Volume 1: Swan Goose Chapter 364: Blazing Fire Soars into the Sky to Shine Lonely Star (2)
Just as a few people were at war with each other, a roar suddenly came from the audience: "What are you doing? Do you know where this place is? How can you be so noisy?"
Everyone was startled and quickly looked back, only to see a man in white robes and armor walking towards them majestically.
The person who came was none other than Yan Rong, the commander of the Jinjia Guard.
Although Yushousi and Jinjiawei belong to different departments, Yan Rong is the popular person in front of Emperor Yu, and everyone has to give three points to him, especially since he is still in a high position.
The minions of the Imperial Guard immediately put away their weapons, cupped their hands and said, "It turns out to be Commander Yan! It is Ruan Lang who is arrogant and domineering. He first attacked his colleagues and now he speaks rudely. We are about to teach him a lesson!"
As they said that, they pointed to the yamen servant whose fingers had been broken off and looked at Ruan Lang provocatively.
However, Yan Rong did not accept this trick.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Where is this place? If you make trouble again, I will execute you on the spot immediately!"
The Golden Armored Guards guard the security of the entire Ziwei City, and even the entire capital.
The power in their hands is quite large.
Even if the emperor's confidants, the Imperial Guards, dare to act mischievously in front of the palace gate, the Golden Armored Guards have the right to punish them for the crime of gross disrespect, or to kill them on the spot for the crime of treason.
Several government officials were so frightened that they were half sober. They bowed respectfully and said, "We don't dare to do it anymore! I hope Commander Yan will be merciful! For the sake of our commander's sake, please spare us once!"
Yan Rong looked at them with a cold face and said, "Where are your commanders? Why don't you see others on duty today?"
Several guardsmen were startled, glanced at each other, and then said with flattering smiles: "Um... we have some things to deal with in the prison today, and the commander is busy."
"Huh!" Yan Rong said coldly, "I guess he is hiding in some gentle country again!"
Those people smiled and said nothing in a tacit understanding.
No one wanted to offend Yan Rong, so they quickly helped the injured government servant and turned around to walk back to Ouchi.
"Wait!" Yan Rong shouted and stopped them again.
He glanced at a few people and said solemnly: "You dare to drink even when you are on duty next to the emperor?"
Several people were startled, knowing that they were in the wrong, and hurriedly said with a smile: "Commander Yan, today the commander is a host, how dare you disobey, brothers, I just had a few drinks and I am not drunk!"
"Explain this to the Holy One. I am only responsible for the safety of Ziwei City! I will truthfully report to the Holy One what happened today!" Yan Rong refused to follow their lead and immediately sternly refused.
He turned around and looked at Ruan Lang, who was beside him, and said in a deep voice: "It seems that you are absent from work today and you are drunk. Only Mr. Ruan is still sober. It seems that I can only trouble you to be on duty tonight!"
Ruan Lang cupped his fists and raised his hands with a serious look on his face: "This is Ruan Lang's responsibility, Ruan Lang is bound to do it!"
After that, he glanced at the government officials with contempt, completely ignored the angry expressions on their faces, and followed Yan Rong to Xuandemen.
As soon as they reached Yemen, they met two chamberlains, waiting to guide Ruan Lang.
"Sir Ruan, our Jinjia Guards will be patrolling around Ziwei City today, so I'd like you to be on duty at the Hanbing Palace. Your Majesty will stay overnight at the Hanbing Palace tonight."
Yan Rong stood still and distributed tonight's affairs to him. His tone must have softened a lot just now.
Ruan Lang held up his hand again and said in awe: "Thank you, Commander Yan, for helping me out just now!"
Yan Rong bowed his hands and smiled heartily: "I'm not helping you. Since spring, it hasn't rained a single time and the weather has been dry all day long. I also heard that the Taoist priest always talked about disaster stars.
I don’t know if it is true or not. So we on duty should be more careful. If something happens, we will all be in trouble!"
Ruan Lang nodded, cupped his hands and said, "I understand! Then let's be more careful!"
After that, Yan Rong took the Jinjia Guards to patrol, while Ruan Lang followed the eunuch to the Hanbing Palace.
——Vigil——
The night is deep, the moonlight is quiet, the lights
From the brightly carved small windows, the pathos of lyrics and music and the sounds of men and women playing around came out.
The song "Jian Jia" was played repeatedly and lingeringly, making the guards outside the door feel excited.
A small group of golden-armored guards patrolled and stopped in front of the Hanbing Palace. They couldn't help but start whispering.
An older Jinjiawei looked around and said, "Everyone, let's take a rest here! After the shift changes later, let's go have a drink to warm up!"
A young man whispered: "I heard that Your Majesty was supposed to go to the Queen tonight, but unexpectedly he came to Yun Bin's place instead!"
The person next to him chuckled and said, "How long has it been since the emperor went to the queen's place? I don't know what kind of charm this concubine Yun has that can make the emperor stay here every night!"
Another person echoed: "This concubine Yun is the most favored now. If she gets pregnant with another child, I'm afraid her position as queen will be in trouble!"
Although the golden armored guards were dignified and meticulous on weekdays, privately they were inevitably very interested in the emperor's affairs and discussed them endlessly.
The older man just smiled and listened to everyone's discussion without interrupting.
When he saw Ruan Lang slowly approaching with a serious look on his face, he coughed a few times and scolded in a low voice: "You dare to discuss the emperor's personal affairs like this under the emperor's nose, you will lose your head! If others hear it,
If I tell you this in front of the emperor, what you drink is not stomach-warming wine, but head-breaking wine!"
When several people who were in high spirits saw Ruan Lang approaching, and when he said this again, they realized that they had made a mistake and immediately shut their mouths.
Then, the elder suddenly said loudly: "Everyone, please pay more attention tonight. It is a dry day and it is easiest for water to leak! This happens quite a lot in the palace every year!"
A golden-armored guard next to him said, "But it's not all bad things. Have you heard about how the commander of the Imperial Guards Department of the previous dynasty became the late emperor's confidant?"
Another golden armored guard whispered: "I seem to have heard that it was caused by a fire!"
The elder sighed and said: "It was also the fifteenth day that year, and the weather was dry and dry like tonight! In the middle of the night, the late emperor's palace was flooded, and the commander of the Royal Guards Department ignored the fire and pulled the late emperor out of the fire.
I carried it out, and from then on I soared into the sky and became famous!"
Everyone looked at each other and smiled, jokingly saying: "If there is another fire, I don't know who will be lucky this time!"
The elder saw Ruan Lang standing not far away and scolded him in a low voice: "What nonsense! I think you are drunk tonight! Can you say such nonsense?"
Everyone looked at Ruan Lang and immediately shut up.
Ruan Lang didn't take what he said to them seriously. He just felt that he was an "outsider" and seemed out of place standing here.
He was not good at sociability, so after thinking about it, he turned around and walked towards the back door of Hanbing Palace.
Ruan Lang looked at the laxly guarded and empty back door, listened to the sound of drums coming from the hall, and the laughter of men and women, and couldn't help but think hard:
Now it seems that the Chief of Staff cannot stay any longer.
Although he is full of passion, has all the skills, and has the ambition to serve the imperial court, he no longer has his place here. If he continues to stay shamelessly, it will only make his future life more difficult.
After sighing, he found an inconspicuous corner, curled up, leaned against the wall and waited for dawn.
——arsonist——
The night was dark, and Ruan Lang began to take a nap without realizing it.
I don’t know how long I slept, but while I was half asleep and half awake, I heard a rustling sound in my ears.
At first, he didn't take it seriously and thought it was a eunuch on patrol at night passing by.
But the sound became more and more strange, and it still surrounded the back door of Hanbing Palace, and one or two low-pitched curses could still be heard faintly.
Ruan Lang finally opened his eyes, woke up, leaned out and looked at the back door.
This was an incredible sight. I don’t know when, but under the wall of the back door, there was actually a pile of straw.
Could it be that someone is setting fire to it?
Ruan Lang was startled, quickly drew his sword out of its sheath, and ran over quickly.
But when he saw the figure next to the straw, he stopped suddenly, turned around and hid in the darkness, trying to slow down his breathing.
After calming down his mind, he cautiously poked his head out and looked at the man in the moonlight, dressed in goose-yellow Sichuan brocade, with a pair of phoenix eyes flying sideways into his temples, holding a lit torch in his hand.
Ruan Lang looked at it carefully for a long time and couldn't help but take a breath - the person who came was actually the eldest prince!
What is he going to do?
Why did he set the Hanbing Palace on fire?
Did he want to kill someone?
Is it Yun Bin or...?
A series of questions came to mind, making it difficult for Ruan Lang to think clearly about the problem at hand.
But he had no time to think about it, because the cold look on the eldest prince's face, the crazy eyes, and the muttering "I want revenge" in his mouth made Ruan Lang aware of the danger at hand.
"Stop! What are you going to do!"
Ruan Lang was hesitant just now, but now he was concerned about the emperor's comfort. At this time, he could no longer think carefully about whether such an impulsive appearance would lead to death.
As soon as he finished speaking, others rushed to the eldest prince.
Ruan Lang's sudden appearance surprised the eldest prince who was looking attentively:
Before he put out the straw, he had already checked the area and estimated that when the fire started to burn, the guards guarding the front door and the golden-armored guards patrolling everywhere would have no choice but to put out the fire and would have no time to save it.
When the time comes, he suddenly appears again and pretends to rush in to save people.
The people next to you will definitely stop you, so no one will associate the murderer with you afterwards.
But he never expected that at this most critical moment, his plan would be interrupted.
Best of all - now someone saw him committing murder!
The eldest prince's hand shook with guilt, and the torch in his hand fell on the dry firewood. The flames quickly rushed together and surrounded the back door of Hanbing Palace.
"What on earth did you do?"
Seeing the blazing flames, the furious Ruan Lang yelled angrily and immediately turned around to find someone to put out the fire.