Yang Ling heard that Thousand Housekeeper Wu had come, and he knew that he must have something important to attend to. He did not dare to delay, and he hurriedly bid farewell to Guan Shouying before rushing to the front hall. There were two thin and energetic young men standing straight outside the small office of the deputy. Yang Ling thought that they were Wu Jie's attendants and did not take them to heart. He walked straight into the door and saw Wu Jie still wearing a green robe, sitting in a chair. However, the way he sat was very different from the carefree expression he had last time.
Yang Ling's heart skipped a beat. Wu Jie's appearance meant that something important must have happened. Could something have happened to the Embroidered Uniform Guards? When Wu Jie saw Yang Ling enter, he immediately stood up. He saw that the messenger was also following behind Yang Ling, and he quickly said,""Lord Yang, please come to the inner hall!”
Seeing this, Yang Ling quickly waved his hand to dismiss the small official. He closed the door and followed Wu Jie into the inner room uneasily. He was about to greet Wu Jie with the courtesy of a lowly official when Wu Jie turned around and prostrated himself on the ground."I, Wu Jie, pay my respects to the commander of the Royal Guards, Yang Ling, Lord Yang!”
Yang Ling was shocked, and he hurriedly helped Wu Jie up. He said with a gloomy expression,""Lord Wu, what did you say? What do you mean by Tongzhi, this, this?"
Wu Jie smiled and cupped his hands."Congratulations, sir. The Imperial Guards 'Commander, Sir Zhang, is very appreciative of Sir Yang's talent and has already ordered you to be promoted to the Imperial Guards' Tongzhi. Your official rank has been promoted to five ranks. This lowly official has entered the capital on an errand and has come with this edict to inform you."
Speaking of which, Wu Jie was a Rank Five Thousand Households, only half a rank lower than him, so there was no need for him to bow so much. However, Yang Ling was now an official in the capital, and he had entered the heart of the Embroidered Uniform Guards. He had just turned 18 years old, and his future was bright. How could Wu Jie not try his best to curry favor with him?
"Ah?" Yang Ling was even more confused by this news. He had no idea what a Tongzhi was, but he knew what a fifth-grade official was. After a moment of confusion, Yang Ling said,""Lord Wu, why would I suddenly be transferred to the capital as an official?”
When Wu Jie heard that, tears almost fell from his eyes."If you ask me, who should I ask? I'm a hereditary Jinyiwei. I've worked hard for 30 years to become a thousand households. There are also Jinyiwei who have been promoted step by step among the people, but they've worked hard for a lifetime and made many contributions. Who knows which ancestral grave of yours has smoke rising from it? I'm still feeling wronged!”
However, he did not dare to say this out loud. He quickly smiled and said,"This lowly official received the imperial order and rushed over from the capital overnight. I don't know the details. It seems that the dust does not cover the jade, and the jade shines out of the eyes. Your talent is outstanding and outstanding. How can the imperial court bury talents? Hahaha!"
Wu Jie smiled and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve. He stuffed it into Yang Ling's hand and said,"" It's your first time in the capital. Buying a house and visiting your colleagues will definitely cost you some money. This lowly official will gift Cheng Yi a thousand taels. Please accept it."
Yang Ling did not dare to accept the thousand taels of silver. Wu Jie said seriously,""Milord, you don't have to take it to heart. This lowly official has been on the move outside the Great Wall all year round, so it's been a bit hard on me. However, in order to cover my identity, I've often engaged in the private trade of medicinal herbs, leather goods, salt, and tea with foreigners. With the protection of my identity as a Brocade Guard, it's easy to get money. This meager amount of money is nothing. It's just a small token of my appreciation. It's hard to put a shameful knife into its sheath. If Milord doesn't accept it, this lowly official will be in a difficult position."
As he spoke, he did not wait for Yang Ling to reject him. He stuffed the silver notes into his sleeve and put on a reluctant expression."This lowly official and Milord have hit it off quite well since we met. Now that Milord has entered the capital, this lowly official can only visit Milord's residence when I return to the capital every year to report on my work.
Sigh! This lowly official is old and has been traveling outside all year round. My legs are already inconvenient. Daren will definitely be put in an important position in the capital this time. At that time, I hope Daren can put in a good word for this lowly official. If you can transfer this lowly official back to the capital, this lowly official is willing to be at Daren's beck and call."
Yang Ling thought to himself,'It seems like this Thousand Households Wu isn't very pleased with himself in the capital. Otherwise, there would be many people with high positions and authority in the capital, and he wouldn't have needed to use my connections. However, I, a minor official, was promoted to a hundred households. It could be said that the Embroidered Uniform Guards wanted to gain favor and battle merits in front of the Emperor. Now, I've been promoted to Tongzhi for no reason. Isn't that too strange?'
Wu Jie's return to the capital this time was to carry out activities in the upper and lower levels in order to be transferred back to the capital. He was not the only one who went through this. It was just that these people had been officials for many years and had formed cliques. They were the most aware of the changes in personnel in the court. Yang Ling was not even twenty years old yet, and the highest leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guards had personally ordered him to be promoted to the capital. His future was naturally limitless. If he did not build a good relationship now, who would care if he added more flowers in the future?
Yang Ling thought for a moment, then asked," Sir Wu, I still have the identity of a deputy. Don't I need a transfer order from the Ministry of Official Personnel?" When can I enter the capital?"
Wu Jie was startled and said,"Milord, the capital has ordered me to rush over to issue the decree seal, but they have never mentioned Milord's schedule for entering the capital. Oh, right, there are two lieutenants in embroidered clothes who came with me. They were sent by the capital to escort Milord. Milord can ask them."
Yang Ling put away the official seal, and the two of them went to the outer hall. Wu Jie opened the door and called the two young men in. The two of them were about the same height and had clear eyes. They looked very smart and capable. The two of them knew about the appointment in the capital, and they cupped their fists the moment they entered the room. They knelt on one knee and bowed to Yang Ling,""Greetings, Lord Tongzhi."
Yang Ling was still not used to being greeted with such respect. He quickly went forward to help the two of them up and asked them in detail. In the end, the two of them received orders to wear casual clothes to protect their lord all the way back to the capital before meeting Lord Zhang. As for the time to return to the capital, Lord Zhang had specially instructed that the capital general would have another group of people coming to welcome them in the near future. He told them to wait quietly and not to inform the local government about the promotion of Tongzhi.
Yang Ling and Wu Jie looked at each other in shock. One had to know that the Jinyiwei were divided into three types. One was to do official duties in the government office. Their identities were public, and they were the core members of the Jinyiwei. One was like the post deputy, who was semi-public. Everyone knew that he had this identity, but no one would point it out. He was a peripheral member of the Jinyiwei. The third type was Wu Jie, who acted as a civilian. Outsiders would never know his true identity. He was actually a secret agent of the Jinyiwei.
Yang Ling was an official in Tongzhi, and his identity as an official in the capital was already public, yet he was not allowed to notify the location. There must be something going on. There were even people from the capital who came to welcome him? This made Wu Jie even more certain that Yang Ling must have found a powerful backer in the capital, and his attitude became even more respectful. As for the two captains, they had already been assigned to Yang Ling's personal guards. The two of them were very happy to see this young man.
There were many descendants of meritorious officials in the Brocade Guards, and they were all hereditary official positions. These two were Brocade Guards selected from the people. This was like someone who had a bachelor's degree and you graduated from a technical secondary school. Even if you were more capable than others, you would still encounter many obstacles in your promotion. The lord he was serving now was so young and had a bright future. At the same time, he was also a commoner like himself. If he followed him, his chances of promotion would naturally increase greatly.
Yang Ling sent Wu Jie away and arranged for Liu Biao and Yang Yiqing to stay in the posthouse for the time being. When he thought about how he was now a fifth-grade official, and a powerful Embroidered Uniform Guard, he felt a sense of joy after feeling lost. He could not help but rush to the backyard happily, wanting to tell the young lady this news.
A man in love was like a child. He would naturally want to let the person closest to him know about something that he was proud of as soon as possible. Yang Ling excitedly walked to the fourth courtyard and happened to see Ma Lian 'er turn around and walk out of the courtyard with a basin of water. She splashed the water on the ground. She was wearing an apron and her black hair was wrapped in a white handkerchief. Her sleeves were half-rolled up and her two jade-like arms were bare. The weather was still cold, and because she had been in the water for a long time, she was red from the cold. It was rare to see her in a plain dress, but it was a unique charm.
Her eyes were red as if she had just cried. Seeing Yang Ling walk over, Ma Lian was shocked. She didn't want him to see her in such a sorry state, so she turned her head and entered the courtyard. When Yang Ling saw her, he remembered that he had heard about Bi Dusi taking a concubine, and he quickly chased after her. Ma Lian 'er entered the courtyard in a flash, and seeing Yang Ling following closely behind, she became really anxious. She hurriedly picked up another wooden basin on the ground and entered the house in a panic.
When did Ma Lian 'er become so afraid of people? Yang Ling became even more curious and followed into the room without thinking. Ma Lian 'er was both angry and embarrassed. She placed the wooden basin on the table and turned around to cover herself, shouting in a panic,""Why are you chasing me?"
Yang Ling spread his hands and said helplessly,""Why are you running? Was there something shameful in the basin?”
Ma Lian 'er blushed and rolled her eyes at Yang Ling, spitting,""Why do you care? Who do you think you are?"
She pulled the tablecloth over the wooden basin with a red face, walked to the brick bed, and sat down. She curled her legs, hugged her knees, and rested her chin on her knees. She looked at Yang Ling and said,""Why are you chasing me? Do you have anything to say?" Yang Ling noticed that she was wearing a pair of white bow-shaped shoes. They were for mourning 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 swept his gaze over her and felt his heart clench. He didn't dare to look at her for too long. He shifted his gaze back to the wooden basin covered by the tablecloth. He realized that she had probably washed a woman's underwear, such as a waist or chest belt. Women were too shy with these things. Even young women avoided him when washing and drying these things. It was no wonder Ma Lian 'er had fled back like she had stepped on a cat's tail. She was in a hurry to put the things away.
He sat on the chair opposite him and pondered for a moment before saying,"I heard that Brother Ma came by this morning?"
Ma Lian 'er looked at him meaningfully and said,"Haven't you already met him?”
Yang Ling's face turned red, and he said embarrassedly," How do you know?”
Ma Lian 'er rolled her eyes, and an inexplicable smile flashed across her face."I heard you saw him this morning.”
Yang Ling laughed bitterly. Why don't you know how to worry? I heard that your brother is going to force you to marry Lord Bi?”
Ma Lian 'er rolled her eyes and thought,"Why am I in a hurry? No matter how greedy Brother is, if I'm not happy, would he dare to tie me up and give me away as a concubine?”
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]