When Yang Ling heard that Qianhu Wu had come, he knew that something important must have happened. He didn't dare to tarry and hurriedly bid farewell to Guan Shouying before hurrying to the front hall. Outside the deputy's small office stood two thin, spirited young men. Yang Ling thought that they were Wu Jie's attendants and didn't take it to heart. He stepped through the door and saw Wu Jie still dressed in a green robe, sitting upright on a chair. However, his upright and serious demeanor was very different from his previous leisurely expression.
Yang Ling's heart skipped a beat. From Wu Jie's demeanor, it was obvious that something important had happened. Could it be that something had gone wrong with the Imperial Bodyguard? When Wu Jie saw Yang Ling enter, he immediately stood up. He saw that the messenger official was also following behind Yang Ling and hurriedly said, "Mister Yang, please come into the inner hall!"
Seeing this, Yang Ling hurriedly waved his hand for the official to leave. He closed the door and anxiously followed Wu Jie into the inner hall. Just as he was about to greet him with the etiquette of a lower official, he didn't expect Wu Jie to turn around and fall to his knees. "This lowly official Wu Jie pays his respects to the commander of the Embroidered Yi Personal Guards, Si Tongzhi Yang Ling, Mister Yang!"
Yang Ling was startled and hurriedly helped Wu Jie up. With a face full of confusion, he said, "Mister Wu, what did you say? What Tongzhi? This... this... "
Wu Jie put on a smiling face and cupped his hands. "Congratulations, Mister. The commander of the Imperial Bodyguard, Mister Zhang, greatly admires Mister Yang's talents and has ordered Mister Yang to be promoted to the fifth rank of the Imperial Bodyguard Tongzhi. This lowly official has come to the capital to take care of business and has come to inform Mister Yang of this order."
Speaking of which, Wu Jie was a Qianhu of the fifth rank, only half a rank lower than Yang Ling, so there was no need for such a big salute. However, Yang Ling was now an official in the capital and had entered the core of the Imperial Bodyguard. He had just turned 18 and had a bright future ahead of him. How could Wu Jie not try to curry favor with him?
"Ah?" Yang Ling was even more confused by this news. He had no idea what kind of official a Tongzhi was, but he knew what a fifth-rank official was. After being stunned for a while, Yang Ling stammered, "Master Wu, this … why would I suddenly be transferred to the capital to be an official?"
When Wu Jie heard this, he almost burst into tears. "You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? I'm a hereditary Imperial Bodyguard, and it took me 30 years to become a Thousand Household. There are Imperial Bodyguards who are selected by the people to be promoted, but they've all worked hard for their entire lives and made many contributions. Who knows which ancestral grave of yours is emitting smoke? I'm the one who's wronged! "
But how could he dare to say this out loud? He quickly smiled apologetically and said, "This lowly official received an imperial edict and rushed here from the capital overnight. I don't know the details. Come to think of it, the dust does not cover the jade, the jade is dazzling. Your Excellency is talented and outstanding, how could the imperial court bury a talent? Hahaha … "
Wu Jie laughed, took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, and stuffed it into Yang Ling's hand. "Your Excellency, this is your first time in the capital. Buying a house, buying land, and visiting colleagues will definitely require some expenses. This lowly official presents Cheng Yi with a thousand taels, please accept it."
When Yang Ling heard that it was a thousand taels of silver, he didn't dare to accept it. Wu Jie said seriously, "Your Excellency need not take it to heart. This lowly official has been running around outside the Great Wall all year round, and although it's tough, in order to cover up my identity, I often do business with foreign tribes in medicine, leather goods, salt, and tea. With the protection of my identity as an Imperial Bodyguard, money comes easily. This little bit of money is nothing. It's just a small token of my appreciation.
If Your Excellency does not accept it, I'll be in a difficult position. "He did not wait for Yang Ling to refuse and stuffed the banknotes into his sleeve. With a reluctant expression, he said," This lowly official and Your Excellency have hit it off quite well. Once Your Excellency enters the capital, this lowly official will only be able to visit Your Excellency's residence when I return to the capital to report.
Alas! This lowly official is old and has been running around all year round. My legs and feet are no longer comfortable. Your Excellency will definitely be placed in an important position when you enter the capital. When the time comes, I hope that Your Excellency can put in a few good words for me. My relatives are all in the capital and run a few medicine shops. If you can transfer me back to the capital, I can reunite with my family. "
Yang Ling thought, This Wu Qianhu doesn't seem to be very proud in the capital. Otherwise, there are many powerful people in the capital and he wouldn't have to go through my door. It's just that I, a small official, was promoted to Baihu. It could be said that the Imperial Bodyguard was trying to gain favor in front of the Emperor and compete for military merits. Now that I've been promoted to Tongzhi without rhyme or reason, it's too strange.
Wu Jie's return to the capital this time was to move people up and down. He wasn't the only one who wanted to be transferred back to the capital. It was just that these people had been officials for many years and had formed cliques and cliques. They were most attentive to the changes in personnel in the court. Yang Ling wasn't even 20 years old yet he had been promoted to the capital by the highest leader of the Imperial Bodyguard. Of course his future was limitless. If they didn't build a good relationship with him now, who would care if he added flowers to brocade in the future?
Yang Ling thought for a moment and asked, "Sir Wu, I still have the status of a post deputy. Don't I need a transfer order from the Ministry of Appointments? When can I enter the capital? "
Wu Jie was startled and said, "Your Excellency, the capital ordered me to rush here at top speed to issue the order and seal, but there was no mention of your schedule to enter the capital. Oh, that's right, there are two Brocade Guards with me. They were sent by the capital to escort you. Your Excellency can ask them."
Yang Ling put away the order and seal and the two went to the outer hall. Wu Jie opened the door and called in the two young men. The two were of similar height and had clear eyes. They looked very smart and capable. The two had long known about the appointment in the capital. As soon as they entered the room, they cupped their fists and knelt on one knee. They saluted Yang Ling and said, "Your humble subordinates, Liu Biao and Yang Yiqing, pay their respects to Your Excellency."
Yang Ling wasn't used to being saluted like this. He hurried forward to help the two up and asked them in detail. In the end, the two were ordered to dress casually and escort Sir Wu back to the capital before meeting Sir Zhang. As for the time of their return to the capital, Sir Zhang had specifically told them that there would be other people coming to the capital to welcome them and that they should wait quietly. At the same time, they were told not to inform the local authorities of their promotion to Fellow Prefect.
When Yang Ling and Wu Jie heard this, they looked at each other in surprise. The Imperial Bodyguard's identity was divided into three types. The first type worked in the yamen and had a public identity. They were the core members of the Imperial Bodyguard. The second type was a semi-public one like the Post Deputy. Everyone knew that he had this identity, but no one would point it out. He was a peripheral member of the Imperial Bodyguard. The third type was Wu Jie, who operated as a civilian. No one knew his true identity. He was a secret agent of the Imperial Bodyguard.
Yang Ling was promoted to Fellow Prefect and became an official in the capital. His identity was public, but now he wasn't allowed to inform the local authorities. There must be something more to this. There was someone from the capital coming to welcome him? This made Wu Jie even more certain that Yang Ling must have found a powerful backer in the capital. His attitude became even more respectful. As for the two captains, they had been assigned to be Yang Ling's bodyguards. The two of them were very happy to see this young man.
There were many descendants of meritorious officials in the Imperial Bodyguard, and they were all hereditary officials. These two were Imperial Bodyguards who had been selected from among the common people. It was like others had a bachelor's degree while you had graduated from a technical secondary school. Even if you were more capable than others, you would still encounter many obstacles for promotion. The man they were serving was so young and had a bright future. At the same time, he was also a commoner like them. If they followed him, their chances of promotion would naturally increase.
After seeing Wu Jie off, Yang Ling arranged for Liu Biao and Yang Yiqing to stay in the posthouse. Thinking that he was now a fifth-rank official and a powerful Imperial Bodyguard, he was suddenly overjoyed. He couldn't help but run to the backyard to tell Young-niang the news.
Men in love were like children. Once something glorious happened, they would naturally want to let the people closest to them know as soon as possible. Yang Ling excitedly walked to the fourth courtyard and saw Ma Lian'er come out of the courtyard with a basin of water. She splashed it out with a splash. She was wearing an apron, and her black hair was wrapped in a white handkerchief. Her sleeves were half rolled up, revealing her bare arms. The weather was still cold, and because they had been soaked in water for a long time, her arms were red. It was rare to see her in plain clothes and a hairpin skirt. It was a unique charm.
Her eyes were red, as if she had cried not long ago. As soon as she saw Yang Ling walk over, Ma Lian'er was shocked. She didn't want him to see her current sorry state. She suddenly turned around and dashed into the courtyard. When Yang Ling saw her, he remembered that he had just heard about Bi Dushi taking a concubine. He hurriedly chased after her. Ma Lian'er dashed into the courtyard. Seeing Yang Ling following closely behind her, she became really anxious. She hurriedly picked up the other basin on the ground and rushed into the house in a panic.
Since when did Ma Lian'er become so afraid to see people? Yang Ling was even more curious. Without thinking, he followed into the house. Ma Lian'er was angry and embarrassed. She put the basin on the table and turned around to cover her front. She angrily said, "Why did you chase after me?"
Yang Ling spread his hands and said helplessly, "Why did you run? Is there something shameful in the basin? "
Ma Lian'er blushed. She unhappily rolled her eyes at Yang Ling and said, "None of your business. What are you to me … a dog catching mice! "
She blushed and pulled the cloth over to cover the basin. She walked to the kang and sat down. She curled up her legs and hugged her knees. Her chin rested on her knees. She looked at Yang Ling and said, "Why did you chase after me? Do you have something to say? " Yang Ling noticed that she was wearing a pair of white bow shoes, which she wore to mourn for her father. Her legs were curled up, and her pants were pulled up. Behind her straight legs was a beautiful semicircle that looked like a compass. Yang Ling glanced at it and felt that it was captivating. He did not dare to look any longer, and shifted his gaze back to the wooden tub that was covered by the tablecloth. Only then did he realize that what she had just washed might have been a woman's undergarments, such as waist and chest straps. Women were too shy about these things, even avoiding him when their young mothers were washing and drying these undergarments. No wonder Ma Lian 'er ran back as if she had stepped on a cat's tail. She was in a hurry to keep the things.
He sat on the opposite chair. After a moment of silence, he said, "I heard … Brother Ma came this morning?"
Ma Lian'er gave him a meaningful look. She curled her lips and said, "Didn't you already meet him?"
Yang Ling blushed. He said embarrassedly, "How … how did you know?"
Ma Lian'er rolled her eyes. An inexplicable smile flashed across her face. She said, "I … I heard that you saw him this morning."
Yang Ling smiled bitterly and said, "Still making a fuss? Why don't you know how to be worried? I heard that your brother wants to force you to marry Official Bi? "
Ma Lian'er rolled her eyes. She thought, "Why should I be worried? No matter how greedy my brother is, he won't dare to tie me up and give me away as a concubine if I don't agree."
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