Chapter 379 - 379: Return to the Capital (1)
Chapter 379 - 379: Return to the Capital (1)
Chapter 379: Return to the Capital (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-July. The sun rose in the morning, and the golden morning light shone on Heavenly Water Bridge.
In the mansion deep in the alley of the Pei family, the maidservants who had woken up early gathered in the corridor after finishing their work and chatted.
“It’s absolutely true. 1 heard it from Escort Head Chen himself. Young Master Ye ran to Jun Mountain Terrace in Ze Province and split the lake in half with a saber. The former Saber Chief flew more than two kilometers away…”
“Two kilometers?”
“That’s right. After Young Master Ye finished fighting, he rode the wind and left with a stunning beauty in his arms…”
“Who was he hugging? It can’t be Third Lady, right?”
“Sister Xiuhe said no. Third Lady is so reserved. For her to let Young Master Ye hold her in public, I’m afraid the sun will rise from the west…”
The chatter spread into the elegant west residence. Zhe Yunli, who had been practicing boxing by the lake every day, was rarely absent.
In the boudoir where the young lady lived in the west residence, the doors and windows were closed.
There was a table in the outer room with a soft blanket covering it. Mahjong tiles made of white jade were neatly placed on it. On the small table were homework, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
The inner room was separated by a bead curtain. On the screen was a light blue dress. A saber that was over three feet long was placed on the dressing table. Beside it were rouge, powder, hairpin boxes, and other small items such as the bird’s wooden donkey and jade turtle.
On the elegant bed, Zhe Yunli, who was wearing white pajamas, was lying spread-eagle on the pillow. Her loose collar revealed a hint of fairness, and her spirited face was full of gloom. From time to time, she would turn over and sigh.
In a few days, Zhe Yunli would be 16 years old. She would completely turn from a little girl into a proper heroine.
According to the customs of Jianghu, girls could marry a husband at the age of 16 and go out to wander Jianghu alone.
On such an important day, her master was thousands of kilometers away in the South Firmament Mountains, and her martial mistress had run away with Brother Jingtang. No one knew when she would return, and even the lazy bird wasn’t around.
Zhe Yunli hadn’t slept well these past few days. She had woken up early today and was tossing and turning in bed, thinking about her future plans.
Now that she was a grown-up girl, her martial mistress wouldn’t force her to copy books and spank her butt anymore, right…
Since she wasn’t a little girl anymore, she had to have great aspirations. As a saber user, her aspirations were naturally to fight for the title of Saber Chief. She wondered if getting Brother Jingtang drunk and beating him up counted…
After she let her imagination run wild for most of the day, it was already late in the morning.
Perhaps because she was afraid that the maidservants of the Pei family would laugh at her if she got up at noon, Zhe Yunli slowly got out of bed. After washing up, she changed into a dress, dressing up as a scholarly young lady. She went out to the street alone.
The autumn weather was cool, and there were many people on the streets of the capital.
Zhe Yunli walked through the streets and alleys. After wandering aimlessly for half a day, she had a few bags of snacks in her hand. Unknowingly, she returned to Dye Workshop Street.
The renovations of Dye Workshop Street were basically over. Now, the street had a brand new look. The stores on both sides were being renovated, and a few of the fastest ones had already started operations. There were also more carriages and pedestrians on the street that was rarely visited in the past.
There were many potted plants in the small courtyard of Double Osmanthus Alley. They hadn’t moved yet, so naturally these things had not been moved. Before Luo Ning left, she had instructed her to come here often to take a look and water them.
Zhe Yunli was munching on melon seeds. After greeting the steward of the Pei family on the street, she walked toward Double Osmanthus Alley, still thinking about her plans for when she grew up.
But just as she turned into the alley, she suddenly found a sneaky figure loitering outside the small courtyard in the depths of the alley.
Zhe Yunli immediately came back to her senses and looked carefully. It was a girl dressed as a maidservant. She was leaning on the wall and looking inside. Her legs were hanging in the air as if she had fallen onto the wall.
??
Zhe Yunli was stunned. Her eyes showed surprise at first, then panic. She looked around.
The maidservant in the alley spotted Zhe Yunli from the corner of her eye. She was slightly surprised. At first, she didn’t recognize her. After carefully identifying her, she fell from the wall and said in surprise, “Miss, Miss…”
Zhe Yunli hurriedly raised her hand to signal the maidservant not to be shocked. She quickly walked up to her and looked around. “Ping’er, why are you here? Where is Master?”
Ping’er was the maidservant of the Pacifying Heaven Cult Master. She was usually in charge of cult master’s meals and daily life. Because she was about the same age as Zhe Yunli, their relationship was quite close.
After not seeing Zhe Yunli for nearly half a year, Ping’er was very excited. She held her hand and said, “The cult master didn’t come. 1 originally asked someone to send a letter to Madam, but 1 was afraid that you wouldn’t be able to eat well or wear warm clothes, so 1 asked for permission to come here…”
Hearing this, Zhe Yunli couldn’t help becoming nervous. “Master wants us to return to the South Firmament Mountains?”
Ping’er nodded. “Madam isn’t around, and the cult master has been taking care of everything. It’s been almost half a year. It would be fine if Madam were busy with serious matters, but Madam hasn’t done anything…”
Zhe Yunli brought Ping’er back to the courtyard and frowned slightly. “What do you mean hasn’t done anything? Martial Mistress and 1 have already saved Hero Qin…”
“That’s right. You should go back after saving him. Why are you still staying in the capital?”
“Uh… Martial Mistress still has something important to do. We’ll go back after she’s done.”
“The cult master said that if the matter of entering the palace can’t be done, then forget it.”
Ping’er sat on a small stool and said seriously, “How risky is it to sneak into the palace? It doesn’t matter if Madam’s martial arts skills are mediocre, but she can’t find out enough information. The new Saber Chief is from the Imperial Court. There’s such a powerful expert, but Madam has stayed in the capital for half a year and hasn’t mentioned a word…”
?i ii
Zhe Yunli blinked. Because her martial mistress was the one in charge of these major matters, she couldn’t spout nonsense. She replied, “Martial Mistress has her reasons. The matter of entering the palace is almost certain. Just go back and reply to Master like this. We will go back after we’re done.”
Ping’er shook her head. “That won’t do. A few days ago, the cult master said that Madam can’t even figure out who the experts of the Imperial Court are. It’s easy for something to go wrong if you two stay in the capital. The cult master asked me to call you back. If there’s really a way to do something serious, report the progress to me without delay…”
Report the progress??Zhe Yunli sat up straight, a little unhappy. “Did Master ask you to supervise Martial Mistress and me?”
Ping’er hurriedly shook her head. “It’s not supervision. I’m just helping run errands and take care of food and daily life. If Miss or Madam don’t like it, 1’11 go back, and the cult master can come personally.”
Master will come? Zhe Yunli felt that if her master came here, her happy days of walking in the day and playing mahjong at night would be completely over. Thinking about it, she could only brace herself and say, “How could I not like it? It’s good that you’re here. I haven’t finished copying the books…”
“The cult master said that I’m not allowed to copy books for you. 1 still have to check on behalf of the cult master every day. If you’re disobedient, the cult master will send someone to take you back.”
Zhe Yunli opened her mouth.. Although she didn’t say anything, she felt that the entire world had turned gray…