Chapter 627: Ziwei Palace

Xue Lin'an led the officials and the people of Youzhou in kneeling to welcome the new emperor; the King smiled narrowly and called out, "I really miss everything about Youzhou—I'm finally home." The King's voice wasn't loud, but the officials of Youzhou all heard it, and those words were also worth pondering.

The people along both sides of the imperial road also gradually rose to their feet; the King glanced over and saw, at the front of the roadside, an old blind woman pulling a five- or six-year-old boy. Her eyes had no focus, and anxiously she muttered toward the direction of the cavalry behind him.

The King walked over and asked, "Elder, is your son or grandson serving in the northern border cavalry?"

The old woman couldn't see and didn't know that the person who had come was the emperor himself; she anxiously said, "Zhao Quanzi of the Blade and Shield Battalion, Bing—has he returned? No, is he still alive?"

The King took her hand and said, "This time the Blade and Shield Battalion, Bing didn't return; they're still stationed in Chang'an. But I can tell you, Zhao Quanzi is still alive and well, elder—rest assured."

A flash of joy crossed the old woman's face, then she realized who this person claimed to be; startled, she immediately tried to kneel, but the King firmly supported her.

"Elder, if you entrust your son to me, I will do my utmost to bring them back. Elder, if your son is not in Youzhou and you have any difficulties at home that you cannot resolve, you may go to the Ministry of War to report them; the court will do its best to help."

The old woman thanked him profusely; the King felt a little pleased. He had spent so much on equipping the cavalry precisely for this—to do his utmost to bring every person home alive. Money is important, but it is nowhere near as important as a life.

The King rode into the city amid the eager gazes of the people; the majestic walls of Youzhou gave him a greater sense of security than Chang'an's walls did, and looking at them made him happy.

He walked away feeling pleased; his personal guards followed with a whoosh, and the people of Chang'an behind him could finally come close enough to pick up their own chins.

Who would have thought the city wall could be built like this?!

Is this even a city wall?!

On the horizon rose a blue‑black city, its height indeterminate—perhaps seventy feet, eighty feet, or more. Built layer upon layer from countless uniform giant stones, its blue‑black walls had a dull, cast‑iron hue. Even if the Prince of Nanchang visited Youzhou, he would not dare to be so arrogant as to treat his own black‑iron‑rock city as anything noteworthy!

It was too high; looking up, the crenellations on the wall cut into the sky like the jagged teeth of a giant beast, inexplicably arousing a hint of fear. It was too high; the faces of the guards on the wall were barely discernible, only the cold glint of armor reflecting sunlight could be seen, making people dare not stare and quickly look away.

It was also very long; following the wall east and west, it stretched endlessly until the limit of sight, merging with the vast mountain range as if it were naturally part of it—equally hard and towering.

"Nobody ever said Youzhou City was this big!" a voice from behind the carriage curtain exclaimed, and those who heard it couldn't help but nod.

If you say this is the desolate, uninhabited Youzhou of the northern border, then that Chang'an… isn't anything to be proud of either.

Youzhou's West Gate Tower stood even taller, reaching several zhang, appearing three stories high from outside, with flying eaves and upturned corners; the copper bells hanging beneath the eaves trembled slightly in the long wind blowing from beyond the frontier, and everything here felt utterly unfamiliar.

The procession continued forward under the curious gazes of Youzhou's people; the lead carriage soon reached the city gate, and they discovered the gate was the most breath‑taking sight. The gate opening seemed divine, like a tunnel to another world. It was practically a fortress embedded in the wall, its iron‑sheathed massive door as heavy as a severed dragon stone, its door‑nuts the size of bowls. Little did they know this wasn't iron at all—the King's door cladding was actually red copper.

Faint fragments of discussion drifted on the wind: "Can these stones be moved by human strength? How were they piled so high?"

"No way? This could be built in three to five years?"

"Chang'an… seems far behind…"

"... It's not that the steppe barbarians can't breach it; it's that the whole human race couldn't break through!"

The families accompanying the officials only sensed that Youzhou seemed to have some strength, while the savvy old foxes who had spent half their lives in Chang'an were truly shocked. After all, Youzhou is the new emperor's base; his performance in Chang'an cannot be taken as proof, and only from Youzhou can one see the emperor's true strength. Even someone as astute as the Grand Ancestral Master already felt uneasy in his heart—this Chang'an… could we still return?

They were like visitors to the Grand View Garden; the King, upon entering the city, had already taken their beloved ones straight to the northern prince's residence. From purchasing the plaque for Ziwei Palace to today, ten days had passed; the King rushed to Southern Hua Gate and saw a brand‑new gate—even the world‑wise King raised his chin in surprise.

"Just ten days—how could it become like this?!"

Just looking at this newly plaque‑adorned gate, he now felt the 950,000 spent was worth it. This guy had enjoyed a flashy display bought with micro‑transactions, and as soon as he stepped through the gate his sister and aunt grabbed him, one on each side, feeling his head and his clothes; the King thought their technique was exactly the same as the way they'd rubbed him for the past four or five years. Does anyone remember he has already ascended the throne and show a little respect for the Emperor's majesty?

The splendid, fairy‑palace‑like Northern Territory Prince's Residence is the King's old nest; he's long been accustomed to its grand, exquisite architecture, so this guy merely admired the increasingly impressive gate at the entrance and was satisfied—but the officials and families of Chang'an, who consider themselves superior and well‑versed, have never seen architecture of this caliber!

From the shopping frenzy that swept Chang'an before their departure, it's clear they looked down on Youzhou.

In poor, remote backwaters there is nothing; coming here amounts to exile, and that is the consensus.

Chang'an merchants and teahouses often hear bits of news from the northern border, and the Northern Territory Weekly occasionally lets one catch a glimpse of Youzhou's aspects, but that isn't just legend, is it!

Most people thought it was false hype derived from the northern border's mighty military strength, and merchants were mostly in it to sell goods. Now, however, with no preparation at all, they have simply seen an absurd Youzhou City.

Initially, the King had greatly expanded Youzhou outward; when the long lines from Chang'an finally reached the vicinity of Ziwei Palace north of the city, the sun was already sloping westward, though not yet dark, and this splendid palace complex had already lit its first lamps.

The cavalry led the group out from Xining Road, detoured around the bustling Zhuque Avenue, and all the way arrived near Ziwei Palace, ostensibly to 'familiarize themselves with the terrain.' Starting tomorrow, these Chang'an officials will work here, and tonight they will be lodged in the West City Honglu Lodge.

The city folk of Chang'an, having endured the wall's onslaught and the impact of the city's high‑level planning, considered themselves well‑traveled, yet seeing that the new emperor in Youzhou actually possessed a palace‑like residence caused many to lose composure once again.

These people were not ignorant country bumpkins who had never left their own counties; they were considered top‑tier of the Great Jin, yet at this moment they were no different from those old farmers who had never stepped outside their doors.

Is this the sort of residence a Great Jin princeling should have? No. This is what remains after the heavenly firmament collapsed and the White Jade Capital of Heaven fell to the mortal world!

Bai Li Jing, have you dug up seven or eight gold mines in Youzhou!

This is the shared feeling of everyone right now.

Millions of palace lanterns and eave lanterns adorned the entire palace complex, turning it into a gilded fairy palace; the sunset stretched the complex's shadow to extreme length and sharpness. The crowd looked on in doubtful astonishment, some even suspecting it was all an illusion.

Having come all this way, weary from long travel, could it be that all of this is merely a grand illusion?

The outline of the Three Archways was traced by light, cast upon the darkening sky, and the newly vermilion gate began to turn dark brown.

The palace gate is the side face of imperial authority; standing beneath the two vermilion lacquered doors of Southern Hua Gate, one must crane one's neck until it aches to barely catch sight of the gilded Xiezhi atop the lintel.

As the evening drum sounded, the guards' soldiers closed the palace gates one by one; observing how more solemn and restrained it was than Chang'an's imperial palace, the Jianzhang Palace at this moment seemed downright shabby by comparison.

The Senior Minister of Rites again recalled the scene of Bai Li Jing riding into Jianzhang Palace; the young boy's eyes held not a trace of awe or fervor, that faint disdain he had once thought he misread now seemed justified. The decayed Jianzhang Palace, in the presence of the still‑young new emperor, truly had nothing worth praising—he had long since seen finer sights.

Perhaps what the guards' soldiers closed was not a door, but the boundary between the mortal realm and the fairy palace.

The convoy was extremely long; aside from the neighing of horses, no one spoke, for the ultimate expression of dignity in the world is eternal silence.

Zhi Xieyuan, bewildered, eyed the Southern Hua Gate that had grown noticeably taller—Ziwei Palace? This guy Bai Li Jing, even after heading south, still had the thought to renovate his residence! This guy is never as poor as he makes himself out to be!

Ziwei Palace—each of the three huge characters stands as tall as a person, vigorous and penetrating, magnificent in momentum. Splendid characters! He gazed at them, entranced and intoxicated; this guy Bai Li Jing's own calligraphy is a chaotic mess, but his taste is top‑notch!

Being mentioned by so many at once, the King, who had just withdrawn to his sleeping quarters, sneezed; he wondered whether he had caught a chill or was being cursed, when his personal guards reported that the Wusun envoy had turned back and had already arrived in Youzhou?

"Huh? Why are they coming back again?"

"I heard the Wusun unit had just left Yumen Pass when it turned back; the Tang Inspector told them the emperor had returned to Youzhou, so these people rushed here nonstop."

When the King isn't reading, his mind works faster than anyone's; at this moment of hurried turning back…… 'Could it be they're seeking something from me?'

Then you're in luck!