After making sure that the figure had gone far away, Ye Jingtang sheathed his knife, and his expression turned solemn.
Regardless of whether the "Red God of Wealth" was an enemy or a friend, the fight just now had indeed put pressure on him.
In the past, in the small border town, he was the "number one master" and considered his martial arts skills to be first-class even in the martial arts world.
However, after witnessing the spear skills of the "Red God of Wealth", he realized how big the gap was between himself and the renowned masters in the martial arts world. It was like playing chess. Every move he made was like trying to smash through the chessboard, but even if he really did smash through the chessboard, it couldn't change the fact that he was a lousy player with no "chess ability" at all.
To put it simply, it was as if he had wasted his strength on the "handle of the knife" and gone in the wrong direction.
Ye Jingtang wasn't surprised by this. He had learned martial arts from his adoptive father, but his adoptive father hadn't taught him real skills at all. That meant that what he had learned were all "fake moves". It would be strange if he had learned it correctly.
This time it was a "friend" who came, but the next time someone might come to attack. Without profound martial arts skills to rely on, it definitely wasn't a long-term solution...
Thinking of this, Ye Jingtang raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the imperial city.
The Red God of Wealth said that he would teach the spear technique. Before he really learned it, he couldn't count on it.
Even if the Red God of Wealth sincerely wanted to accept him as an apprentice, to prevent being controlled by others, he must have a backup plan.
And this "backup plan, trump card" currently seemed to be the "Minglong Tu" that his adoptive father had mentioned.
Leaving aside the idea of attaining immortality and ascending to become an immortal, according to the rumors in the martial arts world, as long as one obtained any one of the nine scrolls of the "Minglong Tu", they could become extraordinary and surpass ordinary people.
Although the "Minglong Tu" was buried under a ginkgo tree in the "imperial harem", it was very difficult to obtain.
But the current emperor was a woman. Even if she had male consorts, it was unlikely that they would live in the imperial harem. In this way, the imperial harem must be sparsely populated...
Even if the male consorts lived in the imperial harem, there were many handsome men in the imperial harem. With his appearance that even the Queen Mother would chase after to feed, it didn't seem difficult to fish in troubled waters if he entered...
Breaking into the imperial palace obviously wasn't something that could be decided on a whim. If he didn't figure out the situation and the ways in, it was very likely that he would end up as the "Imperial Concubine Ye".
Ye Jingtang stared in the direction of the imperial city for a long time but had no idea for the moment. So he put the matter of "sneaking into the imperial harem" in his heart and went back to the house to start cleaning up the rubble and broken wood.
Not long after he started cleaning, the sound of horses' hooves came from the alley, along with the voices of the old escort guard Yang Chao and the bird:
"Young master? Young master?"
"Jiji ji..."
"I'm fine."
Ye Jingtang clapped his hands, walked out of the courtyard, and looked at the escort guards who had come to his aid:
"A martial artist just came by and we chatted briefly. He's already gone. It was just a false alarm."
The twelve escort guards scanned the dilapidated alley and all frowned. Yang Chao advised:
"Young master, Miss Third is nice. She arranged a place to live for each of us. Even Little Six's place is brighter than yours. Why don't you go back? You're unfamiliar with the capital city..."
Ye Jingtang wasn't sure if the "Red God of Wealth" had anything to do with the Pei family. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said:
"It doesn't matter. It's quiet here, and I'll get used to it. I really can't find a way out in the capital city. I'll visit the Pei family tomorrow and ask for a job. Don't worry about me. Go back and rest early."
When the escort guards heard this, they all heaved a sigh of relief and immediately dismounted to help Ye Jingtang clean up...
-----
Under the same night sky, inside the imperial palace.
As night fell and the lanterns were lit, the palace lanterns swayed in the wind under the upturned eaves. The light passed through the lush branches and leaves of the big tree, leaving fan-shaped reflections of the leaves on the white stone floor tiles.
Several palace maids dressed in colorful clothes, holding lanterns, stood with their heads bowed and still in the corridor.
Under the ginkgo tree that was already a thousand years old, there hung a swing.
The young woman dressed in a golden and red phoenix robe held the ropes of the swing with both hands and swayed back and forth in the night, swinging very high. Her magnificent skirt and red embroidered shoes traced a half-moon arc under the tree.
Whoosh...
Whoosh...
The night was quiet and the beauty was like a painting, but there was not a single sound of people, making the originally beautiful and moving scene show the loneliness of "How deep is the courtyard, deep and profound".
The broad and elegant beautiful courtyard looked like a carefully woven birdcage.
And the young woman swinging alone on the swing was like the canary in the cage, trying to jump over the red walls and golden tiles with the help of the swing to take a look at the outside world.
Tata...
After the swing had gone back and forth countless times, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor, followed by the respectful greetings of the palace maids:
"We pay our respects to Prince Jing."
The swing under the ginkgo tree slowly stopped. The woman in the phoenix skirt turned her head and revealed a graceful face.
Her red lips and almond-shaped eyes, her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, but there was a hint of resentment from living in a boudoir for a long time.
Seeing Prince Jing coming, the woman in the phoenix skirt didn't get off the swing to greet her. She continued to swing the swing and asked softly:
"Liren, why do you have time to come here today?"
"I came to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."
Dongfang Liren was dressed in a silver silk python robe and looked like a peerlessly handsome prince. She came behind the swing, supported the shoulder of the Empress Dowager, and gently pushed the swing:
"I was discussing government affairs with the Emperor just now. The Emperor asked me to come and take a look. It's so late. If the Empress Dowager doesn't go to bed, is it because you feel lonely in the palace? Do you want me to arrange for someone to send you to Yutan Villa to stay for a while?"
"I'm alone in the palace, and I'll be alone if I go out. What's the difference?"
"I'm the same as the Emperor."
"It's not the same. You and the Emperor have important things to do. As long as you want, you can go anywhere in the world, and you can also choose the men you like~"
The Empress Dowager turned her head and looked at Dongfang Liren:
"What can I do? I've been in the palace for ten years. There are no concubines in the imperial harem for me to manage. The only thing I can look forward to in my life is counting the days and waiting to be buried in the imperial mausoleum..."
"Once one enters the deep palace, one doesn't see spring for years."
Dongfang Liren pushed the swing and softly comforted:
"The imperial family has always been like this since ancient times. Although you live a lonely life, at least you are loved and respected by the Emperor..."
The Empress Dowager looked a bit unhappy: "I'd rather not be favored by the Emperor. Among the other concubines of the late Emperor, those who have sons can go with their sons to their fiefdoms. Those who don't have sons are even better. They can leave the palace after guarding the mausoleum for three years. I'm the most miserable. I can't leave because I don't have a son, and I can't remarry either..."
Dongfang Liren looked helpless: "You are the Empress Dowager! The 'Empress' is the wife, and the concubines are the concubines. Since ancient times, except when a country is destroyed, where is there a saying of an Empress Dowager remarrying?"
The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment: "There may not be Empress Dowagers who remarry in history, but there are countless Empress Dowagers who don't abide by female virtues and keep male consorts..."
?!
Dongfang Liren felt that these words were like the Empress Dowager "asking for male consorts" from her adoptive daughter. She rather rebelliously patted the Empress Dowager on the shoulder:
"Empress Dowager, what are you saying?"
The Empress Dowager snorted: "I'm almost going crazy from being cooped up in the deep palace. Can't I just say something casually? I didn't say that I want to keep male consorts... Fortunately, I'm not your real mother, just an ornament in the palace. If I were the Emperor's biological mother and didn't abide by the rules of etiquette and kept male consorts, you would have to turn a blind eye, right?"
Dongfang Liren sighed: "Forget it, I'll just pretend I didn't hear it."
The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and then asked:
"You and the Emperor both don't have a lover by your side. Have you been looking for someone recently? Do you have any portraits or something? Let me take a look and give you my opinion?"
Dongfang Liren had just painted a "portrait of a handsome man", but seeing the Empress Dowager's eagerness for love, it wasn't appropriate to take it out for them to appreciate together.
"The Emperor is busy with government affairs, and I'm overwhelmed with the matter of the Green Bandits. How can I have the heart to consider the matter of marriage..."
"You're not young anymore. You should consider it as early as possible when you have the opportunity..."
...
After chatting for a while, a few cold raindrops fell from the gaps in the ginkgo tree.
Shasha sha...
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes and looked at the lush canopy of the ginkgo tree. There was a hint of resentment in her eyes:
"They say this tree has a spirit. I come to visit it every day. But what good has come of it? I haven't encountered a single good thing in the ten years since I entered the palace. It's bad enough that I have a hard life, and now it's even raining to spoil my mood while I'm swinging on the swing to relax. I'll cut you down in a few days!"
"The weather isn't good and it's raining. The tree shelters you from the wind and rain. If you cut it down, won't you be even more exposed to the wind and rain?"
"That's true..."