Dayong and younger brother Gu Dachun, saying that he was partial and would not let his younger brother come to this place. I strictly prohibit any complaints from brothers. After all, this kind of place is not a place where we little people can talk casually. The brothers were obedient and stopped saying similar words.
Having said that, after a period of time, our bodies became much stronger. Gu Dashou also personally taught us how to practice swordsmanship. His skills were very practical and could be used for self-defense and offense. When he was happy, he would show us a set of swordsmanship skills. Let's see, the moves are sharp and the attacks are fast. The Xiuchundao in his hand was like a frightening dragon.
Sometimes, Gu Dashou asked us to show off our skills, so I would dance with the dagger, but the swordsmanship was still taught to me by my uncle. I dare not show the swordsmanship taught to me by others. I have lived here for a long time. , and also understand that some things should not be revealed casually. He looked at it for a long time, nodded, and said, "You are indeed very capable. The only thing you lack is strength. Your master must be a woman!"
Gu Dashou said it very seriously, but it made me blush with shame. He quickly explained: "My three-legged cat kung fu is a self-defense technique passed down from family. It cannot be put on the stage, but it is all taught by my uncle." Gu Dashou laughed so hard that everyone burst into laughter. Only then did I realize that these people were clearly teasing me and wanted to dig a hole into the ground.
In the days that followed, we became more and more familiar with each other, and Gu Dashou gradually became less tormented by us. I held my breath and continued to practice every day, training myself just like the new brothers. Gu Dashou gradually lost his teasing attitude toward me and replaced it with a serious attitude. Sometimes he even gave me pointers on my abilities. Before I knew it, my body became much stronger. Before I knew it, midsummer was coming!
Summer in the capital is sultry, or to be precise, dry and hot. The woods around the imperial city are airtight, and groups of cicadas keep chirping "Zhi La, Zhi La". In the past, I either went to Hangzhou or summered in the river in my hometown. Now I have changed my identity and worked as an official. One day We always have to dress up properly to go on errands. Every time we come back from a errand, we are covered in sweat. Taking a shower is troublesome. We can't get out easily. There are groups of men covered in stinky sweat. Think of a way. , I gradually got used to it. I am the general bannerman, so I have my own hut anyway, but I see Ning Boyang and Hardy huddled together with everyone and suffer, so I often call them to my place.
The sultry summer night made me unable to sleep well. I was thinking about my parents, my grandfather, and my hometown. I didn’t know whether Brother Pingliu had sent my letter to me. Unknowingly, I have been here for nearly three months, and I am very concerned about them, wondering if they are okay!
On this day, I returned to my room from duty at the Meridian Gate. I was covered in stinky sweat. I quickly took off my robe, stripped my upper body, and scrubbed it with cold water to relieve the heat. Ning Boyang and Hardy also came in and out, and they were busy for a while. After muttering about how hot it was in Beijing, I stopped for a while. Before I could put on my short shirt, Luo Zhong shouted in the yard: "Zhang Ying, Zhang Ying!" I didn't know what was going on, so I quickly put on my clothes and came out. He looked at Looking at my embarrassed look, he chuckled and said: "No wonder Lao Gu said you look like a woman, you are so white! Go out and compare with the kiln sisters in Jinyu Hutong to see which one is whiter!" There were also other things in the yard! Many brothers laughed heartily after hearing this. I have long been accustomed to their teasing, and I even dared to make some jokes with Luo Zhong. I hurriedly said: "Master Qianhu, some are white, some are black, and some are black." Some people are tall, and some are short. There are many people with big eyes, and there are also many people with small eyes. There is nothing I can do about it. My parents gave it to me. I can’t blame anyone, so why bother with my subordinates?" Luo Zhong chuckled and said, "I have a poor mouth. No! Someone is coming to see you, come here quickly!"
Who can come to see me? There were not many familiar people in the capital, let alone relatives. I was confused, but I hurriedly entered the hall and saw Liao Jianzhong sitting there drinking tea. I was so pleasantly surprised that I quickly stepped forward and saluted: "Liao Jianzhong" Qianhu, you're here!" Liao Jianzhong looked up at me, with a slight smile on his face, nodded and motioned for me to get dressed, and then said to Luo Zhong who followed him, "I am a good boy. Mr. Qianhu, don’t make useless things, they are glib and have no decency. It’s not good if you teach them badly!”
"Hey, my brother Liao, don't blame me. There are all big men coming in and out here. The smelly sweat you wear every day will make you dizzy. Whoever stays here for a long time will feel uncomfortable. Look. We were all glamorous outside, thinking about the scenery we had next to the Emperor’s grandfather. Who knew that even though we were watching through the window, we didn’t even dare to fart! We were as suffocated as a little girl and couldn’t go anywhere. I was always surprised. Oh, what does Commander Mou think? I have been with him for many years, how could he have the heart to place me here!" Luo Zhong complained as he opened his mouth.
Liao Jianzhong laughed loudly, stood up and went forward to greet Luo Zhong, patted Luo Zhong on the back, and said: "Aren't you angry with me? Master Mou knows it well. I want to appoint the governor, and of course you have to go out too. ! Don’t dance with a gun and a stick in front of the little one!”
Luo Zhong was overjoyed and said: "Really? I'm not jealous of your promotion. You did better than us. It's just that I can go out and leave here. It's Amitabha. Brother Liao, I've really had enough. You can always see Bao at night. The shadow of the pine tree makes me upset." As he spoke, there were tears in his eyes.
