Chapter 82 - 81: The Palace Collapsed
’I just wanted to cultivate in peace, raise my Spiritual Power to 150 points as soon as possible, and awaken a new Companion Talent.’
But some people just wouldn’t let him be. It had only been a few quiet days before another of his concubines started causing trouble.
That morning, while Xia Wuyang was enjoying a meal served by a Fox Girl, a eunuch rushed in to report, "Your Highness, Second Class Attendant Song is requesting an audience outside the hall. She says she has an urgent matter to discuss."
’Second Class Attendant Song? Song Ying?’
Xia Wuyang’s jade chopsticks paused slightly. His brow furrowed. ’There are only a few months left. Can these people really not wait even that long?’
Song Ying was a Second Class Attendant in his Eastern Palace, one of his concubines. She had a gentle and quiet temperament and had mostly kept to herself. Ever since he was "crippled," she had rarely seen him, avoiding him most of the time.
Xia Wuyang had treated her well back in the day. After he was crippled, he grew much colder, but he never went out of his way to make trouble for her, unlike how he had dealt with Yun Liyue and Yan Jiuge. The fallout with them had been so severe that even now, the memory filled Xia Wuyang with shame.
"Let her in," Xia Wuyang said without even putting down his jade chopsticks, opening his mouth to enjoy a delicacy fed to him by the Fox Girl.
Song Ying walked slowly into the hall. She had deliberately dressed in a simple and elegant moon-white dress, with a single, unadorned Jade Hairpin in her hair.
Seeing Xia Wuyang with a woman on each arm, an almost imperceptible flash of disgust crossed her face. She immediately prostrated herself, her voice catching with a sob. "Your Highness, my father is gravely ill. I beg you to grant me a divorce so that I may return home to care for him."
’So it really is about a divorce. But is that the real reason?’
Xia Wuyang’s eyes glinted. He silently extended his Soul Capturing Technique and read Song Ying’s surface thoughts. Combined with the information he had gathered from the birds, he already knew the real story.
Song Ying’s father was merely pretending to be ill. The motive was obvious: he wanted his daughter to leave White Jade City before the Crown Prince passed, sparing her from being trapped in widowhood.
As for whether this would cause him to lose face, that was of no concern to the Song Family.
The Song Family had received plenty of benefits from him in the past, yet now they were pulling a stunt like this, unwilling to even wait for his last few months to pass.
Song Ying basically had no feelings left for him. While she wasn’t actively looking for a new lover like Dong Yujie, she was unwilling to remain by his side, planning to find a better match after the divorce.
She had long forgotten how well Xia Wuyang had treated her and cared for the Song Family in the past.
The so-called "gravely ill father" was just an excuse.
"Lord Song is ill? Is it serious?" Xia Wuyang asked, not exposing her lie.
Song Ying lowered her head. "A letter from home says his condition is dire. I’m afraid... I’m afraid he doesn’t have much time left. I implore Your Highness to grant my request."
As she spoke, she let a few tears fall at just the right moment, appearing quite heartbroken.
Watching her pretentious act, Xia Wuyang sneered inwardly. ’Her acting is pretty good. If I didn’t know the truth, I might have actually been fooled.’
After a moment of silence, Xia Wuyang sighed. "My dear consort, it is only right that you wish to return home to fulfill your filial duties. However, you know the current situation in the Eastern Palace. If I were to agree, I fear the others would complain."
"I understand Your Highness’s meaning. Like Lady Xingyan, I am willing to offer over a thousand Middle-High Level Dragon and Tiger Elixirs to help you recuperate," Song Ying said eagerly, clearly worried he would refuse.
This was exactly what Xia Wuyang had been waiting for. He had someone bring a brush and paper and wrote down a list of rare Dragon and Tiger Elixirs. While they seemed intended for debauchery, some of them were actually the resources he needed for his Cultivation. "In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, my dear consort. I’ll take the Dragon and Tiger Elixirs on this list. In addition, I’ll need three Middle Level or higher Miracle Treasures. After all, when Lady Xingyan and Princess Xiang Yun left, they both gifted me Miracle Treasures."
"This... this..." Song Ying took the list. The items on it were still within her means, but the demand for three Middle Level or higher Miracle Treasures made her face turn pale. "Your Highness, you know my situation. Three Miracle Treasures is too much. How about I prepare some more Dragon and Tiger Elixirs for Your Highness instead?"
Xia Wuyang frowned. "If not three, then you must get me at least two. Otherwise, we can forget about this Divorce Certificate."
With that, he waved his hand dismissively, indicating that Song Ying could leave.
Seeing this, Song Ying didn’t dare hesitate and quickly said, "Please wait, Your Highness. I will think of something. I will do my best to acquire two Middle Level or higher Miracle Treasures."
"Good. You are not to tell anyone else about this. If others find out and take my things, don’t blame me for going back on my word," Xia Wuyang said, feigning concern.
Song Ying nodded and left Wenhua Hall.
Once she was a safe distance away and certain Xia Wuyang couldn’t see her, she frowned. ’What a greedy old bastard. Demanding three Middle Level or higher Miracle Treasures... I’m surprised he’s not afraid of choking on his own greed.’
’I only have one Middle Level Miracle Treasure right now. It seems I’ll have to find a way to buy a second one quickly. It doesn’t matter if it costs a bit more. I can’t resign myself to being a widow for life.’
Back in Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang glanced in the direction Song Ying had disappeared, gave it no more thought, and went back to enjoying the stunning beauties by his side.
’You can’t force a melon to be sweet. Since Song Ying wants to leave, then let her.’
’These Dragon and Tiger Elixirs and the two Miracle Treasures can be considered the final severance of our ties. I hope she doesn’t regret this one day.’
News that Second Class Attendant Song had requested a divorce spread quickly, once again drawing a wave of ridicule. But for Xia Wuyang, whose reputation was already in tatters, it was nothing.
Previous rumors were still circulating—that the elder Crown Prince was impotent, that he was hiding an "embroidery needle," that he’d been made a cuckold... Even though they had been debunked, many people still delighted in repeating them.
But this news hadn’t been circulating for long before it was completely overshadowed by another event.
RUMBLE...
Xia Wuyang had just "put to bed" a few Qiuci Dancers and was preparing to go to the Practice Room to "rest" for a bit—meaning, to cultivate properly—when he heard an earth-shattering roar in the distance.
The entire Wenhua Hall trembled. A teacup on the table fell to the floor with a CRASH and shattered to pieces, as if an earthquake had struck.
"What’s happening?" Xia Wuyang feigned fear and scrambled into the arms of a Qiuci Dancer.
Soon, a Palace Attendant came to report that a fight had broken out at Wude Palace, and it was so intense that the palace itself had collapsed.
Wude Palace was the residence of the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, and one of the finest palaces in the Imperial City. To think it had actually been demolished.
’Could it have been the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang? Among the Princes and Princesses currently in the Imperial Palace, there shouldn’t be anyone else who would dare to do such a thing.’
He sent people to inquire further, and more concrete news soon arrived. It was indeed the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, who had led people to demolish the Third Prince Xia Wuchen’s Wude Palace.
Right at that moment, the two Princes were still fighting fiercely at Wude Palace, and no one could stop them.
And the cause of the incident? A Purple Perilla Wood incense had been left in the Fifth Prince Xia Wushang’s Practice Room—an incense that was used exclusively in the Third Prince Xia Wuchen’s palace.