Chapter 419 A Dilapidated Taoist Temple in the Tang Dynasty - Little Female Taoist Priest 27
Several days after the ship's crew arrived, Li Er and his group finally boarded the ship. By then, the young apprentice was already impatient to set sail, and some of the people who had boarded earlier were already restless. What difference was there between staying put and being locked up?
Before boarding the ship, the emperor conducted another thorough inspection to check if anyone had brought anything they shouldn't have. The inspection of Jiang Yue and her apprentice took a little longer because Jiang Yue was carrying all sorts of medicines that the soldiers couldn't recognize. In the end, the imperial physician had to be called in to examine them.
Halfway through the inspection, the Empress's personal maid came to deliver a message, roughly saying that if Jiang Yue wanted to harm people, she would have plenty of opportunities, and it was enough to stop when things looked about right. After the inspectors left, she also told Jiang Yue and her apprentice that it wasn't that she didn't trust them, but that she was afraid bad people would mix things into their belongings, and asked them to understand.
After everyone left, Jiang Yue shook her head and didn't say anything. Her apprentice was still young and didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, so Jiang Yue didn't explain it to her much. In this kind of world, it was still very necessary to maintain the necessary respect for the royal family. The inspection lasted for three to five days. After the guards' inspection, the emperor had the eunuchs and maids inspect it again.
Is this an exaggeration? No, it's not. The items on the ship are inspected before use. When it comes to the emperor's safety, no amount of caution is excessive. After the Emperor's ship was inspected, the two escort ships were also ready. They chose some auspicious days and finally set sail on a suitable day.
For the first few days after setting sail, everyone was quite excited, including the little apprentice next to me. She had forgotten the days when she cried and didn't want to be on the ship when she was a child. In those days, there were no entertainment options on the ship. The emperor was lucky because he had brought a dance troupe, so he could listen to some songs when he was bored. But the people accompanying him suffered and had to pass the time by bragging.
Upon arriving at the first city where the ship docked, everyone felt like donkeys that had finally broken free of their roaming enclosure. The feeling of having their feet firmly on the ground was incredibly comforting. Everyone now realized that sailing was no easy feat. Arranging accommodations for the emperor and officials after the ship docked was also a challenge. Finding lodgings was relatively easy, but security was a different story.
In the end, the emperor stayed in a mansion specially vacated by the local prefect, which was heavily guarded. The accompanying officials dispersed and found their own accommodations. Jiang Yue and her apprentice, on the other hand, were relaxed and simply found an inn to stay in.
During their three-year trip, they visited most of these coastal cities. The two went to see the places they remembered, but things had changed and many things were gone. However, some good restaurants were still open. The two ordered some food, and after they came out, the little apprentice said to Jiang Yue, "Master, it doesn't taste as good as it used to, does it?"
"The things haven't changed, it's the people who have. People tend to embellish their memories of the past. The feelings you have at this moment are not the same as the feelings you had at that time. Let alone a few years, even three months can make the taste different."
While strolling around the city, I noticed quite a few patrol teams. These must have been arranged by local officials. If something were to happen during the emperor's tour, those officials would most likely be finished. Even if the incident had nothing to do with them, they would still be guilty of negligence. Didn't you see those acrobatic troupes that performed fire-breathing or sword-swallowing? They were all ordered to shut down.
The thugs and ruffians who used to roam the city were nowhere to be seen. Jiang Yue had reason to believe that it was now possible for people not to pick up lost items on the road. If someone found money on the street, they would have to hand it over to the yamen. The master and apprentice continued to stroll around the city, feeling the subtle changes that had taken place in the city because of the emperor's arrival.
Jiang Yue didn't return to the inn until after dinner. Since the emperor didn't need her now, Jiang Yue and her apprentice planned to revisit the Taoist temple in the mountains outside the city. They had visited this temple a few years ago, but the original Taoist priest had already moved elsewhere. The two of them didn't recognize the people here, so they left around noon.
On the way down the mountain, Jiang Yue saw a group of people walking up the mountain in the distance. As they got closer, she found that they were the same people who had traveled with her on the boat. They looked at Jiang Yue and her master with slight surprise, and then smiled and said, "We heard that this Taoist temple has been around for a long time, so we came to see it. We didn't expect to meet you two here."
"My master and I visited this place a few years ago when we were traveling, but unfortunately things have changed and the people we knew are no longer here."
After exchanging greetings, they continued up the mountain, while Jiang Yue led her apprentice down. Once back in the city, they bought some fruit and snacks, as well as a lot of storybooks. The food on the ship was rather monotonous. The two escort ships were alright, but the food on Jiang Yue's ship was mainly for the emperor's use, so the food for the accompanying personnel was naturally much worse.
Jiang Yue believed that there were definitely more than just her master and apprentice who came to buy food and toys. Originally, Jiang Yue had also wanted to buy a small stove to cook for herself, but she thought that was not appropriate. If people found out, they would think that she was not giving the emperor face. Buying snacks could be said to be greedy, but buying this meant that the emperor was not giving her food.
After buying the goods, they put them on the boat when there were fewer people. On the way, they met people who had the same idea. They looked at each other and realized they were kindred spirits. They didn't need to greet each other; they just smiled at each other and understood what was going on. A few days later, the emperor learned about this. He knew it was inappropriate, so he ordered the soldiers to provide more food so that the ministers wouldn't go hungry.
Because it was the first place on this tour, the emperor stayed here for a few more days, about a week and a half. It's unrealistic to say that everything was handled perfectly, but those very bad and corrupt officials were dealt with. As a result, the lives of the people were much better. Didn't you see that on the day they left, the shore was filled with people shouting "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor!"
Having learned from the previous trip, everyone bought a lot of things to pass the time this time. The most popular game was mahjong, which is the best way to kill time. Of course, the ministers and the emperor didn't play it, as they were busy discussing national affairs with the emperor. Most of the players were women, who were originally there to keep the empress company, but the empress didn't need to be with them all the time.
Jiang Yue had originally planned to go fishing, but there were guards around the boat. Fishing was allowed, but what if you caught a knife or something else? If you held up the fish and said, "This is the fish I caught," who would know if there was a book or a sword inside? So it was better to ban the sport; it was too dangerous.
So Jiang Yue got her fishing gear for free. She plans to get rid of it after the next city. The room on the boat isn't big, and keeping it would just take up space. Her little apprentice has been following the protagonist around these past few days. Apparently, the protagonist set up some kind of research project for the students of the academy, and she's sneaked in to learn.
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