The sun rose in the east.
The morning sunlight spilled onto the street. Peddlers and common folks walked among the carriages and horses. An old man carrying a stack of sugar-coated haws sat on the stone steps outside the teahouse and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Sugar-coated haws——"
Ye Jingtang had a saber hanging from his waist. He stopped outside the teahouse, leading his black horse. He turned his head to look at the stack of bright red sugar-coated haws, and a few words suddenly came to his mind:
"Jingtang, do you want to eat some?"
"Only children eat this kind of thing."
"You're only six years old, kid. Just because you don't wear open-crotch pants anymore doesn't mean you're not a child!"
"Yeah."
"Hmph! A man without a wife is still a virgin even at the age of sixty. Wait until you can bring a wife home before you pretend to be an adult... Here..."
...
In the blink of an eye, it had been twelve years.
He remembered that at that time, he was sitting on the horse, and his adoptive father in front of him was also leading the horse like this, with an identical saber hanging from his waist.
Now he could be considered an adult, and he was also walking in front of the horse. When he accidentally recalled the words from the past, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret that things had changed and people were no longer the same.
Ye Jingtang looked back at the empty horseback and secretly thought about when to take Lady Luo back to Honghe Town to burn some paper money.
As he suppressed his thoughts along the street, the sound of carriage wheels came from the street entrance. He looked up and saw a luxurious carriage coming towards him.
The constables of the Black Yamen were clearing the way in front. The window of the carriage opened, revealing a very heroic-looking woman's face. She was staring at him from a distance, and there was also a big white bird beside her, tilting its head and peeking out from the corner of the window:
"Ji~"
Ye Jingtang came back to his senses, walked outside the carriage, and saluted with one hand:
"Your Highness. I was busy until the early hours of the morning yesterday, so I got up late this morning..."
Ye Jingtang didn't really get up late; he didn't sleep at all. After helping Lady Luo suppress the effect of the medicine, Lady Luo simply couldn't move. He had to fetch water and enter the room to help Lady Luo take a bath.
Lady Luo was both ashamed and angry and too lazy to move. She kept dodging when he touched the sensitive parts. It was finally done and he carried her back to the bed, all fragrant and clean. Then he had to wash the bed sheets and quilt covers. Before he finished, Yunli woke up. Yunli even helped cook the breakfast. He was definitely going to be late when he came this morning.
Fortunately, Dongfang Liren knew what Ye Jingtang had been doing last night and didn't blame him for not coming for a long time.
Dongfang Liren sat upright in the carriage. There was a hint of strangeness in her eyes. After thinking for a while, she said:
"I asked She Long and the others to chase after the people yesterday, but they still lost them in the end. We didn't catch the murderer. You and Niaoniao worked hard for nothing all day..."
Ye Jingtang mounted his horse like a bodyguard and walked beside the window of the carriage:
"We caught a captive yesterday. Did you get anything out of him?"
"He was just a wandering martial artist who was paid to do things. He didn't know anything. The person who could hire Xu Bailin is definitely not a small force. There must be something complicated behind this. I don't have any clues at the moment."
When Dongfang Liren said this, she looked at Ye Jingtang:
"Master Ye, the Divine Constable, do you have a way to continue the investigation?"
Although Ye Jingtang didn't deserve the title of "Divine Constable", he really did have a way - The Wandering Palm technique was the unique move of Zhang Henggu from Nanshan Tiegua. Since the murderer knew this technique, Zhang Henggu himself was likely to know something about its origin, and he could just ask directly.
But this method was based on his powerful connections of "holding the thighs of both the black silk and white silk forces" at the same time. If he said it out, he would surely get into trouble on the spot.
Ye Jingtang considered it for a moment and just said: "I'll find a way to let the Honghua Tower investigate. The Honghua Tower is a martial arts force in the Jianghu, and they should have more connections."
Dongfang Liren nodded slightly, and approval showed in her eyes:
"I really didn't see it before. You're so capable of handling things. Keep up the good work in the future. I'm fair in rewarding and punishing. As long as you have enough merits, there's nothing in the world that I can't reward you with..."
When she said this, Dongfang Liren remembered what Madam Wang said about Miss Ning'er not being able to withstand it, and asked:
"Last time when you entered the palace, I asked you to find some suitable palace servants. Do you have anyone in mind? You have a status now. You can't always make the person you like do the laundry and cooking. I'll reward you with a few maids as a reward for yesterday's matter."
When Ye Jingtang heard this, the only palace servant he knew, Miss Yuhu, naturally flashed through his mind. But he didn't mean to have two maids:
"Your Highness, you're joking. I'm a person from the Jianghu. I'm used to being free. If I really have two maids in my room, I'll have to worry about them more."
"Hmph..."
...
While the two of them were chatting, the carriage passed through the bustling street near Mingyu Tower and arrived at the Zhuque Gate in front of the imperial city.
Dongfang Liren was a prince. As the beloved younger sister of the current empress, not many people would dare to say anything even if she entered the imperial city through the imperial road. However, Dongfang Liren wasn't so arrogant as to do that. She entered through the city gate used by courtiers.
Ye Jingtang followed Dongfang Liren into the palace city and directly went to the Yongle Palace, which he had never been to before.
The Yongle Palace was the residence of the emperor. The density of palace servants was much higher than in other places. He could meet several maids going back and forth every few steps, and the sound of music could be heard from the deeper palaces.
Ye Jingtang knew that this place was the empress's palace and didn't dare to look around casually. After walking for a while, he asked:
"Your Highness, are you taking me to see the emperor?"
Dongfang Liren walked gracefully as if she were in her own home. She led Ye Jingtang towards the back of the Changle Palace:
"At this time, His Majesty is usually reviewing memorials in the imperial study and doesn't have time to see you. Do you want to see the emperor?"
Ye Jingtang was definitely curious about the female emperor who ruled the entire Great Wei Dynasty. But he also knew the truth that being close to the emperor was like being close to a tiger. The empress was like a tigress. If he accidentally became the "Concubine Ye", he would be憋屈 (frustrated) for half his life. He shook his head and said:
"I'm just a commoner, and I don't have any strategies for governing the country. How dare I easily disturb the emperor? Where are we going?"
"To His Majesty's bedroom."
"?"
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes. He thought that Benben probably didn't bring him here to serve the empress, so he didn't say anything more.
The two of them walked for a long time. They bypassed the corridor on the side of the main hall and came to the lake behind the Chengan Hall. They dismissed the attendants around them.
The lake was artificially dug and was generally circular. There was a white jade stone railing around it. In the center was a pavilion on the water built on a stone platform. There were stone pieces like lotus leaves on the lake, winding and leading to the pavilion. The scenery was extremely elegant and looked like an ink wash painting.
The pavilion on the water didn't seem to be very old, but the white stone foundation below had turned yellow, and there were some traces of damage. It was unknown how many years it had gone through.
Ye Jingtang stopped by the lake, took a brief look, and asked:
"What is this place?"
Dongfang Liren introduced it carefully by the lake like a tour guide:
"This is Minglongtan. It is said that more than a thousand years ago, the founding emperor of the Great Wu Dynasty achieved enlightenment and ascended to immortality. He rode a dragon and left from this platform. This pond is located in the center of the imperial city. According to the words of True Man Xuanji, it is in the 'center of the dragon vein', gathering the feng shui of the four seas and the luck of the whole country. Only the true son of heaven can suppress this treasured land. If someone else lives here without permission, they will surely be punished by heaven."
Ye Jingtang put one hand behind his back and nodded slightly:
"Is it true?"
Dongfang Liren blinked her eyes: "I've never believed in such superstitious things, but the Minglong Diagram is indeed something superstitious. True Man Xuanji said that this place is suitable for Taoists to cultivate in seclusion. He often stayed here when he came to the capital. I also think the feng shui here is good, and practicing the Minglong Diagram here can get twice the result with half the effort. There has never been any verification of the so-called heavenly punishment."
Ye Jingtang nodded thoughtfully: "Your Highness and True Man Xuanji are both women, so there will definitely be no problem for you to go in. Has there ever been a man other than the emperor who has entered here in history?"
Dongfang Liren thought carefully: "This is the bedroom of emperors of all dynasties. The men who have lived here in history but were not emperors were mostly rebel leaders and treacherous villains who disrupted the country. Those who didn't die will surely become emperors. I guess the legend of the 'true son of heaven' came from this."
Ye Jingtang understood the meaning - the survivor bias.
Dongfang Liren tapped her toes lightly and made a few leaps on the blue waves. She came to the pavilion on the water in the middle of the lake. She turned around and saw that Ye Jingtang didn't move. She frowned and said:
"Are you really scared by these superstitious stories?"
Ye Jingtang wasn't worried about the heavenly punishment. Even if he wasn't superstitious, he wasn't sure about the empress. This forbidden place where "only the true son of heaven can enter", if he rashly ran in, what if the empress suspected him?
Dongfang Liren naturally could see what Ye Jingtang was worried about and beckoned:
"No one can see. Just come over."
No one can see?!!
Ye Jingtang thought that compared with the Minglong Diagram, his head was more important. He raised his hand slightly:
"Your Highness, although I'm a person from the Jianghu, I still know what 'overstepping one's bounds' means. This place..."
Dongfang Liren was a bit helpless: "I said it's okay, so it's okay. I've already informed His Majesty."
"His Majesty agreed?"
"If His Majesty didn't agree, would I dare to bring you here?"
Only then did Ye Jingtang heave a sigh of relief. He turned over the railing and walked on the water. After just a few steps, he reached the outside of the pavilion on the water.
Tap~
His feet stepped on the stone platform. Away from the lake shore, the world became quiet.
Ye Jingtang looked up at the sky, probably to confirm if there were any strange phenomena of the sky and earth changing color.
Dongfang Liren found it a bit funny when she saw this and turned around and walked into the pavilion on the water:
"Come in."
The pavilion on the water was quite large. The inside was an empty room. There were bookshelves and weapon racks around, and many calligraphy and paintings were hung on the walls. In the center of the room, there were two futons embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns, which seemed to be the exclusive seats of the empress and the Princess Jing.
Dongfang Liren walked around the pavilion on the water. She disappeared behind the bookshelf for a moment. When she came out again, she had a box in her hand.
The box was made of green jade and was the size of a book. Judging from the size, it was likely to contain the Minglong Diagram.
Dongfang Liren walked to the center of the pavilion on the water with the jade box and sat down on the futon:
"Sit down."
Ye Jingtang came to the side of the futon and took a look. He picked up Niaoniao, which was squatting on the dragon and phoenix futon pretending to be a little hen, and sat down on the ground directly in front of Dongfang Liren.
Dongfang Liren thought that Ye Jingtang paid too much attention to etiquette, but she didn't say anything more. She slid open the jade box.
Whoosh——
The golden paper immediately came into view.
"This is the Jade Bone Diagram. You killed the Blood Bodhi, and you made great contributions again last night. You can take a look at this thing, but you can't take it out of this place. If it's lost, His Majesty won't be able to explain it to the future monarch."
Ye Jingtang sat upright, took the jade box, and didn't touch it with his hands. By the sunlight outside the pavilion on the water, he studied it carefully.
The size and shape of the golden paper were exactly the same as his Dragon and Elephant Diagram. It felt like two pages torn from the same book. The only difference was the content inside.
The Jade Bone Qilin Diagram naturally depicted a qilin, a giant beast with its back carrying the blue sky and its feet stepping on the earth. The patterns were extremely delicate.
After a brief look, Ye Jingtang knew that it was genuine, and he couldn't help but feel strange.
Although the process and result were different from what he expected, he could now be said to have achieved the plan he had when he first entered the capital - to find a way to sneak into the palace and get the Minglong Diagram.
He secretly studied the Jade Bone Diagram in the way he practiced the "Dragon and Elephant Diagram" and found that they were of the same origin. The way of practicing was exactly the same. It couldn't even be said to be two different secret techniques. Instead, the method of the Dragon and Elephant Diagram had added several more paths, and the two could be combined into one, becoming a method with two effects...
Outside the pavilion on the water was the clear water and the lake scenery. In the spacious and quiet room, the man and the woman sat facing each other. The only sounds were the chirping of birds and cicadas:
"Zhiliiao——"
"Jiliao..."
Ye Jingtang held the golden paper in both hands and observed it carefully. His black robe made of Shuijinyun fabric, paired with his serious and cold eyebrows and side profile while deep in thought, actually carried a unique otherworldly air in this ink wash painting-like environment.
Dongfang Liren sat upright on the futon. Her originally heroic eyes showed a hint of softness. She didn't know what she was thinking, but she just stared at the man's face, lost in thought.
Ye Jingtang looked at it for a while and put down the golden paper:
"This diagram is indeed mysterious and completely different from ordinary things. I've only seen a little bit of its secrets."
Dongfang Liren nodded slightly: "You have good talent. It shouldn't be difficult for you to understand it. Try practicing it."
Ye Jingtang nodded gently and immediately closed his eyes and began to practice the Jade Bone Diagram.
But as soon as he closed his eyes, Dongfang Liren showed a look of looking at a "little fool". She straightened her back and assumed the imposing manner of a princess. She said seriously:
"This isn't how you practice the Minglong Diagram. I'll teach you. Watch carefully. Sit cross-legged steadily, with your left leg outside and your right leg inside..."
Dongfang Liren lifted the hem of her python robe slightly, sat cross-legged, and placed her hands on her lower abdomen. Her clothes were raised high, making her already proud "chubby dragon" (a euphemism here) become a three-dimensional pattern.
Ye Jingtang had been practicing the Minglong Diagram by blindly groping based on his feelings and hadn't paid attention to the posture. Now he followed suit, sat cross-legged, held his right hand with his left hand, and closed his eyes.
Dongfang Liren closed her beautiful eyes and commanded unhurriedly:
"Imagine the picture you just saw and follow your feelings... Hmm... The feeling of the picture. Do you have it?"
"Yes."
"Good. Breathe with me. Be rhythmic and enter the state of meditation in Taoism... Breathe in... Breathe out..."