Chapter Fifty-two Entering the Palace

  Because of what He Lan Min had revealed to him, Wu Zetian sent someone to summon him. Chen Yi was not particularly surprised, he just marveled at how quickly the opportunity had come, so quickly that he didn't even have time to think about how to face this historically famous beautiful woman.

  Chen Yi had originally wanted to take some time to imagine the scene of his first meeting with Wu Zetian, including what etiquette to pay attention to, how to speak, how to behave, and how to leave a good impression on this powerful woman, so that she would look at him in a new light. But things came too quickly, and he didn't have time to "prepare", so he could only hastily set off, following the eunuch who had come to fetch him, and get into a luxurious carriage.

  These days, Sun Simiao has not returned to the mansion, and it is unknown whether he is staying in the palace or elsewhere. There is no way to ask Lao Dao about the situation. If Sun Simiao is staying at an inn, one can still ask him what to pay attention to when going to the palace to see Wu Zetian, such as whether his medical skills will be tested.

  Chen Yi hoped to meet Sun Simiao in the palace, with this elder by his side, especially when Wu Zetian summoned him. With such a big support by his side, he would help say a few words, and he wouldn't have too much worry, nor would he make mistakes.

  Chen Yi also brought all his medical equipment, who knows if Wu Zetian would ask about medicine after her husband fell ill. If she asked, he could show her these strange objects while answering her questions.

  Ning Qing was unhappy about Chen Yi's frequent outings, her small mouth pouting with grievance, but she didn't blow up and instead only reminded him to be careful, not to get tired or hurt, and to come back early after finishing his business.

  Facing Ning Qing's nagging and complaints like a resentful little daughter-in-law, Chen Yi was moved, repeatedly promising that he would be fine, and as soon as things were done, he would definitely come back at the first opportunity. In the end, he didn't forget to tease Ning Qing a few times, and walked away with a smile amidst the young girl's coquettish voice.

  The carriage that came to pick him up was quite luxurious, similar to the one that came to pick up Sun Simiao on that day. Chen Yi was no longer surprised by this. The people who came to welcome him were almost all mute, except for the eunuch who invited him into the inn, no one else had spoken half a sentence with him. And that eunuch, whose voice sounded a bit nauseating, after welcoming him onto the carriage and ordering the driver to start, didn't speak again, following behind him very respectfully.

  Originally, Chen Yi had planned to ask the welcoming party about the situation in the palace on their way to Daming Palace, but he could only sit quietly in the carriage and no longer thought of prying into things from these people with unknown identities. After driving for a while, he simply closed his eyes, meditating and at the same time thinking crookedly about what it would be like when he met Wu Zetian later.

  But after thinking for a while, I felt sleepy and dizzy, so I simply didn't think about anything and focused on resting my mind.

  The horse carriage drove for a relatively long distance before turning a corner and continuing forward. Chen Yi tried to guess his current location based on the structure of Chang'an City in his memory, but since he couldn't see any reference points inside the carriage, he could only roughly estimate where they were headed at first, and after a while, he had no idea where the horse carriage was going.

  After a while, the carriage turned in another direction and stopped. Chen Yi heard the sound of interrogation inside the carriage, followed by several people talking about something outside. The voices were too faint to be clearly heard, but soon the carriage started again and continued moving forward.

  The horse carriage went on for a while, then turned in another direction and stopped again. Chen Yi heard the voices of several people talking. After hearing a few people's soft conversation, the rear curtain of the horse carriage was lifted by someone, and a head came in. Chen Yi only felt a few sharp lights shining in, his eyes were a bit sore, and he couldn't see clearly the person who was speaking to him with respect.

  The curtains of this horse-drawn carriage were very thick, and during the journey, only a few strands of light from outside came in, making it quite dark inside. The light was much dimmer than outside, and Chen Yi, who had already adapted to the darkness, felt uncomfortable when he suddenly entered a brighter world with stronger light.

  "Mr. Chen, please get off the bus!"

  The voice was that of the eunuch who had come to greet him at the inn. After Chen Yi's eyes adjusted slightly, he followed the eunuch's gesture and jumped down from the carriage. After getting off the carriage, he naturally observed the surroundings. What entered Chen Yi's eyes was a high wall, estimated to be nearly twenty meters high, extending far away in both directions with almost the same height. The tall gate tower, under the contrast of the equally tall city wall, gave people a very heavy and oppressive feeling. On top of the city wall, there were numerous soldiers holding weapons walking back and forth, making people feel an intangible sense of pressure.

  This is the imperial palace, and he is now standing outside the Imperial Palace of the Great Tang Dynasty - Daming Palace, directly opposite the city wall of Daming Palace. The scenes seen here are somewhat similar to what Chen Yi had imagined beforehand, but the scale and momentum of the imperial palace are still more grandiose than what he had imagined, enough to shock people.

  In front of the majestic gate tower, there were five gates. The gate tower was so high that it made people look up to see it. Chen Yi knew that this was the famous Danfeng Gate, also known as the main gate of Daming Palace, the first gate of the Tang Dynasty. However, he knew that the Danfeng Gate would only be opened on special occasions, such as New Year's Day or during major celebrations. Today, it was impossible for him to enter through the main gate. As expected, a little later, the eunuch signaled Chen Yi to follow him towards another gate tower. Chen Yi suppressed his excitement and followed the eunuch after bowing in response, walking towards the palace gate guarded by many soldiers.

  He walked to the palace gate and squinted his eyes to look up at the city gate tower, trying to see which gate it was. After a while, he finally saw the three strong and powerful characters written on the gate tower: "Jianfu Gate!"

  The situation of the Daming Palace can be described as extremely familiar to Chen Yi. In later generations, he carefully studied the layout structure of the Daming Palace and even visited the Daming Palace Site Park several times. He remembered the approximate location of each palace that was excavated in later generations.

  He knew that the "Jianfu Gate" was a side gate of the Ming Palace, located on the right side of the main gate Danfeng Gate. It was one of the three main gates of the Ming Palace and also an important passage for officials and people inside the palace to enter and exit. From this gate, you can enter the Yuanyuan Hall Square, behind which are the Xuanzheng Hall, Zichen Hall, Jinluan Hall, Qingfeng Hall, Chang'an Hall and many other halls and courtyards.

  However, what he knew was just a conclusion drawn after archaeological discoveries. What the real situation is like, I only found out today.

  "Master Chen, please follow me into the palace!" Seeing Chen Yi curiously staring at various parts of the imperial palace gates, the respectful eunuch with a hint of disdain on his face bowed again and gestured with his hand.