Chapter 346: The Prince of Wu Estate (3)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Rising Sun City, Prince of Wu Estate…
It was almost autumn, and the drizzle lasted for a few days. Although it wasn’t heavy, rain and fog covered the entire city, dyeing the world with a hint of gloom.
As the residence of a prince of the blood of Great Wei, the Prince of Wu Estate was a miniature version of the Imperial City. There were countless buildings, rockeries, pavilions, and bodies of water inside. Be it the scenery or the scale, they were top-notch.
In the afternoon, nearly 1,000 imperial guards were patrolling the surroundings of the estate.
In the main hall of the estate, the officials of the Six Ministries from the capital gathered to discuss how to deal with the fief, assets, and descendants of the imperial family.
The Prince of Wu had fled in a hurry with his personal guards. The dozen boxes of valuables he had brought with him were nothing compared to his decades of accumulation.
In the large warehouse at the back of the estate, there were many large treasures such as bronze cauldrons, furniture, jade artifacts, and so on. There were even some calligraphy, paintings, and cultural relics. They were neatly placed on both sides of the large warehouse. There were probably no less than a thousand items in total.
The empress dowager was wearing a dark red dress, dressed like a noblewoman. She was holding a small fan in her hand and slowly walking through the treasury as if she were shopping. When she saw something pleasing to the eye, she said, “This chaise longue is quite beautiful. Move it to the ship later and send it to my room…”
Hongyu was holding a small notebook and seriously recording what the empress dowager took a fancy to so that she could tell the officials of the Six Ministries later.
Logically speaking, the private property of the Prince of Wu should be turned over to the national treasury for handling according to the law. It was definitely not legal to embezzle. However, if the empress dowager conveniently took one or two pieces, the court officials certainly wouldn’t be stubborn and refuse to give them to her.
But after walking around for a while, Hongyu hesitated and looked at the small notebook full of words. “Your Majesty, aren’t we taking too much? If we take everything in the Prince of Jing’s name, I’m afraid the Prince of Jing won’t be able to explain to the court officials when she comes back.”
The empress dowager’s moist face was a little unhappy. She waved her round fan and said, “We agreed to bring me out to relax, but the two of them went out to play and left me here alone. What’s wrong with me picking some things that suit my taste? Should I just suffocate to death here?”
“But what’s the use of the two lances, Your Majesty? Your Majesty can’t even move them…”
“Can’t 1 put them in my palace to ward off evil spirits? Liren has collected a room full of divine weapons, but 1 haven’t seen her use them much… Also, send this to my room later.”
Hongyu looked at where the empress dowager was pointing and saw a beauty screen.
Beauty screens were very common, but the one collected by the Prince of Wu Estate was rather special. Not only was it made of luxurious wood, but the beauties on the screen were also naked…
Hongyu hurriedly stood in front of the empress dowager and advised, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid this thing isn’t inappropriate. Don’t dirty your eyes…”
The empress dowager used her fan to sweep away the rebellious Hongyu and sized up the lifelike screen with interest. “This is an elegant item. How is it not inappropriate? Look at the embroidery skills. It’s so detailed… What are these two beauties doing? Why are they spreading their legs and folding them together?”
Hongyu naturally couldn’t explain what scissoring was. She covered the very embarrassing part of the screen with her hands. “Your Majesty should look at something else. Look at how beautiful that jade Go board is…”
How could the empress dowager be interested in these random mortal treasures? She was just bored. Seeing Hongyu stop her, she naturally became even more excited. She wanted this ‘scissoring’ screen.
Fortunately, the two of them didn’t quarrel for long before a maid ran in and reported, “Your Majesty, the Prince of Jing is back.”
The empress dowager’s eyes lit up when she heard this. But she didn’t tell the officials of the Six Ministries that she had come, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to appear in public. She said, “Tell Liren to come here quickly after she’s done.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Clomp clomp!
In Jianyang City, 2,000 soldiers were pushing dozens of carriages loaded with prisoners and seized goods on the wide main street of the city. On both sides of the street were people watching.
At the front of the army were 300 black-armored imperial guards surrounding the Prince of Jing’s luxurious carriage.
Dongfang Liren and Daoist Xuanji were both sitting in the carriage. There were many people around them, so they didn’t open the windows. But from the subtle movements inside, one was probably reading a novel while the other was leaning lazily on the couch and drinking wine.
Although Ye Jingtang was very favored by Dumdum, he couldn’t blatantly sit in the princess’s carriage and parade around the city. At this moment, he was wearing the robe of the deputy commander of the Black Office and following behind the carriage.
Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun had changed into the robes of the Black Office constables and were following beside him as attendants.
Because Luo Ning had been caught by her best friend, she was too embarrassed to ride near the carriage in front of her and was quite far from Ye Jingtang, so she didn’t say anything along the way. She only carried the bird and looked at the scenery on the street.
Pei Xiangjun was wearing an oil coat and riding her horse. There were many constables from the Black Office around, so it wasn’t easy to talk about love. She only whispered about the future arrangements of the Wu Province Hall.
The carriage passed through the flat street. When the sky gradually darkened, it arrived outside the enormous Prince of Wu Estate.
Dongfang Liren alighted from the carriage. Ye Jingtang fulfilled his duty as a personal expert and opened an oil-paper umbrella to cover her head. Daoist Xuanji walked in front with a veiled hat. At a close distance, he could smell the faint fragrance of wine.
The officials of the Six Ministries were all waiting in front of the prince’s estate. When they saw Dumdum’s triumphant return, a group of people naturally went forward to flatter her.
“Your Highness is indeed swift and decisive…”
“Civil can hold the brush to suppress Yun’an; Martial can hold the spear to capture the traitor prince…”
“Good poem!”
Dongfang Liren had made a great achievement and received the praises of the officials. Naturally, she was very happy. She maintained the aura of a cold and stern princess and spoke with the officials calmly. She rewarded the Ze Province’s troops for their contributions. After giving some instructions, she let everyone disperse and rest. She brought her entourage to the back of the prince’s estate.
Luo Ning and Pei Xiangjun were not members of the government, so it was obviously inappropriate for them to follow behind the Prince of Jing. Ye Jingtang asked a maid to arrange a dwelling with a good environment for the two of them to stay.
He hadn’t gotten off work yet, so he continued to follow Dumdum and discuss matters along the way.
“I’ve already sent someone to Ze Province to see Jun Mountain Terrace’s reaction. As long as there’s any news, 1 will inform you immediately.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I reckon that even if Jun Mountain Terrace finds out, they won’t break the law and commit a crime. Now, the only one who can retaliate against me is Xuanyuan Chao. If he takes revenge personally, it will be very difficult for the government to find out anything…”
As they chatted, everyone passed through the main hall of the estate and arrived at the living area where the wives and concubines lived.
Dongfang Liren had been away for a few days and was worried that the empress dowager would be bored out of her mind and depressed. Just as she was about to ask where the empress dowager was, a maidservant trotted over and reported, “Your Highness, Her Majesty is choosing things Her Majesty likes in the warehouse. Her Majesty wants Your Highness to pay respects after Your Highness is done.”
Dongfang Liren actually wanted to rummage through the Prince of Wu’s private collection to see if there were any good treasures. Hearing this, she followed the maidservant to the treasury.
The last time Ye Jingtang saw the empress dowager was the day he saw Yuhu’s white jade tiger. Moreover, it had been on the dragon bed, and he had knocked the empress dowager unconscious.
The empress dowager loved to hold grudges. How could Ye Jingtang dare to appear in front of her and ask for trouble at this moment? He hurriedly said, “Then, 1’11 take my leave first. If Your Highness needs anything, just send someone to instruct me. 1 will always be available.”
Dongfang Liren didn’t know how many rebellious things Ye Jingtang had done that night when he carried her in his arms and looked at the night view of the capital with her. She thought that since he had saved the empress dowager in the tunnel, the empress dowager should have a good impression of him. In front of Ye Jingtang, she should be embarrassed to throw a tantrum because of being left out. Dumdum said, “Since you’re already here, go over and pay your respects before leaving.”
“Uh…” Ye Jingtang couldn’t disobey the order, so he braced himself and followed Dumdum to the warehouse.
Daoist Xuanji had been walking in front of them. Seeing that Ye Jingtang’s reaction was a little strange, she asked, “Ye Jingtang, have you seen Her Majesty the Empress Dowager?”
Dongfang Liren replied, “He works in the Black Office, so he has naturally seen the empress dowager. What’s wrong, Master?”
Daoist Xuanji had many best friends. In the past, her best friend was Luo Ning, and her current best friend was the empress dowager.
She knew the personality of the empress dowager, who had been living in the palace for a long time and was prone to depression. It would be very easy for her to be deceived by bad men with ill intentions.
Ye Jingtang had already stolen three of the people around her. If he were daring enough to want to wipe them out…
Daoist Xuanji narrowed her eyes slightly. There was a vague meaning in her eyes: This child must not be kept around…
Ye Jingtang and Daoist Xuanji were walking side by side behind Dongfang Liren. When he noticed Daoist Xuanji’s gaze, he spread his hands slightly. The meaning was probably: Miss Shui’er, what are you thinking? Do I look like a lawless lecher?
Daoist Xuanji didn’t think so, but Ye Jingtang had already done things with so many outrageous girls.. It wouldn’t be surprising if there was one more outrageous girl, so she gave him a warning look…
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