Chapter 9 Go for a stroll

  Chen Yi did not expect that after he returned to his room, Ning Qing would sneak over again and look for him to talk.

  Ning Qing slipped into Chen Yi's room like a thief, and facing Chen Yi's surprised gaze, she herself felt a bit embarrassed, twisting her small hands and saying: "Ziying, I couldn't sleep, so I came to ask you, what did Master say to you just now?"

  Looking at the cute and innocent little Taoist nun, Chen Yi couldn't help but smile and said softly: "Qing'er, your master is going to diagnose a friend's illness and may not return for several days. He went with your two senior brothers, leaving you and me in the inn. If there's anything, they'll notify us. If we don't have anything to do, we can go out and play on our own..."

  "Really? Master didn't tell me any of this!" Ning Qing let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, "I get it now. Master wants me to be your guide, show you around Chang'an City so you don't get lost or wander off...and also..."

  "What else?" Chen Yi asked with some doubt as he saw the little Taoist nun's expression flicker.

  In the dim candlelight, Ning Qing's hesitant appearance looked even more captivating, making Chen Yi unable to look away.

  "It's nothing!" Ning Qing shook his head, looking at Chen Yi. "Master will leave some money for us, so tomorrow we'll go to the West Market first. You need to buy a few decent clothes to wear. Master said that your current clothes are not suitable for our sect."

  "That's it, adding a few clothes is necessary, just...". Chen Yi hesitated for a moment and still said his plan. "Qing'er girl, I have money on my body, those gold leaves are used to spend! Sun Daochang saved me, how can I use your money again? Let's do this, tomorrow we'll first find a bank to exchange some copper coins, so that we won't be short of money when we need it in the future!"

  The gold of today is not the circulating currency on the market, equivalent to a large check in later generations. The main thing that can be used for transactions on the market is copper coins. If there are no copper coins in your pocket, it's hard to buy things with gold leaves, and merchants generally won't accept them, you can only exchange them first.

  Ning Qing looked at Chen Yi twice, his expression seemed a bit strange, but after thinking about it, he also agreed. "Alright, tomorrow we'll first go to the western market to find a gold and silver shop that can exchange copper coins, then we'll go find a clothing store, you buy a few clothes first, then...we'll play around in the western market for a bit, if there's still time, we'll take a look at other places..."

  Chen Yi knew that Ning Qing still had something hidden from him, thinking that Sun Simiao might have given other instructions, but just didn't let himself know. He didn't ask further and followed Ning Qing's words: "I've long heard that Xishi is the most lively place in all of Chang'an, with strange and exotic things for sale from all over the country. We'll go take a good stroll tomorrow and buy some things to bring back... Ah, yes, Qing'er, besides Xishi, what other fun places are there in Chang'an City? Where else do you want to take me?"

  "Where else do you want to go?" Ning Qing asked Chen Yi with a tilted head, "I'll accompany you wherever you want to go!"

  Chen Yi looked at Ning Qing's sincere face and said: "I also want to take a look at the East City... I also want to stroll along the main streets in Chang'an City, we can just ride our horses around, and... I also want to take a look around the Imperial City, I want to see what the magnificent Daming Palace looks like!"

  Ning Qing was somewhat perplexed by Chen Yi's request, "Dong Shi is all about luxury goods that we can't afford and it's not lively at all! Why don't we just skip Dong Shi and spend more time in Xi Shi instead? I've been to both places before, and trust me, Xi Shi is way more fun than Dong Shi. Besides, there's nothing much to see on this street, they're all pretty similar. And as for the Imperial City area, we can't even get close, just have to gaze from afar..." As Ning Qing spoke, she glanced at Chen Yi who seemed quite enthusiastic and quickly changed her tone, "But... if you really want to go, I'll accompany you to take a look!"

  "Alright, let's get some rest earlier. We've been running around all day and I'm tired. Tomorrow we'll get up early, find a shop to exchange some copper coins, and then go for a stroll elsewhere..."

  A hint of disappointment appeared on Ning Qing's face, but she also immediately agreed: "Okay, you get some rest too, I'll head back to my room first!"

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  The next morning, Chen Yi was awakened from his daze by the noise and voices. He immediately got up, opened the window and looked out to see Sun Simiao and Wang Chong, Liu Hai directing several unfamiliar people to load some things onto a large horse-drawn carriage. Then the three of them got on the carriage, and the driver whipped the horses to drive them away. Those strangers from nowhere rode their horses behind the carriage.

  The car drove eastward and turned a corner at the street corner, then disappeared from view.

  This is a luxurious decorated carriage, with several people following along the side of the carriage. When Sun Simiao and his group walked out, it was still before dawn, and there were no other idle people on the street. According to Chen Yi's estimate, the drum at the gate had not yet sounded!

  Chen Yi did not expect Sun Simiao to leave so early, and the carriage he took was still such a simple one. There were also many people who came to greet him. While feeling somewhat unexpected, his sense of mystery and curiosity grew stronger, making him even more eager to know what they were going to do. Unfortunately, he had no place to go and gather information. He was not familiar with Chang'an either, and it was not yet time to go out on the streets, so he could not follow them to find out their whereabouts.

  As he watched the carriage disappear from view, Chen Yi withdrew his head and closed the window. After dressing neatly, he opened the door and poked his head out to check on the situation in the adjacent room. He found that Qing Ning's door was still closed, and the little girl who had ridden a horse all day should be tired and still sleeping. He didn't go out either, so he closed the door again and returned to the room. First, he used the water prepared last night to wash and tidy up his hair. His long hair felt a bit cumbersome and not easy to comb. Chen Yi thought of Ning Qing next door. These days, whenever he combed his hair, Ning Qing would come over to help him out. However, when she helped him comb his hair, it felt strange, a bit ambiguous. Chen Yi didn't dare trouble this lovely and cute little girl!

  After spending some time tidying himself up, Chen Yi exercised his limbs in the room, which was his morning exercise. Having taken a bath last night and slept well, he felt relaxed today, full of energy, and his hands and feet were very powerful.

  Chen Yi was tying his horse when he heard drumbeats coming from the street outside. After the drumbeats stopped, Qing Ning came over to knock on the door.

  Chen Yi, who opened the door, was somewhat surprised to see that Qing Ning was not wearing a Taoist robe today, but had changed into ordinary clothes like those of a young girl from a common family. Her hair was no longer simply tied up with a cloth strip as it had been in recent days, but was styled in some way, looking like the ancient girls seen in movies and TV shows. Anyway, no one could tell that she was a little Taoist nun, but rather a beautiful young girl, only appearing somewhat immature and shy.

  Seeing Chen Yi staring at her, Qing Ning's face turned slightly red as she hid from his gaze, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes and saying: "Ziying... you're up? I was thinking... oh, Master and the two senior brothers have already left. I've asked the shopkeeper to prepare breakfast, it'll be sent to our room soon. We can eat and then set off, how's that?"

  "Okay, since your masters have left, let's eat breakfast first and then go out to stroll around the streets, find a place to exchange copper coins, buy some clothes, visit the West Market... Hehe... I'll treat you to a big meal at the wine tavern!" Chen Yi said with a smile, looking at Ning Qing who was showing a shy expression in front of him. The excitement he felt inside couldn't be described in words.

  "Ziying, after we finish breakfast, let's go somewhere to have some fun first! The western market won't open until almost noon, and if you want to exchange copper coins, it'll also be after noon! Besides...” Ningqing's face slowly returned to normal, she glanced at Chen Yi twice, then said: "You should go ask the innkeeper what the current exchange rate is, you're not familiar with this place, lest you get cheated later!"

  After listening to Qingning's explanation, Chen Yi also understood that at this time, in the city of Chang'an, except for the East and West markets, there were very few shops selling things elsewhere. The money houses and pawnshops that could exchange gold and silver were mostly located inside the East and West markets, which didn't open until around noon. Those who needed to exchange valuable items like gold, silver, or silk usually had to wait until after the East and West markets opened. Of course, some other alleys, such as Pingkang Alley where brothels gathered, also had this type of shop, but it was either inconvenient to go there or too hard to find.

  "I understand!" Chen Yi nodded to show that he understood, and smiled at Ning Qing. This little Taoist nun was quite clever, able to think of this point. At this time, a voice came from outside the door, it was the shopkeeper bringing their breakfast!

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  After having breakfast, the two of them went out, because there was still a long way to go to Xicheng. Chen Yi thought of strolling around on the street, so they rode horses. The two of them were almost neck and neck, chatting as they galloped forward. On Chang'an Street, there were still many people riding horses, but more were rushing along in ox carts or horse-drawn carriages. The horses ridden by the two were not bad in quality, and both were white. Moreover, their faces looked youthful, although their clothes were not very luxurious, they were still quite handsome and attractive to onlookers.

  Neither of them paid attention to the curious glances of passersby, nor did they notice if anyone was staring at them as they jogged and chatted. Chen Yi carefully admired the architectural styles on both sides of the street during his conversation, feeling that his eyes were not enough, Qing Ning explained some situations in Chang'an City's streets and alleys to Chen Yi, as well as some special buildings and so on, like a tour guide.

  Although the prosperity and grandeur of Chang'an Street today cannot be compared with those in later generations, Chen Yi was amazed by the city's layout, the width of the streets, and the overall ancient charm. If these buildings could have been preserved until his time, each one would have been a national key cultural relic protection unit, but unfortunately, the Tang Dynasty buildings that survived to later generations were extremely rare.

  Of course, the most attractive place in Chang'an City is still the two imperial palaces - Taiji Palace and Daming Palace. Chen Yi also came to the Imperial City under Ning Qing's guidance.

  In front of the Imperial City, there were highly vigilant soldiers guarding each gate. Chen Yi was afraid of causing trouble and, under Qingning's repeated reminders, did not approach, only looking from a distance. Although he only saw a glimpse of the outline of the Taiji Palace and the Daming Palace, it still gave him many shocking places. The towering city walls that made people look up, the overlapping palaces and pavilions, strongly impacted Chen Yi's vision...