Chapter 52: If you are bold enough...

"Uhm..."

Ye Jingtang glanced at the empty sandalwood box and said, with a hint of awkwardness:

"This box is somewhat unusual. Well... you can report this matter to Prince Jing, and I will explain it to Prince Jing myself later."

The Empress did not dwell on Ye Jingtang's absurd action just now, and instead cast her gaze over the bookshelf.

"For you to be able to stay overnight at the Mingyu Tower and even dare to rummage through Prince Jing's personal belongings, you seem to have a rather extraordinary relationship with Prince Jing."

Ye Jingtang had no relation to Prince Jing whatsoever. If people in the palace misunderstood this and the news reached the Empress, it would backfire, and Heroine Luo would probably come back and pierce him to death!

"I am merely the adopted son of a merchant family. I only entered the capital at the beginning of the month. Possessing some martial arts skills, I was appreciated by Prince Jing and am helping the Black Yamen with some cases. Yesterday..."

Ye Jingtang earnestly explained why he had appeared here.

However, the Empress did not listen at all. Even if Ye Jingtang harbored no special intentions, the fact that her younger sister allowed a man to sleep in the Mingyu Tower already spoke volumes about her attitude toward Ye Jingtang.

"You have a fine appearance, and with such martial prowess at a young age, you can be considered quite capable. Coming to move about the Black Yamen, could it be that you want to become the Prince Consort?"

Ye Jingtang hurriedly shook his head. "I am the adopted son of the Shao family at Tianshui Bridge, and my family are merchants. Inevitably, I encounter trouble in daily life. Coming to move about the Black Yamen is purely to make connections and find a large tree to shelter under. Prince Jing holds high authority and a lofty position, with an extraordinary appearance; our families are mismatched in social status, so how could I ever dare to entertain such thoughts?"

Sensing that Ye Jingtang was not speaking falsely, the Empress nodded slightly and continued:

"It is true that Prince Jing esteems martial arts, but born into the imperial family, she has seen too many people with great martial prowess. Lü Taiqing and Daoist Master Xuanji of Mount Yuxu are both considered Prince Jing's teachers; no matter how formidable an ordinary martial artist is, in Prince Jing's eyes, they are merely hired muscle. If you wish to forge a connection with Prince Jing, you would do best to tread a different path."

Ye Jingtang looked slightly surprised. "Is the young lady attempting to offer me guidance?"

A faint smile touched the Empress's lips. Crossing her arms, her hips resting against the desk, she assumed the posture of a female CEO mentoring a subordinate:

"Though Prince Jing spends her days brandishing spears and sabers, what she truly excels in is 'literary grace,' being thoroughly proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If you speak to her of martial arts, Prince Jing cannot delve into many profound subtleties; but when it comes to the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and classical poetry, should you be versed in even one of them, Prince Jing can converse with you for half a day."

Seeing that this young woman hailed from the palace, Ye Jingtang actually wanted to inquire about conditions within the palace walls, but such topics were far too sensitive, and he could find no opening to broach them. Hearing her mention poetry, however, Ye Jingtang began to devise a way to fish for information.

"I do have some slight comprehension of poetry."

"Oh?"

The Empress raised her eyelids, looking slightly surprised.

"I truly couldn't tell. Would the young公子 be willing to compose a verse for this humble maiden to critique? If you possess genuine talent and learning, I shall help convey it to Prince Jing, claiming I overheard your spontaneous sentiments; and if it is merely a casual piece, it will at least save you from making a fool of yourself before Prince Jing."

Ye Jingtang smiled and nodded, placing one hand behind his back as he gazed out the window toward the imperial palace, gathering his thoughts for a moment.

"Well... When the autumn comes on the eighth day of the ninth month, after my flowers bloom, a hundred flowers will be slain. The soaring fragrance of the array pierces through Yunzhou, and the entire city is clad in golden armor."

"?"

The Empress of Great Liang froze slightly. After carefully savoring the lines, a subtle, thought-provoking glimmer gradually surfaced in the depths of her eyes.

This poem—it was undeniably exceptional, but listening to it, why did it sound rather like a treasonous verse?

Does he intend to march an army on Yunzhou in the future and usurp my throne...

To compose such a thing and recite it right before my eyes, is he not afraid that I will banish him to the Cold Palace...

Mindful that Ye Jingtang was unaware of her identity, the Empress kept her expression neutral.

"Did you write this poem?"

"How does the young lady find it?"

"An excellent poem. Could the young公子 harbor some unfulfilled ambitions or a turbulent past?"

Ye Jingtang casually spewed nonsense: "I certainly do. At the age of three, I could compose verses the moment I opened my mouth and write poetry at the stroke of a brush. I originally intended to become the foremost talent of Liangzhou, but unfortunately, my adoptive father beat me into the Barbarian King of Liangzhou."

"Uhm...?"

"Just joking. I simply felt this poem suited the young lady rather well, and recited it for your enjoyment."

Suited?

The Empress of Great Liang was slightly taken aback, a strange glint flashing in her eyes.

If this poem had been written for her, it was indeed remarkably fitting.

She and Liren had been born princesses. Although endowed with astonishing talent and innate intelligence from a young age, deeply favored by the late Emperor, their female gender destined them to have no proper stage to display their abilities.

After the Emperor passed away, the eldest imperial brother ascended the throne. Out of past grudges, he even wanted to marry the two sisters off to their enemy state, Northern Wei.

Then she had orchestrated her own version of "the entire city clad in golden armor"—cleansing the imperial court in blood, deposing her elder brother, and ascending the throne herself to sit upon a sovereign seat that, since ancient times, only men had been permitted to occupy. From that moment on, she was no longer constrained by anyone, nor by any rules or rites, transforming into the supreme ruler of this realm.

The Empress initially thought Ye Jingtang had seen through her identity and was flaunting his literary talent to curry favor, hoping to enter the palace as her bed-warming favorite.

Yet, observing Ye Jingtang closely, he did not seem to be doing that, so she inquired:

"How do you interpret these words?"

Ye Jingtang cast his gaze out the window and sighed softly:

"I have heard that the women within the palace are all the sovereign's women, yet our Holy One surely does not favor women. For a young lady of such beauty to spend half her life in bitter solitude within the deep palace—does this not mirror a frustrated scholar whose ambitions remain thwarted? However, judging by your eloquence and bearing, I believe that one day, you will surely reach the state of 'after my flowers bloom, a hundred flowers are slain'..."

?

This time, the Empress understood the implication—this audacious Young Master Ye, seeing that she was pretty, was racking his brains to flirt with her!

The Empress of Great Liang slightly arched an eyebrow, sizing up Ye Jingtang's physique.

"The palace is not as desolate as you describe. If a palace maid fails to win favor, she can leave the palace at the age of twenty-five to marry. The reason I remain in the palace is simply that I hold no regard for men in the outside world."

Ye Jingtang only sought to spark a conversation, so he smoothly followed up:

"Is the palace very interesting? Aside from serving others, what else can the young lady typically do?"

"Each to their own duties—tending to the palace pavilions, courtyards, flowers, and plants. The imperial palace is vast, and during leisure time, one may wander about."

The places where a palace maid could freely stroll were certainly not the core areas frequented by the sovereign. Ye Jingtang looked out across the imperial palace and asked:

"Is that so? From what I can see, the palace is entirely filled with buildings and lacks any special scenery. Where does the young lady usually wander?"

The Empress raised her slender, delicate finger, pointing toward the imperial garden at the rear of the palace:

"Right over there, do you see it? To the right of the Hall of Longevity and Blessings."

Ye Jingtang raised his eyes to gaze into the distance, discovering a massive tree in the northwest corner of the imperial city—its trunk roughly several zhang in circumference, soaring even higher than the palace roofs.

A ripple stirred in Ye Jingtang's heart as he inquired:

"That tree is enormous. What kind of tree is it?"

"A ginkgo tree, over twelve hundred years old, personally planted by a beloved concubine of Emperor Wu Xuan."

"Twelve hundred years old?"

A look of astonishment filled Ye Jingtang's eyes, replaced internally by pleasant surprise—his adoptive father's letter had only mentioned a ginkgo tree without specifying anything else; the ginkgo tree hiding the Dragon Singing Map was most likely this very one.

Although it remained out of reach for now, at least he had laid eyes on the location.

Ye Jingtang secretly committed the coordinates of the millennium ginkgo tree to memory, then began scanning the surrounding terrain...

Noticing Ye Jingtang gazing intently at the ginkgo tree from afar, the Empress asked:

"Do you wish to go over and take a look?"

#!

Ye Jingtang hurriedly retracted his gaze and smiled:

"It is my first time hearing of a tree twelve hundred years old, so naturally I am curious. But that is the imperial palace; as a man, how could I dare to enter? Surely the young lady cannot arrange for me to go over and have a look?"

The Empress certainly could, but she did not spell it out, shifting the topic instead:

"That poem from just now was not bad, though the killing intent is too heavy and carries the suspicion of treason. Do not casually recite it in the future; I shall pretend I never heard it."

"If the young lady deems it inappropriate, naturally I will not mention it again."

"Young公子, please attend to your own affairs. I shall head down now, and perhaps we shall meet again by fate."

With his mind entirely occupied by the ginkgo tree, Ye Jingtang did not attempt to detain the unforgettable female official.

However, just as she was about to disappear around the stairwell, feeling that knowing someone in the palace might aid him in unearthing the Dragon Singing Map later, he spoke up once more:

"To cross paths is a form of fate. May I dare ask the young lady's honored name?"

As the Empress walked with graceful steps, she cast a meaningful glance at Ye Jingtang. Only after her figure had vanished did her voice drift back:

"Yu Hu."

Ye Jingtang felt the name was rather peculiar, yet for some reason, he found it immensely fitting for the woman's temperament—exquisite as jade, yet fierce as a tiger...

Naturally, not the tiger of a fierce shrew, but rather the tiger of the old saying—the women down the mountain are tigers...

Waiting until the woman's footsteps faded away, Ye Jingtang approached the window to survey the ornamental lake, searching for the jade artifact he had thrown in—maidservants were patrolling the lakeside, and diving in to fish out the dildo would surely get him discovered.

Just as he was pondering a countermeasure, a manor maidservant suddenly hurried up the stairs, carrying robes and a sabre:

"Young Master Ye, Prince Jing has instructed that you are to return to the manor first, and she will summon you once she is finished with her affairs. Please change your clothes quickly, and I will escort you out of the estate."

"Huh?"

Ye Jingtang had not expected Prince Jing to refuse even to see him, dismissing him directly. It was inconvenient to linger, so he glanced at the lake in the garden, intending to fish the item out on his way out.

To his surprise, however, the maidservant did not lead him toward the front gates; instead, weaving through winding paths with furtive steps, she escorted him out via the servants' side entrance into the back alley, as if he were someone too shameful to be seen in public...