Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 277 The Murals of Hexi Palace!

"Yuejie and I had never been to Hexi Palace before, so we had no idea which way to go. In addition, after dark, Hexi Palace did not light any lamps, so we became more and more anxious as we walked."

"Later, some sounds came from somewhere that attracted me, and I pulled Yuejie toward the direction from which the sounds came."

As the eldest prince spoke, his tone gradually became agitated.

The second prince was also a little nervous, his hands clasped together, constantly fidgeting with his fingers.

"We came to a palace, which was pitch black inside, with the doors and windows tightly closed, and there were no guards or eunuchs outside."

"Yue Jie and I pushed the door open together. The door wasn't heavy, and it opened very smoothly without making any noise."

"Upon entering the room, I discovered that it was an empty palace chamber with few furnishings, except for an incense burner in the center."

"Even in the darkness, you can see wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner. The fragrance is so delicate that it makes you want to drowsy."

The eldest prince spoke of events from over a decade ago without the slightest hesitation.

Those scenes were as vivid in his memory as if they had happened yesterday.

"Behind the incense burner was a towering mural that reached the ceiling. I have never seen such an arrangement in the palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"The mural is several feet high, giving people an inexplicable sense of oppression in the darkness. It glitters with silver light, obviously using special paint."

“I pulled Yuejie around the incense burner and closer to the painted wall. By the dim light of the fire, we could see clearly that on the painted wall was a dancing crane, and on the crane stood a white-robed immortal.”

Such a magnificent mural requires a huge amount of engineering work and enormous financial support.

The immortals depicted on this mural suddenly made the eldest princess and Zhou Wei understand the origin of Hexi Palace!

The legend of the immortal riding a crane to the west is not uncommon among the people.

But everyone just treated it as a legend, something to talk about over tea or after dinner and then it was over.

The Great Zhou Emperor had this scene engraved on the mural in the Hexi Palace, which shows that he valued this legend highly!

Zhou Wei's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately made a connection.

Could it be that this is another inescapable fate for emperors and generals: the pursuit of immortality?

The eldest prince continued, "At that time, Yuejie and I were young and had not yet heard the story of immortals riding cranes to the west, so naturally we did not know what this painting was about."

"At this moment, Yuejie gently tugged at my sleeve, reminding me to look at the corner below the painting."

Zhou Wei and the Princess listened intently.

This is probably the only firsthand information about Hexi Palace; what the two princes saw and heard is extremely important.

“I saw a group of people painted at the bottom of the mural, dressed in different clothes, clearly divided into several factions.”

"At the time, I didn't know who these people were, but later, after leaving the palace and arriving in my fiefdom, I learned about the blessed lands and grotto-heavens, and I suddenly realized that the people standing in the murals must all be cultivators from the blessed lands and grotto-heavens."

"The most obvious ones are the believers of Kongshan Temple, who are easily identifiable because they wear monks' robes."

Upon hearing this, the eldest princess instinctively wanted to call out to Zhu Qi.

Realizing what had happened, Zhu Qi and the soldiers of the Nanguang Army rode swiftly to Jiaozhou Prefecture.

The eldest prince was interrupted by the eldest princess's actions and couldn't help but look at her.

Jiang Yueli smiled and waved her hand: "I was just thinking about something else, please continue, brother."

The eldest prince nodded and continued, "Besides Kongshan Temple, Zhengshan Academy is also easy to identify."

The eldest princess knew that the disciples of Zhengshan Academy all wore blue robes and scholar's caps.

If it were in a mural, it would be an extremely conspicuous presence.

"It's just that the identities of the other groups are hard to discern, but they should all be cultivators from blessed lands."

The eldest prince then carefully recounted the contents of the mural.

They didn't even overlook the smallest details, which made the Princess and Zhou Wei somewhat puzzled.

Although this mural is peculiar, it doesn't seem to have anything particularly special about it, so why should the Crown Prince waste his breath on it?

The idea that immortals riding cranes westward are depicted alongside grotto-heavens and blessed lands in a painting is plausible.

Perhaps this immortal is a member of a sect within a blessed land!

As for its origin, there is no further information in the painting, so it is impossible to determine at the moment.

Seeing Zhou Wei and the Princess's expressions, the First Prince explained, "Yue Li, I know this explanation of the painting is a bit long-winded, but I have no choice but to say it."

"You may encounter something on your journey to this blessed land, and you will not pass through Ningzhou on your return. We may never see each other again in this lifetime."

"I must tell you everything I saw at Hexi Palace in detail, without omitting anything."

Upon hearing this, the eldest princess felt a pang of sadness.

The sights and sounds of Hexi Palace haunted the childhoods of the two princes.

But now, in order for her to know more, he forcibly reopened his wound, afraid of missing any details.

"Brother, you don't need to worry about me and Weiwei. We also have some things to tell you, but we'll have to wait until you finish telling us about what you saw and heard at Hexi Palace."

"So, just say whatever comes to mind. Ningzhou is now under the control of the Nanguang Army, and no one dares to bother us anymore!"

The eldest prince smiled, a smile he had never shown before.

You only know how precious freedom is once you've experienced it.

"The reason I described the figures on the mural in detail is because what I saw later was related to this mural."

These words completely piqued Zhou Wei's and the princess's curiosity.

"As I just said, at the feet of the immortal who rode a crane to the west, stood a group of cultivators from blessed lands and grottoes."

"Everyone was standing almost at the same level, which shows that they were of equal status, but one person was standing in front of the group."

Zhou Wei is quite experienced in this area, having visited many museums.

When ancient people painted on flat surfaces like walls, they often used the placement of the figures to highlight their status!

The higher the position of a person, the greater their status, and the same applies to those who stand at the forefront of the crowd.

On the painted wall, in front of the cultivators of the blessed land, a person suddenly stood, indicating that his identity was extraordinary!

"This person is different from the leaders who stand at the front in the blessed land families and sects. She stands further forward, and most people's eyes are not on the immortals, but on her!"

Zhou Wei immediately asked, "Was that person a man or a woman?"

The eldest prince glanced at Jiang Yueli, took a deep breath, and said, "She is a woman, tall and slender, dressed in plain clothes, with graceful posture and a handsome face that is like that of a chisel."

Upon hearing this, both Zhou Wei and the Princess were shocked!

The eldest princess had this kind of appearance. Although she was a woman, her facial features were clear and she had a natural air of heroism.

The eldest princess asked somewhat nervously, "Brother, why do you say that the woman in the mural is related to what we see later?"

The eldest prince and the second prince exchanged a glance, both of them looking bewildered.

After a long pause, the eldest prince said, "Because Yue Jie and I bypassed the painted wall and went to the inner hall of Hexi Palace, we witnessed Father Emperor murdering a woman."

"That woman's appearance and demeanor are exactly the same as the woman in the mural!"