After sending the painting, Xuyu returned to the Imperial Palace and continued walking through the Zhaowenguan Academy while waiting for a response from there.
The next day, there was no news, and the day after that, there was still no news.
On the third day, her heart had already gradually turned from the initial nervous anticipation to depression.
According to common sense, if you don't receive a response within the first few days after sending out the painting, there will be no hope later. The most likely possibility is that you have contacted the wrong person.
Of course, there is another inference that Yu Mian is indeed Yin Niang, but she no longer wants to have anything to do with the person from the past and does not want to meet her.
The dark rain fell like a thread, weaving the evening sky of Chang'an.
Xuyu was still flipping through the book in the corner deep in the west pavilion of the Academy of Scholars. Unconsciously, her eyes once again cast towards a certain place outside the pavilion.
The glazed palace standing on the dragon head high ground of the imperial palace is the Ziyun Palace where the emperor lives in seclusion. Misty with rain and mist, it looks so far away and unattainable through the layers of buildings and palaces.
"Off duty! Off duty!"
Another boring day was over, and I heard the relaxed voice of the clerk on duty urging people to leave.
Xuyu was distracted, put the moved scrolls back to their places one by one, and walked among the tall and simple bookshelves in the dim light.
Across the walls, two palace supervisors who were cleaning and tidying up the place were discussing something in low voices while doing their work.
Tomorrow is the birth day of Princess Shouchang.
On this day every year, all officials would take an extra day off, and an altar would be set up in the Zhanxing Temple to pray for blessings and ward off disasters for the princess.
Not only that, the palace eunuchs who worked hard all year round in the palace also did not have to do anything. So at this moment, the two palace eunuchs were relaxed and smiling.
“… The Saint will go there in person tomorrow.” One person said with certainty.
"How do you know?" the companion asked doubtfully.
"I heard that there is a forbidden area in the Zhanxing Temple, and people are sweeping it all year round to welcome the emperor. The emperor is commemorating Empress Zhaoyi, and tomorrow is the day the princess will be born, so why wouldn't he go?" the man explained.
"But it seems that the emperor has never left the palace on this day in previous years." The companion retorted.
"How could we possibly know about this? Maybe the emperor left the palace quietly and went to his residence without any procession."
“Yes, yes!”
Ninomiya Ken suddenly seemed to notice someone approaching and immediately shut up and stopped talking.
Xuyu stood quietly in the shadow of the wall, waiting for the second palace supervisor to leave. Then she walked out of the west pavilion, went down the corridor steps, looked back at the Taoist palace that was silent in the evening rain, and left the palace.
The next morning, at noon, the streets outside the Zanxing Temple were crowded with people, all eager to see what was going on. Amid the noise, there was a sound of a procession being cleared in the distance, and the street immediately became quiet.
Xuyu stood in the corner opposite the temple gate and saw a large group of people coming towards this side.
The one riding in front was a great eunuch with a stern face and wearing ochre robes. He was ordered to come here today to take charge of the affairs. Next came the procession of court officials. Except for some at the end who were wearing green and blue robes, the front row all wore scarlet robes. In the front, there were also a few officials wearing purple robes.
This was at least a high-ranking official of the rank of a minister, and should be an official from the Ministry of Rites or the Imperial Palace. But the eunuch in ochre robes was obviously of a special status, and even several officials in purple robes seemed quite polite to him, and even had a bit of flattery in their expressions. Behind him were many miscellaneous officials, palace supervisors and palace guards, and their entourage. They came in a line carrying many boxes and cages, and no one knew what was inside.