binnovel Chapter 206 Taking Office
Chapter 206 Taking Office
Lin Ziping didn't mind that Luo was taking advantage of him by addressing him, and said, "Master Luo, please give us a few rooms. From now on, we'll keep to ourselves."
"A house?!" Master Luo scoffed. "How many do you want?"
"Six rooms," Lin Ziping said.
"Two rooms."
……
After some bargaining, Master Luo agreed to give Lin Ziping and his family three rooms.
Lin Ziping tightened his grip on the dagger: "I'll need to trouble the brothers to help me clean up, and I'll also trouble Master Luo to supervise."
"You!" Liu Song covered his arm and glared angrily at Lin Ziping.
Master Luo said, "Do as he says."
Lin Ziping raised his eyebrows at Liu Song.
"Yes," Liu Song and the others replied, clasping their hands in greeting.
"Young man, it's time to put down your knife," Master Luo said to Lin Ziping.
Lin Ziping pulled a dark object out of his sleeve and intended to put it into Master Luo's mouth.
Master Luo shook his head to avoid it.
"Wu Dongxu, come help," Lin Ziping said, turning his head. "Find a rope and tie him up."
Wu Xudong didn't move, but the four young men from the group of four walked over and said, "I'll do it!"
Unable to find a rope, Lin Ziping and the young man had no choice but to work together to stuff the dark object into Master Luo's mouth.
"Cough cough cough-"
Grandpa Luo clutched his throat and coughed violently: "What did you feed me?"
Lin Ziping said: "Seven-day soul-killing pill."
"what?"
"The so-called Seven-Day Soul-Destroying Pill means you have to take the antidote within seven days, otherwise... I don't think you want to know what will happen after seven days," Lin Ziping said, making up a story without batting an eye.
These are just candies that I casually tossed into my pocket.
"Don't scare me, I think it's just candy," said Master Luo.
Lin Ziping smiled calmly, "Believe it or not, it's up to you, Master Luo. We'll see in seven days. It doesn't matter if I die; it just depends on whether you're willing to stay with me."
"Hmph—" Master Luo snorted coldly.
“I will give Master Luo the antidote every seven days from now on. I hope we can all live in peace.” Lin Ziping put down the dagger and patted Master Luo on the shoulder.
Master Luo looked at Lin Ziping, and after a long while, he smiled and said, word by word, "Very good."
Lin Ziping clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I am deeply grateful for Master Luo's care."
Master Luo turned his head away and remained silent.
"Let's go," Lin Ziping said as he walked to Wu Xudong and the other three.
Without waiting for a response, Lin Ziping strode away.
Lin Ziping leaned against the door and watched them clean.
He would occasionally give instructions: "This place isn't clean enough, wipe it more thoroughly."
"Ping ping ping ping—"
Liu Song and the others vented their anger on the brooms and rags, glaring at Lin Ziping every now and then.
"Keep up the good work!" Lin Ziping didn't care that they were glaring at him, and he held his things to cheer them on.
At this moment, Wu Xudong and his three companions walked over.
Lin Ziping said without turning his head, "I'll take this one. You can divide the other two among yourselves."
After cleaning the room, Lin Ziping sent the group out.
I went inside and took a look around. The bed was a simple wooden plank bed, but the bedding was all new. These young men were quite good at their work.
The first day of reporting for duty passed just like that; although there were some ups and downs, it was still uneventful.
Lying in bed, Lin Ziping realized he had forgotten to ask what his job was.
"Never mind, I'll deal with it tomorrow," he yawned, rolled over, and fell asleep.
The next day at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), a commotion was heard outside.
Lin Ziping opened the door and saw a group of people standing in the courtyard.
There were more than 30 people, including Liu Song and others.
Although he didn't know what to do, Lin Ziping found a spot at the back and stood there, right behind Wu Xudong and his group of four.
Wu Xudong and the other three were dressed in the same uniforms issued by the palace, in an earthy yellow color, with a red belt around their waists and headscarves.
Lin Ziping's casual clothes made him look somewhat out of place.
Fortunately, it was still dark, so it wasn't too noticeable from the back.
Not long after, Master Luo came out.
He stood facing the crowd.
This Mr. Luo is also a leader here.
Oh dear, I've offended the boss on my very first day! What am I going to do?
Lin Ziping was prepared to be targeted and gossiped about, but the people standing next to him stood straight, and no one paid attention to Lin Ziping's little thoughts.
“These past few days, five new recruits have arrived at our guard camp: Wu Xudong, Tang Jiawei, Pu Santong, Fan Ji, and Lin Ziping,” Master Luo asked.
"exist--"
Wu Xudong and the other three answered in unison.
"arrive--"
Lin Ziping responded in agreement.
"You few will be on duty at the Taiji Hall today. Liu Song, you explain the rules to them," Master Luo instructed.
The scene suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Taiji Hall, what kind of place is that?
"Is there a problem?" Master Luo continued to ask.
"Yes," Lin Ziping replied loudly.
Those around Lin Ziping looked at him with silent sympathy.
Even if Lin Ziping was slow to realize it, he sensed something was wrong; the guy had spoken too quickly.
Looking at Wu Xudong and the others, Lin Ziping felt a pang of guilt as he noticed the oppressive atmosphere surrounding them.
They were probably implicated.
Master Luo continued, "The rest of you will remain as scheduled and be on duty at 5:00 AM."
"Yes," more than thirty people answered.
After saying that, Master Luo went inside.
The person next to Lin Ziping leaned closer and asked, "Are you new here?"
Lin Ziping looked at him warily and nodded.
"You've only just arrived and you've already been assigned to the Taiji Hall? Tsk tsk, did you offend Master Luo?" the man said.
Offend them, offend them terribly!
"Young man, I'm new here, could you please explain the rules to me?" Lin Ziping said with a smile, handing over a few copper coins.
The man took the coin and tossed it: "When you come here, you must first listen to Master Luo, then listen to Liu Song, and then those other people."
He pointed to the people standing at the very front.
Lin Ziping followed his hand and looked over; the familiar faces were all the same people from yesterday.
Seemingly sensing Lin Ziping's gaze, the group all looked over.
The person next to him looked excited and gave him a fawning smile.
"They're looking over here!" someone nearby exclaimed with delight.
Judging from this man's appearance, news of his fight with Master Luo and the others yesterday probably hasn't spread yet.
"Let me tell you, you must build a good relationship with Master Luo and the others. They have some good stuff," he whispered in Lin Ziping's ear.
Lin Ziping awkwardly distanced himself, asking in confusion, "Good stuff?"
"Yes, yes, it's aphrodisiac!" the man said longingly. "Master Luo let me try it, and the feeling was... heavenly."
Lin Ziping turned to look at the person next to him, who looked completely absorbed, as if savoring the moment.
"Ointment?" Lin Ziping repeated.
"This is a really good thing; many important people use it," the man continued to ramble on.
Lin Ziping's thoughts were completely drawn to the opium. Recalling how Master Luo looked after puffing away yesterday, he realized that it did indeed resemble the appearance of opium addicts during the Qing Dynasty as shown on television.
"Lin Ziping is gone!" Liu Song's voice came.
"Thank you, sir. May I ask your name?" Lin Ziping said, clasping his hands in greeting.
"Just call me Cai Chen. I've called you, so go now," Cai Chen said.
Lin Ziping nodded and walked towards Liu Song.
Liu Song glanced at Lin Ziping: "I'll give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to change your clothes. If you delay, you'll have to bear the consequences."
Lin Ziping glanced at Wu Dongxu and the others, then went back to his room to wash up and change without saying anything more.
At 3:45 AM, the six people set off on time.
"Our Imperial Guard Battalion is the first line of defense for the safety of the Imperial Palace. You are mainly responsible for the Taiji Hall, from 5:00 AM to 9:00 AM, and take turns eating at midnight," Liu Song said.
"What do we do after the meal?" Wu Xudong asked.
Liu Song replied, "We will patrol with the Jinwu Guard from 11 PM to 5 PM, have lunch at 7 PM, and then arrange our own time afterwards."
Lin Ziping calculated that from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to 1 p.m., there are six hours in a day, and the working time is 12 hours.
We started gathering at 3 AM this morning, which means we'll be working 14 hours a day. I wonder if I'll be allowed to slack off.