Lu Qian and Lao He changed into casual clothes and walked slowly along Youluzi Street.
The Jiangtanzi Street next door is still crowded with people. There are restaurants, brothels, casinos, and various entertainment venues. It is a lively time.
There are many workshops and residents on Youluzi Street. Some workshops also operate as shops, and there are still some customers coming to the door at the moment.
Some other special workshops have half-closed doors. Through the open door panels, you can see the waiters setting up tables and chairs in the store and having dinner lively.
A group of patrolling Marquis Wu walked across the street with two fierce dogs. Their steps were rumbling, and the sound of weapons and armor rubbing against each other could be clearly heard.
Lao He looked at the group of Wuhou, smiled, and suddenly asked: "Xiao Lu, why do you want to join the palace guard? To be honest, we palace guards have a bad reputation.
You are so young, why are you so young?"
Lu Qian put on an ordinary long light blue silk shirt, and covered it with a red fox fur jacket that Lao He got from who knows where. He put his hands in his sleeves and was looking at the street scene of Youluzi Street.
Hearing Lao He ask this, Lu Qian couldn't help but laugh.
"Old He, do you want to hear the truth or lies?"
Lao He blinked and asked him curiously: "How do you say lies?"
Lu Qian narrowed his eyes and walked slowly: "It's a lie. I am loyal to the emperor and serve the country. The palace guard is a close minister of the emperor. Only by joining the palace guard can you shed your blood and sacrifice for the emperor better."
Lao He spat on the ground.
‘Be loyal to the emperor and serve the country’?
Nonsence.
Just look at the three three-tailed black scorpion brothers, they know nothing about "loyalty to the emperor and serving the country".
In the palace guards, except for those young eunuchs who have been brought into the palace and raised since childhood, ninety-nine percent of the guards are desperate outlaws, a group of scum and scoundrels who have killed a thousand people.
Do you expect them to be ‘loyal to the emperor and serve the country’?
"Then, what's the truth?" Lao He asked Lu Qian with a smile. He patted his chest and laughed in a low voice: "To be honest with Xiao Lu, I, Lao He, also committed a crime back then and slaughtered all my enemies.
Thirteen people were wanted all over the world by Sikoutai, who went to sea to capture the documents, so they had no choice but to join the palace guard."
Old He let out a long breath: "When you enter the Palace Guard Prison, you sign a document of selling yourself. You will never be able to escape in this life."
Lu Qian glanced at Lao He in surprise: "I can't believe that you, Lao He, with such thick eyebrows and big eyes, can actually kill a whole family? But let's get over what happened in the past."
"You have to listen to the truth. The truth is that guarding the palace is a shortcut to Zhongnan!"
"You don't understand what the 'Zhongnan shortcut' means? Well, it's a good way to get promoted and make a fortune, and go straight to the top."
Lu Qian said softly: "As for me, I don't have great ambitions. In this life, I just want to live a better life and be better to myself."
"As a man, if you want to live a better life, you only need these few things."
"First, if you don't want to be bullied, you have to have some fists and some power."
"Secondly, to live a prosperous life, you must have some gold and some money."
"Third, you want to live a long time, live long enough, like a thousand years old?"
Lao He laughed "hehehe" and kept shaking his head.
Lao He agreed with Lu Qian's first two points. With power and money, a man can live a good life.
But a thousand years old?
Legend has it that when the Dayin Wu Dynasty was founded, some of the ancestors of the martial arts families could live longer than 600 years.
That's only six hundred.
Nowadays, martial arts cultivation is worse than the previous generation. If you have a lifespan of 80 years, a life span of 120 years, a period of menstruation and half a year of yang life, that is the maximum lifespan of 150 years.
In Dayin today, Peiyuan Realm is considered the backbone, Tuomai Realm is considered the master, and Kaijing Realm is the trump card for every household to support their appearance.
Above the realm of opening scriptures, it is said that the old eunuch Yu Changle, who guarded the palace, used the evil magic of 'picking-yin-tonifying-yang' and 'eating people's hearts', which may have reached a realm above the realm of opening scriptures.
This is also the legend.
Lu Qian looked at Lao He seriously and said in a deep voice: "As for me, my origin is not difficult to find out. My surname is Lu, but I come from an unimportant collateral lineage. The family position left by my grandfather is overridden by my relatives.
If you lose your position, you will never be able to return it to your own hands in your lifetime."
"If you want to talk about the shortcuts to becoming an official by promoting filial piety and honesty, promoting scholars, and promoting scholars, how many upright and famous sons in the direct line of the principal are waiting, and how many 'recommended' places are there every year in the dynasty? Obviously, this is
It can’t fall on my head.”
"When it comes to the imperial examination, whether it's a scholar or a scholar, unless you are from a literary and educational background and have a great teacher as a teacher, you can't even dream of gaining fame on your own. Especially, my surname is Lu, an examiner of cultural and educational matters.
Unless they have a broken head, they will not let a person named Lu, even a member of the collateral clan, be admitted to the imperial examination."
"The other easy ways to go are just these."
"I'm afraid of pain when I go to the palace after purifying myself."
"Being a patrolling Wuhou means you will be a patrolling Wuhou for the rest of your life, and you will never get ahead."
"Not to mention joining Sikou Terrace and living in the open air, Sikou Terrace has long been the territory of the head-catching family. Unless you are directly from their family, you will not be able to make a scene in Sikoo Terrace."
"Only the palace guard."
Lu Qian said with emotion: "Old He, only the palace guard has left a path for advancement for people like us. No matter where you are, no matter your past, even if you don't know a word, even if you are a bastard at heart,
If you perform meritorious service, you will be promoted!"
"What if one day, you sneak into the emperor's side and get the emperor's appreciation? Tsk tsk, the emperor Jinkou gives you a title. Wouldn't this glory and wealth just fall to your head?"
Lao He blinked his eyes desperately, looked at Lu Qian blankly, and murmured: "This is really the truth, tsk, but in the past, including the captains and generals above, they have not explained it to us so clearly.
"
"Xiao Lu, can't you tell, your knowledge is incredible. Your surname is Lu, are you Jingyang Lu?"
Lu Qian smiled, did not answer Lao He's question, and continued to talk to himself: "Getting promoted and making a fortune as a palace guard is easier than other yamen, and there are ways to get there."
"But a palace guard does more than just get promoted and make a fortune."
Lao He widened his eyes and looked at Lu Qian in confusion.
Lu Qian did not explain much. He raised his head and looked at the sky and murmured: "Originally, I planned to join the palace guards in two years when I have better ability to save my life."
"However, the situation was so compelling that it forced me to come in two years early."
"Old He, I'm only sixteen years old. At the age of sixteen, I followed you all over the streets looking for those vicious murderers. Do you think this is a crime or not?"
Lao He laughed dryly, and said hurriedly: "Tell me first, tell me first, what are the benefits of being a palace guard?"
Lu Qian pondered for a moment and lowered his voice.
"The palace guard has direct access to the imperial city. The benefits of this are beyond description in a short while."
"Tsk, let's just talk about one thing. The palace guard can restrain the 'Si Baojian'. In the Si Baojian, there are countless rare treasures paid tribute by the princes from all over the world. There are many 'rare and valuable medicines' in them."
Lu Qian's voice became very subtle. He looked at Lao He with a smile and said softly: "Maybe there are one or two plants in there. After taking them, they can increase Yangshou. Scary, come on to the third point I mentioned.
Is it okay? Live longer."
Lao He was stunned, and then he laughed softly.
He pointed at Lu Qian and said with a smile: "Xiao Lu, Xiao Lu, you are really, really interesting... If there is such a life-extending treasure in Si Bao Prison, how many nobles in the palace will it be for us? You, you
, but maybe it’s really possible. Hey, hey.”
Lao He blinked his eyes and murmured: "Perhaps, it is really possible. If enough credit is made, and no one discovers the wonderful use of that rare treasure... Picking up leaks, yes, that's right, picking up leaks. This thing is not
No!"
"It is said that thirty years ago, one of our current nine-star generals was rewarded with a 'White Jade Black Ginseng' for his great achievements. It turned out that he was seriously injured and damaged his vitality source. This ginseng was used to fill the gap for him.
Fundamental.”
"Who would have thought that a drop of precious spiritual ointment was hidden inside the white jade black ginseng. The nine-star general opened three meridians and six meridians overnight, and directly reached the late stage of meridians, and his foundation was
He fought extremely hard and gained a good body with 'Godly Power'."
"Now, he is already the leader of the guards around the emperor and one of the many people under the supervisor."
Lu Qian smiled and nodded: "So, in this life, I want to live longer. Well, I can live as long as I can. Si Baojian is the place with the most rare treasures in the world. No matter what, I will live
It needs to be closer to Si Baojian, even closer."
"So, you said, with my background, I want to live a better life for myself. Is there any other better way besides joining the Palace Guard?"
"No!"
"So, this is my honest truth."
"The above are all true, there is no lie at all!"
Lu Qian exhaled a long breath toward the sky.
These are his true words.
Originally, he was planning to join the palace guards after turning eighteen.
The palace guard, or rather the imperial city behind the palace guard, has more benefits than just a Si Baojian?
However, Bai Changkong's family really bullied him too much, forcing him to make a decision two years in advance.
"Sixteen years old, I'm not yet an adult, does this count as child labor?" Lu Qian sighed quietly in his heart.
The light ahead dimmed.
On both sides of the street, two red lights glowed faintly, like two will-o'-the-wisps, illuminating a section of the street slightly red.
On the left side of the street is a coffin shop with a mottled antique gilt signboard and the four characters "Have a safe journey" written on it.
On the right side of the street, there is also a coffin shop, with the same mottled antique gilt signboard, and the four characters "Fuyin Descendants" written on it.
The two coffin shops have large facades, with five bays on the left and right.
According to Dayin's custom, a red lantern is hung in front of the coffin shop all year round. A red lantern is hung at the door of each of the two coffin shops. In the night wind, the two red lanterns sway slightly, which makes people feel uncomfortable.
numb.
Lao He shuddered.
Lu Qian calmly walked to the signboard of 'Descendants of Fuyin'.
He was just in time when he heard a voice coming from the store: "Boss, here are three of the cheapest thin-skinned coffins in your store."