Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 714 Waiting in front of Chongwen Gate

"call"

"Captain Li, we have arrived at the Chongwen Gate of the Imperial Palace,"

It was unknown how long it had passed, but the convoy of the marquis' personal guards gradually arrived outside the palace gate. There, the commander and captain of the imperial guards were already there, leading the imperial guards at the palace gate, waiting in line outside Chongwen Gate. It was unknown where they got the news from.

Seeing this, Lieutenant Li immediately waved his hand and shouted;

"Stop, everyone line up and wait!"

finished,

The team of only a hundred people, facing the palace gate, immediately turned into two teams, standing upright and motionless. The momentum was unparalleled.

This situation made it difficult for the imperial guards. They were already tired from standing, and their bodies were a little loose. Many of them were leaning against the wall, not to mention crooked. However, after the personal guards from the Marquis's Mansion arrived and lined up outside the city, the imperial guards were scared to death, and they almost closed the palace gates.
"General Yu, what's going on?"

Sun Shan, the captain of the imperial guards, was woken up by his personal guards early in the morning. They told him that the general had received a call to guard the Chongwen Gate today, so he could not sleep. He had no choice but to get up, put on his armor, and rush to the Chongwen Gate with his men.

After arriving here, I also saw General Yu had been waiting here with his troops for a long time. Before I could say anything, I saw a group of soldiers coming outside the door. They looked familiar, as if I had seen them somewhere before. In a daze, I was complained by General Yu.
"Why are you here just now, kid? Did some woman take your soul away last night? Have you seen the soldiers outside? What else can you do? Supervisor, assist Luo Yunhou Enke with his affairs. Remember, you can bring some things after registering them."

Yu Dingzhi was confused by these instructions before, but when he saw the soldiers outside with long swords and other things, he naturally understood what the governor said. However, since the real owner Luo Yunhou was not here, he could not let them in.
"General, what can you bring?"

Sun Shan was still a little confused. There was no woman in the bed last night. He was so tired from the past few days that his body felt like it was falling apart.

As for what the general said about what I could and could not bring, I didn't hear it clearly. I wanted to ask again, but Yu Ding kicked me away.
"You kid, you are confused all day long. One day, I will fall into your hands. Now, go over and ask if the soldiers coming are those of Marquis Luo Yun."

"Yes, General."

After being kicked, Sun Shan covered his buttocks and agreed aggrievedly. It was not his fault. After all, the palace required him to lead the troops on patrol every day. He finally had a few days off, but then he received an order and came here again. He didn't have a good rest for a day. It would be better for him to stay at the original city gate and drink tea with the general every day. It was so comfortable. Now, it's better not to say anything.

He touched his thigh, rubbed it a few times, then walked over, saw the leader, and asked directly if he was from Marquis Luo Yun's Mansion.

Since the captains of the Marquis' Mansion had been informed clearly in advance, they realized that what the general said was correct. It was the personal soldiers of Marquis Luo Yun's Mansion who came to Hanyuan Palace to wait for orders. The Imperial City Administration also told them about this matter.

Unfortunately, these personal soldiers were still carrying weapons, although they were not wearing armor, but how could they dare to let them in? They could only wait until the real boss arrived.

I thought the guards could take a break, but to my surprise, next to the carts, the hundred guards lined up in two rows, standing there in perfect order, not moving at all.
It's not right to ask Sun Shan to speak up and comfort her, and it's not right not to comfort her either. Why is it so difficult?

"Well, brothers, it's okay to take a break. It won't be too late to talk about it when the Marquis comes."

It was a good intention to let them take a break, but unfortunately the guards of the Marquis' Mansion did not move at all, which made Sun Shan look a little embarrassed.

Lieutenant Li of the Marquis' Mansion clasped his fists and replied,
"Thank you Captain Sun for your kindness. Since the Marquis is not here, we should be more cautious. If we line up here, we won't cause any trouble."

The leading captain also politely declined. In the capital, one must not cause trouble for the Marquis, so some things need to be done openly.

"This, okay."

Sun Shan was helpless. Since others had said so, it was useless for him to persuade them. He just shook his head and went back.

Before reaching the palace gate, the imperial guard Yu Dingzhi asked hurriedly;

"Can you please ask clearly whether they are from Luo Yunhou Mansion?"

"General, they are from Marquis Luo Yun's mansion. The captain in charge recognizes me, so he has obviously been here before."

Sun Shan nodded. He had had many dealings with the Marquis, so anyone who could recognize him must have been to the palace before.

"Well, that's good. Since they won't rest, we can only accompany them and bear the burden. Otherwise, if the governor sees us, it will be troublesome again."

Yu Dingzhi's face looked a little ugly. He wanted to let his brothers rest but it was not possible. He wanted to be lazy but it was even more impossible. He looked at the team over there and felt envious. With such strong soldiers, how could the wealth of Luo Yunhou Mansion decline?

Also, why are there so many horse-drawn carriages? What are the things on them? There doesn't need to be so much food.

Then he asked;
"Sun Shan, when you went over there just now, did you see what was on those carriages?"

"Uh, General, I don't know. The carriage is bulging and covered with leather cloth, so I can't see clearly. General Yu, why don't you care what he brought? It's just some food. I think those border soldiers have big appetites, so they brought extra dry food."

Sun Shan answered casually. What else could one bring to the Enke examination? Just some dry food and pickles. With so many people, feeding them for several days was also a problem.

Yu Dingzhi did not reply. Thinking about it, it made sense. More than a hundred soldiers would have to eat a lot in one meal. The Dragon Gate had fallen down, and it was not allowed to be opened until the time came. As the saying goes, it is better to be prepared than to take less.

"Got it. Later, when the Marquis comes, you can take people to check it out and register it. As for the rest, don't say anything more."

"Yes, General."

Sun Shan clasped his fists and accepted the order. His life now was nothing but hard work, but this life was not bad, it was better than the training in the Imperial Guard camp. It was heard that there were 10,000 Imperial Guards, following Wang Ziteng, the governor of the Beijing camp, to the south. Many captains and generals with whom he had old ties had asked people to go in. They thought it would not be difficult to gain merit there. This time, he would be promoted to several levels. Even he himself wanted to be a general, but unfortunately, he could not bear the hardship.

Especially when the imperial guards were training, the training lasted for a whole day. Who could stand it? Besides, I was also afraid of death. As the saying goes, swords have no eyes. Who knows if I would end up on the battlefield and lose my life? It would not be worth it.

Of course, it’s not bad to follow the people who went south to gain merit this time.

Just as he was thinking about it,
far away,

Luo Yunhou's convoy came slowly.

Yu Dingzhi saw it and patted the captain who was still in a daze.

"You kid, you have no thoughts all day long. What are you thinking about? Look over there, the real boss is coming."

Sun Shan came back to his senses with a sudden realization. Sure enough, not far ahead, another group of carriages arrived. It should be Luo Yunhou. However,

"General, I was distracted just now. I was still thinking about the brothers who went south. I heard that many lieutenants and captains used their connections to get in, hoping to gain some military merits by following the majority. I heard that some of them spent a lot of money."

Upon hearing this, Yu Dingzhi couldn't help but pull his eyes back from a distance and landed on Sun Shan. He smiled.
"Why, you regret not going with me?"

"That's not the case, General. I don't have that kind of luck. When I was on the battlefield, my legs were shaking and I couldn't even hold the knife steady. How could I compete with those generals for merit?"

Sun Shan was not lying, he didn't like these things in the first place. Being a member of the imperial guard was just a way to pass the time. His family had no shortage of gold and silver, he had a wife and concubines, and his life was so comfortable. Who would go to the battlefield to fight?

"You're right to think so. Don't just look at the imperial guards' impressive appearance. Don't we know what's going on inside? They've been trapped in the capital for more than a decade, and they haven't really used swords or guns. It seems that they went south to compete for merit and make merit.

But in my opinion, they are all destined to die. If the Taiping Sect is really that easy to wipe out, why would the imperial court send out such a large army? The general of Jingnan and the government troops have at least 100,000 people in total. Now, they may have all died."

Yu Dingzhi spitted at them and still wanted to grab the credit. Those generals looked down on them. During the drill, he, Yu Dingzhi, killed many people in all directions. Now they were just here to guard the city gate. What's the use of thinking about that?

The two of them had almost the same idea, and they became more and more excited as they talked.
Front,

Zhang Jinyu lazily led his people to the palace gate. He saw that his people had arrived, and there were also carriages of various sizes. He thought that they had brought all their things.

"Ningbian, now that the people have arrived, don't just stand here. Go inside and quickly build the tents and other things. Take out the cooked food bought from the East Market tonight to feed the brothers and have a good rest."

"Yes, Lord, I have already explained all the little things. But Lord, we are all carrying weapons. Will it be troublesome to enter the palace?"

Ning Bian thought about it and asked with concern. Not only did the marquis carry a long sword, but his personal soldiers also had crossbows on their bodies. These should not be allowed in.

"Well, it's okay. Just go and register. I have told His Majesty that you can bring weapons with you. There are no more than ten crossbows. Just register."

Zhang Jinyu sat up and thought about it. He decided to still bring the crossbow with him, in case someone really cheated by releasing carrier pigeons or something. He just didn't know how the cheater would cheat.

"Yes, sir, I'll go in right away."

Ning Bian waved to the captain, and the whole team began to move slowly. When they reached Chongwen Gate,
When Zhang Jinyu saw that the guards were familiar faces, he became interested and got off his horse.
"Why is General Yu here today? Weren't you transferred to the palace? Why are you back again?"

Zhang Jinyu was a little puzzled. He remembered that it was this person the first time. Now, he had a good relationship with him. The captain beside him was the same.
"Oh, Lord Marquis, as the saying goes, fate is fate. After all this time, we have known each other, right? Lord Marquis, why are you pretending?"

Yu Dingzhi was all smiles, trotting over to him, saying nice things to him, but he still had to check.

"Come on, move all the carriages out of the way so that General Yu can check them. As for weapons, there are 111 long swords and 10 crossbows. The rest are food and tents."

Yu Dingzhi quickly said something to him.
"My Lord, I have explained everything to you. As long as you register your weapons, you can bring them in. However, they are only allowed in Hanyuan Palace. Please control your subordinates. As for the inspection, my Lord, I apologize."

There has always been a strict inspection for entering the palace, no matter who comes.
Waved his hand.

The lieutenant Sun Shan led the people behind him and began to look around the carriages one by one. There were many carriages coming to the Marquis's Mansion, all of which were fully loaded. When they came to a carriage, they asked several imperial guards to go over and look through it.

Several guards walked over, carried down all the things inside, and looked inside and out. There were some tents, food, and many blankets. The rest of the carriages were also arranged in the same order.

in addition,

There are also differences.

At the very end, the convoy that the Marquis was driving had all kinds of cakes and five carts of the best sake. At the end of the team, there were more than a dozen yellow sheep tied up. Seeing this, Sun Shan was a little dumbfounded. Didn't the Marquis come here to take the special examination? Why did he bring all these? The sheep were all alive. What was his intention?

I had some doubts in my mind, but I didn't dare to ask more questions. After all, no one had stipulated that live sheep could not be brought into the palace.

He came back with a few imperial guards and replied with a fist salute;

"General, there are no prohibited items, just some tents and pots, a lot of food, five carts of wine, and ten living yellow sheep."

Yu Dingzhi was also a little dumbfounded when he heard that there was a living yellow sheep. Luo Yunhou was indeed Luo Yunhou, and his ideas were indeed different. It was also the first time for him to see a live sheep brought into the palace, but he did not say much.

"My Lord, the inspection is complete and the weapons are recorded. You may come in. Please."

With a wave of his hand,

The imperial guards stationed at Chongwen Gate stood on both sides and cleared the way.

Zhang Jinyu was not in a hurry. When he heard about the wine just now, he realized that he still had five carts of good wine.
So many are too eye-catching. Seeing General Yu's attentiveness, it's better to borrow flowers to offer to Buddha.

"General Yu has worked hard. I came here in a hurry and didn't bring anything for the brothers. I can only send some wine and drinks to satisfy your cravings when you go back."

then,

He turned his head and gave instructions behind him;

"Someone, leave a cart of sake for General Yu."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

The personal soldiers responded and drove the last carriage of the convoy out of the team and stopped it at the palace gate. The rest continued to follow the convoy into the palace.
Seeing this, Yu Dingzhi was overjoyed. As he had just said, those drinks were top-quality sake. That cart of drinks was not cheap, so he quickly clasped his fists and thanked him.
"Thank you for the reward, Lord. I feel ashamed to accept it."

"General Yu is too polite. There is still a long way to go."

Zhang Jinyu patted General Yu's arm and followed him in. Just as he took a step, suddenly, a carriage came galloping not far from the palace gate.

Hearing the noise,

Zhang Jinyu stopped and looked back. He saw that the carriage was familiar. It was not as luxurious as those of the rich and powerful families. Instead, it looked a bit plain. There were only some flower and bird patterns carved on the walls. However, there was a horizontal bar in front of the carriage. This bar was not only inlaid with gems, but also hung with more than ten exquisite ribbons.

The only thing that could have these is the carriage of the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion. By the way, the Marquis of Xiangyang has finally come out of seclusion.

"General Yu, isn't it a coincidence? It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. I just bought some things and the Marquis of Xiangyang arrived right after me."

General Yu obviously recognized the person coming. It was the carriage of the Marquis of Xiangyang.

Xiangyang Hou is now in the capital, a rising star among the nobles, and his words carry a lot of weight in the eight-kilometer area. How could Yu Dingzhi not know this? He grinned;
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense, but isn't this also fate? You see, the two Marquises can gather together at Chongwen Gate today, which means it is a great blessing for our Great Wu Dynasty and the Enke. I think there will be many people who can make the leap from carp to dragon gate, which is a good omen."

It's like the truth.
Zhang Jinyu couldn't help but look at General Yu a little more. He could even make the dead sound alive. A general of the imperial guards could speak more nicely than those civil servants. Damn it, he was born in the wrong family.

"General Yu's words are very pleasing to the ear. On behalf of the examinees, I would like to thank General Yu for his auspicious words."

"Not worthy of it, not worthy of it."

Zhang Jinyu even wanted to salute General Yu, which frightened the man so much that he waved his hands and backed away.

The two men were seen at the palace gate by Xiangyang Marquis Bai Guangju in the carriage. When they arrived at the palace gate, he got off the carriage and asked with a smile:

"My Lord, General Yu, what are you two talking about?"

"Oh, Brother Bai, look at what you said. I was praising you. Why did you come so early today? I'm afraid you were kicked out of the house."

Zhang Jinyu smiled and joked, "Everything about the examination room was handled by Lord Chunian, and you, the chief inspector, were not even seen. It would be a lie to say that you had no complaints."

Bai Guangju shook his head helplessly. Only Luo Yunhou dared to say this, openly saying that he was
"Only you, Marquis Luo Yun, dare to say such shamelessly. This is not a blessing for the Marquis. After hearing the Marquis's order, I hurried over."

After saying this, he bowed to General Yu.
"Meet General Yu."

"Marquis Xiangyang is too polite."

Yu Dingzhi quickly returned the gift and replied politely.

Zhang Jinyu also felt bored after seeing this. No matter how polite he was, it was already dark.

"Okay, you're being polite. If it's any later, there won't be a place to stay. The tents haven't been set up yet. Brother Bai, do you want to stay in a tent or squeeze into the hall?"

Bai Guangju looked at Marquis Luo Yun's face and saw that he had a playful look on his face. He knew that the Marquis was joking again. He had not been to Hanyuan Palace, so how could he know where he lived? He simply followed the Marquis. After all, he would have a place to lie down.

"Of course I will live in a tent with the Marquis, that goes without saying."

"Ahahaha, if you want to live in a tent, go do it yourself."

He laughed, ignored them and walked into Chongwenmen.

The corners of Xiangyang Marquis' mouth twitched, and he shook his head helplessly at General Yu. After the carriage was inspected, he asked the driver to drive the carriage and followed him into Hanyuan Hall.
The main gate outside the palace was still guarded by the imperial guards, while the inner gate was guarded by the personal guards brought by Marquis Luo Yun.

When the two marquises disappeared at the gate of Hanyuan Palace, Yu Dingzhi waved and asked Sun Shan to come closer.
"General, what else?"

"You stay here and watch first. Except for the chief examiner of Hanyuan Hall, Marquis Luo Yun, the deputy examiner, Lord Chu Nian, and the inspector, Marquis Xiangyang, no one else is allowed to enter. Do you understand?"

"Yes, General, I understand. Where are you going?"

Sun Shan was still a little uneasy. He thought General Yu wouldn't want to be lazy and leave right away, leaving him alone on duty. This was not the first or second time.

Yu Dingzhi stared at Sun Shan's inexplicable expression, his face a little red with embarrassment. What is this kid thinking?

"What are you looking at? What are you thinking about? I will go to the palace to report and come back soon. I think you and I have been eating and living here for the past few days."

With a sigh, it was obvious that in order for the Enke to go smoothly, these imperial guards could not sit idle.

(End of this chapter)