Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 524: Entering the Palace

But, in truth, he had never changed—he had always been that unruly rebel, that mountain bandit. He naturally fit with the Four Idols Cult, but it was best if he had no leader above him; otherwise, that leader was bound to be toppled sooner or later.

“Alright, let’s go,” Huangfu Qing said, clearly satisfied, standing up and no longer caring that Zhao Changhe had gone to see Tang Wanzhuang first. “I’ll take you both into the palace. One of you will pretend to be a palace maid, and the other...”

Zhao Changhe glared at her.

Huangfu Qing’s eyes twinkled mischievously, her voice dripping with suggestion. “If you care about appearances, you could dress as an imperial guard, but you won’t be able to spend the night in the imperial noble consort’s quarters. If you prefer substance over appearances, you could dress as a eunuch—then you could go in and out freely.”

Zhao Changhe’s expression remained impassive. “Do I look like a tall, imposing eunuch to you?”

Huangfu Qing smiled, her eyes narrowing, “There have been some.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “I’m going in there to argue with someone, not to be laughed at before I even start. I’ll be a guard.”

Huangfu Qing pouted, throwing a set of guard’s clothes at him in frustration. “Stubborn pig!”

Hmm... Did she prepare this in advance?

Zhao Changhe took the clothes and calmly began changing right in front of both women. “Even as a guard, I can still enter the imperial noble consort’s chambers... Whether I get to stay or not depends on how I handle it.”

Huangfu Qing clicked her tongue, wanting to say something, but one glance at Xia Chichi—who was standing there with a not-so-happy expression—made her hold back. She silently cursed herself for agreeing to bring her into the palace in the first place.

* * *

Their entry into the palace went very smoothly. Huangfu Qing had not left the palace alone. There was an entire entourage of carriages waiting for her in front of the Huangfu residence. On the way back, a large procession accompanied her, and no one noticed the addition of a palace maid and a guard.

As for the people in the carriages themselves, they were all trusted members of the Four Idols Cult—fanatically devoted believers.

The Four Idols Cult valued quality over quantity. Any core cult member had a very low likelihood of wavering in loyalty. In fact, asking Zhao Changhe to wear a eunuch’s outfit was just Huangfu Qing’s little game—it did not really matter what he wore. As long as he got past the palace guards, once inside her chambers, all the surrounding people were members of the Four Idols Cult, and no one would speak a word of whatever happened within.

Venerable Vermillion Bird had been in the palace for years, working hand-in-hand with the fake Xia Longyuan. Aside from planting countless Four Idols Cult members within the palace, she had long won over most of the palace staff. Everywhere she looked, she would see her people. Empress Wang was no match for her at all.

Especially after the Wang Clan showed signs of rebellion, although Empress Wang was not deposed, anyone in the palace with a functioning brain knew that her days were numbered, and they all began to switch allegiance to the imperial noble consort. Now that the Wang Clan had openly rebelled, the empress was even closer to being deposed, perhaps even executed, which would not be surprising. Once the empress was deposed, Huangfu Qing would effectively have full control of the inner palace.

One thing Zhao Changhe could not understand about the Wang Clan’s moves was that probing the loyalty of the empire essentially put their own empress, who was in the palace, in a highly precarious situation. However, upon reflection, it made sense: the crown prince was already dead, and with no heir to the throne, the empress’ value had significantly diminished. Given the Wang Clan’s ruthlessness, they likely no longer cared about her life or death, and perhaps aligning with the Sea Tribe was more important to them.

Speaking of which... Xia Longyuan propped up an imposter to sit on his throne, and the fake cooperated with Huangfu Qing, and I guess it makes sense for him not to dare touch her. But what about the empress? Is Xia Longyuan really letting the fake sleep alone with his empress? That’s honestly...

“What are you thinking about with those shifty eyes?” Huangfu Qing, now in her resplendent palace attire, lay comfortably on a soft chaise in the palace. She spoke casually, “Are you thinking about the empress?”

“Ahem.” Zhao Changhe coughed awkwardly. “You know the Xia Longyuan on the throne is a fake, right? You entered the palace as part of a collaboration with him.”

Huangfu Qing stated plainly, “Ah, you’re thinking about the fake sleeping with the empress.”

Zhao Changhe looked away.

Huangfu Qing continued, “The empress is Wang Daoning’s sister. She’s only a year younger than him, and her martial cultivation level isn’t high. Her anti-aging techniques are limited, and she’s long since lost her youth and beauty. Neither the real nor the fake Xia Longyuan would be interested in her. Do you know why past emperors often favored certain consorts and neglected the empress? It’s because the empress often grows old...” Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

“Uh... So, will she die?”

“Anytime now,” Huangfu Qing said. “The imposter definitely wouldn’t dare to dispose of her, but the real Xia Longyuan might. The empress no longer holds any value to him. In fact, even if the Wang Clan hadn’t rebelled, the empress would still die. Xia Longyuan would use her death as an excuse to suppress the Wang Clan’s rebellion.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “You figured that out?”

“Not just me. Wang Daoning figured it out too. Knowing that his sister was going to die either way, he decided it was better to rebel outright.” Huangfu Qing’s expression grew serious. “You once warned me to leave the palace, implying that Xia Longyuan wasn’t as weak as we thought. Now, it seems you were right.”

“Of course.”

“Yesterday, I sensed a surge of energy from the palace that shot toward Hebei. Xia Longyuan has finally got the Sea Tribe to reveal themselves... I feel like he’s also watching me, waiting to see if there are any gods or demons behind me.” Huangfu Qing smiled brilliantly. “Though I know he’s still very powerful, I actually felt more at ease these past two days. At least I finally understand Xia Longyuan’s purpose. It’s that feeling of not knowing his intentions that’s truly unnerving.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at the silent Xia Chichi, who had been standing by his side the whole time. Her expression had been somewhat dazed. He asked on her behalf, “So, do you have any clue on how to find the real Xia Longyuan?”

“I at least have a guess as to where he’s hiding.” Huangfu Qing hesitated. “Are you planning to confront him directly? Isn’t that a bit...”

“There’s no difference. He should already know that we’re here,” Zhao Changhe replied. “He could observe battles a thousand til away... Even though he probably did that through some trick left in the Qinghe Sword rather than truly being able to oversee his entire empire, the palace here is much more heavily fortified with his arrangements. There’s nothing to hide from him. We might as well get straight to the point.”

Suddenly, laughter came from above. “You’re quite clever. You even figured out how I watched Cui Wenjing’s battle.”

Huangfu Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhao Changhe responded, “Oh, you’re not hiding anymore?”

“When I threw that punch, it would have been impossible to hide from V... Huangfu Qing,” Xia Longyuan said, his voice carrying a curious tone. “The Four Idols Cult finally realized that I’m not actually injured. Congratulations.”

Huangfu Qing: “...”

She thought the joke was in the latter half of his statement, not realizing that Xia Longyuan was actually teasing her with the earlier pause.

Zhao Changhe did not catch on either. He asked, “So, can you see me now, or are you just able to hear everything going on in the palace?”

“I can only hear,” Xia Longyuan answered honestly. “Only one person can truly oversee the entire world... Though she’s weakened, her fundamental abilities remain. But even for her, there are many places she cannot see. She has to rely on the eyes she placed on you. Just like I needed an eye on the Qinghe Sword.”

The blind woman: “...”

Zhao Changhe was not surprised. He had long suspected this, which is why he had mostly stopped using the Back Eye. He barely used it now, although it passively evolved with him. It was now more of an overseeing eye, but its field of view was quite narrow, far from the level of overseeing the entire world.

He did not dwell on this, planning to discuss it with the blind woman later. For now, he did not want to get sidetracked.

“Did you place an eye on Dragon Bird?”

“Why would I bother watching you?” Xia Longyuan chuckled. “Did you really think back then that you were worth my time?”

“And now?”

“Now, you’re somewhat interesting... but only somewhat.” Xia Longyuan said. “If you’ve come to curse me, then come and do it. Bring Chichi along. You could’ve come openly. There was no need for all this sneaking around—it’s ridiculous.”

Xia Chichi: “...”

After a pause, Xia Longyuan sighed, “In this world, only Chichi truly has the right to scold me.”

Xia Chichi finally spoke for the first time since entering the palace, “But I have no desire to scold you, because you’re not worth it.”