Chang Yu followed the reputation and saw that it was Lao Liu, the eunuch in charge of Shangshan Supervisor, who was his original immediate boss.
"Hey, Eunuch Liu, I haven't seen you for a while." Chang Yu bowed his hands and saluted, and looked sideways at the gate of Shangshan Prison to the east. "We will be neighbors from now on, and we will come here often."
"Eunuch Chang is joking." Old Liu glanced at the Yamen of Neidongchang and said, "Is there any chance that this old man will not go to your place?"
Hahaha, Chang Yu laughed: "Eunuch Liu, you are just joking. Why do you have time to visit us today?"
"Don't dare, don't dare." Old Liu coughed lightly, looked around and whispered: "Mr. Wen returned to Beijing last night and went to see the saint. We were very uneasy that we could not meet him in time. We have free time today. I took such a table in the Royal Horse Prison to welcome my father-in-law and wash away his dust, and I also asked Mr. Chang to give me a favor."
Chang Yu chuckled. The eunuchs in charge of the yamen and the eunuchs of the Eight Great Halls under the Secretary Li Supervisor all worked with him and had shares in the casino. Naturally, this invitation was not as simple as just picking up the slack and talking about business. That's the business.
"We'll talk about it later. The prince has summoned us at this time, and our family needs to go immediately. We can't guarantee that we will be free at noon. If we can't get away, we should let Chunxiang pass."
Chang Yu said goodbye to Lao Liu, turned around and left.
Old Liu looked at his back, he kept coughing and his eyes were complicated.
"I heard that the prince didn't go to bed until early in the morning, why did he get up so early?" Chang Yu walked away and chatted with the young eunuch of the prince's mansion who sent the message.
"Eunuch Chang, the prince is not in Duanben Palace at this moment, but in Ziguang Pavilion," the young eunuch said in a low and mysterious voice.
Chang Yu was startled, stopped, and couldn't help but smile and asked: "Ziguang Pavilion, is it possible that the prince wants to practice with us?"
"This little one really doesn't know. Before the prince left the palace, he told me to send a message to Ziguang Pavilion..."
Ziguang Pavilion is located on the west bank of Taiye Pool (now collectively known as Zhongnanhai) on the west side of the imperial city. It was the place where Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty, used horse racing and archery. The place is now the place where national leaders receive foreign guests.
During the Chongzhen Dynasty, a pavilion had been built on the platform. "The pavilion is very high and spacious, shaded by trees and ponds, and lush green. It's a beautiful scene!" However, the function has not changed, and it has always been used as a royal school ground.
There are only two ways for Chang Yu to go to Ziguang Pavilion outside Donghua Gate. One is to go directly to the north of the palace, go around to Xuanwu Gate, go straight to the west, and cross the Taiye Pond from Yuhe Bridge to reach his destination. The other is to go from the nearest east to the east. Huamen passes through the palace, comes out from Xihuamen, and follows the moat all the way north to Yudai Bridge.
The rules in the imperial city are strict, and non-eunuchs and maids on duty are not allowed to enter the palace at will. However, Chang Yu's level at this time was not comparable to that of ordinary eunuchs, so he didn't bother to take a detour and went straight to Donghua Gate.
The eunuch on duty at Donghua Gate and the guards greeted him warmly. Chang Yu smiled and nodded and hurried past, heading straight to the Xihua Gate due west.
Not far from Donghua Gate, on the north side is the Wenhua Hall, which has always been the East Palace of the Ming Dynasty princes. However, Zhu Cixiang no longer lives here. Behind the Wenhua Hall is the Wenyuan Pavilion, which is the place where books are collected. In fact, it is also the home of the Ming Dynasty The Cabinet Office is followed by Ciqing Palace (Duanben Palace) where Zhu Cixiang currently lives.
Shi Kefa came to Beijing at this time, so the cabinet must be uneasy. Chang Yu stood on the side of the road and looked towards Wenyuan Pavilion. Except for a few eunuchs, no courtiers were seen in front of the palace.
"Eunuch Chang, the adults are all cleaning the house right now." The little eunuch who led the way was smart and said when he saw Chang Yu like this.
Chang Yu smiled and said nothing, coughed lightly and continued on his way, passing Huangji Gate and Wuying Palace. All the eunuchs and maids he met along the way were respectful and courteous to him, and he nodded to them.
After leaving Xihua Gate, we crossed the moat and headed east along the moat. We looked forward to it all the way, but we couldn't help but secretly sigh that the imperial city was so big.
After Chang Yu traveled to the Imperial City, he only focused on fighting and collecting money for a short period of time, and did not have time to see the whole city. Moreover, he spent most of his time on the east side of the Imperial City. Now this is the first time he has come to the Xiyuan of the Imperial City.
"That's the Taiye Pond over there, right?" Looking to the west, the lake sparkling in the sun, Chang Yu couldn't help but marvel. Even though it was winter, the scenery was still unique. The emperor's home was really extraordinary. Think about it in future generations. It is impossible to visit the restricted area where the leader lives. It is a good time to take a look at this place.
"Mr. Factory, over there is the Shangbao Prison. To the west is the Yingfang Division. In front of the dessert room is the Shangshan Superintendent... The small one next to the old prison warehouse is the Guandi Temple. Look at the Taiye Pond. The land next to it is the banana garden, next to it is Chongzhi Hall, and the Diaoyutai is over there. Eunuch Chang, do you know that Chongzhi Hall is actually a dojo..."
The little eunuch who led the way was clever and well-spoken. Chang Yu asked him. He was very cute because he could read a book. He couldn't help but ask: "What's your name?"
"Little Luo Yan has been working as an errand in the East Palace. When Eunuch Chang showed off his skills in the Prince's Mansion and knocked down the Tang guards and others, I was watching with my own eyes. Eunuch Chang, you are so majestic..."
"Are you interested in working in Dongchang?" Chang Yu liked his cleverness and wanted to help him.
"Dongchang? I heard it would offend people very much." Luo Yan is indeed a lovely person, with a tangled look on his face.
Chang Yu laughed loudly: "But it's majestic."
The two chatted and laughed and unknowingly arrived at the Qianming Gate. Next to it was the Chengguang Hall and at the end of the Yuhe Bridge. At this time, the entire Taiye Pond could be seen at a glance.
To the north of the bridge is the Beihai Park of later generations. From the Taiye Bridge behind Chengguang Hall, you can reach Qionghua Island in the lake, with the ruins of Guanghan Palace on it.
To the south of the bridge was Zhonghai in later generations, which was a forbidden area in later generations. It was collectively called Taiye Pool at this time, and the entire area was called Xiyuan. Most of the twenty-four yamen of the Si Lijian were located here.
There is a gate at each end of Yuhe Bridge, the east gate is Qianming Gate and the west gate is Lingxing Gate.
To the south of the Lingxing Gate is the Silkworm Pond, to the south is the Ziguang Pavilion, and to the west of the Ziguang Pavilion is the Longevity Palace, but at this time it is in ruins, leaving only ruins.
Chang Yu had no time to admire Ziguang Pavilion. In fact, it was just a two-story ordinary attic building built on a high platform. It was far from as beautiful as it would be in later generations. There was a platform of hundreds of square meters in front of the attic. It was a place for martial arts training at that time. At this time, there were dozens of When they saw Chang Yu arriving, everyone's eyes were attracted.
"That traitor, do you dare to fight with me?" A handsome young man on the high platform, wearing a strong military uniform, pointed at Chang Yu and shouted loudly.
"We're going to fight ten." Chang Yu laughed, strode quickly, climbed up to the high platform, and went straight to Zhu Cixiang to salute, "I've seen the prince before, why is the prince so good today?"
Zhu Cixiang burst out laughing. He was really in high spirits. He was a martial boy. Hearing about Chang Yu’s many heroic deeds of killing enemies, his heart was surging and he couldn’t control himself. He was a little into the drama, so he actually invited Chang Yu to compete with him. He was addicted to it. .
Although Chang Yu felt extremely bored, he had to pretend to be interested and cooperate.
"I heard that you went into battle to kill thieves, often killing dozens of enemies. Is this really true?" Zhu Cixiang looked at Chang Yu with burning eyes.
Chang Yu has never boasted in front of him, and the two have not had a private chat since they came back, so it is speculated that the person bragging for him is most likely Wu Mengming or Tang Potian, who was originally a guard of the Prince's Mansion.
"The rumors are inevitably exaggerated." Chang Yu chuckled and looked at the guards around Zhu Cihong. Most of them were acquaintances, and some of them had fought against each other before: "But beating these brothers should be more than enough."
As always, he was still so arrogant. The prince couldn't help but laugh. The guards around him looked a little embarrassed and dissatisfied. Chang Yu was able to defeat everyone in the entire imperial city. He was so powerful that he could really sweep the imperial city. He once stood in Cao Cao. Challenge 20 personal guards in the pen to fight to become a god.
"While we were out of the capital, our family learned riding and shooting from the masters of the Tengxiang Guards, and got a little bit of success. How about we compete with each other on bows and horses?" Chang Yu looked at a kind of East Palace guard and chuckled. He was thinking in his heart at this moment. In fact, he didn't want to start a fight, but because of the prince's face, he had to deal with it like this.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Tang Potian once said that you are proficient in bow and horse, and you can use a strong bow to pierce the Yangtze River in a hundred steps. Let me open my eyes today." Zhu Cixi came prepared, and he also saw Chang Yu didn't want to fight, so he waved, and someone immediately brought in a few horses with bows and arrows.
"Is the prince good at riding and shooting?" Chang Yu asked with a smile.
Zhu Cixiang shook his head: "It's okay to ride a horse, but you can't draw a bow, but these guards around me are all good players. You can have a good competition with them, and it will open my eyes."
Chang Yu glanced at the guards and saw that they were all ready to move and seemed quite confident. It was obvious that they knew they couldn't compete with fists and feet, so they wanted to save face by riding and shooting.
He couldn't help but smile. A month ago, these people would have been able to suppress him. However, his horizons widened after he left the capital. Not to mention Kuang Ren, the top horsemanship and archery masters like Chi Qingshi were ordinary people in the army. The archers were also far superior to the palace guards.
"As usual, let's have some luck." Chang Yu smiled heartily, took out a fifty-tael piece of silver from his arms, and placed it on the railing next to him: "Prince, are you interested?"
Zhu Cixiang smiled even more cheerfully: "Since it is a lucky draw, of course I will not miss it." He turned to look at the guards and said, "I am forcing you to wait today. You must not lose the face of the East Palace."
"In this humble position, I must do my best to live up to the prince's high expectations." The guards were gearing up, and Zhu Cixiang immediately paid fifty taels as a bonus.
Chang Yu sneered, took the bow and arrow, jumped off the high platform, got on his horse, raised his whip and galloped towards the lake. There were many trees beside the lake which were perfect targets for arrows.
All the guards also dismounted from the stage and chased him away with whips raised. Zhu Cixiang followed him closely on the high platform, clenching his fists excitedly. He saw Chang Yu and a group of guards riding horses by the lakeside, drawing bows and shooting arrows, attracting the nearby eunuchs and maids. People gathered to watch, sometimes clasping hands and cheering.
By the lake, Chang Yu rode his horse to compete with the guards, but he didn't notice that there was a lady in palace makeup leaning on the railing on the second floor of Ziguang Pavilion, her eyes never leaving his figure.
"It's unimaginable that there is such a person in the palace. His civility and military skills put all the courtiers to shame. It's a pity that he is a eunuch..." The lady's tone was full of regret.
"Although this young man is very talented, he is too flamboyant in his actions. Queen Mother, you see that Brother Wang has been in close contact with him, and he has learned to be so flamboyant that he loses his decency. The prince's arrogant behavior must have been arranged by someone. "A girl next to the noble lady pouted, looking at everything in front of her coldly, with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
The noble lady smiled and said: "This is the nature of a young man, this is the true nature of a man. Otherwise, if you imitate your daughter's family, who will protect this country?"
The girl was silent when she heard the words, but looked at Chang Yu who was riding a horse and shooting from a distance by the lake in the distance, her eyes were a little strange.
