Rustle, rustle~~
Fine raindrops sprinkled the main street in the city center. The faint light spilling from the buildings on either side, softened by the rainy mist, gave the entire street a dreamlike beauty. Even the reflections of pedestrians and the streetscape were visible on the ground.
Ye Jingtang held an oil-paper umbrella over Third Madam's head, admiring a rainy landscape utterly different from the Capital City's. The nerves that had remained taut through several days of running through the Wu Mountains slowly relaxed into contentment.
Prince Wu's rebellion had caused considerable turmoil. Fearing that he would seal the city and trap them inside, many residents had fled. But since the Imperial Guards arrived, the situation had stabilized, and many had returned. Shops were now reopening one after another. Though it lacked its usual bustle, the rainy streets and empty lanes had a charm of their own.
Today's outing was an incognito inspection-or, one could say, a shopping trip in ordinary clothes.
Dongfang Liren wore a young gentleman's robe. Apart from her somewhat overdeveloped chest muscles, she looked exceedingly handsome, and with a folding fan in hand, she had the elegance of a jade tree standing in the breeze.
Naturally, the Empress Dowager dressed as the mother, with a maid following behind her. Her clothes gave her the air of a household's mistress, but her large eyes and delicate, seemingly touch-fragile face made her look more like Dongfang Liren's older sister.
Perfected Person Xuanji's disguise was the most unusual. She dressed as an unmarried young lady from a scholarly family, playing her disciple's sweetheart. In a flowing gown of sheer white gauze, holding a floral umbrella, she looked so well matched beside Dongfang Liren that anyone would have praised them as a talented gentleman and a beautiful lady.
Ye Jingtang