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Earlier, the young emperor had declared that he wanted to stargaze with Noble Consort Zhao without any interruptions, so all the servants had been standing at a distance.
Now, upon hearing his summons, Xiao Shunzi quickly scurried over with a flattering smile.
“Your Majesty, please wait a moment. This servant will send someone to find out whose residence that is.”
This imperial palace was still some distance from the capital, so they could only see the raging flames in the distance, but not the exact location.
After sending a man to investigate, Xiao Shunzi returned to the emperor’s side.
“Oh dear! Your Majesty! It’s the middle of winter, and you and Noble Consort Zhao have been standing out in the cold wind for so long—you might catch a chill! This servant will have someone bring you a cloak immediately!”
“Hmph! I am the Son of Heaven, protected by divine will! Why would I need a cloak?!”
Drunk and emboldened, the young emperor shoved Xiao Shunzi aside and bellowed,
“Bring me more wine! Tonight, I shall drink to my heart’s content with my beloved consort!”
“Hahaha! By now, everyone in the Qin Prince’s manor should already be on their way! Tonight is truly a double celebration—getting rid of a thorn in my side while enjoying the grand sight of fireworks lighting up half the city!”
“Hehehe~” Noble Consort Zhao chuckled softly.
“Your Majesty and my royal uncle have been planning this for a month. Everything is proceeding as expected!”
“As the ruler of the Southern Qi, Your Majesty holds the power of life and death over millions of subjects. The Qin Prince’s manor is nothing but a minor nuisance.”
Her voice was honeyed and seductive, making the young emperor laugh with delight.
“Hahaha! Only my beloved consort truly understands me!”
For Prime Minister He, getting rid of the Qin Prince’s lineage was about seizing the military power of Sheng Jinghai.
But for the young emperor, it was a simple matter—he found Sheng Jinghai insufferable. The old general constantly nagged him to focus on governance instead of indulging in pleasure, buzzing around him like a pesky fly.
With the Qin Prince’s manor gone, he would no longer have to deal with Sheng Jinghai’s meddling. The very thought filled the young emperor with joy, making him eager for another drink.
“Ah~ Your Majesty, let your concubine feed you~”
Just as the young emperor reached for his wine cup, Noble Consort Zhao beat him to it.
With a graceful flick of her wrist, she poured the wine into her own mouth, then leaned in with her soft, pink lips near his face.
“Haha! What a little enchantress!”
The young emperor’s face, slick with wine and grease, crinkled into a pleased grin. He lifted her chin and captured her lips—
But just then, urgent hoofbeats shattered the palace’s stillness.
“Report! Urgent report!”
“Pu—!”
The young emperor was so startled that he spat his wine straight onto Noble Consort Zhao’s face.
“Cough cough!“
“Who dares disturb me and my beloved consort while we admire the fireworks?! If it’s urgent, why not report to Prime Minister He?!”
At that moment, Xiao Shunzi’s panicked voice rang out.
“Your Majesty… bad news! News from the capital—the imperial palace is on fire!“
“T-The imperial palace is… on fire?”
Drunk and slow to react, the young emperor finally sensed that something was amiss.
He rubbed his bleary eyes and looked again at the inferno in the distance.
“You… You mean to say—that fire… is in my palace?!”
“Yes…”
Xiao Shunzi fell to his knees with a thud, trembling.
“A fire suddenly broke out in Qiulu Palace late tonight. Somehow, all the wells nearby were found dry, forcing the palace staff to fetch water from elsewhere, delaying the firefighting efforts… The flames… they may have already spread to the Cining Palace where the Empress Dowager resides…”
“A bunch of useless fools!”
Enraged, the young emperor kicked over the table, sending wine and delicacies crashing to the floor.
“From Qiulu Palace to Cining Palace?! Do you have any idea how many rare trees and plants will be destroyed along the way?! Even the rock gardens I just had built for my dear Zhao’er are in that area! They’ll all be ruined!”
Completely ignoring the Empress Dowager’s safety, the emperor only thought about his precious collections.
But then Xiao Shunzi’s voice grew even more frantic.
“Y-Your Majesty… it’s not just a fire… The palace was robbed tonight!”
“Not only were Your Majesty’s prized rock gardens stolen…”
“But all the cats, dogs, birds, and fish kept by the concubines, the rice, oil, and salt in the storage rooms, the medicines from the Imperial Pharmacy, the swords and weapons from the armory…”
“Even Your Majesty’s calligraphy, paintings, jewels, and decorations… they’re all gone!”
“Not just the palace! Over a hundred residences in the capital were looted! The whole city is under lockdown! The Empress Dowager… she summons Your Majesty to return to court immediately!”
“W-What?! What did you just say?! Over a hundred homes?! All looted in one night?!”
The young emperor’s face turned pale with terror, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Xiao Shunzi dared not say another word, his forehead pressed against the ground.
The concubines and servants around them all knelt, trembling.
One hour later.
Rushing back to the capital with thousands of guards, the young emperor finally returned to his palace—only to find it reduced to ruins.
More than a dozen palaces in the imperial harem had been burned to the ground.
The Imperial Study was emptied.
Qian Kun Palace was emptied.
Even the secret chambers and escape tunnels built by the late emperor with the help of hidden aristocrats—
All. Completely. Emptied!
Listening to the eunuch’s report, the young emperor paced in circles through the barely standing remnants of the Imperial Study.
As he looked up, his eyes landed on the ceiling beam—where someone had carved an exceedingly ugly turtle with a dagger!
Furious to the point of vomiting blood, the young emperor yanked the jade pendant from his waist and hurled it at the carving!
“Crash—!”
The jade shattered—triggering some unknown mechanism.
With a metallic zing, dozens of thin, hair-like silver needles shot out—
Straight toward the young emperor’s face!