Chapter 368 A Beauty Who Could Topple Cities
"Are you entering the palace today?" Sikong Qianluo asked.
"Yes," Xiao Se answered very simply.
"Why can’t I go along?" Sikong Qianluo asked again.
"Hua Jin hasn't woken up yet. We still need a martial expert to guard Yong’an Prince Residence. You also need to be wary of Jin Wei Gonggong. If he had used his full power that day, Hua Jin wouldn’t have been injured so badly. Even if he’s not our enemy, he’s definitely not our ally." Xiao Se shook his head and said, "Besides, Jin Xian Gonggong also said he could only bring two people into the palace at most."
"Xiao Se, what clothes are these?" Lei Wujie opened the package that someone delivered earlier. He saw the brocade robe inside, and shook it out to take a good look. "There’s even a dragon printed on it."
"Four claws are pythons, five claws are dragons. This is a python robe. I advise you to read more." Xiao Se snorted coldly with disdain.
"Well, that looks pretty good too." Lei Wujie shook out the robes and held it up to his body. "A person wearing it must look quite respectable."
"Yes, very respectable. At least a court official," Xiao Se said obliquely.
"What official?" Lei Wujie asked.
"Seventh grade and above, a supervising eunuch," Xiao Se pronounced loudly.
"Bah!" Lei Wujie threw the clothes on the ground.
One stick of incense later.
"Xiao Se, I just want to confirm again, we’re wearing these clothes only, right? Just wearing, right? Not for real, right?" Lei Wujie obeyed Xiao Se again, and after putting on a set of fitted clothes, he wore the brocade python robe over it. "We can still… come out, right?"
Xiao Se rolled his eyes. "Why are your hands trembling?"
"I… I’m scared." Lei Wujie swallowed.
"We’re just pretending to be eunuchs. What’s so scary about that?" Xiao Se retorted.
Lei Wujie wiped his sweat. "I heard there was once an eunuch who entered the palace pretending to be someone else. Later, they really cut off his…"
"You’re referring to something that happened three reigns ago. That eunuch was named Xie Jiulian. When he was a child, he disguised himself as an eunuch to save his sister who had been seized into the palace. Later, he was discovered and was actually castrated but at least he kept his life and was allowed to stay in the palace. Later, he accompanied the then emperor, Jiancheng Emperor, and grew up together with him, eventually becoming the head of the Five Grand Eunuchs. He had power over the entire imperial court and people called him Nine Thousand Years. After Jiancheng Emperor passed away, he held onto that power, governing without a ruler, and caused the most chaotic era since the founding of Beili. It’s also because of him that the court regulations were later established, that after the death of the Emperor, the Five Grand Eunuchs must enter the Imperial Mausoleum to guard the spirits within. This eunuch is even more famous than some of our emperors. Does the great hero Lei want your name to pass down through the ages?” Xiao Se wagged his eyebrows.
"Bah!" Lei Wujie cursed angrily. "Hurry up and get this over with."
Sikong Qianluo watched the two men put on their brocade python robes, and followed what eunuchs did by applying makeup powder on their face to hide their stubble. She could only shake her head and turn away, not willing to look at them anymore.
A carriage from the Court of State Ceremonial quietly passed by the back gate of the Yong’an Prince Residence. The carriage didn’t stop, but the curtain seemed to ripple for a moment. Lei Wujie and Xiao Se were already sitting inside the carriage, and sitting opposite them were Ling Jun and Bo Yong, Jin Xian Gonggong’s disciples who were always by his side.
"Look at you two, you look even more like eunuchs than us," Bo Yong couldn't resist joking.
Ling Jun was slightly older and obviously, he was aware of the identities of these two people in front of him, especially Yong’an Prince who was very likely to become the next Emperor. His brows trembled a little. But Bo Yong immediately pointed to Xiao Se and added, "Especially Your Highness Yong’an Prince, you could even guarantee his authenticity."
Xiao Se's expression twitched very subtly, and Ling Jun’s heart felt like it suddenly dropped into the abyss. Only Lei Wujie slapped his thigh furiously, "This gonggong is totally right! He looks more like one, right? Hahahaha."
Very soon, the carriage arrived at the gate of the outer palace, Tiancheng Gate, and Ling Jun flashed the token from the Court of State Ceremonial to pass through easily. They went straight into the imperial palace and soon reached the gate of the inner palace, Fengjiu Gate. This time Ling Jun and Bo Yong alighted from the carriage together with Xiao Se and Lei Wujie.
The guard at the gate saw Ling Jun and immediately bowed his head with a smile. "Is Ling Jun Gonggong not attending to Grand Eunuch Jin Xian at the Court of State Ceremonial today? Why have you come to the palace?"
"Following our Gonggong’s orders, we’ve come to pay respects to the Great Ancestor Empress Dowager, and present a batch of newly consecrated Buddhist beads. Our Gonggong had recited the scriptures a few hundred times in tribute," Ling Jun replied just as respectfully.
"Since you’re on business for the Great Ancestor Empress Dowager, it’s best to hurry along. But these two gonggong look very unfamiliar." The guard frowned slightly.
"They’re new disciples of our Grand Eunuch’s, and have some tendency towards Buddhism. This time, they’ve entered the palace together with us to learn more about our work." Ling Jun stepped forward, waved his hand, and stuffed a large silver ingot into the guard's hand. "We’ll have to trouble Peng-dage to look after us in the future."
"Well said, well said. Please enter." The guard immediately smiled widely and stood aside.
Ling Jun led their group of four back onto the carriage and drove on towards the rear palace.
"We’ll pass through another six palaces and halls before we reach the Lady Consort Xuan’s Palace of Great Dignity. Horses are not allowed near the consort’s sleeping chambers so we can only bring you this far. Four hours later, we will meet here." Ling Jun brought out another package that was hidden below their seats. "Time to change your clothes."
Lei Wujie was taken aback. "Why do we have to change clothes?"
Xiao Se waved his hand, and he retrieved the Wuji staff and Heart sword which were also hidden in the carriage. "Do you want to walk around openly in the rear palace with our weapons?"
Lei Wujie opened the package and shook out the clothes. A long green-coloured dress was revealed before him and his face paled with horror. "This is…"
"These are clothes worn by palace maids. Hurry and put it on," Xiao Se said seriously as he grabbed one of the outfits for himself. "Hurry up, the carriage will pass by soon."
"Xiao Se, why do I get the feeling that you’re not ambivalent at all, but rather looking forward to it?" Lei Wujie asked.
Xiao Se's face darkened. "Why are you talking so much? You only talk so much when you’re excited. Are you excited to wear women’s clothing?"
"Since we were going to wear women’s clothing in the end, why didn’t you just let Qianluo-shijie come along?" Lei Wujie grumbled.
"It’s easy to pass off eunuchs who leave the palace on errands, but have you ever seen palace maids outside the palace gates?" Xiao Se asked. "Hurry up, are you ready?"
"I…" Lei Wujie raised his skirt grumpily. "This! How’s it tied?!"
Ling Jun and Bo Yong couldn’t be bothered with them and Ling Jun shook his head. All the pressure from earlier had vanished. Could such people actually win the throne in the end? Bo Yong, however, looked excited and leaned over to offer, "Let me teach you."
Lei Wujie and Xiao Se turned their heads at the same time. "Get lost!"
The carriage slowed down gradually.
Ling Jun popped his head out of the carriage, looked around, then turned back inside to nod. Xiao Se and Lei Wujie, who were dressed in palace maid’s clothes, immediately jumped off the carriage.
The ancients had a poem. Three glances from a beauty, cities will topple and countries will fall.
The two who jumped down were such beauties of legends.
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