“So noisy.”
Bang, thump, crash, clatter, on and on without end.
People were coming and going, walking in and out, whispering softly, and laughing lightly.
Jiang Wangnan tossed and turned, the bedboards creaking with every movement.
Last night, that steward eunuch had choked and spat blood continuously from chicken bones, looking just like a horror movie. Every time Jiang Wangnan closed his eyes, he had nightmares; he slept then woke, woke then slept, completely different from a peaceful night of rest.
The noise finally became too much to bear, and belatedly, he realized one thing: why was Xiying Palace suddenly so lively?
Could it be that Noble Consort Gao had brought people to beat him up?
Jiang Wangnan jolted awake, snapping his eyes wide open. Two large faces crashed directly into his view, staring at him with dark, heavy eyes, startling him so badly his heart nearly stopped. “What are you two doing?”
Luo Jing (Big Face No. 1): “Hehe, Your Ladyship, you are awake?”
Qiu Ruo (Big Face No. 2): “Congratulations, Your Ladyship, congratulations.”
Jiang Wangnan: “?”
The two of them parted to the left and right, and suddenly the light brightened dramatically. It was not the soft glow of natural daylight, but a dazzling silver radiance.
Jiang Wangnan squinted his eyes and managed to vaguely make out an open wooden box sitting within the light source.
It was piled full of silver, looking just like a small hill.
Holy cow!
Jiang Wangnan flew out of bed without even putting on his shoes, wearing the expression of someone who had never seen the world before. “So much money! Is all of this mine?”
Luo Jing floated over. “It is all Your Ladyship’s. This morning, people from the Imperial Household Department carried it over, saying it makes up for all of Your Ladyship’s unpaid monthly stipends from the past year and more.”
If he remembered correctly, a Changzai held the seventh rank with a monthly stipend of two hundred silver coins. The Imperial Household Department only needed to make up a little over three thousand liang.
Yet any fool could calculate that this box of shining white treasure was at least double that amount.
Jiang Wangnan asked in confusion, “Why is there so much extra? Did they send the wrong box?”
Qiu Ruo replied, “Last night, His Majesty punished the steward eunuch on Your Ladyship’s behalf, which was a show of support for Your Ladyship. Once the Imperial Household Department caught wind of it, how would they ever dare to bully Your Ladyship again? Wouldn’t that be disregarding His Majesty’s sacred dignity?”
Luo Jing added, “Your Ladyship, there is still quite a bit more in the main hall.”
When Jiang Wangnan went out to check, he found three more large wooden boxes filled with top-quality fabrics, shoes and socks, hair crowns, accessories, scented powders, blush, spices, and everyday necessities of every description.
The once shabby and desolate Xiying Palace suddenly lit up and came alive.
At that moment, an unfamiliar young eunuch stepped forward to announce, “This servant pays respects to Your Ladyship. Breakfast has been prepared.”
Had the imperial kitchen not always excluded his portion?
“Who is he?” Jiang Wangnan asked Luo Jing.
“Replying to Your Ladyship, these are also servants assigned by the Imperial Household Department, ten in total.”
Half-doubtful, Jiang Wangnan arrived at the dining table. His apricot eyes widened in fresh shock. “So lavish!”
Mushroom and fat chicken, assorted shark fin, stir-fried leeks with shrimp, bird’s nest duck strips, hanging-oven pork tongue, abalone porridge, and radish jade meatball soup.
“So much food! I cannot finish all of this by myself. Have you eaten yet?”
Qiu Ruo smiled and said, “Thanks to Your Ladyship’s fortune, we have all eaten. We had piping hot steamed buns, eggs, and millet porridge.”
Yet Jiang Wangnan felt heavy at heart, not feeling particularly happy at all.
Was this truly a blessing?
All of these favors were given by Xiao Quanchuan, not brought about by his own efforts.
Occupying this body, he was enjoying the grace of the original host’s enemy.
Jiang Wangnan found the food tasteless as wax.
Trapped within the deep layers of the palace, imprisoned inside a cage, he had no idea how to escape.
He scooped up a piece of tender abalone, paused it near his lips, and let out a mournful, wistful sigh. “Tell me, how can one leave the imperial palace?”
Qiu Ruo’s face turned pale as she lowered her voice. “Shh, Your Ladyship, such words must not be spoken aloud.”
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Jiang Wangnan cooperated by using a breathy whisper. “Is there truly no way?”
Qiu Ruo exchanged a glance with Luo Jing, who immediately caught on, shooing away the surrounding servants and tightly closing the doors and windows.
“If Your Ladyship wishes to leave the palace to get some fresh air, there is still a way,” Qiu Ruo said.
“Really? Come, sit down and talk.” Jiang Wangnan pulled out a stool to invite her.
Qiu Ruo was flattered and alarmed. “No, no, Your Ladyship, that is improper. A servant is a servant, and a master is a master.”
Jiang Wangnan pressed down on her shoulders to make her sit. “It is fine, there are no outsiders here, and we do not need so many rigid rules. Luo Jing, sit down as well, eat whatever you like. Continue speaking.”
Feeling somewhat like sitting on pins and needles, Qiu Ruo said, “Your Ladyship must understand that in this palace, His Majesty has the final say. In other words, as long as His Majesty nods, Your Ladyship can do anything.”
“Must I really cozy up to the emperor?” Jiang Wangnan felt like crying without tears.
The sovereign was supreme and ruled over all mortals; he understood this principle, but what he wanted to hear was whether there was another path that did not require selling his body and charms.
Luo Jing, with grease gleaming around his mouth as he peeled a shrimp shell, offered, “In this servant’s view, perhaps there is another path.”
Jiang Wangnan quickly slid the plate of stir-fried leeks with shrimp closer to him.
“Climb.”
Jiang Wangnan: “What does that mean?”
Why was he suddenly cursing?
“Climb in rank, climb upward,” Luo Jing said. “Your Ladyship is currently only a seventh-rank Changzai, dwelling at the very bottom. But if you rise to become a Guiren, a Pin, a Noble Consort, or even the Empress, things will be quite different.”
Jiang Wangnan wiped his sweat.
It was fundamentally the exact same thing, wasn’t it? He still had to fawn over the living-hell emperor!
Going in circles only brought him right back to the start.
It was a complete dead end.
Even more annoying. QAQ
After the meal, Jiang Wangnan walked out of Xiying Palace to stroll around.
Holding a map of the imperial palace in his hand, he muttered neurotically to himself, “Straight ahead, turn left, Grand Court of Judicial Review, walked about five hundred meters, then turn right.”
Qiu Ruo held an umbrella for him. “Your Ladyship, it is getting close to noon, be careful not to get sunburned.”
“No, I need to familiarize myself with the route as soon as possible.” To prepare for future escapes.
Although he had not yet figured out the best plan, he had to memorize the roads first, which counted as working toward his goal.
Before long, the palace maids and eunuchs on the path grew scarce. Everyone passing by was a guard wearing a saber, dressed in a silver fish-scale robe with a stern, heavily guarded air, and the scent of blood seemed to drift faintly in the air.
Suddenly, a miserable human scream echoed from not far away.
Qiu Ruo hurriedly pulled him back. “Your Ladyship, do not walk ahead. That is the North Town-Pacification Bureau prison ahead, they are likely administering harsh tortures.”
Jiang Wangnan shuddered violently. “That sounds terrifying, let us leave quickly.”
In an instant, he recalled the dismemberment scene before the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
I wonder how that person from the Yue State is doing?
He was supposed to be a loyal subordinate of the original host, but Jiang Wangnan lacked both wits and martial arts, barely able to protect himself, and truly had no way to save anyone.
Jiang Wangnan felt a mix of self-blame and guilt.
He stopped in his tracks and said firmly, “Qiu Ruo, I want to do something. Can you help me?”
Deep in the night, at the hour of the rat.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation was brightly lit.
With a flash of firelight, a man in white clothing and a mask knelt abruptly before the hall. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
This person was one of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion’s white scouts, whom Xiao Quanchuan had specifically assigned to secretly tail Jiang Wangnan on the night he avoided favor.
Xiao Quanchuan sat high in the seat of honor, lowering his head over his desk without even lifting his eyelids. “Mm, has Changzai Jiang shown any unusual behavior today?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. He made a move, just now,” the man replied.
Xiao Quanchuan raised his eyes, his brow ridges arching. “Oh? What did he do?”
“He instructed the young eunuch named Luo Jing to get him a set of eunuch garments. After changing into them, Changzai Jiang shouldered a basket and headed toward the North Town-Pacification Bureau prison.”
The candlelight cast its glow upon Xiao Quanchuan’s exquisitely sculpted face, half in light and half in shadow, and he slowly hooked the corners of his lips.
He finally stopped playing dumb?
He understood Jiang Wangnan’s gentle, people-loving nature all too well. Leaving the Yue State captive unkilled in his presence yesterday and intentionally mentioning he was locked in the prison was all done just to wait for this exact moment.
The fish had finally taken the bait.
A moment later, Xiao Quanchuan murmured softly, “Lift the guards, let him enter, and continue watching closely.”
Before the gates of the North Town-Pacification Bureau, Jiang Wangnan carried a heavy basket in his left hand, walking while pulling down his scholar’s cap to conceal his face as much as possible.
“Halt. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted inside. Present your relevant token.” True to rumor, the guards at the entrance were extremely strict.
Jiang Wangnan’s heart hammered against his ribs. Trying his best to steady his trembling hands, he produced a plaque bearing the characters “Imperial Kitchen” and pinched his voice to say, “This humble one is delivering midnight snacks for the jailer brothers.”
Luo Jing had already scouted out that every midnight, eunuchs delivered food on schedule, and Luo Jing had planned to use the pretext of visiting a relative in prison, slipping them some money to clear the checkpoint.
The other party had agreed to let him substitute for the shift, but fearing for his head, refused to hand over the passage token.
Thus, Jiang Wangnan simply carved a replica himself.
The two guards glanced at each other, recalling the imperial edict Sun Nianhai had relayed earlier.
“There will be a basket-carrying eunuch, quite pretty and fair-skinned, with clear, spirited eyes, a somewhat foolish air, and a perpetually bewildered and lost expression. Let him pass unconditionally whenever he appears.”
The guards cast a sharp look, instantly recognizing that the token was fake, but still cleared the way. “It is you. Take him inside.”
With that, the guard exchanged a glance with the escorting guard.
Jiang Wangnan let out a quiet sigh of relief, feeling both nervous and secretly pleased.
The North Town-Pacification Bureau, renowned as the most tightly controlled agency under the Son of Heaven, was actually quite easy after all.
Following the escorting guard, he descended flight after flight of stairs until reaching level ground, then walked down a long corridor, turning left and right past dim, damp, narrow prison cells on both sides.
Jiang Wangnan kept his head down as he walked, his eyes darting restlessly beneath the brim of his hat as he eagerly searched for the figure of the Yue State person.
He failed to notice that the escorting guard exchanged silent eye signals with the jailers, who knowingly slumped over tables or lay down on benches to pretend they were fast asleep.
Jiang Wangnan kept his mind on his target when the escorting guard suddenly halted, causing him to almost bump his hat right off.
The man pointed at a table. “Leave your things here. They are resting, do not wake them.”
For some reason, Jiang Wangnan felt this person sounded just like an NPC reciting rigid lines, running off the moment he finished speaking without wasting a single second.
The midnight prison was exceptionally quiet, with half a dozen jailers sprawled out like corpses in deep slumber. While lamenting Xiao Quanchuan’s lax discipline over his subordinates, Jiang Wangnan secretly rejoiced at his own incredible luck.
Quietly taking out the food and wine, he covered the basket again, slipped away stealthily, and resumed his search for the Yue State person.
To prevent prisoners from escaping, the layout of the prison was exceedingly intricate, with wide pathways looping into narrow tunnels. He could no longer remember his way back and had to use his current stopping point, the resting jailers, as his landmark.
As Jiang Wangnan walked and walked, he somehow found himself back at the starting point. He scratched his head, continued forward, and noticed that the prisoners in the cells on both sides looked unusually familiar.
Generally speaking, seeing someone’s face three times left a lasting impression.
Damn it, he had circled right back again.
Yet Jiang Wangnan remained undiscouraged. Having managed to get inside, how could he possibly return empty-handed?
Little did he know that the moment he walked away, a jailer popped an eye open behind him. “What should I do? I need to pee, why hasn’t he found the place yet?”
Another jailer chimed in, “Endure it a bit longer. Didn’t His Majesty’s imperial decree say this person is just a bit of a pretty fool?”
“What if he still hasn’t found that Yue State person by dawn? I am going to burst!”
Before they could say much more, that pretty idiot circled right back around.
“Huh?” Jiang Wangnan rubbed his chin with a contemplative expression. “Ah, I know what to do. Little rooster, point to who and I choose you.”
The jailers: “…”
They wished they could all stand up and shout at the top of their lungs: The person you are looking for is right ahead, turn right, then left, and it is the second cell!
The direction Jiang Wangnan ultimately pointed was actually the exact same path he had walked eight hundred times already.
Yet he chose to trust his own luck once more, marching bravely forward with absolute confidence. “This time it has to be right!”
The jailers silently shed two lines of clear tears.
“If this drags on any longer, I am really going to wet my pants!” the first jailer writhed in agony.
Another suggested, “How about this, let’s put out the candles along all the other paths and use the light sources to guide him over, brothers!”
Everyone nodded. “Done!”
Before long, Jiang Wangnan noticed the dungeons grew somewhat dimmer, as if the candles kept extinguishing wherever he walked.
Strange, was there a draft?
He originally intended to head in a different direction, but it was pitch black and terrifyingly dark, so he simply gave up and followed the illumination, figuring since he was just wandering blindly anyway, going anywhere was the same.
Momently, his gaze locked firmly ahead.
The Yue State person sat leaning against the dirty wall with closed eyes, hands and feet shackled in heavy chains, his posture upright and straight.
Jiang Wangnan hurried over, grabbing the prison bars and calling out excitedly, “Hey, are you asleep?”
“Crown Prince Highness! Why have you come?” The man cried out in joyous surprise upon seeing him, rushing forward as his iron chains rattled loudly.
“Shh, I brought you some things.” Jiang Wangnan looked somewhat guilty.