Winds swept and clouds gathered. A muffled peal of thunder occasionally sounded overhead, and the streets and alleys lay under a gray haze, filled with pedestrians hurrying home.
Ye Jingtang rode Third Madam's Black Horse down West Main Street, the Black Qilin Spear hanging at its side wrapped in black cloth.
Niao Niao had just woken up and huddled listlessly against his groin, its chin resting on his thigh. Watching the roadside, it went, "Coo-coo, cheep-cheep~" It sounded as though it were humming-rain must fall, and Tang must marry...
?
That was what Ye Jingtang thought Niao Niao meant, so he covered its eyes with his hand, provoking a bout of head-shaking.
Yesterday, they had received definite intelligence that the criminals intended to raid the Marquis of Yunning's Residence. Molten Stone Oil had already been splashed around, and the Black Bureau had patrolled overnight and secretly deployed defenses. The current situation remained unclear, but the Capital City was as peaceful as ever. It seemed the thunder had yet to break.
To make commanding easier, Silly had stayed in Palace City yesterday. Ye Jingtang spurred his horse to the Imperial Guards' garrison near West City. Finding no sign of Silly's carriage, he took his waist token and vaulted onto the palace wall, reaching the northwestern Corner Tower.
The Corner Tower was itself an important defensive installation of the Imperial Palace, permanently manned by a Secret Guard commander. The Black Bureau Chief Constables also changed shifts here when assisting with palace security. He had visited several times on the day he had last watched Silly bathe.
Outside the Corner Tower, Ye Jingtang saw She Long and Shang Jianli standing beside the battlements, surveying the distance through telescopes. A crowd of palace maids in colorful clothing stood at the entrance, with a carved