Eunuch An was walking along when he suddenly felt a surge of intense heat behind him. Puzzled, he turned his head, but the soldiers guarding the entrance were more alert and saw it faster than Eunuch An.
A soldier shouted, “Not good! There’s a fire!”
Eunuch An turned around, his view already blocked by the raging flames. He couldn’t even see inside the armory anymore, and his eyes widened in shock.
“Oh no! How did it catch fire!”
Eunuch An immediately took off running, dropping two lychees from his basket in the process.
Xie Zhizhi also took the opportunity to slip outside.
Outside, chaos erupted as nearly all the soldiers rushed to draw water from the well to fight the fire.
“The treasury is on fire! The armory is on fire!”
“Hurry! Go fetch water!”
“Make sure the fire doesn’t spread to the other three treasuries!”
As the fire grew larger and larger, soldiers guarding the other three treasuries came to assist.
This was the perfect opportunity for Xie Zhizhi.
She first went to the neighboring treasury. The door was tightly shut, but that didn’t stop her. She simply tossed a fireball at it, and the door burst into flames.
Two soldiers noticed and immediately threw water on it, then began hacking at the door with their swords. “Quick, break the door down! Don’t let the fire spread inside!”
Xie Zhizhi waited for the door to open and slipped inside.
This was the grain storage.
Baskets upon baskets of grains, food, and ingredients were piled high, too many to count.
She stored them all in her Space.
Next, she headed to the neighboring weapons armory.
Xie Zhizhi repeated her trick. As soon as the door caught fire, another door was broken down.
The soldiers were terrified, their legs trembling. “What’s wrong with this door? How did it catch fire on its own?”
Xie Zhizhi had already slipped inside.
The weapons armory of the national treasury contained the most comprehensive collection of weapons in the entire Great Xing Dynasty. The space alone was five times larger than the General’s Mansion’s armory.
Xie Zhizhi quickly stored the weapons in her Space, barely recognizing some of the firearms, such as fire lances, explosive bombs, iron cannons, and hand cannons.
There were also many arquebuses.
It seemed this fictional ancient world had advanced weaponry, having at least developed gunpowder.
After clearing out the weapons armory, she looked at the massive pile of items in her Space and placed them on a wide, open plain inside.
Then, she turned her attention outside. Only the treasury storing money remained untouched.
Thankfully, she had her Space, or she would have missed out on so many rare treasures.
She could study them later.
Passing by a group of soldiers frantically throwing water, she controlled her Space and headed toward the last treasury.
She set the door on fire, and it was promptly broken down.
Xie Zhizhi entered the treasury and discovered that most of the stored wealth consisted of silver ingots. Gold, on the other hand, only filled about a dozen chests, while silver ingots filled hundreds of chests, amounting to tens of millions of taels. It was an immense fortune!
With a single thought, swish, swish, swish—all the chests vanished into her Space!
The remaining items were mostly rare jade jewelry and extravagant, luxurious antiques. She saw them and, with another thought, stored them all in her Space.
The five-hundred-square-meter space was quickly emptied again.
The soldiers were in complete disarray, tirelessly fighting the fire. They soon discovered that the other treasuries were empty and immediately went to report to the Emperor.
Xie Zhizhi leisurely left the national treasury. Where should she go next?
Seeing the messenger soldier heading to the Emperor, Xie Zhizhi followed him.
…
Zhaoyang Palace.
The Emperor, having been coaxed by the Imperial Noble Consort into lifting the Third Prince’s house arrest, was enjoying a pleasant evening when he was interrupted by the messenger soldier.
“Your Majesty! The national treasury is on fire! Ev-everything… everything…” The soldier couldn’t bring himself to say that everything was gone. Would he be beheaded for this?The Emperor’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. After putting on his clothes and walking out, he glared at him gloomily, “Say that again! All of what?”
The soldier lowered his head, steeled himself, and blurted out, “Everything in the national treasury is gone!”
Thud!
Suddenly, the soldier felt a shadow loom over him, plunging him into darkness as if he were about to be crushed. Good heavens, which pig is pressing down on me? Only when he looked up did he realize it was the Emperor!
How fortunate—he hadn’t said it out loud.
The Emperor, overwhelmed with rage, fainted on the spot and collapsed onto the soldier.
The Imperial Noble Consort rushed out and saw the scene. Though her heart remained unmoved, she let out a sharp scream, “Ah! The Emperor has fainted! Someone, come quickly!”
Xie Zhizhi watched from her Space, never expecting the Dog Emperor’s constitution to be so weak. Wasn’t this just perfect for her?
Heh, how dare he order her immediate execution and even issue a warrant for her arrest.
She was someone who held grudges, after all!
How should she take revenge?
Such a golden opportunity had to be used wisely.
Soon, the Imperial Physician arrived, and the Emperor was directly placed on the bed in the Imperial Noble Consort’s side chamber for treatment.
After observing for a while, the Imperial Physician administered acupuncture to the Emperor. Only then did he say, “His Majesty has been indulging… overexerting himself lately, leaving his body weak and unable to withstand the shock, which caused him to faint. It’s nothing serious. Once the medicine is brewed, please have the Consort administer it to His Majesty. He will wake up soon.”
“Very well, thank you, Imperial Physician Chen. Once the medicine is ready, have someone bring it over,” the Imperial Noble Consort said as she escorted the physician out.
Because the Emperor had been engaged in nighttime activities, the servants had not yet entered the chamber. The opulent side chamber was now empty except for the Dog Emperor lying unconscious.
Xie Zhizhi noticed his eyelashes twitching—he was about to wake up.
With a mischievous thought, she emerged from her Space, holding a syringe in her hand. The medicine inside was enough to keep him unconscious until that day arrived!
The Emperor weakly opened his eyes, only to see a woman standing by his bedside. He was so startled he nearly fainted again, “You…”
His voice was as faint as a mosquito’s, impossible for anyone outside to hear.
Xie Zhizhi swiftly jabbed the needle into his arm, smiling coldly, “I am Xie Zhizhi. Was it you who orchestrated the deaths of my father and brother?”
The Emperor was terrified. Xie Zhizhi?
This woman was Xie Zhizhi?
How could she know it was all my doing!
What is she holding in her hand?
Why is she injecting it into my skin!
I feel so drowsy… I can’t speak!
In less than a minute, the Emperor’s fearful gaze fixed on Xie Zhizhi grew increasingly unfocused before he completely lost consciousness.
After withdrawing the syringe, Xie Zhizhi vanished back into her Space, leaving no trace behind.