Chapter Fifty-Seven: Being Followed

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  The lovely palace maid called "Tuan Er" led Chen Yi out of the palace, while Sun Simiao did not come out and continued to stay inside.

  Chen Yi knew that there must be someone important who wanted to see Wu Zetian, or Wu Zetian had something important to deal with. Sun Simiao stayed there, and it was likely that Wu Zetian still had words to say to him, or matters to discuss related to Sun Simiao.

  What's going on? Chen Yi couldn't figure it out!

  After leaving the hall, his tense heart had calmed down, and he quietly thanked the leading palace maid.

  The palace maid responded faintly, leading Chen Yi out of the hall to a place where others couldn't hear them. She looked around and then whispered to Chen Yi: "Young Master Chen, I was really worried about you just now. You shouldn't have looked at Her Majesty like that. Fortunately, Her Majesty didn't blame you."

  "Thanks for sister's reminder, I'm really grateful!" Chen Yi hurriedly bowed to thank her.

  "You go first, someone will lead you out of the palace later!" Chen Yi was so polite, and the pretty palace maid was still quite useful.

  "By the way, I wonder if your surname is Wu? Are you and the Empress related?" Chen Yi asked casually as he pretended to leave.

  "How did you know?" The pretty palace maid asked in surprise.

  "Can I guess it?" Chen Yi had a profound and mysterious look, but then smiled immediately, "Sister's affairs, someone will say it!"

  "Oh!" Wu Tuaner immediately understood and smiled without saying anything, but his expression still showed that he wanted to hear Chen Yi say something more.

  Seeing Wu Tuaner being so "benevolent", Chen Yi quickly flattered her, "Tuaner sister, thank you for your guidance and reminder today. You are really a good person. If I have the chance to enter the palace again in the future, I will also ask Tuaner sister to remind me of many things that I don't understand."

  "Team sister?" Chen Yi's several intimate calls of "team sister" made Wu Tuaner's heart tremble. This young man, who was said to be quite good-looking, talented, and skilled in martial arts, had been praised by Sun Simiao and favored by the empress, yet he treated her with such warmth and familiarity, making her feel delighted. After muttering "team sister" in confusion and looking at Chen Yi's genuine expression, she finally felt at ease, and a smile bloomed on her face as she said: "Young Master Chen is too kind, I've heard He Lan say that you have both literary and martial talents, and your medical skills are exceptional, having cured Lady Korea's illness. I was curious about what kind of person you would be... but I didn't expect... to be so young, so..." She had originally wanted to say "so handsome", but the words got stuck in her throat.

  Although Wu Tong'er is already twenty years old, she has been in the palace since she was thirteen and has been serving by Wu Zetian's side for many years. She hasn't had much experience with worldly affairs and hasn't come into contact with many men. In the palace, she spends her days facing women of similar age and status to herself, as well as those "men" who aren't really men. Although some high-ranking officials often get summoned by Wu Zetian, they are all older and very proper, so they won't look at her straight or talk to her much. It can be said that she doesn't have much experience interacting with men. Even though she often sees He Lan Minzhi, who is extremely handsome and makes her heart flutter, he is very proud and never gives this maid a second glance, let alone speak to her. It's quite hurtful to her self-esteem. Today, Chen Yi, who looks quite good and has an extraordinary demeanor, spoke to her in such a way that it made her feel very happy, with the kind of joy unique to young girls.

  There is some vanity at play here, but more so it's a woman's desire to be acknowledged and valued by men, rather than being ignored.

  Among the people she had seen, Chen Yi was not the most handsome. Apart from He Lan Min, the former Crown Prince Li Zhong, Wu Zetian's sons Li Hong and Li Xian were no less handsome than Chen Yi. There were also occasionally entering the palace Wu Sansi, Wu Chengsi and others who looked quite handsome. However, apart from He Lan Min, these people were all very stiff in their actions, with a humble attitude in front of Wu Zetian, and it could be said that they had no air of a man at all. Chen Yi's performance today was not nervous at all, calm and composed, very elegant, comparable to He Lan Min, which was what she admired about him.

  Chen Yi was easy-going and had no airs, with a bright smile that gave off a sunny feeling. She treated the maid by Empress Wu's side in the same way, calling her "sister" in a sweet tone, with a hint of flattery. She also said the maid looked good, but these words didn't make people feel disgusted or annoyed. She liked being in contact with such men and being with them made her heart more open and cheerful!

  Chen Yi said she was kind-hearted and looked very likable, and she also believed in this statement, thinking that she was indeed as good as Chen Yi had described. When she first met Chen Yi, she gave her such a feeling, which made her unwilling to see Chen Yi being scolded by Wu Zetian, and wanted to maintain her "good" image, so she would cough to remind her when Chen Yi was impolite.

  "Thank you, Sister Tuan," Chen Yi bowed again and stood up straight, looking at Wu Tuan'er with what he thought was his most charming, slightly overbearing, and slightly flirtatious gaze. He said in a soft voice: "I'm truly delighted to receive such praise from Sister Tuan. When I have the chance, I'll definitely chat with you more and ask you to teach me about the palace etiquette! Today's reminder from Sister Tuan, I will also find an opportunity to thank you for it!" With that, he didn't wait for Wu Tuan'er's response, bowed again, and walked away with a swagger, leaving behind Wu Tuan'er who was left standing alone, feeling embarrassed from being scrutinized up close.

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  He came out of the palace very smoothly, and on Danfengmen Street outside the Daming Palace, Chen Yi jumped up and down a few times to release the joy in his heart. After a small emotional release, he looked back at the tall city wall for a while, then walked towards the inn where he lived.

  He declined the offer of a palace sedan chair and wanted to walk alone, thinking about things.

  Met Wu Zetian, and had a familiar feeling about this woman, as if she had seen her somewhere before. This discovery made Chen Yi's mind churn, he had to think carefully about what factors would make him feel this way. As he walked back to the inn on foot, it was just the right time to think about this matter.

  Chen Yi walked slowly, and when he turned a corner, he inadvertently looked back to find two people following him from a distance. At first, he didn't pay attention, but after walking for two streets, he saw that the two men were still following him and even speeding up, preparing to approach him. Chen Yi was startled, and his mind immediately raised some doubts - who could be following him? Was it someone sent by Wu Zetian to investigate his movements? If so, it would be terrifying. Thinking back to Wu Zetian's questions earlier, Chen Yi felt that this woman had a lot of suspicions about him. However, Chen Yi didn't quite believe in this possibility - even if Wu Zetian was suspicious, she wouldn't need to do something like this; she could just send someone to investigate directly. Chen Yi looked at the package on his shoulder and then at his clothes, which were not ordinary attire, and suddenly realized that it might be some kind of thief who had mistaken him for carrying something valuable, thinking of robbing him... But now was daytime, and there were many people on the street, plus the occasional Jinwuwei military officer patrolling on horseback, Chen Yi also doubted this possibility.

  But Chen Yi thought that no matter what, being followed wasn't a good thing and he should get rid of them immediately. Thinking this, Chen Yi quickened his pace, swiftly walking past a street corner, then sprinted for a short distance before turning into an alleyway entrance. With his agile footsteps, he ran towards another alleyway entrance in a different direction without any hesitation, and exited the alleyway back onto the main street.

  It's already another big street, go to the front intersection and turn onto the cross street, and after walking a short distance, you'll arrive at the inn. Chen Yi walked quickly for a while before suddenly thinking of something that shocked him, so he immediately stopped in his tracks, preparing to wait for the person following him to get closer...