Gulu lu~~
The carriage entered the palace gate and headed towards Changle Palace.
Ye Jingtang was driven out of the carriage, and naturally, he lost the right to be accompanied by the Princess to tour the palace. After arriving at Changle Palace, only a palace maid led him to Minglongtan, which he had been to last time.
The main purpose of this trip was to introduce various rules to him. For example, which route to take, which places he could look at, and which places he couldn't stay. There were many rules, but in summary, it was just to go straight and not linger in places where the Empress Dowager might appear.
In addition, she also gave him a token that allowed him to freely enter and exit the palace. When he wanted to practice martial arts, he could enter the palace without the need for the Prince of Jing to accompany him, but he must report in advance and obtain the approval of the palace.
In principle, Ye Jingtang could practice martial arts in Minglongtan throughout the night. However, since Benben wasn't staying in Chengan Hall, he was afraid of running into the current Empress Dowager. So after memorizing all the rules, he bid farewell to the palace maid and prepared to leave.
Just as he reached the shore of Minglongtan Lake, he noticed a beautiful woman in a bright red dress walking out from near Chengan Hall and standing by the lake, looking at the night view.
Ye Jingtang knew that Yuhu was a servant in Changle Palace, so he wasn't very surprised. As he passed by, he cupped his hands and saluted:
"Miss Yuhu."
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei turned around by the lake, with a hint of a smile in her eyes:
"His Majesty is in the Imperial Study and will take a while to move to the bedroom. Since you've come, sir, won't you stay in Minglongtan for a while?"
"I was brought in by the Prince of Jing. Without the Prince of Jing here, it's终究 not convenient for me to stay here alone."
Ye Jingtang came up to her and asked, "Was it you, miss, who put in a good word last time so that His Majesty allowed me to practice martial arts in Minglongtan?"
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei leaned against the fence by the lake, with her arms crossed: "Since I made the promise, I naturally won't go back on my word. I served His Majesty for half the night a few days ago, and His Majesty finally agreed to this matter. How are you going to thank me?"
?
Served for half the night... Ye Jingtang looked at her strangely: "I'm just a commoner. Apart from some money, I don't have anything worthy to offer. I sounded out the Prince of Jing a few days ago to see if it was possible to do you a favor and let you gain your freedom. But I was scolded by the Prince of Jing. Alas..."
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei looked surprised:
"You asked the Prince of Jing for me?"
Ask for me? Ye Jingtang thought this girl was really bold and shook his head:
"Don't misunderstand, miss. I just saw that you seemed so worried and wanted to find a way to help you."
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei knew that Ye Jingtang must have been strongly urged by her younger sister to make such a request. She shook her head and sighed:
"You're really a silly boy. The imperial city is not a place where one can just leave as they wish. I'm very comfortable here and don't want to leave. Don't have such wild ideas in the future."
Ye Jingtang was indeed powerless to do anything about it and just smiled.
Leaning against the fence, the Empress Dowager of the Great Wei thought for a while and then asked, "How have you been pondering the saber technique last time? Have you found a way to break the Dragon-Slaying Order?"
When Ye Jingtang fought Cheng Shilu for the first time, he used the saber in his right hand and had actually already found a clue. He replied:
"Kicking really can't break the move. If I use the Eight Steps Frenzied Saber with my right hand and resist the back of the saber with my elbow, I feel that I can withstand the Dragon-Slaying Order head-on. So far, I haven't found any problems."
"Do you want me to practice with you?"
Ye Jingtang really wanted to practice, but it was obviously not convenient outside Chengan Hall. He shook his head and said:
"Let's have a match next time. This is the Emperor's bedroom. It's not good to make a ruckus and disturb the palace servants."
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager of the Great Wei didn't insist. Instead, she reminded him:
"His Majesty said that the Minglong Diagram can only be practiced step by step. You should pay attention in the future and don't go astray."
When Ye Jingtang heard this, his expression became a bit more serious, and he asked:
"What do you mean by that, miss?"
"Although the Minglong Diagram is mysterious, in essence, it's just a piece of paper recording strange and secret techniques. As long as you learn it, you can practice even without the Minglong Diagram on you. You should have noticed that, right?"
Ye Jingtang came up to Miss Yuhu:
"That's true. Then what?"
"It's the same as other books. Knowledge already exists in the world, and books are just tools for 'discovering, recording, and inheriting', rather than books creating a kind of knowledge out of thin air."
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei looked up at the starry sky:
"The Minglong Diagram is also like this. There is already a method of longevity in this world, and the Minglong Diagram records just a feasible path discovered by predecessors. As long as you find this path, you can achieve immortality even without the Minglong Diagram."
Ye Jingtang thought this statement was a bit special. After thinking for a while, he said, "You mean that without the Minglong Diagram, one can also figure out the methods of circulating qi for those secret techniques on their own?"
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei nodded: "Theoretically, that's the case. But the methods of circulating qi in worldly martial arts are all unique, and the Minglong Diagram is thousands of times more complex, even more so. There have been many martial arts prodigies who, in the absence of the Minglong Diagram, tried to figure out the methods on their own."
Ye Jingtang had practiced the Jade Bone Diagram and the Dragon Elephant Diagram. He could confirm that the "Minglong Diagram" was a set of methods, and each diagram was a branch line, interwoven and connected to form a whole. If one had good enough understanding, it was indeed possible to deduce the methods of circulating qi for other Minglong Diagrams. However, the amount of work and the risks involved were too great, and he had never thought in this direction before.
"Has anyone ever succeeded in history?"
"The reason why the Minglong Diagram is a unique and precious treasure is that it records the only correct path currently known, and practicing according to it won't lead to any mistakes. But when exploring the path on one's own, every step is a gamble with one's life. As long as one step is wrong, the consequences are unpredictable."
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei looked at Ye Jingtang's body:
"The Minglong Diagram is a secret technique for changing one's physique. If one doesn't follow the correct path, the body will naturally become abnormal. There have been countless people who tried in history. Those who went crazy and died suddenly were considered lucky.
"Among the unlucky ones, some became completely rigid all over their bodies, unable to move their hands or speak, and eventually suffocated to death. Some had their bones and skin dissolve and rotted away from the inside out. In the previous dynasty, there was an eunuch who tried to figure out the 'Bathing in Fire Diagram' to regenerate his severed limbs. As a result, his body was covered with flesh bumps, and he didn't even look human when he died..."
Ye Jingtang frowned and felt a sense of unease just listening to it:
"Has no one ever succeeded in history?"
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei nodded: "No. Those who were lucky and stopped in time might still live to a ripe old age, but those who were obsessed and refused to give up all died a violent death without exception. So a few hundred years ago, trying to figure out the Minglong Diagram on one's own had already become a taboo among top martial artists. Only those who had no other choice would resort to such a desperate measure."
Ye Jingtang nodded thoughtfully:
"I will definitely keep this in mind in the future."
After chatting for a while, since it was already night, Ye Jingtang didn't stay for long and soon bid farewell and left.
The Empress Dowager of the Great Wei leaned against the lake and watched him leave. Only after Ye Jingtang was out of sight did she secretly sigh and lift a lock of her long hair to look at it...
——
On the other side, in Jingfu Palace.
After the wind stopped and the rain ceased, the bright moonlight shone among the palace pavilions.
Jingfu Palace was the palace of Concubine Wang in the past and also the boudoir of the Empress Dowager and her younger sister.
Dongfang Liren, wearing a silver python robe, stood alone in the pavilion by the lotus pond in Jingfu Palace, looking up at the moonlight in the sky. Her appearance was noble and composed, just like a steady prince thinking about national affairs alone in the moonlight.
However, in her heart, she kept recalling the shocking feeling when their lips touched.
I actually kissed him...
Although he didn't do it on purpose, last time when he saw her body, he knew to be extremely terrified. But this time, after the kiss, he acted as if nothing had happened. He knows that I won't punish him and is getting more and more presumptuous...
...
While she was lost in such random thoughts, a palace maid trotted over and reported:
"Your Highness, Young Master Ye is preparing to leave the palace. He asked this servant to come and ask if Your Highness has any further arrangements and whether he needs to escort Your Highness back to the mansion."
Dongfang Liren frowned: "Isn't he practicing martial arts in Minglongtan?"
"Your Highness isn't there. Young Master Ye is worried about running into His Majesty."
"..."
Dongfang Liren entered the palace with him mainly because she was afraid that her unpredictable elder sister might do something out of line in her absence.
Ye Jingtang knew his limits, and she was quite satisfied with that. But thinking of the intimate contact just now, she was really too embarrassed to be with Ye Jingtang. So she ordered:
"Let him leave the palace on his own. I will stay in the palace tonight."
"Yes."
Dongfang Liren thought for a moment and then remembered the serious matter she had discussed with Ye Jingtang just now. She said:
"Go to Qilin Pavilion to find a book, a miscellaneous travelogue related to architecture, which is related to the Prince of Liang's son from two hundred years ago and contains content about digging tunnels. Bring it to me after you find it."
"Yes."
After the palace maid retreated, Dongfang Liren looked at the moonlit lotus pond again. After a moment of silence, she took out a jade hairpin from her sleeve and gently stroked it...