Chapter 90 - 89: Consort De Craves the Crown Prince
News of Consort De’s humiliation at Wenhua Hall quickly spread throughout the palaces.
Most people felt Xia Wuyang was utterly shameless for doing such a thing to one of his father’s consorts. Only a few believed Consort De got what she deserved.
"He’s the Crown Prince of our Great Xia Dynasty, for crying out loud! To harass one of his father’s own consorts... he truly has no shame."
"I heard that when Consort De burst in, the elder Crown Prince was still in the middle of... *that*. She walked right in on him. How outrageous."
"This should be Consort De’s fault, right? The elder Crown Prince was carousing in his own Sleeping Palace, not in her hall. If she barged in herself, then it’s her own fault for seeing something she shouldn’t have."
"Consort De went too far, picking a fight with a dying man. Wasn’t she just asking for humiliation?"
...
What embarrassed Consort De the most was that the incident had been turned into a little rhyme that was now spreading through the palace: "Consort De craves the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince sheds his clothes."
Although the elder Crown Prince’s reputation was worse, he had already been involved in so many scandals recently that his name was thoroughly disgraced. One more incident hardly mattered. As a result, the impact on Consort De was actually far greater.
In Evergreen Hall, upon hearing the ditty, Xia Wulei was so furious he couldn’t help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
He hadn’t even had a chance to deal with Pan Mo, yet that bastard Xia Wuyang had done something like that to his own mother! This was pushing things too far, and his rage caused his injuries to worsen.
After Consort De left and the Qiuci Dancers were put to bed, Xia Wuyang immediately "hid" in the Practice Room under the pretext of "preserving his life," continuing to train diligently.
Though the farce was hardly honorable, its effects were surprisingly good. It even bought him more time to cultivate in solitude.
Consort De’s actions hadn’t harmed Xia Wuyang in the slightest; in fact, they had benefited him. ’Still,’ he thought, ’if I get the chance later, I definitely won’t let her off the hook.’
After this, Consort De likely wouldn’t dare cause trouble again anytime soon. As for anyone else hoping to stir the pot, they would have to consider whether they were shameless enough to outdo Xia Wuyang. If not, they’d best not cause him any trouble.
Xia Wuyang had successfully maintained his image of debauchery. In everyone’s eyes, he remained the same elder Crown Prince, a man at death’s door who knew only how to indulge in pleasure.
Besides, a dying man has no shame to lose.
Xia Wuyang could afford to be shameless, but they—especially the concubines of the Harem—could not.
Just as Xia Wuyang was preparing to cultivate in peace, an imperial edict from Yangxin Hall once again broke the tranquility of Wenhua Hall.
The old eunuch delivering the edict was grim-faced, and his attitude was cold and dismissive—hardly the way one should treat the Crown Prince.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: The Crown Prince, Xia Wuyang, is deficient in virtue and shows no restraint, repeatedly causing disturbances. Effective immediately, he is to remain behind closed doors and reflect upon his errors, to quietly await the will of Heaven. If he stirs up more trouble, he will not be treated with leniency. By Imperial Command!"
Xia Wuyang meekly accepted the imperial edict, his face a mask of fear, but inwardly he was perfectly calm, his mind churning with even more questions.
’Just for such a small matter, he sends an imperial edict to reprimand me. What a "good" father he is.’
It was clearly the fault of Xia Wulei and his mother, Consort De, yet this edict pinned all the blame on him. Such blatant bias was chilling to the bone.
On the surface, it was a reprimand, but in truth, every word was a dagger. The phrase "quietly await the will of Heaven" was especially pointed, implying that he should just wait peacefully for death and stop making trouble.
’But this whole time, it’s been others causing trouble for me. On the surface, I’ve only been "helplessly" enduring it. How did that turn into me "repeatedly causing disturbances"?’
What chilled him even more was that as the old eunuch left, he deliberately added, "His Majesty instructed this old servant to inform Your Highness: behave yourself, and you might receive a peaceful death!"
Once the old eunuch was gone, Xia Wuyang returned to the Practice Room alone, looking quite "terrified."
But his mind was racing. ’Why was Emperor Xia so blatantly biased in this matter? It was almost completely unconcealed. Many things in the past had been the same.’
He recalled how, many years ago, he was ambushed and his cultivation destroyed. Emperor Xia’s investigation had been perfunctory, concluding only that an enemy nation was responsible, and not any of the other Princes or Princesses.
Even more suspicious was the death of his mother, the Empress. That gentle, kind, and virtuous woman had died from "Qigong Deviation" shortly after his own downfall. The Imperial Physicians claimed nothing was amiss, but the timing was far too coincidental. And just like with his own case, Emperor Xia’s investigation into the matter was cursory at best.
Considering Emperor Xia’s harsh treatment of him over the years as well, Xia Wuyang couldn’t stop himself from glancing toward Yangxin Hall, a cold glint in his eyes.
’Thinking back on it now, everything about that year still felt suspicious. Could Emperor Xia be connected to all of this?’
A dreadful thought took root in his mind, but he quickly shook his head to dismiss it.
’If Emperor Xia truly was the one pulling all the strings, what could his motive be? Back then, my own influence was considerable, and after my fall, it was said that "when the Crown Prince falls, everyone eats their fill," as numerous Princes and Princesses benefited greatly. But my power was still a far cry from Emperor Xia’s; I was no threat to his throne.’
’Was it because of my mother, the Empress, and her family? But they hadn’t done anything to threaten Emperor Xia’s position, either.’
’And yet, after my downfall and my mother’s death, it was true that relatives on my mother’s side had died one after another from various causes. While the stated reasons all seemed "plausible," the pattern felt... intentional.’
A chill ran down Xia Wuyang’s spine at the thought. ’Besides, hadn’t I always been vaguely wary of an existence beyond the Super Grade?’
’In this vast Dynasty, who else could possess power and influence surpassing the Super Grade? The most likely candidate was none other than that supreme sovereign.’
The seeds of doubt had been planted long ago. He simply lacked the power to let them grow, so he never dared to dwell on it.
Besides, Emperor Xia had maintained a veneer of benevolence, allowing him to keep his title as Crown Prince, which had kept his deepest suspicions at bay.
It wasn’t until his Golden Finger awakened and his power began to grow that he started to truly consider the matter, digging deep into the heart of the mystery. The implications, however, were chilling.
Xia Wuyang forced himself to calm down. Now was not the time for an open confrontation. He was no match for even some of the other Princes and Princesses, let alone the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.
He needed more evidence to confirm his suspicions before he could decide how to handle Emperor Xia.
If Emperor Xia truly was the mastermind, then the dangers lurking within this Deep Palace were far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
Power. He needed more power. A Second Grade Grandmaster wasn’t enough. A First Grade Grandmaster wasn’t enough. A Super Grade Celestial Human probably wouldn’t be enough either. In that case, he would just have to keep getting stronger.
Only when his power reached a sufficient level could he uncover the truth of what happened back then. He would get to the bottom of it all—both his own downfall and the death of his mother, the Empress.
Now was not the time.