The day they arrived in the capital city was cloudless and pleasant, with the crisp autumn air.
Escorted by many important court officials and the imperial guards, the journey had been extremely smooth. The caravan easily entered the capital city.
Jiang Mian lifted the curtain of the carriage and leaned against the window, introducing various parts of the capital city to Jiang Zhiqing.
Jiang Zhiqing had actually entered the capital city twice with Li Zhao before, but the trips were rather hasty. At that time, she was just a maid, so she had neither the mood nor the time to get familiar with the capital city.
From now on, the capital city would be their home. Naturally, she wanted to learn more about it. She leaned against Jiang Mian and listened very attentively.
The capital city was twice as large as Luozhou City and was divided into three parts: the imperial city, the inner city, and the outer city.
As the name suggests, the inner city was where the high - ranking officials, nobles, and royal relatives lived. There were also its own markets and various shops, selling high - quality goods, of course.
In the outer city, people from all walks of life, including scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, gathered. A river ran through it, so the water transportation was also very developed. The outer city was several times more bustling than the inner city. This kind of hustle and bustle was different from that of the prosperous cities of Ningzhou and Qingzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. It was a kind of liveliness brought by the common people's sincere efforts to live their lives.
Of course, the outer city was not entirely populated by ordinary people. The mansions of most court officials below the fifth rank were located here. In addition, there were also some well - known but non - official aristocratic families.
During festivals such as the Dragon Boat Festival, the Qixi Festival, or the Double Ninth Festival, the high - ranking officials and nobles from the inner city would also leave their homes and go to the outer city to watch the dragon boat races and admire the lanterns with the common people.
The capital city was at the foot of the emperor. No matter how chaotic the world was, it would never reach this place. It often gave people the illusion that the world was stable.
The carriage passed through the broadest street in the outer city. Knowing that the emperor and the newly - made Prince Li were in the carriage, the common people in the outer city knelt down to pay their respects. After the carriage left, they started to talk animatedly.
"When did a 'Prince Li' appear in the world? Why haven't I heard of him before?"
"You are really ill - informed. It is said that this Prince Li has a remarkable background. Have you ever heard of the Li family in Luozhou?"
"The Li family in Luozhou? Is it the one that was massacred by the King of Chu more than a decade ago?"
"Exactly!"
Since the caravan entered the city, such remarks had spread all over the streets and alleys. Before people could even catch a glimpse of Prince Li and his family, his name and past deeds had already become well - known.
In the Nankui Market, a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe, holding a banner that read "Divine Prediction" in his hand and with a goatee on his face, was gathered with a group of common people, also discussing the big news that the Emperor of Beisheng had personally welcomed Prince Li back to the capital city.
"Master Taoist, aren't you known for your divine predictions? Why don't you do a divination and see what impact the appearance of Prince Li will have on the current situation?" one of them joked with the Taoist priest.
If Jiang Mian had been here, she would surely have exclaimed in surprise, for this person was none other than Taoist Yuanzheng, who had entered the city a few days before them.
Yuanzheng stroked his goatee pretentiously and quickly calculated with his other hand, muttering something. Everyone stared at him with eager eyes.
After a while, he opened his eyes and said with a smile:
"The star of literary excellence enters the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, the purple qi twines around the blue dragon, the greedy wolf emerges at night, and the breaking army slashes the universe. When the situation changes, it is the time for heroes to emerge. The world will surely be at peace and enjoy long - term stability."
Everyone: "..."
Everyone picked up melon seed shells and fruit peels and threw them at Taoist Yuanzheng. He dodged while shouting "Hey hey hey" and complained discontentedly, "You asked me to say something. Why aren't you satisfied now that I've said it?"
"We asked you to speak plainly, not to play hard - to - get!" everyone roared angrily.
Taoist Yuanzheng laughed heartily. "The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. If you can't understand, it means you haven't read enough books."
This time, more fruit peels and melon seeds were thrown at him. Yuanzheng fled in a hurry.
After running out of the market and walking in the familiar alleyways, Yuanzheng's steps gradually relaxed, and he even had the mood to hum a song. After winding through the alleys, he finally came to a door. There was a dog barking behind the door. He pushed the door open and said to the yellow dog rushing towards him:
"You stupid dog. Why do you bark every time you see me? Can't you even recognize my footsteps?"
There was a reclining chair in the yard. A tall and straight man with long limbs was sitting on it, covering his face with a book, as if taking a nap. The reclining chair swayed gently, and the book fell off, revealing his cold but extremely handsome face.
It was Xiao Jingcheng, who had been separated from Jiang Mian for several days and had returned to the capital city one step ahead.
On the way back to the capital city, Xiao Jingcheng had been possessing the yellow dog, allowing the purple qi gathering from all directions to nourish his body so that he could get rid of his current predicament after returning to the capital city.
Strangely enough, after returning to the capital city, the purple qi on his body really stopped dissipating. After waking up, he was no longer as weak as a long - ill person and could walk freely.
However, all of this was only within the capital city.
Once he left the city, even if he took one step outside the city gate, the already solidified purple qi would dissipate at a visible speed.
Taoist Yuanzheng said that it was because the current emperor had no blood relation with him, so the qi of the dragon vein could not be fully utilized by him.
If he wanted to fully recover as before, he would have to find a way to return to the Eastern Palace, or rather...
Seize the throne and become the emperor himself.
Xiao Jingcheng sneered and said to Yuanzheng, "Big Yellow is complaining that you came back empty - handed again and didn't bring it any food."
The yellow dog barked twice in agreement, as if responding to Xiao Jingcheng's words.
Taoist Yuanzheng scratched his nose and said, "Business was bad today. I didn't earn much silver. Next time, next time."
Big Yellow bit his sleeve and shook its head angrily, growling.
Xiao Jingcheng laughed and translated for it. "Big Yellow said that you said the same thing last time and the time before last."
Taoist Yuanzheng spread his hands. "Others don't believe my predictions and won't give me silver. I can't help it."
Xiao Jingcheng gently swayed the reclining chair and said, "Who asked you to speak so bluntly and harshly every time?"
Taoist Yuanzheng grunted twice and snatched his sleeve, which was wet with saliva, from Big Yellow's mouth. He said, "Jiang Mian and the others have entered the city. There are all kinds of news about Prince Li outside now."
The reclining chair stopped. Xiao Jingcheng propped himself up and sat up, his eyes shining. The overly cold expression on his face finally showed a bit of warmth. "She has finally arrived in the capital city! Do you know where the Prince Li's Mansion is?"
Glancing at him, Taoist Yuanzheng said, "That place is not unfamiliar to you. It's the former Prince Mu's Mansion."
The Prince Mu's Mansion.
Xiao Jingcheng was indeed stunned for a moment, then he squinted his eyes slightly.
The emperor had given the Prince Mu's Mansion to Uncle Li as his residence. Was it to show his respect for Uncle Li, or was it to better monitor them?
Forget it. He could think about these things later.
The most important thing for him now was to see Jiang Mian.
He missed her. He wondered if she missed him too.