My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 209 Organizational Structure

"Lin Ziping, Wu Xudong, Tang Jiawei, Pu Santong, Fan Ji—"

Voices calling them came from the courtyard gate.

Upon hearing this, Cai Chen said, "I've called you. Go quickly, don't keep the Imperial Guards waiting too long."

The five of them straightened their clothes and hurriedly walked out of the courtyard.

There were fifteen people outside, one in charge and the rest in two rows.

The armor gleamed in the sunlight.

Fifteen men each held a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.

Upon seeing Lin Ziping and his group of five emerge, the leader frowned and sized them up.

The man's gaze was extremely intimidating. Lin Ziping suppressed his discomfort and stood there, letting him scrutinize him.

Not only him, but the other fifteen people behind him also focused their attention on them.

“Sir, these five are Lin Ziping, Wu Xudong, Tang Jiawei, Pu Santong, and Fan Ji,” the middle-aged man in the courtyard said respectfully.

"Hmm." The leader of the Imperial Guards responded calmly, "Let's go."

Lin Ziping felt relieved, as if he had been granted a pardon, and stood behind the Golden Guard team in front of him.

Wu Xudong, Tang Jiawei, Pu Santong, Fan Ji and others followed closely behind.

The leading man waved his hand lightly: "Let's go."

The group left in orderly steps.

"Is this the kid who got lost yesterday?" came whispers from ahead.

"It was him. He left with Zhou Chaofeng later."

"Is he a member of the Zhou family?"

"No way, I've never seen him before. Judging from his clothes, he's probably a distant relative of Zhou Chaofeng's mother. Otherwise, why would he be in a place like the Fuwei Camp?"

"The Imperial Guard used to be all-around Luo, but now... tsk tsk..."

"Wasn't Zhou Chaofeng's biological mother from Chunhua Tower? What relatives does she have? Besides, wasn't it said that she died long ago?"

"Chunhua Tower is mostly a place for selling children. They come looking for people who have become successful. What does it matter if the people in the Gao family's backyard die or not?"

"Ha, that's true."

"Stop talking, the boss is looking over here."

"Tch, afraid of him—"

"You are not afraid?"

"afraid!"

"Ha ha--"

The sound in front of them stopped abruptly as the leader turned his head.

Lin Ziping lowered his eyes, pretending not to hear anything, and mechanically followed their steps.

The shadows on the ground rose from short to tall, signaling the end of an afternoon patrol.

I rubbed my swollen legs and practiced a section of Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade) indoors.

Fortunately, I've never stopped exercising since I came into this world, otherwise my body, which used to be out of breath after walking 10,000 steps or climbing five flights of stairs, really wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Days passed by, and Lin Ziping gradually learned about the organizational structure of the imperial guards from Xiao Chen.

At the very top of the pyramid were the Imperial Bodyguards, who, as the name suggests, were bodyguards who were always by the emperor's side and could carry swords with them.

Secondly, there was the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a separate agency established just like in the Ming Dynasty. It had functions such as surveillance, arrest, and imprisonment, and possessed law enforcement power over princes and ministers.

The Imperial Guards, the Golden Guards, and the Tengxiang Guards were all palace guards responsible for patrolling the palace.

The three have different functions: the Golden Guard is responsible for the front court, while the Feathered Forest Guard is responsible for the inner palace.

The Tengxiang Guards never appeared in the palace, and Xiao Chen didn't know exactly what they did.

Based on his hearsay and Lin Ziping's reasonable speculation.

This is probably the Tengxiang Guard, which was a cavalry battalion. They usually raised horses and practiced horsemanship. When the emperor wanted to leave the palace, they would go with him and drive his carriage.

There are also the flag bearers, a group of handsome men who are mainly responsible for the palace ceremonial guards, flags, drums, and the like.

Such a scene is not something that people of Xiao Chen and Lin Ziping's level can participate in.

Since there was no television broadcasting in this era, the functions and responsibilities of the flag bearer were based on Lin Ziping's reasonable speculation.

If the other guards are considered bodyguards, then the guard camp where Lin Ziping stayed is considered a security guard.

Those who guarded the palace gates were divided into two groups: the first group guarded the front court, and the second group guarded the inner palace.

The harem was the emperor's favorite place to live, so compared to the first battalion, the second battalion was selected from among the eunuchs.

These are the official classifications of the guards, but there is a special guard force in secret, commonly known as the Dark Guard.

This team is loyal only to the emperor and is hidden within the various departments of the imperial palace guards.

Apart from himself, the emperor, and the commander of the secret guards, no one else knew who was who.

The confidentiality measures were handled very thoroughly.

This is a team that is integrated into the palace guards yet remains independent of the others, obeying only the emperor's leadership and the command of the secret guard commander.

Their legends have been passed down in the palace.

Of course, this information was also provided by Xiao Chen.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental; any statement that is untrue is purely fabricated.

Returning to Lin Ziping's current team, it consists of fifty people at most, led by that Master Luo, whose full name is Luo Zijian, though few people call him that anymore.

Xiao Chen heard all of this from the middle-aged man guarding the gate in the courtyard.

Nowadays, Luo Zijian is mostly referred to as Master Luo or Old Luo.

The middle-aged gatekeeper's eyes lit up when he heard about Lao Luo.

According to him, back then, this old Luo was a master of the knife, the most skilled in the Prefectural Guard Camp, and even the Imperial Guards and the Feathered Forest Army had few match for him.

But later, for some reason, someone severed his tendons, and he could never touch a knife again.

Xiao Chen is a good gossip buddy... but not a good information-sharing buddy.

He speaks eloquently, with rich expressions, conveying profound emotional value.

His tone revealed regret and sympathy for Luo Zijian...

In any case, the emotions were too complex for Lin Ziping to capture accurately.

However, Lin Ziping kindly pointed out the logical problems in it.

As mentioned earlier, only imperial bodyguards are allowed to carry swords, so how could Lao Luo, as a member of the Imperial Guard, carry a sword?

Xiao Chen was taken aback by the question and stammered, unable to speak. He left with a "go ask" and ran off.

Despite the flaws, Lin Ziping still gained a lot of useful information from Xiao Chen, so he wasn't completely clueless and lost.

I used to think that being a security guard was a very easy job, and I even planned to get a security guard certificate so that I could become a security guard if I couldn't make a living in the future.

With the changing circumstances and unfavorable economic climate, security guards have become a sought-after profession, especially those working in the imperial palace, a job that requires immense effort to obtain.

Stripped of their professional image, the daily patrol and sentry duties of the Fuwei Battalion are a true test of patience.

After all, standing in the same place and in the same posture day after day is very uncomfortable.

Looking back, I recall my initial hopes at Fuchun for a new position in the capital city where I could make a significant impact.

In reality, this has evolved into standing at the entrance of the Taiji Hall, guarding the palace roads from night to day, counting steps every day.

It really is true what they say from that era: if your job hurts you, don't be discouraged or disheartened; the next job will be just as good.

On the seventh day, the day of rest arrived, and Lin Ziping couldn't wait to rush out of the palace.

But as soon as he stepped out the door, he was stopped by Luo Zijian.

"Lin Ziping, have you forgotten something?" Liu Song asked.

Lin Ziping sized up Lao Luo. Because he usually slacked off, he always stood in the last row at the morning and evening meetings. There were too many tall people in front of him, so he couldn't see Lao Luo.

Now, suddenly appearing before him, his steps were unsteady, his eyes were lifeless, and his eyes were dark-rimmed, as if his life force had been drained by the evil sword immortal.

Liu Song next to him looked similar, as if he hadn't slept for several nights in a row.

"Oh, the Seven-Day Soul-Destroying Pill." Lin Ziping slapped his forehead, took out a black pill, and handed it over. "Here's the antidote."

Luo Zijian tilted his head to indicate, and Liu Song stepped forward to take it.

"Can I go now?" Lin Ziping asked.

"Mm." Luo Zijian nodded slightly.