His Majesty's Hostage

Chapter 5

"Sigh" Zi Li was leaning forward on the courtyard stone table dejectedly, as he was staring at the plants and flowers while sighing in despair.

"I'm not allowed to go out, but there's nothing interesting to do in here. Could it be that if I want to take more than three steps outside, I should disguise as maid and take the ladies chamber's exit?" He mumbled to himself as he grab a small piece off the pastries and ate it. These foods use to be very delicious but now it just made him feel that it was difficult to swallow.

"Not good, I must find a way to go out. If not, I will quickly go mad!" ZI Li gathered his determination, immediately putting up a plan.

He stood up and acted like he's gonna take a walk. Then he once again strooled around the small palace he was house arrested in and thoroughly investigated. Zi Li soon finds out that he [1]counted his chickens before it hatched and his hope was smashed by a sturdy, high wall. He was utterly depressed as he stared at the towering perimeter wall, the corner of his mouth twitching :

"This is really absurd! Even a dog cage is not this enclosed!"

He looked on his left and right. Great, there's no one.

Not a dog cage? then this young master, will dig my way out!

Saying that he gonna do it, Zi Li sneakily went inside the kitchen and stole a kitchen knife for his escape. Then he stood against the wall and listen quietly for any source of sound. He discovered that there is no voice nor footsteps outside. But he had to make sure that there are really no people outside talking or passing by! Zi Li believed that he should not be too complacent, so he picks up a fist-size stone and throw it outside of the wall. There is a muffled sound.

"Heaven has help me!" A muffle sound echoed from other side is not the one that is made when you hit a dirt ground!

Zi Li felt relieved by this! He excitedly crouch down at the wall located at the back of the garden and started chipping up the stone brick wall. The wall is built with modern like hard cement. Its bricks are glue with clay that had been hardened with water. He held the kitchen knife with both hands and started scraping off the clay in between the bricks. If it's not glued together properly, the rock bricks can be easily pried apart.

He was fiddling with it for about an hour. Zi Li was busily caving the wall so much and finally done. He then carefully stretches his head to look outside of the wall, and his guess was indeed right! Outside there is only small courtyard with tall weeds growing all over.

Zi Li cautiously crawled out, then stuffed the hole he dug thoroughly.

"Phew----that should fix it" He straightened his waist. He felt very accomplished as he wipe his forehead.

Zi Li cheerfully walked around the clearly desolated courtyard for a long while, then arrived at the side of a pond alone.

Beside it is a shabby and deteriorating palace hall room that even if its illuminated with the splendid sunset, it still emitted a gloomy aura as it was shrouded with thick tall trees.

Zi Li followed the cobblestone pathway that leads away from that desolated palae hall. Somehow unable to swat away scary thoughts as he said :

"Damn! This almost a dark forest! If a horror movie was shoot in this place, it'll run high in blockbuster!"

After following a seven turns then taking eight turns on a palace corridor for quite some time, Zi Li have not yet run into a single person. He can't help but rejoice on his good fortune, at the same time bewildered as to why there's not a single maid on this huge palace? While he was pondering, he heard a sudden sound of people conversing.

Zi Li coriously followed the source of that sound, he had not yet arrived when he's beginning to smell a strong minty and aromatic smell in the ait.

Only to see a thirteen years old youngster crouching under the eaves with his head lowered as he was stirring medicinal ingredients. On this youngster's is a big radish and a few traditional Chinese medicine he could not name. And on the courtyard outside the room are mainly medical herbs that laid out in a trail to be dried.

"Hello" Zi Li approaches, he greeted him with his outmost cheerful tone.

The other person clearly didn't expect that there would be someone else, and suddenly raise his head with rigid movements, to find someone he has never seen before. He was a young man with a face and clothes that are completely stained with mud and dirt.

"Who are you? What are you running around here for? If Official Li finds out, he will carefully peel your skin!" He thinks that Zi Li is a palace servant, and did not care if he comes in. He warned him with good intentions, waning him to leave immediately.

But for what reason should he just leave? He might as well crouch down and stay here for a while. Facing the youngster with delicate feature, he stated :

"Little brother, I am not scared of that Official Li! Hey, can you tell me where is this place?"

The youngster was baffled and stared at Zi Li, he replied :

" Are you not this palace resident? Why are you not aware that this is the Imperial Physician's Office?"

" Ah! So it's actually the Imperial Physician's Office?" Zi Li clearly unraveled the mystery of this place and nodded, he asked once again, " Since this is the Imperial Physician's Office, why is there no one else in this place?"

"This palace hall doesn't belong to the Imperial Physician's Office. It's only a small pharmacy the is situated