The arrival of Prince Yi, Yang Yin, at Hongxiuzhao was unexpected by everyone. When the servants shouted "Prince Yi has arrived!" at the street corner, even a composed old man like Huai Qiugong showed a slight change in expression. Ten years—not short, not long, certainly not long enough for someone to forget everything.
Fang Jie had heard from the old cripple that ten years ago, Xi Huamei left Chang'an to search for Prince Zhong, Yang Qi, traveling far and wide. Not long after she left, Prince Yi, Yang Yin, used a decree to expel Hongxiuzhao from Chang'an. Those girls, having lost their anchor, scattered, many ending up in prostitution.
The events of that year were widely discussed in Chang'an. It was precisely this somewhat impatient attempt to replace Prince Zhong that caused Yang Yin to lose even more than Xi Huamei had lost. He initially believed that Prince Zhong, Yang Qi's departure from Chang'an was a covert operation by the Emperor, a signal that the Emperor intended to eliminate Prince Zhong's power. Therefore, he made a swift decision. However, he didn't expect that his decision would not only fail to please the Emperor but also incur his wrath.
From then on, he never had another chance to wield power in the court.
In this respect alone, he was far inferior to Prince Zhong. Prince Zhong didn't enter the court, yet every official respected him. He wanted to enter the court, but not a single official flattered or fawned over him.
Thus, he unsurprisingly drifted away from the center of power.
Although he was a prince, and although he was the Emperor's only remaining brother in Chang'an,
noble status did not equate to great power. Fortunately, he spent ten years adapting to and even loving his current life. Even the common people knew who in Chang'an was the most discerning and pleasure-seeking person.
Since its founding, the Sui Dynasty, to ensure the stability of the emperor's throne, had a practice where each emperor, upon ascending the throne, would first strip his brothers of all their rights. This had become a convention, and gradually, it had evolved into a rule. Princes who lost their right to vie for the throne could only accept their fate.
The succession to the Sui Dynasty throne was never short of stories of fratricide.
Prince Yi, Yang Yin, alighted from his carriage from a distance and slowly walked towards the Red Sleeve Pavilion. Nobles, led by Prince Xu, Yang Kai, hurriedly went to greet him. Xi Huamei, still supporting the elderly Huai Qiugong, appeared calm and composed.
Standing at the door, Fang Jie carefully examined the man in royal robes approaching. He whispered to Mu Xiaoyao beside him, "Xiaoyao, if we get a chance, how about we grab that prince and beat him up?"
"No."
Mu Xiaoyao, disguised as a servant greeting guests, lowered her voice. "Don't let Master Xi's good intentions go to waste!"
Fang Jie smiled. "I was just saying. Master Luo said that this bastard was the one who bestowed the title of 'Red Sleeve Pavilion' ten years ago. Master Xi has been kind to us, and this bastard is Master Xi's enemy, the rival of Prince Zhong, the creator of Red Sleeve Pavilion. If I get the chance, I really want to slap him twice."
Mu Xiaoyao knew Fang Jie's temperament; he would never do anything impulsive.
She noticed everyone's attention was drawn to Prince Yi, Yang Yin, and whispered in Fang Jie's ear, "Now is the time. We should go."
Fang Jie nodded and quietly slipped out of the crowd when no one was looking.
However, neither he nor Mu Xiaoyao noticed a young man in brocade robes staring intently at them from a distance. The young man's eyes were cold and brooding, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He turned and gave a few instructions to his attendants, then glanced at his two companions walking ahead of him, frowned, and turned to leave.
Fang Jie and Mu Xiaoyao arrived at the back courtyard of Hongxiuzhao, where the large dog waiting there was already quite anxious. Seeing Fang Jie return, it immediately went to greet him.
"How did it go?"
He asked.
"Let's go now."
Fang Jie only said one sentence, then picked up Shen Qingshan, who was lying on a reclining chair, and quickly walked to a carriage, gently placing her inside. Shen Qingshan had also changed into a blue robe and black boots, exactly like the servants of Hongxiuzhao.
"To ensure our escape, Lady Xi opened her business ahead of schedule. With the Ministry of War's affairs being so important, opening at this time would be extremely unwise. Her help is already a great favor."
Fang Jie said in a low voice, "When we leave the city, try not to move. If the guards at the city gate ask, just say we're servants of Hongxiuzhao, going twenty li outside the city to fetch spring water to brew tea for our distinguished guests. Hongxiuzhao has made such a grand spectacle today; the guards must know. Especially now that Prince Yi is here, everyone has to give Hongxiuzhao some face. We can't carry weapons, so leaving the city shouldn't be difficult."
Fang Jie briefly explained the plan.
"I'm afraid it will implicate Lady Xi,"
Da Quan sighed.
"It's alright, Lady Xi has her own explanation. If anyone finds out, she can just say that a few servants of Hongxiuzhao were knocked unconscious and their clothes were stolen. Who could find out anything?"
Fang Jie jumped onto the carriage, cracked his whip, and shouted. The old horse pulling the carriage neighed and slowly pulled it out of the backyard of Hongxiuzhao. Before leaving, Fang Jie glanced at the three warhorses from Northern Liao in the stable, a hint of regret in his eyes.
They were three fine horses, especially the one as red as fire.
At the entrance of a small alley, Luo Wen, hidden at the street corner, watched Fang Jie drive the carriage away from Hongxiuzhao. He turned and instructed Luo Erlang, "Keep an eye on where they go. If they're leaving the city, don't act rashly; wait until they're out. If they're going somewhere else, keep a close eye on them, and make your move tonight."
"Yes, sir!"
Luo Erlang responded and quickly left with several servants. Dozens of miles outside Chang'an, a handsome young man in white patted the forehead of the white tiger beside him. He glanced at the faint outline of the Sui capital ahead and whispered, "Go hide in the woods. If you get hungry, find some food yourself. But remember, don't kill anyone. This isn't the Great Snow Mountain; even the demons here don't respect Buddha, let alone a beast guarding the Great Snow Mountain like you. If you recklessly throw your life away… well, that's your karma."
The white tiger seemed to understand, turning and leaping into the woods.
The young man in white straightened his clothes and then slowly walked onto the official road. The Sui capital was almost within reach, and he… seemed completely unmoved.
…
…
The carriage moved smoothly, even somewhat slowly. Big Dog took the riding whip from Fang Jie, glanced at him, and whispered, "What if we get stopped at the city gate?"
Fang Jie seemed somewhat absent-minded, lost in thought. Hearing Big Dog's question, he replied, "Let the guards check if they want. There's no other way now; we can only take a gamble. The only one who saw Shen Qingshan's appearance that night was that ninth-rank expert. He can't possibly be out there guarding dozens of city gates, can he?"
"Hmm."
Big Dog hummed in response, sounding unsure of himself.
"What are you thinking about?"
After a moment of silence, Big Dog asked. Fang Jie looked at the shops lining the street and the bustling crowds, and couldn't help but smile helplessly. "Not long ago, we were racking our brains trying to figure out how to establish ourselves in the capital. We were even thinking about using our capital to find some business to supplement our expenses. A few days ago, we even found a shop in a good location for sale, and we were almost done negotiating the price with the owner… It was a really good shop, it's a bit of a pity."
Da Quan knew that the pity Fang Jie was referring to wasn't about the shop itself.
"Maybe we'll come back,"
Da Quan said. "Who knows?"
Fang Jie said with a touch of melancholy, "We've been traveling for fifteen years, never revisiting any place. Every road we've traveled seems like a missed opportunity. Whether we can ever return to the capital, I don't know. But at least we can't go back to Fan Gu… Now we should be thinking, where can we go?"
Da Quan thought for a moment and said, "Besides the capital, what's the safest place in the Great Sui?"
"Qing Le Mountain."
Fang Jie answered this question without hesitation.
"Alright, let's go to Qing Le Mountain."
Da Quan said.
Fang Jie shook his head slightly, "Even if we go to Qing Le Mountain, with my constitution, I simply can't enter the Yi Qi Temple to cultivate. Without entering the Yi Qi Temple, how can I say it's safe? There are countless sects, large and small, in the Great Sui, but unfortunately, not a single one is open to me."
Da Quan, unwilling to give up, reached out and pinched Fang Jie's pulse, then his eyes changed.
"Three places."
He said.
His face was full of surprise. Fang Jie paused, looking at the large dog and asking, "Are you sure?"
The large dog nodded, unsure what to say.
Fang Jie was silent for a moment, then suddenly said in a very low voice, "There's something very strange, I haven't told anyone... because I'm not sure why, so I'm a little apprehensive..."
He took a bowl of water from the carriage, picked it up with his left hand and placed it on his right. Then his right hand slowly clenched, and a second later, with a crack... the porcelain bowl shattered. The shards scattered on the ground, making a series of crisp sounds.
The large dog's eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief: "It's healed?"
"Healed."
"When?"
"I could barely move it the day before yesterday, yesterday I tried and could clench my fist, and this morning when I woke up, I naturally got dressed and buttoned my clothes... using my right hand."
"That's impossible!"
The large dog exclaimed softly. "I know it's impossible."
Fang Jie pinched the big dog's thigh hard, and the dog immediately groaned in pain: "What are you doing?"
"I wanted to see if I was dreaming."
It definitely wasn't a dream, because the big dog felt pain.
Both fell silent, neither knowing how to continue the conversation. After a long silence, Fang Jie suddenly let out a long sigh and said in a low voice, "I suddenly feel like I've missed something... Back in Fan Gu, that night at the Yun Ji dog meat shop, I drank with that man in the blue robe, and then I lost consciousness. After that, you said some kind of poison in my body was cured, a poison that you and Sister Xiao Yao couldn't cure for over ten years... Now that I think about it, it can only be that man in the blue robe tampered with my body."
"He must have been an incredibly powerful figure, right?"
Fang Jie sighed, "So I feel like I've missed something."
He looked at Da Quan seriously and said, "Just like now, I've missed the capital of the Sui Dynasty."
As he finished speaking, the city gate was already visible in the distance. Although the city gate looked no different from usual, Fang Jie didn't need to search carefully to find many dangers lurking in the shadows. Near this city gate, at least a hundred elite soldiers were lying in ambush, perhaps also experts from the Imperial Guard, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice.
Outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense, the common people couldn't discern anything amiss. But without a doubt, every city gate of the Sui Dynasty was now far more heavily guarded than before.
...
...
When Fang Jie was stopped by the soldiers, he jumped off his carriage, approaching with a forced smile, and said, "Sir, we are employees of the newly opened Hongxiuzhao teahouse in the city. We were ordered to fetch spring water from outside the city to entertain our distinguished guests. The fine tea sent by Marquis Sanjin is specially prepared for His Highness Prince Yi, Prince Xu, and Minister of Rites Huai Lao; we are just waiting for the spring water to brew it."
"Hongxiuzhao?"
The captain who stopped Fang Jie recognized the name; he had known it eleven years ago. A native of Chang'an, he was intimately familiar with the name Hongxiuzhao.
"Why didn't you fetch water yesterday? Why go out today?"
"The nobles are very particular about their tea. The reason they use spring water from Longshouyuan outside the city is because that spring water is clear and sweet. If the water had been fetched yesterday and left to settle overnight, it wouldn't be considered living water anymore, but stagnant water. There are many intricacies to brewing tea, and I don't understand the reasons behind it. I just followed orders and went to fetch it quickly."
"I need to check your carriage."
The captain said calmly.
Fang Jie gestured for him to proceed: "Please hurry, I'm in a bit of a rush."
The captain nodded and led his men to inspect the carriage. Just as Fang Jie had predicted, the ninth-rank expert who had seen Shen Qingshan couldn't possibly be guarding all the city gates. Furthermore, the portrait the captain held was drawn based on a description and bore little resemblance to Shen Qingshan herself. In addition, Shen Qingshan had disguised herself, making it extremely difficult to spot. After inspecting the carriage, the captain and his men found only a small vat and a few wooden ladles, nothing else, and waved for them to pass.
Fang Jie quickly thanked him, boarded the carriage, and gave Da Quan a wink. Da Quan suppressed his nervousness and steadily cracked his whip.
After entering the city gate, Da Quan couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. Only then did he realize that the back of his clothes was slightly damp.
"Wait!"
Just then, the captain's urgent shout came from behind.
The shout was loud, and Da Quan's shoulders involuntarily trembled. Fang Jie turned around and saw the captain who had blocked his way earlier leading several soldiers, striding after him.
Meanwhile, less than three miles outside the city, beside the official road, the venerable monk Chen Ya, dressed in white, walked to a teahouse, sat down, and ordered a bowl of cold tea. He watched the pedestrians coming and going on the road, his gaze wandering before finally settling on the now clearly visible walls of Chang'an.
"What a huge shell! Some people walk out of it, some want to go inside, and I'm going in too… Is there something wondrous inside? Before this shell, I am so insignificant, like a speck of dust. I planted a speck of dust in my heart, and now I am a speck of dust entering this shell. As dust, I must cleanse the dust from my heart; this is a great act of kindness… This shell is a great act of kindness. Fifteen years ago, I planted a good seed; now I come to reap the good fruit."
He smiled, his smile as radiant as a woman's.