Chapter 88

After eating dinner in the canteen, the sun had not yet set, but it was time for the outer palace guards to change shifts. Then, Bu Ye was led by five other people and officially started working.

On the way, the other five guards hardly spoke, and if they did, it was in a low voice. The one responsible for guiding Bu Ye to familiarize himself with his new job was a guard in his thirties named Lu Yuankun. He was strong and had a bit of Liang Xiong's aura. Lu Yuankun was a Heart Cloud Ninth Star, one star higher than Liang Xiong. This made Bu Ye sigh again, realizing that the capital was different from small places like Dongmang Village, where someone like Liang Xiong could only be an outer palace guard...

While responding with "hmm," Bu Ye was secretly observing the inner palace. After all, that was his true destination.

The outer and inner palaces were easily distinguishable because a "palace protection river" encircled the inner palace. The river was nearly ten meters wide, and the water was fresh, flowing in from outside the city. You could hear the water from a distance at the bends.

Bu Ye couldn't tell how big the inner palace was, but it was well-organized, not inferior to any garden he had seen in his previous life.

"We have a fixed patrol route. You'd better memorize it now," Lu Yuankun whispered as they walked.

"Okay," Bu Ye nodded.

At this moment, one of the guards in the group suddenly whispered, "Listen."

The others immediately perked up their ears, but Bu Ye was a bit puzzled. However, he listened carefully and soon heard the sound of a carriage coming from a distance.

Lu Yuankun frowned and scolded, "Don't get distracted!"

The guard who spoke first laughed sheepishly and said, "Maybe we're lucky and can see her from a distance."

Lu Yuankun sneered, "There's no such luck."

"We can just go faster or slower, can't we?" the guard added.

"Do you want to die?" Lu Yuankun shouted.

"If I can see her every day, even if I die, it would be worth it," the guard said angrily, not really caring about Lu Yuankun's warning. However, Lu Yuankun was the temporary leader of this small team, and when it came to patrolling, no one dared to defy him if he got serious.

At this point, Bu Ye realized that they were probably talking about Zhuo Mansha.

Actually, he had only heard about Zhuo Mansha today at a tavern and didn't know much about her. However, he could sense from others' words how much they admired her.

But Bu Ye's attitude towards women in this life was indifferent, and even hearing the guards' discussions didn't affect him.

They continued patrolling at a normal speed. Along the way, they only exchanged greetings with other outer palace patrol teams and didn't speak to anyone else.

At this moment, Bu Ye felt that the professional standards of these outer palace guards were quite high. If something really happened, these guards would definitely put in real effort, unlike the security guards he had seen in his previous life, who were often just for show.

Unconsciously, they had already patrolled one-fifth of the outer palace. Bu Ye looked at the distant wall and realized he was now at the southeast corner outside the inner palace protection river.

Next, they were supposed to patrol west. At this moment, they saw a procession of carriages slowly moving north from their left front.

Even Lu Yuankun was taken aback, and the guard who had spoken earlier was like he had been injected with adrenaline, becoming unusually energetic. The other three were also tense and excited.

Bu Ye couldn't help but look at the procession, guessing it was probably Zhuo Mansha's. However, with their speeds, the carriages would clearly reach the bridge ahead of them and enter the inner palace, while they would only reach the bridge a few minutes later. Of course, if the guards dared to speed up, it would be a different story.

Could just seeing Zhuo Mansha's carriage from a distance make them so excited?

You can chase your idols, but don't ruin my big plans...

Bu Ye thought to himself, and Lu Yuankun frowned and said, "If you want to lose your heads, no one will stop you."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, and the others finally calmed down, pretending they hadn't seen anything and walking forward with a straight face.

Bu Ye and Lu Yuankun were at the back of the group, with Bu Ye on the right. At this moment, the person in front of Bu Ye suddenly whispered, "By the way, isn't Bu Ye new to the capital?"

Bu Ye thought, why is it always about me? But he still responded, "Yes."

"Have you heard of the princess?" the guard asked.

"A little," Bu Ye replied.

"Heh, are you laughing at us? In a few days, you might be even worse than us!" the guard finally said with a smile, saying what he had wanted to say the most.

Even Lu Yuankun couldn't help but smile. To be honest, Bu Ye's calmness had made the five of them, who were old hands, feel a bit embarrassed. After Bu Ye stayed here for a few more days, he would be influenced and would react differently when he saw Zhuo Mansha's procession.

Bu Ye "heh"ed and didn't say anything more. The others thought he was embarrassed and stopped teasing him.

The patrol team continued walking forward, and the procession ahead kept moving north. Finally, the only luxurious carriage in the procession went up the white arch bridge, while the patrol team was still about a hundred meters away.

Throughout the process, the curtains of the carriage didn't even twitch, and the guards were extremely disappointed.

Bu Ye didn't feel anything and continued walking with the group, five meters, ten meters...

But at this moment, something completely unexpected happened. The carriage stopped in the middle of the arch bridge.

Is there a problem?

Before they could figure it out, the carriage started moving again, and the procession followed. However, a few people were left on the bridge, with one in the middle wearing a black dress. From a distance, her back looked very beautiful.

"Ah!"

One of the guards in front couldn't help but let out a surprised exclamation, but he cut it off halfway.

The other four had similar reactions. Even Lu Yuankun, who had been quite calm, widened his eyes and held his breath.

Clearly, what they saw was completely unexpected.

Bu Ye immediately knew that the person on the bridge must be Zhuo Mansha!

Seeing the other five guards in a daze, unable to even walk, Bu Ye felt a bit anxious and coughed lightly.

Lu Yuankun was the first to react, breaking out in a cold sweat. They had all stopped in their tracks!

"Move! Do what you're supposed to do!" Lu Yuankun urged.

The others also reacted and started walking, speeding up for the first few steps.

Bu Ye, walking at the back, could easily see the back of the heads of the four in front. After a few steps, he noticed that all four had sweat on their necks.

What's going on? Just because they're passing by Zhuo Mansha, they're so nervous?

Not entirely!

If Bu Ye stayed here for a few more days, he would know how many guards had died because they looked at Zhuo Mansha too much!

It wasn't that Zhuo Mansha liked killing, but Xiao Hong. Wherever Zhuo Mansha appeared, the guards in the palace were not supposed to look at her, let alone make any mistakes. If they did, even if Xiao Hong heard about it later, he would still punish them!

Therefore, the palace guards were in a strange state: when they couldn't see Zhuo Mansha, they wanted to see her, but when they had the chance, they were scared and wanted to stay far away.

The sweat on Lu Yuankun and the others' backs was partly due to the excitement of seeing Zhuo Mansha up close and partly due to the fear of death.

Bu Ye didn't know about their inner struggles and just walked normally, thinking he would see what Zhuo Mansha looked like.

They had already walked half of the hundred meters. At this moment, the sun was just setting behind a building on the west side of the palace, half above and half below.

The sunlight shone on the river below the bridge, casting shadows in front and shimmering light behind. As the sun continued to set, the line between shadow and light slowly moved east, soon to reach the bridge.

Bu Ye didn't know about the taboo of not looking at Zhuo Mansha, so he kept observing her back as he walked.

As he got closer, Bu Ye noticed that the black dress Zhuo Mansha was wearing was actually a cloak, but its design was unique, making it look like a dress. The cloak was neither wool nor silk, but smooth and textured, with purple-gold embroidery. The hem trailed about a meter behind her, making it extremely luxurious.

Forty meters, thirty meters...

Zhuo Mansha stood at the bridge, slightly tilting her head, clearly looking at the distant sunset. Perhaps to enjoy the river breeze, she had pulled the cloak down to her shoulders, revealing a black dress underneath. Her black hair was half tied up with gold and jade ornaments, and Bu Ye couldn't help but think that it must have taken at least half an hour to style. The other half of her hair flowed like a waterfall, hidden under the cloak, making it impossible to see how long it was.

Although Zhuo Mansha was alone on the bridge, there were other palace maids and servants at both ends. They stood respectfully, not daring to disturb her. Because of their presence, Lu Yuankun and the others, who had previously said they would die if they could see her every day, didn't even dare to turn their heads, walking straight with a serious expression.

They could only dare to glance with their eyes, but not for too long.

Meanwhile, Bu Ye was much luckier because he didn't know the rules...

Twenty meters, ten meters!

Everyone except Bu Ye had been nervous since they first saw Zhuo Mansha. It wasn't until this moment that Lu Yuankun noticed Bu Ye was actually looking at her. Unfortunately, they were already too close, and even if he wanted to warn him, it was too late. He knew that among the servants, there were those who reported to higher-ups and super experts who protected Zhuo Mansha!

Let this new guy die if he must, but don't drag me down.

At this moment, the sun had set even lower, and the orange part visible above the distant building was less than a quarter. The line of light and shadow on the water finally reached the white arch bridge and cast on Zhuo Mansha.

The river breeze blew, and a black veil fluttered. Bu Ye, who thought he would see Zhuo Mansha's face, was slightly surprised. She was wearing a veil?

Bu Ye's curiosity was piqued, and he looked more intently as he walked.

To his relief, the black veil was very thin and almost transparent. When the river breeze blew, it sometimes stuck to her face, revealing her facial features.

Eight meters, six meters, four meters...

As they got closer, and Bu Ye kept looking, he was certain that if he only looked at her outline, Zhuo Mansha was definitely a stunning beauty.

However, although stunning beauties were rare, they weren't as rare as having only one in a country. So, Bu Ye didn't take it too seriously.

He didn't know that Zhuo Mansha was known as the "most beautiful side profile in the Xiao Kingdom," and he had almost seen her entire face.

Since Bu Ye was at the back, and the palace maids and servants were used to the patrol team being timid in front of Zhuo Mansha, they only glanced at him twice and didn't notice that Bu Ye was actually staring at her the whole time.

Bu Ye took another step, a crucial step, as he finally aligned with Zhuo Mansha, seeing her complete side profile and the part above her veil.

At this moment, the line of light and shadow, advancing as the sun set, reached the stone railing of the arch bridge, casting Zhuo Mansha's upper body in the sunset and her lower body in shadow.

The cool river breeze blew, and the light veil gently stuck to her face.

She stood alone in the middle of the arch bridge, above, while Bu Ye walked on the ground below.

As he took a step, Zhuo Mansha's veiled side profile came into full view for the first time.

Pain!

Bu Ye felt as if his heart was pierced by a needle, his soul seeming to freeze.

It was her eyes. Bu Ye finally saw Zhuo Mansha's eyes from the side, and only by seeing her eyes did he see her complete side profile.

The phrase "adding the final touch" finally made sense to Bu Ye.

Before this step, he had already thought she was a stunning beauty, but that was like mud. Now, it was like clouds! Bu Ye was at a loss for words to describe her side profile. This was the first time in his two lives that he felt his heart ache.

How could the heavens be so partial to one person?

Her eyes were not just black but black on the outside and purple on the inside, reflecting the sunset, making the black as deep as the night sky and the purple as mysterious as distant nebulae...

Her gaze, Bu Ye couldn't decipher, seemed to be in the clouds, or perhaps thinking of nothing, calm and cold. This gaze had a unique attraction for any normal man.

Bu Ye was deeply moved, even having the absurd thought that if he never saw her again, what would he do? But his feet didn't stop, and he habitually took another step.

As he took this step, the angle of his view changed slightly, and the feeling of beauty that made him breathless disappeared, and his soul returned.

The black-veiled woman on the bridge became a normal stunning beauty.

Amazing!

Bu Ye's mind was left with only these two words. How could her complete side profile be so beautiful?

Too amazing!

At this moment, if Bu Ye wanted to see Zhuo Mansha again, he would have to turn his head. Looking from behind was "normal observation," looking from the side was "sneaking a peek," but if he had already passed her and turned his head, it would be considered impolite.

Bu Ye naturally wanted to turn his head and look away.

But at this moment, Zhuo Mansha, who had been a bit slow to react, finally realized someone was staring at her and looked over.

Thus, Bu Ye, who hadn't had time to turn his head, met Zhuo Mansha's gaze.

Bu Ye didn't know that this was what countless men in Dongping County wanted to do.

He naturally looked into Zhuo Mansha's eyes, just as she looked into his.

Their gazes met in the air.

Bu Ye saw nothing...

Zhuo Mansha's eyes showed no curiosity, only the usual coldness and calm.

But similarly, Zhuo Mansha saw nothing from Bu Ye.

Bu Ye wasn't like the men in Dongping City who got excited just at the mention of Zhuo Mansha. If it had been earlier, when he saw her complete side profile, he would have felt guilty, but now, his eyes were as calm as hers.

You calm, I calm, so it's fine.

Almost simultaneously, they both looked away. She watched the sunset, and he continued his patrol, passing by as strangers.

But...

At this moment, from the south, where Bu Ye and the others first saw Zhuo Mansha's procession, another group appeared.

The leaders were two people: one was a foreigner, dressed in elaborate and strange clothing, with a wild beard, around forty years old; the other was tall and muscular, wearing a purple-gold brocade robe, with a few strands of white hair in his black hair, walking with a dragon-like gait.

The man in the purple-gold brocade robe immediately saw Zhuo Mansha standing at the far end of the bridge, and his eyes flashed with a complex, indescribable light. But in the next moment, he saw that Zhuo Mansha was looking at someone.

At a distance of over two hundred meters, the man in the purple-gold brocade robe couldn't confirm who Zhuo Mansha was looking at, but Bu Ye's head hadn't fully turned away...

At this moment, among the six people, only Bu Ye was walking forward while turning his head.

The man in the purple-gold brocade robe immediately knew the answer. He maintained a calm expression, continuing to chat with the foreigner as they walked forward.

At the bridge, a palace maid bowed to Zhuo Mansha and said, "Princess, the prince has arrived."

Zhuo Mansha didn't respond, and the maid remained silent, but after glancing at the group from the south, she clearly looked nervous.

As the two groups got closer, Bu Ye and the others got farther away.

Finally, the man in the purple-gold brocade robe reached the bridge, and the palace maids and servants had already knelt down, "Greetings, Prince!"

The man in the purple-gold brocade robe didn't respond, and the maids and servants continued to kneel, their backs sweating.

At this moment, Zhuo Mansha finally turned around, standing high above the man in the purple-gold brocade robe, and gave a slight bow, saying coldly, "Prince."

"Hmm," the man in the purple-gold brocade robe nodded, his expression cold.

There was no doubt that this man was the notorious Xiao Hong.

Then, Xiao Hong turned to look in the direction where Bu Ye and the others were about to disappear and said coldly, "Bring the person on the right at the back to me. Today, for the sake of the Western Bohai envoy, I won't start a massacre."

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