Red Mansion Taoist

Chapter 50 Taking Charge
  Early that morning, Jia Qiang was riding a white horse, wearing the military uniform of a second-class guard, with a standard sword hanging on her waist.

It was still dark before he headed towards the palace.

This was his first time to work in the palace, and he was notified by the palace one day in advance.

He needed to arrive before the palace gate opened, and he had to enter as soon as the palace gate opened.

The palace gate he entered was Xuanwu Gate, also known as the North Gate.

"We met, brother, which family are you from?" There were already two military attachés, also in military uniforms, waiting at the north gate. One of them couldn't help but curiously asked when he saw Jia Qiang.

Those waiting to enter the palace here are all guards preparing to take charge.

Moreover, they are all well-connected households. The real Dragon Guards are all stationed in the palace. Only well-connected households like them will come regularly to participate in duty.

"My name is Jia Qiang, who are you two?" Jia Qiang introduced herself with a smile.

These two were colleagues. Since they were wearing military attaché uniforms, their rank could not be determined. However, those who could wear military attaché uniforms were at least third-class guards, that is, fifth-grade military attachés.

"My name is Ji Ziqiu. This is Yun Enli. Are you from the Rong Ning Jia family?" Ji Ziqiu first introduced himself and then asked.

For the same reason, in the entire capital, officials named Jia are more or less connected to the Jia family on Rongning Street, so this question arises.

"I'm not from the Rongning Jia family!" Jia Qiang shook her head and said.

"I'm just telling you, when will the Jia family have a military attache!" Yun Enli said with a smile.

In his words, he looked down upon the Jia family. This is probably how most people view the Jia family.

"The door is open, let's go in!" Ji Ziqiu pointed at the side door of the palace gate and reminded.

Ji Ziqiu and Yun Enli went first, followed by Jia Qiang.

When they came to the palace gate, the first two took out their identity tokens. When it was Jia Qiang's turn, Jia Qiang also took out her own identity tokens. The horses were taken away by a special little eunuch.

"Are you a second-class guard?" Ji Ziqiu couldn't help but asked in shock when he saw the style of the token.

You can't blame him for being surprised. Don't look at the fact that there is only one level from third-class guards to second-class guards. In fact, most of the connections are made by third-class guards. The official status of a fifth-grade official is considered a good background.

The second-class guard is different. This is the fourth-class guard, and he is really beginning to come into contact with power.

That is to say, the guards in the palace all wear the same military uniforms. If they wear regular uniforms, their rank can be judged as soon as they meet.

"Who is Jia Qiang?" Just when Jia Qiang was about to talk to the two new colleagues he met, a young eunuch hurried over and asked.

"That's me!" Jia Qiang raised her hand to signal.

"Mr. Xia, please come over here!" The little eunuch said quickly when he saw that he had found someone.

Jia Qiang certainly knew who General Manager Xia was. Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch beside Emperor Jingwen, was also the General Manager.

Jia Qiang followed the young eunuch and separated from the two new colleagues. He originally thought that he would work with his colleagues, but he did not expect that they separated after saying a few words.

"Who is this Jia Qiang?" Ji Ziqiu took a breath and turned around to ask.

"You ask me, I ask who to go to. This is the first time I know of a person like Jia Qiang!" Yun Enli shook his head and replied.

The two looked at each other and felt that Jia Qiang was special.

The Long Jinwei who were on duty were not on duty in some important place. They were just pretending, and it was over after one day of fooling around.

It is not the turn of these related households to guard the really important places.

Jia Qiang was called by Xia Shouzhong, so the place where Jia Qiang was on duty should be very close to Emperor Jingwen. This was not a place where related households could get close.

Jia Qiang didn't know about the exchange between the two after he left. She followed the little eunuch all the way around. The roads here were unfamiliar to him.

The only road that I remember is the road leading to Daming Palace. That time I entered the palace from the south gate.

Although the little eunuch is very thin and his steps are not big, his pace is very fast. Jia Qiang does not need to slow down when he strides to follow.

The little eunuch didn't say a word on the road and walked in silence.

After walking through a long alley and passing through a door, there is a wide open area in front of you. This is a large open area with a group of palaces in the middle.

Walking up the white marble steps, Jia Qiang saw Xia Shouzhong.

"Jia Qiang has met Manager Xia!" Jia Qiang stepped forward and saluted.

"Shiwei Jia, you are guarding the East Palace with the first-class guard Zhang Shiwei!" Xia Shouzhong said to Jia Qiang with a smile. Guard Zhang, who was wearing the military uniform of the Dragon Guard, nodded to Jia Qiang. Guard Zhang had been standing at the entrance of the palace before. If Xia Shouzhong hadn't explained it, Jia Qiang would not have thought that he was a third-grade military attaché.

Jia Qiang stood on the other side of the palace gate, guarding the palace gate with Guard Zhang on the left and right.

From the corner of his vision, he could faintly see the figure of Emperor Jingwen, who was looking at Zhezi.

It was his first time to serve in the palace, and it was his first time to guard the gate. This was completely different from what he had imagined.

Emperor Jingwen looked up and saw Jia Qiang, and for some reason he felt much more at ease.

Ever since the assassination that day, he always felt that there was a threat around him.

Although the palace is extremely safe, just like the open area around the East Palace, even if someone wants to get close to assassinate him, he cannot hide his figure.

But every time Emperor Jingwen closed his eyes, he would think of the scene of groups of men in black robes besieging him.

This made him sleep very lightly for many days, and he would be awakened by the slightest movement.

"Let Jia Qiang protect me to Fengtian Palace!" Emperor Jingwen turned to Xia Shouzhong and ordered.

Accompanying the emperor to the court meeting was an honor, and only the most trusted guards of Emperor Jingwen were eligible to participate.

Xia Shouzhong was also startled, but he did not raise any objection.

At this moment, the sky was dimming, and Emperor Jingwen got on the Huanghui and headed to Fengtian Hall. Jia Qiang and Zhang Guards were still protecting the Huanghui on the left and right.

Guard Zhang looked at Jia Qiang inadvertently.

In the palace, Emperor Jingwen was weak. Although Zhang Shiwei, a first-class bodyguard, was in the Long Jinwei, he was not under the Long Jinwei's command. He was a close guard of Emperor Jingwen.

The reason why Zhang Shiwei was trusted was because he was the younger brother of Concubine Zhang Shu, and he and Emperor Jingwen both prospered and suffered.

He was very curious about Jia Qiang's identity. This was her first day in the palace and she gained the trust of Emperor Jingwen.

Jia Qiang was very cautious at first, wary of everything around her.

However, no accidents occurred until they arrived at Fengtian Palace. When the eunuchs encountered in the palace saw Long Chu, they all knelt on the ground and did not even dare to raise their heads.

Today is a small court meeting. If it is a large court meeting, Jia Qiang, the captain of light vehicles, is qualified to participate.

But today he can be regarded as participating, but he is standing behind the dragon chair, about ten meters away. From this position, he can see the situation in the palace without attracting attention.

The court meeting was very boring, and every courtier who presented the report was rigidly reading the excerpts.

The court meeting was not long, it was over in an hour.

Then he went back to the East Palace again. When he returned, the eunuch had some more tricks in his hand, but the rest remained unchanged.

Returning to the East Palace, Emperor Jingwen spent the next time approving the poems and was busy until noon.

"Pass the meal!" Xia Shouzhong's voice came.

Jia Qiang couldn't help but touch her belly gently. He had been standing guard after breakfast in the morning, and it was already noon and he had not eaten yet.

He looked at Guard Zhang, who kept his body straight and seemed not to be affected.

It was difficult to make a sound here, so he could only wait.

Emperor Jingwen's lunch was not sumptuous. There were five dishes and a small bowl of rice. That was it. A young eunuch had to taste them one by one. After waiting for half a stick of incense, Emperor Jingwen began to eat.

Jia Qiang couldn't help but shook her head secretly in her heart. The emperor worked so hard, which was much harder than going to school and practicing martial arts.

Emperor Jingwen had not rested since the morning, and this was the case every day.

Emperor Jingwen felt a little tired after finishing his meal. He fell on the Arhat bed and looked at Jia Qiang's figure outside the gate, feeling a sense of sleepiness.

Xia Shouzhong saw a look of surprise on his face when he saw Emperor Jingwen sleeping.

Although Emperor Jingwen was resting at noon these days, he just closed his eyes and rested his mind. When could he really fall asleep?

He walked to Emperor Jingwen's side in small steps, put a quilt on Emperor Jingwen's body, and then waved to the eunuchs around him.

The eunuchs around him also exited in small steps, and no one made a sound during the whole process.

Jia Qiang finally had time at this time. She ate at the side of the palace gate and had some rest.

(End of this chapter)