In the imperial palace, Xiao Lian awoke and confirmed once again that he had lost two very important things. Furious beyond measure, he nearly smashed the entire Chaoyang Palace to pieces.
“Find that assassin!” he roared. “I want him chopped into pieces!”
His handsome face was twisted with rage, his eyes murderous.
“Summon the court painter.”
The palace painter, renowned for portraiture, hurried over. Based on Xiao Lian’s description, he sketched the mysterious intruder from the previous night.
The result was… less than helpful.
The suspect was around seven feet tall, wrapped completely in a cloak, with even the eyes barely visible. The only memorable feature was that those eyes had been unusually sharp.
Copies of the wanted portrait were distributed throughout the capital.
The officers assigned to the search stared at it with furrowed brows.
To be honest…
Other than knowing the suspect was supposedly a man, not particularly tall, and slender enough to resemble a woman…
They had no clues whatsoever.
One officer couldn’t help asking,
“Are we certain it’s a man?”
“With that figure, it looks more like a woman.”
“The report says they confirmed it from the voice. An old man, around forty or fifty.”
Someone exclaimed,
“That old man is incredible. He emptied the entire imperial palace by himself.”
There was even a hint of admiration.
Everyone secretly wanted to meet the mysterious person who had managed to loot both the palace and the national treasury overnight.
The theft of the treasury couldn’t be concealed.
By the next morning, everyone in the capital knew that not only had the treasury been robbed—even the imperial palace had been stripped clean.
The whole city was stunned.
How enormous a disturbance should something like that have caused?
Yet no one had heard a thing.
The only thing anyone knew was that the Grand Secretariat Manor had caught fire.
They also heard the manor had been robbed, and that Grand Secretary Su had been so enraged he’d suffered a stroke.
As for the beggars wandering the streets…
They had all mysteriously vanished overnight.
People wondered if those beggars had been responsible.
Little did they know those beggars had nearly all died unjustly.
That night at the City God Temple had been a nightmare.
Had they not become greedy for money, they wouldn’t have brought disaster upon themselves.
Fortunately, those who survived had used the silver they’d obtained to steal decent clothes, wash themselves clean, and disguise themselves, allowing them to escape the kidnappers searching for beggars.
Only then did they realize…
The woman who had spent the night with them…
…really had been the Empress.
How could an ordinary woman possess such extravagant wealth?
Good heavens…
The Empress had actually had half her head shaved.
Still…
Her skin had been so white.
So soft.
So fragrant.
One look was enough to know she was a noble lady.
Now that they knew her true identity…
The disguised beggars clamped their mouths shut, terrified.
Of course…
If their lives were ever on the line, they wouldn’t mind revealing the truth to save themselves.
After confirming that he would never father children again…
And realizing that the three thousand beauties in his harem were now forever beyond his reach…
Xiao Lian nearly blew the roof off Chaoyang Palace.
He silently swore that once he caught the culprit…
He would skin him alive, tear out his tendons, chop him into pieces, and feed him to the dogs.
“How is Grand Secretary Su?” Xiao Lian asked after finally calming himself.
There was no changing what had happened.
But the fact that he had become impotent…
Absolutely could not become public knowledge.
Other than the imperial physicians treating him and his most trusted eunuchs…
Anyone else who knew…
Had to die.
Chief Eunuch Sanlu replied honestly,
“Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Su is paralyzed. The imperial physicians say that even with acupuncture, he can never fully recover.”
“And was his residence emptied as well?”
Had Xiao Lian not personally inspected the treasury, his private vault, and the Empress’s palace…
He would have believed the reports were complete nonsense.
After all…
The floor tiles of Fengyi Palace had even been pried up.
The entire palace was nothing more than an empty shell.
Even the fish pond, flower pots, and ornamental plants had disappeared.
Who possessed such unbelievable ability?
To plunder the imperial palace so thoroughly…
Without anyone noticing?
The more Xiao Lian thought about it…
The angrier he became.
His stomach growled.
“Tell the Imperial Kitchen to prepare something for me.”
Sanlu awkwardly lowered his head.
“Your Majesty…”
“The Imperial Kitchen wasn’t spared either.”
“It was completely emptied.”
“There isn’t even any firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, or tea left.”
Hearing that…
Xiao Lian clutched his chest and staggered backward.
Sanlu hurriedly supported him before he collapsed.
“Your Majesty, please take care of your health! This servant will immediately find some pastries for you.”
“Gut the capital if you have to!”
Xiao Lian’s vision darkened.
“Find whoever emptied the palace!”
Losing his manhood was already unbearable.
Now they hadn’t even spared the Imperial Kitchen.
“Were they locusts?”
“Who exactly is it?!”
He could only rage helplessly.
Sanlu frowned.
“Could it have been Prince Chu?”
“Impossible.”
Xiao Lian rejected the idea immediately.
“I personally crippled all four of his limbs and destroyed his meridians.”
“His followers have all been under surveillance.”
“No matter how capable he is…”
“He couldn’t possibly drag a crippled body through the palace while emptying it.”
Not to mention…
They had even pried up the floor tiles of Fengyi Palace.
Were they so poor they’d steal anything?
Shameless!
Utterly disgraceful!
Xiao Lian clenched his fists.
“Search.”
“So many stolen items must be hidden somewhere.”
“The capital is now under curfew.”
“Anyone violating it will be executed on the spot.”
If he couldn’t enjoy himself…
Then no one in the capital would enjoy themselves either.
Once the city gates were sealed…
There was no way so many treasures could be smuggled out unnoticed.
Surely they’d eventually expose themselves.
Xiao Lian threw the entire capital into panic.
People could enter…
But no one could leave.
Large belongings were strictly prohibited from leaving the city.
The lockdown lasted for several months.
Yet none of the stolen property was ever found.
Of course…
That was a story for another time.
If Xiao Lian had known there existed an ability called a spatial storage dimension, capable of hiding limitless objects…
He would have realized that even digging three hundred feet underground wouldn’t uncover a single thing.
Besides…
What good was locking down the capital?
Hua Zhiyun had already left long ago.
Even if they searched…
They would never find her.
All they could do was waste their efforts.
Soon after, Xiao Lian learned that not only the Grand Secretary’s residence…
But numerous officials’ homes had also been robbed.
Among them…
The Hua family.
The very family that had married their daughter to Prince Chu.
Served them right.
Thinking that the Hua family had also been stripped clean…
Xiao Lian finally felt a little better.
Sanlu hesitated before speaking.
“Your Majesty…”
“It seems every household that was robbed belonged to officials previously impeached for corruption and bribery.”
Xiao Lian’s expression changed.
“Bring every censor who submitted those impeachment memorials before me.”
Could it have been those officials?
Had they grown dissatisfied with his refusal to punish corrupt officials…
And decided to take matters into their own hands?
Did they really possess such incredible abilities?
The imperial censors had been happily enjoying the spectacle of corrupt officials losing all their wealth.
They thought Heaven had finally delivered justice.
Instead…
Their own homes were nearly searched as well.
Fortunately, the impoverished censors owned nothing connected to the palace.
Despite that…
They were interrogated over and over.
Accused of emptying the imperial palace.
Several of them became so angry they nearly committed suicide to prove their innocence.
Only after confirming they truly weren’t lying did Xiao Lian rub his aching temples.
Just then, a eunuch hurried in.
“Your Majesty!”
“Please go see Her Majesty!”
“The Empress is trying to hang herself!”
Xiao Lian paused.
Only one thought crossed his mind.
How troublesome.
Thinking about everything that had happened to the Empress…
He felt nothing but disgust.
For the first time…
He was actually grateful that he was now impotent.
Otherwise…
Being forced to share a bed with an Empress who had been violated by who knew how many beggars…
Would be worse than death.
Still…
She was the Empress.
Appearances had to be maintained.
Besides…
He held a devastating secret over her now.
She would be easy to control.
Replacing her with another Empress would only create more problems.
Fengyi Palace was uninhabitable.
The Empress had been temporarily relocated elsewhere.
Su Wanmei had completely collapsed.
Upon learning she had been defiled by a group of beggars…
Her first thought had been to end her life.
But…
She couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She had been reborn once already.
If she died again…
Would there even be another chance?
She refused to accept such a fate.
She had never imagined…
That this lifetime would turn out even more miserable than the last.
Who had plotted against her?
Looking into the mirror at her ridiculous half-shaved hairstyle…
Hatred filled her heart.
If she had to suffer…
Then Hua Zhiyun would suffer too.
She beckoned one of her trusted palace maids over.
Whispering a few instructions into her ear…
The maid nodded knowingly.
Not long afterward…
A carrier pigeon took flight.
Its destination…
South.