The master of Mingde Hall was bent over his desk, frowning as he stared at a Soul Guidance array diagram. A huge stack of draft papers lay beside him. It was clear he'd been racking his brains over it for quite some time.
"Dean Hongchen." Xu Yanli knocked on the open door.
Jing Hongchen looked up. The moment he saw Xu Yanli, he set down his pen and beamed. "Your Highness, what brings you here? Have you come to see those children?"
"I've already seen them." Xu Yanli walked in and sat down across from him. "I was getting restless staying cooped up at the residence, so I came out for a walk. If you have time, Dean, would you accompany me for a turn around the city?"
Jing Hongchen paused. "Where would Your Highness like to go?"
"Outside the city," Xu Yanli said. "When I'm in the city, I always feel like someone's watching me."
Jing Hongchen's gaze darkened slightly, but he didn't ask any questions. He rose and straightened his robes. "Very well. I'll accompany Your Highness."
The two left Mingde Hall without any attendants—just the two of them—and walked out through the south gate of Ming Capital.
The scenery outside the city was completely different from within.
There were no densely packed shops or streams of passersby, only scattered cottages spread across the fields. Now and then, smoke rose from the chimneys of a few homes, adding a touch of warmth to the vast, open landscape.
Xu Yanli walked ahead, lazily spinning his Jade Fan in one hand.
Jing Hongchen walked beside him, his eyes occasionally sweeping across their surroundings, ever vigilant.
"Your Highness," he murmured, "someone's been following us this whole way."
"I know." Xu Yanli's tone was even. "They've been following us since we left