Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chang'an, Qin Palace.

The newly promoted commander of a hundred imperial guards, Wang Ping, exhaled a puff of white air from his mouth. The white air did not dissipate once it came out of his mouth. It condensed and took shape under the biting cold, lingering like smoke for a short while before it completely dissipated.

"What a horrible weather!!!" Wang Ping hissed. He looked up at the sky, which was covered with leaden clouds. A howling north wind swept in from all directions. Over the corridor where Wang Ping was standing, heavy snow fell like goose feathers. It had been falling for the whole morning and hadn't stopped yet.

It looked like the snow would continue to fall all day. Wang Ping shook his head, withdrew his gaze from the distance, and continued walking along the corridor towards the conference room on the left wing.

Not long after, Wang Ping arrived at the door of the conference room. Wu Ban, who was currently on duty at the door, showed a hint of joy on his face when he saw Wang Ping coming.

"Zijun." Wu Ban greeted him warmly but quietly.

Wang Ping strode forward and came close to Wu Ban. He smiled and said enthusiastically, "Captain Wu, I will take over the rear guard. You can go down and rest for a while."

Yes, Wang Ping came here to replace Wu Ban on duty. After all, if he had to be on duty all day, even an iron man would not be able to bear it, so the guards in the Qin Palace took turns every three hours to give the guards enough rest time.

"Yeah." Wu Ban nodded, he walked away from his current position, leaving the guard post to Wang Ping, then looked at Wang Ping as a farewell, and left to rest.

Wang Ping, who stepped onto the guard post, had a serious expression on his face, without a trace of emotion. His posture was straight like a pine tree. One hand was idle, and the other hand was holding the handle of the ring-handled knife at his waist. His eyes scanned the plants and trees in front of the meeting hall, looking for any disturbances.

As the newly promoted commander of a hundred imperial guards, Wang Ping dared not slack off or be lazy. He maintained a consistent attitude and stuck to his post.

Standing guard at the door of the conference room, Wang Ping could not help but hear the noise inside the conference room. Occasionally, a few loud words reached his ears, but he turned a deaf ear to them and did not listen carefully to the content.

Wang Ping kept his duties in mind. He was a guard and should only do his job as a guard. As for other things, such as the conversations in the meeting room, they were not something he could hear.

Just when he heard the voice of King Qin, Wang Ping's brows twitched slightly. He remembered what happened a few days ago, which was the opportunity for him to be promoted to the supervisor of a hundred personal guards.

That day, he was on duty in the corridor as usual. As an ordinary soldier at that time, he could only guard places that were not vital, such as the entrance of the meeting hall, which was far beyond his reach at that time.

That day, there was nothing unusual like usual, but on that day, the King of Qin passed by him, seemed touched by his serious attitude on duty, and asked him a question.

"Little brother, where are you from and what is your name?"

"Your Majesty, I am from Dangqu, Baxi County. My surname is He, my name is Ping, and my courtesy name is Zijun."

"He Ping, He Zijun?"

"Yes."

Wang Ping clearly remembered that when he confirmed his surname and name, the corners of King Qin's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a vague smile.

"Was your original surname He, or did you change it later?" "My original surname was Wang, but because I lived with my maternal grandfather He, I changed my surname to He Ping."

The King of Qin was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Zijun, your original surname was Wang, so change it back to Wang. From now on, you will be Wang Ping's son, Prince Jun."

"promise."

Wang Ping was confused at the time about the King of Qin's words to change his surname. He didn't understand why the King of Qin was so fussy about this matter. However, since it was the King of Qin's order, he should change his surname back to Wang. There was no reason to object.

After a day, Wang Ping received his appointment. The King of Qin promoted him to be the commander of a hundred men because of his diligence.

Wang Ping, who had skipped the positions of sergeant and squad leader and was appointed as the supervisor of a hundred men, was delighted but also somewhat confused.

As a Qiang people from Baxi County, he was deeply assimilated into the Han culture. Last year, he and his family moved from Baxi County to Guanzhong to enrich the population of Guanzhong. At the same time, as a young and strong man, he was selected and interrogated to become a personal guard soldier and entered the mansion of the then Grand Marshal to stand guard.

After being on duty for a year, Wang Ping, who originally thought that he would spend the rest of his life on duty as a low-level personal guard, was suddenly blessed by the goddess of luck and became a supervisor of a hundred personal guards.

This was all the favor of the King of Qin. Otherwise, how could he, a Han-speaking Qiang citizen, be promoted to the position of a hundred-man supervisor and soar to prominence overnight?

With gratitude towards the King of Qin, Wang Ping suppressed his rising thoughts for a moment and continued to stare at the door of the conference room, not missing any slight movement.

He was on duty for three hours. When it was getting dark and darkness was looming, Wang Ping welcomed the people who were supposed to take over the shift. He also had some time to rest and walked back to the cell where the guards lived.

As soon as he entered the classroom, Wang Ping saw Wu Ban who was warming himself by the fire. Wu Ban was in a very bad mood. He sat lazily beside the stove with his legs crossed, supporting his drooping head with one hand, and yawning out of boredom.

"Captain Wu." Wang Ping saluted Wu Ban with a serious expression.

Wu Ban also noticed Wang Ping's arrival. He waved his hand and said, "Zijun, you and I are both personal guards and hold important posts. Just call me Brother Yuanxiong. There is no need to call me Captain or Colonel. Otherwise, it will seem strange."

"Etiquette cannot be abolished, otherwise it will be insufficient to distinguish between superiors and subordinates, and between the noble and the humble." Wang Ping shook his head and insisted on his attitude, because he knew Wu Ban's identity. Wu Ban came from a prominent family, and now he is a pawn captain, and the cousin of Wu Yi, the governor of Liangzhou. His status is not low, and it is not something that a mere Qiang commoner like him can usurp the throne and cling to.

Wu Ban frowned slightly, feeling somewhat helpless about Wang Ping's insistence, so he could only say in a roundabout way: "If it's just you and me, you can call me Brother Yuanxiong. If there are outsiders present, you can address me by my official title. What do you think, Zijun?"

Seeing this, Wang Ping could not insist any longer. Besides, he also wanted to get closer to Wu Ban, so he nodded and said, "It's up to Brother Yuanxiong to order."

"That's right." A hint of joy jumped between Wu Ban's brows. He was very happy with Wang Ping's attitude. It was also because Wu Ban valued Wang Ping.

Since Wang Ping took up the post of the commander of a hundred men, Wu Ban had been with Wang Ping for several days. He knew that although Wang Ping was ignorant of poetry and literature, he was a decent man and well versed in military strategy. He was not an ordinary warrior. (End of this chapter)