Just as Shang Changge stepped out of the Empress’s Fengyi Palace, a young eunuch hurried over to report.
The entire Wen family had already been executed.
The two assassins were dead as well.
But Jing Xiuming had escaped.
Shang Changge was genuinely surprised.
Her crimson lips parted slightly as she repeated the words calmly.
“Escaped?”
The eunuch swallowed nervously, wishing he could bury his head in the ground.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He quickly added:
“His Majesty was enraged and ordered the Imperial Guards to search the palace.
As long as that poison doctor is still within the palace grounds, he’ll eventually be captured and executed.
Please rest assured, Your Highness.”
“I understand.”
Shang Changge waved him off.
“Convey my thanks to Father Emperor.
You may leave.”
She wasn’t worried at all.
What surprised her was that her understanding of Jing Xiuming had risen to a whole new level.
To escape alive from the heavily guarded Imperial Palace—
That was no small feat.
The seemingly harmless black-bellied little brother was not to be underestimated.
Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Study.
Emperor Mingde sat behind the Dragon Desk, his face dark and sinister.
Partly because the Yun and Wen families were a pair of useless fools who accomplished nothing and ruined everything.
But even more because of the intelligence report brought back by his spies the previous night.
No matter how carefully he calculated, he had never expected that Changge—who had always kept her distance from Xiao Ji—would suddenly begin approaching him of her own accord.
And behind that change, the Empress’s influence was undoubtedly involved.
Bang!
The Emperor’s fist slammed heavily onto the desk.
All traces of the loving father from earlier had vanished.
Only disgust remained.
“What a wonderful Empress.
What a wonderful daughter.”
Silence filled the Imperial Study.
After a long pause, the Emperor barked an order.
“Li Fuhai.
Get in here.”
The eunuch waiting outside immediately responded.
Straightening the whisk tucked into his arm, Li Fuhai pushed open the doors and entered.
Seeing the Emperor’s foul mood, he lowered his head and quietly awaited instructions.
“Go to Xirou Palace and summon the Imperial Consort.”
Determination flashed through Emperor Mingde’s eyes.
He could no longer allow Rui’er to continue wandering the jianghu and playing at heroics.
Otherwise, one day Qingyan’s empire might no longer bear the surname Shang—
But Murong instead.
“This old servant will go at once.”
Li Fuhai bowed and backed out of the room.
After leaving, he motioned for a nearby young eunuch to take over guard duty.
Then he headed toward the Consort’s palace beneath the morning sun.
Only after walking a considerable distance did he sigh quietly.
“The court is about to become turbulent.”
Having served the Emperor for decades, Li Fuhai understood far more than most.
But serving a ruler was like living beside a tiger.
Some truths had to remain unspoken.
Even when everyone involved already knew them.
Time passed quickly.
Three days flew by.
The Princess’s Residence was enormous.
So enormous that the death warriors, shadow guards, guards, and soldiers all had their own dedicated training grounds.
It was dusk.
The weather remained somewhat warm, though no longer unbearably hot.
The training grounds were packed with people.
Clang! Clang! Bang!
Hah! Hya! Ho!
The sounds of colliding weapons mixed with the shouts of warriors training.
The noise never ceased.
Dressed in a fitted martial outfit, Shang Changge strolled through the training grounds with her hands clasped behind her back.
She looked remarkably like an inspecting leader touring a military camp.
From time to time she nodded approvingly.
Occasionally she pointed out flaws and offered instruction.
Don’t ask what she was doing.
The answer was simple:
Three days ago, immediately after returning from the palace, she had officially implemented a military training program for the Princess Residence’s private forces.
And that wasn’t all.
During those three days, she had also thoroughly reorganized the residence’s personnel, treasury, and business holdings.
Since she’d already transmigrated into the novel—
And since returning home was probably impossible—
Then naturally she needed to understand every resource available to her.
A person couldn’t survive long while remaining ignorant and powerless.
Granted, she had a beautiful younger brother who genuinely cared about the original owner.
But as the saying went:
A person ultimately had to rely on themselves.
Depending on others for everything was unacceptable.
And certainly not Shang Changge’s style.
By sunset, training ended.
When night fell, Shang Changge had already finished bathing, eating dinner, and preparing for bed.
Unfortunately, it was still too early to sleep.
So she remained in the study.
One moment she practiced calligraphy.
The next she flipped through books.
Beside her, Qingyao ground ink while reporting the latest rumors and gossip circulating outside over the past three days.
The quiet study was illuminated by warm lamplight.
Outside, night gradually settled over the Princess’s Residence.
And within that growing darkness, the currents beneath the capital’s surface were beginning to stir.