My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 201 Imperial Guards

Lord Qiu seemed to have not seen such an ambitious young man in a long time. He did not answer, but instead pushed the pen and ink towards him.

"No rush, no rush. Write down your situation. The palace is not an ordinary place. How well have you learned the rules?"

Lin Ziping was puzzled.

Is working at the royal palace really that formal?

Do I also have to write an application and do a self-analysis?

"Write it!" Lord Qiu said.

Seeing Lord Qiu's serious expression, Lin Ziping took the pen, pondered for a while, and wrote a "Letter of Intent for Working as a Palace Guard" modeled after a Party membership application.

After writing hundreds of words, Lin Ziping was almost moved to tears by his determination to do his job.

Their ideological awareness has been elevated once again.

"My lord, I've finished writing it." Lin Ziping handed the completed "Letter of Intent for Palace Guard Position" to Lord Qiu.

Lord Qiu glanced at it and placed it aside.

"My lord, I come from a humble background and am not very familiar with the rules of the palace. I hope you can give me some pointers," Lin Ziping said, clasping his hands in greeting.

Lord Qiu looked at the water on the table.

Lin Ziping, with his keen eye, picked up the teacup and respectfully handed it to him.

Lord Qiu took the teacup and took a sip: "There are many noble people in the palace. Remember to talk less and do more. Just do your job well. You'll know the rest when you get there."

Listening to the Lord's words is like listening to the words.

Lin Ziping nodded in understanding.

Lord Qiu didn't give Lin Ziping time to savor the meaning of his words. After speaking, he took out a token and handed it to Lin Ziping.

"This is the sign from the Inner Guard. Report to Zhu Hou Street in two days," Lord Qiu instructed. "Take care of your own affairs in the next two days."

Lin Ziping clasped his hands in agreement and carefully accepted the token.

Lord Qiu made no attempt to exchange pleasantries with Lin Ziping; once he had said what he needed to say, he immediately dismissed him.

Lin Ziping exchanged a few polite words and left, readily agreeing with his suggestion.

As Lin Ziping stepped out of the Ministry of Personnel, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the sun broke through the clouds, and its rays shone brightly on the earth.

The streets were bustling with people, and the occasional sounds of children playing added to the lively atmosphere.

Upon reaching the inner city, Lin Ziping noticed that the willows along both sides of the moat were sprouting new leaves, and he was surprised to realize that spring had arrived.

Back at the inn, the innkeeper stopped Lin Ziping and said, "The house you asked me to look at a couple of days ago is looking promising."

Lin Ziping then remembered that he had asked the shopkeeper to help him find a house a couple of days ago.

The new job includes meals and accommodation, so I probably won't need to rent a place for the time being.

Lin Ziping explained the situation to the shopkeeper.

The innkeeper laughed loudly, "No wonder you look so radiant today, sir! It turns out there's really good news. Congratulations!"

Lin Ziping waved his hand modestly: "Thank you very much for your patronage these past few days, shopkeeper."

"Where."

The two exchanged compliments and had a very pleasant conversation.

Lin Ziping returned to his room and began to check his luggage.

I didn't bring much with me from Fuchun Road to the capital this time, just a few sets of clothes and a few suitcases.

Lin Ziping looked at the things he had collected from Dai Qin, A Bao and others in Fu Chun and was puzzled.

Aside from those strange books and paintings, there's also half a chest of gold inside.

Carrying it around isn't practical either; it would be great if there were a bank.

Although there were money shops in this era, private enterprises without state backing faced too much risk of bankruptcy, so Lin Ziping was not very at ease.

There's also the little donkey "Wuling Hongguang" that we feed in the backyard of the inn. We definitely can't bring it into the palace, and there's no one to take care of it if we leave it outside, so we have to buy it.

Thinking of the past six months spent with the "Wuling Hongguang" and the many life-and-death experiences, Lin Ziping felt a pang of reluctance.

Thinking of this, Lin Ziping put down his luggage and went to the backyard.

The Wuling Hongguang was happily grazing when Lin Ziping approached and affectionately stretched out his head to rub against it.

Lin Ziping touched the "Wuling Hongguang" with reluctance in his eyes.

When you stay in one place for a long time, it's inevitable to develop some attachments.

Lin Ziping was able to leave Qingyang and Fuchun decisively and come to the capital alone, thinking that there was nothing in this era that he could not bear to part with.

I never imagined that what I'd be reluctant to part with now would be a little donkey.

No matter how reluctant you are, you have to let go.

Regardless of whether the Wuling Hongguang could understand or not, Lin Ziping went on and on about where he was going and why he couldn't take it with him.

The Wuling Hongguang remained silent, its head bowed, simply grazing on grass.

If there is no objection, it is taken as agreement.

Lin Ziping went to the shopkeeper again to find a home for the little donkey.

"Sir, are you going to sell your donkey to me?" the shopkeeper asked.

Lin Ziping nodded: "It's inconvenient to take it with me where I'm going. Could you please look after it for a while, shopkeeper?"

After thinking for a while, the innkeeper refused, saying, "Look at my inn, it's not big. I already have an old horse in the back. There's really no use in keeping another donkey."

“I’ve taken good care of this donkey. I would never sell it if I could take it with me. I’ll give you the carriage and the donkey together. As long as you take good care of the donkey, I’ll give you a price, shopkeeper,” Lin Ziping said.

He was pondering what to do with the "Wuling Hongguang" if the innkeeper didn't want it.

The shopkeeper thought for a while and said, "I see you have no choice. You've taken such good care of this donkey that it's so shiny and healthy. You can give me five taels of silver to take care of it."

I spent about eight taels of silver when I bought the Wuling Hongguang, and it depreciated by three taels of silver in less than six months. That's three months' salary!

My reluctance turned into heartache. I hope the shopkeeper will take good care of the "Wuling Hongguang". Consider this discount as compensation for wear and tear over the past six months.

Lin Ziping comforted himself, exchanged a few more words with the shopkeeper, and the two parties reached an agreement on the ownership of the "Wuling Hongguang".

After much deliberation, Lin Ziping decided to go and see the house the shopkeeper had mentioned.

The house is well-maintained, close to the inner city, and the location is acceptable.

After some haggling, Lin Ziping paid three months' rent and moved in that same day.

That night, when no one was looking, he buried the box containing the gold in a corner of the yard and went to great lengths to conceal it from anyone's view.

After staying in the newly rented house for two days, it was time to report to the Imperial Guard.

Lin Ziping locked the house, packed his luggage, and stepped back into the inner city to search for Zhu Hou Street.

Zhu Hou Street was already within the palace grounds, and even with his token, Lin Ziping had to go through layers of questioning before finally reaching the entrance of the Inner Guard.

He was greeted by a boy of eleven or twelve years old, who smelled the same as Lord Qiu, and was dressed in gray clothes with a slightly hunched back.

With a lukewarm attitude, he took Lin Ziping to his lodgings and left.

The sounds of "hehe hahe" could be heard from the courtyard from time to time.

Lin Ziping peered through the crack in the courtyard gate and saw a group of burly men inside, shirtless, demonstrating martial arts moves.

Carefully pushing open the courtyard gate, a large training ground came into view, with all sorts of weapons placed around it.

The burly men paired up and faced off one-on-one, fighting fiercely and filling the arena with the scent of testosterone.

Lin Ziping stood awkwardly at the gate of the courtyard, holding his luggage and the clothes he had just received, unsure of what to do.