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“Boom—Boom—Boom—”
“Crackle—Crackle—Biu—Biu—Biu—”
Flames shot skyward, as if they intended to consume the entire heavens. Apart from the sound of collapsing buildings, sporadic bursts of firecrackers echoed through the air.
In the next instant, golden arcs streaked across the night sky, exploding into dazzling bursts of fireworks.
A cascade of firework blossoms lit up half the city, turning the gray, pre-dawn sky as bright as midday.
Then, golden sparks rained down, shimmering as they descended, only to be replaced by yet another wave of soaring fireworks…
Sheng Yichen’s pupils contracted violently at the surreal sight, and he nearly dropped Sheng Nanxi on the spot.
Li Zhenyi was equally dumbfounded but still reached out to steady the startled old Princess Consort, Bai Xiuyu.
Sheng Yuhan and Yun Jin were also struck speechless, their shocked gazes locked onto the smoking, firework-filled section of the city.
Sheng Yichen glanced between the fiery explosions and Sheng Nanxi, his voice stammering in disbelief. He lowered his voice, checking to see if anyone was paying attention to them before whispering:
“X-x-xiao Mei… d-d-did you do this?”
“Yes, duh! It’s a surprise from Xi’er for you guys!”
Sheng Nanxi waved her chubby little hand grandly, exuding an air of dominance that resembled a CEO making a power move.
Seeing Sheng Yichen’s utterly shocked expression, she suddenly felt a little guilty.
She was a disciple of the immortals—blowing up the imperial palace shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
Surely… her brother wouldn’t be this scared, right?
But the next moment, to her surprise, her dear, long-suffering brother simply reclined and began admiring the fireworks in the sky with a rather satisfied look. He even smacked his lips, as if savoring the sight.
“Hmm… gotta admit, it’s quite the spectacle.”
“As expected of my little sister! But… you set fire to Qiulu Palace, didn’t you? Burning Qiulu Palace might only affect a few remote halls nearby, not much of an impact.”
“If you ask me, you should’ve burned the Hall of Affairs! Let those useless, parasitic officials hold court in the snow! Heh heh~”
Sheng Nanxi: !!!
The little milk dumpling was furious. She raised her pudgy fist and smacked her third brother right on his ridiculously handsome face—the same face that had charmed countless young ladies.
Easy for him to say!
Did he think setting fire to the Hall of Affairs was that simple?!
That place was heavily guarded, with people coming and going constantly. If she even tried to set up her tools, she’d be discovered in an instant!
Let alone light the fire!
“Oww! Ow! Xiao Mei, be gentle! Your brother depends on this face for a living!”
After complaining, Sheng Yichen smugly lifted the massive bundle on his back and declared with immense pride:
“Look at this! If it weren’t for my outstanding looks and talent, our exile journey would be way more miserable!”
Sheng Nanxi: …
His gloating barely lasted a second before another smack landed on his head.
Then came the furious voice of Princess Consort Qin:
“You little brat! Are you bullying your sister again?!”
“Mother! I didn’t! How could I possibly bully her?”
Sheng Yichen thought bitterly, Xiao Mei is practically a little fairy! How could I ever bully a tiny immortal like her? If anything, I should be the one worried about getting bullied!
But since he couldn’t expose his sister’s secret, he could only hold his head and beg for mercy.
“You little brat! If you didn’t bully Xi’er, why is she pouting? If I see her like that again, I’ll give you another beating!”
“Yes, yes, yes! Mother, I wouldn’t dare!”
Only after receiving another whack from Princess Consort Qin did she finally let him off.
The whole scene was oddly satisfying to watch, making Sheng Nanxi giggle uncontrollably.
Although the road to exile would be rough, as long as they were together as a family, it could still be full of joy.
Meanwhile, the fireworks continued to explode in the sky—”Boom! Boom! Boom!”—as if they were tearing apart the heavens themselves.
The exiles and officials alike could only stare blankly at the flames shooting into the sky, their expressions filled with confusion.
Sergeant Leng Feihu glanced at the sun, which was just about to rise above the horizon. He suppressed his curiosity and urged everyone to get moving.
At the city gates, commoners waiting with their travel passes to enter the city couldn’t help but whisper among themselves…
“What’s going on? It’s not even a festival or a special occasion. Why are there so many fireworks and firecrackers?”
“Sigh! Haven’t those high-ranking figures done enough absurd things already? Especially the one in the palace—I’ve heard that he’s been acting more recklessly than ever lately… Just to make a beauty smile, he had thousands of bolts of silk torn apart, and he even dressed up as a beggar just to amuse his beloved…”
“Tsk tsk… Seeing this spectacle, it’s probably that person indulging in yet another round of pleasure-seeking…”
“Enough! Do you all have a death wish?!”
The people whispering in hushed voices were actually talking about the young emperor, Xiao Tianqi, who had long abandoned state affairs.
It was said that he had recently become infatuated with Noble Consort Zhao. To please her, he had done many outrageous things.
Seeing the fireworks lighting up half the capital, the common folk instinctively assumed it was just another one of the emperor’s extravagant gestures to entertain his favored concubine.
But then, someone noticed something off and muttered in doubt:
“Wait—this doesn’t seem right! Look at that thick smoke billowing over there—it looks more like a fire!”
“Yeah! And it’s coming from the direction of the Cold Palace! That place has been abandoned for years. How could it suddenly catch fire?!”
“Ah! It’s really an unlucky year… The Southern Qi Kingdom has already suffered from half a month of heavy snowfall. The cold wave has left people in misery, and now the imperial palace is on fire…”
“There’s an old saying: When a ruler is without virtue, disaster befalls the land… Ah… Let’s not talk about it anymore… Matters of the state are beyond the concerns of commoners like us.”
“……”
The people spoke cautiously, but deep down, everyone understood—Southern Qi’s governance had long descended into chaos.
And now, even more upright officials who genuinely cared for the country had been removed from power.
The future looked grim for the people of Southern Qi.
At that moment, it felt as though a dark cloud had settled over everyone’s hearts, lingering without dispersing.
Fifteen minutes earlier.
In an extravagant imperial villa, three miles outside the capital, the young emperor Xiao Tianqi was drinking through the night with Noble Consort Zhao.
Inside the grand palace hall, there was music and dancing—but the performers were not professional dancers.
Instead, they were commoners—old and young alike—awkwardly moving to the rhythm.
Though their faces were painted with smiles befitting the joyous occasion, their eyes could not hide the deep humiliation they felt.
The young emperor drained his cup in one gulp and teasingly lifted the consort’s delicate chin.
“My beloved consort, are you happy today?”
“You wanted to see these common folk dance, so I had them all dragged here for you. Look at this—who in the world could love you more than I do?”
The beauty leaned bonelessly against the emperor’s chest, as if she couldn’t quite believe his words. With a seductive glint in her eyes, she asked:
“Really? Your Majesty would truly give me anything I desire? Then… would Your Majesty accompany me outside to watch the stars?”
“Hmm… Just the two of us~”
Her last words carried a subtle hook—one that sent the mind reeling and the heart racing.
“Heh~ As long as my beloved consort is happy, I’d do anything for you~”
The young emperor was already drunk. With a careless wave of his sleeve, he dismissed the dancers and, holding the consort’s hand, ascended to the high terrace.
“My love~ My heart for you is as true as the heavens and earth. Watching the stars with you is nothing—if you want, I’d even pluck one from the sky for you!”
The drunken emperor rambled foolishly. Noble Consort Zhao, however, seemed to take him seriously, melting against him like a boneless doll.
“Your Majesty… You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?”
“Hah! How could I lie to you?! Just watch—I’ll grab one for you right now!”
Too intoxicated to stand properly, the emperor suddenly shoved the consort away and clambered onto the railing of the terrace.
The terrace stood roughly thirty feet high—if he fell, he would at the very least be crippled, if not worse.
Seeing the emperor swaying precariously as he climbed up, a glint of calculation flashed through Noble Consort Zhao’s eyes. She slowly reached out, preparing to push him down—
But before she could, a loud explosion echoed from afar!
Startled, the emperor shuddered and abandoned his climb. Instead, he turned toward the distant fireworks and raging fire, laughing foolishly.
“Oh ho! Who set their house on fire and ignited all their fireworks at once?”
“Hahaha! Look at that—the flames are lighting up half the city! What a magnificent sight! My love, don’t you adore these marvelous spectacles? Come, watch this splendid scene with me!”
“Hahaha! Xiao Shunzi, go find out whose mansion that is! Tell them I’ve bought their courtyard!”
“Have them buy even more fireworks! My consort and I both love the display!”