indianbanksassociation #427 - The master is here
#427 - The master is here
The Imperial Palace.
This majestic and solemn palace presents a unique spectacle in the summer of the capital.
Summer arrives a bit later in the capital. As the summer heat begins to spread outside the palace, the eunuchs inside are already busy pruning the trees.
To prevent assassins from hiding in the tall, dense trees, any tree that grows too lush is carefully trimmed.
As the weather gradually warms, everything within the Imperial Palace seems to radiate vitality, and everyone's life appears increasingly prosperous.
"Brother Jin, you wouldn't believe how good the Lady is to me!"
Su Lian excitedly stood beside Liang Jin, who was on duty, her face beaming with a happy smile:
"Anything good she eats, she always saves some for us servants."
"By the way, Brother Jin, have you ever had wine? Last time, the Empress Dowager rewarded the Lady with some wine, and the Lady shared a cup with me. It was sweet and sour, so delicious!"
Just look at Su Lian's current complexion, her rosy cheeks, and her constant smile, and you can tell that Zhaorong Xu treats her very well.
Liang Jin, dressed in heavy armor and clutching a long spear, was under the scorching sun. His armor had long become scalding hot, and he felt like he was trapped in a fiery iron can.
He smiled at Su Lian and said:
"I see that your hands haven't been injured for a while now. Looks like you haven't been doing any heavy work lately?"
Su Lian nodded vigorously and said:
"Yes! Brother Jin, you wouldn't believe how easy my work is now!"
"Unlike before, Consort Zhang's palace was so big, and there were so many places to clean; Consort Zhang had so many visitors, and we servants were always so busy that we couldn't handle it all."
"Now, Zhaorong's place is small, and there are few guests. Everyone gets along like a family, it's so much fun!"
Su Lian said excitedly, rattling off a long list of her current daily life.
Liang Jin listened patiently with a smile.
He was already a good listener, and he genuinely enjoyed hearing these things. He was sincerely happy for Su Lian that she was doing well.
Liang Jin was actually quite satisfied with his recent life.
He was gradually feeling an unprecedented sense of ease!
And this sense of ease had quietly descended as his strength continued to improve.
The moment he successfully defeated a Third-Rank martial artist, he knew that he had a foothold in this world and no longer needed to fear the vast majority of people.
With the pressure in his heart lifted, everything in the world became beautiful, and life seemed to be more comfortable and free.
However, the only thing that worried Liang Jin was Zhao Bao.
Zhao Bao had not returned to the capital since leaving Qingzhou.
Liang Jin had used the 【Thousand Mile Tracking】 ability to check his whereabouts and found that Zhao Bao had been lingering halfway back to the capital for a long time.
However, as long as Zhao Bao was still alive, there would basically be no major problems.
After all, as a member of the Secret Affairs Bureau, it was very likely that Zhao Bao had been delayed by a special mission en route.
If he still hadn't moved in a while, Liang Jin planned to have his clone arrange for someone to investigate.
"By the way, Brother Jin, Auntie is leaving the palace today."
Su Lian's mood suddenly turned gloomy as she said this:
"Once Auntie leaves, I'm afraid I'll never see her again."
"It's a pity that it's even difficult to see her and send her off..."
Liang Jin naturally knew that the "Auntie" Su Lian was talking about was Guo Min, the Vice Director of the Laundry Bureau.
That woman couldn't be considered kind-hearted, but she was grateful.
Su Lian had once done her a favor, and since then, Guo Min had given Su Lian a lot of care and help.
Guo Min was already over thirty years old. If she were an ordinary palace maid, she would have left the palace long ago, but because she had become a female official, she was able to stay in the palace for a few more years.
Liang Jin couldn't help but recall the scenes he had seen on television in his previous life. Those palace maids were all dressed in bright clothes, as if they could be as carefree as birds returning to the forest after leaving the palace.
But reality was much crueler.
Take the Qing Dynasty in Liang Jin's previous life, for example. The average life expectancy of the common people was only thirty-three years, and for a long time in the Qing Dynasty, palace maids had to be thirty years old to leave the palace.
In the palace, they bore heavy workloads, and after overworking, they had no time to relax. They had to be vigilant at all times and maintain a high degree of mental tension.
Under this double pressure of body and mind, the palace maids' physical condition deteriorated.
Liver disease was one of the most common ailments they suffered from.
Prolonged emotional depression affected the liver's normal detoxification function, and toxins accumulated in the body. Over time, not only would liver disease develop, but other diseases would follow.
Even if they managed to survive until they left the palace, their bodies had long been hollowed out, plagued by all kinds of ailments, and their health was in critical condition.
Once the environment changed drastically after leaving the palace, the string that had been tightly stretched suddenly relaxed, and many palace maids' bodies immediately collapsed.
Most palace maids could not live for more than a few years after leaving the palace.
Although this world was a chaotic world of martial artists, the average life expectancy could reach more than forty years, which was much higher than in the Qing Dynasty.
But this also meant that, at Guo Min's age, once she left the palace, it would probably be very difficult for her to see Su Lian again in this lifetime.
As Su Lian spoke, she couldn't help but tear up:
"In the beginning, I thought she was especially bad, always trying to make things difficult for us."
"But later, I found out that she was quite good. Every time a noble person rewarded her with osmanthus cake, she would save a few pieces for me."
"She also helped me to connect with Steward Hu and find a new backer so that I could serve the ladies in the harem."
"She should be packing her things now. Judging by the time, she's probably going to leave the palace completely in half an hour..."
Su Lian became more and more sad as she spoke. Although she tried hard to hold back her sobs, the tears still flowed uncontrollably.
In the iron cage in the corner of the distance.
The fat Prince Huaiyang, Zhao Yu, was scratching his body, seemingly listening intently to Su Lian's story.
Usually, no one was willing to talk to him.
Liang Jin was always silent when he was on guard alone, only sending Zhao Yu some food and clothes on time. Other than that, he was too lazy to communicate with him.
As for others, they were even more afraid of Prince Huaiyang, Zhao Yu, for fear that once they got involved with him, they would bring disaster upon themselves, so no one dared to say a word to him.
Only Su Lian would chatter non-stop whenever she came to find Liang Jin, sharing all sorts of fresh and interesting things she had encountered.
These stories seemed to inject a bit of vitality into Zhao Yu's dull and tedious life, and he would occasionally chuckle foolishly, indicating that he was really listening.
After pondering for a moment, Liang Jin said:
"It's not impossible for you to go and see her off..."
Upon hearing this, Su Lian looked at Liang Jin in confusion.
Today was the day of the Classics Mat lecture held at the Wenhua Hall, and a large number of civil officials gathered there, which led to the temporary closure of the road to the Laundry Bureau.
The Classics Mat lecture would not end for at least another one or two hours, so Su Lian obviously wouldn't be able to make it in time.
But Liang Jin said there was a way, so how could she not be confused?
Liang Jin continued:
"Xiao Lian, hurry to the Laundry Bureau now, you will definitely be able to see Auntie in time."
"On the way, you may encounter some sounds of fighting. But don't be afraid, no one will hurt you."
"Just boldly walk forward, and after seeing Auntie off, stay in the Laundry Bureau for a while, and then come back after the lockdown is lifted."
Su Lian was still full of confusion and bewilderment after hearing these words.
In the iron cage on the side, Zhao Yu chuckled foolishly, his eyes fixed on Liang Jin and Su Lian.
Liang Jin said earnestly:
"Trust me, go quickly!"
Seeing that Liang Jin was so certain, Su Lian couldn't help but believe him a little.
She immediately lifted her skirt and hurried towards the Laundry Bureau, her lithe figure quickly disappearing behind the corridor.
Only then did Liang Jin turn around and make a shushing gesture to Zhao Yu, who was locked in the iron cage.
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Then, his figure flashed.
Despite wearing heavy armor, he was like a bolt of black lightning, instantly flying to the top of the corridor.
In the palace, towers stood in great numbers, and the Imperial Guards closely observed every move in the palace from above at all times.
And the Imperial Guards responsible for guarding were naturally the most familiar with the security situation of the palace.
Liang Jin had been stationed here for many years, and he knew the situation in this area like the back of his hand, even the inconspicuous blind spots were clear to him.
Although Liang Jin was in a high position at this time, it happened to be in the blind spot of the Imperial Guards on the sentry tower.
And while lying here, he could clearly overlook the situation in a large area nearby, and even the movements of the Wenhua Hall were in full view.
The Classics Mat lecture held every month in the Wenhua Hall used to be heavily guarded because the emperor would come to participate in person.
But now that the emperor no longer resides in the palace, the Classics Mat lecture has also lost its original most important meaning.
At the appointed time, a group of civil officials would still gather here, hoping that the emperor would suddenly appear, but each time they were destined to be disappointed.
So the lockdown here is just a formality.
Sending two Imperial Guards to stand at the intersection and prohibiting irrelevant people from passing is considered completing the task.
If it were dignitaries, such a lockdown would naturally be useless.
But these two Imperial Guards are enough to stop the little eunuchs and palace maids.
Of course, the entire palace's defense system is a closely linked whole, and often a single move affects the whole body.
If someone forcibly breaks through, it will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions.
But Liang Jin is going to break through today!
In the iron cage, Zhao Yu couldn't help but press his face tightly against the edge of the iron cage, his eyes full of curiosity and expectation, staring intently at Liang Jin hidden in the heights, as if he couldn't wait to know what Liang Jin was going to do next.
Just then.
Liang Jin could see that Su Lian was approaching the restricted area.
Su Lian cautiously approached the two Imperial Guards blocking the road.
Her pace slowed down unconsciously, and her heart was pounding like a deer.
With each step forward, she could clearly feel the increasingly intense atmosphere of tension, and a few more steps forward, she knew very well that she would be loudly stopped by the Imperial Guards.
Suddenly!
"Shua!"
A black shadow flashed past the two Imperial Guards blocking the road like a ghost, so fast that it was like a meteor streaking across the sky.
The gust of wind brought by the figure stirred the corners of the Imperial Guards' clothes, and its footsteps were even heavier, as if afraid that others would not notice it.
The two Imperial Guards were instantly alert and shouted angrily:
"Who is it?!"
"Stop right there!"
However, the figure was unmoved, not even turning its head, and sped away into the distance.
Even... the Imperial Guards could clearly see that the figure was actually carrying a unsheathed long sword and a sharp blood droplet in his hand!
Such behavior was undoubtedly a taboo in the palace, seriously provoking the dignity and order of the palace.
"Someone! Come quickly!"
"There's an assassin! Catch the assassin!!!"
The Imperial Guards shouted loudly while raising the long spears in their hands without hesitation and chasing after the fleeing figure.
Their steps were rapid and powerful, and the ground was covered with dust.
At the same time, the Imperial Guards on the sentry tower also noticed the abnormality below.
The sentry quickly reached out and took out the horn from his waist, blowing it with all his strength.
"Woo—!!!"
In an instant, the deep and melodious sound of the horn suddenly rang out over the palace, the sound seeming to penetrate the layers of palace walls and reach every corner.
This sound was both a warning and a signal for assembly.
The surrounding Imperial Guards, after hearing this sharp horn sound, followed the guidance of the flags and flag signals on the high sentry towers, and rushed towards the target area like a tide.
Their steps were neat, their momentum was fierce, and the armor on their bodies shone with a cold light in the sun.
Su Lian was completely stunned, standing there blankly.
The sudden change in front of her had far exceeded her imagination.
The originally quiet palace road instantly became noisy and chaotic, with running Imperial Guards and shouts everywhere, a chaotic scene.
But at this moment, the road in front of her was indeed unimpeded.
Su Lian was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth, and a sense of determination surged in her heart.
She lifted her skirt and hurriedly ran towards the Laundry Bureau along the rare unobstructed road in front of her.
On the other side.
Liang Jin had been quietly watching all this.
Just now, he released the War Puppet Desolate Walker to lure away the Imperial Guards, and now he had already put away the War Puppet Desolate Walker, and the Imperial Guards were destined to find nothing.
"Oh, a master is coming."
Liang Jin noticed something and looked in another direction.