Chapter 51: The Empress of Great Liang

Dawn came before he knew it. Sunlight filtered through the paper windows and spilled across the luxurious bedchamber. Not a sound disturbed the air; only a few wisps of sleep-inducing incense rose from the gilt censer on the dressing table.

Under the effects of the medicine, Ye Jingtang had slept deeply through the night. When he sensed the light, he opened his eyes—only to find a “ceiling” carved with dragons and phoenixes overhead. For a moment, he thought he was sleeping inside a small house.

Only after sitting up and looking around did he realize that he was lying inside an exquisitely crafted eight-step bed.

The great bed was made of golden-thread nanmu and covered with a soft, bright-yellow blanket. Four people could sleep in it without feeling cramped...

Outside the bed was a wooden platform enclosed by wooden railings. Windows had even been fitted into either side, forming a covered corridor.

A dressing table stood on the right side of the corridor, laden with jewelry boxes and rouge and powder in colorful porcelain containers. From rising in the morning to dressing and making up, one could do everything without ever setting foot outside the bed.

There was no need to guess who owned such an extravagantly feminine bed.

Ye Jingtang looked around a few times, then wondered whether Dongfang Benben had taken advantage of him while he slept. He lowered his head and examined himself. He was dressed in a white sleeping robe. His clothes and saber were gone, while a pair of house shoes sat on the floor. The bruise on his chest had faded, and he was already fine.

Who changed my clothes...?

Ye Jingtang tried to recall what had happened the previous night, but after falling asleep he had dreamed of nothing at all. In the end, he decided it was better not to think about it.

After putting on the shoes and looking around the room, he opened a window. He was on the fourth floor of Singing Jade Tower. Outside stood the uneven buildings of the city and the towering Imperial Palace.

It was rare to see the interior of the imperial palace. A strange light flashed through Ye Jingtang’s eyes as he gazed into the distance, searching for the ginkgo tree his adoptive father had mentioned.

Unfortunately, the Imperial Palace was enormous, with greenery everywhere. Finding a single tree was no easy matter. He searched for quite some time without spotting a ginkgo, but instead caught sight of a procession nearly a hundred strong emerging from behind the Grand Splendor Hall. They surrounded a golden palanquin.

The distance was too great to tell whether the person seated behind the beaded curtain was the reigning Great Liang Empress, but judging by the grandeur of the procession, it was almost certainly her.

After watching for a moment, Ye Jingtang closed the window and began searching the tower for Prince Jing.

The moment he stepped out of the bedchamber, he discovered several rows of bookshelves in the outer room. They held numerous wooden boxes, each hung with a small redwood plaque bearing titles such as The Twin Buddha Arms, the Zhou Family Sword Manual, Embracing the Origin Technique, and Wandering Dragon Spear...

Good heavens...

Ye Jingtang instantly brightened, as though he had seen a row of breathtaking beauties lying exposed before him. He hurried to the shelves and began examining them.

Before he had a chance to open any of the martial arts manuals, however, he noticed a rosewood box at the very bottom of the shelves. It bore no plaque, yet looked strangely familiar. He pulled it out and opened it.

Just as he expected...

Ye Jingtang glanced at the shelves containing the martial arts manuals, puzzled.

This is where Prince Jing keeps her martial arts manuals...

Why would she place this thing among them?

Could it have some other secret, perhaps recording a unique martial art?

Ye Jingtang considered himself fairly perceptive. Driven by curiosity, he picked up the jade object and examined it. Just as he had studied the Dragon’s Cry Diagram, he began investigating every angle.

It felt rather strange, but a martial artist could not afford to be bound by trivial scruples...

-----

Elsewhere, within the Imperial City.

Warm sunlight shone down as civil and military officials in robes of every color streamed out of the palace.

Behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a hundred palace attendants surrounded a palanquin and carried it toward Yongle Palace.

Sixteen men bore the palanquin. Dragons, phoenixes, and auspicious beasts were carved around its exterior, while golden bead curtains hung from the edges, lending it a stately magnificence.

Yet the Great Liang Empress seated within was hardly solemn. She was not sitting upright at all. Instead, she had crossed her left leg over her right and leaned against the armrest, propping one cheek on the back of her hand. As a result, the twelve strands of jade beads hanging from the front of her imperial crown swayed diagonally before her face.

The bead curtain concealed the Great Liang Empress’s features, but judging by her figure, she was about as tall as Prince Jing. Her bosom and hips were richly full, and the imperial robes did nothing to make her appear delicate. If anything, they emphasized a distinctive air of dominance.

When they approached the Xuan Hall, where she usually lived and conducted her daily affairs, a question came from within the palanquin.

“Liren was assassinated last night. What has come of it?”

An old eunuch walking beside the palanquin bowed and replied, “Your Majesty, Prince Jing has ordered the Black Office to seal the city and search for the assassin. There has been no sign of him yet.”

“Liren has always been cautious and steady. Why did she go to White Horse Academy and give the rebels an opportunity?”

“According to Prince Jing, she accompanied the Empress Dowager to Jade Pool Villa yesterday to clear her mind. In the evening, having nothing else to do, she practiced her qinggong and inadvertently reached White Horse Academy. She had brought no guards, which gave the rebels a chance to strike.”

“Blood Bodhi is well known throughout the martial world. Liren could never have been his equal. How did she escape?”

“Er...”

The old eunuch bowed slightly. “Prince Jing only said that a friend traveling with her gave his life to protect her. She did not report the details. However, this old servant heard Physician Wang say that the companion was a young gentleman from the capital, surnamed Ye, and exceptionally handsome.”

“A young gentleman...”

The Great Liang Empress fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.

“That girl has truly grown up. She even dares to conceal things from me now.”

“Shall this old servant summon Prince Jing to the palace?”

“No need. Liren was assassinated yesterday and must have been frightened. I will go and see her myself.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

...

Gentle sunlight spilled across the window of Singing Jade Tower.

Ye Jingtang stood by the window, using the light to study the patterns within the jade object, trying to tease from them the profound principles of Heaven’s laws.

Perhaps he was simply too absorbed in his investigation, for he failed to hear anyone approach. A woman’s voice suddenly rang out behind him, shattering the quiet stillness.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

The voice was commanding and richly resonant, entirely different from Dongfang Liren’s cool, imperious contralto. Yet the nobility in it, and the confidence born of long years spent in a position of power, surpassed even hers.

Ye Jingtang had been caught completely off guard. He started in genuine surprise, then swiftly turned around and concealed his hand behind his back. With a tiny tremor of his wrist, he flung the jade object out the window.

Whoosh—

Splash!

From the sound, it seemed to have landed in the lake in the garden.

Ye Jingtang’s nerves were strong enough that his expression did not change at all. Maintaining a cool and extraordinary composure, he raised his eyes.

At the stairwell, beyond several rows of bookshelves, stood a woman in red. No one knew when she had arrived.

She wore a fiery-red gown, with a matching crimson sash around her waist. The entire outfit was free of patterns and ornaments, yet it appeared more dazzling than any elaborate decoration. She was like a flame that had suddenly appeared in the room—impossible to ignore. Simply by existing, she became the focus of everything; all else receded into the background.

Her almond-shaped eyes were crystalline and faintly luminous, so clear that reflections could be seen distinctly in their depths. Her lips needed no rouge, naturally red and full. Her hair was gathered simply with a ribbon and hung down her back, giving her an air of purity and unaffected simplicity.

As for her figure, the fullness above the crimson sash and the perfect roundness of the curves below it were so well proportioned that even the gown could not conceal them. It was impossible to imagine what she looked like without it...

There was something extraordinary about her presence. She was like a flower with thorns, or a soul-seizing poison—enticing, yet too dangerous to touch.

Puzzled, Ye Jingtang asked, “Who might you be, miss?”

The moment the Great Liang Empress saw his face, she knew that he was the “Young Master Ye” who had protected her daughter the day before.

Seeing that he did not recognize her, the Great Liang Empress did not reveal her identity. She completely withdrew the pressure of her imperial bearing and became an elegant woman in red. She walked closer and said, “I am a palace official. I was ordered to come and visit Prince Jing. And who are you?”

The Empress and Prince Jing were of similar height, but their temperaments were entirely different. Alone in Singing Jade Tower and dressed in ordinary clothes rather than imperial robes, she was difficult to associate with the Great Liang Empress, ruler of an empire, based on height alone.

Hearing that she had come from the palace, Ye Jingtang understood. He explained, “My name is Ye Jingtang. I live near Heavenly Water Bridge. Yesterday I went out with Prince Jing and encountered an assassin. After taking some medicine, I fell asleep. When I woke, I was here...”

The Great Liang Empress shifted her gaze to the hand he kept behind his back.

“This is Prince Jing’s private library. The records and martial arts manuals within are all closely guarded secrets. Were you spying on them?”

Ye Jingtang brought his hand out and displayed his empty palms.

“You misunderstand, I...”

His words abruptly stopped.

The Great Liang Empress looked toward the now-empty rosewood box beside them.

“Hmm?”