Chương 63: Chapter 61

I sigh as I settle more comfortably into the cushions they've arranged for me in the bath and hold five specks of Qi more out of habit while leaving my other two mental hands free to absorb the rest as they drift into the zone of influence I've already emptied over the course of my current cultivation session.

I press my lips together, thinking it's almost a mockery to have a Qi gathering formation installed and not be able to use it, but I can't risk accidentally completing the Tempering of Bones and Tendons in a single session. The first time, we managed to get through it, though it cost me and my mother two years of exile.

But for something so similar to happen again right after returning to court would be far too conspicuous, and I have no desire to attract the attention of an organization that, from everything I've been told, operates like some kind of mafia or drug cartel, no matter how much they claim it's an honor to belong to it.

"Zhāohuán Wen", I suddenly hear in Lianhua's familiar voice. The sound breaks my concentration and I release the Qi I'd been holding with my mental hands as I open my eyes slowly. When I manage to refocus, I see Lianhua standing before me with that serenity so characteristic of her.

"Your allotted cultivation time has ended", she informs me once she notices I've stopped cultivating. I nod in silence, after which she approaches with a damp towel prepared for what has become her customary task after my cultivation sessions. Soon she eases me into the bath and lets me do the bare minimum before she takes care of the rest.

Her hands move calmly over my skin, cleaning the impurities from my body, and I sometimes wonder whether this routine makes her uncomfortable, but she never lets anything show on her face, and I'm not going to make her uncomfortable with a question I know she doesn't want me to ask.

"Is everything prepared for our outing from the Imperial Palace?" I ask in a low voice as I feel the warm water running down my back.

"The final details are being sorted out", she replies without pausing her work.

"We should be able to depart by mid-morning." A shiver runs through me as I recall the sight of the requirements I had to fulfill in order to leave, and I'm grateful I managed to avoid having to organize the outing ourselves, or to be more precise, having Lianhua do it. With every one of the absurd requirements the Shangshu demanded, Lianhua would have ended up trapped in a bureaucratic labyrinth with no way out.

But fortunately, I knew someone who could do it for us, though it cost me no less than one spirit stone due to my lack of more ordinary currency. Still, the payment was well worth it to spare us the ordeal. I let my thoughts carry me until I feel Lianhua finish rinsing me and drying me carefully, after which she dresses me in a simple outfit to leave the bath and, without giving me time to say anything more, lifts me into her arms and carries me back to my room.

As she sets me down in the chair beside the bed, she begins dressing me in clothes more appropriate for my first visit to the capital. But as she layers the first folds of the elaborate attire I'm obliged to wear in public, she breaks the silence.

"Zhāohuán Wen, a request arrived this morning from the Office of Military Affairs. They wish to speak with you regarding an agreement concerning the use of the backpack." I blink in surprise at Lianhua's words and ask "The backpack? How is it possible that people in the Imperial Palace have heard about it?" Lianhua's hands don't stop as she replies "Part of the blame is mine, Zhāohuán Wen.

Before entering the Celestial Fragment, the Nei Wei asked me, on behalf of Nei Baihu Liang Xue, to write them a report on the backpack's usefulness once I came out. A few days after your return, I drafted it and submitted it." She pauses briefly and adds in a lower tone "If that was a mistake, I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you see fit."

"Don't worry, I'm not upset", I tell Lianhua without hesitation.

"It's not exactly a secret, and plenty of people saw you using it, so sooner or later someone would have copied it just to try it out."

"As for the request from that Office, simply send them the backpack, the sketches from when we made it, and…" here I hesitate for an instant before continuing.

"Also send them a report with whatever improvements you can think of to make it more comfortable or useful based on your experience using it." And as an afterthought, I add "Also include a request that, when they produce a final version, they send us several." Lianhua frowns slightly, as if considering something, and hesitates for just a moment, as though weighing the wisdom of my order before saying "Perhaps you should think it over and negotiate. You could…"

"No", I interrupt her firmly, imagining what she's getting at.

"Do you remember what I told you when we left Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang's workshop?"

"Yes, Zhāohuán Wen", she replies without looking up from the folds of the garment she's finishing putting on me.

"That still stands. I have no intention of getting entangled in imperial politics and with random ministries just to gain a little fame", I tell Lianhua firmly.

"Send them what I've told you. If it's useful to them, let them use it. If not, let them discard it." A sigh escapes her lips, but she nods "I will do as you command."

"Good", I reply, relaxing my shoulders.

"Though since we're speaking of Jiǎngshī Zhao Liang, I think it's time for a new chair. The current one is too many years old and I'm outgrowing it. Send word to have him build me a new one. I'm sure that after these years of practice, whatever he sends will be better than what I have."

"I'll do it as soon as we return from the city", Lianhua replies without hesitation as she continues dressing me. For a moment I consider whether I should send a backpack to my father as I've done with some of my other inventions, but it's not really something new so much as a modification of something that already exists, and besides, like the wheelchair, it's not something that would change the Empire or that would amuse him, so I do as I did with the chair and decide against it.

But while I finish deliberating, and since she hasn't stopped working as we talked, Lianhua is finishing dressing me in the cumbersome imperial princess outfit they've foisted on me for my outing from the Imperial Palace. She gives one final tug to the silk sash serving as my belt and steps back.

"You're ready", she says, looking me over.

"And I imagine the preparations for the departure should also be completed, or very nearly so, by now." You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I look at her for a moment and nod "Then it's time to go." Lianhua lifts me gently, settles me into my wheelchair, and begins pushing me toward the Pavilion courtyard.

Lianhua pushes the chair with a steady stride, and the soft squeak of the wheels on the hallway's wooden floor mingles with the bustle of handmaidens passing by on their daily tasks as we make our way to the courtyard. When we cross the Pavilion's threshold, I see a lavishly adorned palanquin waiting in the center of the courtyard while around it eight Nei Wei, fully equipped and decidedly not in their ceremonial armor, stand motionless awaiting our arrival.

The sound of their lance butts adjusting against the ground reminds me that my outing, however personal its purpose, will never be anything resembling discreet, even less so given my age and condition. Lianhua leans toward me and readjusts my clothes before helping me up into the palanquin. My chair, as is obvious, doesn't fit inside, so the nearest Nei Wei lift it in a synchronized motion, handling it with evident care so as not to damage it.

Shortly after, the palanquin sways gently as the bearers raise it, and the procession moves forward, leaving the Pavilion and venturing into the Imperial Palace. The journey is long, and for the third time in my life I traverse the courtyards, corridors, and interconnected pavilions that line the path toward the entrance plaza.

The sound of water in the interior canals blends with the hurried footsteps of officials heard in the distance and the voices that drop to murmurs as they notice our procession passing by, while I imagine the gossip they exchange upon seeing me. At last, the palanquin's swaying comes to a stop and, moments later, Lianhua opens its door with her ever-serene expression and lifts me carefully into her arms.

"We have arrived at the main plaza, Zhāohuán Wen", she tells me as she steps away from the palanquin. I look around, taking in the already familiar plaza despite having seen it only twice before, and notice a larger group of Nei Wei near a carriage.

I can't help but sigh with relief at the sight, because it's not the enormous vehicle we used for the trip to the city of Xi'an, the one that looked like a small rolling palace the size of a room, but rather a carriage of a more reasonable size, the kind I imagine noble families use within the capital. I suppose that, as I'd guessed, the wooden and metal monstrosities are reserved for long journeys.

While my mind wanders, lost in those thoughts, Lianhua approaches the carriage and, before I realize it, is already settling me inside. I can't help but notice that the interior smells of sandalwood and the cushions, a pale green embroidered with lotus flowers, look entirely new. Once I'm settled, I watch as Lianhua examines the space with a furrowed brow, as though calculating a complex problem.

Then, without a word, she signals the Nei Wei and among the three of them they open a side panel of the carriage and manage to fit my wheelchair in the rear section without it getting in the way. Fortunately, the more utilitarian carriages of this world aren't like the enclosed Western-style ones, but rather follow the Chinese style: more open, more airy, with side panels that can be slid back to let the breeze through, which in my case has proved useful for something rather more practical.

Once she's confirmed that everything is secure, Lianhua sits across from me and gives a gentle tap on the carriage wall, after which I hear the creak of wheels and the jingle of the horses' harness indicating the procession is in motion.

The sound of wheels on stone blends with the steady trot of the horses and the constant metallic clatter of the Nei Wei's lances as I gaze through a side window and watch some twenty of them, those who accompanied us from the Pavilion plus those waiting in the courtyard, surround the carriage in a protective semicircle.

I sigh, unable to stop thinking that it would have been far simpler, and certainly cheaper for me, if the Shangshu had approved my request for a formation master or talisman master within the Palace itself. All this pageantry, this entire procession, just because I have to go out and find one when there are masters available inside. But I suppose it would be asking too much for a man of his rank and his devotion to imperial regulations to abandon tradition and bureaucratic rigidity simply because I asked him to.

I'm sure the very idea would strike him as sacrilegious. Through the half-open curtains, I watch as the Palace gates swing slowly open and the guards step aside, bowing as the carriage and our escort pass through. Once we're past the entrance, I can tell the day is already fully awake from the bustle that greets us. Outside, the avenue opens like an immense artery stretching in a straight line toward the horizon.

Just as I remembered, it is wide and paved with pale stone, bordered by buildings of unmistakably Chinese architecture, all capped with curved rooftops and carved eaves, dragon and phoenix figures guarding the extremes, facades with dark wooden balconies, and ground floors with broad display windows showcasing some of the merchandise sold within. The crowd teems along the street as merchants, nobles, and officials, all dressed in lavish clothing, pause to watch our procession pass.

Some bow slightly upon noticing the imperial family crest on the carriage, while others simply watch with curiosity. Now that I have fewer worries, unlike two years ago or during our return journey, as I study the people I also make out numerous servants laden with packages and boxes, whom I imagine are accompanying their masters or running errands for them. Everything has a vibrant, orderly air, and yet I finally realize that something strikes me as odd about all of this.

I furrow my brow when it hits me that, as a general rule, regardless of the culture, the immediate surroundings of a seat of power would be filled with noble mansions and official residences, not shops. I lean slightly toward the window and examine more closely the gilded signs above the doorways and the display windows, which are filled with silk, porcelain, jewels, and other merchandise, all of it luxury goods, as I'd noted in my previous glimpses.

"Lianhua", I say at last without taking my eyes off the street.

"Why are there shops here? The areas surrounding the Palace should be occupied by the empire's noble families." Lianhua looks up from the small scroll she's reviewing and smiles faintly at my question, as though it amuses her for some reason.

"Because of an ancient imperial decree, Zhāohuán Wen", she explains in a calm tone, though I catch a hint of amusement underneath.

"It dates back to the time when construction of the capital and the Imperial Palace first began. And the decree, which has never been revoked, prohibits any structure exceeding a certain size from being built within two Li of the Palace walls, to prevent anyone from concealing an armed force in its vicinity." I nod slowly, understanding "So the nobles had to build their mansions far from the Palace."

"Exactly", Lianhua confirms as she takes the opportunity to smooth a crease in my tunic.

"That has always been a source of complaint, both from the nobility and from officials important or wealthy enough to afford a mansion, who say there is too great a distance from the noble quarter to the Imperial Palace. But their complaints have never succeeded in having the law repealed."

"But over time, as was inevitable, the area near the Palace gained prestige", Lianhua continues.

"However, since large mansions couldn't be built, nobles and the wealthy had no interest, and on the other hand, common folk couldn't afford to live here, which for a time posed a problem."

"But soon another group filled that void", she goes on as I listen, fascinated by her account, since this is living history of how a single law can reshape the development of a city.

"And that group was the merchants. They had enough money to afford a building in the area, and as long as the structure was large enough to house their shop, that was sufficient." She pauses briefly, taking the chance to peer through the carriage's gap just as I did before she continues.

"And the Imperial Palace didn't merely allow it, it actively encouraged it", she adds at last.

"Because it realized that this way, the residents within the Imperial Palace could acquire the luxuries they desired without having to travel too far."

I sit in silence for a moment after her history lesson, contemplating the vitality of the avenue as I watch vendors hawking goods that no commoner could ever afford, ladies with elaborate hairstyles pausing before display windows glittering with jewels, and the army of lavishly dressed servants who, viewed with a less impressionable eye, clearly make up the bulk of the crowd.

Now, putting it all in perspective, everything I see looks like an ecosystem carefully designed to serve the heart of the empire and cater to its vices. And as I sink into my thoughts, the carriage continues on its way, escorted by the Nei Wei while I settle a little deeper into the cushions, letting the constant motion lull me. In the end, I can't help but smile with a certain irony. It seems it doesn't matter which world I'm in, or how much the addition of superpowers reshapes a society.

In the end, humanity always seems to fall into the same vices and routines, with nothing apparently able to prevent it.