Aoyama

Chapter 376 Meeting
The nuns of Jingyang Palace looked at Bai Li with envy in their eyes.

In this deep palace, being able to establish a relationship with a noble person can make life a little more comfortable, even if it's just about getting in touch with that person's pet cat.

They looked at the dark cloud in Bai Li's arms and wondered how Bai Li had gotten such good luck. Why did this little beast have to jump into Bai Li's arms instead of their own?
A eunuch whispered to the Empress, "Your Majesty, Lord Wu Xiu has ordered the Jie Fan Guard to make preparations. It's time to depart."

The Empress hummed in agreement and turned to leave, but then she heard the dark clouds suddenly exhale.

She turned around and saw Wuyun baring its teeth at Xuanzhen, its ears turned away from its head, full of hostility.

The Empress was somewhat surprised and looked up at Xuanzhen, asking, "What's wrong with Master Xuanzhen's face?"

Before Xuanzhen could answer, Aunt Yuanjin clasped her hands and said, "When the True Man cursed the Mountain Lord as a little beast and even tried to hit him with his whisk, this servant slapped him as a form of punishment."

The Empress said sternly, "How can Yuan Jin do this? The True Man is in charge of Jingyang Palace and is a person who connects heaven and earth. How can he be punished at will?"

Yuan Jin bowed: "It was this servant's recklessness."

The Empress softened her expression and comforted Xuanzhen, saying, "Rest assured, Master, I will punish Yuan Jin after today's sacrifice to the Silkworm Goddess. I see that your face is swollen, so you don't need to go through the trouble of performing the Three Offerings Ceremony today. Stay in Jingyang Palace and recuperate."

Xuanzhen's expression changed: "Your Majesty, I am unharmed."

The Empress said casually, "Your Excellency, it's not good for outsiders to see you like this. What do you think?"

Yuan Jin calmly said, "Hurry up and kneel down to thank Her Majesty."

Xuanzhen hesitated for two breaths, then knelt on the ground: "Thank you for your care, Your Majesty. I humbly wish Your Majesty good health."

The Empress turned and walked out, her huge, dark blue robe trailing on the ground like a fan: "Let's begin the journey."

The eunuch announced loudly, "Let's begin!"

The vast palace seemed to come alive suddenly. The Imperial Guards lined up in two rows to protect the Empress. In front, palace maids carried golden incense burners to lead the way, while behind, female officials carried the Empress's golden scepter. The scepter made a clattering sound as it moved, signaling everyone to be quiet and to retreat.

As soon as the Empress walked out of the palace, the Director of the Imperial Palace Administration hurriedly urged, "Quickly, do as I taught you, line up in two rows and follow behind the ceremonial guard!"

Xuanzhen stood in front of Jingyang Palace, looking at Bai Li with resentment.

Bai Li ignored everything, silently trailing behind the procession while holding onto the dark cloud, trying to stay as far away from the Empress's palanquin as possible.

Zhu Lingyun walked ahead of her, turned her head to the side and asked, "Sister, those poems of yours..."

Bai Li calmly said, "That was originally written for you."

Zhu Lingyun was slightly taken aback, her expression darkening: "Sister, I'm sorry."

The white carp did not respond.

Zhu Lingyun's eyes reddened: "Sister, it was Xuanzhen who snatched the Qingci and burned it."

Bai Li said in a low voice, "You had a chance to tell me, and I gave you a chance."

Zhu Lingyun vehemently defended herself: "Xuanzhen said that if I told you about this, she would replace the manager with Liu Ping'e. You know how ruthless Liu Ping'e is; she would never let me off the hook if she became the manager..."

Bai Li interrupted, "Ling Yun, I warned you before, Xuan Zhen had no good intentions, and this is exactly the result she wanted. She wanted us sisters to turn against each other, and she succeeded."

Zhu Lingyun quickly said, "Sister, I'll listen to you from now on..."

Bai Li interrupted again, saying, "Spiritual Charm."

"Ok?"

Bai Li said softly, "Do you remember how I always took the blame for you whenever you got into trouble at the academy? When we were at Donglin Academy, I cooked for you and your brother, and I always let you wear my clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics."

“But Lingyun, I’ve tolerated you and given you more than ten years. Yesterday it was okay, and tomorrow it will be okay, but not today.”

At this moment, the long procession emerged from the North Gate of the Forbidden City and passed through the vermilion palace gates. Each row of palace maids was accompanied by Imperial Guards on horseback, protecting them on either side.

When it was Bai Li's turn, she walked into the long shadow of the city gate while carrying the dark cloud.

She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

Take another deep breath.

I've come to see you.

next moment.

The moment she stepped from the shadows of the city gate into the light.

The Imperial Guards, who had been waiting outside Bei'an Gate, rode slowly side by side. They were dressed in silver armor, wore white feather headdresses and white cloaks, and carried flags with the sun, moon and stars.

The more than two hundred Imperial Guards, with their snow-white cloaks and fluttering vermilion banners, looked like flowers blooming along the roadside.

Bai Li couldn't help but look up, and the Imperial Guards beside her also looked down.

Traces of the past.

Bai Li's eyes reddened.

The procession moved slowly, and Chen Ji rode his horse at the same speed as Bai Li. Both of them restrained themselves from speaking and walked side by side across the bluestone path.

The white carp could hear no other sounds, only the sound of horses' hooves beside it.

It was as if no one else existed in the world, only the two of them walking side by side, and even the dark clouds wisely fell silent.

……

……

On the long street, Chen Ji wanted to find an opportunity to speak with Bai Li alone, but there were people all around him, and Bai Li was not even allowed to speak.

Further ahead are Shuntianfu Street and Andingmen Street. After exiting the city gate, follow the ceremonial procession along the official road for three miles. The female Taoist priests of Jingyang Palace will then follow the Empress into the Altar of the Silkworm Goddess, while the Imperial Guards can only stand guard outside the Altar of the Silkworm Goddess.

Chen Ji tried to recall the situation carefully, but he couldn't find an opportunity or place to talk to Bai Li.

Just then, Chen Ji suddenly spoke, addressing the Imperial Guard in front of him: "Lin Yanchu."

Lin Yanchu, holding the Star and Moon Flag, turned around in surprise: "What are your orders, sir?"

Chen Ji smiled and asked, "Have you ever been to Guyuan?"

Lin Yanchu cautiously reminded him, "Sir, let's stop chatting for now..."

Chen Ji ignored his reminder and continued, "Going north from Luocheng, you'll first pass Mengcheng Post Station, then it takes three days to reach Jincheng, and another three days to reach Taiyuan Prefecture. Once there, you'll need to exchange your horses for camels. There are shrewd merchants who specialize in this business, waiting at the city gates. Camels smell terrible, but they have much greater stamina than horses..."

"Arriving in Guyuan is like entering a paradise. The clothing in Guyuan is different from that in the Central Plains. The people there like to wear colorful stones to adorn their foreheads, ears, and necks, and they are as warm as a ball of fire. The most interesting thing is that the people there are like smelly and hard stones. If possible, it would be nice to go out from there and see the Western Regions further west."

"To the east lies the sea, and it is said that on the other side of the sea..."

Lin Yanchu was completely baffled, not knowing why Chen Ji suddenly brought this up, and could only reluctantly agree: "My lord, I will go and take a look when I have the chance."

Only Bai Li knew that Chen Ji was speaking to her, and only she understood.

At this moment, the Director of the Imperial Palace heard the commotion and ran over with small steps, lifting the hem of his official robe: "Who was talking just now? Didn't I tell you not to talk nonsense?"

The person was far away and mistakenly thought that the nuns of Jingyang Palace were talking with the Imperial Guards. Du Miao quickly explained, "Reporting to the Admiral, we were not talking. It was that Imperial Guard who was chatting with his colleague."

Following Du Miao's gaze, the Imperial Palace Supervisor looked at Chen Ji and said in a deep voice, "How can you be so unruly? What is your name? I will tell your Imperial Guard Commander about this."

Wuyun meowed and complained, "This person said this morning that he wanted to punish the princess."

Chen Ji suddenly pulled on the reins. He sat on his horse and looked down at the Imperial Palace Supervisor.

The Imperial Palace Supervisor angrily retorted, "I'm talking to you! What's your name?"

The next moment, Chen Ji suddenly raised his whip and lashed it hard across the face of the Imperial Palace Supervisor: "You have offended the imperial carriage, step back."

There was a crisp snap.

The whip left a deep, bloody welt on the face of the Imperial Palace Supervisor.

Within the ceremonial guard, the Jie Fan Guards were sharp and cunning, while Lin Chaoqing rode at the very front. Beside the Drum Tower Street, secret agents from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs lurked among the crowd. Chen Ji spotted Xuan She, draped in a black cloak, and Bao Hou, wearing a wooden mask.

Let's look at it together with the female Taoist priestess from Jingyang Palace.

The long street suddenly became quiet.

One was a fourth-rank official, the Supervisor of the Divine Palace.

One was a sixth-rank military officer, a centurion in the Imperial Guard.

No one expected Chen Ji to be so arrogant.

Bai Li looked up at the young man on the warhorse, whose eyes still burned with the same fire they had when they first met.

The dark cloud meowed, "Fierce!"

The Imperial Palace Supervisor was stunned for a long time. Only when the burning pain pierced his brain did he lower his voice and shout hoarsely, "How dare you, you brat! I'm going to report you to the Grand Chancellor! I'm going to report you before the Emperor!"

Chen Ji calmly said, "Go, go wherever you want to complain."

The Imperial Palace Supervisor angrily demanded, "What's your name?"

Chen Ji turned his horse and caught up with the group: "Fuyou Street, Chen Ji."

As dawn broke, the honor guard emerged from Andingmen Gate.

On the Andingmen city tower, Bai Long stood alone with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the procession head north. He watched as the young man below the city tower restrained his youthful spirit and barely made it this far.

But the fact that it has subsided does not mean that it has been worn away.

……

……

on the official road.

Bai Li carried Wu Yun and walked side by side with Chen Ji. The sound of horses' hooves was very close, and she seemed to be able to hear Chen Ji's breathing.

She actually wanted to ask, "What if the Director of the Imperial Palace comes looking for trouble later? Can you handle it? Will there be any danger?"
How have you been lately? Do you have any clothes for the season? Have you worn the clothes I ordered for you?
But she couldn't bring herself to ask.

But the white carp isn't sad; it's fine as it is now.

It would be even better if the silkworm farm were located 30, 300, or 3,000 li further away.

Chen Ji looked at the simple wooden hairpin on Bai Li's head, his fingers stroking the plain silver hairpin in his sleeve, but he didn't know how to give it to her.

No chance.

With the Altar of the Silkworm in sight, Wuyun meowed in Baili's arms: "There's a high-ranking official by Her Majesty the Empress's side named Hu Yuanjin. This woman is extremely vicious. Not only does she not care for cats, but her cultivation level is also extremely high. With her around, I can't leave Kunning Palace at all. Can you find a way to get rid of her?"

Wu Yun continued, "Her Majesty the Empress once said that she would go to Jingyang Palace to take care of Prince Jing's two daughters, but that vicious Hu Yuanjin stopped her."

Chen Ji sensed that Hu Yuanjin in Wuyun harbored deep resentment, but he was powerless to do anything about it...

Wuyun meowed again: "The Prince of Fu visited Kunning Palace a few days ago. He said he didn't want to compete for the position of Crown Prince, but the Empress disagreed."

"The emperor rarely went to Kunning Palace, but often had Hu Yuanjin carry me to Renshou Palace. Renshou Palace was not fun; the ministers were always arguing there, and I even saw two people spitting on each other... but the food there was delicious."

“A man named Wu Xiu told the emperor that the Grand Canal Gang had become a major threat…”

The Empress's procession had already entered the Altar of the Silkworm Goddess, and it would soon be the turn of the female Taoist priests from Jingyang Palace. Seeing that their parting was imminent, Wuyun blurted out everything she had heard and seen.

Chen Ji was stunned; Wu Yun had actually become a secret agent of the Imperial Guard.

At this time, the female Taoist priests of Jingyang Palace entered the Altar of the First Silkworm one by one, while the Imperial Guards could only stand guard outside the Altar of the First Silkworm.

Chen Ji dismounted at the gate and calmly watched Bai Li, carrying Wu Yun, walk through the main gate.

The white carp did not turn back, nor could it turn back.

Chen Ji stopped outside and looked up to examine it: the Xiancan Altar resembled a huge Taoist temple.

The seven main halls housed seven shrines, each of which the empress had to worship. She would then personally pick mulberry leaves with a pure gold mulberry-picking hook, thus demonstrating the court's emphasis on the sericulture industry.

Afterwards, the wives and children of officials in the capital would pick mulberry leaves, and the empress would bestow symbolic rewards based on the quantity and quality of the leaves picked.

However, the officials' wives never picked the fruit themselves; their maids always did it for them. The officials' wives went about their business, some relaxing in the cool air, others chatting.

On the official road behind the imperial procession, the carriages and sedan chairs of officials and their families were arranged in an orderly fashion, with the carriages in front and the sedan chairs behind. Those who could ride in carriages must have powerful connections, while those who could only ride in sedan chairs were naturally inferior.

The officials' wives alighted from their carriages and sedan chairs in front of the gate, each vying to outshine the female Taoist priests as they entered the Altar of the Silkworm Goddess.

Chen Ji seemed to be deep in thought. The Altar of the First Silkworm was crowded with people, including hundreds of officials and their families. He should have been able to enter as well.

He dismounted and shoved the reins and the Japanese star flag into Lin Yanchu's hands: "I'll go in and take a look, just in case anyone has ill intentions."

Lin Yanchu was taken aback for a moment: "Sir, this is a task assigned by the Jie Fan Guard."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Aren't we the Imperial Guards? If something happens, neither you nor I will be able to escape responsibility."

Lin Yanchu remained silent.

Chen Ji walked toward the main gate of the First Silkworm Altar, but he was stopped by a familiar figure as soon as he reached the gate.

Lin Chaoqing cupped his hands and said, "Lord Chen, the duties of the Imperial Guards do not lie in the Altar of the Silkworm."

Chen Ji looked at the middle-aged man before him and said carefully, "I am also a member of the Imperial Guard..."

Lin Chaoqing added: "Hundred-household commanders."

Chen Ji frowned and remained silent.

Just then, a voice called out from behind him: "Chen Ji!"

Chen Ji turned around and saw that Qi Zhaoning and Qi Zhaoyun had come together, with Qi Zhenzhu, who was wearing a light veil, following behind them.

(End of this chapter)