Chapter 89 - 88: Scaring Away Consort De
After returning from the Eastern Palace, Xia Wulei tortured and killed several more Palace Maids. Believing the opportune moment to advance had come, he tried to channel his pent-up anger to break through to the Upper Three Grades. However, at the critical moment, his rage consumed him, causing him to suffer a Qigong Deviation and fail.
Liu Yiqing made a point of inspecting the bodies of the slaughtered Palace Maids, as well as the few who had narrowly escaped with their lives. Her expression was grim.
This incident was indeed related to the elder Crown Prince. After all, if he hadn’t refused to give the Second Class Attendant to Xia Wulei, none of this would have happened.
But given Xia Wulei’s behavior, how could even the elder Crown Prince, with what little time he had left, be expected to tolerate it?
Moreover, the Second Class Attendant in question was deeply in love with the elder Crown Prince, preferring to die rather than go with Xia Wulei.
And considering Xia Wulei’s heartless treatment of the women in his life, very few would ever be willing to be with him.
While one could blame the elder Crown Prince, it was ultimately Xia Wulei who brought this calamity upon himself.
Naturally, Liu Yiqing had no suspicion of Xia Wuyang, nor did she suspect any foul play. She believed it was all entirely Xia Wulei’s own fault.
No one else suspected anything either. After all, the explanation "made perfect sense." While the elder Crown Prince was a factor, everyone agreed the primary fault lay with Xia Wulei.
The news spread quickly through the palaces, and many took Xia Wuyang’s side.
"Xia Wulei brought this on himself. The elder Crown Prince is on death’s door, yet he still tried to humiliate him like that. To get so angry over a Second Class Attendant that he caused his own Qigong Deviation... it serves him right."
"The elder Crown Prince is a lucky man. After all his years of debauchery, he still has a woman willing to die for him. I guess he hasn’t lived his life in vain."
"It’s true that other Princes and Princesses have successfully channeled their anger to achieve a breakthrough, but they always had justice on their side. The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, was completely in the wrong."
"I heard the elder Crown Prince sent Second Class Attendant Pan to the Crown Prince Consort for protection that very day. He was supposedly so scared that he hid in his Practice Room and refused to come out, terrified that Xia Wulei would come after him. Who would have guessed that Xia Wulei would suffer a Qigong Deviation over it that very night?"
...
After extensive investigations, the Hanhai Gang also dispatched its own experts in such matters, who confirmed there had been no foul play.
Furthermore, no Treasures were stolen from Evergreen Hall, and none of the Guards were harmed. All the evidence pointed to Xia Wulei himself. This was unlike previous incidents involving other Princes and Princesses, which had been the result of assassination plots.
Xia Wuyang was also investigated during this period, but he was cleared after nothing unusual was found.
Pan Mo had also received the news by now. She was shocked at first, but then felt a wave of relief. She knew she wouldn’t have to worry about Xia Wulei bothering her for a while. ’My luck is really holding up.’
Although Xia Wuyang had been cleared of suspicion, he was in his Sleeping Palace the very next morning, laughing and flirting with several Qiuci Dancers.
The Qiuci Dancers were clad in sheer gauze, with Golden Bells on their ankles. They danced gracefully upon the large bed, ready to throw themselves into his arms at a moment’s notice. It was a scene of pure decadence.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside. Before Xia Wuyang could react, a beautiful woman in a royal purple court dress stormed into the hall, completely ignoring the fact that he was half-dressed.
This was Consort De, Xia Wulei’s mother. She was well-preserved, her mature charm still intact, and she was a Third Grade Martial General. Her captivating face was twisted in fury. "Xia Wuyang, you useless trash! After what you did to my son, you still have the nerve to be in here, fooling around?"
"Auntie De, this matter has nothing to do with me," Xia Wuyang said quickly, clutching a nearby Qiuci Dancer as if terrified. "Fourth Brother tried to channel his anger to break through on his own, and that’s what caused his Qigong Deviation. I certainly didn’t plot against him."
"You still dare make excuses!" Consort De trembled with rage, raising a hand as if to strike him. "If you and that Pan Mo hadn’t provoked him, how could he have suffered a Qigong Deviation? She’s just one woman! You’re a dying man, couldn’t you have just given her to my son?"
Xia Wuyang "shivered in fear," scrambling to hide in the arms of a Qiuci Dancer. "Someone! Help me! Auntie De is trying to commit murder!"
"I will have justice for my son today!" Seeing his antics, Consort De only grew angrier and advanced on Xia Wuyang.
At this, Xia Wuyang seemed to become witless with fright. He hastily threw off the covers, looking as if he were about to make a run for it.
But his emaciated body under the covers was almost completely bare. The sight of all that naked skin made Consort De freeze. She immediately whipped her head around. "What do you think you’re doing, you trash? Put on your clothes, now!"
Seeing her reaction, Xia Wuyang seemed to have found his salvation. Instead of getting dressed, he tugged his pants down even further. "Auntie De, if you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll take these off completely. If you happen to see something you shouldn’t, don’t blame me for being rude. I’m only doing this to protect myself."
Hearing this, Consort De froze in place. She never imagined Xia Wuyang could be so shameless. If this old lecher actually stood stark naked before her, she would lose all face as a Consort.
Still, judging from his actions and the faint aura she could sense from him, he truly didn’t seem to possess such power.
"You... You..." Consort De was so enraged she was speechless, turning her head away, not daring to glance at him.
Xia Wuyang tugged his pants again. "Auntie De, Fourth Brother’s situation really has nothing to do with me. Besides, I don’t have long to live. Couldn’t he just be a little more patient? Why does he have to be so pushy?"
"If you still refuse to let me be, Auntie De, then I suppose I’ll have no choice but to attend to my duties in Wenhua Hall without any clothes on."
Seeing this, the Qiuci Dancers in the room couldn’t help but cover their mouths to stifle their giggles. These women from the Exotic Realm were bolder by nature and found it amusing to watch Xia Wuyang make a fool of Consort De.
"Shameless... Degenerate..."
Consort De’s face was beet red. She retreated in alarm, not daring to let her eyes wander for even a second.
To avoid seeing anything indecent, she even shut her eyes completely. After all, she was technically one of Xia Wuyang’s elders, his Auntie De.
Seeing his plan had worked, Xia Wuyang decided to press his advantage, his behavior growing even more outrageous.
He pulled one of the Qiuci Dancers into his arms, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "I must continue discussing poetry with my beloveds. If Auntie De would like to watch, perhaps we can put on a proper demonstration for you."
"Mmm, Your Highness is so heroic. I would be honored," the Dancer, a quick-witted girl, cooed, immediately pulling off her sheer gauze wrap.
Consort De could not bear it any longer. "Stop!" she shrieked. "Have you no sense of decency?!"
With that, she scrambled to run outside. "Xia Wuyang, you just wait! I will not let you get away with this!"
Leaving this final threat hanging in the air, Consort De and her Palace Maids beat a hasty and undignified retreat, followed by the sound of the Qiuci Dancers’ unrestrained laughter.