Being an official is the dream of all men, and Han Jie is no exception.

Han Jie was born into a family of officials. His father, Han Zhongqing, became secretary. After his death, he was posthumously named Shangshu Youpushe. The Han family passed down the poetry and books. Among the four brothers of the same generation, Han Jie was the only one who liked martial arts but not literary works. Under the operation of his family, he served as the prince and led the army without the scientific examination.

Less than two years after his tenure, Han Jie was so excluded by his colleagues that he could hardly gain a foothold.

Military generals are also officials, and they also have to talk about the worldly ways. They should be greedy for what they should be greedy and give away what they should be given. If they are too noble, they are often not tolerant of the world. If they have a more straightforward temper and have more shame, they will be even less able to gain a foothold.

The officialdom is just a cesspool, and everyone is so stinking that it smells bad. Once something doesn’t smell bad, it is an alien.

It is not the courage to burn the aliens to death, but excluding the aliens is a matter of course.

Han Jie was a very pure person. When he was young, he liked to practice martial arts, so he became a famous teacher who practiced day and night. He didn't like the prince leading the generals in the mansion to deduct military pay and deceive the superiors and subordinates, so he walked away silently and did not interact with them.

If you like something, stick to it and work hard for it. If you don’t like something, take the initiative to walk away and no longer approach it.

Pure people often live more difficult than others because they do not want to agree. However, their hearts are more peaceful than others because they do not want to agree.

It’s not easy to be excluded. He is still feeling isolated and helpless when he is in the crowd. Everyone looks at him either mocking or indifferent, and he gains nothing except the peace of his heart.

Finally, the generals of the prince led the mansion to no longer tolerate him, so he sent him to the military camp and gave him the position of the Chief of the Cavalry Camp. From then on, Han Jie stayed away from the Wei Mansion and entered the military camp to lead troops.

Han Jie seemed to be trapped in the sea of ​​troubles in the eyes of others, and he found the value of his existence.

He likes to be with his soldiers, eat and live with them. He uses the training methods he learned from military books when he was young to train his soldiers. In less than a year, Han Jie's cavalry camp became an elite journey, and even the emperor heard about the name of this cavalry camp.

Later, Han Jie was transferred again.

He heard that he was transferred to a young man who had just been appointed as a personal guard, but Han Jie subconsciously wanted to refuse.

He is a person who dreams of serving his family and country. He would rather die in battle on the battlefield than be a follower of a powerful man. That is an insult to his dream.

However, this is not a military order, but a decree.

It was the emperor who personally issued an order to transfer Han Jie and 100 soldiers from the Xiaoqi Camp to the county marquis to serve as personal guards.

Han Jie could not refuse, so he chose a hundred robes to become Gu Qing's personal guard.

After spending less than half a month together, Han Jie gradually stopped resisting.

He found that this county marquis was different from other powerful people. He had never seen this county marquis do anything to oppress the people, nor did he see that this county marquis lived a very extravagant and lewd life.

In fact, Gu Qing’s house is not big. After living in the yard with some servants and maids, he seemed a little crowded. Gu Qing’s daily food is inseparable from meat, but apart from eating meat, he is not as arrogant as other powerful people. Every meal is just rice and meat. Occasionally, he will take a jumping girl to the street to eat barbecue.

There was not even a music class or a kabuki in his mansion, which was a must-have standard in the mansion of the powerful Tang Dynasty. However, the Marquis had only the butler and servants left him. The whole mansion was quiet and looked like a bowl of clear soup without oil or salt.

Han Jie suddenly felt that such an alternative powerful man was actually quite interesting after observing it for a few days.

He still has to continue observing, observing the character of this powerful man, and seeing if he deserves his loyalty to him.

Although he is a martial artist, Han Jie also has his own pride. Protecting Gu Qing is because of his life, but protecting is one thing, and working hard is another.

Nowadays, Gu Qing is not qualified to make Han Jie willing to work hard for him.

It was late at night and the guards were still performing their duties.

At the gate of the Hou Mansion of Qingcheng County, a team of personal guards stood straight, and the lanterns on the lintel emitted a dim light. The personal guards stood with their swords, staring at all the movements in the open space at the door with cold expressions.

The personal guards on duty in the Marquis’ Mansion are in shifts, with each ten people in one shift, which is also a kind of ceremonial guards as the county marquis. Although they know that there is unlikely danger in Chang'an City, the personal guards still do what they should do meticulously.

Outside the gate of the yard, I knocked on the buzzard three times, and it was already midnight.

Han Jie put on his armor and pressed his sword, walked out of the side door. The guard at the door looked over alertly. Seeing that the person coming was Han Jie, he then relaxed and continued to look at the open space outside the door expressionlessly.

Han Jie was quite satisfied with his reactions to his subordinates. These were the soldiers he trained by himself.

"Hurry up your spirits. Even if Chang'an is a place of peace for a long time, you should not take it lightly." Han Jie in deep voice reminded his guards.

The guards clasped their fists.

Staying alert is not a show. Han Jie felt uneasy when he thought of An Lushan's eyes he saw in Xingqing Palace yesterday. He held the military power of the three towns and was extremely favored by the emperor. It was difficult to guarantee that An Lushan would not do anything excessive.

And Han Jie and his personal guards may be the only line of defense in front of Gu Qing.

After standing outside the Marquis' door for a while, Han Jie planned to turn around and patrol the yard and garden of the Marquis' house. When he was about to turn around, Han Jie was suddenly stunned and looked at the guards on duty at the door, and then his face quickly became gloomy.

"Why are there only nine people? And one more?"

A personal guard hesitated for a moment and said with a fist: "Wang Gui, the one who is short of post, has surrendered, and said he would be together with his fellow townsmen and return to the team after the middle of the year."

Han Jie said coldly: "It's already midnight now, why don't you return to the team yet? Also, who allowed him to leave the team privately? Who is his leader?"

In the guard team, a middle-aged man in his thirties came out and said, "The villain is not strict in his rule, so apologize to the general."

Han Jie glanced at him and said, "After the mission, I received ten military sticks. Don't think that just the personal guards will be careless. The personal guards are the ones who block the sword for the marquis. If you are not here when the marquis needs the personal guards, what's the use of raising us?"

Shi Changshe burst into cold sweats, and he admits his mistakes ashamed.

As he was talking, hurried footsteps came from the quiet street in the middle of the night, a young man in his twenties quickly came to the gate of the Marquis' Mansion.

Everyone looked at him and breathed a sigh of relief.

Han Jie stared at him coldly and said, "Wang Gui, what have you done?"

Wang Gui trembled his shoulders, lowered his head and fist and said, "The villain's fellow villager is here in Chang'an today. The villain has not seen them for many years. Today, Xiang Shichang took a leave of absence and had a small gathering with his fellow villager."

Han Jie looked up at the direction when Wang Gui came, and his expression became colder and said, "Wang Gui, follow me."

Leading Wang Gui into the side door of the Hou Mansion and to a secluded place in the corridor next to the yard, Han Jie turned around and looked at him, his eyes full of exploration.

Wang Gui was stared at by Han Jie and was at a loss, and his hands unconsciously rubbed the corners of his clothes.

After a long time, Han Jie whispered: "Tell me the truth, what have you been doing?"

Wang Gui was shocked and hurriedly said, "The villain is really a gathering with his fellow villagers, and he dare not deceive the general."

Han Jie shook his head: "When you came just now, the north of Zhuque Street, where there are places where powerful and high-ranking officials live, there is no wine shop or inn. Also, you are clean and have no smell of wine. It doesn't look like you are having a small gathering with your fellow villagers. You looked panicked just now. When you asked you what you did, you looked dodged, obviously feeling guilty... Do you still want me to continue talking?"

Wang Gui cringed and bowed his head without saying a word.

Han Jie waited for a long time but didn't hear the answer. He sighed disappointedly and said, "Wang Gui, you were also from the Xiaoqi Camp. It was a soldier brought out by my Han Jie. I have no reservations about each of you. At any time, I can hand over my back with confidence. Wang Gui, you have let my trust down."

Wang Gui was silent for a while and said guiltily: "General, I'm sorry..."

Han Jie's eyes were far away, and he looked at Xingqing Palace in confusion, with a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth: "How much money did they spend to buy you? The soldiers brought by Han Jie can't be too cheap, right?"

Wang Gui felt more and more guilty and dared not speak out.

Han Jie suddenly sighed and said, "It's all the salary of the king. I know you have difficulties. No matter where you are, I can accept it. Which of the powerful people in the Tang Dynasty has no eyeliner in their mansion? But I tell you, the marquis treats you well, and he is just a young man who lives a simple life. Anyone in his mansion can be an eyeliner who monitors him, but I still feel ashamed of my subordinates!"

Wang Gui's eyes turned red, and suddenly pounced on Han Jie and knelt down and cried, "General, it's a villain who is not good at doing his best and failed the general, but the villain was forced to do so. They have the emperor's order and the order. The villain is just a veterinarian who eats military food. If the official power is suppressed, what else can the villain do besides obeying the order?"

Han Jie looked lonely and waved his hand lazily: "I said that no matter where they are, I can accept it, and I can also accept it for them. You have your difficulties, and I know all of these. What I feel deeply shameful is that the soldiers I brought with me, Han Jie can be bought by others. This is my failure, and you don't blame you... Go, tonight, just think I don't know anything, I just hope that you still have a bottom line in life, don't add fuel to their reports on what the Marquis did, and harm the Marquis' future and life."

Wang Gui stood up, still feeling guilty and dared not look at him, and whispered: "General, I, Wang Gui, are also an open-minded man. Every word I say to them is said with conscience. The Marquis is a good person, and no matter how bad a villain is, he dares to frame the Marquis randomly."

Han Jie was too lazy to speak, leaned against the pillars and waved at him tiredly.

Wang Gui bowed and bowed, and was about to leave, but he seemed to remember something, and said, "General, Zheng Xiang also filed a leave with the villain today, but he has no problem. When the villain saw him today, it seemed that something had happened. The villain reported to the general."

Han Jie nodded lightly, and Wang Gui left sadly.

After Wang Gui left, Han Jie kept leaning against the pillars and stared at the stars in the night sky with ecstasy eyes.

After a while, a light cough suddenly came from behind. Han Jie was shocked and turned around quickly. His right hand subconsciously held the hilt of the sword around his waist.

In the dark night, Gu Qing stood quietly outside the corridor, smiling at him, his white teeth shining in the night.

Han Jie was stunned and saluted with an awkward expression: "I have met the Marquis."

Gu Qing smiled and said, "Okay, they are all old acquaintances. There is no need to treat you as soon as you meet. When you bend over and bend a lot when you are young, you will hunch your back and your waist disc will herniate. At that time, even your wife will dislike you that you are not a man."

Han Jie didn't get along with him, and was silent for a moment, and asked softly: "Half Marquis just...heard all of them?"

Gu Qing smiled and sighed: "I'm here before you. I've been in this yard just now. I slept a lot during the day and had a little insomnia at night. I'm looking for a place where no one is in a daze."

Han Jie looked ashamed and said, "Mr. Marquis, the ruler is incompetent, please punish him."

Gu Qing looked as usual, without any anger: "What are you punishing? What do you have to do with the people below when they are bribed? Am I like such an unreasonable person?"

Han Jie became more and more ashamed: "Wang Gui... will be the last one to open him out tomorrow and let him go back to his hometown to farm."

Gu Qing waved his hand: "No need, keep him. If he is rebelled today, they will buy another one tomorrow. It is impossible to prevent it. Who among the powerful people in Chang'an City doesn't have many eyeliners in their homes? Just get used to it."

Han Jie said with a loss: "I thought the soldiers I brought out were all strong men, but I didn't expect that they would be bribed so easily. I felt ashamed of this matter."

"Brother Han, never overestimate human nature. Human nature is very fragile. Power, beauty, money, death...everything can make people lose their nature. It is normal for their subordinates to be bribed. Don't be angry or feel ashamed. I have a short acquaintance with you. Who am I and what kind of character are you? You don't know anything. Why do you make people loyal to me without reason and not loyal to the emperor's destiny?"

Han Jie was stunned and moved, "The Marquis is open-minded, and I admire him."

"It's normal for human nature, there's nothing to praise. Wang Gui, you should treat everyone equally in the future. You are the leader of the army, and you know the truth more than me."

"As for his words and actions to report to others, you should turn a blind eye and let him go. I have nothing to say to others. And I believe that Wang Gui is not the only one among these personal guards. Oh, the powerful are not that easy to be a powerful person. What is the point of having a spy around him? There are still many troubles in the future."

Seeing Gu Qing so free and easy, Han Jie was stunned and sighed softly for a long time, "Marty, you... are not like a young man. Your character is like an elderly monk. At such an age, you can see through the hearts of lovers in the world at a glance. The Marquis' future achievements will definitely be more than that. I will be blessed to follow the Marquis."

Gu Qing laughed and said, "Read more, accumulate more words to praise me, and praise me more in front of me if you have nothing to do in the future. This will not only exercise eloquence, but also gain a future... After talking for a long time, I was hungry, so I helped me get a lamb leg in the kitchen and then move a grill. Let's barbecue in the yard. I'll get some slime and have a midnight snack."

Han Jie walked towards the kitchen with a wry smile. After walking a few steps, the smile on his face gradually deepened.

…………

Gu Qing never had any distinction between superiority and inferiority in his heart. He had to perform courtesy in front of Li Longji because he did not want to pay unnecessary costs because of his rudeness.

But in front of Han Jie and other personal guards, Gu Qing never regarded himself as a marquis.
To be continued...