Just as he was growing frantic, his forehead thudded against something.
Looking up, he saw a Spirit Tablet staring right at him.
He could no longer endure such a shock. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted in a dramatic collapse.
The beauty had long been terrified by the eerie events, screaming in fright before collapsing weakly to the ground. Finally, mustering her resolve, she knocked herself unconscious.
Xia Xing’er glanced at the two unconscious figures on the floor and instantly felt there was nothing left to do. She began gathering items, thoroughly ransacking everything in the room.
Finally, looking at the blanket stained with unknown fluids, she curled her lip in disgust. Steeling herself, she left it behind for them.
She was still too kind-hearted, leaving the old man a blanket after all.
Xia Xing’er walked and collected as she went, arriving at the kitchen. She took the vegetables, the grains, the cooked food—the once fully stocked kitchen was instantly emptied. Even a mouse would have left in tears, it was cleaned out so thoroughly.
Beside the kitchen, there was another door. Opening it, she found it piled high with assorted grains, dried goods like dates, longans, and red dates, as well as countless precious tonics like deer antler and bird’s nest.
Never mind—she took it all. It was hers now.
Next, she went to the treasury, filled with boxes of all sizes. Regardless of what was inside, she collected them first and asked questions later.
Finally, she arrived at Lin Yuanfeng’s study. Here, she found the evidence falsely accusing Zhennan Wang Xuanyuan Yi of colluding with the enemy and committing treason. It seemed the old man hadn’t yet handed it over to The Emperor. Now she would take it first and see what he could use to report to The Emperor.
Recalling the secret chamber in the Grand Tutor’s study, she carefully inspected this place as well. Fortunately, she was meticulous, or she would have missed it.
There really was a secret chamber here, and its contents were no less than those in the Grand Tutor’s residence. No wonder the two could collude so seamlessly, birds of a feather flocking together.
Here, she also discovered correspondence with the Northern Di. Good heavens—this old man was actually a spy for the Northern Di! The Chancellor of a nation was a spy for another country. The thought was terrifying, and no wonder the Xuan Yuan Dynasty had fallen.
Just as she was about to leave the Chancellor’s residence, she heard shouts erupting.
“Thieves! Thieves! Come quickly, catch the thieves!”
“Oh no, oh no! The kitchen is empty! Everything in the kitchen is gone!”
“Help! Help! Come and see! The treasury is empty! Empty! This is the end of us!”
“Oh heavens above! The grain storehouse is empty too!”
“Has the master done something so heinous that the entire residence has been cleared out?”
“Stop talking nonsense! Hurry and report to the steward! Tell him the entire Chancellor’s residence has been emptied!”
“Can’t find the steward?”
“Did the steward have it all moved?”
“Shut your filthy mouth! If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll knock your dog teeth out! My godfather isn’t that kind of person—he’s unconscious, knocked out by the thieves!”
“Hurry and report to the master!”
“Can’t find the master?”
“Is the master in Concubine Lian’s courtyard?”
“What? The master is unconscious too?”
“What about the mistress?”
“The mistress is unconscious too?”
…
The Chancellor’s residence descended into chaos, while the culprit, Xia Xing’er, had already set her sights on her next target.
As she walked, Xia Xing’er thought to herself, the people in the Chancellor’s residence were much more alert than those in the Grand Tutor’s residence. They had discovered the theft so quickly.
She walked and collected along the way, visiting every jewelry store, herbal medicine shop, restaurant, pawnshop, cloth shop, ready-made clothing store, grain store… that she had scouted during the day.
None of the shops owned by officials on Xia Xing’er’s blacklist were spared.
In just one night, hundreds of shops in the capital were emptied, and dozens of officials’ mansions were cleared out.
By now, dawn was approaching, but there was still one place she hadn’t visited. She didn’t want to wait until tomorrow, fearing that delays might bring complications. She decided to make the extra effort and head to the imperial palace. After all, she couldn’t possibly spare The Emperor while all his trusted followers had been “visited,” could she? They should share in the hardship—there was no way she’d let him off the hook.
The security in the imperial palace was far stricter than in those officials’ mansions. Just look at the Imperial Guards patrolling back and forth—not a single one dozing off. Tsk tsk, they were truly diligent and dedicated.
Her first stop was The Emperor’s Private Treasury. Tsk tsk, it truly lived up to its reputation as the emperor’s personal vault.
Inside, gold, silver, jewels, fine silks, tribute artifacts, and rare treasures were too numerous to count.
Look at these mountains of gold and silver, these heaps of jewels.
This dog emperor certainly knew how to indulge himself.
Now that she had seen it, it was all his—might as well take it all.
The dog emperor’s harem was truly vast, with so many concubines. She had lost count of how many palaces she had cleared out. Since they were the emperor’s women, she showed them some face by leaving each of them one set of clothes.
Finally, she arrived at the Empress Dowager’s Shoukang Palace. Gazing at the palace before her, her thoughts were in turmoil, unsure whether she should take anything.
The Empress Dowager had always treated her quite well, as long as it didn’t involve her son.
Before she turned eight, she often accompanied her mother into the palace to chat with the Empress Dowager.
Looking back now, the Empress Dowager’s gaze toward her mother was often complex—filled with envy, resentment, and even pity.
But on the surface, she never made things difficult for her mother and even bestowed many gifts upon her.
When it came to her own affairs, three years ago, when she requested an imperial marriage decree, the Empress Dowager issued the decree without hesitation.
Yesterday, when she came seeking a Divorce Decree, although the Empress Dowager initially refused to see her, she later granted her wish and had The Emperor issue the decree.
But she couldn’t understand why, in her previous life, when the Changxin Marquisate faced disaster, the Empress Dowager didn’t lift a finger to help. She even suspected that the Empress Dowager had a hand in the deaths of her parents, brother, and sister-in-law.
At that time, she had been poisoned with Disperse Energy Powder by Ye Qingyu and imprisoned and tortured—there was no way the Empress Dowager didn’t know.
So why didn’t she extend a helping hand?
Of course, all of this was just her suspicion.
In the end, she still entered the Empress Dowager’s Shoukang Palace and symbolically took some items from the palace.
Then, as if guided by some unseen force, she found herself entering a secret chamber within Shoukang Palace.
Inside the secret chamber, there were no gold, silver, jewels, or treasures—only a portrait, and it was of a man.
Judging by the man’s appearance and attire, he was definitely not the late emperor.
Upon closer inspection, he bore a slight resemblance to her father.
What was going on?
Who was this man?
What was his relationship with the Empress Dowager?
Should she take this portrait?
A voice inside her told her she should take it.
In the end, she decided to follow her instincts and took the portrait.
She then made her way to the Imperial Kitchen.
By now, the Imperial Kitchen was already bustling with activity, with over thirty dishes laid out on a large table.
Bird’s nest soup, steamed perch, pumpkin porridge, braised bear paw with potatoes, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, crystal buns, four-delight dumplings, stir-fried camel hump with assorted vegetables, pea cake, lotus seed congee…
Not only did the dishes look delicious, but their aroma was even more enticing…
Without a moment’s hesitation, with a wave of her small hand, she swept them all away.