Meridian Gate, Duanmen Gate, Chengtian Gate.

It wasn’t until they passed through the Imperial Ancestral Temple and Altar of Land and Grain, and exited Chengtian Gate, that they were truly outside the Forbidden City. Without the watchful gazes of the Troubleshooters and Imperial Guards, their steps felt lighter.

Chen Ji led Zaobao, while Xiaoman carried Wuyun.

Under the night sky, the two walked west along the wide Chang’an Street. Moonlight illuminated the road. The capital was far from as bustling as Chen Ji had imagined; there were no crowds jostling, nor was it brightly lit.

“Why is it so deserted?” Chen Ji turned to look back at Chang’an Street behind them, its end out of sight.

Xiaoman smiled and said, “If you want liveliness, Young Master, you’ll have to go to the East City. The Eight Great Alleys and Dashilar never sleep. Here, only officials and nobles live, so who would dare to make a commotion in this area?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “How about we move to the East City later?”

Xiaoman quickly replied, “No, no, absolutely not. It’s better to have a bed in the West City than a room in the East City. Who would give up a residence in the West City to move to the East? Actors, prostitutes, tattooed thugs, drifters, swindlers—they’re all over there, the lowest of the low.”

Chen Ji chuckled, “Then where do you think we should live?”

Xiaoman tilted her head, pondering. “If you become a high official later, Young Master, we could buy a house on Qipan Street. It’s closest to the Meridian Gate, convenient for morning court. Many high-ranking officials rent houses there. If you join the Grand Secretariat, then you’d have to live on Fuyou Street or Xuanwumen Street.”

Chen Ji laughed, “Is it divided so clearly?”

Xiaoman explained, “Absolutely. Our Chen family, along with the Qi and Hu families, all live on Fuyou Street. The Xu, Yang, and Zhang families live on Xuanwumen Street. Xuanwumen Street is full of officials from the south, very refined, holding literary gatherings every day. They look down on Fuyou Street, saying it’s lifeless, and Fuyou Street looks down on them, calling them frivolous.”

Chen Ji stroked Zaobao’s mane along its spine. “Xiaoman, I probably won’t become a high official. Maybe one day we really will move to the East City.”

Xiaoman’s eyes widened. “How can you say that? You’re so capable, Young Master; you’re bound to become a high official sooner or later.”

Chen Ji shook his head. “Becoming a high official is very difficult… Just now, I discussed with Lord Zhang who were the winners and losers in today’s court discussion. It left me quite muddled, and I suddenly felt a sense of awe for this capital city. I suppose I’m only suited to be a small pawn, not someone who dictates the game.”

Xiaoman asked curiously, “What winners and losers? Who are the winners?”

Chen Ji explained, “The Hu family, the Chen family, the Xu family, the Qi family, His Majesty, and Wu Xiu — they are all winners.”

Xiaoman then asked curiously, “And who are the losers?”

Chen Ji was silent for a long time. “The people of Guyuan are the biggest losers.”

Xiaoman was completely baffled, unable to understand what her young master was thinking.

Chen Ji smiled, changing the subject. “Have Big Brother and Second Sister gone back to the Zhang residence?”

Xiaoman immediately brightened with a hint of schadenfreude. “As soon as we arrived in the capital, Lady Zhang met them at the city gate and took them away. Lady Zhang was crying like a fountain, constantly complaining that they shouldn’t have secretly gone to Guyuan, and said she’d enforce family rules when they got back. Zhang Zheng and Second Sister were as docile as quails; it looks like they’re both in for a beating.”

Chen Ji glanced at her. “Why don’t you call him Big Brother?”

Xiaoman mumbled, looking down, “He’s so irresponsible all the time, not at all like a big brother. I won’t call him Big Brother… Oh, Young Master, Second Sister said you went into the palace today to meet the stars in the sky. Did you see them?”

Chen Ji softly replied, “I did.”

Xiaoman’s eyes darted around. “Was it Princess Baili?”

Chen Ji hummed in affirmation.

Xiaoman hesitated, then asked, “…Is she alright?”

Chen Ji instinctively tightened his grip on the reins but did not answer.

They arrived at Fuyou Street.

Xiaoman led Chen Ji into an alley and knocked on the south side gate of the Chen residence.

She kicked the stone lion in front of the door and grumbled, “The Young Master already holds an official position, yet he’s still not allowed to use the main gate. Rules, rules, it’s nothing but rules all day long.”

The wooden door creaked open, and a young servant from the Chen residence politely said, “Third Young Master, you’ve returned. Please follow me.”

He led Chen Ji inside. After walking only about ten *zhang*, they arrived at a courtyard. The servant respectfully announced, “The Master has ordered that you will reside in this courtyard from now on. It was cleaned a few days ago, and everything is ready.”

Chen Ji pushed the door open to a spotless courtyard.

Wuyun leaped from Xiaoman’s arms and stretched.

The servant followed them, saying, “Third Young Master, would you like to pay your respects to the Master and Madam? The Master specifically instructed me when he returned that you must inform him as soon as you’re back…”

Before he could finish, Xiaoman turned back and closed the courtyard gate. Her voice drifted through the door, “My young master is going to rest. You may go back.”

The servant stared at the closed door, his mouth open, speechless for a long moment.

Xiaoman leaned against the door. Once she heard the footsteps fade away, she turned to look around the courtyard. “Wow, Young Master, look! The courtyard is paved with green bricks supplied by the Suzhou government kiln, and so are the rooms. The bricks are even carved with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.”

Xiaoman walked around the courtyard, looking up and down. “The courtyard is so big! This bare tree must be a ginkgo, it’s grown so large, probably for many years. It must be beautiful in autumn. You’ll live in the main house, the east wing for your study, and the west wing for storage… No, wait, I just remembered, this is the courtyard Chen Wenxiao used to live in. Bah, how unlucky!”

The thought of Chen Wenxiao instantly dampened Xiaoman’s spirits, and the initial excitement of staying in a ‘big courtyard’ slowly faded.

She turned her head and was surprised to see that Chen Ji wasn’t listening to her. Instead, he was crouching on the ground, seemingly plotting something with Wuyun.

Xiaoman crouched down too and saw Chen Ji drawing a diagram on the ground with a twig, speaking to Wuyun. “This is the Meridian Gate. The Imperial Guards are most numerous here. You should climb directly over the palace wall from the west side. Inside is the Imperial Wine Room. Do not go through Huangji Gate; there are many Troubleshooters there, and four watchtowers. I fear high-ranking officials of the ‘Path-Seeking Realm’ are on guard.”

As Chen Ji drew a map of the Forbidden City’s layout, he continued, “Go past Renzhi Hall, bypass Cining Palace, and head to Kunning Palace. At that point, you’ll be only two walls away from the Six Eastern Palaces… Be very careful. I didn’t see the full layout of the Forbidden City today, so there might be hidden dangers. Remember, if things become impossible, withdraw immediately, and we’ll look for another opportunity.”

Wuyun nodded.

Xiaoman crouched beside them, looking at Chen Ji, then at Wuyun, and exclaimed in shock, “Heavenly Venerable, you can remember something this complicated?”

Wuyun glanced at her disdainfully and meowed.

Xiaoman asked, puzzled, “Young Master, what did Heavenly Venerable say?”

Chen Ji translated, “It asked, ‘Can’t you remember?'”

Xiaoman was speechless.

Chen Ji looked at Wuyun and gently instructed, “She must be very sad, trapped in Jingyang Palace. The Taoist nun in Jingyang Palace is mad, so if anyone bullies her, find a way to protect her and don’t let her suffer any grievances.”

Wuyun meowed, then turned and leaped onto the eaves, sneaking towards the Forbidden City under the cover of night.

Xiaoman watched the direction Wuyun disappeared in, suddenly realizing that the person Young Master truly cared about was indeed Princess Baili.

But if it’s the princess… when would she ever see the Young Master get married? Would she have to stay at the Chen residence forever then?

It didn’t seem so bad, actually.

The capital had many tall buildings, more than Luocheng.

Two, three, and four-story buildings and pavilions were scattered at various heights, their shadows concealing Wuyun’s form.

It walked and stopped along the gray tiles. When carriages and horses passed by on Fuyou Street, it waited patiently.

A noble lady inside a carriage happened to lift the curtain and saw Wuyun crouching on the corner of an eave.

The noble lady exclaimed, “Someone actually uses a civet cat as an eave beast! How unique!”

But when she called her female companion in the carriage to look, she found that there was nothing on the eave corner anymore.

Wuyun leaped from one eave corner to another, easily crossing the two-*zhang*-wide Fuyou Street, and continued towards the Forbidden City. Reaching the red walls, it lightly sprang onto the gray tiled eaves, cautiously surveying the area.

In front of the Imperial Wine Room, a young eunuch in a green, round-collared robe was on duty, dozing on the ground.

Wuyun followed the path Chen Ji had given it, circling north.

As it neared Cining Palace, it slowly stopped and pricked up its ears.

Cining Palace was brightly lit. Both palace gates were guarded by Troubleshooters with long sabers at their waists, watching intently.

At the palace gate, an old woman, supported by a palace maid, tried to leave Cining Palace but was stopped by the Troubleshooters.

The old woman angrily rebuked, “How can he do this to me? I am his birth mother; I raised him and Prince Jing for over ten years. How dare he imprison me in this Cining Palace?”

Lin Chaoqing, standing before the palace gate, kept his hands by his sides and remained silent, refusing to let her leave Cining Palace no matter what she said.

The old woman grew increasingly furious. “My Liu family is completely wiped out. What threat could I possibly pose to him now? My Liu family has conceded defeat, so why must he still eliminate our relatives who have fled overseas? That stele of filial piety in front of his Renshou Palace might as well be destroyed!”

Wuyun grumbled inwardly, *Why are all the people in this imperial palace so deranged?*

It grew worried about Baili and quickly bypassed Cining Palace, continuing its journey.

Along the way, a team of Troubleshooters passed by, carrying palace lanterns. Their gazes, like hawks, scoured every direction, making Wuyun nervously flatten itself against the gray tiles, blending in with the night.

Once the Troubleshooters had left, it got up to continue its journey, but after only a few steps, another detachment passed by, forcing it to crouch low again.

It took Wuyun two *zhuxiang* (incense sticks) to cover a mere twenty *zhang*.

Just as it was passing Kunning Palace along the palace wall, a strong beam of light suddenly swept over from the corner tower. A brazier burned on the tower, and someone was using a bronze mirror to reflect the firelight, illuminating every dark corner of the Forbidden City.

The middle-aged man holding the bronze mirror had a solemn expression, his eyes sharp as hooks.

Seeing the light about to fall on it, Wuyun lightly leaped off the palace wall, hiding in a cluster of flowers at the corner.

The next moment, a strong gust of wind whistled past.

Before Wuyun could react, it was lifted by the scruff of its neck.

A muffled voice said, “Your Majesty, it’s a lost civet cat, all black.”

Wuyun, held pitifully, turned its head and saw a graceful woman sitting on a stone stool in the courtyard.

The woman wore a dark incense-colored, cross-collared long jacket over a gold-threaded pleated skirt. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with patterns of seasonal flowers, and a simple phoenix hairpin adorned with pearls and jade was in her hair.

The person holding it by the scruff of its neck was an elderly female official with a head full of white hair. She wore a purple, round-collared robe, a wooden hairpin in her hair, and had an ivory tablet and a string of copper keys hanging from her waist.

The woman said gently, “Let me see.”

The female official carried Wuyun to the woman. “Your Majesty, I don’t know where this wild civet cat came from. It’s quite ugly; should we kill it?”

The woman chuckled, “Aunt Yuanjin, please curb your murderous urges. It’s just a civet cat. I don’t find it ugly at all; such a dark one is quite rare.”

With that, she took Wuyun and gently stroked it on her lap. “Its fur is quite clean; it doesn’t seem like a stray. Perhaps it belongs to a Grand Secretary or a high official and got lost. Tomorrow, send someone to inquire… No, forget it, it might cause suspicion again.”

The female official named Yuanjin glanced at Wuyun. “It would be simpler to just kill it.”

Wuyun froze on the woman’s lap for a moment, then suddenly began nudging her palm with its head, before burrowing into her embrace.

The woman paused, surprised.

She looked down as Wuyun rolled around on her lap, finally lying on its back, exposing its belly, its dark eyes gazing up at her, glistening.

The woman smiled. “Let’s keep it. It’ll add a bit of life to the palace, and we won’t miss a single bite of food for it.”

Aunt Yuanjin said, troubled, “Your Majesty…”

The woman slowly chuckled, “Alright, alright, can’t I even have this one small wish?”

Aunt Yuanjin sighed, “As Your Majesty wishes. You still haven’t decided whether to see the young prince. He’s been seeking an audience for months, sending dozens of calling cards every month… He misses you dearly. As empress, it’s perfectly fine to see your own son.”

The woman’s smile faded, and her warm hand stroked Wuyun’s fur.

After a long silence, she sighed softly, “I cannot see him. His Majesty is most wary of the empress dowager interfering in politics these days. My seeing him would not be good for him. Furthermore, his maternal uncle has caused such a stir in Guyuan and is currently at the center of attention. If he were to visit me, outsiders would grow even more suspicious. In a few days, send someone out of the palace to tell the young prince that I am well here, and that he should simply follow his maternal grandfather’s arrangements. There will be a time for us to meet.”

With that, she scratched Wuyun’s chin and asked with a smile, “Don’t you agree?”

Wuyun was silent.