Chapter 16: The Weiyun Temple

　　Chen Zhi had originally planned to disguise herself and leave the palace quietly, then ride alone to the Weiyun Temple. Unfortunately, Yu Qian had disrupted her plan. She sat in the luxurious phoenix - shaped carriage, and outside the window, she saw that the streets were crowded with onlookers. She was quite speechless. Such a fanfare, as if they were afraid that the whole city of the capital wouldn't know that she was leaving the palace today!

　　This damned emperor was really making things difficult for her. Sitting in this magnificent carriage was not the way she wanted to travel. She had been in this world for so long and had never been out to have a look. Finally, she got this opportunity and wasn't going to let it go easily. According to the news Rong Quan had inquired, it should be the result of a conspiracy between her cousin and the emperor.

　　Chen Zhi didn't care who proposed it or what their purpose was for sending her out of the palace. As long as she didn't have to stay in that dull palace. Rong Quan also felt a bit secretly happy. Although the food in the imperial palace was delicious and the concubines were pleasing to the eye, those intrigues and jealous behaviors always made him shudder.

　　Since Qingxi and Lüzhi had arrived, Rong Quan didn't need to guard the Changle Palace all the time. Sometimes, when he was bored in hiding, he would secretly go to gather information by himself. Of course, he never went to places where he might be easily exposed. In the huge imperial palace, there were actually very few people with higher martial arts skills than him. As long as he didn't show off in front of them, he could move freely in Yu Qian's palace.

　　Yu Qian's concubines were all from the families of court officials, all to consolidate his rule and power. He had to make sure to show equal favor to each of them during monthly summons. When Rong Quan heard this, he looked at Yu Qian with a bit of pity. Although he was the lord of the world, the concubines he took were not the ones he truly wanted. Every move he made in the harem was recorded, and he lived under the surveillance of the Sigunguan.

　　Now that he thought about it, it was no wonder that Yue Chen was so happy when she received the imperial decree to leave the palace. Although the imperial palace was filled with extreme wealth, it was also a beautiful cage. It was indeed not as unrestrained as his life in the northern border. Here, people's hearts were unpredictable, their words were honey - tongued but with a dagger hidden, and their smiles concealed knives.

　　Moreover, there were many rules and a clear hierarchy in the palace. Fortunately, Yue Chen was the empress. Otherwise, if she had to get up early every day to pay her respects, with her personality, it would drive her crazy! He thought that Yue Chen was more suitable for the vast world, to be free - spirited and soar freely, rather than being a phoenix on display in the harem.

　　Chen Zhi saw that the city gate was getting farther and farther away until she could no longer see it. She immediately asked Qingxi to give an order that she wanted to get off the carriage. She didn't want to stay in it for another moment.

　　When the accompanying eunuch saw Chen Zhi's actions, he immediately trotted over. “Your Majesty, this is not in line with the etiquette! Please get back on the phoenix - shaped carriage. It's less than five hours' journey to the Weiyun Temple.”

　　Chen Zhi ignored him and started to remove the remaining hairpins on her head. The phoenix crown she wore when leaving the palace had already been thrown into the corner after she got on the carriage. This time, the empress's journey was accompanied by a golden carriage, luxurious sedan chairs, and a showy procession, making a big commotion in the city. She knew exactly what the damned emperor's malicious intentions were.

　　Now the national treasury was insufficient, many places were in turmoil, and there was a fear of war on the border. And she, the empress who was supposed to set an example for the world, was making such a big fuss, wasting people's resources and money just to pray for blessings and peace at the Taoist temple!

　　Chen Zhi couldn't help but sneer. He wanted to use public opinion to damage her reputation and put the label of being unworthy of her position in the hearts of the people. She had been staying in the Changle Palace, minding her own business and trying not to cause trouble. But they just had to provoke her. As the saying goes, three strikes and you're out. Then don't blame her for getting back at them when she returns. Damned emperor, just wait for me in the palace!

　　“Your Majesty, this is not allowed! This is not allowed!” The eunuch shouted even louder, attracting everyone's attention.

　　“If you still want your tongue, shut up!” Chen Zhi was annoyed by the noise. In the imperial palace, she had to abide by the etiquette because everyone in the palace did. But outside the palace, she was the highest - ranked person here. A mere eunuch shouting in front of the empress, it was he who was out of line.

　　The eunuch immediately fell silent, covering his mouth with his hand, and only his eyes were rolling around.

　　“You're just an eunuch, and this is not the imperial palace. Whether I do something or not is none of your business.”

　　Chen Zhi looked around, putting on the airs of an empress. “I don't want to know whose people you are, but since you're following me out, you should understand one fact! Now I'm your master. Do your duty well and don't have any unnecessary thoughts. Otherwise, the people behind you can't protect you either.” There were too many attendants on this trip, and Chen Zhi was too lazy to find out each one of them. Anyway, there must be spies deliberately arranged among them.

　　Chen Zhi turned over and mounted a horse. This was the horse Rong Quan had prepared for her. She had learned how to ride a horse before, and the horse was very gentle. She rode slowly with the team. Although it would be cool to gallop on the horse, she hadn't ridden for a long time, and the equipment didn't seem perfect either. She didn't want to make a fool of herself by falling off the horse and lying in bed for a few days.

　　The Weiyun Temple was quite a famous Taoist temple in the Dayan Dynasty. Most of the common people believed in gods and Buddhas, and many Buddhist temples were built everywhere. There were not many people going to the Taoist temple. Along the way, she didn't see many travelers, which suited Chen Zhi's心意. After all, she still couldn't forget the situation when she left the capital. It was as if she was some strange thing, attracting everyone's attention. She was not used to all kinds of gazes.

　　Chen Zhi was exhausted and lying in the phoenix - shaped carriage. Lüzhi was attentively massaging her shoulders and back, serving her very carefully. Qingxi was kneeling and sitting aside, carefully watching all the movements on the road. She should be worried that Yue Chen's trip out of the palace had been made so public by Yu Qian, as if signaling to those in the dark that the empress was on her way to the Weiyun Temple. Whatever happened outside the palace had nothing to do with those in the palace.

　　What the eunuch said was true. When they reached the foot of the mountain where the Weiyun Temple was located, the night was already deep. Chen Zhi was considerate of the accompanying attendants. She would stop and rest for a while every one or two hours of walking. At noon, they simply ate some dry rations. The closer they got to the Weiyun Temple, the more tortuous and bumpy the road became. After riding for two or three hours, Chen Zhi returned to the phoenix - shaped carriage.

　　Chen Zhi had been through a lot on this journey. Although the phoenix - shaped carriage was spacious, it was carried by people. When walking on the rugged mountain road, no matter how careful they were, the carriage body would inevitably shake from side to side. She deeply understood why the ancients didn't travel often.

　　Looking at the long and winding stone steps, Chen Zhi could only sigh in her heart. The joy of leaving the palace had faded a lot. After resting in the carriage, by the bright moonlight and the palace lanterns held by the servants, she got off the carriage and walked up the mountain. Why were these Taoist temples and Buddhist temples always built so high and so far from the foot of the mountain? Were they located in the deep mountains and old forests to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth? Did one have to be out of breath and exhausted to show their sincerity and determination?