Chaotic World Book-Chapter 540 - 524: Entering the Palace

Huangfu Qing had now only put on a simple costume, and he didn’t know which foolish bird had wanted to kill Zhao Changhe back in the day—the Room Fire Pig identity was still one granted by San Niang, and the purpose was just to watch the fun.

Yet, Xia Chichi heartily agreed with this. When Zhao Changhe was first starting out, he was often spoken of as a rebel... However, as he later became known for his acts of chivalry, this matter was forgotten.

In reality, he had never changed, always the same unruly and insubordinate bandit and mountain overlord he was. He originally matched the attributes of the Four Symbols Sect quite well, only that it would be best if there were no leaders above him, otherwise a leader would either get toppled or toppled.

"Alright then," Huangfu Qing stood up, very satisfied, no longer minding that he went to look for Tang Wanju first, "I’ll take you two into the palace. One will dress as a palace maid, the other as..."

Zhao Changhe’s eyes widened.

Huangfu Qing’s eyes spun enchantingly, "If you want face, dress as an Inner Guard, but you won’t be able to stay overnight in the Imperial Concubine’s chamber overtly; if you want the advantages, pretend to be a eunuch—it’s all good however you enter..." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Zhao Changhe’s face was expressionless, "Is there such a towering and formidable eunuch?"

Huangfu Qing smiled, eyes curving, "There is."

Zhao Changhe sighed, "I’m going in to argue with someone. If I dress up as a eunuch and get laughed at before the quarrel even starts, I’ll lose all my momentum. Let’s go with Inner Guard."

Huangfu Qing’s face fell, and she threw a set of guard’s clothing at him indignantly, "Stubborn pig who insists on face!"

Eh...So she was already prepared for this?

Zhao Changhe took the clothes, and casually changed into them in front of the two women, "Even as an Inner Guard, it’s not impossible to enter the Imperial Concubine’s chamber...it’s all about how you handle it, isn’t it?"

Huangfu Qing gave a "tsk," about to say something when she caught sight of Xia Chichi standing to the side with an unfriendly expression. She felt she couldn’t discuss such matters in front of this wretched girl and had to hold back her words. She mentally cursed herself for having a lapse in judgment by agreeing to take this brat into the palace!

...

The process of entering the palace was incredibly smooth. Clearly, Huangfu Qing hadn’t come out of the palace alone, she had brought a convoy waiting in the Huangfu family’s front courtyard. As they returned, a grand procession went by, and among them, unnoticed, were added a palace maid and a guard.

As for the people with the convoy itself, they were all faithful adherents of the Four Symbols Sect.

The Four Symbols Sect valued quality of its followers over quantity, and the likelihood of core followers having loyalty issues was very low.

This also proved that wanting Zhao Changhe to change into a eunuch’s garb was just a whim of Huangfu Qing’s...in fact, any outfit would have done, as long as he could get past the gate guards and be brought into her Imperial Concubine’s chambers successfully. After that, the entire surroundings would be filled with Four Symbols Sect followers; whatever you wanted to do inside, nobody would speak of it outside.

The venerable Vermilion Bird Venerable, having managed her influence within the palace for several years and being a collaborator with the fake Xia Longyuan, had not only planted countless Four Symbols Sect followers, but had also bought off most of the other staff within the palace early on. Her people were everywhere, the Empress stood no chance against her.

Especially after the Wang Family showed their rebellious intent, although the Empress wasn’t deposed, anyone with a clear mind knew that her days were numbered, and they gradually shifted allegiance to the Imperial Concubine. Now that the Wang Family had openly rebelled, the Empress was even more on the verge of being deposed. It wouldn’t be surprising for her to be put to death at any moment. Just awaiting the Empress’s deposition, Huangfu Qing would be the one to cover the sky with one hand in the inner palace.

The point Zhao Changhe least understood about the Wang Family’s actions back then was, wasn’t such a probing of the realm akin to roasting their own Empress on the fire? But thinking about it later, it didn’t seem so surprising. After all, the Crown Prince was dead, the realm lacked an heir, and the value of the Empress suddenly became very low. The Wang Family might no longer care about her life or death, and it might be more important to turn to the support of the Sea Race lurking in the background.

Speaking of which... with Xia Longyuan supporting a fake frontman, who was a collaborator with Huangfu Qing, obviously, he wouldn’t touch Huangfu Qing, nor would he dare. But what about the Empress? Xia Longyuan watched the fake freely plant Four Symbols Sect Imperial Concubines, which was one thing, but would he also watch as the fake slept with his Empress? That was just too...

"What are those eyes of yours spinning about?" In the palace, Huangfu Qing, gracefully dressed in royal robes, leaned comfortably on a soft couch, leisurely speaking, "Could it be thinking about the Empress?"

"Ahem," Zhao Changhe coughed dryly, "You know that the Xia Longyuan on stage is a counterfeit, right? Your entering the palace was part of a collaboration with him."

"You’re thinking about the counterfeit sleeping with the Empress," Huangfu Qing spoke bluntly.

Zhao Changhe turned his head.

Huangfu Qing said, "The Empress is Wang Daoning’s younger sister, only a year younger than Wang Daoning. She doesn’t have high Martial Arts Cultivation and possesses limited Anti-aging Technique. She’s already faded. Whether it’s the real deal or a fake, neither would be very interested in such an older woman. Do you think why through the generations emperors favored some concubines over the Empress? Because the Empress is often old..."

"Uh... could she die now?"

"Any moment," Huangfu Qing said, "A fake certainly wouldn’t dare to make such a move, but since the Empress probably sees no more use for the real one, he can be killed. Actually, if the Wang Family doesn’t rebel, the Empress is to die anyway. Xia Longyuan will use her death as a pretext to accuse the Wang Family of treason."

Zhao Changhe said, "You figured that out?"

"Not only did I figure it out, Wang Daoning also did, knowing that no matter what, his sister is doomed. So, he might as well rebel outright." The expression on Huangfu Qing’s face grew serious. "You once warned me to leave the Imperial Palace, suggesting that Xia Longyuan isn’t as weak as we had imagined. It seems you were right."

"Of course."

"Yesterday, I sensed a surge of energy in the Imperial Palace that targeted Hebei. Xia Longyuan finally saw an opportunity with the Sea Race revealing themselves... I think he’s also waiting for me, to see if any God Demon would appear behind me." Huangfu Qing smiled brightly, "Even though I know he’s still powerful, these past two days I’ve actually felt quite relaxed, now that I finally understand Xia Longyuan’s motives. It is that maddening confusion that was truly uncomfortable..."

Zhao Changhe glanced at the small maidservant, Chichi, who had been standing by silently the whole time; her expression seemed a bit dazed. Speaking on behalf of Chichi, he asked, "So how do we find the real Xia Longyuan, do you have any idea?"

"At least I’ve guessed where his secret retreat for secluded cultivation might be." Huangfu Qing hesitated, "Are you planning to go there directly? Isn’t that a bit..."

"It makes no difference, I think he already knows we’re here," Zhao Changhe said, "He watches the wars thousands of miles away... Although it’s probably through some trickery left on the Qinghe Sword rather than truly overseeing the entire world... But this is the Imperial Palace, and his arrangements here are far more numerous than yours. There’s no point in hiding anything from him, it’s best to get straight to the point."

Suddenly, laughter came from the air, "How clever, even guessing what I used to observe the battle of Cui and Wang."

Huangfu Qing slightly narrowed her eyes.

Zhao Changhe responded, "No longer hiding?"

"When I throw a punch, there’s no way to hide it from Z... from Huangfu, so there’s no point in pretending before clear-sighted people," Xia Longyuan’s voice carried a peculiar amusement, "The Four Symbols Sect has hidden for many years and has finally confirmed that Xia Longyuan is unharmed, congratulations."

Huangfu Qing: "..."

She thought the jest was about the second half of his statement, unaware that Xia Longyuan’s real joke was the pause in the first half.

Zhao Changhe didn’t catch on either and asked, "So, can you see me now, or can you just hear everything inside the palace?"

"I can hear," Xia Longyuan replied quite honestly, "Only one person can overlook the entire world... Though she is weak, her basic attributes remain. But even she can’t see many places without aid, just as I rely on the eyes left on the Qinghe Sword."

The blind eunuch: "..."

Zhao Changhe seemed unsurprised, having long determined the nature of the Eyes behind his back. He had been using them less and less. These Eyes had passively been upgrading along with his own level, and had become Oversight Eyes, although this "oversight position" was rather narrow and far from "overseeing the entire world."

He didn’t dwell on this and would take his time debating with the blind eunuch later. The current topic should not be sidetracked.

"Do you have eyes on the Dragon Sparrow?"

"What do I need to watch you for?" Xia Longyuan laughed, "Did you think you, at that time, were worth my effort?"

"What about now?"

"Now... it’s a bit more interesting, but only a bit," Xia Longyuan said, "If you want to curse me, come ahead, and bring Chichi along. It would have been easy for you to come to call, no need for all this sneaking around that is laughable to watch."

Xia Chichi: "..."

Xia Longyuan paused, then did something rare—he sighed, "In this world, the only person who truly has the right to scold me is Chichi."

Finally, Xia Chichi uttered her first words since entering the palace, "I don’t want to scold you because you’re not worth it."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel