Chapter 214: The guards in front of the palace are paying attention
Hearing the voice of "Brother He", Gu Tingye and Qi Heng realized that there was someone they had never seen in the tent. Both of them were well-mannered people, so they immediately apologized to He Hongwen.

Then the three members of the Changbai Gang introduced themselves.

After the greetings, Gu Tingye spoke first.

"Let's split up into teams like this."

In fact, Gu Tingye doesn’t care who he is on the same team with. What he cares about is Yang Wenyuan, a strong opponent.

When the two of them were wandering around Bian Jing in the past, the polo field was naturally where they galloped.

On the polo field, the two were evenly matched. After such a long time, Gu Tingye also wanted to test Yang Wenyuan's strength again.

Identify the personnel.

Yang Wenyuan immediately found the person in charge of registration at the polo field and reported the two teams' candidates.

At this moment, Rong Xian, who had not been seen for a long time, suddenly appeared in front of him, surrounded by a group of young men. Judging from their attire, they should be children of low-ranking military officers.

Perhaps the Imperial Guards is really a place to train people.

Rong Xian has been in the Imperial Guards for less than a year, but his original youthfulness and recklessness are gone, and he stands out as more steady among the many young men.

When he saw Yang Wenyuan, Rong Xian showed some surprise on his face, but not as excited as before.

"Donghuan, are you preparing to play polo?"

Rong Xian led a group of young men behind him to Yang Wenyuan and asked:

"I remember you haven't played polo for several years. Why are you in the mood today?"

"The imperial examination list will be released in a few days. If I pass by chance, it will be inconvenient for me to play polo in the future. It just so happens that a brother from out of town has come, so I'll take this opportunity to have some fun."

After saying that, Yang Wenyuan looked at the people following Rong Xian.

"But, what are you doing?"

Rong Xian simply smiled.

"They are all brothers I have made friends with recently, and they are here to play polo."

After saying that, Rong Xian introduced Yang Wenyuan's identity to the people behind him.

"I'm sure you've heard of this man before you. He's the young marquis of Pingyang Marquis's Mansion."

Rong Xian said jokingly:
"But maybe I'll have to change my tone after a while. It won't be too much to call you sir."

"Little Marquis!"

"Little Marquis!"

"..."

Yang Wenyuan also nodded in response.

These people were all strangers, and Yang Wenyuan didn't recognize any of them. He thought that most of them were the same as Chang Feng, who didn't have a place in the polo club before, and now was brought here by Rong Xian to experience it.

At the same time, Yang Wenyuan thought to himself:
"What does Rong Xian mean by this? Does he mean that he will inherit the title soon, or does he already know that I have passed the imperial examination?"

This year's military examination was scheduled for early April. For the sake of the military examination, the examination results were released earlier than in previous years. The Imperial Examination Hall was unsealed yesterday, and the examiners have presented the results and examination papers to the government.

Due to Rong Xian's relationship, although she might not get the list of all the successful candidates, her identity was sensitive, and from the emperor's occasional mention, Rong Guifei might be able to guess whether she had passed the imperial examination or not.

However, Rong Xian had gone through a lot of experience and it was obvious that he had already become shrewd in his mind, so he only mentioned it briefly and did not elaborate.

Rong Xian took out his badge and asked the teenagers to use it to register in line, while he continued chatting with Yang Wenyuan.

"I heard that you got promoted again recently?" Yang Wenyuan asked.

Rongxian nodded, and for the first time a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Yes, I was promoted. At the beginning of the month when you were preparing for the imperial examination, the emperor promoted me from the original deputy head to the Palace Front Department, and I was given a full quota (one hundred people) of direct guards (imperial infantry)."

"The guards in front of the palace?" Yang Wenyuan looked shocked.

Yang Wenyuan had only heard that Rong Xian had been promoted, and originally thought that he had only been promoted from deputy captain to captain, so he did not pay much attention to it. After all, with Concubine Rong there, the promotion speed of Rong Xian, the only son of the Rong family, was not too fast.

But what Yang Wenyuan didn't expect was that Rong Xian was actually promoted to the position of Zhubanzhi in front of the palace this time!

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, all the imperial guards, whether in the capital or stationed in local areas, were under the management of the Three Yamen, namely the Palace Front Department, the Cavalry Department, and the Infantry Department.

But in the imperial guards, there is a special existence, namely the guards in front of the palace.

This military department nominally belonged to the Three Yamen, but in fact it was independent of the outside world and not subject to transfer orders. Instead, it was directly commanded by the emperor and was usually regarded as the emperor's personal guard.

There is only one level of organization in the various banzhi, which is divided into ban and zhi.

The cavalry were divided into squads and the infantry into lines, each numbering about one hundred people.

And Rong Xian's leadership of a hundred imperial guards had obviously taken him several steps forward, and it was indeed accurate to say that he was promoted.

"Wait..." Yang Wenyuan suddenly had an idea.

Rong Xian now took the position of a guard in front of the palace. Doesn't it mean that he will have the ability to walk in the imperial city at night in the future?

And if there is a rebellion in the future...

Yang Wenyuan felt strange at the time, wondering why Prince Yan could break into the imperial city so easily. After all, even with the help of Concubine Rong, she was just a weak woman. Although she was favored on weekdays, it was impossible for her to get the guards to open the palace gates in the middle of the night with just a word.

Thinking of this, Yang Wenyuan looked at Rong Xian with a strange look.

"So it fell into your hands."

It turns out that it was you who brought in those...too vicious rebels!
"You don't know yet."

"I've been busy lately. I only heard that you got a promotion, but I didn't ask for the details." Yang Wenyuan spent all his energy on Hualan, so he had no time to think about Rongxian, this rough guy.

Not to mention that the friendship between him and Rong Xian was all based on nonsense. Now that they have each embarked on the right path, it is natural that they can no longer be considered to have a deep friendship.

Seeing Yang Wenyuan, the promising young man that his parents often talked about, looked surprised, Rong Xian was so happy that he returned to his original temper and said happily:
"You also know that I am not confident in giving this position to anyone else, so naturally, only a royal relative like me can take on this responsibility."

This is true.

Positions like this one of the emperor's personal guards would never be given to a son of a noble family like Yang Wenyuan. Most of them were given to the children of low-ranking military officers, or royal relatives like Rong Xian whose entire family wealth depended on the emperor.

Even the Cao family, from which the queen came, was a prominent military family since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, even though there was no inherited title in the family. They were also not allowed to get involved in the position of leader of the guards in front of the palace.

Moreover, the emperor asked Rong Xian to lead the troops in front of the palace, perhaps because he felt that he was too old and knew that he could not protect the Rong family for long.

Out of consideration for Concubine Rong's kindness, a way out was found for the Rong family.

Or maybe you feel uneasy around you and are afraid that someone might have evil intentions towards you, so you are preparing for a rainy day?

"I just don't know if this counts as inviting a wolf into the house..."

As if thinking that this was a bit of a boast, Rong Xian immediately added:
"But don't be envious. Although this position is close to the government and looks attractive, it often requires night shifts, which is also very tiring."

Yang Wenyuan nodded calmly.

At this time, the group of people who went to register also came back. Rong Xian immediately apologized and walked towards the group of people.

Yang Wenyuan also turned and left.

Inside the tent.

"Why are you coming back so late? Are there a lot of people here today?" Gu Tingye asked first.

Yang Wenyuan shook his head:
"I just met Rong Xian and chatted with him for a while."

"What is there to talk about with him?" Yang Wenyuan knew that Gu Tingye was probably not as well-informed as he was, so he immediately explained:
"I am now a guard in front of the palace, and my job is different from before."

"Him?" Gu Tingye showed an incredible expression on his face.

Rong Xian also used to play with Gu Tingye. Gu Tingye naturally knew him very well and knew what kind of person he was. He was roughly the same as his cousins.

How could he become the commander of the imperial guards now?

"Oh, I got it!"

After a moment, Gu Tingye finally realized.

He was not stupid and immediately thought of Concubine Rong.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

It is not easy to explain the reason behind this directly. If someone hears it, it will offend them. Yang Wenyuan simply interrupted the topic and said:

"I've just checked. There are only two teams ahead of us. Once they finish, it will be our turn."

"Then let's hurry up and change our clothes."

After Gu Tingye finished speaking, he immediately went back with Qi Heng to change clothes.

Everyone who comes to the polo club will bring an extra set of clothes for playing polo. Even if you don't bring any, and suddenly decide to play polo, Mrs. Wu has prepared new clothes for you to exchange, but they may not fit you well.

Changbai and He Hongwen had no intention of playing polo, so naturally they didn't bring any. They immediately went to see Madam Wu.

But just as he was about to leave, Yang Wenyuan stopped him.

In order to ensure that Qi Heng could perform smoothly, Yang Wenyuan was well prepared and had put several sets of clothes in the carriage in advance.

"No need. I brought several sets of clothes with me today. They are all newly made. You two are similar in size to me, so you should be able to use them directly."

After saying that, Yang Wenyuan was ready to let Changqing take people to get it, but when he turned around out of habit, he did not see the familiar figure, but the face of a personal guard, which made Yang Wenyuan a little stunned.

Only then did I remember that Changqing had gone to Youyang.

"My lord?" the guard asked cautiously.

Yang Wenyuan came back to his senses and ordered:

"Go get the clothes from the carriage."

"Yes."

Soon.

Everyone changed into tight clothes, put on their trousers, and gathered at the entrance of the polo field.

Soon, the game between the two teams on the polo field ended, and the legitimate sons of the Duke of Lingguo's Mansion defeated the group led by the legitimate son of the Marquis of Jinxiang's family on the opposite side.

When the two teams came down, they ran into Yang Wenyuan and Gu Tingye who were waiting at the entrance, and immediately teased:

"Gu Tingye, Yang Wenyuan, haven't you two played polo for a while? Why are you in the mood today? Are you feeling itchy after seeing us brothers playing so well?"

The young masters of the Duke Ling's Mansion had been arrogant and dissolute since childhood. Yang Wenyuan and Gu Tingye had never been able to get along with them, so the two groups disliked each other and would provoke each other every time they met.

"Linghu Yan, if you have the guts, show your true colors on the court, but don't forget how badly we beat you before."

Gu Tingye was not polite at all, and he directly retorted to the eldest son of the Duke of Lingguo's Mansion:

"There are no tigers in the mountains, but monkeys rule the roost!"

"you……"

Linghu Yan was choked and could not speak. After all, they had won more than they lost in previous fights with Yang Wenyuan, Gu Tingye and others. However, with so many people watching, Linghu Yan did not dare to shrink back and said in a timid tone:
"You haven't fought for such a long time, I want to see how much skill you have left!"

"You don't need to worry about this!"

Gu Tingye swung the polo stick in his hand, raised his chin and asked:
"How about I give you a chance to win it back later?"

Linghu Yan's eyes lit up and she immediately agreed:
"Okay, keep your word!"

After saying this, he looked around at everyone.

"You all heard it! It was Gu Tingye who wanted to humiliate himself, not me, Linghu Yan, who wanted to take advantage of others' misfortune!"

In Linghu Yan's opinion, Yang Wenyuan and Gu Tingye have been away from the masses and studying for so long that their health and polo skills have probably been wasted a long time ago. They are definitely no match for the regular customers of the polo club like her.

"It's settled!" Seeing Gu Tingye looking at him inquiringly, Yang Wenyuan immediately stepped forward and said.

A promise is a promise, double happiness!
Seeing that his former enemy came to him, Linghu Yan naturally had no reason to refuse and agreed immediately.

"Then hurry up and go down. We will compete with you after this match!" Gu Tingye urged immediately.

In Gu Tingye's opinion, teaching Linghu Yan and other playboys a lesson again was just a dessert. The main course was Yang Wenyuan, whose polo skills were comparable to his own.

Linghu Yan and the others felt that they had taken advantage, and fearing that Yang Wenyuan and the others would go back on their word, they left the venue quickly without saying much.

However, they were still clever in their schemes and immediately went to find the person in charge of registration and asked him to cut in line for the game between their two teams and put it directly into the next game.

Conserve your energy and wait for the opportunity to come, the advantage is mine!

As Yang Wenyuan and others entered the venue, many ladies in Madam Wu's tent looked over.

"Isn't that the young master? He is truly capable of both civil and military affairs." Someone in the crowd said.

Princess Pingning had heard so many such flattering words since she was a child that she had long been immune to them and didn't even want to waste her energy looking at that person.

Seeing that the atmosphere around them was somewhat awkward, Madam Wu immediately said to Princess Pingning:

"My Lady Princess, it has been a long time since Brother Heng left for the imperial examination and he hasn't come to my polo field to ride a horse. I really appreciate your kindness today."

Princess Pingning smiled faintly, with a hint of relief on her face:

"It's also because your polo club is well run, otherwise Heng'er wouldn't have played so easily."

The imperial examination results will be announced in a few days. Princess Pingning is worried that Qi Heng has too much pressure on his shoulders and is feeling depressed. But now that she sees Qi Heng can still play polo for fun, she feels relieved.

"When faced with great events, he remains calm. The future of the Duke of Qi's Mansion really depends on Heng'er."

In the place where the girls were drinking tea and arranging flowers, two beautiful women were sitting at the top.

On the left hand is Rong Feiyan wearing a purple gauze dress.

She is as beautiful as her elder sister, Concubine Rong.

Although she is young, her eyes are full of life and passion.

Although the Rong family's background and abilities were not up to par, they had the great figure of Concubine Rong standing behind them. So no matter what they thought in their hearts, on the surface, all the families treated the Rong family with courtesy and respect.

The same is true among girls.

On the right is the Princess of Jiacheng County.

Although she was not as pretty as Rong Feiyan, she had a unique charm when she wore a palace dress and had a cold and arrogant look on her face.

Her father, Prince Yong, is the most powerful contender for the throne and has always doted on his daughter, so Princess Jiacheng has always been celebrated with great fanfare.

At this moment, seeing a new group of people appearing on the polo field, he couldn't help but look over there.

Yang Wenyuan and Qi Heng were both handsome in their own unique ways, which made the two girls stop staring at them for a moment.

(End of this chapter)