The moonlight was dim tonight, and the sound of insects filled the air, as if the heavens themselves were assisting him. Although it wasn’t pitch black, Bai Lu wore all black clothes, blending into the darkness.
Bai Lu walked along the wall, as he had been wandering around for the past few days and had familiarized himself with the palace’s layout. Thanks to the rumor that he was favored by the emperor, people believed he could go wherever he pleased without anyone stopping him.
He quietly arrived at the back garden of the Bailu Palace. A willow tree grew beside the wall, and Bai Lu skillfully climbed up the rough trunk, using the faint moonlight to locate the position of the wall. He then leaped and landed steadily on the top of the wall.
Bai Lu noticed that Lin Xiao’an, despite not being particularly strong, was quite agile, living up to his name as graceful as a white deer.
He lowered his body and lay on the wall that was about thirty centimeters wide, watching the movements around him vigilantly.
After a few minutes, it seemed like no one was nearby. Bai Lu stood up, ready to jump down, when he suddenly saw a flickering red light in the distance, like a ghostly flame from the netherworld, eerie and strange.
Bai Lu’s back instantly became drenched in cold sweat. He quickly crouched down, wide-eyed, and vigilantly stared at the approaching red light.
Soon, the group with the red lights came closer. Bai Lu realized it wasn’t some supernatural phenomenon but a patrol of guards carrying lanterns. The leader appeared to be the captain of the guards, not tall in stature, with a handsome face and a slender figure similar to Lin Xiao’an’s.
Bai Lu muttered to himself while crouching on the wall: “So not all guards are big and burly types, there are pretty boys too. It’s a shame. If Chu Ya wasn’t the emperor, I would have gladly stayed as a guard—earning 8,000 yuan per month! It’s a stable job!”
Lost in his thoughts, Bai Lu didn’t notice that he accidentally kicked a piece of tile beneath his feet. The tile fell to the ground, breaking into several pieces, its sound ringing clear in the quiet night.
Bai Lu’s heart skipped a beat along with the crisp sound. He thought to himself, “It’s over.”
He was about to flip back when he suddenly heard a guard shout loudly in their direction, “Who’s there?! Come out!”
Bai Lu thought, “What’s the point of shouting? Who would come out voluntarily?”
Then, he heard the captain of the guards scold, “What’s the use of shouting? Would a thief come out voluntarily? Go and check!”
Bai Lu: “…”
They’re all the same.
The guards hurriedly approached, and Bai Lu instinctively wanted to move forward a few steps. However, the captain of the guards suddenly became aggressive and said, “I see you! If you don’t want to be shot with an arrow, come down!”
Bai Lu was shocked, “Damn! I’m dressed in black, and you can still see me?!”
The captain of the guards was even more surprised, “Oh my, you scared me! There really is someone here!”
Bai Lu: “Damn your grandma!”
The captain of the guard quickly pulled out his saber and rapped the wall with the tip of the sword triumphantly, “This is a sign that soldiers never tire of deceit. Little thief, come down quickly. Don’t let grandpa get tired of waiting and break your legs.”
Since there were multiple guards and he was unarmed, Bai Lu couldn’t think of a way to escape. He reluctantly jumped down from the three-meter-high wall.
However, he accidentally stepped on a stone, spraining his foot. Bai Lu stumbled forward, almost falling in an undignified manner.
The guards closest to him thought he was resisting, so they quickly subdued him. The captain of the guards leisurely walked over, using a lantern to illuminate Bai Lu’s face. He said, “Tell me, where did you come from? Why were you crawling on the walls of His Majesty’s sleeping quarters at midnight? Are you an assassin? That would be serious, resulting in death.”
Bai Lu turned his head impatiently, avoiding the glaring candlelight, and stubbornly remained silent.
The captain of the guards sighed theatrically and said to the other guards, “Search him.”
The guards immediately began patting him down. Bai Lu couldn’t resist against four hands with just his fists, so they quickly found the jade belt hook shaped like a peach blossom hidden on him.
The captain of the guards weighed the jade belt hook and sneered, “Indeed, a thief who steals things. Take him to the Palace Judiciary Hall.”
Gongzhengyuan is actually the place where slaves who have made mistakes are kept and disciplined in the palace. Such servants with evil intentions who steal things from the palace and sell them are usually sent to Gongzhengyuan for interrogation and punishment before being expelled from the palace. This is not bad, but in serious cases it may even cost you your life.
Bai Lu had heard a little about this place and thought it was perfect. He had been worried about how to pass through the eight gates of the palace, but now he didn’t need to worry about it himself. He would be beaten up, expelled, and that was a safe deal.
As long as Chu Ya didn’t hear about it.
Bai Lu, with a calm demeanor, was taken by the guards to the Palace Judiciary Hall. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he heard a heart-wrenching scream coming from inside, making the dark night even more chilling.
Startled by the sudden scream, Bai Lu turned his head and asked the guard holding his arm, “Brothers, what’s going on? Who screamed?”
The guard, with a kind heart, tiptoed to look through the narrow window and kindly informed him, “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just a servant who stole something and had a few fingers chopped off by the executioner. No big deal.”
Bai Lu’s legs went weak. “Chopped off fingers? Just for stealing? What priceless treasure did he steal?”
The guard glanced inside a few more times. “It’s probably not something particularly valuable; otherwise, they wouldn’t use such a light punishment.”
Bai Lu: “???”
Do you people from ancient times have some kind of mental problem? Isn’t this place the palace, but rather some sort of underworld?!
Bai Lu felt increasingly restless as someone suddenly pulled back the door curtain and walked out.
This person was around thirty years old, dressed in a tight-sleeved white robe, tall and slender, with a handsome face exuding a friendly aura.
He wiped the bloodstains on his hands with a white handkerchief while smiling at Bai Lu. He spoke to the captain of the guards, “Captain Geng, another unclean servant caught? You’ve certainly earned a lot of merit this month.”
Captain Geng chuckled, “I caught this one on the walls of His Majesty’s sleeping quarters. Impressive, right?”
“His Majesty’s sleeping quarters…” The man in the white robe walked closer, carefully observing Bai Lu, and suddenly narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Why does this person look somewhat familiar to me?”
Captain Geng was taken aback. “Could it be someone we caught before? Is this a repeat offense?”
The man in the white robe shook his head. “Doesn’t seem like it… Oh, I remember now! Isn’t this the person rumored to be favored by His Majesty, the one from the Bailu Palace? Haha, Captain Geng, you’ve truly accomplished a ‘great merit’ this time!”
Captain Geng sat down on the ground, trembling, and stammered, “Please, don’t say that. This…this…clearly looks like a thief. I’m still young, and I don’t want to die…”
The man in the white robe looked at him compassionately. “I’ll try to plead for you in front of His Majesty and ensure you remain intact.”
Bai Lu listened to them singing and became more and more irritable. He shook his hand to break away from the guards and said impatiently: “Stop talking about cross talk here. Didn’t you say that if you steal something, you will be kicked out of the palace? Hurry up. Can you just kick me out! Mother-in-law, you security guards are not efficient at work.”
The guards: Security…?
Captain Geng quickly stood up and cautiously approached Bai Lu. “Um, friend, may I ask for your name?”
“…Bai Lu. And you, don’t get too close.”
Captain Geng immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “I knew you made a mistake. The one His Majesty favors is surnamed Lin.”
The man in the white robe added, “But he does look familiar to me. He also came from the Bailu Palace. Let’s report to the His Majesty… no, let’s report it to the Eunuch Wang first.”
Time was of the essence. The man in the white robe immediately sent two guards to fetch the Minister to identify Bai Lu. Captain Geng held Bai Lu’s arm, courteously saying, “Come, come, come, please come inside and have a cup of tea. Someone, quickly clean up the blood on the floor, it’s too filthy.”
Bai Lu: “…”
What kind of lunatics would willingly drink tea in a small dark room full of blood?
Dewy on BLPSG Chapter 86: The Emperor’s old illness: “I want QingCi to give this little wolf a big slap after healing him -__-” Oct 23, 13:18
