My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 247 Appearance

The next day, before dawn, the snow had stopped, but the lanterns and candles in the courtyard were still burning.

After getting up and warming up in the yard, Lin Ziping started practicing the martial arts he had learned from scratch. Over the years, he felt more and more that he was the most reliable one, and that no one else's skills could compare to his own.

More than a decade has passed, and the memories of that era have become increasingly blurred. Lin Ziping sometimes even doubts that the past was just a dream, and that he was originally Lin Ziping.

It was like a dream, and when I think back on it, it's all sweet, so sweet it's almost unreal.

At some point, Lin Ziping developed the habit of keeping records. At first, he used the writing style of that era to record things he didn't want outsiders to know. Later, he recorded his daily encounters, thoughts, and reflections. Still later, he recorded everything and everyone he could remember from childhood to adulthood in that era.

Over time, it became a notebook, containing almost all the words, pinyin, vocabulary, and phrases I could remember.

As the sky brightened, a commotion arose in the main courtyard, and soon palace maids and eunuchs came out carrying things.

Lin Ziping wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to turn around and go back to his room to change his clothes before paying his respects to the emperor when he heard Yan Shu's voice behind him.

"Ziping, please wait."

Lin Ziping turned around and saw Dongshan leading Yan Shu walking quickly towards him. Yan Shu was bending over behind him, holding a tray in her hand.

"Lord Dongshan." Lin Ziping clasped his hands in greeting, then nodded to Yan Shu and asked, "Yan Shu, where are you headed so early, sir?"

"As His Majesty commands, you will accompany Consort Hui home for a visit this noon. This is a gift His Majesty has arranged for you to deliver," Dongshan said to Yanshu.

Yan Shu stepped forward, carrying the tray.

Lin Ziping looked over and the first thing that caught his eye was a small dish on the tray. The items inside were light red, layered like blooming roses, each petal as thin as a cicada's wing and crystal clear.

"What is this?" Lin Ziping asked in confusion.

Dongshan said, "But you died by your own hand!"

"Tiger meat?!" Lin Ziping looked at Dongshan.

The palace has many skilled craftsmen who can turn a piece of meat into something so delicious that it's unaffordable.

"These were all taken from that tiger's body, so they must be yours," Dongshan said, explaining the other items on the tray without answering.

Lin Ziping looked and saw a dagger, two steel needles, and a pile of iron pieces.

The dagger was brought from the Lin family mansion. It had been stuck in the tiger's neck and had never been retrieved. Lin Ziping, not used to it, asked Fan Ji to help him find another one and tied it to his leg.

The steel needles and patches—Lin Ziping had seen these before; they were made by Tang Jiawei.

"Besides, those are top-quality wound medicines, a gift from His Majesty," Dongshan said.

He then sighed and continued, "The best medicine isn't medicine, it's poison. The effect is immediate, but everything has its counterpart, and what is gained and what is lost is always equal."

Lin Ziping looked at the medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine is profound and extensive. Although the spaces are different, it is produced by the imperial palace and must be of the highest quality. As for whether it is poisonous or not, we can talk about that later.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lin Ziping bowed towards the main courtyard, thanked Dongshan, and then took the tray from Yanshan.

Sometimes it's like that; people always listen to what they want to hear and watch what they want to watch. Lin Ziping was like that at this moment.

Dongshan saw Lin Ziping take the tray and said, "Returning home with the Empress represents the dignity of the royal family. Go and select a few people to accompany you."

And so on!

"How many people can the adults choose?" Lin Ziping asked.

"No more than five people."

"Eunuch or guard?"

"The eunuchs and palace maids will make their own arrangements. You just need to take good care of their daily lives and safety," Dongshan said.

Lin Ziping's mind flashed with the faces of people he knew in the palace, and in an instant, he made his decision.

"We'll finalize the arrangements before 9 AM today so we can report to His Majesty and the Empress," Dongshan said. "You'd better pack your things properly. His Majesty will exempt you from duty. Yanshan, let's go."

"It's easy to go, sir." Lin Ziping said.

Dongshan did not respond, and Yanshan followed him and turned to leave.

Lin Ziping carried the tray back to his house, tidied up briefly, and then headed towards the government guard camp.

Looking forward to the re-debut of the five-man group of Wu Xudong, Tang Jiawei, Pu Santong, Fan Ji, and Lin Ziping from the Fuwei Camp.

By the time they arrived at the guard camp, it was already broad daylight. The snow in the courtyard had been trampled black, with only a few specks of white remaining in the corners.

"Oh, you're back." Lin Ziping looked up and saw Uncle Hai wearing a coat, his hands tucked into his sleeves, leaning against the door frame and looking at Lin Ziping.

"Yes, Uncle Hai, I'm back." Lin Ziping clasped his hands in a salute.

Suddenly, Uncle Hai lunged at Lin Ziping and attacked.

Lin Ziping quickly stepped in to stop him.

"Not bad, the response is pretty good," Uncle Hai praised.

But his hand movements didn't stop.

Lin Ziping didn't respond. He put the tray aside, stood up straight, and tried to defend himself by making moves.

The two exchanged blows, quickly going back and forth for about ten moves.

"Great!" A shout of approval suddenly erupted from the surrounding area.

Uncle Hai withdrew his hand and stood back by the door frame.

Lin Ziping straightened up, panting, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I haven't wasted these days," Uncle Hai said, putting on his coat and tucking his hands inside his sleeves.

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Hai." Lin Ziping clasped his hands in a gesture of respect once again.

Before Uncle Hai could reply, Xiao Chen ran out from the crowd, waving and saying, "Brother Ziping, you're back!"

Lin Ziping involuntarily took a step back, raised a smile, and greeted, "Xiao Chen, long time no see."

"Brother Ziping is back."

As Lin Ziping finished speaking, a chorus of greetings rose from the surrounding area.

"How has everyone been lately?" Lin Ziping replied with a smile, feeling as if he were returning home in triumph, even though he couldn't even remember the names of many of the people there.

"Brother Ziping's martial arts skills have improved. Please give us some pointers when you have time."

"Yes, we've been a little unaccustomed to you not being around these days."

"How are you doing, Brother Ziping? Please take care of yourself."

……

The crowd surrounded Lin Ziping, talking to him all at once.

"Not bad." "How are you guys?" "Okay."

……

Lin Ziping's expression was sincere, but his words were distant.

The atmosphere between the two sides seemed quite harmonious.

If Lin Ziping hadn't been a party to this, having lived with them in the Fuwei Camp for a period of time, he too would have been deceived by appearances.

"Brother Ziping, you're here to see Wu Xudong and the others, right?" Xiao Chen squeezed next to Lin Ziping and asked. "But they're on duty today, so they probably haven't returned yet. Wait a moment, and I'll have someone go and call them back."

"I just came to see everyone today and look for them while I'm at it. There's no rush," Lin Ziping said.

“I know where they are. I’ll go and call them back,” shouted the guard furthest from Lin Ziping.

The people nearby exchanged glances and said, "Let's go and bring them back."

Lin Ziping recognized the group of people, but couldn't recall their names.

"Thank you for your help, brothers. I'll treat you to drinks another day," Lin Ziping said with a smile.

"It's alright," they said in unison, and then ran out of the courtyard.

Lin Ziping looked around. The expressions on everyone's faces varied. Some looked annoyed, some looked envious, and some looked disdainful...

Seeing Lin Ziping's gaze, they all turned into warm smiles.