Outside the Space.
Two soldiers walked in again. The area that had been filled with boxes was now just an empty space. Thinking they must be seeing things, they rubbed their eyes, only for their pupils to widen in shock. Trembling with fear, they cried out, “Oh my god! Something’s wrong! Everything’s gone!”
Xie Zhizhi had already taken the opportunity to slip away, leaving a group of soldiers in the armory staring blankly, their legs weak.
“Weren’t there a lot of boxes over there just now? How could they all disappear?!”
Soldiers who had rushed in upon hearing the commotion rubbed their eyes in astonishment. “How could this be? It’s too eerie! We need to leave immediately and report to the Emperor!”
“Hurry! Notify everyone!”
Meanwhile, Xie Zhizhi had already left the armory and headed to the Imperial Censor’s study.
As a subordinate of the Left Chancellor, the Imperial Censor must have many secret strategies that the Dog Emperor wanted, so there were surely many soldiers searching there.
Sure enough, she saw ten soldiers holding long spears standing guard in front of the study door.
Inside the study, four or five soldiers were busy moving things.
Xie Zhizhi entered the study. While they turned to pack up items, she quietly found the official seal and stored it in her Space. She planned to find a few more official seals from other government offices later, so that the land deeds could secretly become hers without anyone knowing.
She also collected important documents, expensive writing tools, ink, paper, inkstones, ancient paintings, and rare treasures…
As she continued gathering, the soldiers began to notice something was off.
A tall, thin soldier suddenly exclaimed, “Huh? That’s strange! Wasn’t there a stack of documents here just now?”
A soldier standing in front of the painting desk was also confused. “Yeah, wasn’t there a precious bamboo painting from the previous dynasty here?”
Seeing this, Xie Zhizhi narrowed her eyes and thought slyly. She had a way to make them leave this place!
Looking at the mirror that could connect to the outside world, she took out five powerful, cool fans and blew air from the Space through the mirror to the outside.
Outside.
The soldiers, who were still wondering how the items had disappeared, suddenly felt a chilling breeze pass by, causing them to shiver inexplicably.
Combined with the gloomy weather, they immediately thought of something sinister.
“Why is there suddenly wind?” A soldier near the door froze, feeling as if someone was blowing on his neck. He turned around but found nothing. Eager to leave, he said, “Um, I’ll go outside to check the items we just moved.”
He turned and ran. Goodness, why is the Imperial Censor’s place so eerie?
The soldiers inside also felt increasingly cold, their skin covered in goosebumps.
“Maybe we should leave first…”
Once one person took the lead, the rest eagerly followed, fleeing the study in a hurry.
After they left, Xie Zhizhi boldly collected all the books, copies, bookshelves, and cabinets in the study, emptying it in less than a minute.
When the soldiers mustered their courage and returned, their eyes widened in disbelief.
“Ahhh—run!”
“Everything’s gone! Run! There’s a monster!”
The more timid ones had already fallen to their knees, their legs giving way.
Xie Zhizhi then made her way to the inner courtyard, where the women’s quarters were located. Seeing that the soldiers had all rushed to the study, she revealed herself and took out a powerful high-tech device—a handheld gold, silver, and copper detector.
Even the private vaults buried underground were discovered by her!
She collected a large amount of gold and silver jewelry, silver notes, and land deeds.
The most abundant belonged to the main wife. Xie Xiaohu’s main wife came from a wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan, so her dowry was plentiful and mostly buried underground. Yet, Xie Zhizhi found it all!
No, it was her device that found it all!Xie Zhizhi took everything she could, sparing neither the medicinal herb storeroom nor the kitchen. Only then did she leave the censor’s mansion with a beaming smile, satisfied, heading to her next destination.
I wonder if passing by Xie Mengcun’s house on the way to the palace?
The Vice Minister of War probably has more weapons.
In the end, the officers discovered that aside from a few antique vases in the front hall and scattered copper coins and silver found in the servants’ quarters, the entire censor’s mansion had no other valuables!
The study was emptied, the armory was emptied, all the silver, gold, and any form of wealth had vanished. The leader immediately entered the palace to report to the Emperor.
By the time the Emperor learned of this, the Xie Xiaohu family, already in the exiled procession, had suffered endless grievances and torment, repeatedly interrogated about the whereabouts of the wealth.
Yet the entire family had no idea what had happened. The money was gone?
Where did it all go?
Of course, that was all for later.
…
Meanwhile, Xie Zhizhi had already entered the palace.
The sky was dark, the already gloomy atmosphere thick as spilled ink.
Beneath the palace walls, guards stood in strict formation, holding bright torches. Armed guards on duty were meticulously replaced in shifts. The slightest disturbance nearby would immediately draw their encirclement.
But none of this posed a challenge for Xie Zhizhi.
Inside her Space, she opened a five-star hotel takeout and began eating with relish.
A luxurious seafood paella, topped with evenly colored, irresistibly tempting caviar. With a scoop of the spoon, crab roe, shrimp, and abalone were revealed beneath—a seafood lover’s dream.
While moving her Space, crossing the palace walls, and smoothly entering the palace, she enjoyed her dinner, accomplishing both tasks without delay.
The Vice Minister of War’s house wasn’t on the way; she’d visit it next time.
For now, she couldn’t wait to explore the palace.
Although the Original Host had frequently entered the palace, she had only visited the Third Prince’s palace and was unfamiliar with the other routes in the palace!
Especially the national treasury—how could she know the way without having been there?
Troublesome. Xie Zhizhi paused at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, randomly chose a direction, exited through a side door, and entered the palace’s long corridor.
From the mirror, she spotted a woman in the distance reclining on a lounge chair, being carried deeper into the palace by a eunuch.
Following her might yield some useful information.
Xie Zhizhi controlled her Space to trail behind.
As she drew closer, she recognized the woman’s identity.
She overheard the eunuch whispering beside the woman, “Your Highness, the Emperor favors the Third Prince the most. Please do not worry too much.”
Xie Zhizhi took a step forward and realized the woman was someone the Original Host knew—the Imperial Noble Consort, the Third Prince’s biological mother.
The Imperial Noble Consort gazed at the nail polish on her fingers, her chair swaying gently. With delicate brows and eyes, she exuded an aura of fragile beauty. Her voice was filled with worry, her expression anxious. “I only hope the Emperor does not heed the Crown Prince’s words too readily…”
The eunuch comforted her in a soft voice, sharing information known throughout the palace.
But to Xie Zhizhi, it was a royal secret.
For a young woman who loved reading novels and watching dramas, what could be more thrilling than witnessing palace gossip firsthand?
She moved closer and learned that the Third Prince had been placed under house arrest by the Emperor.
The reason was that the Crown Prince, citing the Original Host’s frequent visits to the palace, had submitted a memorial suspecting the Third Prince knew her whereabouts. Enraged, the Emperor forbade the Third Prince from communicating with the outside world.
This Imperial Noble Consort was on her way to see the Emperor.
This was going to be interesting.