Chapter 478 - Proper Palace Intrigue (17) (1/2)

Shi Sheng shooed off a dumbstruck Xu Kong.

Once she returned to her palace, she took out the silk pouch Ming Jin had given her. It was green, with a dragon pattern sewn in a darker tone on top.

‘Fuck a dog! This Ming Jin is very arrogant ah! Actually dared to use a pouch with a pattern like this[1]!’

Shi Sheng opened the pouch. It contained a jade pendant as well as a small strip of paper.

On the paper was written:

A love token.

‘What…the hell! He even dares to flirt with one of the Emperor’s concubines? Did he eat Sanlu[2]?’

Shi Sheng checked out the jade pendant. It seemed pretty valuable.

“Tao Qin.”

“Mistress.” Tao Qin was currently making the bed. Hearing Shi Sheng call for her, she immediately jogged over.

“Give this to Xu Kong. Tell him it’s to clear the debt.”

“Mistress, it’s Master Xu Kong.” Tao Qin corrected.

“Whatever. Hurry up.”

Tao Qin had never seen this pendant before, so she was rather curious, but didn’t dare to dally since Shi Sheng told her to hand it to Master Xu Kong. ‘It’s a long way to leave the palace, so I should be able to catch up if I go after him now.’

……

Ming Jin emerged from the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The radiant moonlight drew his shadow out, where it overlapped with the swaying shadows of his surroundings to form a rather terrifying dark mass.

“Master, you were too reckless just now.” The youth draped a cloak in his hands around Ming Jin, lowering his voice to speak to the latter.

‘Master actually spoke up for Yun Jie Yu! Isn’t that just asking for the Emperor to be suspicious of us?’

Ming Jin pulled his cloak around him. The night wind rustled and brushed against his cheeks, sending his dark hair flying.

His voice was broken up by the wind, but was still audible.

“It’s a waste of youth to not be reckless.”

“Master, don’t forget…”

“Zhi Yuan.” Ming Jin lightly interrupted him.

Zhi Yuan knew he’d been too loose with his tongue—they were still in the palace, so a single wrong word was enough to bring misfortune on them.

It was deep into the night, so the palace was very quiet.

Ming Jin leisurely made his way out of the palace. Zhi Yuan bribed the imperial guards to to open the gates.

“Wait up, wait up!”

Xu Kong shot out from the darkness and rushed over, though he tried to maintain his lofty image by slowing down somewhat as he got closer, his head held high as he walked past the guards.

The palace gates groaned heavily as they shut.

Xu Kong greeted Ming Jin, “Sir Ming, what a coincidence.”

Ming Jin nodded slightly, but his gaze suddenly halted.

“Why is Master’s jade pendant with you?” Zhi Yuan was the first to react, charging over to snatch the pendant from Xu Kong’s hand.

“Hey!” Xu Kong held tightly to the pendant. “Yun Jie Yu gave me this; what do you mean it’s your Master’s?”

“Yun Jie Yu?” Zhi Yuan blanked out, but it was soon followed by anger. “Nonsense! Why would Master’s pendant be with Yun Jie Yu?!”

Both of them clutched onto opposing ends of the pendant, neither willing to release it.

Ming Jin produced a stack of banknotes from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Kong. “I’ll exchange it for banknotes.”

Seeing the banknotes, Xu Kong’s eyes lit up. He took and counted them before, with a beaming smile on his face, handing the jade pendant back to Zhi Yuan. “Since it belongs to Sir Ming, then I shall return it.”

“You!” ‘Master actually needed to fork out money to get his own possession back, and this damn priest calls it “returning”?!’

“It’s getting late, so this one will take his leave.” Xu Kong clutched the silver notes in his hand as he ran off like there was wind beneath his feet. ‘I gotta leave this place!’

“Master…” Zhi Yuan wiped the jade clean before handing it to Ming Jin. “This pendant?”

‘Why was it with Yun Jie Yu?’

“I gave it to her.” Ming Jing sighed. “A shame she didn’t want it.”

“Master, don’t be ridiculous! How could you just give your jade pendant to Yun Jie Yu?! She’s the Emperor’s concubine!” Zhi Yuan flared up. ‘Out of so many women, why did Master take a liking to the Emperor’s woman?! And even gifted her something so important!’

“What of it?”

‘“What of it?”!