By the time he left the Palace of Eternal Joy, the sun had climbed overhead.
Ye Jingtang carried the Empress Dowager's personally bestowed artwork in both hands as he passed between the crimson palace walls, still turning over ways to counter the Dragon-Slaying Order in his mind.
There were many palace servants around the Palace of Eternal Joy, as well as imperial guards on patrol, but none stopped him when they saw the waist token from Prince Jing's Manor.
Naturally, Ye Jingtang did not wander around. With Niao Niao perched on his shoulder, he headed first to the Imperial Stables.
The Imperial City was enormous. Prince Jing enjoyed the privilege of "entering the hall with sword and shoes," so she did not need to walk. Her carriage had driven straight into the palace grounds and was parked in the Imperial Stables beside the Palace of Eternal Joy, alongside the Empress's imperial carriage, with eunuchs assigned to tend it.
Ye Jingtang entered the Empress's "garage" and searched among the many carriages. Before he found Prince Jing's carriage, however, a horse in the paddock caught his attention.
Over a dozen horses were kept at the Imperial Stables, all for the Empress's use when traveling. One red horse had its own enclosure, with room to trot back and forth that was far larger than the courtyard where Ye Jingtang lived.
Holding the scroll, Ye Jingtang approached the fence to take a look. The red horse's shoulder height and build were both astonishing. Its body was like fiery coals, without a single stray-colored hair, and it looked magnificent. Beside it, his own horse would have looked like a malnourished foal.
Back when Ye Jingtang escorted goods for the escort agency, he had spent half his time on horseback. Seeing such a famous steed, one