"We should be thinking about what to do if we're really exiled."
Shen Yunyue knew that the child before her was not like others his age. Children of the royal family were raised from birth with a thousand schemes and schemes—there was no true innocence to be found.
"Yingfeng, come out."
A boy of twelve or thirteen flipped down from the rooftop.
He startled Shen Yunyue without a sound.
Seeing Shen Yunyue startled, Fu Xuanheng revealed a faint smile.
Shen Yunyue made an excuse to go out for a walk, letting Fu Xuanheng and Yingfeng talk.
Fu Xuanheng nodded in agreement.
Only when Shen Yunyue stepped outside did she learn that another imperial edict had come down.
The emperor had sent the Yulinjun to surround the Taizifu.
Her heart sank. She hurried to hunt for treasure.
Better that than leaving it for an emperor who chopped off heads at the slightest whim.
Shen Yunyue knew that the layouts of noble estates were all roughly the same—just larger courtyards.
More rooms. She dashed toward the place she remembered.
Along the way, she had to avoid the maids and servants.
Fortunately, everyone was in a panic at the moment, and no one paid attention to what she was doing.
She found the storehouse.
The guards had gathered together to ask about the imperial edict. Shen Yunyue slipped quietly to the side door, pulled out a piece of wire, and poked at it several times without success.
She put the wire away and gave the door a hard yank.
The lock came right off. So the reputation of the girl with the monstrous strength was well earned.
Once inside, Shen Yunyue's eyes went wide.
The Taizifu was something else—its storehouse was far more lavish than the Shen Family's.
It had to be at least ten times the size of the Shen Family's storehouse.
Before her eyes were chest after chest of gold, silver, and copper coins.
Famous paintings by master calligraphers, vases, all kinds of ornaments. Blades that looked razor-sharp.
Precious fabrics, medicinal herbs.
She would not let any of this slip by.
Leave the tables and chairs behind?
Not a chance.
After clearing that storehouse, Shen Yunyue slipped into the neighboring granary.
Let's just say, even the Taizifu's granary was impressive. It felt like, with the doors shut, the several hundred people of the Taizifu could eat for a decade or more.
She took it all.
After the storehouse, Shen Yunyue went to the kitchen.
Collecting, collecting, collecting all the way.
Even if someone saw her, they merely bowed and asked a question.
"The Xiaojunwang doesn't like me staying in the room, so he told me to come out for a stroll," Shen Yunyue said, absolutely refusing to take the blame.
The servants, upon hearing this, assumed the Xiaojunwang was throwing a tantrum over the marriage he didn't want.
No one asked another question.
Everyone was busy gathering information, busy worrying about their own futures.
Who cared about some newly married, ill-fated young wife?
She arrived at the kitchen.
On the rectangular table in the kitchen were laid out: tofu buns, crystal dumplings, braised pork hock, egg custard… millet porridge in a clay pot, and fragrant steaming white rice.
Shen Yunyue knew it was almost noon.
The masters of the Taizifu ate like a rotating menu.
Dozens of dishes would be brought out for the master to choose from—whichever dish his gaze fell upon, the serving maid would pick up that dish.
Besides the masters' meals, the servants' meals were also taken by Shen Yunyue.
It would be a waste not to take them.
There was no time to eat.
Sure enough, the sound of shouting came through.
Shen Yunyue hastily stored the small stove simmering the soup into the Space, along with all the charcoal.
She ran out through the kitchen's back door.
Jogging all the way back to Fu Xuanheng's courtyard.
Fu Xuanheng sat in his wheelchair, wearing the red groom's robes. His pale face was drained of all color, his head lolling weakly against the wheelchair.
"Junwangfei, someone from the palace has come to summon the prince and princess to the palace to express gratitude for the imperial favor," Yingfeng said, young in years but with a face of old maturity.
Shen Yunyue let down the hem of her dress that she had tied up. She nodded and followed Fu Xuanheng to the palace.
The two of them did not go to see the emperor, but were instead brought to the Empress's Kunning Palace.
After the young eunuch leading the way arrived, he brought them to a side hall and vanished without a trace.
She and Fu Xuanheng were left neglected in the side hall, without even a single person to serve them tea.
The vast side hall was empty and desolate.
You could hear a pin drop.
Shen Yunyue didn't care whether anyone was watching. She mentally slapped Xiao Daigua a few times.
To defend her rights, she had given the broken computer the name Xiao Daigua.
"Xiao Daigua, the royal family has good stuff. Give me something that can turn me invisible, or let me hide inside the Space. I'll give you a few antiques, deal?"
The screen remained dark and unresponsive.
Shen Yunyue was so angry she could spit blood. Why didn't this thing react when it saw money?
It was clearly a stupid, dull-witted thing. She wanted to go clear out the palace storehouse.
But even with her monstrous strength, she couldn't beat the Yulinjun.
Shen Yunyue had an absolute love for money—hesitating even a single second felt like an insult to it.
The screen flickered, and finally the Man-eating Flower spat out a foul-smelling pill from its mouth.
"Invisibility Pill."
(⊙o⊙)…
Shen Yunyue didn't want to eat it. That smell was a bit overwhelming?
What to do?
The Man-eating Flower grew impatient and tried to swallow the pill back. Shen Yunyue's mind moved—when it's time to lie low, you lie low.
The foul-smelling pill went into her mouth.
Fu Xuanheng weakly sniffed the air, his eyes slanting toward Shen Yunyue from the corner.
Was this woman passing gas?
Why did it smell like a thousand-year-old dead rat?
After taking the pill, Shen Yunyue calculated the time.
Within half an hour, the Empress would definitely not appear. As someone who had suffered at the hands of the previous Empress in palace intrigues, wouldn't she make sure to torment the previous Empress's grandson thoroughly?
Shen Yunyue deliberately circled around to stand in front of Fu Xuanheng, and sure enough, the fellow didn't even see her.
She made several funny faces in succession, but still got no reaction whatsoever.
Covering her mouth, she strutted out with an utterly carefree swagger.
Walking boldly and openly through the palace really did feel quite satisfying.
Shen Yunyue first located the palace treasury, then unleashed her talent for endless nagging.
She managed to coax a master key out of the stingy Xiao Daigua.
Holding a brick in her hand, she tossed it toward the bushes not far ahead. The guards at the entrance exchanged glances and walked toward the bushes.
Shen Yunyue quickly opened the door and then hung the lock loosely on it—when the door was closed, no one would see that it had already been opened.
Thanks to Shen Yunyue's slender frame, she was able to reach her arm through to hang the lock.
Shen Yunyue slithered into the treasury like a green snake, twisting and turning as she went.
Oh my, she'd always said she was so rich she oozed oil.
There were way too many treasures inside. She had to admit, the Space experience for those with connections was truly top-notch.
She cackled wildly several times in her heart.
The tremors made the Man-eating Flower inside the Space shake.
A greedy woman facing wealth was a match for a lecherous man facing beauty.
Jadeite, agate, crystal, and gemstones.
Gold, silver.
All kinds of medicinal herbs.
…
Everything that caught her eye was swept away by the wind that was Shen Yunyue.
She kicked open a window on the other side with a smile and jumped out.
She nearly collided with a patrolling guard.
The Yulinjun soldier furrowed his brows. "Something's strange today." Looking through the window, he only saw the scene outside the treasury.
The large wooden carvings and the East Sea red coral ornaments were all still there.
Nothing was wrong.
Shen Yunyue bared her teeth in a grin and scurried away at a jog.
She didn't have time to check what was happening in the Space—she just kept collecting, collecting, collecting…
Even if her hands cramped up, she had to keep collecting.
Back at the Empress's Kunning Palace, she headed straight for the Empress's private vault.
Fortunately, her original body was strong, and Shen Yunyue relied on the effects of the invisibility pill, unafraid of damaging the artifacts.
Following the same pattern, she kicked open the window and jumped in.
A thud as she landed.
It startled the guard on duty.
There wasn't much inside, but someone stared at the window and called for people to come repair the broken window.
No matter what they did outside.
Shen Yunyue went in and collected, collected, collected…
Just the complete sets of jeweled hair ornaments alone numbered over a hundred. Not to mention the jadeite and jade pieces.
Many of the various fabrics were tributes from Jiangnan.
She took these treasures without the slightest hesitation.
After finishing her collection, Shen Yunyue returned to the side hall.
Fu Xuanheng's eyes were tightly shut, his pale face tinged with a hint of blue.
The Man-eating Flower spat out a pill, and Shen Yunyue quickly grabbed it and swallowed it.
The thick, foul stench made Fu Xuanheng's brows twitch several times.
He secretly resolved to punish this woman for a crime—he'd been suffocated unconscious by Shen Yunyue's stench, then revived by it again.
Shen Yunyue noticed someone approaching and quickly crouched down beside Fu Xuanheng's wheelchair.
"So stinky."
A woman dressed like a palace official walked in, waving at the air with a look of disgust.
Shen Yunyue pretended to be frightened, her small face flushed from her earlier excitement. "Auntie, please help me call for the imperial physician. The Xiaojunwang's body is emitting a foul odor."
Fu Xuanheng couldn't open his eyes, but his ears weren't deaf.
He was so angry his chest heaved up and down. This damned woman had farted herself and was blaming him.
She'd knocked him out with her stinky fart.
The female official ordered the young eunuchs to open the doors and windows of the side hall for ventilation. She also had someone light special incense in the burner.
"Xiaojunwang. Her Majesty the Empress is waiting for the two of you in the main hall, but it seems the Xiaojunwang is unwell. This body emitting such a foul odor would surely offend Her Majesty's nose. The two of you may take your leave."
Well then.
Because the Huifu Wan was even stinkier than the invisibility pill.
The Empress wouldn't even come to mock them now.
Fu Xuanheng was like a fossil—only the twitching of his eyelids revealed that he was a living person, not a petrified one.
"Auntie. I wish to behold Her Majesty the Empress's countenance. Please, Auntie, be lenient." Shen Yunyue didn't want to slink away like this.
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Her Majesty the Empress is unwell. Take your leave." A cold sentence shut her down.
"No. I'll wait. By all rights, the first time entering the palace should warrant at least a few hundred taels of silver as a reward." Shen Yunyue had every intention of staying and waiting with Fu Xuanheng.
The female official's face turned cold, but after thinking of something, she still sent someone to inform the Empress.
In the end, a young palace maid by the Empress's side delivered six hundred taels of silver.
It was said to be a gift for the newlywed Xiaojunwang couple.
Shen Yunyue happily accepted the six hundred taels of silver.
Silver was silver—having it was what mattered, and she truly didn't mind whether it was more or less.
Along the way, Shen Yunyue stayed close to Fu Xuanheng, tightly gripping his hand. She knew Fu Xuanheng wouldn't die, but she was afraid that stench might suffocate him to death—then she'd be guilty of a grave sin.
If she ended up being buried alive with him, that would be the end of it. At the very least, he needed to live until they were on the road to exile before dying.
Maybe it was just his imagination.
Fu Xuanheng felt that as Shen Yunyue held his hand, a kind of life force seemed to flow from her palm into his heart.
Taking root and sprouting there.
Back at Taizifu, the Crown Princess looked deeply worried.
Taizifu was surrounded—people could enter, but not leave.
No news could be obtained—that was not a good sign. Not a single person close to the Crown Prince was to be seen.
After escorting Fu Xuanheng back to his room, Shen Yunyue hurried to her own quarters to change clothes.
The marriage had been arranged in such haste that she had brought no dowry with her.
Winter was cold.
Shen Yunyue put on a set of finely woven cotton jacket and skirt, along with a pair of warm, comfortable cotton boots. She removed all the gold hairpins and ornaments from her hair.
In their place, she pinned two silver hairpins and an inexpensive silver hairpin with entwined branches. She tucked a bright silk flower into her hair, making her round, chubby face look especially adorable.
After finishing, she wandered around the courtyard, casually collecting a few things she came across into her Space.
Suddenly, she saw members of the Yulinjun entering.
Someone was rushing hurriedly toward the main courtyard.
What was bound to come had come.
Shen Yunyue quickly trotted all the way to Fu Xuanheng's courtyard.
"Fu Xuanheng! Something terrible has happened!" Shen Yunyue shouted loudly, feigning panic.
This drew the attention of everyone in the courtyard—the Shen family's daughter truly couldn't measure up to the He family's daughters.
He Luxue and her sister were true ladies of a noble house, calm in the face of trouble, walking without swaying their skirts and smiling without showing their teeth.
Fu Xuanheng lay on the bed, staring blankly at the canopy above, a jade pendant clutched in his hand.
He looked like a dead man with no life left in him.
Shen Yunyue was curious: "What's wrong with you?"
"Her Highness the Crown Princess has passed away," said Yingfeng, who stood nearby, in a low voice.
Shen Yunyue knew the Crown Princess had died for love, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
Two lines of tears fell from her eyes without warning.
In her mind, she saw the refined, noble image of her father, Shen.
"Yuebao. You are the best gift heaven has given your father. Your two younger brothers can't compare to you."
On the surface, Shen's father never let Shen Yunyue reveal her extraordinary strength.
But in private, he taught her martial arts.
Fearing she might feel inferior because of it, he always encouraged her at the right moments.
"Father…" Shen Yunyue collapsed onto the bed, crying. She knew this was the last lingering attachment the original owner had left in this body.
Fu Xuanheng turned his head.
His eyes held back tears, his face cold and grim.
In his ears echoed the words the Crown Princess had spoken to him: "Heng'er, your imperial grandfather killed your father. Your mother will follow your father in death."
"You must live well. The journey to the southwest is fraught with danger. Consult your maternal grandfather on all matters."
"Your mother favored Shuang'er as your wife. But your imperial grandfather insisted on bestowing the Shen girl upon you. In the future, when you gain power, you may take Shuang'er as a secondary wife. Remember, your maternal grandfather's family is the one that truly wishes you well."
…
Shen Yunyue had no idea the Crown Princess had said so much, or she would have grabbed hold of the Crown Princess's soul and refused to let go, forcing her to witness what kind of family the He family truly was.
Two men dressed as government officials entered through the door. "Fu Xuanheng. Let's go. The Emperor has issued a decree to confiscate all property of the Taizifu. The remaining people are to depart immediately for Shihanzhou in the southwest."
Shen Yunyue stopped crying.
She looked at Fu Xuanheng, who still wore that grief-stricken expression, staring at the canopy above.
"Honored officers, my husband cannot walk. What are we to do about the journey to Shihanzhou?" Shen Yunyue bowed to the officers. There was no helping it—she had to play the part to the fullest.
After all, she was only thirteen. What question could she not ask?
"The Emperor, in his mercy, has specially permitted you to purchase a carriage once you reach outside the city walls," one of the officers said, glancing at her sideways.
This was instigated by the other princes—giving Fu Xuanheng a carriage while denying one to everyone else.
Making him a target for others' resentment. On this journey, he would surely die.
"Thank you. Then let us pack up the things in this room." Shen Yunyue pretended not to know their intentions. She quickly found a cloth bag and prepared to pack clothes and silver.
"Hold on. The Taizifu has been confiscated. You may take only the clothes on your backs. Nothing else." The officer's sword blocked Shen Yunyue's path.
Shen Yunyue cursed the Emperor a few times in her heart. This Emperor was a complete bastard.
At least he could spare his own grandson's life.
"Then let me help my husband get dressed." Shen Yunyue seemed frightened.
She hastily grabbed two sets of undergarments and tried to dress Fu Xuanheng. How could she possibly know how to put on such complicated ancient clothing?
Seeing this, the officers thought the little girl had been scared out of her wits.
Poor thing.
Noticing the officers weren't paying attention, she quietly swept everything from the dressing case into her possession.
As Shen Yunyue fetched the clothes, a servant stepped forward to help dress Fu Xuanheng.
Fu Xuanheng, like a half-dead man, let them do as they pleased.
It was already winter, so Shen Yunyue dressed Fu Xuanheng in thick padded clothing.
She then took an unassuming but heavy cloak and draped it over Fu Xuanheng. "Honored officer, this is a cloak made of wild duck feathers. Please let my husband keep it."
Shen Yunyue appeared timid and weak, yet her bearing and movements were composed and graceful.
"Enough with the fuss. Keep it."
The Taizifu had few people. The secondary consort, Feng Xiao'e, and her daughter were exiled together. There was also a younger half-brother, Fu Xuansheng. Five people in total. All the remaining servants were sent to the official slave market.
To be killed or sold.
Shen Yunyue knew she wouldn't be able to see her mother and younger brothers until they passed through the city gates. Her heart ached thinking of how her beautiful mother must be weeping.
Thinking of that refined, handsome father of hers, she felt a pang of sorrow for no reason.
Beside her, Fu Xuanheng still stared unblinkingly at the canopy above, lost in a daze.
Shen Yunyue let out a sigh and covered his eyes with a handkerchief.
"Word has it that the Crown Prince embezzled all the disaster relief funds meant for the locust plague."
"He's cruel to his own kin—they say the Fifth Prince's crippling was the Crown Prince's doing."
"The Emperor is wise indeed—how could such a parasite be allowed to be Crown Prince?"
"It's all karma—he fathered a son who's a useless cripple."
…
The commoners' words were like knives, stabbing deep into Fu Xuanheng's chest.
He clenched his fists tightly, his frail frame trembling involuntarily.