Aoyama

At 9 PM, the Forbidden City resembled a magnificent coffin.

The palace windows were tightly shut, revealing not a trace of joy. Despite it being summer, a cool breeze seeped from the bluestone floor beneath one's feet. The wind whistled through the palace corridors, not to break the silence, but to measure its depth and breadth.

It contains the most exquisite etiquette, the strictest hierarchy, the greatest wealth, and the most supreme power of the Ning Dynasty, as well as frozen youth, suppressed desires, and forgotten ambitions.

In the darkness, Bai Li changed into a gray eunuch's robe and drew her eyebrows to make herself look more like the little eunuch.

She followed Xu Xi hurriedly through the palace path, both of them with their hands tucked into their wide sleeves and their heads bowed, as if walking in a vast shadow.

The eunuchs of the inner palace began their night patrols.

They set off from Xuanwu Gate, carrying small palace lanterns and striking the night drum, passing through one palace gate after another with a fixed pace and rhythm, dragging out a long, monotonous final note to announce: "Peace reigns throughout the land!"

The hour of Hai (9-11 PM) signifies peace and tranquility throughout the land.

The hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM) is when the North Star is in its proper position.

The hour of Chou (1-3 AM) is when the river is clear and the sea is calm.

The hour of Yin (3-5 AM) corresponds to the clear and tranquil nature of Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth).

The hour of Mao (5-7 AM) is a time for all officials to be on guard.

However, ever since Emperor Ning devoted himself to cultivating Taoism at Renshou Palace, he only shouted "Peace Under Heaven" at the top of his lungs, while everything else became a soft mutter. The "Qian Qing Kun Ning" at the hour of Yin was also changed to "Long Live the Emperor".

At this moment, Bai Li followed behind Xu Xi, passing by the eunuch who was striking the night watchman's drum. The eunuch did not ask where they were going... In this palace, it's better to avoid trouble. The blind and deaf live longer than others.

After they were some distance away, Xu Xi turned his head and instructed, "Princess, don't panic when you leave Xuanwu Gate. In the past few months, we have deliberately arranged for this persona to frequently leave the palace. The guards on duty in the palace have all seen his appearance. When the guards see you, they will subconsciously mistake you for him in the dark."

Xu Xi continued, "Someone will pick you up and take you away from Bei'an Gate. Once you're outside Bei'an Gate, there's a small boat moored by the bridge. It will take you from Jishuitan to the water gate... The leader said that you can put aside the people and things on your mind for now, there's plenty of time later. Tonight, no matter what, you must leave the capital and head south by water. Otherwise, once the court reacts, all the preparations he's made over the past eight months will have been in vain."

The white carp silently kept it in its heart.

Xu Xi continued in a low voice, "Princess, rest assured, our Canal Gang still has hundreds of thousands of brothers. We will never let you suffer in vain. Once we leave the capital, the gang leader will lead you south. When the Jing Dynasty attacks again, we will cut off the imperial supply lines and rise up in rebellion from the south..."

Bai Li didn't take these words to heart, nor did he have any intention of rising up in rebellion.

The next moment, she heard hurried footsteps ahead. Looking up, she saw twelve guards carrying lanterns coming towards her. They met in the narrow passage of the palace road, with no way to avoid each other.

These guards, with their hands on their waist knives and moving hurriedly, were not on ordinary duty; something must have happened in the palace.

As the guards drew closer, Xu Xi tensed up. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, "Princess, don't panic. They may not be after us. Even if they are, they may not know that you have changed your identity."

When they were still more than ten steps away, Jie Fanwei shouted loudly, "Who is walking on the palace road at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM)?"

Xu Xi quickly took out his waist badge and put on a smiling face: "My lords, I am Xu Xi, a seventh-rank eunuch in the Imperial Wardrobe. This is Wang Wenbiao, my personal attendant in the Imperial Wardrobe. Today, the brocade we were cutting for the Empress Dowager had a messed-up stitch, and she is furious. The Commander-in-Chief ordered us to leave the palace immediately to investigate and find out what went wrong, and to cut a new one for the Empress Dowager as well."

Xu Xi and his accomplices handled the matter flawlessly. The Empress Dowager's outburst of anger over Yun Jin did indeed occur. This was all part of creating an opportunity to leave the capital tonight.

As they spoke, Xu Xi, bold yet cautious, looked up at Xie Fanwei and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's Lord Li! Are you still on duty so late? What's wrong? Has something big happened in the palace?"

One of the guards took the waist token, examined it, and then tossed it to Xu Xi: "So it's you, kid. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Get lost."

Xu Xi took the waist token and said with an embarrassed smile, "It's my fault for not knowing the rules."

He pulled Bai Li back to the side of the palace road, silently waiting for Jie Fanwei to leave before continuing north.

But after taking only two steps, Xie Fanwei's voice came from behind: "Wait."

Xu Xi and Bai Li stopped and looked back. The guard who was helping them walked slowly over, his hand on the hilt of his sword: "Hey you, look up."

Xu Xi's heart tightened, fearing that Bai Li's timidity would give her away. But Bai Li calmly raised her head, letting the other party scrutinize her.

Two breaths later, the guard, his hand on his waist knife, said coldly, "Alright, go."

Xu Xi and Bai Li bowed and took their leave at the same time, hurrying towards Xuanwu Gate, as it would be locked soon if they didn't hurry.

When Xuanwu Gate came into view, Bai Li subconsciously turned around to look at the lights of Kunning Palace again, but the outline of Kunning Palace had already been swallowed up by the palace complex.

……

……

As the guards passed through the palace passage of the Eastern Six Palaces and were about to turn into Jingyang Palace, one of them turned around alertly and stared intently at Zhongcui Palace, which was shrouded in darkness.

Zhongcui Palace was dark, its buildings shrouded in shadow. In that shadow, a solitary figure stood before the palace gate, silently gazing at Jie Fanwei.

Or perhaps they were silently watching the Jingyang Palace, the destination of Jie Fanwei. Jie Fanwei drew his sword and said in a low voice, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

His colleague quickly pressed down on his wrist and whispered, "Are you crazy? That's His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The guard holding the knife suddenly realized what had happened and quickly sheathed his sword and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I have offended Your Highness the Crown Prince. I deserve to die."

The figure in Zhongcui Palace remained silent, limping back into the dark palace with a cane.

The guards exchanged glances, and one of them whispered, "Never mind, business is more important."

The Jiefan Guard rushed into Jingyang Palace and shouted, "The Jiefan Guard is handling a case! Everyone, come out from the back hall!"

The palace nuns had just gone to sleep when they all got up from their communal beds, dressed properly, and left the inner palace, standing in a row with their heads bowed.

The twelve guards carefully examined the twenty-odd female Taoist priests and suddenly asked, "Which one is Zhu Baili?"

The female Taoist priests looked at each other, their heads bowed as they exchanged glances, wondering why Jie Fanwei was suddenly looking for Princess Baili in the middle of the night.
Xuan Su's eyes flickered: "What do you gentlemen want with Princess Bai Li?"

One of the guards said in a deep voice, "She is the daughter of a convict, and is no longer a princess. I'll ask again, where is Zhu Baili?"

The female champions were trembling with fear, heads bowed and silent.

Du Miao hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Zhu Baili has gone..."

Xuan Su said sternly, "Du Miao, if you dare to speak nonsense, you will have no place in the Six Palaces!"

Du Miao quickly shut her mouth.

One of the guards stepped forward and struck Xuan Su's abdomen hard with the hilt of his sword, causing Xuan Su to gasp in pain and curl up on the ground.

She struggled to look up, only to see the guards standing upright, coldly looking down at her: "We received intelligence that someone is helping Zhu Baili escape from the palace. If we let her go, neither of us will have a good life. I'll ask you one more time, where is Zhu Baili?"

The female priests' expressions changed; only then did they realize what had happened.

At this moment, footsteps sounded outside Jingyang Palace again. The Jiefan Guards turned around and saw Wu Xiu, dressed in a red python robe, leading dozens of Jiefan Guards through the main hall.

The guards bowed their heads and clasped their hands in greeting: "My lord."

Wu Xiu's gaze swept over the female Taoist priest's face one by one, and he said slowly and deliberately, "Whoever tells me the whereabouts of Zhu Baili, I will grant her the title of Manager of Jingyang Palace."

The female champions remained silent with their heads down.

Wu Xiu chuckled lightly, his hands behind his back: "You are all different from Zhu Baili. None of you are sinners who have committed heinous crimes, and none of you are destined to live your entire lives in Jingyang Palace. Life is but a fleeting few decades. Standing here in Jingyang Palace, you can't even see the whole sky. You can't see the sunrise or the sunset. Living such a life worse than that of pigs and dogs, why bother caring about the lives of others?"

Wu Xiu walked step by step in front of the female Taoist priests, his gaze fixed on their faces: "Don't worry, no one will retaliate against you... The first person to reveal Zhu Baili's whereabouts will be allowed to leave the palace."

The female champions' expressions brightened.

Leaving the palace?

Xuan Su suddenly interrupted, "Tonight at 7 PM, Changming, the maidservant by the Empress's side, invited Zhu Baili away, saying that the Empress was hosting a banquet in Kunning Palace and would return before 9 PM."

The female Taoist priests stared at her in disbelief, but she ignored them and said, "My lord, it's past midnight now, the white carp must have escaped!"

Wu Xiu turned and left, leading the group of Jie Fan Guards away: "To Kun Ning Palace."

Xuan Su rushed forward, trying to pull Wu Xiu away: "My lord..."

Jie Fanwei coldly blocked her way: "Insolence."

Xuan Su, separated from the guards, looked at Wu Xiu's back and said loudly, "My lord, you promised that the first person to reveal Zhu Baili's whereabouts could leave the palace."

Wu Xiu didn't even turn his head and said, "Don't worry, once you're dead, I'll have your body thrown out of the palace."

Xuan Su's expression changed drastically: "My lord, you cannot break your promise, otherwise who will work for you in the future?"

Wu Xiu said calmly, "Slap him in the face."

Jie Fanwei, who was blocking Xuan Su, grabbed her neck and slapped her left and right, making Xuan Su's mouth split open.

As Wu Xiu walked out of Jingyang Palace, she could still hear Du Miao's loud laughter behind her, the laughter distorting in the dark, confined palace: "Xuan Su, I thought you had changed your nature, but it turns out a leopard can't change its spots. Have you forgotten why you are favored by Xuan Zhen? Because you are the most despicable, the most ruthless, the most cunning, and the best actor in Jingyang Palace!"

"Putting aside everything else, that demon Xuanzhen has the best eye for people. You and Zhu Lingyun are both selfish and despicable bastards at heart. We only want to snatch some tribute fruit, but you want to eat people. As the old saying goes, if a rotten person suddenly becomes good, it's not because she has suddenly repented, but because she has learned to pretend!"

"Now look what's happened! We'll all rot here together, and nobody's leaving!" (End of Chapter)