Chapter 45: Entering the Imperial Palace

Tonight was destined to be sleepless.

The gunshots in the open-air ground floor echoed until dawn broke, lasting until everyone had used up their allocation of one hundred rounds of ammunition.

"Have you all mastered it?"

Shi Dachuang nodded heavily. "We've got it down, Young Master!"

Chen Lin yawned. "Then draw another hundred rounds each. Both the pistols and the ammunition must be kept close to your bodies at all times, and must not be discovered by outsiders. That's it, go get some rest!"

The men drew their ammunition once more. What Chen Lin did not realize, however, was that through the recent shooting practice, the demeanor of Shi Dachuang and his men had fundamentally shifted.

They were no longer ordinary farmhands, nor were they mere domestic servants of a wealthy household; they had transformed into enforcers with a distinct and lethal edge.

Perhaps they could not yet be called an elite force, but after experiencing a trial by life and death, they had evolved from thugs into assassins and warriors!

Shi Dachuang led the men away, while Chen Lin yawned and went back to bed. Chen Xiaolan stayed behind until the very last, locking the heavy doors that led to the ground-floor shooting range, before hurrying with quick, pattering steps to attend to her young master.

The two of them had not slept for long before the eunuch sent to escort them arrived.

However, strict orders had been given: without Chen Lin and Chen Xiaolan's permission, no one was allowed to approach the villa. The eunuch was stopped outside by the guards and their family members.

Fortunately, Shi Dachuang had seen enough of the world to know better; he quickly brought the eunuch to the main gate of the villa and pressed the doorbell.

Before long, a sleep-eyed Chen Xiaolan opened the door. "Brother, is something the matter?"

"Someone has come from the palace."

Chen Xiaolan snapped awake, suddenly remembering that today was the day they were to enter the forbidden city.

"Oh dear, please wait just a moment, Eunuch, we'll be right there."

The eunuch was quite polite. After all, there were very few esteemed guests for whom the Emperor would personally dispatch an escort, and as a lowly eunuch, he certainly dared not cause offense.

Crucially, the grand estate before his eyes was not something an ordinary person could possibly own.

"It is of no consequence, no consequence at all. There is still plenty of time, so the esteemed guest may take her time..."

And so Chen Lin was woken up, looking thoroughly displeased.

"Young Master, the birthday gift! We haven't prepared the birthday gift yet!"

Chen Lin waved a hand dismissively. "Just grab something random, what are you getting so nervous for?"

Chen Xiaolan argued, "But Her Majesty the Empress is Xiaolan's adoptive mother, and your mother-in-law, Young Master! If the birthday gift lacks sufficient weight, I'm afraid it would be a breach of etiquette."

Chen Lin smacked his lips thoughtfully. "That's true. What do you think we should give her?"

Chen Xiaolan tilted her head slightly. "Her Majesty seemed quite fond of the little electric scooter. When His Majesty mentioned buying one last time, nothing ever came of it in the end. Why don't we give her a little electric scooter?"

Chen Lin nodded. "That could work, but there's no place to charge it in the imperial palace. Even if Her Majesty has it, it'll be useless."

Chen Xiaolan chuckled. "What we want is precisely the fact that it can't be charged."

Chen Lin paused for a second, then pointed at Chen Xiaolan with a mischievous grin. "Clever little mind you have. Alright, we'll gift her the electric scooter."

Soon enough, the Great Wall Cannon pure-electric pickup truck, loaded with the electric scooter and a few bicycles, appeared outside the perimeter wall. The carriage sent for the eunuch waited alongside them.

Seeing this, Shi Dachuang immediately beckoned five guards to climb into the truck bed to serve as an armed escort.

Yet how could a horse-drawn carriage ever match the cross-country capability of a four-wheel-drive pickup? It was left so far behind that even the taillights vanished from view within moments.

Around one o'clock in the afternoon, the pickup truck finally reached the outskirts of the capital.

The delay was mainly due to the atrocious road conditions of ancient times; otherwise, the journey would have taken merely an hour.

Entering the city, the bustling crowds of pedestrians forced them to slow down even further.

Stopping and going amidst the pointing and whispering of onlookers, the carriage carrying the eunuch finally managed to catch up and resume its role as guide.

At the palace gates, while everyone else entering the imperial city was required to dismount from horses, sedan chairs, or carriages and proceed on foot, the guards at the gate had received prior notice: the strange iron vehicle was permitted to drive straight into the imperial palace without undergoing any body searches.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang had already resolved to die by Chen Lin's hand, why would he fear him bringing weapons for an assassination?

What a joke!

However, the accompanying personnel were not permitted to enter.

Shi Dachuang had no choice but to have his men disembark and wait by the palace gates. In any case, the imperial guards were strict, and there was no way the young master would encounter any danger.

Not long after entering the palace, Zhu Shuang led a group to greet them. It was clear at a glance that he had been waiting here specifically, which spoke volumes about the immense prestige Chen Lin commanded.

"So this is your birthday gift? A grand gesture indeed!" Zhu Shuang asked, pointing at the electric scooter in the truck bed.

Chen Lin rolled down the driver's window. "Stop talking nonsense, get in the car and lead the way. I'm starving."

Without further ado, Zhu Shuang climbed into the backseat, looking over the brand-new iron vehicle with fascinated eyes.

"Compared to His Imperial Father's beat-up cart, this is the kind of style the imperial family ought to have."

Chen Lin turned his head back. "What's this? Got ideas?"

Zhu Shuang quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare! You are the apple of both Imperial Father's and Imperial Mother's eye, even more cherished than us brothers. How would I ever dare ask you for it—unless you willingly gift me one!"

"In your dreams. Even your old man doesn't have one; are you trying to outdo your father in style? Are you planning to rebel?"

Zhu Shuang hastily protested, "I wouldn't dare utter such reckless words; I'd lose my head!"

Chen Lin chuckled and said no more. Guided by Zhu Shuang, he drove the truck straight to the Hall of Heavenly Purity.

The most conspicuous sight outside the hall was Zhu Yuanzhang's battered pickup truck, which had been washed quite clean and looked passable enough.

Yet compared to the brand-new Great Wall Cannon, it looked like the difference between a beggar and a billionaire.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the Great Wall Cannon instantly drew the attention of the crowd waiting inside the hall, who rushed out to gawk.

"Who on earth is this person? Why do they have an iron vehicle just like His Majesty's, and one even more magnificent than His!"

"He must be the divine physician who cured the Grand Imperial Grandson. I heard that even Her Majesty the Empress's chronic ailments were cured by him."

"Doesn't that make him a benefactor of the royal family?"

"No wonder he enjoys the privilege of riding a vehicle inside the imperial palace..."

"The real question is, where on earth did such an iron vehicle come from..."

Among the onlookers, a handful of individuals knew a few inside details.

For instance, Duke of Han Li Shanchang and Marquis of Yongjia Zhu Liangzu, who had previously been framed by Chen Lin for treason at the Duke of Cao's estate gates.

Through various investigations, the two had uncovered certain hidden truths.

Even several military generals belonging to the Huaixi clique, due to their close association with the pair, were privy to some of the secrets.

Standing together, they watched coldly as Chen Lin stepped out of the vehicle, hopped onto the electric scooter with Chen Xiaolan seated in front and the Prince of Qin, Zhu Shuang, sitting in the back, and headed toward the inner palace.

Before the birthday banquet had even begun, an outsider was able to enter the inner palace ahead of everyone else, escorted personally by an imperial prince.

Everyone gained a deeper understanding of Chen Lin's identity and the extraordinary imperial favor he enjoyed.

"Sir Li, this man is likely someone we cannot afford to offend," Zhu Liangzu said in a grave tone.

Li Shanchang nodded. "Let us wait and observe developments. As long as he does not cross us, we shall turn a blind eye and keep to our own separate paths."

"And what if he fails to know what's good for him?"

Li Shanchang turned and walked back toward the hall. "Do not dwell on things that have yet to happen. Tend to your own affairs and fulfill your proper duties. Do not assume I am unaware of the things you do behind closed doors, nor think His Majesty does not know. Do not wait until death is at your doorstep to regret it..."

Zhu Liangzu exchanged a glance with the Huaixi brothers beside him. Watching Li Shanchang's stooped gait, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Sir Li is getting old; he has long since lost his former sharpness, alas~~~"