Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 243 Who do I look like?

The Imperial Palace in Beijing is part of a city within a city, located in the southern part of the intersection of four main streets. It is surrounded by a circle of trees on the outside and a moat behind it.

There were drill grounds and watchtowers along the riverbank, and soldiers patrolled there regularly.

In a sense, the entire capital region serves this central urban area.

Sun Zhong's carriage swayed and wobbled as it entered the forest area, stopping three times along the way: once upon entering the forest, once during a patrol check, and finally intercepted by palace guards upon reaching the palace walls.

Having finally entered the palace, Lin Jiang gently lifted the carriage curtain to observe the guards.

He could tell that these men had only recently joined the inner court and were rather old. Even so, this royal guard was still quite intimidating.

As Lin Jiang drove through the forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace, he felt an overwhelming sense of solemnity.

"how do you feel?"

Sun Zhong stroked his beard as he looked at Lin Jiang, who was observing outside, and asked, "..." Lin Jiang remained silent for a moment after hearing Sun Zhong's question, then shook his head.

"I don't really like it here; it's too lifeless."

"Just like your grandfather said back then, I think the palace is magnificent and grand."

The carriage traveled a while longer before stopping in front of Lin Jiang. There was a spacious study in front of him, but no one was inside.

"This is the court office. Anyone entering the palace to report must first inform the emperor and wait here for his summons. It's easy for me to see the Grand Preceptor, but you are a stranger, Xiao Lin. I will need to obtain the Grand Preceptor's warrant before I can introduce you to him."

"So complicated."

"After all, it's the palace, and there are some procedures we can't bear to skip."

After settling Lin Jiang here, Sun Zhong headed outside first.

Lin Jiang, left alone in the room, looked around and found it bright and clean, with many antique ornaments that looked expensive. There were also paintings and calligraphy on the walls, and four chairs in the room for people to sit quietly.

Even though Lin Jiang couldn't understand the value of the items in the room, he could tell from their exquisite and beautiful appearance that they must be quite expensive.

Just as Lin Jiang was looking around the house, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

Lin Jiang turned around and saw a pale-faced middle-aged man standing behind him.

Even though Lin Jiang had never met him before, he could tell that this person was an official.

It wasn't because of his clothes, but because of the manner he exuded.

He walked with measured steps, wearing a long black hat, standing like a pine tree, and moving with the speed of the wind, yet he was not as rough as a warrior.

Lin Jiang couldn't describe the man's appearance, but he sensed that the man held a high official position.
The only thing was that his face was really pale, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

The middle-aged man looked Lin Jiang up and down, a hint of doubt clearly showing in his eyes.

Lin Jiang thought for a moment, then turned around and looked back at him. The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

“I’ve never seen you before,” the man said.

"This is my first time in the palace. It would be strange if you had seen me before."

"What are you here for?"

"I have something to do here."

Upon hearing Lin Jiang's words, the man stared at him in surprise for a couple more moments.
"You didn't even react when you saw us?"

Lin Jiang hesitated for a moment:
"I don't know you either."

"You're quite interesting," the middle-aged man muttered. "An old friend of mine used to speak in the same tone; it was remarkably similar."

"Is this acquaintance of yours as handsome as me?"

"He's much more handsome than you; he's the most handsome man in the world!"

"She does sound quite beautiful."

Is this person talking about my grandfather?

Lin Jiang had some guesses in his mind, but he didn't say them outright.

After speaking, the man sat down. Lin Jiang simply sat down opposite him, and the two stared at each other again.

"what's your name?"

"My surname is Zhu, Zhu Da."

"I've heard of the name; it seems to be located in the Dali Temple."

"Outsourced hiring".

“He was an outsourced employee back then, and I tried to dissuade him, but to no avail. I never expected you to be an outsourced employee too.” The man muttered, “That makes it even more plausible.”

Lin Jiang was also intrigued when he heard this.

His own grandfather had served as an external consultant for the Dali Temple?

Thinking about it carefully, this is indeed normal. According to Sun Zhong's description, the old man would go around "saving the world" when he had nothing to do, and a position like being hired by the Dali Temple was indeed a good fit for him.

As Lin Jiang was pondering, he suddenly heard a call from behind:
"Kobayashi, all done... huh?"

Looking to the side, I saw that Sun Zhong had returned.

At this moment, Sun Zhong's gaze fell on the middle-aged man, a hint of surprise appearing on his face. He then immediately cupped his hands in greeting:

"Eunuch Jiao, it's been a long time."

"Lord Sun, it has indeed been a long time." The middle-aged man glanced at Sun Zhong for a moment, then suddenly turned to Lin Jiang: "This must be Lin Jiang, Lin Shengfeng's grandson."

Sun Zhong nodded somewhat stiffly.

"Very well." "Eunuch Jiao, we still need to meet with the Imperial Advisor, so we'll take our leave now."

Sun Zhong waved to Lin Jiang, who obediently followed him to his side. As the two walked away, Lin Jiang felt a constant, unsettling gaze upon him.

The eunuch Jiao stared at him intently until they turned the corner of the long alley, at which point his gaze finally disappeared.

Only then did Lin Jiang turn and ask, "Is that the eunuch?"

"The Grand Eunuch is a close attendant of His Majesty. He holds a high position in the palace and is a very important person."

"So, is he on the side of the Grand General, or the civil officials?"

“He doesn’t take sides.” Sun Zhong shook his head. “Although the court infighting is fierce, there are always those who are loyal to His Majesty. Neither faction dares to provoke them. Eunuch Jiao is their leader and belongs to the neutral faction.”

"That's quite rare..." Lin Jiang suddenly remembered something and asked, "It's widely rumored that His Majesty has neglected state affairs in recent years. What exactly has happened?"

Upon hearing Lin Jiang's words, Sun Zhong's expression changed drastically. He immediately pulled Lin Jiang to his side, then looked around.
Seeing that no one was around, Sun Zhong put his index finger to his lips and shushed them.
"My little darling, if you asked me about this outside the palace, I might be able to chat with you for a bit, but you can't say such things in the palace, it could cause a big problem!"

Lin Jiang blinked.

Although he knew that Daxing had an emperor, the emperor's presence was so weak that Lin Jiang often forgot about him.

Seeing Sun Zhong's anxious expression, Lin Jiang realized that there really was an emperor in Daxing.

"Anyway, the emperor is unwell. I don't know anything more, and I can't say anything more."

Zhong gave a vague reply and then fell silent. This piqued Lin Jiang's interest, but he knew it was best not to delve into the matter in the capital, so he had to suppress his thoughts.

In conclusion:
"I never imagined that my grandfather had worked as an outside agent at the Dali Temple when he was young."

"An external hire?" Sun Zhong shook his head after hearing this: "Your grandpa is just bragging, right? Where would he be an external hire for the Dali Temple? Back when we were both idling around in the capital, the Dali Temple wouldn't even look at him."

Upon hearing Sun Zhong's words, Lin Jiang couldn't help but show a puzzled expression: "Huh?"

He immediately sensed something was wrong, and then asked Sun Zhong:

"Did that eunuch Jiao from earlier know my grandfather?"

"We know each other, but we're not close. At most, we know each other's names."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang's expression became even more peculiar.

Who was Eunuch Jiao referring to just now?

……

Even as he reached the door of the Imperial Advisor's room, Lin Jiang still couldn't figure out who Jiao Gonggong had been referring to as resembling him.

Who do I resemble most?

He desperately wanted to find Eunuch Jiao and get some answers. This mysterious behavior really annoyed him, but unfortunately, he had no time for it and followed Sun Zhong forward.

At the end of the road, a tall building came into view. Seeing Sun Zhong walk to the study door and push it open, Lin Jiang had no choice but to follow.

Upon entering the library, Lin Jiang looked around. The place suddenly opened up, and the huge room was filled with books of all kinds, stacked up like small mountains.

Lin Jiang looked at the room and felt it looked familiar.

It felt somewhat similar to the library in my own mansion, but much neater.

The books on both sides of the road were neatly arranged, without a speck of dust.

Sun Zhong straightened his clothes, then nodded to Lin Jiang:
"follow me."

I navigated the piles of books with practiced ease, venturing deep into the sea of ​​knowledge.

Finally, led by Sun Zhong, the two arrived at a round, wide stone storehouse.

The entire stone storehouse was perfectly round, with only one entrance. Neatly arranged hollows were dug out beside the storehouse, and the hollows were filled with books.

At first glance, there are six holes in each row on the round wall, making a total of eighteen rows. Each hole contains six books, just like before, with not even a single page missing.

In the very center of this entire grotto stood a…

Bald.

Lin Jiang's gaze fell on that spotless head.

The man in front of him was middle-aged, with fine lines around his eyes. Lin Jiang could tell he was definitely not a monk.

He didn't have the right demeanor; he didn't have the air of a monk at all, and he didn't have any ordination scars on his head.

When the light flashed in, his forehead was like a reflective mirror, making it difficult for Lin Jiang to open his eyes.

Hearing footsteps, he turned his head to look.

Upon seeing that it was Sun Zhong, he nodded in acknowledgment, but when his gaze shifted to Lin Jiang's face, his brows furrowed.

He walked up to Lin Jiang in a few quick steps, while Lin Jiang stared at the bald man with a puzzled expression.

Only when you get closer do you realize that Lin Jiang's face can even be reflected in his bald head.

Before he could speak, the bald man suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Jiang's clothes.

He smoothed out the folds on the left side of his shirt, then pulled the hem down a bit before revealing a satisfied expression.

"Hello, are you... the Imperial Advisor?" Lin Jiang's tone was a little stiff.

After hearing his words, the bald man ran his hand across his shiny scalp.
"That's right, I am the Grand Preceptor of Daxing."

Lin Jiang didn't know what expression to wear.

Is this the Ninth Heaven?!

(End of this chapter)