On the other side, in Yongle Palace, the lights gradually went out.
There was only a little incense burning in the huge bedroom. Between the dragon beds with golden curtains, two tall and plump women were lying side by side.
Dongfang Liren had a demeanor no less than that of a man. Even when going to bed, she wasn't as gentle as an ordinary young girl. She lay steadily on the pillow, her hands folded over her waist. The silver bellyband embroidered with python dragons was prominently raised, and with her eyes closed and concentrating, she had the imposing manner of a princess.
However, the female emperor beside her was completely different.
The female emperor was somewhat cynical on a daily basis, with a free and easy demeanor. This was especially true when going to bed. She was wearing a thin red gauze dress, which was hazy and semi-transparent. Under the thin gauze, it couldn't be said that nothing was visible, but indeed, there was nothing inappropriate to be seen.
As for her posture, it was also very different from that of Prince Jing beside her. She was lying on her side on the pillow, outlining a plump waist and hip curve behind the curtains, looking like a bewitching concubine serving the emperor and bringing disaster to the country.
After playing for a long time and feeling a bit tired, the female emperor had already closed her eyes and seemed to be asleep.
Dongfang Liren was in the same state at first, but after it became quiet at night, she opened one eye, glanced at her sister beside her, and then quietly got up.
"Mn~"
The female emperor lazily turned over and murmured, "Where are you going?"
Dongfang Liren's movements froze. She couldn't say that she was going to learn saber techniques from the palace guards in the middle of the night. She just softly replied,
"I can't fall asleep. I'm going out for a walk. There's still a court meeting tomorrow. Sister, have a good rest."
"Mn..."
After the female emperor responded softly, there was no more sound.
Dongfang Liren secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She carefully picked up her robe, went behind the screen to change, and then quickly left the bedroom.
After Dongfang Liren left, the female emperor opened her eyes, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes, as if thinking "Once a girl grows up, she won't listen to her elders."
Judging from Liren's appearance, she was obviously smitten after being heroically saved by Ye Jingtang.
As a dignified princess, she's already grown up. Now that she has a man she likes, she's still hiding it from me. Is she afraid that I'll steal him away, or is she just too shy to say it?
The female emperor thought for a while and felt that it was probably both. She couldn't help but shake her head secretly. She got up wearing the semi-transparent thin red gauze dress and said,
"Attendant."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The palace maid serving in the side hall quickly came in and bowed, waiting for instructions.
"Help me change. I'm going out for a walk."
"Yes."
...
-----
It was already the time to turn off the lights and go to bed. The lights in the palace gradually went out. In the beautiful garden with mountains and waters, a man and a bird were walking slowly and aimlessly on the path.
Since he had to be on duty all night and couldn't sleep, Niaoniao was a bit sleepy and lay on Ye Jingtang's shoulder, "Chirp chirp chirp~" murmuring, probably talking about the "scribbling lady" just now.
Ye Jingtang didn't take the incident of meeting the Empress Dowager to heart. He had been thinking about how to get his hands on the "Minglong Diagram". With his thoughts wandering, he unknowingly circled the imperial garden once.
Ye Jingtang checked the time. It was time to go to the watchtower at the northeast side of the imperial city to meet Shang Jianli and the others to report that everything was okay. So he turned back with Niaoniao.
But just after passing through several palace pavilions, he suddenly heard a faint melody coming from between the palaces:
Woo~ Woo woo~~
The sound was distant and low, and it sounded like the sound of a flute, full of the carefree spirit of the Jianghu.
Ye Jingtang stopped in his tracks. As a top expert in the imperial palace, when he discovered something unusual, he naturally had to go and check it out. He leaped onto the roof and, with Niaoniao, silently approached. Soon, he came to the lotus pond beside a palace pavilion.
Next to the lotus pond was a corridor where palace people walked. The pond reflected the moonlight and the starry river, and there was also an observation pavilion built in it.
When Ye Jingtang arrived nearby, he could see that there was a palace lantern hanging in the pavilion, and two palace maids were standing outside waiting.
In the stone pavilion, a tall and beautiful woman dressed in a silver "fat-headed dragon" python robe was holding a green jade flute and playing a tune while looking at the moonlit scenery of the lotus pond. Her profile looked elegant and noble, with a hint of a unique femininity amidst her heroism.
"Chirp?"
Niaoniao on his shoulder lit up and quickly flapped its small wings across the pond, landing on the beauty's couch and opening its beak to beg for food.
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang also landed in the corridor. Facing her across the lake, he cupped his hands and saluted:
"Your Highness, Prince Jing."
Dongfang Liren put down the jade flute and handed it to the palace maid behind her:
"You can leave now."
"Yes."
The palace maids curtsied and left the pavilion.
Ye Jingtang, looking straight ahead, came outside the stone pavilion and glanced at the sky:
"It's already late at night. Why haven't you gone to rest, Your Highness?"
"Blood Bodhi hasn't been captured yet. I'm worried that something might go wrong in the imperial city, so I can't fall asleep."
Dongfang Liren had a noble bearing. She slowly walked out of the stone pavilion and strolled by the pond with Ye Jingtang, asking:
"After patrolling for half a day, have you discovered anything unusual?"
"The security in the imperial city is tight, and there's been no trouble."
"There's no place that's completely foolproof. Just because you and I think nothing will happen, that's when things will occur. We still need to stay alert."
After casually giving a few words of advice, Dongfang Liren pointed to the palace pavilion where they were:
"Do you know what place this is?"
Ye Jingtang looked around the palace pavilion and shook his head: "This is my first time entering the palace. I can only tell the directions of the east, south, west, and north. To me, other places all look similar. Where is this?"
"This is Jingfu Palace. Both I and the current emperor lived here when we were young. The emperor moved to the prince's mansion after ascending the throne."
Dongfang Liren led Ye Jingtang to the buildings beside the lotus pond and pointed to the pavilion on the right side of the main hall:
"The left one is my boudoir, and the right one is the emperor's."
Ye Jingtang looked at the rather large courtyard. There were many flowers planted in it, and there were also wooden dummies, weapon racks, and other things, which were similar to the place where a martial arts-loving boy would live. He asked curiously,
"Does the current emperor also practice martial arts?"
"All the children of the royal family have to practice martial arts to strengthen their bodies, and the emperor is no exception. However, the emperor is not very interested in martial arts and prefers reading instead."
Ye Jingtang thought it made sense. How could someone who was an emperor have the time to focus on practicing martial arts.
"I come from the Jianghu and really don't know much about things in the capital... Come to think of it, I don't know much about martial arts either. When I was in Honghe Town, Liangzhou, I couldn't even find a way to practice martial arts. After coming to the capital, I realized that there are so many powerful masters in the world. I often heard storytellers say that there are countless top experts in the imperial palace, and there are also many secret martial arts manuals hidden here. Is that true?"
Dongfang Liren pulled out the Liulong Huan Shou Saber from behind Ye Jingtang's waist and慢条斯理 (slowly and methodically) practiced the Tianhe Saber Technique in the courtyard:
"The secret martial arts manuals have all been moved to the Mingyu Building. There are quite a few profound ones, but the most supreme ones are never the secret techniques in the manuals. It's the 'person' that matters. If you want to become the best in the world, you still have to rely on your own understanding."
"Is that so?" Ye Jingtang took the opportunity to ask: "I heard from the storyteller that the masters of all dynasties seem to be fighting over a certain diagram..."
"You mean the Minglong Diagram? That thing is not a secret martial arts manual but a method of seeking immortality and enlightenment."
"Seeking immortality and enlightenment?" Ye Jingtang looked a bit puzzled and looked up at the sky:
"Are there really immortals in this world?"
"I'm just an ordinary person. How would I know if there are immortals in the world? However, the Minglong Diagram is indeed not an ordinary thing. There is a 'Jade Bone Qilin Diagram' in the palace. If one learns it, they can obtain a body of Qilin bones. I've been practicing it for more than ten years and have achieved something..."
When Dongfang Liren said this, she seemed to become interested. She raised her fair fist:
"Give it a try and touch it."
Ye Jingtang really wanted to see how powerful one could be after practicing the Minglong Diagram. So he raised his fist and bumped it against Dongfang Liren's.
Slap~
The princess's hand felt smooth, soft, and cool, just like exquisitely carved soft jade. If he were to hold it in his hand, the feeling...
"..."
Dongfang Liren felt that her fist was only gently touched. Her heroic face blushed slightly, and she said unhappily,
"Put some strength into it! Haven't you eaten? Don't worry about my status."
"Oh."
Ye Jingtang also felt that something was wrong. So he became serious and shook his whole body.
Bang——
In the courtyard under the moonlight, there was suddenly a loud explosion!