Chen Ji stood on East First Long Street, with Zhongcui Palace on his left and Jingyang Palace on his right. A single street separated them, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

He turned his head and watched quietly. The red walls and grey tiles highlighted the girl’s neck, which was as white as snow. She wore a blue Taoist robe, looking as pristine as a swan, yet as slender as a kite. Chen Ji gazed at her figure. He wanted to call out softly, but feared his voice might startle her away. He felt as if he was back in that small Taiping Medical Clinic, where the girl had first peered out from behind the courtyard wall, cautiously surveying the clinic yard, ready to flee at any moment.

Just then, someone in Zhongcui Palace called out, “Chen Ji?”

Chen Ji’s heart jolted. He saw the girl in Jingyang Palace freeze, her hands still, as if turned to stone. She had heard. Chen Ji lowered his head to check his attire, hastily smoothing out the wrinkles. His mind raced, considering what expression to wear and how to silently convey what he wanted to say amidst the Jie Fan Guards surrounding the Eastern Six Palaces. Sign language? She wouldn’t understand. Morse code? Even less so.

But after a long moment, the girl did not turn around. She simply carried her broom and walked into Jingyang Palace, disappearing into the depths of the complex, as if an invisible door had closed behind her. Chen Ji stood stunned, his hands, which had been smoothing his clothes, now hung limply at his sides. Right, the last time they met was in Luocheng Imperial Prison. That day, in the prison, Bai Long had told everyone that Prince Jing had written a blood petition to summon the Thousand-Year Army for a prison break, and fortunately, Chen Ji had turned the petition in, preventing the army from making a grave mistake. Bai Li had cried profusely behind the iron bars.

Afterward, Chen Ji escaped prison and went on the run, but by then, Bai Li had already been taken away and knew nothing of it. More than two months had passed, feeling like a lifetime ago. He desperately wanted to explain that he hadn’t betrayed Prince Jing, nor anyone else, but he couldn’t explain it now.

Li Xuan emerged from Zhongcui Palace and followed Chen Ji’s gaze towards Jingyang Palace. However, besides two Jie Fan Guards on duty, there was no one else in front of Jingyang Palace. He asked curiously, “Why are you just standing here?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Li Xuan whispered, “Let’s go, rest a bit in Zhongcui Palace.”

After a soft affirmation, Chen Ji casually asked, “Lord Li, have you ever been inside Jingyang Palace?”

Li Xuan replied offhandedly, “No, I haven’t. The Imperial Guards are still considered complete and only guard outside the Meridian Gate and inside the Gate of Heavenly Succession. Everything inside the Meridian Gate is guarded by the Jie Fan Guards to prevent scandals of debauchery from spreading. Both His Majesty and the Grand Counselor trust the Jie Fan Guards more.” He continued to instruct, “We will likely come to Zhongcui Palace often from now on. Remember, unless His Majesty issues a decree, we must leave before nightfall. Otherwise, the penalty is a hundred strokes with a court rod at the least, or beheading at the Meridian Gate at most. Also, Jingyang Palace is filled with female imperial family members; you absolutely must not get involved with them. Even if someone speaks to you, you must avoid them.”

Chen Ji asked indifferently, “Isn’t that a place for cultivating Taoism? How did it become a residence for female imperial family members?”

“This is a secret of the imperial palace, and I’m telling you, so don’t speak of it outside,” Li Xuan said, glancing back at him. “If a rebellious princess or county princess damages the imperial family’s reputation, the imperial family will publicly state that she is devoutly cultivating Taoism, then place her under house arrest here. Some concubines from powerful families, who cannot be directly beaten to death with a rod, are also imprisoned here. They are confined in Jingyang Palace to cultivate Taoism, reciting scriptures endlessly every day. After a long time, some become deranged. Those concubines confined within are also not easy to deal with; they even harm each other. Only the Empress Dowager occasionally comes here to toss divining blocks and ask for divine guidance; no one else enters.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji suddenly clenched his fists.

Bai Li returned to Jingyang Hall, carrying her broom. Jingyang Palace was a two-courtyard complex. The main hall enshrined the Jade Purity Yuanshi Tianzun, the Supreme Purity Lingbao Tianzun, and the Grand Purity Daode Tianzun. The altar was adorned with fresh water, fragrant flowers, and tall candles. The back hall served as the nuns’ dormitory, where more than ten people slept on a communal bed. In the main hall, before the Three Pure Ones, a young girl knelt on the ground, silently weeping as she wiped the bluestone floor with a cloth.

Bai Li knelt beside her, took the cloth from her hand, and said softly, “Ling Yun, you rest for a while, I’ll do it.”

The girl kneeling on the ground was, surprisingly, Zhu Lingyun, daughter of Consort Jing, who was supposed to have gone overseas with the Liu family relatives. Bai Li meticulously wiped the bluestone bricks with the cloth until the polished bricks were so shiny they reflected like a mirror. Zhu Lingyun wiped her tears with her sleeve and said sadly, “Sister, I want to go home.”

Bai Li paused, then whispered, “Ling Yun, where do we have a home now?”

Just then, a plump Taoist nun emerged from the back hall. Seeing Bai Li wiping the floor and Zhu Lingyun crying nearby, she said scornfully, “You two may have deep sisterly affection, but I assigned Zhu Lingyun to wipe the floor and you to sweep. Do exactly as you’re told; you’re not to make your own decisions.” Bai Li continued wiping the floor without a word. Seeing her stubborn demeanor, the plump nun became enraged. She immediately grabbed a ruler and whipped Bai Li’s back fiercely. The smooth, well-worn bamboo ruler made a dull thud as it struck her back. Bai Li initially winced, her lips trembling with pain, but then gritted her teeth and continued to wipe the floor.

The plump nun scoffed, “Why pretend to be so tough? Put away your arrogance. In this Jingyang Palace, who wasn’t pampered and high-ranking before? No matter how unyielding you are, Jingyang Palace can grind you down until there’s nothing left!” Bai Li remained silent. Seeing this, the plump nun turned and whipped Zhu Lingyun. “You can endure it, but your sister can’t.” Two ruler blows landed on Zhu Lingyun’s arm, and she burst into tears, “I’m sorry, please stop hitting me.”

The plump nun sneered, “How many times have I told you to use my Taoist name!”

Zhu Lingyun quickly said, “Reverend Xuansu, please stop, I was wrong, I was wrong…”

Reverend Xuansu struck again with the ruler, “Recite the *Tai Shang Gan Ying Pian*!”

Zhu Lingyun trembled, “Calamity and blessing have no gate; they are summoned by humans themselves. The recompense for good and evil follows like a shadow. Therefore, Heaven and Earth have spirits that oversee faults, and depending on the severity of one’s transgressions, they deduct from one’s lifespan…” She stopped there, trying to recall the rest.

Reverend Xuansu furiously demanded, “What’s next? Continue reciting!”

Zhu Lingyun started crying again, “I can’t remember, please don’t hit me…”

Before she finished speaking, Bai Li had thrown herself over Zhu Lingyun, firmly shielding her as the ruler repeatedly struck her own body. Zhu Lingyun was sobbing uncontrollably, “Sister…” Bai Li covered her, calmly saying, “Don’t beg for mercy.”

The ruler struck her back repeatedly until blood soaked through her Taoist robe. Suddenly, a eunuch’s loud voice echoed from outside Jingyang Palace, delivering an imperial decree: “By His Majesty’s oral command, summon Crown Prince Zhu Chunwen, Imperial Guard Commander Li Xuan, Deputy Commander Qi Zhenzhuo, and others for an audience!”

The voice came from outside the palace, but from the back hall of Jingyang Palace came hurried footsteps. A disheveled, barefooted madwoman ran out, yelling, “Imperial Guards… Imperial Guards… Brother Zhuo Yuan! Brother Zhuo Yuan must be here to save me!” Behind her, someone sternly scolded, “Grab her! Don’t let her go wild outside!” The madwoman ran past Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun. Reverend Xuansu reached out to grab her but missed. Immediately, more than ten nuns rushed out, chasing the madwoman towards the gate of Jingyang Palace.

Jingyang Hall fell silent. Zhu Lingyun cried and asked, “Sister, does it hurt?”

Bai Li gave a soft “Mm-hmm,” and said, “It hurts.”

Zhu Lingyun said heartbrokenly, “Why don’t you cry? Those cruel women just want to see us cry and beg for mercy. As long as we beg and yield, they won’t beat us to death.”

Bai Li wiped the tears from Zhu Lingyun’s cheeks and said softly, “When your tears have run dry, you can’t cry anymore.”

Chen Ji followed the Crown Prince out of Zhongcui Palace, just as he saw a group of blue-robed nuns dragging a madwoman, forcibly pulling her back into Jingyang Palace. The madwoman was still screaming, “Brother Zhuo Yuan, save me!” A nun covered her mouth, and she fell silent.

Once the nuns had disappeared into Jingyang Palace, a middle-aged Taoist nun, dressed in a blue silk robe and wearing a golden lotus crown, stood still in front of Jingyang Gate. She had a dark silk sash around her waist tied in a Ruyi knot, and she performed a Jade Emperor’s Seal gesture while bowing across the street to the Crown Prince, saying, “This person, possessed by evil, has offended Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive her.”

The Crown Prince cupped his hands in return, “Reverend Xuanzhen is too polite; there’s no need for this.” Xuanzhen said no more and turned back into Jingyang Palace.

Li Xuan turned to Chen Ji, “Did you see that? That place is eerie.”

Chen Ji’s expression was solemn. “Who was that madwoman just now?”

Li Xuan whispered, “She is Princess Yongchun, the late emperor’s younger sister. The late emperor had arranged her marriage to Zhuang Xian, the top scholar of the ‘Taihe’ eleventh year imperial examination, as the imperial son-in-law. However, shortly after the engagement, the Eunuch Party’s secret intelligence agency discovered that she was having an affair with Zhou Zhuoyuan, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, and was pregnant with his child. The two intended to flee south together, but were sent back by the water transport gang as soon as they boarded a ship. Zhou Zhuoyuan was exiled to Lingnan, and Princess Yongchun was sent to Jingyang Palace to cultivate Taoism.”

Chen Ji asked again, “Who is Reverend Xuanzhen?”

Li Xuan explained, “Reverend Xuanzhen was one of the late emperor’s concubines. After the late emperor’s death, all other concubines were buried with him, but only she was protected by the Empress Dowager and kept in Jingyang Palace to serve the Three Pure Ones… Don’t ask any more; this has nothing to do with us, nor should it.”

Chen Ji assented and followed the Crown Prince through the long expanse of grey tiles and red walls. The sun was beginning to set, and the high palace walls stood like a mountain, blocking the sunlight from reaching inside the palace. They passed through East First Long Street, went by Fengxian Hall, and entered Renshou Palace.

The eunuch attendant leading the way brought them to a halt outside Renshou Palace and softly instructed, “Please wait outside the palace. Your humble servant will go in to report… The Grand Secretaries and ministers are currently discussing important matters with His Majesty inside Renshou Palace. Please refrain from looking around and be careful not to commit any impropriety before the Emperor.” With that, he took small, quick steps and entered Renshou Palace.

An official from the Court of State Ceremonials reminded them from the side, “His Majesty might not see all of you later; at most, only His Highness and the two commanders will be summoned inside. But when you come out, do not speak carelessly. No matter who you talk to, you must say that you have met His Majesty and that he encouraged you. Also, everyone, line up properly; don’t be disorderly! What kind of conduct is that!”

Chen Ji rejoined the end of the line to wait, and the wait lasted an hour. Everyone even heard the Grand Secretaries and ministers arguing and scolding loudly inside Renshou Palace, as if they were about to come to blows. It was unclear what they were arguing about, but occasionally words like “border army” and “Jing Dynasty” drifted out. So, this world was truly a giant ramshackle organization.

Chen Ji subtly raised his head to look, only to see a silk curtain hanging from the archway inside Renshou Palace, with a figure sitting cross-legged behind it, appearing ethereal. The Court of State Ceremonials official saw him look up and sharply warned, “Impudent! Lower your head!” Chen Ji immediately lowered his head again.

It wasn’t until eunuchs and palace maids carrying lanterns moved back and forth, lighting all the candles and lamps, that a series of copper bell sounds echoed from inside Renshou Palace. The arguments of the Grand Secretaries and ministers ceased instantly. The crisp, pleasant sound of the copper bells seemed to possess some magical power.

The next moment, a fair-faced middle-aged man in a blue python robe emerged from Renshou Palace and said calmly, “Proclaim: Chen Ji, the illegitimate son of the Chen family, to have an audience.”