This person is too weak to fight, fainting from just one fall. How did he even become an Imperial Bodyguard?
He must have used backdoor connections and bribed his way into the Forbidden City.
Tsk tsk, in this world, money can basically let you do anything—even sneak into the Forbidden City to peep and fantasize about the emperor's women!
Fortunately, he encountered someone like me who loathes evil. I despise creepy men the most!
Wang Daxia searched his body but found nothing to identify him—no waist token, no documents, not even any special patterns on his plain clothing.
"Wake up." Wang Daxia patted his face, but he still didn't regain consciousness. Thankfully, his breathing and pulse were normal; he was just knocked out from the fall.
There was no one around, only steps. Wang Daxia couldn't carry him down the mountain to apprehend him, but if he went down to find help, he was afraid the man would wake up and escape.
This was Wang Daxia's first time in the palace, and catching a perverted guard would be a great achievement.
Wang Daxia's goal was to get promoted, make a fortune, and marry a wife. To get promoted, he needed merits, so he definitely wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip away.
What to do?
Wang Daxia had a sudden idea: he untied the man's belt, removed his pants and shoes—a technique he learned in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Without pants and shoes, a person can't run far.
Wang Daxia split the belt in two, using the pieces to bind the man's hands and feet. Then he tore the pants into strips and gagged him. This way, the man couldn't escape or call for help from his companions; he could only wait for Wang Daxia to bring people to carry him down the mountain.
Of course, it would be best if he woke up by the time I returned with help—then he could walk down the mountain himself.
Wang Daxia almost wanted to applaud his own cleverness.
Another promotion on the way.
After trussing the man up like a zongzi, Wang Daxia headed down the mountain to find his Embroidered Uniform Guard companions.
Meanwhile, at the chrysanthemum banquet, Shang Qinglan began to feel unwell after downing three cups of chrysanthemum wine. The spicy flavor of the Frost-Resisting Spicy Rabbit she had eaten earlier kept rising in her stomach, as if it were about to burst through the top of her skull.
I think I'm going to throw up again.
Shang Qinglan thought, This is bad. I can't vomit at the chrysanthemum banquet and ruin everyone's mood. So she said to Granny Song, "Nanny, I need to use the restroom."
Better to throw up in a chamber pot.
Granny Song had already given up on Shang Qinglan and was pinning her hopes on Li Jiubao, who was currently presenting an ink chrysanthemum painting to Lu Jingfei. If she accompanied Shang Qinglan to the restroom, Li Jiubao would be left unattended at the banquet.
Granny Song looked around. Wei Caiwei wasn't there—reportedly, she had gone elsewhere to rest.
So Granny Song summoned a page, rewarded him with a handful of small silver ingots, and instructed him to take Shang Qinglan to the toilet.
Although the place was called the Chrysanthemum Garden, there was no toilet. If palace attendants couldn't hold it, they usually relieved themselves on the spot—and this was no exaggeration. The Jiajing Emperor had moved to the Western Park over twenty years ago, and the Palace of Heavenly Purity had been left vacant, eventually becoming a natural toilet for the palace staff, with the stench of waste lingering year-round.
For noble guests attending the flower viewing, attendants would bring chamber pots and screens, allowing them to set up temporary toilets anywhere.
But Shang Qinglan was just a palace maiden candidate. She didn't have such privileges, couldn't relieve herself on the spot, and certainly couldn't borrow Lu Jingfei's chamber pot. So the page led Shang Qinglan out of the Chrysanthemum Garden to a palace on Qionghua Island, found a chamber pot for her, and said:
"I still have to serve at the chrysanthemum banquet. If the eunuchs can't find me, I'll get scolded. After you're done, just follow the path back on your own."Shang Qinglan waved her hand. "Thank you for your trouble. I'll return by myself later—I still remember this route."
The page left, and Shang Qinglan bent over to vomit, retching until her world spun.
She sighed deeply in regret: Ah, the Chrysanthemum Banquet was wasted again.
After vomiting, she rinsed her mouth with clean water, straightened her clothes, and stepped out of the palace. An autumn breeze blew by, making her feel dizzy and disoriented.
In truth, it wasn't the autumn breeze that was intoxicating—it was the drinker herself. The palace's chrysanthemum wine was mixed with honey, tasting sweet and light, almost like fruit syrup, yet it was highly potent. Lured by its sweetness, she had unknowingly drunk too much. Fortunately, she had thrown up some of it, or else Shang Qinglan might have collapsed drunk beside the chamber pot by now.
Thus, Shang Qinglan didn't blame the wine. She thought her dizziness was due to the wind after vomiting, making her unsteady on her feet. Luckily, there was a rose trellis by the roadside, newly built with green bamboo poles stuck into the soil.
Shang Qinglan's father was a country gentleman, and she had grown up in the countryside, familiar with farm work and possessing some strength. She gripped a bamboo pole with both hands, twisting it left and right to loosen it from the soil. Then, half-squatting, she tightened her grip and mustered all her strength, letting out a "heave" as she yanked the pole out of the trellis.
It was just the right length to use as a walking stick. Leaning on the bamboo pole, Shang Qinglan managed to walk without falling. Relying on her memory of the way there, she stumbled along the path she thought led back.
After many twists and turns, she arrived beneath a pavilion inscribed with the words "Peony Pavilion." Beside it was a garden with a plaque reading "Peony Garden."
"Wrong, wrong—I need to go to the Chrysanthemum Garden," Shang Qinglan muttered, turning back with her bamboo pole. But at the crossroads, she saw three branching paths, each lined with artificial hills, green rocks, and shaded by trees, all with identical stone-paved roads—like triplets. She couldn't tell which one was the way she had come.
With no one in sight, Shang Qinglan chose the middle path and pointed her bamboo pole at it. "You're the one. Don't let me down."
She walked along the narrow path, ascending and descending with the steps as if in a maze. Her drunken eyes blurred, and along the way, lilies, hibiscus, and other flowers bloomed. She picked them as she went, adorning her hair until her bun was a riot of competing blossoms, lively and vibrant.
Eventually, she could walk no more. The alcohol's effect intensified, making her steps unsteady and her grip on the bamboo pole falter. Ahead lay a smooth, massive rock, warmed by the sun but not hot to the touch. Shang Qinglan lay down on it, thinking, "I'll just close my eyes and rest a while. Once I recover, I'll find my way back."
But as soon as she closed her eyes, she passed out drunk, completely unconscious.
Knowing that Lu Jingfei was hosting a banquet in the Chrysanthemum Garden east of Qionghua Island, Huang Jin, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch, ordered the boatman to dock at the western pier, where it was quieter. Because the Jiajing Emperor preferred tranquility and, scarred by the psychological trauma of the Renyin Rebellion, he disliked being surrounded by crowds of women, he deliberately avoided the main event. He disembarked at the western pier without informing Lu Jingfei.
Lu Jingfei loved pomp and ceremony, caring deeply about face. Had she known the Jiajing Emperor was coming, she would have rushed over with a hundred-strong entourage and forty-nine court ladies to pay respects.
Thus, this time, the Jiajing Emperor landed on the island quietly, akin to conducting an incognito inspection within his own home.The Jiajing Emperor had not come for the scenery, but to observe the relationship between Lu Ying and Wang Daxia, testing whether Wang Daxia was worthy of the cherry blossoms. After disembarking, he immediately ordered someone to summon Wang Daxia. Then, ascending the steps, he headed to the Moon Palace at the summit of Qionghua Island to enjoy the view.
The heights were indeed cold and the most tranquil of places.
But just as the Jiajing Emperor reached the mountainside, he heard faint snoring ahead, like the purring of a cat beside a winter stove.
Qionghua Island housed various rare birds and exotic animals, so Lu Ying immediately grew vigilant, fearing an animal might disturb the emperor. She stepped forward to shield him, only to find a young woman with flowers adorning her hair asleep on a rocky outcrop, the source of the snoring.
The autumn breeze carried the scent of alcohol, and Lu Ying said, "Your Majesty, it is a drunken palace maid."
By September, those in the palace would change into python robes embroidered with chrysanthemums to suit the season, and the court ladies were all at the chrysanthemum banquet. Thus, Lu Ying assumed Shang Qinglan was a palace maid.
The Jiajing Emperor took one look and thought, what a charming young beauty, like a spring crabapple in slumber!
Using her arm as a pillow, Shang Qinglan lay sideways on the rock. Her loose python robe clung tightly to her body, subtly revealing her soft and delicate figure, stirring endless imagination and turning her modest beauty into something extraordinary.
Her head was covered in flowers, yet it did not appear vulgar. Her lively, fair, round face was like a blank canvas, ready to be painted with any color, resembling a fairy among blossoms, enhancing her flower-like countenance and moon-like grace.
The sleeping beauty’s chest rose and fell gently, emitting kitten-like snores, which made even the "misogynistic" Jiajing Emperor let down his guard and slowly approach.
An autumn breeze swept by, blowing the petals of a hibiscus from her hair onto her face. In her dream, she felt an itch, frowned, twitched her nose, and her breathing gradually quickened, as if she were about to wake.
As if guided by some unseen force, the Jiajing Emperor gently brushed the petals from her face.
With the itch gone, her breathing steadied, and Shang Qinglan continued to sleep soundly. She seemed to feel a chill and curled up slightly.
Behind the rocky outcrop was a cliff. If she were to roll over in her sleep, she would fall and be shattered to pieces.
Just as Lu Ying was about to go over and wake the palace maid to prevent her from falling, Huang Jin of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was accompanying them, said, "This place is cold and dangerous, not suitable for sleeping. You there, carry this drunken palace maid to the Moon Palace to sleep."
Huang Jin was the Jiajing Emperor’s childhood companion, having grown up with him, and he knew the emperor’s thoughts as if he were a worm in his belly. A mere lift of the emperor’s eyebrow told him what he desired.
The emperor was clearly interested in this palace maid—he had even taken the initiative to remove the petals from her face.
But with Lu Ying, a junior, present, the Jiajing Emperor could not openly order the maid to be sent to his dragon bed to serve him.
At such a moment, it fell to Eunuch Huang to speak up and make the necessary preparations.
The Jiajing Emperor continued his ascent to the Moon Palace, while several sturdy eunuchs wrapped the sleeping Shang Qinglan in their outer robes and took a shortcut to the Moon Palace.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, Wang Daxia found his companions from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Just as he was about to speak of the lecherous guard they had apprehended on the mountainside, Wu Xiaoqi of the Embroidered Uniform Guard spoke first, "We’ve finally found Hundred-Household Commander Wang! Hundred-Household Commander Wang, the Emperor is secretly summoning you to the Moon Palace. Hurry there at once! We’ve been searching for you for ages, worried we might miss the matter!"
Wang Daxia had been privately meeting with Wei Caiwei at Penglai Pavilion, which was why the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been unable to find him.Wang Daxia immediately forgot about the lecherous guard upon hearing the emperor's summons. "What? His Majesty has come to Qionghua Island? And wants to summon me? For what?"
Although Wang Daxia had been patrolling the Western Park for half a month, he had never laid eyes on the imperial countenance. Upon learning the emperor wished to see him, his mind went blank with a buzzing sound, momentarily forgetting even his own name—let alone the lecherous man.
Wu Xiaoqi hushed him, "His Majesty has come in secret and wishes to avoid attention. How would we messengers know why the Emperor wants to see Hundred-Household Commander Wang? I suspect His Majesty probably wishes to inquire about the White Lotus Sect. We've been searching for you for some time, Commander Wang. You must go for the audience immediately—how could we keep the Emperor waiting?"
Hearing this, Wang Daxia sprinted toward the Moon Palace. Halfway there, his senses finally returned. He smacked his forehead, "Ah, how could I forget the lecherous guard at Penglai Pavilion? Having others arrest him would work just as well."
He backtracked two steps, then halted, "No. Better to let that lecherous man remain tied up a while longer than keep the Emperor waiting. I should go to the Moon Palace first and report this to Commander Lu, so he can dispatch others to arrest the man at Penglai Pavilion."
Wang Daxia resumed his dash toward the Moon Palace.
Author's Note: The waters grow ever murkier.
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