The two palace maids giggled as they ran off one after the other. Yang Fan was somewhat embarrassed to hear this. After a while, it was time for him to be on duty. Yang Fan handed over his shift and went to the Imperial Guard Office to hand in his duties.
When Commandant Zhu saw Yang Fan, his expression was very unfriendly.
The Imperial Army on duty and the eunuchs and palace maids were the two major groups that served the palace. Although these two groups were not at odds with each other, they were not at peace either. It was impossible to determine when this inexplicable antagonism had arisen. In any case, it had always been like this. Perhaps it was because these two groups had a natural relationship of mutual supervision.
However, Yang Fan was an anomaly. He was greatly liked by the eunuchs and palace maids and was willing to mingle with them. This point alone displeased Zhu Bin. At the same time, Yang Fan was also an extremely popular character in the Imperial Army. Everyone was polite when they saw him and he even stole the limelight from Commandant Zhu.
Now that he knew that this Yang Fan had offended the Empress Dowager's Plum Blossom Guard, Xie Duwei, he could use this opportunity to teach him a lesson. When Yang Fan arrived and handed over his duties, Zhu Bin sat behind the desk and said with a straight face, "The Empress Dowager lacks someone to order around. Starting tomorrow, you will be transferred to Wucheng Hall to be on duty."
Before Yang Fan respectfully handed over his duties, he smiled and said, "Yes, this lowly official understands."
Zhu Bin sat cross-legged on the heated kang and knocked on the desk a few times. In a low voice, he said, "Be more serious. How can you continue to smile so cheekily in front of the Empress Dowager?"
Yang Fan's smile disappeared. Zhu Bin snorted coldly and said, "At Wucheng Hall, you will be working under the Empress Dowager's eyes. You must be careful in everything you do. If you cause trouble, even this official cannot protect you!"
"Yes, thank you for Xie Duwei's advice. This lowly official understands."
Zhu Bin grunted through his nose and said, "Don't get carried away, young man! Among our Tang dynasty generals, not one of them became an official because they were good at bowing or playing the ball well. Shangyuan Jiju, although you have helped our Tang dynasty gain fame and stole the limelight, now that you have entered the palace as a bodyguard, you have to forget about this glory. Don't be too frivolous and don't get involved with some palace maids. If you cause any scandal, you will lose your head! "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Yes, County Commandant is right. I will remember it!"
When Zhu Bin saw him smile, he felt unhappy. He dragged his voice and lectured him again, "You …"
Just as he was about to continue killing Yang Fan's spirit, the door curtain was lifted and a person flashed in from the outside.
There was a stove in the room. Two of County Commandant Zhu's bodyguards were sitting by the stove warming themselves, smiling as they listened to the County Commandant reprimand Yang Fan. The person lifted the door curtain and brought in a gust of cold wind. The two bodyguards looked up unhappily. Because the light in the room was darker than outside, they didn't immediately recognize the person's identity.
But the man put down the curtain and walked two steps in. Before they could see him clearly, they saw that he was wearing a warrior's robe, with a pair of white auspicious horses embroidered on his shoulders. The two imperial bodyguards immediately jumped up.
In the Tang Dynasty, generals wore robes and soldiers wore jackets. This person was wearing a martial robe, so he was a general. The martial robes of a general were all embroidered with images of lions and tigers. Among them, the military officials of the third rank and above wore a pair of tigers for the Left and Right Wuwei Guards, leopards for the Left and Right Leopard Guards, leopards for the Left and Right Yingyang Guards, eagles for the Left and Right Jade Qian Guards, eagles for the Left and Right Golden Guards, insects for the Left and Right Golden Guards, eagles for the Left and Right Golden Guards, eagles for the Left and Right Golden Guards …
This person had a pair of horses on his shoulders, so he must be a great general of the Left and Right Guards. Although they were soldiers of the Jin Wu Guards and weren't under the control of the Left and Right Guards, they didn't dare to slight such a high-ranking general.
The person walked to the stove and stood still. They saw that he was very young, wearing a dark martial robe with a horse embroidered on his shoulders, a silk belt around his waist, and a rhinoceros horn jade belt on his head. He looked very impressive. The two bodyguards saw that he looked like a Hu person and seemed somewhat familiar, but they couldn't remember his name. They could only salute and awkwardly call out, "Great General!"
Zhu Bin was sitting cross-legged on the stove bed, in the middle of lecturing people. When he suddenly raised his head and saw the person, he hurriedly jumped off the bed and cupped his hands in salute, saying, "This lowly officer greets Great General Luo. Great General … why have you come here?"
The person who had come was Huselo. Laughing, Huselo said, "Oh, I've come to find someone …" As he spoke, his gaze fixed on Yang Fan and he laughed, saying, "Brother Yang, I've been looking for you everywhere, so I came here to ask where you went. Come, come, come, sit, I have something to say to you."
As he spoke, Huselo walked over and affectionately took Yang Fan's hand, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him on the stove bed. When Zhu Bin saw this third-rank great general of the imperial court address a lowly soldier of the Jin Wu Guards as brother, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
Huselo said, "Brother Yang, I went to the capital last year to pay my respects to the Empress and the Son of Heaven. It's a rare opportunity to bow together with you, Brother Yang, and I'm very happy. I originally thought that I would have the opportunity to spar with you again, but I'll be returning to the Western Regions in a few days. This opportunity won't come often. "
Huselo said, "Brother Yang, I'll be leaving the capital in a few days and would like to invite the friends who bowed together that day for a gathering. Naturally, you're someone I must invite."
With a troubled expression, Yang Fan said, "This, Grand General …"
Huselo said, "Hey, if you don't mind, you can just call me brother. Our friendship was forged in the bowing arena, so there's no need to pay attention to the red tape of officialdom. When it comes to bowing, there aren't many people who can win this Luo's admiration, but you are one of them! "
Yang Fan said, "This … alright, since Brother Luo has invited me, this little brother wouldn't dare to refuse. However, this little brother has to be on duty at the Hall of Martial Accomplishment tomorrow. It's not yet time for me to rest, this … "
"Oh?"
Huselo glanced at Zhu Bin and said lightly, "Grand General Qiu of the Jin Wu Guards is also going. He also admires you greatly. If you can't attend the banquet, he will definitely be very disappointed!"
When Zhu Bin heard Huselo mention Qiu Shenji, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly took a step forward and said with a fawning smile, "Grand General, how would this lowly officer dare to disturb your banquet? How about this: Yang Fan only needs to attend the banquet tomorrow. This lowly officer will arrange for someone else to be on duty in the palace. We'll talk about it when he returns."
Huselo stretched and said, "This general is treating. Naturally, we won't go home until we're drunk. There's no need to say anything when Brother Yang returns. If he wants to be on duty, that'll be the day after tomorrow. "
Zhu Bin said with a fawning smile, "Yes, yes, this lowly officer is saying … that we'll arrange for him to be on duty the day after tomorrow. Haha, haha …"
Huselo ignored him and only smiled at Yang Fan. "This time, brother, you have no reason to refuse, right? Then it's settled. Tomorrow, at the 'Drunken Immortal Restaurant' of Qinghua Lane, I will be waiting for you!"
… …
Late at night, Xiao Man took a hot bath. Wrapped in a thick velvet nightgown, she leaped onto the soft bed. Her two clean, white feet stood upright and playfully swayed back and forth. Her full and perky buttocks would occasionally stretch out into a full and round arc under the bathrobe.
As a high-ranking guard, the environment of her residence was not bad. Although the place was not large, the decorations were simple and elegant. At a glance, one could tell that it was the boudoir of a girl. There was an earth dragon under the floor tiles that warmed the entire room, so it wasn't cold at all and didn't have to worry about freezing her delicate skin.
She was bare-footed on the bed and the hem of her nightgown rolled up a little as she jumped. Not only did it reveal her slender and firm calves, but it also revealed a portion of her perfectly round thighs. The temperature of the water when she bathed was very high, causing her skin to turn a captivating red.
Xiao Man's upper body was very narrow, and her waist was also very thin. But because of years of practicing martial arts, her slender waist, which didn't have any excess fat at all, quickly bulged into a full and round shape. Her buttocks and thighs were very firm, a bit like a mature woman's. However, they weren't soft and supple like a mature woman. Her muscles were very firm and flexible.
Xiao Man leaned over and opened the cabinet door of the dressing table beside the bed. She took out a small box and put it next to the pillow. She then moved the lamp closer and carefully opened the box. She took out a few treasures from inside and began to fiddle with them.
In the light green velvet box, there was a butterfly resting quietly. The color of the butterfly was already very old, and its wings were somewhat damaged. When she was young, although Xiao Man was very careful, she didn't know how to protect it from moisture, sun, or insects, so this butterfly was inevitably damaged. It wasn't until later when she entered the palace that she asked the imperial doctor about the correct way to preserve it.
This young girl already owned a house in Luoyang, a few shops, and a lot of wealth. But her most precious thing was still this box. It was still this butterfly specimen. There were also a few butterfly hairpins in the box. Some were priceless jade and ruby butterfly hairpins, and some were just ordinary boxwood carvings. These were her collection in recent years.
Xiao Man, who was playing with these butterfly hairpins as if they were treasures, looked a little naive. She rarely showed this side of her in front of others. She had already forgotten about Yang Fan. She just couldn't bear to see that guy use his cuju to attract bees and butterflies, and abduct those Little Palace Maid. She just took him to a place with a lot of rules. She didn't care about him at all.
Xiao Man played with her butterfly toys like a child. Sometimes she would hold her chin, and her eyes were bright. No one knew what she was thinking about. After playing alone for a long time, she covered her mouth and yawned. She put the butterfly hairpins back one by one and put the box away. Then she dug out a sheathless dagger from under the bed, stuffed it under her pillow, and blew out the lamp.
Hiding a dagger under her pillow was a habit she had developed since childhood.
The memory of being violated in her childhood when she was ignorant had left a deep impression on her. Although she was only awakened at the time and didn't suffer any harm, her brother Ah Ch 'ou was beaten by the Little Wolf and vomited blood. After the two escaped, he only recovered after several days of recuperation.
During those days, whenever she saw her Elder Brother vomiting blood, she would be terrified to the extreme. She was afraid that her Elder Brother would also leave her and leave the world. During those days, she always hugged her Elder Brother tightly in order to fall asleep and feel safe. Since leaving Guangzhou Prefecture, she was the only one at night. She had to hide something to protect herself under her pillow before she could sleep.
When she was a child, she didn't have a knife, so she hid a sharp tile or a sharpened wooden stick. Now that Xiao Man had grown up and was skilled in martial arts, she didn't need to worry about her safety in the Imperial Palace. However, the lack of a sense of security was completely a psychological problem. Even if there were a hundred thousand soldiers guarding outside, the psychological insecurity would still linger.
Therefore, she must have a dagger under her pillow to sleep soundly.
Xiao Man gently put her hand under her pillow, touched the cold blade, and fell asleep peacefully.
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