The verdict was announced.
The incident of palace maids and eunuchs engaging in Dui Shi was deemed the Empress’s dereliction of duty. The Central Palace Seal was split in two, and Palace Authority would henceforth be jointly managed by the Virtuous Consort and Shun Fei, while the Empress would devote herself to Buddhist prayers.
As for the Witchcraft Disaster… the culprit was identified as Ye Consort, who had previously given birth to a second princess who died young. Resenting the Second Prince’s healthy growth yet not daring to target the Third Prince, she resorted to such vicious methods. It was said she was dragged away amid maniacal laughter and outrageous remarks, demoted to commoner status and confined to the Cold Palace.
“This isn’t the real culprit.” Qi Chengming reached this conclusion almost without thinking.
Setting aside the supervisory authority Hongren Emperor had granted him, could Ye Consort—who wasn’t even a consort back then—have had the opportunity or means to harm Hua Pin, who was at the height of her power? She was like a scapegoat thrown out to quell the situation. Thinking more cruelly, Hongren Emperor still needed to lull the real culprit into revealing flaws, thus requiring a sacrificial lamb to make everyone believe the matter was now resolved.
Perhaps in a few days, that Ye Consort would be declared “dead from illness.”
Qi Chengming remained silent for a long time. Although he also wanted to uncover the truth, Hongren Emperor’s way of handling things was still…
Utterly disgusting to him.
“Xiao Chengzi, how are things with the main kitchen?” he asked softly.
Having been in this world for less than a month, Qi Chengming was already thoroughly weary of this cruel and hypocritical deep palace. He wanted to depart as soon as possible.
To reach Liuzhou earlier… and leave this disgusting place.
The young man lowered his eyelids, absentmindedly toying with the Gilded Orchid Pattern Flask, his expression listless. Seeing this, Xiao Chengzi didn’t dare relax and cautiously reported, “We’ve made discreet contact. They’re all willing to leave with Your Highness.”
“Good.” Qi Chengming let out a sigh, still appearing dispirited.
Fortunately, it was already the end of the month. Steward Song’s preparations were nearly complete. If he could endure just a few more days—until he went to Weiyong Count’s Mansion to fetch Grandmaster Huang—he would be free as a fish leaping in the vast ocean!!
No, he needed to cherish these final days.
Qi Chengming took a deep breath, trying to convince himself.
Though Jingcheng was disgusting, it was his only chance to accumulate foundations. Once he went to Liuzhou, his basic setup would be fixed. Determined, Qi Chengming made another trip to the library, specifically selecting a batch of truly useful royal books—whether on water conservancy or disaster management—and crammed them all.
The good news was that the Infrastructure System could scan blueprints or plans for backup… Qi Chengming had a sudden inspiration: he stopped studying for now and focused on scanning books he found useful.
This knowledge was truly priceless!
…
At the same time, reactions to the Emperor’s latest decree varied across other palaces.
“How goes the investigation?”
Shu Fei, the birth mother of the First Prince, leaned forward with interest, holding a segment of Ju Zi as she questioned her palace maid.
The palace lockdown over the past two days had left not only her but countless others in the rear palace anxiously seeking the reason. They were delighted to hear details about the Empress’s sudden misfortune. As for Ye Consort’s fate? Everyone’s attention was fixed on the “Witchcraft Disaster”—they wanted the juicy inside story, the more detailed, the better.
Her chief palace maid, still somewhat pale, hurriedly explained the details:
“All the servants were summoned to witness the execution. Grandfather Fu didn’t forbid anyone from asking questions…” Rather, the Great Eunuch had deliberately gathered all prominent palace maids and eunuchs to witness the punishment, making them understand the consequences so such offenses would never be repeated.
…The final two dragged out resembled torn sacks, drenched in blood—it was truly a nightmare.
The senior palace maid dared not dwell on it, swallowing hard before continuing: “I heard it was discovered by His Highness the Third Prince’s maid. His Highness has since confined himself to his palace for reflection.”
Who could have anticipated such a shocking incident?
A eunuch from the Empress’s palace, unable to resist temptation, had not only entered into a Dui Shi relationship with a young maid but was caught being intimate within the palace grounds. Formally speaking, all palace maids were considered potential consorts of the Emperor.
This was the grave crime of defiling the inner palace.
“Dui Shi?” Shu Fei covered her mouth and nose in disgust, as if the filthy matter had ruined her mood. She casually discarded the orange segment she was holding, her appetite gone. “Enough of this unpleasant talk… Tell me in detail about the Witchcraft Disaster!”
In the palace of Rong Fei, the biological mother of the Third Prince, recent events were also being discussed.
“What does it matter if your second brother received a favorable title?”
Rong Fei calmly reassured her son, her gaze serene yet piercing with rational clarity. “The Emperor only compensated him out of necessity. Ultimately, he still has to Establish a Fiefdom in Liuzhou. My son… there’s no need to waste your thoughts on such a person.”
Even if the Second Prince refused to accept his fate and aspired to contend for the throne, he would need power, wealth, or influential backing—at least one of these. Which did the Second Prince possess?
Thus, Rong Fei paid him no mind.
“I lost my composure, Mother,” the Third Prince said shamefacedly, his emotions stabilizing.
Renowned for his literary and martial prowess, he had always been the most outstanding and proud. Being abruptly relegated by his father to a status nearly equal to that of the useless Second Prince had briefly thrown him into panic and irrational anxiety.
…
The once lively Empress’s palace now lay desolate and silent.
After her Palace Authority was redistributed, the Empress tactfully confined herself, feigning devotion to Buddhism. Yet, after kneeling on the prayer mat for a long time, she hadn’t recited a single sutra, her mind in turmoil.
Dui Shi relationships had always existed, tacitly acknowledged as long as they remained undisclosed. Unless exposed, the Empress saw no need to intervene. The Emperor was aware of this practice, yet he had penalized her severely by stripping her of Palace Authority—the Empress, familiar with her husband, knew the punishment was excessive.
This was the source of her anxiety: she feared the Emperor might have learned something during his interrogation of Ye Consort… leading to such a harsh penalty.
“What is that noise outside?” she suddenly demanded sternly, her face hardening.
Soon, a young boy burst in, his expression furious. “Mother, is it Third Brother and Rong Fei causing trouble again?!”
This was the only legitimate son of the current Emperor and the Empress, the ten-year-old Sixth Prince. Upon hearing the news, he stubbornly believed it was another scheme by Rong Fei’s faction against them. However, to his relief… the Emperor hadn’t granted Palace Authority to the mothers of the First or Third Princes but to two other consorts. Moreover, the Third Prince had been reprimanded and confined for reflection.
Ha! They had tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice!
“Why have you come?” The Empress’s expression softened for a fleeting moment before tightening again as she offered a perfunctory correction, “You must address her as Consort Rong, not by her personal name.”
When she heard her son’s indignant words, her expression shifted to one of weariness and frustration. She refused with earnest admonishment, “Focus on your studies and stop dwelling on these matters. I will handle it—His Majesty only wishes to see brotherly harmony among you all.”
“Understood, understood,” the Sixth Prince replied dismissively.
How could he not be anxious?
The confrontations between his eldest and third brothers had grown increasingly frequent this year, with tensions spilling beyond the palace walls. The atmosphere in the Imperial Study remained strained day after day. Now that they were beginning to covet his future position (a thought he could only entertain secretly), how could he remain passive? How could he not retaliate?
He was already five years younger than the eldest prince. Watching them gain more of their father’s favor while being restrained from participating was unbearable. Was he not the Emperor’s only legitimate son?
“…” The Empress gazed at her son’s defiant young face and felt utterly exhausted.
No matter how many times she had advised him, he remained impatient.
Though her son was the legitimate heir, his abilities were mediocre—lacking his eldest brother’s noble demeanor and his third brother’s literary and martial prowess. Still young, he held no advantage beyond his status. How could he afford to be hasty under such circumstances? Rashness would only breed chaos! Instead of lying low for a few years, patiently observing the eldest and third princes battle it out before naturally demonstrating his own excellence, charging forward now would be sheer foolishness.
The Empress made up her mind.
With little to occupy her recently, she resolved to keep her son confined and temper his disposition thoroughly! This would also serve to cool the ambitions of those restless factions within her maternal family…
She contemplated coldly.
…
Several days slipped by swiftly, and the new month arrived without fanfare.
On the day the Second Prince was to depart to Establish his Fiefdom, the weather was tolerable—as if aware of his journey—turning partly overcast without excessive sun, and no rain was expected during daylight hours.
Early in the morning, luggage from the Second Prince’s Residence had been loaded onto carts, forming a procession of thirty-odd donkey and mule carts outside the palace gates. A somber contingent of Imperial Guards stood ready, with a dozen or so horses allocated to commanders and minor officers. Palace maids and eunuchs required to walk, cooks from the Imperial Kitchen, a young physician, several artisan families assigned to Qi Chengming, and Grandmaster Huang—who remained hidden inside a carriage throughout—completed the assembly.
In total, the bustling crowd numbered nearly two hundred.
To the naked eye, it was an imposing procession, drawing throngs of curious onlookers filling the streets.
“So, everyone has sent me farewell gifts?”
Qi Chengming skimmed the gift list absently, his smile ambiguous.
Outwardly, the princes maintained brotherly affection, so even if they cared little about the Second Prince’s departure, they had to warmly present parting gifts rather than ignore him outright—though since Qi Chengming’s arrival a month ago, he hadn’t attended the Imperial Study, and neither princes nor tutors had inquired, rendering him virtually invisible.
Naturally, no amount of cordial pretense could mask their indifference.
Thus, only gifts arrived—no one came in person to see him off.
Even that gentle elder brother with his impeccable reputation, praised as “benevolent-hearted” and “exemplary in conduct,” hadn’t come. His wife’s excuse was that he had been too overwhelmingly busy to break away.
“Benevolence.” Qi Chengming chewed on the word with amusement, feeling as though he had inadvertently uncovered something yet again.
Being overlooked sometimes had its advantages—like certain matters he could perceive more clearly with detached observation.
“Never mind them… Let’s leave the palace.”
Qi Chengming quickly brushed aside these tangled thoughts; he had a busy day ahead. When bidding farewell, the Hongren Emperor was indifferent toward him, and the two parted without incident. Qi Chengming then visited the Court of the Imperial Clan, grateful to the Director—the kind old man who had been the first to help him after his transmigration—and formally said his goodbyes.
And then there were the relatives at the Weiyong Count’s Mansion.
A couple of days prior, Qi Chengming had made time to return for a final visit, specifically to see everyone one last time, knowing that once he departed today, there would be no further opportunity.
Supplies and personnel were now fully prepared. The men his grandfather had assigned left contact methods and set out ahead, with informants stationed in each city to rendezvous. Those dispatched further ahead had already reached Liuzhou, scouting the route in batches and reporting back for his decisions.
The initial estimate was three to four months for the main force to reach Liuzhou by land.
If they combined overland travel with sailing south, half by land and half by water, arriving in Liuzhou before the dry season, the journey could be shortened to one and a half to two months.
Qi Chengming naturally opted for the second method this time, but chartering boats was exorbitantly expensive. Looking at the budget sheet Steward Song brought for his approval, his heart bled as if cut by a knife.
—Just look, was there any other prince so strapped for resources?
He mocked himself, feeling so impoverished it bordered on anxiety.
He had to figure out how to make money next.
Just as he was pondering this, the Infrastructure System, as if detecting his worries and predicament, suddenly refreshed with a new daily quest after a week’s interval—
Author’s Note:
The palace arc concludes here! A basic impression list of current palace figures:
Hongren Emperor (a detached, rational, high-quality scumbag)
Eldest Prince, born of Shu Fei: 15 years old (a gentle hypocrite).
Second Prince, born of the late Hua Pin: 13 years old (the original body).
Third Prince, born of Rong Fei: 13 years old (accomplished in both civil and martial arts but low EQ).
Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince: deceased.
Sixth Prince, born of the Empress: 10 years old (mediocre aptitude).
Seventh Prince, raised by Shun Fei (adoptive mother): 8 years old (original male lead of the succession struggle novel).
Eldest Princess and Second Princess: deceased.
The Empress’s only legitimate daughter: Third Princess, 12 years old (exclusively doted on).
Current Four Consorts in the palace:
Virtuous Consort (holds Palace Authority),
Shun Fei (holds Palace Authority),
Shu Fei (elegant yet pretentious),
Rong Fei (beautiful but scheming).
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