After walking for so long and collecting so many things, to be honest, she was truly exhausted and hungry.
Seeing all those delicious foods earlier, she had long wanted to eat them.
She had quickly stored everything into her space in one go and felt a bit regretful afterward. But then she spotted a eunuch carrying a plate of jade-green mung bean cakes.
She directly took a piece of cake and fed it into her mouth, smacking her lips after finishing it.
This terrified the little eunuch holding the plate. He watched in disbelief as the cakes on the plate in his hands disappeared one by one.
He was so frightened that he wet himself, threw the plate away, and ran outside screaming, “There… there… there’s a ghost!”
The palace maids and eunuchs busy at work all stopped what they were doing.
Then they saw that all the dishes originally placed on the long table had vanished.
Seeing there was nothing left to eat, Xia Xing’er began collecting things again.
Radishes—collected. Potatoes—collected. Beef—collected. Venison—collected…
Everyone watched as items in the kitchen disappeared one after another, yet no one could be seen.
Some of the more timid ones fainted on the spot, while others, like the little eunuch, screamed and ran away…
At this moment, the Imperial Kitchen could only be described as chaotic…
The instigator, Xia Xing’er, had already arrived at the Imperial Hospital.
In the Imperial Hospital, two on-duty imperial physicians were sleeping with their heads on the table.
To help them sleep better, Xia Xing’er kindly gave them a dose of knockout drug.
Whatever medicines were there, she collected them all…
Finally, she went to the Clothing Department and carried out another massive sweep.
Satisfied, Xia Xing’er returned home and drifted sweetly into sleep. She had truly exhausted herself that night.
As for the places she had visited, they were thrown into utter chaos and uproar…
At this moment,
Qianqing Palace
Emperor Shunkang, wearing only his inner garments and standing barefoot, looked down at the Imperial Guards Commander Tang Biao, the Guards Commander Zhou Ting, and the Chief Eunuch Nie Dahai kneeling on the floor.
Suppressing his rage, his eyes were filled with a murderous aura.
Who would have thought that he, the dignified ruler of a nation, would have his home robbed? Nothing remained except the inner garments he was wearing. If not for wearing them, he might not even have had those to wear today.
“Who among you can tell me how the thieves managed to empty the entire palace right under your noses!”
Emperor Shunkang’s sharp gaze swept over them. “Or perhaps you are in league with the thieves, conspiring to empty the entire palace.”
He simply could not imagine what kind of thieves could break into the palace to steal—not just one or two items, but emptying everything.
His Private Treasury contained so many treasures, some left by previous emperors, but most accumulated by himself.
Most importantly, even the Imperial Seal and the Dragon Throne had been stolen.
How could he not be furious? How could he not rage? All he wanted now was to find the thieves, exterminate their nine clans, tear them apart by five horses, and grind their bones to dust.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It truly was not done by us!”
After speaking, Nie Dahai immediately kowtowed, pressing his head to the floor.
“Your Majesty, please investigate clearly. Even if I were given ten times the courage, I would never dare to collude with thieves!”
Guards Commander Zhou Ting added.
“I have also questioned the on-duty Imperial Guards. None of them saw anyone. All the items seemed to vanish into thin air. This is not something an ordinary person could achieve. Please, Your Majesty, make a fair judgment!”
Tang Biao had just finished his report when a flurry of disorganized footsteps echoed from outside the hall, followed by one heart-wrenching wail after another from women.
“Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for your humble consort! Some unknown thieves have completely emptied my palace!”
“Your Majesty…”
In an instant, Qianqing Palace was filled with figures from the imperial harem, from the Empress down to the various Imperial Concubines, all disheveled and panic-stricken.
The Empress Dowager, supported by Granny Hua, wore a grave expression. Though she did not weep and lament like the others, her displeasure was evident.
The Empress was the first to kneel on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears, her voice trembling uncontrollably: “Your Majesty, all the treasures in my palace are gone, even my most beloved phoenix crown was not spared. Such a humiliating disgrace is truly unbearable for your humble consort!”
Immediately after, several Imperial Concubines knelt one after another, their cries rising and falling as if pouring out all their pent-up fear and helplessness.
One of the concubines was sobbing uncontrollably, repeating over and over: “Your Majesty, my jewelry and accessories, and that ancestral painting of court ladies—all gone…”
For the Empress Dowager, the loss of gold and silver jewelry, fine silks, and brocades…
was not a major concern, as such things are neither brought into life nor taken in death.
The main issue was that the despicable thief had stolen the painting from her secret chamber, which truly infuriated her.
The atmosphere in the hall grew extremely tense, with flickering candlelight casting shadows on the fearful faces.
Emperor Shunkang’s face was ashen, his gaze sharp as he scanned the kneeling crowd of the imperial harem below. The fury in his heart raged like a wildfire whipped up by a gale, threatening to consume the resplendent palace.
The Empress Dowager slowly stepped forward, her voice weary yet authoritative: “Your Majesty, this matter is no trivial affair. It not only concerns the dignity of the imperial family but also the safety of the state. If thieves can empty the palace so silently, the forces behind them cannot be underestimated.” Her words echoed in the vast hall, adding to the already oppressive tension.
Upon hearing this, the Empress and the Imperial Concubines lowered their heads, shedding silent tears, not daring to speak for fear that a single wrong word might provoke His Majesty’s wrath.
It was only after they had finished their lamentations that they noticed the Emperor was in an even more pitiful state than they were. At the very least, they still had their outer garments and shoes.
But Emperor Shunkang, as the sovereign, was left wearing only his inner robes, without even socks on his feet.
Looking around Qianqing Palace, it too had been emptied, not even a single stool remaining.
Emperor Shunkang dismissed all members of the imperial harem. He was now overwhelmed with anxiety, as even the National Treasury had been emptied.
Though he was incompetent, he did not wish for the Xuan Yuan Dynasty to be destroyed under his reign.
“Zhou Ting, Tang Biao, Nie Dahai, I command the three of you to join forces with the Capital Prefecture, the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Vice Minister of War to spare no effort in investigating the whereabouts of the thieves. If you fail to find them, you will present your heads—no leniency will be shown!”
The three men accepted the order and quickly withdrew, inwardly sighing with relief that their lives were temporarily spared.
Taihe Hall
The court officials were waiting for the Emperor to hold the morning court.
As everyone looked up at the high platform where the Dragon Throne once stood, now completely empty, they were utterly shocked.
This was the thought of most officials, while a portion of them inwardly exclaimed, “The Dragon Throne has been stolen too!”
It must be said that they had uncovered the truth—the Dragon Throne had indeed been stolen!
Looking at their attire, it was all uniform—they wore white inner garments, and the shoes on their feet were clearly the kind worn by servants in the mansion on ordinary days, looking extremely ill-fitting.
This delighted the officials who usually had conflicts with them, and they couldn’t resist adding a few sarcastic remarks.