Ink Burns

Chapter 280 Good Luck (Part 2)

Linde Hall is located on the central axis of the Forbidden City. To its north is Qianyuan Hall, where the court held meetings, and to its south is Taihe Hall, where the emperor lived and rested. The three halls form a straight line that divides the capital city into north and south.

The significance of Linde Hall is self-evident.

Shui Guang sat upright in the warm little room, not daring to sit down completely, only daring to sit on the edge of the chair. Her hands were neatly placed on her legs. Her eyes wanted to dart around, but she was afraid of appearing disrespectful, so she stopped halfway. Her round, dark brown pupils hung halfway up, staring intently at the four small roof beasts sitting in the upper left corner of the straight window.

"belch--"

I was trying to take a deep breath and relax, but instead, I let out a long burp.

Shui Guang quickly shut up.

I accidentally ate too much just now.

Originally, I could have just sat and waited patiently, but before I knew it, four or five palace servants rushed in, each carrying a red lacquered plate. The first dish was a colorful appetizer, brightly colored in yellow, white, red, and green: bean sprouts with scallion oil, radish chunks with sesame sauce, scallions with red sauce, and diced vegetables with sesame and ginger paste. Next came a bowl of piping hot chicken noodle soup. The soup wasn't clear; it was more like the water of a tranquil lake with willow catkins floating in it. The noodles were chewy and absorbed the flavor perfectly. Each noodle seemed to have eight hundred holes, all filled with broth. It was so fragrant that I wanted to gulp it all down in one go!

Then there are the braised pork pieces, glistening with sauce. Biting into them is like eating a meaty Akizuki pear; the juice bursts in your mouth, both salty and fragrant!
The last thing to finish off was the fruit.

The bright yellow persimmons have soft flesh that is almost translucent and melts on the tongue with just a slight touch. After eating them, the palate is left with a smooth, cool sensation, as if it has been smoothed by the finest silk.

The food was all good, the only drawback was that the portions were too large; even the chicken noodle soup was enough for two bowls.

She came from a poor background and couldn't afford to waste a single grain of food. She ate heartily, leaving nothing behind.

Wu Min entered with a smile, and was about to speak when she saw that the old lady's bowls were all empty. Wu Min, ever the sharp-tongued one, reappeared: "You ate them all!"

Shui Guang was startled and trembled.

"Not a single bit left?!"

Shui Guang quickly regained her senses, blinked her eyes, and indicated her agreement.

Grand Eunuch Wu laughed in anger: He'd been a palace official for over a decade, and what kind of monsters hadn't he seen? This young lady named He Shuiguang had practically expanded his monster roster! As servants, they had to anticipate everything. Emperor Yongping had ordered food for her, even specifying dishes—what did that mean?! It meant he hadn't eaten either! And he wanted to eat with her!

So he specifically instructed the kitchen to make a bowl of "vegetarian" noodle soup with no meat in it! — Another top eunuch's tip: If your master says he wants vegetarian noodle soup, you can't just serve him a bowl of watery broth! You have to pound the meat into pieces and let it dissolve into the soup! And you have to serve it with some easy-to-digest side dishes and fruits suitable for the evening!
What a clever and thoughtful little trick! Ah! This lady ate it all! Ahhh!
Wu Dajian screamed countless times in his heart and gritted his teeth to keep from losing his composure: after all, he couldn't lose his composure every time he encountered this monster!

Just as Wu Dajian was about to speak, he saw the monster peek out, its eyes sparkling, and raise its eyebrows to greet him from behind: "Little Fang! Little Fang!"

Supervisor Wu dared not look back.

Fearing that after seeing Rongzi in eunuch attire, "Xiao Fang" would reward him with a white silk ribbon to end his life.

Xiao Fang responded politely and reservedly: "Doctor He, what brings you here?"

Supervisor Wu was completely in the dark.

White silk is no good; it would be too dignified for him to die.

Judging from the extent of "Little Fang's" dedication, he should at least be given a bowl of poisoned wine to save face for the royal family.
Supervisor Wu retreated almost imperceptibly, leaving the entire small room to "Xiao Fang" and "Xiao He": the poisoned wine was the last resort; he didn't want to be punished with a half-day trip to the market for knowing too many of "Xiao Fang's" shameful secrets.

Shuiguang looked around.

The corridor was deserted, and Eunuch Wu had already silently retreated to the door. Shui Guang waved to Xu Quyan.

Xu Quyan bent down and brought his right ear close.

“I want to go to a forbidden area to take a look. After thinking it over, I think only you can help me—” Shui Guang’s voice was low, and the last syllable of her voice was like the water in a deep well disturbed by fallen leaves, trembling and rippling.

"What forbidden area?" Xu Quyan asked.

The imperial palace was a forbidden area.

The Linde Hall, where the emperor would take short rests and meetings, was the most forbidden area.

Xu Quyan didn't think that this young doctor He wanted to go anywhere important.

"The Imperial Ancestral Temple".

Shui Guang said softly.

Oh, that's truly remarkable.

The moment this girl opened her mouth, she mentioned the ancestral graves of the Xu family.

Xu Quyan coughed lightly: "May I ask, Physician He, what brings you to the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"

Shui Guang pursed her lips, making her round, plump lips appear even redder, and her expression showed some hesitation, clearly indicating that she didn't want to speak.

If you don't want to talk about it, then don't.

We can't just dig up their ancestral graves for no reason, can we?
Xu Quyan straightened up, glanced at the window where the moon was shining through the willow branches, and pondered for a moment before saying, "To get to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, you need to exit through the Qianlai Gate of the Forbidden City. To exit the palace, you need a token and a palace pass. I can get the palace pass from the Linde Hall and find a junior palace servant's token for you. Getting out won't be difficult. But getting into the Imperial Ancestral Temple is a bit more difficult."

Xu Quyan paused slightly: "If it's official business, then go through the main gate openly; if it's private business, I know a side gate. You can sneak in under the cover of darkness when the two shifts of guards change at midnight."

Shui Guang clicked her tongue and generously praised Xiao Fang: "I knew you could do it! You have no idea, I was racking my brains at the Imperial Hospital for five or six days, but I couldn't come up with a single solution. I thought and thought and then I remembered you!"

Shui Guang bumped Xu Quyan's shoulder hard, then pulled out an ink brush and some cardboard from her pocket: "Tell me! I'll draw the route map! I'll just go by feeling my way, it'll definitely work!"

Xu Quyan was knocked back half a step, feeling a dull pain in his chest.

He'd only ever heard that doctors specializing in orthopedics were strong, he'd never heard that a female acupuncturist was so strong!
Xu Quyan silently took half a step forward, returned to his original position, and said with a helpless expression, "The Imperial Ancestral Temple is divided into eight directions, sixteen gates, and sixty-four walls. Even if I draw the path for you, how can you find your way to the destination in the dark? If you encounter night patrol guards along the way, aren't you afraid of being captured and buried with them?"

"What should we do then?" Shui Guang frowned.

“I will go with you.” Xu Quyan straightened the dark green narrow sleeves of his robe. He noticed that the newly made eunuch robe was well-made to his size and concealed his slightly thin figure very well.

"Huh?" Shui Guang was taken aback, then clicked her tongue, her voice so low it was almost a whisper: "If this gets caught, it's a matter of losing your head!"

Xu Quyan's expression was extremely calm, and his voice was as calm as a straight line: "Does giving you the palace decree of Linde Hall mean your head is well protected?"

He has to go with them.

To prevent this little girl from burning down his family's ancestral graves.