Chang 'an City must be very lively tonight. After a night of fighting, Ning Que was very tired, but the blood and knives in the rainy night made him a little excited. He imagined what was happening in each of the markets, guessed Chao Xiaoshu's trump card, and speculated where he would go the next day. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
He kicked Sangsang awake through the thin quilt. They talked about these things for a while, but still couldn't understand. Sangsang saw that he looked haggard but couldn't fall asleep. She thought for a while, put on an unlined robe, and brought back a jar of liquor. The two sat on opposite sides of the bed and drank. As usual, most of the liquor went into Sangsang's stomach. Ning Que couldn't overcome the alcohol after a few sips and finally fell asleep.
The next morning, the spring rain that had lingered for several days suddenly stopped. The beautiful sun came out from behind the rain clouds without a greeting and shone on the birds jumping in the treetops. A horse carriage quietly stopped at the door of the Old Brush Pen Shop. A young man who looked like a manservant got off the carriage. He pushed open the half-closed wooden door without a greeting and looked at the master and servant who had just woken up. He raised his chin slightly and said coldly, "Let's go."
This was probably the person Chao Xiaoshu had said would come to pick him up. Ning Que looked at the manservant and noticed that the man's eyes and brows were peaceful, but there was a hint of arrogance in them. From the man's flat Adam's apple and his slightly different standing posture, he should be one of the eunuchs in the palace.
Last night, Ning Que knew that Chao Xiaoshu's backer was in the palace. Today, a little eunuch came to pick him up. Naturally, Ning Que wasn't too surprised. He was just thinking about whether he should give him a red packet, and how big it should be.
In his impression of the novels, the emperor was not anxious, but the eunuchs were anxious. It meant that the emperor was easy to provoke, but the eunuchs were not. In the stories, whenever the protagonist met a eunuch, no matter if the eunuch was a steward or a servant, he would choose an opportunity to hand over a few thin banknotes or even a piece of jade. When he read those stories, the biggest question he had was, where did the protagonists get so many pieces of jade? (Note)
Ning Que raised his eyebrows and glanced at Sangsang, asking her if she should prepare something with his eyes. Sangsang had always been a stingy girl. She was slightly startled and turned her head away, pretending that she did not understand what he meant. Her young master was not a generous person. After thinking for a while, she decided that she might as well pretend to be ignorant and save some money.
The little eunuch held his hands behind his back and casually looked around the shop. Like an old man, he nodded and said in a clear voice, "I heard that there are some good characters in this alley. Today I came to take a look, and it is indeed not bad. There are nobles in the palace who want to see your writing. Quickly wash up and come with me."
Ning Que thought that this was a good excuse. He looked at his clothes and bowed to the young eunuch with hands folded in front. He said with a smile, "This is how I usually dress. How can a poor scholar dress up like a flower?"
He was a little worried that the eunuch would make things difficult for him because he did not receive the red envelope. He did not expect that the eunuch did not care. Instead, he smiled and seemed to like his way of talking. He nodded at him and walked out of the shop.
In the somewhat cramped carriage, the little eunuch closed his eyes and rested all the way. Judging from his behavior at Lin 47th Street, he did not seem to have any opinions about Ning Que, nor did he disdain to talk to him. He was just habitually cautious outside the palace.
Ning Que, on the contrary, felt that it was so quiet. He lifted a corner of the curtain and looked at the scenery along the street. Under the bright sunshine, the people of Chang 'an walked in the market place with smiles on their faces. The business of the breakfast shops was booming. From time to time, he could hear people calling for their friends. There was no trace of the bloody fight in Jianghu last night.
After an unknown amount of time, two rows of willow trees blocked their line of sight. A comfortable shadow covered the entire carriage and the stone path that the carriage passed through. The shadow did not come from the willow trees, but from the royal palace behind the willow trees and the moat.
The Tang Empire was the most powerful country in the world. Chang 'an City was the most magnificent city in the world. The imperial palace of the Tang Empire could be described as the most magnificent palace in the world. It might not be appropriate to use the word "magnificent" to describe the imperial palace. However, the imperial palace of the Tang Empire had inherited the grandeur of the Tang people for thousands of years. The red walls were thick and the yellow eaves were like swords. The atmosphere was grand and solemn. It did not look like a romantic and noble place where the three palaces, six courtyards, and 72 concubines gathered in the morning. Instead, it looked more like an impregnable pass standing in the center of the Tang Empire.
Ning Que looked up at the majestic imperial palace. His gaze followed the extremely high red walls to the Tang Empire's Yulin Forest Army soldiers who looked like black dots on the city wall. His expression was calm, but he was silently admiring it.
It was a pity that the carriage did not enter through the Vermilion Bird main gate. Instead, it went around the moat and then drove in through a very inconspicuous side gate. The carriage entered the imperial palace and drove slowly on the narrow road. It did not know how many turns it took. His line of sight was completely blocked by the high walls and eaves beside the carriage. He could only see the sky that was cut into pieces by the eaves. He did not have the chance to see the entire imperial palace. He only felt that the palace inside was extremely high.
In the distance, they could see a blue lake. The young eunuch led Ning Que down the carriage and started walking. The two walked along the dense sea of bamboo by the lake. After a few minutes, they passed through a wide rain corridor supported by red pillars and stopped in front of a row of small inconspicuous halls. What made Ning Que feel a little confused and even vigilant was that he did not see any bodyguards on such a long journey. He did not even see a eunuch or palace maid.
The young eunuch turned his head and looked at him expressionlessly. He said, "This is the imperial study. I can only bring you up to here. You can wait here. Someone will bring you out of the palace after you have seen them."
Ning Que did not care much. He was looking at the strange flowers and trees in front of the hall with great interest. He looked at the flower boats on the lake that were covered by weeping willows in the distance. He was just about to see if he could see a few beautiful palace maids when he suddenly heard the words "imperial study". His body could not help but slightly stiffen. He turned around and looked at the inconspicuous rooms behind him in shock.
A man's most private place was not the bedroom, but the study.
In the snowy morning of winter, he could read forbidden books in the study. In the summer dusk, he could watch erotic movies naked in the study. In the warm afternoon of spring, he could write ambiguous love letters in the study. In the late night of autumn, he could pull his red sleeves and knead them in his arms.
There were no old women to disturb him here. There were no children to play with. All private and happy things could be done openly with the fragrance of books. No one would disturb him.
The emperor was also a man. The imperial study was naturally his most private place. In history, many important events and dirty things happened in the imperial study. If one was not the emperor's most trusted confidant or a confidant that he was prepared to give absolute trust to, he was absolutely not qualified to enter the imperial study.
Wu Zetian entered the imperial study, Zhang Juzheng entered the imperial study, Wei Zhongxian entered the imperial study, Wei Xiaobao entered the imperial study … Ning Que stared blankly at the closed door of the imperial study and thought with emotion. How many great women and former eunuchs and powerful officials had become successful because they entered this small study? He did not expect that such an opportunity would fall on his head today.
Last night, he guessed that Chao Xiaoshu's backer was someone in the palace, and that person in the palace was very likely His Majesty himself. However, guessing and proving it were two different things. The youth who had been homeless and miserable for the past 16 years suddenly found that he seemed to have the opportunity to rise to the top in a single step. He could not help but feel a little shocked. He finally understood that what Chao Xiaoshu said last night was truer than gold and silver. This was really the thickest thigh in the world.
"No one will come here in half an hour. If anyone asks, just answer as I taught you. Say that Lu Ji brought you into the palace."
Full of emotion, Ning Que did not notice that the little eunuch had quietly left. When he woke up, he found that there was no one around the imperial study.
He was in a strange and strict palace with no one around him. The cool and pleasant environment suddenly became a little gloomy. Even someone as bold as him could not help but feel a little uncomfortable. He stood in front of the corridor and waited for a moment. Suddenly, he thought that he should go in first.
He and Sangsang had been amazed for a long time when they entered Chang 'an City like country bumpkins. Moreover, this was the palace. He did not understand the rules at all. He just thought this way according to common sense, so he did as he said. He gently coughed twice and pretended to bow to the imperial study. Then he pushed the door open and walked in.
The so-called natural course was all fake. Ning Que just wanted to go in. Over the years, the most important part of his life, besides meditation and martial arts, was calligraphy. Today, he had a rare opportunity to enter the imperial study. Of course, he was eager to see this study, which was rumored to have countless famous calligraphies. This desire was so strong that he had completely forgotten the so-called rules.
Pushing open the door and entering, the first thing that entered his eyes was an extremely tall row of bookshelves leaning against the wall. The bookshelves were horizontal and vertical, and their style was extremely ordinary and simple. However, the wood used was the extremely valuable Dongyu Huanghuali. The bookshelves were densely packed with all kinds of books, and the arrangement was uneven. However, they were all extremely valuable and unique treasures.
There were a few sheets of writing paper on the desk. A brush was placed on the inkstone like a thin raft in a clear pool, immersed in the ink, and several other brushes were placed messily on the brush rack. The paper was Xuanzhou bud paper, the brush was Hengdian pure brush, the ink was Chenzhou pine ink, and the inkstone was Huangzhou mud inkstone. None of them were eye-catching, but all of them were precious tributes.
If these brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone could be taken back to Lin 47th Street and sold, how much could they be sold for? Ning Que looked around in a daze, and for no reason, such a ridiculous idea came into his mind. Then his eyes were attracted by the calligraphy hanging on the three white walls.
Looking at these calligraphy that were hard to find in the world, he was shocked beyond words. He slowly moved his feet, and his eyes fell on the original works of famous calligraphies, as well as the inscriptions and seals. His right hand subconsciously drew in the air and began to copy them. His face was full of praise and joy.
He went to the desk and looked at the five thick characters on the paper. He could not help but frown and murmured, "His Majesty's appreciation is very high, but this calligraphy is really not good."
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