Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Inside Chonghua Palace, candlelight flickered anxiously.

Seeing the Emperor pressing his temples, his usually sharp features etched with fatigue, Eunuch Zhao stepped forward. "Your Majesty, you have been reviewing documents for a long time. Perhaps it's time to rest."

"Alright." Pei Xingjian closed the memorial and rose. His dark-green outer robe accentuated his tall, pine-like stature. As he was about to turn and leave, the grand doors of Chonghua Palace swung open. Noticing the Emperor heading toward the Winter Warmth Pavilion, Eunuch Zhao moved to close them.

However, just as the doors were halfway shut, someone pushed against them from the outside. "Who goes there?" Eunuch Zhao barked, his voice sharp. Couldn't they see His Majesty was about to rest? Who dared to come at this hour, risking their neck?

A stern face appeared through the gap between the doors.

"Oh, it's Commander Zhuo." Eunuch Zhao's tone immediately softened upon recognizing the visitor.

The Tianxuan Guard was established and directly overseen by His Majesty. If someone from there was arriving at this hour, it must be for something urgent.

Still, Eunuch Zhao didn't dare open the doors without permission. He turned back to report, "Your Majesty, Commander Zhuo is waiting outside."

Pei Xingjian paused in his steps toward the Winter Warmth Pavilion, then turned back to the imperial desk. "Admit him."

Eunuch Zhao reopened the doors, sighing to himself: Why is it so difficult for His Majesty to get some rest?

Zhuo, dressed in a trim uniform, entered and knelt before the throne. "Reporting to Your Majesty, after leaving Chonghua Palace, Lord Lin went to the prison to meet with Yan Que. He inquired about the recent situation of the villagers in Luoshi Village. Yan Que gave Lord Lin a cloth note, instructing him to visit his residence and seek out his grandson."

Pei Xingjian's brows lifted slightly. "Yan Ji? Smart move. Continue monitoring them." Then, tapping his fingers lightly, he added, "And handle the matter in Caihua City swiftly."

"At once, Your Majesty."

-

After leaving the prison, Lin Ting stopped at the entrance.

The guards stationed outside noticed his hesitation and asked, "Do you need anything else, my lord?"

"No, I'm fine." Lin Ting smiled at them and motioned for the two guards to resume their posts.

Logically, now that he had gathered information about Luoshi Village, he should head straight to Prime Minister Yan's residence.

But there was an awkward problem—he was completely lost!

The sprawling palace was a labyrinth of winding paths and towering walls. If the layout were easy to navigate, wouldn’t any thief be able to slip in? The saying "once you enter the palace gates, it's as deep as the sea" wasn’t just about the tense relationships in the inner court—the maze-like walls that made one feel lost at sea were surely another reason. Besides, this was his first time in the palace; it was only natural he didn’t know his way around.

Thinking it over, Lin Ting felt his earlier embarrassment was unnecessary. Everything had a first time—once he visited more often, he’d surely memorize the routes.

So, he stopped one of the guards by the gate and asked, "Young man, which way leads out of the palace?"

The guard pointed expressionlessly down a path.

Lin Ting thought he saw a brief flicker of surprise in the guard’s stoic demeanor, but upon closer inspection, it had returned to normal.

He sighed in admiration. Truly, the professionalism of palace guards was unmatched. Look at this—maintaining perfect composure during duty, not a hint of emotion showing. Now that's professionalism.

He patted the guard’s shoulder. "My thanks, brother." Then he set off down the indicated path.

After walking for about two quarters of an hour, Lin Ting finally reached the palace gates. He showed his pass to the imperial guards, who inspected it carefully before allowing him passage.

Once outside the palace, he turned west. Prime Minister Yan had instructed him: walk straight west from the palace gates for a few hundred meters until he spotted a flag for "Piaoxiang Pavilion," a perfume and spice merchant. From the alley where the shop was located, the first estate he encountered would be the Yan residence.

Entering the alley and walking forward a few hundred steps, Lin Ting indeed spotted the words "Yan Residence" inscribed in bold, ancient characters on the first estate’s gate. The elegant strokes carried a simplicity reminiscent of Prime Minister Yan’s refined style.

He knocked on the door and handed the cloth note to the servant who answered. "I was sent by your master. This is his token. Quickly inform your young master."

The servant didn’t recognize Lin Ting at first and, judging by his attire, initially suspected him of being some common ruffian. But upon seeing the writing on the cloth note, he immediately opened the gate wider and said, "Esteemed guest, please wait a moment. I'll inform the young master at once!" With that, he hurried off toward the inner courtyard.

Lin Ting waited at the gate for a short while before a man in a dark-green outer robe approached with attendants in tow. Upon seeing the visitor at the gate, the man looked shocked.

"I am Yan Ji. May I ask, young friend, who gave you this cloth note?" Yan Ji held up the strip, suspicion evident in his tone. It wasn’t unwarranted—his grandfather was already in his seventies, in other words, no longer young. Yet the person before him had fair, rosy cheeks and didn’t seem to have even reached the age of twenty—clearly a noble young master. Could his grandfather really have a secret friendship with someone so young?

Yan Ji was Prime Minister Yan’s only grandson. There was even a faint resemblance between them.

Seeing his puzzlement, Lin Ting replied, "Prime Minister Yan gave it to me."

"You’ve seen my grandfather?" Yan Ji’s eyes brightened with joy. He grabbed Lin Ting’s arm and pressed urgently, "How is he? Has he suffered greatly? Is his health holding up…"

Lin Ting was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. He waved his hands. "Wait, wait—hold on."

Yan Ji stopped mid-sentence, realizing this wasn’t the place for such a discussion. "Yes, of course—let’s talk inside."

Before Lin Ting could interject, he was pulled into the estate.

In the main hall, Yan Ji had tea served. Watching as Lin Ting took a sip, he burst out, "Lord Lin, I am deeply concerned about my grandfather’s condition. Please, speak frankly."

Lin Ting set down his cup. "Rest assured, Young Master. Though Prime Minister Yan is in prison, the straw he sleeps on is clean, meals are delivered on time, and the guards haven’t mistreated him." He concluded, "His health is stable."

Yan Ji’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly, though he let out a self-deprecating laugh. "And here I am, the Prime Minister’s grandson. Now that he’s imprisoned, my mother and I wanted to visit him, but when the tree falls, monkeys scatter. Not a single colleague who once befriended him or received his kindness dared to help."

Lin Ting understood—it wasn’t that they were unwilling, but that they didn’t dare.

Not that he blamed them. With Pei Xingjian’s notorious temper, who would risk their neck for this? But he didn’t voice this thought. Yan Ji likely already realized it—his tone suggested he bore no real grudge toward them anyway.

Lin Ting explained his purpose for coming.

Upon hearing it, Yan Ji immediately stood and bowed deeply. "I never imagined Lord Lin would take on this task for my grandfather."

The matter of Luoshi Village had dragged on for too long. Everyone in court knew it was a poisoned chalice—whoever touched it would suffer. Who could have guessed this young man, not even twenty, would dare to shoulder it?

Lin Ting helped Yan Ji up. Truthfully, it wasn’t that he was particularly bold—he just happened to have leverage over Pei Xingjian, so the Emperor couldn’t easily harm him for now. After all, hadn’t he been released shortly after being thrown into prison? In a way, he was tugging the tiger's whiskers. Ah, surviving near a tyrant was no easy feat.

"Don’t worry. His Majesty gave us three days. We’ll plan carefully."

Yan Ji nodded. "Then what should we do now? Head straight to Luoshi Village, or go to the Ministry of Works?"

Lin Ting tilted his head, meeting Yan Ji’s eager expression, and gave an exaggerated yawn. "Now? Of course, we rest."

Yan Ji: "…"

"…What???"

Lin Ting patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Relax, we have three days. No rush. Do you have hot water? I need a bath." After rolling around in straw and trekking several kilometers today, he reeked of sweat. He wondered if Pei Xingjian had noticed the straw scent earlier—they’d been standing so close, surely he had. The Emperor’s tolerance was surprisingly high.

Yan Ji was momentarily speechless. How could he think of bathing and resting at a time like this? Evening was approaching—the first day was nearly over, and yet he showed no urgency at all?

But seeing Lin Ting’s utterly unconcerned expression, Yan Ji could only fret silently. He turned to order servants to prepare hot water and clean a guest room. To Lin Ting, he said, "Lord Lin, you may rest here tonight."

Lin Ting thought it perfect. He had no desire to sleep next to the Emperor—the very thought chilled him. What if Pei Xingjian, in a midnight fit, decided to loom over his bedside? One glance upon waking, and he’d be off to the afterlife.

"Good. We’ll rest well tonight and set off for Luoshi Village at dawn." With that, he followed a servant to the bathhouse.

After bathing and changing into fresh clothes, Lin Ting lay down in the guest room.

Setting aside the looming task, staying here was quite pleasant. The palace was too solemn—perhaps because Pei Xingjian’s headaches kept everyone on edge. Just being there for a short while had felt stifling and oppressive. And then there was the brooding, unpredictable Emperor. For Eunuch Zhao, it must have been like working with his head on the chopping block.

At this moment, Eunuch Zhao, who was risking his neck, had just sorted through the Emperor's approved petitions and had them sent out to various regions.

Glancing outside, he noticed the sky had darkened. Since Lord Lin's arrival, the Emperor's headaches had ceased, and he'd gained new energy, allowing him to review memorials for several hours straight. Now he only showed slight weariness, but no signs of another episode.

Zhao Dehai was secretly delighted. When the Taoist's prophecy first emerged, many had denounced it as trying to sway the Emperor and ill-intentioned. Yet now, it seemed the Taoist was truly a remarkable man.

With Lord Lin here, the palace staff finally had something to hope for.

Seeing the Emperor rise to leave, Zhao Dehai hurried after him. "Your Majesty, there's a chill in the air. Shall we return to Xiangning Palace?"

The night outside was serene, dotted with stars, as a few eunuchs carried lanterns from Chonghua Hall to Xiangning Palace.

Before entering, Pei Xingjian glanced at the side chamber—pitch black.

Casually, he asked, "Lin Ting hasn't returned?"

Zhao Dehai hesitated, unsure how to respond, when Zhuo suddenly appeared and said, "Lord Lin went to the Prime Minister's residence and has already taken lodging there for the night."

Pei Xingjian's brows furrowed slightly.

Zhao Dehai quickly explained, "Perhaps Lord Lin has just taken on the assignment and is still figuring out how to complete it."

Pei Xingjian said nothing and looked away before entering the room.

Before sleep, it suddenly occurred to him: When Lin Ting emerged from the prison's straw pile during the day's episode, had he not bathed?