Chapter 34: CH 34

After agreeing to do this task for the Crown Prince, Chen Ziqi left the Eastern Palace and headed straight to the Taizhen Palace.

The High Priest was packing up his things. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that he was standing around and directing people to pack up his things. 

“That Seasoul organza robe cannot be folded! Roll it up.”

“Be careful, those glazed cups break easily.”

“Leave the screen. It’s too bulky to carry.”

… … 

The servants assisting with the packing were as busy as bees. Well, not all of them were servants; Lan Shanyu was in their midst, scurrying about while dressed in an expensive-looking wide-sleeved huafu.

“Gods above, can’t you stop giving so many instructions?” Lan Shanyu complained. He was carefully placing some trinkets made by the High Priest into a small box. There were lotus flowers made of fine silver wire, bracelets made of luminous pearls, and metal armlets inlaid with blue sapphires.

The High Priest looked at Lan Shanyu. “No,” he replied simply.

“… …” Lan Shanyu shut his mouth and resigned himself to packing.

When Chen Ziqi entered, it looked like the entire Taizhen Palace was being demolished. Everything had been packed up, wrapped carefully and stowed on the carriage, like the set of jade tables and stools in the water pavilion. Heck, even the Chinese pagoda trees in the garden were being dug up!

“You’re even bringing the trees with you?” Chen Ziqi asked, feeling an odd sense of respect for the amount of effort the High Priest was putting in. He thought to himself that when he went to his fief, he would also do the same, and bring everything he wanted along with him.

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“Stop!” A blue shadow flashed past and quickly swiped a small golden bell that Chen Ziqi had nearly stepped on.

Chen Ziqi retracted his foot and stood outside the door.

Lan Shanyu sighed with relief, then polished the bell on his clothes and put it into his sleeve. “Dianxia, why are you here?” he asked, smiling amiably at Chen Ziqi.

“I heard the High Priest was leaving, and wanted to come and have a look,” Chen Ziqi said. Since Lan Shanyu was here, he could ask for news about Dan Yi at the same time. However, directly asking what troubles the Cloud Palace was facing seemed rather inappropriate. Chen Ziqi thought about it, and decided to ask something different. “Why didn’t Dan Yi come this year?” he asked. 

“This was the Master’s decision. This subordinate doesn’t know,” Lan Shanyu said, shaking his head. He suddenly remembered something, and pulled out a royal blue peacock feather from his sleeve. “Dianxia, you’re here just in time. Take this peacock feather. There are some matters in the Cloud Palace that I must attend to personally, and I won’t be in the Capital for three months.”

Chen Ziqi looked at the peacock feather in his hands. It was a real feather, not a throwing knife disguised as a feather or a lingpai. It was literally just a feather that was about the size of his palm. Was this really an authentication token that would be recognized by the Peacock Wing?

However, Lan Shanyu said that this was indeed the Peacock Wing’s highest level lingpai.

It was difficult to believe, but it was more difficult to refuse a gift given with such sincerity. Chen Ziqi accepted the bird feather, ruminating on what Lan Shanyu had said earlier. “What happened at the Cloud Palace?” he asked, his expression serious. 

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If Lan Shanyu had to attend to something personally, it was likely to be a very serious and difficult matter.

“Don’t worry, Dianxia, the Young Master is safe and well,” Lan Shanyu said perceptively, answering the real question Chen Ziqi wanted to ask. “Anyway, it’s a mess here right now, so if you want to send Qinghan off tomorrow, go to Zhanghua Pavilion.”

When the High Priest completed his term of service, he had to inform the Protector-God of the same at Zhanghua Pavilion.

The Emperor was unwell, and the Crown Prince went in his stead to send the High Priest off. The important government officials and a few of the younger princes also attended the ceremony. 

“When you went to Taizhen Palace yesterday, what did the High Priest say?” the Crown Prince asked Chen Ziqi in a low voice. They were standing next to each other.

Chen Ziqi sighed, then shook his head. His silence spoke louder than words.

The Crown Prince understood, and smiled coldly. “Fine. Since he wants to walk towards his own death, I’m not going to stop him,” he said. Given that the Lan family didn’t send a new High Priest over, it meant that the Phoenix King didn’t select a new candidate, and in these circumstances, it made sense that Lan Jiangxue should have continued to serve as High Priest. The Cloud Palace was in upheaval now, and it was not beneficial to the High Priest to return at this time.

Today, the High Priest wore a sumptuous, elaborate robe. The long train extended three feet behind him, and a complex cloud pattern was embroidered on the outermost robe. An exquisitely wrought silver guan set with nine pearls the size of lotus seeds sat elegantly on his head. Two tassels of silver chains as thin and delicate as silk threads hung down from both sides of the guan, flowing down and contrasting beautifully his black hair. 

The years were always particularly kind to good-looking people. Even after many years, Lan Jiangxue’s aloof, handsome face hadn’t changed much. He in fact looked no different from when Chen Ziqi had first entered the palace.

After the ceremony, Lan Jiangxue was no longer the High Priest. He bade farewell to the Crown Prince. “Mr. Qinghan, do take care of yourself. This is a little something from the Imperial family, I hope you won’t look down on our humble gift,” the Crown Prince said as a servant came forward with a box full of gold and silver ingots.

Lan Qinghan accepted it and said his thanks in a quiet voice.

“I’m afraid he won’t have the same standing as before in the Cloud Palace after this,” the Ninth Prince whispered to the Eighth Prince. 

The Crown Prince smiled spitefully when he heard this.

As they were speaking, what looked like a white cloud descended from the heavens. On closer examination, this “cloud” was in fact a white palanquin carried by four white-clad palanquin bearers. They moved so gracefully that they seemed to float onto Zhanghua Pavilion.

No matter how many times one saw the Cyclone Step in action, it always left one in awe; the skill looked so impossibly otherworldly.

The one at the head of the palanquin was Lan Shanyu, who was clad in his signature blue robes. He landed gracefully on Zhanghua Pavilion, then clasped his hands together in greeting, his jade fan held in one hand. 

“Wing Leader Lan, why are you here personally?” the Crown Prince said, surprised. Lan Qinghan didn’t have any position in the Cloud Palace now, and Lan Shanyu was the Peacock Wing’s leader. The Peacock Wing was the most prestigious division of all the Twelve Wings. Wasn’t it demeaning to ask the Peacock Wing Leader to come and fetch this unemployed fellow?

Lan Shanyu smiled gaily. “I’m here to pick up my superior,” he said.

The moment he finished speaking, the four palanquin bearers knelt in greeting, and Lan Shanyu himself also bent at the waist. “This subordinate is here to escort the White Cloud Envoy back to the Cloud Palace,” he said.

The White Cloud Envoy… The Crown Prince was dumbstruck. 

The Cloud Palace had Twelve Wings, and above these Twelve Wings, there were two superiors called the White Cloud Envoy and the Dark Cloud Envoy. These two Envoys oversaw the workings of all twelve Wings, and they took orders directly from the Cloud Palace Master.

Chen Ziqi pressed his lips together, trying to stop himself from smiling. Lan Jiangxue wasn’t retiring; to the contrary, he had clearly been promoted!

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