It was already afternoon, and there were still a quarter of an hour left before the evening drum would sound.
Outside Chaoyangmen on the east side of the imperial city, ten chief constables of the Black Yamen who had been temporarily transferred there, with bronze tokens hanging from their waists, entered the palace gate one after another after negotiating with the imperial guards.
Ye Jingtang had changed into a black brocade robe, with a saber hanging behind his waist. He walked among the ten chief constables, and Niaoniao stood on his shoulder, looking around curiously.
Among the ten chief constables, there were seven men and three women, all in their thirties or forties. Ye Jingtang was too young, and he looked like an attendant's apprentice walking in the middle.
However, with the deeds of capturing the Wingless Owl and repelling Blood Bodhi beforehand, he was treated with great courtesy. She Long even walked beside him all the time, introducing things like they were good brothers.
"There are quite a few stories about Chaoyangmen. See that broken brick over there? At the end of the previous dynasty, when Yun'an City was breached, Emperor Gong of Yan fled through this gate. He tripped and fell down hard somewhere, and he died within a few months... After the founding emperor established the country, he specifically left this brick here to warn future generations that 'if a ruler behaves unjustly, heaven will surely punish him'..."
Ye Jingtang followed and climbed onto the outer city wall. Along the way, he listened to the stories that had happened in various places, such as which emperor committed suicide and from where a certain prince usurped the throne and broke through the gate.
The imperial city was very large. The external security was entrusted to the imperial guards, while the internal security was the responsibility of the secret guards. The eleven of them entering the palace was to temporarily increase the manpower and prevent any accidents in the imperial palace.
This kind of task was not the first time for these chief constables. Every time they walked a certain distance, two of them would leave the team in pairs and disappear among the uneven buildings. When they reached the vicinity of the watchtower on the east city wall, only three of them were left.
Ye Jingtang stood under the watchtower, looking out at the imperial palace and asked,
"Should I follow you two, or should I just stand here and keep watch?"
According to the convention of the Black Yamen, no matter what task they were doing, they should always work in pairs and not act alone.
But Ye Jingtang didn't have a partner, and Prince Jing hadn't specifically indicated where he should patrol, so it became a problem how to arrange it.
Shang Jianli considered for a moment. "The responsibility of patrolling the imperial city is of great importance, and we should still focus on the task. Prince Jing specifically named Young Master Ye to come here and didn't give specific instructions, which shows her trust in Young Master Ye. Young Master Ye can patrol on his own..."
Huh?
Ye Jingtang was surprised to hear that he was allowed to patrol the palace alone. Wasn't this like sending the Monkey King into the Peach Orchard?
"As a man, walking alone in the palace, I'm afraid..."
"Prince Jing has appointed Young Master Ye to this position, and we have no right to assign him. You can arrange these things on your own, Young Master Ye."
Shang Jianli turned his head and pointed to the central area of the imperial city.
"However, there are some rules I still need to mention. Yongle Palace in the central area is where His Majesty lives. It is guarded by the secret guards, and we are not allowed to enter the area of Yongle Palace for any reason. Otherwise, we will be killed on the spot. We should meet here every hour to prevent any accidents."
Ye Jingtang was more than happy to be able to act alone. Seeing this, he cupped his hands and said,
"Then I'll patrol on my own. You two can go about your business. We'll meet again in an hour."
Shang Jianli and She Long didn't say anything more. With a light tap of their toes, they lightly jumped off the palace wall and disappeared among the buildings...
———
Dong, dong, dong...
The evening drum sounded, the setting sun in the sky sank into the mountains, the palace gates were closed one after another, and the imperial city gradually became quiet.
Outside Chen'an Hall in Yongle Palace, more than a dozen palace maids dressed in light clothing were playing with a rattan ball in the garden outside the hall. Among them, two tall figures were the most eye-catching, namely the current female emperor and Prince Jing.
The female emperor was not wearing the dragon robe. Instead, she was dressed in a red strapless top and a red skirt with a high split on one side. As she trotted with the rattan ball, one could see her slender and fleshy legs. Her chest, wrapped in the strapless top, also bounced up and down with her movements.
As she ran, her snow-white and fragrant shoulders and white collarbone were fully exposed. Crystal clear sweat beads rolled down her neck and disappeared into the deep and unfathomable cleavage of her chest. The scene could only be described as "seductive".
Dongfang Liren's attire was much more formal. She was wearing a pure white hunting outfit that didn't even reveal her ankles. She looked valiant and dashing, more like a young emperor accompanying his beloved concubine in play than the female emperor.
There was continuous laughter in Yongle Palace. However, Fushou Palace, which was also in the imperial city, was silent and rarely visited. Only the dim palace lanterns swaying in the wind cast mottled reflections of flowers and trees on the walls.
Fushou Palace, also known as the Western Palace, was the residence of the Empress Dowager and the imperial concubines. It fell into silence just after nightfall, and only a few faint lamps were lit in the large palace.
In the Empress Dowager's bedroom, there were also few people.
The Empress Dowager, dressed in a deep red home dress, sat upright on a tea couch by the window, holding a water sleeve in her left hand and a paintbrush in her right hand, slowly sketching on a piece of white paper.
The kneeling posture formed a full and tense curve behind the Empress Dowager's waist, making her look like a calligrapher and painter with an extremely beautiful figure of a wasp waist and plump hips. The silver moon outside the window shone between her bright eyes, and a faint smile could be seen on her face.
The palace maid Hongyu, who had been serving the Empress Dowager all the time, knelt and sat beside her. There were pigments such as cinnabar and azurite placed in front of her. From time to time, she handed the pigments to the Empress Dowager's hand and stared intently at the painting being created, looking slightly puzzled.
"Empress Dowager."
"Hmm?"
"What... are you painting?"
"You'll know when it's finished."
The palace maid Hongyu carefully examined the thing painted on the paper. Generally, it could be seen that it was a person, but the eyes were slender, the eyes were lifeless, the lips were straight, and there was even a ball drawn on the shoulder...
Even if this was considered finished, Hongyu wasn't sure if she could tell who the person in the painting was.
"Um... Is this a handsome man?"
"Hehe~ You have good eyesight."
The Empress Dowager had a dignified and elegant posture. As she carefully outlined the man's sword eyebrows, she asked,
"How does my painting skill compare with that of Prince Jing?"
"Er...?"
Hongyu sat up a little straighter, with a strange expression on her face.
Prince Jing was a disciple of the True Man of Xuanji and was proficient in playing the guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. There were signs that she had surpassed her master. Even in the capital city full of hidden talents, she could be considered a famous painter.
As for the Empress Dowager...
The Empress Dowager was from Jiangzhou, a place with a prosperous literary style. She did know a bit about playing the guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but coming from a military family, she only knew a little.
Hongyu really didn't dare to dampen the Empress Dowager's good mood. She evaluated it seriously.
"Prince Jing's paintings are too realistic. They are so lifelike that they lack artistic conception and charm. However, the Empress Dowager is different. Ink wash painting is mainly about expressing the artist's feelings. Although the Empress Dowager's painting seems like a mystery at first glance and it's hard to understand, but if you carefully ponder it, its charm is like the clear river water, flowing continuously. Hmm... It has quite the style of the True Man of Xuanji~"
"Is that so?"
The Empress Dowager was quite pleased with this obvious flattery and showed a smile.
The True Man of Xuanji was the teacher of the female emperor and her sister, and a highly accomplished Taoist master from Yuxu Mountain. Before the Empress Dowager entered the palace, she had visited Yuxu Mountain and then spent a few years with the True Man of Xuanji in the capital city. They could be considered the Empress Dowager's closest friends.
Unfortunately, since the female emperor and her sister completed their studies, the True Man of Xuanji had returned to Yuxu Mountain and rarely came to the capital city. The last time they met was last year.
Hearing Hongyu mention the True Man of Xuanji, the Empress Dowager thought for a while and then sighed.
"She only knows how to enjoy herself freely in the Jianghu and doesn't know how to visit the palace every now and then."
"Sigh... According to the time, she should be coming soon. Don't worry, Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager painted carefully for a long time, and the man in the painting gradually took shape. She examined it carefully.
The painting... wasn't too bad...
The paper seemed a bit narrow...
Or perhaps the painting was a bit off-center, and the figure wasn't in the middle...
The Empress Dowager blinked her eyes, thought for a moment, and took a paper knife from the small table, intending to cut the painting to make the figure centered.
But before she could do anything, she heard a voice from outside.
"Sir, you've gone to the wrong place."
...