Chapter 54

Today was an overcast day. Layers upon layers of dark, oppressive clouds piled together, like a thick blanket vast enough to cover all the people under heaven.

Gu Jun lay at the carriage window and saw the wide, compacted, mud-yellow road. Crossing the towering city gate, they were in the outer city. The outer city was already more prosperous than other places. Here, Gu Jun saw things he hadn't seen in Zhu Yang County, though it still didn't present the picture of wealth and harmony shown in films and television dramas.

Entering the inner city, it finally somewhat resembled that picture of wealth and harmony from films and television dramas.

The convoy split up a little before the imperial city. Meng Zhao, Commander Ning, and others went to the Prime Minister Meng's residence to report back. The Crown Prince and his accompanying personnel would be escorted by designated imperial guards, entering the imperial city, then entering the palace city, and returning to the Eastern Palace.

The Eastern Palace was in the southeastern corner of the palace city enclosed by the imperial city.

The palace city referred to the imperial palace.

The carriage wheels rolled over the square bricks with a rumbling sound, mingling with the horse hooves and the marching footsteps of the imperial guards, exceptionally noisy.

Gu Jun was no longer permitted by Chao Yan to look outside.

Chao Yan spoke to him in an almost coaxing tone: "There will be plenty of opportunities to look in the future."

Gu Jun had actually already lost interest in the capital by now. To be precise, he had lost interest in the imperial city and palace city.

The architectural layout of the imperial city and palace city was not much different from the well-known layouts of imperial cities and palace cities in modern times. He had long since grown tired of them.

The reason he was still lying at the carriage window was purely carsickness; he wanted to feel the clean, crisp, cold wind.

Now, hearing the other party's words, he felt somewhat irritated. He shifted to the left and leaned back, leaning against the carriage wall. Just then, he felt a strange sensation at his waist. Looking down, it turned out Chao Yan had reached out his hand.

Gu Jun's body swayed as he was pulled over, tumbling into his embrace. The damn Crown Prince sat squarely in the middle of the carriage. If he took a few steps out, he could push open the carriage door and leave the carriage.

Gu Jun was about to adjust his posture and get up when the other party parted his legs, making him straddle his lap. Gu Jun immediately didn't dare move, terrified that one careless moment would let the other party sense his "abnormality."

"Your Highness?"

"You should call me husband."

Gu Jun said, "Husband."

Chao Yan supported the back of his head and said, "Lean against me and sleep for a while. We'll arrive soon."

Once the other party decided on something, it was very hard to change, with hardly any room for maneuver. Just like before, when he had pressed his head down to rest on his leg to sleep. Although it was indeed somewhat more comfortable. Gu Jun resignedly held onto the other party's arm, lowered his head, buried his face in the crook of the other party's neck, and closed his eyes.

A hot, warm body temperature mixed with a faint fragrance of incense wafted over. Gu Jun felt no discomfort. Lying on him, within moments, he fell asleep.

Chao Yan noticed his condition, smiled gently, opened a hidden compartment under the table, took out a small wooden case, and flipped through the letters inside he had not yet read.

"Your Highness, we have arrived," the imperial guard said.

Chao Yan said, "Good."

He put away the letters into the hidden compartment, lowered his head, and gently called Gu Jun.

Gu Jun, in a daze, rubbed against his shoulder, still sleeping. Chao Yan brushed aside the hair by his ear, took his earlobe into his mouth, and sucked gently. Gu Jun jolted awake with a start, shoved Chao Yan away, and covered his ear. Chao Yan laughed lowly, kissed his forehead, and said, "Get off the carriage."

Hearing this news, whatever anger Gu Jun had dissipated. He braced himself against the other party's body, scrambled up, opened the carriage door, and jumped off the carriage.

The imperial guards were slightly taken aback seeing him descend from the Crown Prince's carriage but quickly lowered their heads.

The carriage was on the main road, directly facing the tall, majestic palace gate. The plaque on the palace gate had green tiles and green edges, inscribed with "Wenhua." It was five bays wide, on a white jade platform, with vermilion gate walls and a green glazed-tile hip-and-gable roof. Crossing the palace gate and walking a few steps inside was the Eastern Palace architectural complex.

Chao Yan alighted right after him.

Gu Jun looked left and right, then followed Chao Yan. Just as he followed Chao Yan through the Wenhua Gate, he saw a group of people coming over in a grand procession.

"Your Highness!" The group walked closer, recognized them, and were overjoyed, respectfully saluting Chao Yan. These must be the Eastern Palace subordinate officials.

After the subordinate officials performed their salute, Chao Yan smiled and said, "No need for excessive ceremony. During this period, I have caused you all worry."

Everyone quickly said, "Your Highness has suffered out there."

They sized up Chao Yan, seeing him in plain cloth clothes but looking well, and finally set their hearts at ease. They had received a secret letter that the Crown Prince had been attacked out there and were utterly horrified. Although they later received word that the Crown Prince was unharmed, they still couldn't rest easy as usual.

When the Crown Prince went missing, they sent out scouts to search as well, but they ultimately didn't have the ability of Prime Minister Meng to mobilize nearly all officials in the relevant areas without arousing suspicion.

Later, seeing Meng Zhao and Ning Fu mobilizing troops, they guessed they had found the Crown Prince. They then arranged people to follow and observe. Meng Zhao and Ning Fu only brought people they trusted; they couldn't plant any spies among them. At the same time, they had their scouts continue searching for the Crown Prince.

What if Prime Minister Meng's people were blind?

Fortunately, they were reliable after all.

..., that was even better.

The group pondered inwardly. Their gazes swept to Gu Jun at the side. They exchanged glances for a few moments, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Gu Jun: "..."

..., until he hid himself well, withdrawing his entire presence, only then feeling at ease.

He had barely been at ease for a few moments when Chao Yan pulled him out.

The group thought: Indeed, as the secret letter said, His Highness extremely... The group smiled, nodded gently, and said, "Young Lady Gu."

The Crown Prince had concealed his identity out there and was addressed as "Young Sir." Others, however... The Crown Prince had recovered his identity. Addressing her as "Madam" would no longer be appropriate, but Gu Jun had no formal title either, so...

Gu Jun inclined his body in a slight bow.

On the journey here, Chao Yan had taught him some etiquette.

Chao Yan ordered someone to take him to his residence, the Spring Harmony Hall. Gu Jun couldn't wait to leave this place immediately. The feeling of being watched by everyone wasn't good at all.

The person Chao Yan designated was the Eastern Palace Chief Steward Eunuch "Zhao He."

This person was about the same height as him, with a naturally smiling face. He appeared to be around twenty years old, though his actual age was likely somewhat older than guessed, because he had been castrated and, combined with a good life, looked younger than an ordinary man.

Zhao He, from the Crown Prince's attitude towards Gu Jun, already understood Gu Jun's importance. Secretly, he speculated that this Young Lady Gu would very likely be granted the title of "Talented Person" in the future.

In the Xuan Dynasty, the hierarchy of the Crown Prince's concubines was relatively simple, with only three ranks: Talented Person, Chosen Attendant, and Graceful Lady/Palace Woman.

Secondary Consort, though everyone considered it also a concubine position, was nominally a wife, treated only below the Crown Princess. Therefore, it couldn't be lumped together with the concubines.

Arriving at the Spring Harmony Hall, Zhao He first led Gu Jun to a side hall to rest briefly. Then he brought the leading female officials and leading eunuchs of the Eastern Palace to meet Gu Jun.

A row of several people. Zhao He introduced them.

Gu Jun, weary from the long journey, wasn't very comfortable and didn't remember everyone. However, judging from these people's reactions, they should have all remembered him.

Zhao He clearly saw his condition. With a glib tongue, he briefly and quickly finished the introductions, then dismissed these people and asked Gu Jun whether he wanted to bathe and so on.

Gu Jun nodded in agreement and was then escorted by a female official in charge of daily living and personal service, "Manager Zhang," along with a crowd of people, towards the warm chamber. Inside the warm chamber, a large bathtub had been set up, with flower petals scattered on top and a change of clothes placed to the side.

Gu Jun leaned close to the edge of the bathtub. A fragrant aroma assailed his nostrils, so fragrant it was as if he were amidst a sea of flowers.

Seeing that they were about to start undressing and helping him bathe, he hurriedly dodged to the side, his face flushing red, and told them to withdraw.

Manager Zhang let out a "pfft" of laughter. Gu Jun looked at her; the other party had no ill intent, only laughing that he was actually shy about this.

She quickly suppressed her laugh, led the palace maids out, stood outside the warm chamber, and said, "Young Lady, if you need anything, simply call us."

Gu Jun turned his head to look, confirmed they wouldn't come in, lowered his fingers to untie his sash, quickly took off his clothes, and stepped into the bathtub.

There was a wound on his back. Although it had been several days, the wound hadn't fully healed. He didn't dare submerge himself in the water. He found a clean stool, placed it in the bathtub, and sat down to bathe.

The warm water enveloped his lower half. The rising steam, along with the softness of the water felt by his legs, spread throughout his body. His entire body, from limbs to bones, relaxed. He let out a sigh of contentment, scooped up water to wash his face. With every breath, it was filled with the scent of roses, somewhat intoxicating.

The petals dropped into the bathtub were mostly rose petals.

Purplish red, looking very fresh.

Gu Jun picked up the bath towels. There were two bath towels: one silk, one linen. Unsure which to use, he thought they should probably be used together. So, avoiding the wound, he used the linen first, then the silk. Among the cleansing products were many soap balls and scented soaps. Upon close sniffing and discerning, they all had rose fragrance added.

Gu Jun casually took a piece of scented soap and used it. After finishing the bath and drying his body, he raised his arm and sniffed it. The rich, fragrant scent of roses swept over him.

After this bath, he was truly marinated through and through with the scent of roses.

Gu Jun felt like a rose that had become a spirit.

He felt the white gauze wrapped around the wound on his back, confirmed it hadn't gotten wet, stepped barefoot over the floor tiles, picked up the change of clothes, and was just about to put them on when he noticed something was off. Looking closely, there was a lotus-root-colored plain silk undergarment mixed in.

Gu Jun froze for a moment and pulled it out.

This was a dudou.

—Trapezoidal in shape, with neck ties and side waist strings to tighten it, leaving the back completely bare.

When Chao Yan bought him clothes, he had never bought this thing, nor had Gu Jun ever seen or encountered it anywhere else. He had thought this era didn't have the dudou item, that women just wore more clothes than men or bound their chests with strips of cloth.

Gu Jun held this item, looking at it again and again. His cheeks, already flushed pink along with his body from the steam, slowly turned red from holding back.

Hearing Manager Zhang outside ask with concern whether he had fallen asleep, he answered while putting it on.

This was nothing; it was just a piece of cloth.

During the Ming and Qing periods, men also wore dudou.

When he was little, in the summer, his maternal grandmother also put him in a dudou. That dudou was bright red, embroidered with a scene of a white lion-cat crouching in a peony bush, gazing at a koi fish in the water. His mother took a photo of it, developed it, and placed it in the growth album, labeling it "Red Child."

Gu Jun finished putting it on in one go. The body temperature that had suddenly spiked from shame finally lowered. He put on the rest of his clothes, pulled on his shoes, and walked out of the warm chamber.

Inside and outside the warm chamber, due to the capital's weather, the temperature difference was somewhat large. The clothes he wore had good thermal insulation, so he didn't feel cold.

He wore a set of grey-blue clothes. The clothes were all made of silk, with a soft luster. Cotton had been added inside. There was also a cloak. However, he didn't fasten the cloak, feeling he was dressed enough. He was now holding it in his hand.

Manager Zhang took the cloak and handed it to the palace maid behind her. She led him to have some tea and snacks, then brought him back to the side hall. The bed in the side hall, which had been completely empty when he first arrived, was now already made, all with plain, elegant silk-faced, cotton-padded bedding.

Gu Jun threw himself onto it. Soft! It had a bit of the comfort he'd had in modern times. He refused Manager Zhang's help, took off his outer clothes himself, and burrowed into the bed.

Manager Zhang paused in place. After a moment, she said, "We shall not disturb Young Lady's rest. We will take our leave first. Should Young Lady have any needs, simply call for us. We will be waiting right outside the door."

She paused, thought for a moment, and added, "Young Lady, do not stand on ceremony with me. This is our duty."

She suspected that "Young Lady" refused all help not only because of a thin face and difficulty adapting but also due to a reluctance to trouble others. But how could that be acceptable?

A sentence from Gu Jun—"I might sleep for a very long time. There's no danger here; you don't need to stand outside. All of you, disperse"—stuck in his throat. Then, softly, he hummed an "Mm."

He recalled the incident with serving tea.

He thought: Giving help beyond the rules of propriety to lower-status people in this era was equivalent to making things difficult for them. He couldn't make things difficult for them.

But... what about later? According to his observation, Manager Zhang and the others were assigned to take care of him. Today, he refused their help with bathing. Could he continue to refuse their help later? He should be able to refuse, right? This was his personal matter.

Gu Jun lay on the bed, tossing and turning a few times, thinking: Even if he couldn't refuse, he must refuse!

He would beg the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince said it was okay, then it was done. This was the Crown Prince's territory. Even if this matter wasn't according to the rules, no one would go around spreading it, right?

Gu Jun made up his mind to go squeeze the damn Crown Prince. Anyway, the damn Crown Prince said he could be unrestrained in the Eastern Palace. Could the damn Crown Prince not handle such a small matter? If he couldn't even handle this, going back on his word, then curse him to reincarnate as a dog in his next life, wandering everywhere, living a miserable life.

Dog king? Dog king, that was flattering him.

Gu Jun fell asleep resentfully.

.

After Gu Jun left, Chao Yan and the Eastern Palace subordinate officials dismissed most of the officials, keeping only a few.

The five men entered the Eastern Palace's core building, "Wenhua Hall." Passing through a corridor, they came to the back hall of Wenhua Hall. Wenhua Hall was divided into front and back halls. The front hall was for discussing governance; the back hall was for reviewing memorials and summoning subordinate officials to discuss important matters.

The five men entered and sat down in order.

Zhao He, who had already left the Spring Harmony Hall, retrieved the small wooden case from the carriage. He delivered it to Chao Yan's hand and quietly withdrew.

Chao Yan placed the wooden case on the imperial desk.

The first person on the left said, "Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with General Bai?"

This man was the Grand Academician of the Left Spring Bureau, "Sun Yunbo," responsible for classical and historical lectures, ritual admonition, and memorial suggestions.

He was the highest-ranking person among all the Eastern Palace subordinate officials.

To cultivate the heir apparent and ensure the security of imperial power succession, the Eastern Palace was configured with several institutions: the Household of the Crown Prince, the Left Spring Bureau, the Right Spring Bureau, and the Bureau of Classics and History.

Currently, among these institutions, apart from the Left Spring Bureau, which had a relatively complete allocation of officials, the other institutions were largely deficient. Especially the Household of the Crown Prince, which was supposed to be the head of the Eastern Palace bureaucratic system, overseeing the other institutions—it didn't even have a head official, the "Crown Prince's Household Manager," the chief executive of the Eastern Palace.

Thus, the entire Eastern Palace staff was particularly weak, barely able to function.

For the Crown Prince, an heir apparent whose power was greatly weakened, the Emperor could exercise power control through various means, ensuring the other party posed no threat to him.

Chao Yan, upon hearing this, asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Sun Yunbo said, "His Majesty once said that if Your Highness returned safely, the culprit—the one greedy for glory and achievements, who caused Your Highness to suffer a frenzied counterattack by the bandit army and fall into the great river—General Bai, would be dealt with by you."

The "General Bai" he spoke of was precisely the "Bai Cheng" Ning Fu had mentioned before.

"Is that so," Chao Yan said. He fell silent for a moment, didn't answer this question, but instead asked about what had happened in the past two days. "The letters I received only mentioned events from some time ago."

The person below the Grand Academician of the Left Spring Bureau was the Left Advisor of the Left Spring Bureau, responsible for assisting the Grand Academician in handling documents.

He glanced at the person at the head on the right side.

Two people also sat on the right. One was the Deputy Manager of the Crown Prince's Household, responsible for overseeing various department affairs, coordinating the bureaus, and managing documents and archives.

The other was the Supervising Inner Attendant of the Eastern Palace, sent by the Emperor to manage document entry and exit and the audiences of subordinate officials. In reality, he was also there to monitor the Crown Prince's words and deeds. This was something everyone in the Eastern Palace knew, as the man carried out the Emperor's will without any attempt at concealment.

The person at the head whom the Left Advisor was looking at was precisely this Inner Attendant.

By saying these things in front of the Inner Attendant, the Crown Prince was essentially confessing to the Emperor what the Eastern Palace had been doing these days and what the Eastern Palace's reach could extend to.

He wasn't surprised. The Crown Prince had long made it clear that father and son were one body, that he would always side with the Emperor. If the Emperor wanted to know, the Crown Prince could inform him of any of his affairs.

He just felt displeased. The Inner Attendant, upon hearing the reports, would carry them back to the Emperor's ears and then receive commendation... Forget it, no point quibbling with him. He was just a eunuch.

The Crown Prince now acting this way was merely a matter of expediency. If he didn't act this way, he would follow the path of the former Crown Prince: suffering the Emperor's complete suspicion and various suppressions.

He steadied his heart again and then replied: "Speaking of these two days, there are only two major matters. One, the various princes have recently united with ministers to demand you show yourself to dispel the rumors of your illness in the capital. The other: His Majesty wants to build the Immortal Ascension Tower. His Majesty himself stated..."

He hoped it could be as the Crown Prince had said, that he wouldn't have to endure for too long.

.

Chao Yan emerged from the back hall and asked Zhao He if Gu Jun had adapted well to the Spring Harmony Hall.

Zhao He had already learned from Manager Zhang about Gu Jun's situation after he left. Upon hearing the question, he replied, "Young Lady is adapting well, very composed. She neither looks around recklessly nor speaks carelessly. Young Lady... she should be resting by now. The long journey has been exhausting; Young Lady is delicate and noble; she surely couldn't handle it."

Chao Yan, having heard this, lifted his eyes and looked towards the Spring Harmony Hall. He said, "She didn't show surprise, fear, or other such reactions?"

Zhao He thought carefully: "Your Highness, no."

—Well-experienced and knowledgeable.

Chao Yan walked towards the Spring Harmony Hall. After a few steps, he stopped. Today he still had to go see that old thief. Forget it. He turned his head and headed towards the garden pool. Zhao He followed him.

The python brought back from a thousand miles away was kept in a cage, placed by the poolside. The shop owner's son was crouching by the pool, using tongs to feed dead mice to the snake. A group of palace maids surrounded the area, shrieking continuously.

As Chao Yan approached, the palace maids immediately withdrew. The shop owner's son stood up and saluted. Chao Yan asked the shop owner's son to bring out the cage and wipe off the moisture; he wanted to present it to the Emperor.

The shop owner's son complied.

Chao Yan took the bamboo cage containing the dead mice, used iron tongs to pick one up, fed it to the python, and said, "Today you will rise to prominence. Are you happy?"

The shop owner's son's eyes lit up. He said, "Many thanks, Your Highness!"

Chao Yan glanced at him sideways: "Have you developed feelings for the python? It's rising, and you are happy?"

The shop owner's son rubbed his nose and said, "Your Highness, I misspoke."