diymy Chapter 17 Breaking the wall
Chapter 17 Breaking the wall
The Ninth Prince's residence was located in Tieshizi Hutong, on the north side of Chaoyangmen Inner Street in Beijing.
It was neither too far nor too close to Nanguanfang Hutong, where Yin'e lived.
After turning a few corners between the two streets, crossing a side street, and walking for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, you will arrive.
If you ride a horse, it will take only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea; if you walk, it will take less than a kilometer.
But this one-kilometer distance felt like an insurmountable distance to Yin'e at that moment.
Not for any other reason than the listening distance mentioned in the book "Overheard," which is thirty meters.
What does thirty meters mean?
Compared to the Ninth Prince's mansion, which covers eighteen acres, this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
Eighteen mu of land, approximately 12,000 square meters, is wide from east to west and deep from north to south, and is at least a hundred steps away.
The ninth son's master bedroom and study were located in the inner courtyard of the fourth section.
Fortunately, Yin De told him a crucial piece of information: since returning from the Eighth Prince's mansion yesterday, the Ninth Prince has not left the mansion at all.
The fact that he didn't leave means that the Ninth Prince is still in the mansion.
Being in the mansion means he has hope.
He finished explaining to Yin De about spreading the news about the Crown Prince at Shen Shi San Ke, which is around 3:30 pm.
There were still more than two hours before dark, enough time for him to make some preparations.
"Fuquan," he called out towards the door.
Fuquan jogged in and stood with his hands at his sides.
"Go and find me a set of ordinary clothes, not too nice, not too bad, just the kind that ordinary merchants on the street wear."
Find a melon-shaped hat and a folding fan.
As he spoke, Yin'e pulled a piece of silver from his sleeve and tossed it over: "Go quickly, don't let anyone see."
Fuquan accepted the silver, replied "Yes, sir," and hurried away.
A short while later, Fuquan returned carrying a stack of clothes.
A dark blue cotton long gown, neither new nor old;
A dark black belt, a black melon-shaped hat with a slightly frayed brim;
There was also a folding fan with several bamboo stalks painted on its surface, the colors of which had faded somewhat.
Yin'e took it, looked it over, and nodded in satisfaction.
These things blend into the crowd on the street and are absolutely inconspicuous.
He took off his princely robes and put on the cotton gown.
The material was a bit rough, but it was much cooler than those fine silks and satins.
Fuquan, watching from the side, wanted to laugh but didn't dare: "Sir... are you... going on a clandestine trip?"
Yin'e glanced at him but did not answer. He simply instructed, "I'm going out for a bit. You stay here and keep watch."
If anyone asks, just say I'm in my study looking at account books and I'm not receiving guests.
"Yes, sir." Fuquan nodded quickly, not daring to ask any more questions.
After making all the preparations, Yin'e went out.
It was around 5:30 pm, the time between Shen and You hours.
The sky had not yet completely darkened, but the sun was already beginning to set in the west.
There were fewer pedestrians on the street than during the day, but there were still a few vendors packing up their stalls.
Several children squatted at the alley entrance, playing with pebbles and chattering noisily.
Yin'e blended in with these people without standing out.
He kept his head down, walking at a leisurely pace, glancing around with the corner of his eye as he went.
It took him about the time it takes to burn an incense stick to walk from Nanguanfang Hutong to Tieshizi Hutong.
After turning a corner, you'll arrive at Tieshizi Hutong.
Yin'e slowed his pace, his gaze falling on the mansion with its blue bricks and gray tiles not far away.
Although the Ninth Prince's residence was only of the Beizi rank, it was quite grand.
The two stone lions in front of the gate are a size larger than those of other houses.
The vermilion gate was nailed with copper nails, and a blue plaque with gold characters reading "Ninth Prince's Residence" hung above the gate.
These characters are written with vigorous strokes and are said to have been written by a Hanlin scholar who served Emperor Kangxi.
Yin'e did not stop at the main gate, but turned into a side alley.
This alley is right next to the east wall of Ninth Master's mansion, so narrow that only two people can pass side by side.
The wall was covered with ivy, densely packed.
Yin'e walked slowly forward, hugging the wall.
Every few steps, he would stop, open the copy of "Overheard" from his sleeve, and try to call out Yin Tang's name.
But the light on the pages only flickered briefly before going out.
There was no sound at all.
The distance is not enough.
He continued walking forward.
This alley is very long and winding.
Yin'e walked along the alley for about a hundred steps, turned a corner, and arrived at the north wall of the mansion.
The wall here is much higher than the east wall, about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) high. There is no ivy on the wall, only a few withered vines hanging down from the top.
He tried again.
Or not.
The light on the book pages flickered and then went out.
The only sounds were a few distant barks of dogs and the faint sound of the night watchman's clapper.
"Thirty meters..." he gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, "That's too short."
He began to circle around the outer wall of Ninth Master's mansion.
First go along the east wall, then turn onto the north wall, then go around the west wall, and then turn back to the south wall.
He was like a tireless donkey, going around and around a millstone.
Every time he went around in circles, he would stop at a few different spots, lean against the wall, open a book, and try to call out Yinzhen's name.
Occasionally, the light on the pages would flash briefly, but before he could hear clearly, the light would go out again.
Moreover, the sound was intermittent, like the static from a radio with a bad signal.
In July, Beijing was not as hot in the evening as it was during the day, but after walking around and around, his back was soaked with sweat.
The cotton long shirt clung damply to my skin, feeling stuffy and sticky.
The hair under the melon-shaped hat was also wet, sticking to his forehead in clumps.
He took off his hat, wiped his face with his sleeve, put the hat back on, and continued spinning.
During this time, his furtive behavior attracted the attention of several passersby.
An old man carrying a load on a shoulder pole passed by him, glanced at him, and quickened his pace noticeably, as if avoiding a plague, and hurried away.
Two women walking together saw him pacing back and forth along the wall from a distance and whispered a few words to each other.
Then he walked around to the other side of the road, glancing back as he went, his eyes filled with vigilance.
Yin'e smiled bitterly to himself, but dared not show any unusual expression on his face.
He knew what he looked like: a middle-aged man in a worn-out long gown, wandering around outside the mansion of a royal relative.
He stood close to the wall, looking around, occasionally stopping to stare blankly at the wall.
He looks exactly like a petty thief who's been scouting the place.
If they were spotted by patrolling soldiers, they would inevitably be questioned.
Thinking of this, he quickened his pace and turned into a narrower alley on the west side of the mansion.
This alley is even narrower than the one on the east wall. There are no bricks in the alley, and the ground underfoot is uneven mud.
It had just rained yesterday, so it was still a bit slippery, making a "slap slap" sound when you stepped on it.
Yin'e walked with uneven steps, almost slipping several times.
He held onto the wall with one hand and opened the book "Overheard" with the other, trying it out as he walked.
Or not.
He was almost ready to give up.
Just as he turned a corner, preparing to return the way he came, he suddenly noticed an old locust tree at the end of the alley.
The branches of the locust tree stretched out, over the wall, and into the inner courtyard of Ninth Master's mansion.
The tree canopy was large, completely shading a small open space at the end of the alley.
Yin'e was delighted, for places with trees were often not far from the inner courtyard.
He walked quickly to the old locust tree, squatted down against the wall.
He took a deep breath, summoned "Overheard," turned to the page about Yin Tang, and pointed with a slightly trembling finger.
This time, the light on the pages did not flicker out, but instead shone steadily.
Immediately afterwards, a voice entered Yin'e's brain.
That was Lao Jiu's voice.
Yin'e's eyes widened with excitement.
The more Yin'e listened, the stranger it seemed.
That voice wasn't him talking to someone, nor was he giving orders.
Instead, he was... moaning.