Chapter 2632 - 2565: Perfect Timing

Manbao checked through the list item by item, and only after making sure there was nothing wrong did she let out a breath. She signed her name on the form, handed it to Assistant Doctor Duan, and instructed, "Seal up the chests and put the labels on. Be careful. We’re leaving in just one more day, this is the last time we can afford to have anything go wrong."

Assistant Doctor Duan took it and agreed.

Manbao rubbed her neck, finally feeling the soreness ease a little.

She turned around, tidied her things, and got ready to leave the palace.

By now the sky was already close to dark. If they didn’t get out soon, once the palace gates closed, they would have to stay inside for the night.

At this time, Bai Shan had only just finished the paperwork he needed to hand over. He passed the deed of transfer documents to Lord Fang.

Lord Fang checked them, signed, then smiled at him and said, "I’m on duty tonight. Lord Bai, you should leave the palace now. If you don’t go at this hour, in a bit you won’t be able to."

Bai Shan glanced at the sky outside, nodded, but did not hurry off. Instead he stayed with Lord Fang, filing the signed documents away, and only then turned to take his leave.

Lord Sun, who was on duty together with Lord Fang, saw this and laughed. "Lord Bai is certainly cautious, but surely you don’t distrust even us?"

Lord Fang smiled and said, "This too is the rule. Doing things by the rules, you won’t go wrong."

Leaving the duty room, Bai Shan looked left and right. Seeing no one around, he hitched up his robe and sprinted out. When he ran into people he slowed, though his steps were still quick, his toes just touching the ground as he passed.

The duty room by Taiji Hall was not close to the palace gate. He alternated between running and fast walking, and managed to reach the main road ahead within two quarters of an hour. From afar he saw the great palace gate, and in the dusk he spotted a familiar figure.

Bai Shan couldn’t help speeding up for two steps. When the guards at the gate sharply turned to look his way, he had no choice but to rein in his speed and stride quickly instead, not daring to run outright.

The imperial guards stared at Bai Shan with bright, sharp eyes, full of the intent that if he made any suspicious move they would cut him down.

But though their faces stayed stern, their eyes couldn’t help sliding toward one another. The guard who was currently checking Zhou Man’s medicine chest even said, "Lord Zhou, look behind you."

Manbao turned her head to look back. Seeing Bai Shan striding this way, her eyes lit up at once. She waved and called, "Bai Shan, hurry, hurry..."

The guard barked at her, "Silence!"

Manbao instantly fell quiet, and said softly, "The gate’s about to close, hurry up~"

Guard: ...

The instant Bai Shan’s front foot stepped onto the space before the gate, he heard a loud clang behind him. A guard immediately shouted, "Time’s up, close the gate—"

Manbao grabbed Bai Shan’s hand and gave him a tug outward.

Bai Shan was exhausted, he let out a deep breath, raised his arms for the guards to see that he had nothing at all on him from outside.

The guard waved him through.

The two of them stood three steps away, watching the palace gate slowly swing shut. Half the guards, like them, were now shut outside—well, they were the ones guarding the gate.

Bai Shan wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "If it’d been some other lord on duty today, we’d have had no choice but to spend the night in the palace."

Manbao asked, "Have you finished packing your things?"

Bai Shan nodded. "All packed. Tomorrow we’ll set out first. What about you people from the Imperial Hospital?"

Manbao said happily, "We’re setting out ahead as well. Mm, but I have to attend upon His Majesty, so I can’t go with the Imperial Hospital’s convoy."

Bai Shan said, "It’s fine, I’ll go on ahead and take a look. When the time comes I’ll see where looks fun, and where is cooler."

Manbao nodded again and again.

The guards glanced at them and asked, "You two lords are still not leaving?"

The two of them turned and grinned at the guards. "Thank you for your hard work, sirs."

And then, hand in hand, they walked off.

The guards, who hadn’t felt it was all that hard before but now suddenly did feel it was quite hard work: ...

Daji drove the carriage up, picked the two of them up, and headed home.

By now the sky was already dark. After they left the imperial city and passed two wards, they saw lanterns being lit one by one. Plenty of people were strolling along the streets. There was still an hour and a half before the night curfew, so this was exactly the most bustling time.

Bai Shan asked her, "Are you hungry?"

Manbao shook her head. "I was so busy today that I don’t really feel like eating now."

Bai Shan said, "Then let’s go home and have some soup."

But they had only just stepped through the gate when Xi Bing and Jiu Lan came up to greet them. "My lord, my lady, sir is asking for you."

Xi Bing asked, "My lord, have you eaten yet?"

Manbao said, "Not yet. Go to the kitchen and fetch whatever’s handy, send it over to sir’s courtyard. We’ll eat with sir."

Xi Bing answered, bowed, and went off.

The two of them followed Jiu Lan toward Mr. Zhuang’s quarters, asking, "What does sir want us for?"

"Sir didn’t say. But he didn’t eat much at supper, and Old Madam was wondering if his appetite wasn’t good, whether we should invite a physician."

Jiu Lan laughed. "In the end Miss Ru went over to take a look and said it was nothing serious, so they dropped it."

Mr. Zhuang’s study was brightly lit. He was sitting at the desk writing. When he saw them, he waved. "Come here."

The two of them stepped forward.

Mr. Zhuang looked toward Jiu Lan, and she curtsied then withdrew.

Only then did Mr. Zhuang tap the paper on the desk and say, "Come have a look."

The two of them craned their necks to read, completely at sea. "Sir, what is this you’ve written?" Oddly enough, the names listed on it all seemed to be people they didn’t much like.

Mr. Zhuang said, "These are all people who may harbor resentment and hostility toward you."

Bai Shan and Manbao were both taken aback. "That many?"

Mr. Zhuang paused, then said, "See if I’ve missed anyone."

Bai Shan picked up the list and read it carefully, asking, "What made sir think of writing this out?"

His scalp prickled a little. "Granted, we may not have the best relations with the folks on this list, but it’s not so bad that we need to keep a little notebook and jot them all down, is it?"

Mr. Zhuang: "...What nonsense are you imagining? I wrote this out so you’d have a clear picture in your own minds. If in future you encounter baseless suppression or malice, chances are it’s these people behind it."

Bai Shan couldn’t help growing serious. "Sir, has something happened?"

Mr. Zhuang handed them a rolled-up portrait. "This was sent over by Yao Chen before dark..."

He briefly summarized what Yao Ge had said today.

"That fellow called Wan Dong may not be using his real name, but his face won’t have changed. Have your people look into him, see if you can find whose man he is." Mr. Zhuang said, "What happened back then was too long ago. At the time Chen Fulin and I each insisted on our own version, neither of us was credible. But I have a letter that Yao Ge wrote me back then, explaining the matter in it, so I had a slight edge."

"But if Yao Ge were to come out and testify in person that that poem back then was ghostwritten by Chen Fulin, then the letter in my hand wouldn’t be of much use," Mr. Zhuang said. "Even if the truth can eventually be clarified, the seemingly plausible rumors would have had time to circulate for a while. My reputation would be damaged, and it would be difficult for me to keep serving in officialdom."

Mr. Zhuang smiled faintly and said, "But that doesn’t matter much. My name was never that good to begin with, and I’m old besides. Even if I resign, it’s not a great loss. But for the two of you, it would be very bad indeed."