"Er..."
Ye Jingtang glanced at the empty red sandalwood box and looked slightly embarrassed.
"This box is rather special. Well... Miss, you can report this matter to Prince Jing. I will explain it to Prince Jing myself later."
The female emperor didn't delve deeper into Ye Jingtang's outrageous actions just now. Instead, she turned to look at the bookshelf.
"You, Young Master, were able to stay overnight in the Mingyu Building and even dared to touch Prince Jing's private belongings. It seems that you have a close relationship with Prince Jing."
Ye Jingtang had no relationship with Prince Jing at all. If he was misunderstood by the people in the palace and the news reached the female emperor, it might backfire, and Miss Luo might stab him to death when she came back!
"I'm just the adopted son of a merchant family. I only entered the capital at the beginning of the month. I know some martial arts and have been appreciated by Prince Jing, so I help the Black Yamen handle some cases. Yesterday..."
Ye Jingtang earnestly explained why he was here.
But the female emperor didn't listen at all. Even if Ye Jingtang had no ulterior motives, the fact that her younger sister had allowed a man to sleep in the Mingyu Building showed that her attitude towards Ye Jingtang was already unusual.
"You have a good appearance. It's quite remarkable that you have such skills at a young age. You've been frequenting the Black Yamen. Could it be that you want to become the consort prince?"
Ye Jingtang quickly shook his head. "I'm the adopted son of the Pei family near Tianshui Bridge. My family is in business, and we inevitably encounter troubles on weekdays. I come to the Black Yamen just to make some connections and find a powerful backer. Prince Jing is of high status and great power and has an extraordinary appearance. Our family backgrounds are not a good match, so how could I dare to have such thoughts?"
The female emperor felt that Ye Jingtang wasn't lying and nodded slightly. Then she said,
"It's true that Prince Jing values martial arts, but being born into an imperial family, she has seen too many people with high martial arts skills. Lü Taiqing from Yuxu Mountain and the True Man of Xuanji are both Prince Jing's teachers. No matter how powerful an ordinary martial artist is, in Prince Jing's eyes, he is just a lackey. If you want to build a relationship with Prince Jing, you'd better find another approach."
Ye Jingtang was slightly surprised. "Miss, are you trying to give me some advice?"
The female emperor showed a smile, folded her arms across her chest, and rested her buttocks on the desk, looking like a female CEO guiding her subordinates.
"Although Prince Jing plays with weapons all day long, what she truly excels at is 'literary grace'. She is proficient in playing the guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. When you talk about martial arts, Prince Jing can't discuss it in great detail. But if you are proficient in any of the guqin, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, or songs, Prince Jing can chat with you for a long time."
Since Ye Jingtang knew that this girl was from the palace, he actually wanted to inquire about the situation in the palace. But these questions were too sensitive, and he couldn't find an opportunity to ask. When he heard her mention poetry and songs, Ye Jingtang began to find a way to extract information.
"I do know a bit about poetry."
"Oh?"
The female emperor raised her eyes and looked slightly surprised.
"I really didn't expect that. Could you compose a poem for me to evaluate? If you have real talent, I'll help you convey it to Prince Jing and say that I accidentally heard you express your feelings spontaneously. If it's just an impromptu work, it will save you from embarrassing yourself in front of Prince Jing."
Ye Jingtang nodded and smiled. With one hand behind his back, he looked out of the window at the imperial palace and pondered for a moment.
"Hmm... When autumn arrives on the eighth day of the ninth month, after my flowers bloom, all other flowers will wither. The fragrant aroma soars to the sky and permeates Yun'an. The whole city will be clad in golden armor."
"?"
The female emperor of the Great Wei was slightly taken aback. After carefully pondering it, a meaningful look gradually appeared in her eyes.
This poem is indeed excellent, but when you listen to it, it sounds like a rebellious poem.
Do you intend to lead an army to Yun'an in the future and usurp my throne...
You wrote this and even recited it in front of me. Aren't you afraid that I'll send you to the Cold Palace...
Considering that Ye Jingtang didn't know her identity, the female emperor didn't show any sign of displeasure.
"Did you write this poem?"
"What do you think of it, Miss?"
"It's a good poem. Do you have some unfulfilled lofty ambitions and a rough experience?"
Ye Jingtang made up a story casually. "Of course I do. I could speak and write poems at the age of three. I originally wanted to become the number one talented scholar in Liangzhou, but unfortunately, my adoptive father beat me into the Barbarian King of Liangzhou."
"Er...?"
"Just kidding. I just thought this poem was very suitable for you, Miss, so I recited it for you."
Suitable?
The female emperor of the Great Wei was slightly stunned, and a strange look appeared in her eyes.
If this poem was written for her, it was indeed quite fitting.
She and Liren were born as princesses. Although they were incredibly talented and intelligent since childhood and were deeply loved by their father, their female identities meant that they were destined not to have a stage to showcase their talents.
After their father passed away, the eldest prince ascended the throne. Out of old grudges, he even wanted to marry their sisters to the enemy state of Beiliang.
Then she staged a scene of "the whole city is clad in golden armor", purged the court with blood, deposed her elder brother, and took the throne that only men had ever occupied throughout history. Since then, she was no longer restricted by anyone, not even by rules and etiquette, and became the ruler of this land.
The female emperor thought that Ye Jingtang had seen through her identity and was showing off his poetic talent to please her, hoping to enter the palace and become her bed warmer.
But after carefully observing Ye Jingtang, she didn't think so. So she asked,
"What do you mean by that?"
Ye Jingtang turned his gaze out of the window and let out a sigh.
"I heard that the women in the palace are all the emperor's women. But our emperor probably doesn't favor women. Miss, you are so beautiful, yet you have to spend half your life alone and miserable in the deep palace. Isn't this just like a frustrated scholar? However, with your way of speaking and appearance, I think that one day, you will surely 'after my flowers bloom, all other flowers will wither'..."
"?"
This time, the female emperor understood what he meant. The audacious Young Master Ye in front of her was trying every means to flirt with her because he thought she was beautiful!
The female emperor of the Great Wei raised her eyebrows slightly and sized up Ye Jingtang's figure.
"It's not as lonely and miserable in the palace as you said. If a palace maid is not favored, she can leave the palace and get married at the age of twenty-five. I'm still in the palace because I look down on the men outside."
Ye Jingtang just wanted to start a conversation, so he took the opportunity to ask,
"Is it interesting in the palace? Besides serving others, what else do you do, Miss?"
"Everyone has their own duties. We take care of the palaces, courtyards, and plants. The imperial palace is so large that we can also walk around in our spare time."
The places where palace maids can stroll and play are definitely not the core areas where the emperor appears. Looking at the imperial palace, Ye Jingtang asked,
"Is that so? I think the palace is full of buildings and there are no special landscapes. Where do you usually go for a walk, Miss?"
The female emperor raised her slender finger and pointed to the Imperial Garden behind the imperial palace.
"Over there. See? To the right of Fushou Palace."
Ye Jingtang looked in that direction and found it was in the northwest corner of the imperial city. He was about to nod. But upon closer inspection, he saw a huge tree in the area she pointed to. The trunk was estimated to be several zhang in circumference, and it was already taller than the palaces.
Ye Jingtang's heart skipped a beat, and he asked,
"That tree is so big. What kind of tree is it?"
"It's a ginkgo tree. It has a history of more than 1,200 years and was planted by the beloved concubine of Emperor Xuandi of Wu."
"1,200 years old?"
Ye Jingtang's eyes showed amazement, but in his heart, he was delighted. His adoptive father only mentioned the ginkgo tree in the letter and didn't mention anything else. Most likely, this was the ginkgo tree where the Minglong Diagram was hidden.
Although it was still out of reach, at least he could see the location with his own eyes.
Ye Jingtang secretly memorized the location of the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree and began to examine the surrounding terrain...
The female emperor saw Ye Jingtang looking at the ginkgo tree in the distance and asked,
"Do you want to go and take a look?"
"?!"
Ye Jingtang quickly retracted his gaze and smiled.
"I've never heard of a 1,200-year-old tree before. I'm definitely curious. But this is the imperial palace, and as a man, how dare I go in? Could it be that you can let me visit, Miss?"
The female emperor could naturally arrange it, but she didn't say it explicitly. Instead, she said,
"The poem you recited earlier was good, but it has too much murderous intent and seems somewhat rebellious. Don't talk about it casually in the future. I'll just pretend I never heard it."
"If you think it's inappropriate, Miss, I definitely won't mention it."
"You can be busy, Young Master. I'll go down and take a look. We'll meet again if fate allows."
Ye Jingtang's mind was all focused on the ginkgo tree, and he didn't try to persuade this unforgettable female official to stay.
However, just as the woman was about to disappear at the stairway, he thought that getting to know someone from the palace might be helpful for retrieving the Minglong Diagram in the future. So he spoke up again,
"It's also a kind of fate that we've met. May I ask your name, Miss?"
The female emperor gave Ye Jingtang a meaningful look as she walked gracefully. It was only when her figure disappeared that a voice came,
"Yuhu."
Ye Jingtang thought the name was rather strange, but for some reason, he also felt that it was very much in line with the woman's temperament, as delicate as jade and as imposing as a tiger...
Of course, it wasn't the "tiger" like a tigress, but the "tiger" in the saying "The woman at the foot of the mountain is like a tiger"...
After the woman's footsteps faded away, Ye Jingtang went to the window and looked at the landscape lake, searching for the jade object he had thrown away. There were maids walking by the lake, and if he went into the water to retrieve the "corner gentleman", he would definitely be discovered.
While he was thinking about a solution, a maid from the prince's mansion suddenly rushed upstairs holding clothes and a saber.
"Young Master Ye, Prince Jing asks you to return to your residence first. She will summon you again after she's done with her business. Hurry up and change your clothes. I'll escort you out of the prince's mansion."
"Hmm?"
Ye Jingtang didn't expect that Prince Jing would let him leave without even meeting him. He didn't want to insist either. He looked at the lake in the garden, planning to pick up the jade object when he went out.
Unexpectedly, the maid didn't lead him out through the main gate. Instead, she sneaked around circuitously and sent him to the back street through a side gate used by servants, as if they were doing something shameful...