Chapter 23: Emptying the Empress’s Palace, Even the Gilded Eaves Are Not Spared

Gold, silver, jewels, gold bars, silver notes, hairpins and accessories—just the gold beads alone were found in a sack, buried near the garden well, discovered with a metal detector.

Things in the Zhaoyang Palace disappeared quickly. The first to notice something was wrong were the palace maids guarding the emperor. Why were there fewer ornaments in the side palace?

Wait a minute, there were three vases here just a moment ago. When were they stolen?

The maid nervously shouted, “Quick, someone! A thief has stolen things!”

The guards outside rushed in, and upon a quick glance, saw that many valuable items were missing from where the emperor lay. All the antique paintings and calligraphy had disappeared! They thought a major thief had come!

A crowd of guards surged into the side palace, unaware that in the Empress’s personal quarters, only a large bed remained.

Xie Zhizhi arrived directly at the Empress’s bedside, tossed a package of sleeping powder, splashed paint around, and threw down fabric strips and several lighters.

Whoosh!

A huge flame twisted and engulfed the luxurious palace.

Xie Zhizhi used her spatial powers to leave the scene.

The deep palace was heartless. For the throne, so many had died. The dog emperor loved beautiful women so much, and the two should just roast like ducks together!

Before the fire spread further, Xie Zhizhi left Zhaoyang Palace and went nearby to check the aftermath.

Unexpectedly, she immediately solved the original host’s cause of death. The original host never knew how she had died or who had sent the assassin.

Sigh, love-brained people are hopeless. Since the original host had given her body, this was her way of settling things for her.

At Zhaoyang Palace, the maids and guards at the door screamed loudly.

“The water is flooding! Zhaoyang Palace is flooding! Quick, save the emperor!”

“Quick, enter the quarters and rescue the Empress!”

“Help! The emperor is still inside!”

“Quick, someone!”

The fire only took half a minute to spread to the entire Zhaoyang Palace. The dry weather and the hot breeze quickly spread the flames to the palace walls.

The fire spread so fast that when the guards tried to move the emperor’s body, the beams overhead suddenly collapsed.

Bang!

“Ah!” The guards, with the fire above them, saw the emperor’s body tremble and his hand drop from the edge of the bed. One guard shuddered and muttered, “The emperor… has passed…”

The emperor: died in frustration.

The fire was even bigger in the Empress’s quarters. The maids dared not enter, and those who got close were burned by the heat of the flames.

The emperor was dead, and the fire was massive. Everyone knew they were doomed, but they couldn’t just burn to death. That would be too painful.

The maids and guards quickly escaped and called for help.

That night, both Zhaoyang Palace and the national treasury caught fire, causing a sensation in the entire harem. The empresses and concubines rushed to Zhaoyang Palace, each with their own motives.

The Crown Prince and Third Prince also rushed over.

But they learned that the emperor and Empress had not been rescued, and their faces immediately changed.

Among them, the Third Prince was most affected. Looking at the sea of fire, he broke down and shouted, “Mother! Mother! I came too late! Woo woo woo…”

The Third Prince, disregarding the guards’ attempts to stop him, tried to rush in to save his mother but was driven back by the scorching heat. He was stopped by the guards and could only watch as the once magnificent Zhaoyang Palace collapsed, the beams and walls destroyed, reduced to ashes.

Around the palace, the wells were surrounded by palace servants fetching water, but it was all in vain, of no help.

Xie Zhizhi, observing from near Zhaoyang Palace, saw that nearly everyone from the harem had arrived.

Among them, the hundreds of concubines were the most eye-catching, hurriedly rushing over with cloaks on, like a crowd of bargain-hunting women at a supermarket.

The Empress cried sorrowfully, almost fainting in the Crown Prince’s arms.

Xie Zhizhi felt no emotional stir. If there was one person the original host hated most, it was the Empress.

Perhaps because her body had merged with the original host’s, she truly felt the disgust.

At every palace banquet, the Empress would always make things difficult for the original host, embarrassing her in front of the young men simply because the original host was the Third Prince’s fiancée. If the original host was embarrassed, it would also embarrass the Third Prince.

Fortunately, the original host had a cheerful and bold personality and had retorted a few times, so the effects were not too severe. Otherwise, a girl with a more fragile pride would have been too ashamed to face anyone.

Once, the original host had even been pushed into a river by the Empress’s niece. Luckily, Jing and Jing Er had jumped in to save her in time; otherwise, a male saving her would have further ruined her reputation. In the end, the Empress’s words were casually forgotten.

She truly despised old women who picked on a girl with no parents by her side.

Xie Zhizhi noted that she knew where the Empress’s sleeping quarters were.

Well, she wouldn’t hold a grudge overnight, but she’d settle scores when she had the chance.

The Empress, still supporting the Crown Prince in grief, had no idea that the fire in the harem was about to spread to her own palace.

…

Kun Ning Palace.

Under the moonlight, Xie Zhizhi clearly saw how wealthy the Empress’s palace was.

The eaves outside the palace were gilded, shimmering in the moonlight.

The palace floor was made of white jade, and the beams and pillars of the sleeping quarters were made of rare sandalwood. The curtains were strung with hundreds of large pearls, and the bed, made from agarwood, was draped with golden silk. The incense burner was delicately carved with phoenix patterns…

Everything exuded the message: “I’m rich, come take me!”

Xie Zhizhi wasn’t polite. With a thought, everything started rushing into her space.

Gold dragons and phoenixes, jade mirrors, treasures, calligraphy and painting, phoenix chairs, and even the carpets and curtains were all taken.

However, the large bed was unlucky, so she left that behind.

She noticed no one was around, so she appeared, took out the gold, silver, and copper detectors, and also raided the Empress’s hidden stash of personal money.

To be honest, this Empress’s private treasury was comparable to a fifth of the national treasury!

Look at all these gold bars and silver. They’re so shiny.

She left the narrow tunnel, restored things to their original state, and even put the large bed back in place. She’d even dug it out from under the bed!

Not a penny left!

She rewarded herself by patting the 100,000-dollar detector, smiling and raising an eyebrow, praising, “You’re still the best!”

That night, Xie Zhizhi made a fortune, took revenge, and settled the original host’s grudges.

She could leave the palace now.

Tomorrow, after breakfast, she would come back to the palace to watch the drama unfold—the two sons fighting for the throne—who would win and inherit the empty national treasury?

She couldn’t wait.

And, she still had her eye on the Minister of War’s assistant.

…

Kun Ning Palace.

Two hours later, the Empress, fatigued and supported by the Crown Prince, returned to her quarters, her swollen eyes staring in shock and disbelief at the empty room, which only had the bed left.

“Crown Prince, did I see it wrong? This… this… did I enter the wrong palace?”

The Crown Prince stopped, a range of expressions crossed his handsome face, twisting as his eyes filled with shock and confusion. What had happened?!

The Crown Prince exclaimed in surprise, “Where did everything in Kun Ning Palace go?”

The Empress, dazed, almost fainted, “My antiques! My money! How could they disappear?”

Her legs went weak, and the Crown Prince barely supported her, saying, “Mother, take care of your health.”

The Empress suddenly thought of something, urging the Crown Prince, “Quick! Go check if the vault I kept for you under the bed is still there!”

Crown Prince: “Do you want me to crawl under the bed?”

At this moment, a guard rushed into the palace gates, panting, with an unprecedented look of fear in his eyes, shouting, “Empress, it’s bad! The eaves of the palace have been ripped off!”