This Lady Is Trying to Kill Me - Chapter 62
Chapter 62: I’m In the Palace!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was afternoon, and there was still half an hour before the evening drum sounded.
Outside the Chao’an Gate on the east side of the Imperial City, ten chief constables of the Black Office, who had been temporarily transferred here, had bronze plates hanging from their waists. After negotiating with the imperial guards, they entered the palace gate one after another.
Ye Jingtang had changed into a black brocade robe and had his saber hanging from his waist. He walked among the ten chief constables while the bird stood on his shoulder and looked around curiously.
There were seven men and three women among the ten chief constables. They were all in their thirties or forties, while Ye Jingtang was too young. Walking in the middle, he looked like a disciple.
But with the deed of capturing the Wingless Owl and repelling the Blood Bodhi, he was treated with respect. She Long even walked in front of him and introduced things like a good brother. “There are many stories about the Chao’an Gate. Do you see that rotten brick? At the end of the previous dynasty, when Yun’an City was breached, Emperor Yan Gong escaped from this gate. Wherever he ran, he tripped and fell, and he died in a few months… After the founding of the dynasty, the founding emperor specially left this brick behind to warn the descendants that ‘if a monarch is not good for the country, the heavens are watching’…”
Ye Jingtang followed him to the outer palace wall. Along the way, he listened to the stories that happened in various places. A certain emperor committed suicide, a certain prince usurped the throne, where certain people broke through, and so on.
The Imperial City was enormous. The external security was entrusted to the imperial guards, while the secret guards were in charge of the internal security. The eleven of them entered the palace to increase manpower temporarily to guard against any accidents in the palace.
This was not the first time the chief constables had done such a job. Every time they walked by a section, two people would leave the team together and disappear among the buildings. When they reached the corner tower on the east wall, there were only three people left.
Ye Jingtang stood under the tower and surveyed the interior and exterior of the imperial palace. He asked, “Sirs, should 1 follow you or stand here as a lookout?”
According to the Black Office’s practice, no matter what task they did, there had to be two people, and no one could be alone.
But Ye Jingtang didn’t have a teammate, and the Prince of Jing didn’t specify where he was going to patrol, so the arrangements became a problem.
Shang Jianli deliberated for a moment before saying, “Patrolling the imperial city is a heavy responsibility. We still have to focus on our duties. Young Master Ye, Her Highness specifically asked you to come over, but Her Highness didn’t give any specific instructions. Her Highness trusts you, so you can patrol on your own…”
?
Ye Jingtang was surprised to hear that he was allowed to patrol the palace alone. Wasn’t this letting the Monkey King into the Immortal Peach Garden?
“As a man, if I walk alone in the palace, I’m afraid…”
“Young Master Ye, Her Highness appointed you to this position, and we don’t have the right to dispatch you. You can arrange these things yourself.”
Shang Jianli turned his head and gestured to the center of the Imperial City. “However, there are some rules that I still have to explain. The Eternal Joy Palace in the center is where Her Majesty the Empress sleeps. It’s under the responsibility of the secret guards. We can’t enter the Eternal Joy Palace’s territory for any reason, or we’ll be killed without mercy. We have to come here every two hours to meet up to prevent any accidents.”
Ye Jingtang was more than happy to act alone. Seeing this, he cupped his hands and said, “Then, I will patrol by myself. Sirs, go ahead and do your work. We will meet again in two hours.”
Shang Jianli and She Long didn’t say anything else. With a light tap of their toes, they lightly jumped down the palace wall and hid among the buildings…
Dong, dong, dong!
The evening drum sounded, and the setting sun on the horizon sank into the mountains. The palace gates closed one after another, and the Imperial City gradually became quiet.
Outside the Peaceful Hall of the Eternal Joy Palace, more than a dozen palace maids in light clothing were kicking rattan balls in the garden. Among them, two tall figures were the most eye-catching. They were the empress of the current dynasty and the Prince of Jing.
The empress was not wearing a dragon robe. Instead, she was wearing a red tube top and a red skirt with a high slit on one side. As she ran and kicked a rattan ball, her long and voluptuous legs could be seen. Her breasts, which were wrapped in the tube top, were also jumping up and down with her movements.
As she ran, her snow-white and smooth shoulders and fair collarbones were all exposed. Crystal-clear beads of sweat slid down her neck and rolled toward the bottomless ravine in her chest. The scene could only be described as ‘exquisite’.
On the other hand, Dongfang Liren’s attire was much more serious. It was pure white hunting attire. Even her ankles and neck were not exposed. She looked valiant and heroic. She looked more like a young emperor playing with his beloved concubine than a princess.
The Eternal Joy Palace was full of laughter, but the Longevity Palace, which was also in the Imperial City, was silent. There were only dim yellow palace lanterns swaying in the wind, casting mottled reflections of flowers and trees on the walls.
The Longevity Palace was also known as the West Palace. It was the residence of the empress dowager and the imperial consorts. It had fallen silent just after nightfall, and there were only a few dim lanterns in the huge palace complex.
In the empress dowager’s bedroom, there were also a few people.
The empress dowager, dressed in a crimson nightgown, was kneeling upright on the tea couch by the window. She was holding her flowing sleeves with her left hand and a brush in her right hand while slowly painting on a piece of white paper.
This kneeling posture drew a full curve behind the empress dowager’s waist. She looked like an extremely beautiful painter with a tight waist, plump buttocks, and exquisite figure. The silver moon outside the window sprinkled moonlight on her watery eyes and light smile.
Hongyu, the palace maid who served her all year round, was kneeling by her side. In front of her were cinnabar, green ink, and other paints. Occasionally, she would hand them to the empress dowager’s hand. She stared fixedly at the painting under her brush, feeling slightly puzzled.
“Your Majesty.”
“Hmm?”
“What… are you painting?”
“You will know when the painting is finished.”
Hongyu carefully looked at the thing painted on the paper. She could roughly tell that it was a human, but the figure’s eyes were slits and lifeless, the lips were flat, and there was a ball on the shoulder…
Even if this painting was finished, Hongyu wasn’t sure if she would be able to tell who it was. “Hmm… Could this be a handsome man?”
“Heh~ Your eyesight is not bad.” The empress dowager’s posture was dignified and gentle. She seriously outlined the man’s sword-like eyebrows and asked, “How are my painting skills compared to the Prince of Jing’s?”
“Uh…?” Hongyu sat up a little straighter with a strange expression.
The Prince of Jing’s master was Daoist Xuanji, and she was proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Moreover, she showed signs of surpassing his master. In the capital, where crouching tigers and hidden dragons were abundant, she could be considered a famous painter.
As for the empress dowager…
The empress dowager’s hometown was in Jiang Province, where literary arts were at their peak. She did know zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but she had been born in a general family, so she only knew a little.
Hongyu really didn’t dare to affect the empress dowager’s good mood, so she commented seriously, “Her Highness the Prince of Jing’s paintings are too realistic. If the painting is too real, it will lack artistic conception and charm. However, Your Majesty’s are different. Ink paintings are mainly about freehand brushwork. Although Your Majesty’s painting looks like clouds and mists separates it at first glance and can’t be understood, if you study it carefully, you will find the wonders and beauty- It is like the water of the Clear River and flows endlessly. Umm… it has the elegance of Daoist Xuanji’s-”
“Is that so?” The empress dowager was quite pleased with this obvious flattery and revealed a smile.
Daoist Xuanji was the master of the empress and her sister and an accomplished expert of Void Jade Mountain. When the empress dowager entered the palace, she had visited Void Jade Mountain. Then in the capital, Daoist Xuanji and the empress dowager had gotten along for a few years. She could be considered the empress dowager’s best friend.
Unfortunately, ever since the empress and her sister finished their discipleship, Daoist Xuanji had returned to Void Jade Mountain and rarely went to the capital. The last time they met was last year.
Hearing Hongyu mention her, the empress dowager thought for a moment and sighed. “She only knows how to live freely and leisurely in Jianghu. She doesn’t even know to come to the palace and visit every now and then.”
“All… Counting the days, she should be here soon. Your Majesty, don’t be anxious.”
The empress dowager carefully painted for a long time. The man in the portrait gradually took shape. She looked him over carefully.
This painting… is alright…
The paper seems a little narrow…
In other words, the painting was off, and the portrait wasn’t centered…
The empress dowager blinked and pondered for a moment. Then she took out a paper knife from a small case and planned to cut the painting to center the portrait.
But before she got started, she heard a voice from outside.
“Young Master, you are in the wrong place..”
