The appointed day arrived quickly.
Early in the morning, Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng arrived together.
Zhao Feng was there to teach Yu'er martial arts, while Chief Steward Shang was preparing to take Li Xuan out of the palace.
Li Xuan had already told Princess Ankang and Yu'er about leaving the palace in advance.
However, he hadn't told them the specific details, only that he was going to help Chief Steward Shang with something.
Although Princess Ankang and Yu'er were a bit uneasy about Li Xuan leaving the palace, they felt much more at ease knowing that Chief Steward Shang would be accompanying him.
Still, it was the first time they would be separated for such a long distance, which made the two girls constantly worry about Li Xuan.
"Li Xuan, when you leave the palace, you must stay close to Chief Steward Shang and absolutely not be mischievous or run off."
"If you get lost and can't come back..."
As Princess Ankang spoke, she began to cry.
"Then what will I do!"
"Wuwuwu—"
Chief Steward Shang had calculated everything, yet he had forgotten to consider this point.
In the past, when Li Xuan went out to play, Princess Ankang knew he would always come home, so she wasn't overly worried if she couldn't see him.
But this time was different; Li Xuan was going out of the palace with Chief Steward Shang, and if he got lost outside the palace, it would be over.
Just last night, Princess Ankang had no idea how many nightmares she had, all about Li Xuan getting lost.
When she woke up this morning, her pillow was soaked on one side.
"Your Highness, please rest assured."
"As long as this old servant is here, Li Xuan will be here."
Chief Steward Shang quickly gave his assurance.
He had never imagined that Princess Ankang was so dependent on Li Xuan.
At present, Li Xuan was only leaving the palace for a trip; if something truly bad happened to Li Xuan, Princess Ankang would likely cry herself to death on the spot.
Yu'er, standing nearby, also had red eyes, clearly very worried.
"Li Xuan, you must be obedient and stick close to Chief Steward Shang, do you understand?"
The two girls caressed Li Xuan reluctantly, as if cherishing it as the last time they would touch him.
"What a scene."
Although Li Xuan felt a bit speechless about their excessive worry, his heart felt warm.
When one knows they hold such an important place in others' hearts, perhaps anyone would feel this way.
Li Xuan stepped forward, hugging and kissing the two girls, and after a good deal of comforting, their mood improved somewhat.
In the end, Princess Ankang and Yu'er still accompanied him all the way to the entrance of Jingyang Palace, almost wanting to go with him.
After a period of reluctant parting, Li Xuan finally set off with Chief Steward Shang to leave the palace.
However, seeing the two girls left at home, Li Xuan also felt very uncomfortable.
"Sigh, is this how parents who work away from home feel?"
Seeing Li Xuan also feeling down, Chief Steward Shang just shook his head gently, but didn't say much.
The intimate affection between the three little ones could only be described as enviable to others in this palace.
In this palace, even with blood relations, feelings might not necessarily be good.
Li Xuan was truly fortunate to be doted on by Princess Ankang and Yu'er.
Of course, Princess Ankang and Yu'er were also fortunate in the same way.
Chief Steward Shang first took Li Xuan back to the Internal Affairs Bureau, where several empty carriages were prepared.
Today, Chief Steward Shang's official reason for leaving the palace was to make purchases.
This errand was the most appropriate reason for palace eunuchs to leave the palace.
Whether it was Chief Steward Shang or Zhao Feng, when they needed to leave the palace on weekdays, it was always under the guise of making purchases.
After all, purchasing could be done every day.
Li Xuan was hidden in the carriage, covered with a thick waterproof tarpaulin.
He looked at the scenery along the way through a gap.
A royal city gate in the West Palace led directly outside the palace.
After Chief Steward Shang led the caravan straight out of the imperial palace, they entered the capital city.
Li Xuan's eyes widened at the unfamiliar sights, finding everything new and curious.
The main road outside the imperial city was very quiet, with few pedestrians, though imperial guards patrolled back and forth from time to time.
Looking further afield, various ancient buildings stood tall, and Li Xuan could already catch the sounds of bustling crowds, carriages, and the lively clamor of red lanterns and wine from the streets.
It was still morning, but the capital seemed already very lively.
After leaving the imperial city, the caravan followed a wide street heading south.
The imperial city was located in the northernmost part of the entire capital, surrounded by areas where high officials and nobles resided.
Because in this vicinity, one could still see the walls of the imperial city just by looking up.
"So the imperial palace is that big."
It was Li Xuan's first time seeing the imperial city from the outside, and only now did he realize how vast the place he usually lived in was.
The majestic imperial city almost touched the sky, with golden-armored imperial guards standing sentinel every ten steps, looking awe-inspiring.
After walking for more than half an hour, the caravan finally left the streets adjacent to the imperial city, and ahead were various markets.
The capital of Great Xing was divided into numerous markets, each with its own function; some markets were only for residence, some only for trade, while most were mixed, meaning they allowed both residence and trade.
Initially, the distinction between markets was quite strict, with residential areas uniformly called 'fang' and trading areas uniformly called'shi'.
However, as Great Xing's economic activity grew increasingly vibrant, the consumption demands of the capital's residents gradually outstripped supply.
Therefore, the strict requirements for market division were gradually relaxed, slowly evolving into the current mixed form.
Li Xuan noticed that the further away from the imperial city the market was, the livelier it became.
After traveling south for a long time, Chief Steward Shang led the caravan to a very large trading company.
[Ping An Trading Company]
As Chief Steward Shang's caravan arrived, someone immediately greeted them respectfully and drove the carriages to the back courtyard.
The eunuchs who came along were also properly entertained.
These eunuchs, who seemed submissive in the palace, were all big shots once outside the palace.
The manager of the trading company came before Chief Steward Shang to respectfully greet him; Chief Steward Shang simply gave a few quiet instructions and then dismissed him.
The purchasing matters would naturally be handled by others.
Li Xuan and Chief Steward Shang had other tasks.
Chief Steward Shang carried Li Xuan and walked into the trading company, making his way unimpeded to a prepared room.
"Li Xuan, this Ping An Trading Company is responsible for all palace supplies and is a trading company very closely connected to His Majesty."
Chief Steward Shang introduced.
Li Xuan understood upon hearing this.
"I'm afraid it's Emperor Yongyuan's property."
Although Emperor Yongyuan was the emperor, he also needed money.
He couldn't freely withdraw money from the national treasury, so he also needed his own private coffers.
Li Xuan had heard before that emperors also had their own ways of accumulating wealth, but he hadn't expected Emperor Yongyuan to be no exception.
But operating a trading company was considered reliable.
It was a hundred times better than those corrupt emperors who sold official positions.
Chief Steward Shang seemed very familiar with this room; he walked straight to the wardrobe and began to change his clothes.
Inside the wardrobe were many props for disguise and camouflage; in a short while, Chief Steward Shang had changed his appearance and physique, transforming into a pot-bellied, bearded wealthy merchant.
"Li Xuan, how do I look in this outfit?"
Chief Steward Shang proudly displayed his disguise skills.
It must be said, Chief Steward Shang's skill was truly impressive.
From the previous slender old man, he immediately transformed into a middle-aged wealthy merchant.
However, the wrinkles on his face were a bit obvious; even after being concealed, they still stood out.
Chief Steward Shang looked in the mirror and felt somewhat dissatisfied himself.
"Sigh, I am old after all; even dressing up as middle-aged is a bit of a struggle."
There was inevitably some disappointment in Chief Steward Shang's tone.
At this moment, Li Xuan seemed to remember something, wagged his tail, and poured out several human skin masks from the di hong bone ring.
Chief Steward Shang was startled by this rare item.
But he immediately thought of how Li Xuan had obtained these things.
"Li Xuan, these are things you got in Yuqing Pond, right?"
Chief Steward Shang said with a chuckle.
As the saying goes, 'the higher the virtue, the greater the demon'.
It seemed Emperor Yongyuan had made ample preparations for Li Xuan.
Chief Steward Shang was not polite, as Li Xuan couldn't use these things anyway.
He picked a suitable one from among them and then carefully applied it to his face.
These human skin masks weren't just stuck onto the face; there were various details that needed to be handled.
Li Xuan didn't know this knowledge, but he watched Chief Steward Shang operate with curiosity, taking it as a learning experience.
Chief Steward Shang's craftsmanship was good, and he quickly applied the human skin mask.
Now, the image of a smooth, oily-skinned, plump-faced, round-bellied wealthy merchant was truly lifelike.
Especially the details on the face, they were truly impeccable.
That kind of fair, plump skin, with slight traces of oiliness, it was a mystery how this human skin mask managed to imitate it.
Looking at the greatly changed Chief Steward Shang before him, Li Xuan couldn't help but let out an astonished meow.
If not for the fact that the scent was still Chief Steward Shang's original scent, Li Xuan would have had trouble recognizing the person in front of him.
"Haha, Li Xuan, how is it now?"
Chief Steward Shang's voice also changed accordingly; if judged solely by appearance, this disguise was simply flawless.
Li Xuan also hadn't expected that those seemingly ordinary human skin masks would have such a good effect.
"Li Xuan, you should put the rest of these away for now."
"These are treasures useful when traveling the pugilistic world; remember to let Princess Ankang and Yu'er look at relevant books later, otherwise, just keeping them without using them would be a great pity."
It was rare to hear Chief Steward Shang give such a high evaluation, and Li Xuan secretly kept this matter in mind.
"Alright, Li Xuan."
"Let's set off now and go scout the location first."
Chief Steward Shang said, picking up Li Xuan, but before setting off, he looked Li Xuan over a few times, then said:
"Li Xuan, this is a rare opportunity, why don't you also try a disguise?"
Li Xuan tilted his head; he hadn't heard of cats having disguises.
But then he nodded and agreed.
Because when he watched Chief Steward Shang disguise himself earlier, he found it quite fun, so he wanted to try it himself.
Chief Steward Shang didn't waste words; he picked up Li Xuan and started getting busy.
Not long after, a Niu Niu cat was freshly produced.
The di hong bone ring on Li Xuan's tail was also concealed by white, making it less conspicuous.
"Meow? (I've become a Niu Niu cat?)"