WK Chapter 30

Yi Shi’er was taken down from the chains.

 

Sweat-drenched strands of hair clung messily to his mask as he asked: “The price?”

 

“There is one,” replied the commander as he opened his palm to reveal a pill.

 

“This is Three-Day Intoxication. The antidote will be delivered regularly. From now on, you’re no longer a shadow guard.”

 

Three-Day Intoxication was a poison requiring an antidote every three days; otherwise, it would cause death during sleep. It was considered mild compared to other poisons since its effects wouldn’t frighten others if forgotten by accident.

 

Though no longer bound directly to His Majesty’s side, Yi Shi’er would remain tied to the prince’s side instead. Ultimately, from the moment they entered the palace as shadow guards, they forfeited their freedom forever.

 

He remained alive only because he hadn’t been part of this role for long—but even so, an extra layer of poison ensured his life now rested in the hands of a child.

 

Yi Shi’er tilted his head back and swallowed the pill.

 

“And another thing,” added the commander. “His Majesty has instructed that the Seventh Prince cannot stand the smell of blood. Until your wounds heal completely, do not appear before him. If he demands to see you, make sure your scent is thoroughly cleaned.”

 

Yi Shi’er leaned against the wall and staggered upright. “Understood.”

 

After taking a few steps forward, he suddenly stopped.

 

The commander thought Yi Shi’er might want to say some parting words about leaving this role behind and straightened slightly in preparation for offering some comforting remarks.

 

Yi Shi’er asked: “Now that I’m no longer a shadow guard… do I still get my monthly salary?”

 

Commander: “……”

 

Yi Shi’er pondered aloud: “Which pays better—being a shadow guard or babysitting?”

 

“……”

 

“And where will I live? How many hours will I work each day? Are there any requirements?”

 

The commander resisted the urge to kick him out of sheer frustration: “Get out!”

 

—

 

Sunlight streamed through window lattices.

 

Qu Dubian stretched lazily. Heaven knew how much comfort those remaining 30+ days of lifespan points brought him every morning when he woke up.

 

The days of waking up panicked and immediately practicing tai chi were gone forever!

 

[Where’s Yi Shi’er?]

 

Simulator: [200 meters away from host.]

 

At this moment, Qu Dubian still didn’t know Yi Shi’er had been reassigned to him and continued pondering on his own.

 

The real-time distance sensing couldn’t exceed 300 meters—beyond that, it stopped working. Previously, he had been unable to detect anything.

 

So now, it seemed that his cheap father had released Yi Shi’er. Judging by the distance… it appeared Yi Shi’er was stationed near his cheap father?

 

In any case, after all the fuss he had made, Yi Shi’er likely wouldn’t be casually executed anymore.

 

Saving his future major “meal ticket” was definitely a good thing!

 

After finishing his morning tai chi and breakfast, Qu Dubian decided to go for a stroll. Currently, there were far too few people whose goodwill he could cultivate. When he had been confined to Ju’an Hall, he couldn’t interact with many people. But now, there were no such restrictions.

 

He figured that if he wandered around more, he might bump into someone useful.

 

At this time, the Emperor was still in court, and there was no one in Zichen Palace who could control him! He, Qu Dubian, was now the undisputed boss of Zichen Palace.

 

Grabbing Ye Xiaoyuan’s hem, he marched forward with determination. “Ye Banban, hurry up! Otherwise, we might not be able to leave later.”

 

“Your Highness! Your Highness, why don’t you leave the incense burner behind?” Eunuch Bao pleaded with a pained expression. Taking care of this child was truly exhausting. “That’s His Majesty’s favorite little incense burner…”

 

The little prince had taken a liking to the incense personally blended by His Majesty. Over the past two days, whenever he had free time, he would hug it and sniff it.

 

Hugging it was one thing—but why take it outside?

 

The golden incense burner gleamed brilliantly with its gilded surface. Its craftsmanship alone made it priceless, and it was even inlaid with various gemstones. While some might find the combination of gold and jade gaudy, Qu Dubian loved it.

 

“We’re just going out for a while; I won’t break it. His Majesty said I could play with whatever I wanted,” Qu Dubian said as they reached the long staircase outside Zichen Palace. On either side of the stairs were smooth stone slides. His eyes lit up as he handed the incense burner to Ye Xiaoyuan.

 

“Xiaochun, I want to slide down.”

 

Wen Xiaochun responded immediately. Lifting his robes, he quickly walked to the bottom of the stairs and stood at the end of the slide with a smile. “Come on down, Your Highness.”

 

Qu Dubian slid down with a swish.

 

Eunuch Bao cried out in alarm: “Your Highness!!” Turning to see Ye Xiaoyuan’s calm expression, he stomped his feet anxiously. “Gonggong Xiaoyuan! Aren’t you going to stop him?!”

 

This was madness! If the prince got hurt or bruised, they’d all be punished!

 

Ye Xiaoyuan replied calmly: “His Highness has done far more dangerous things than this when swinging on swings. We’re used to it. With Xiaochun there, nothing will happen.” He smiled gently and added in a softer tone: “Besides, His Highness is only thinking of us.”

 

Eunuch Bao: “???”

 

He looked over in horror.

 

Had this man gone mad?

 

Ye Xiaoyuan explained: “His Highness doesn’t want us carrying him down the stairs—he’s worried about tiring us out.”

 

By now, Qu Dubian had safely reached the bottom and turned around to wave at them. “Ye Banban!”

 

Ye Xiaoyuan turned to Eunuch Bao and said: “Despite being so young, His Highness is the most considerate of us servants. I’ll head down now.”

 

Watching their retreating figures, Eunuch Bao suddenly realized something and clutched his chest in despair. “The incense burner! The incense burner! That’s an imperial item!!”

 

If it fell and broke, they’d be doomed!

 

Wen Xiaochun and Ye Xiaoyuan pretended not to hear him.

 

“Where are we going to play?” Ye Xiaoyuan asked.

 

Qu Dubian replied: “The Imperial Garden?”

 

In palace dramas, that was where consorts loved to gather around the Emperor—it was worth checking out.

 

—

 

The news that the Emperor intended to select a consort to raise the Seventh Prince had become the hottest topic in the harem.

 

Some consorts who usually feigned illness and rarely visited Fengwu Palace to pay respects to the Empress were suddenly making frequent appearances these past few days.

 

No matter how much gossip surrounded Seventh Prince’s supposed ill fortune, he was still an imperial son. These childless consorts weren’t fools.

 

The Emperor had allowed Noble Lady Rong to break precedent and raise the Fifth Prince—that was an exception among exceptions.

 

Whoever was chosen as consort to raise the Seventh Prince would undoubtedly have to hold at least a concubine rank or higher—possibly even be promoted further.

 

Currently, there were seven principal consorts across the Eastern and Western Twelve Palaces; five of them already had imperial sons under their care and were unlikely candidates for selection by His Majesty.

 

That left only two principal consorts without children: Consort Xuan and Concubine Liang.

 

However:

– Consort Xuan had been reclusive for years and hadn’t seen His Majesty.

– Concubine Liang was still under house arrest for competing for favor.

 

Naturally, neither of them qualified.

 

This meant His Majesty might very well choose a Noble Lady from among those ranked lower—promoting her to Concubine or even Consort—to raise Seventh Prince.

 

This was an extraordinary opportunity for advancement!

 

Not even considering other hidden benefits, just comparing monthly stipends: those of Concubines and Consorts were significantly higher than those of Noble Ladies.

 

If they missed this chance, how long would they have to wait under all those high-ranking concubines with children before they could rise?

 

Thus, all those who felt they had a shot—Noble Ladies and Attendants alike—frequented Fengwu Palace in hopes of gathering information about Zichen Palace or learning about Seventh Prince’s preferences.

 

The Empress grew increasingly irritated by their visits and eventually feigned illness to excuse herself from receiving them for several days.

 

His Majesty had made it clear that Seventh Prince would not be raised by her as Empress due to ties with ancestral rules from the previous dynasty—and involving herself in this matter would bring only trouble without benefit.

 

At present, a group of consorts left Fengwu Palace after being dismissed—each harboring their own thoughts.

 

From afar along a palace path came a small palace maid running breathlessly toward her mistress. Gasping for air as she knelt down before her master: “News… News from Zichen Palace… The Seventh Prince… The Seventh Prince…”

 

“You’re killing me! What about the Seventh Prince?”

 

Finally catching her breath properly: “The Seventh Prince has gone… gone to the Imperial Garden!”

 

Slap!!

 

The palace maid received a harsh slap across her face.

 

Her mistress scolded angrily: “You wretched girl! Can’t you speak more quietly?”

 

Looking up again revealed that all those who had just been calling each other sisters moments ago were now rushing off at full speed toward one direction.

 

—

 

Imperial Garden

 

There wasn’t a single barren corner here—it was one of His Majesty’s favorite places after all.

 

Even in winter, plum blossoms bloomed beautifully here.

 

Yellow plums exuded an elegant fragrance amidst their cold beauty—a sharp contrast against winter’s chill. Their variety remained unknown but added striking vibrancy against the season’s bleakness.

 

Qu Dubian hugged his small incense burner tightly as he spotted Sixth Prince climbing up a plum tree in the distance.

 

The Fifth Prince stood stiffly, holding a porcelain vase, while watching the Sixth Prince climb a tree.

 

After all that effort, the Sixth Prince hadn’t moved an inch.

 

Qu Dubian waved his hand. “Fifth Brother! Sixth Brother!”

 

The Sixth Prince turned his head in surprise. “Seventh Brother? You’ve recovered?”

 

“We were planning to visit you,” the Fifth Prince added, “but Father Emperor said we weren’t allowed to disturb you while you were recovering.”

 

Qu Dubian smiled. “Thank you, Fifth Brother and Sixth Brother, for thinking of me. Aren’t you supposed to be at the study hall?”

 

The Sixth Prince clapped his hands and let go of the tree trunk. “I heard that the study hall is being moved from the Third Hall to the Second Hall. They’re still tidying up, so classes won’t start until the day after tomorrow.”

 

“Sixth Brother, if you want plum blossoms, why don’t you ask someone to help you?” Qu Dubian asked, glancing at the palace maids and eunuchs attending to them. They weren’t just for show.

 

“My Mother Consort’s health hasn’t been good these past two days,” the Sixth Prince said with a sigh. “The imperial physicians have been visiting frequently, and her mood has been poor. Whenever she’s in a bad mood, she makes me recite books… I thought picking some plum blossoms might cheer her up. But it has to be me who picks them.”

 

So you dragged Fifth Brother out here to hold a vase and stand in the cold with you?

 

Qu Dubian glanced at the Fifth Prince. It was clear he was used to this kind of thing. Afraid of dropping the vase, his hands had turned purple from the cold but still hadn’t been tucked into his sleeves.

 

Who knew how long the Sixth Prince would keep wrestling with this tree? If this went on too long, Fifth Brother’s hands would probably be too stiff to write.

 

“Fifth Brother, hold this for me instead.”

 

Qu Dubian took the vase and placed it on the ground before handing his incense burner to the Fifth Prince. The Fifth Prince looked bewildered. “Seventh Brother…”

 

“That’s Father Emperor’s incense burner.”

 

The Fifth Prince’s eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively held it tighter. “Father Emperor’s?”

 

Qu Dubian stretched up on tiptoes and hooked an arm around the Sixth Prince’s neck. “Compared to plum blossoms, doesn’t your mother like Father Emperor more?”

 

The Sixth Prince thought for a moment. “Yes.”

 

“And aren’t both the incense burner and plum blossoms fragrant?”

 

“They are.”

 

Qu Dubian continued: “Then if you give your Mother Consort some ash from this incense burner instead of plum blossoms, wouldn’t it be just as good? Maybe even better?”

 

The Sixth Prince fell into deep thought. “That… seems right. But why don’t you just give me the whole incense burner?”

 

Qu Dubian replied seriously: “Father Emperor’s belongings can’t be given away casually. But since I get along well with you, I can secretly give you some ash.” Without blinking, he added: “This is imperial ash—very special.”

 

The Sixth Prince stared at him for a moment before suddenly throwing his arms around him and bursting into tears of gratitude. “Seventh Brother! You’re so kind! I used to think you were annoying… but as long as Mother Consort cheers up and stops making me recite books, I’ll always be good to you from now on!”

 

Smiling brightly, Qu Dubian nodded as they worked together to scoop some ash from the small incense burner into the vase.

 

Ye Xiaoyuan and Wen Xiaochun watched their little prince conning people with pride and amusement: ‘Our little prince is so lively and adorable now that he’s healthy.’

 

Meanwhile, the attendants from Xiuxiang Palace who witnessed their own Sixth Prince being tricked sighed deeply: ‘Forget it—he’s always like this.’

 

Having generously shared a small amount of imperial ash, Qu Dubian successfully saved his Fifth Brother’s frozen hands.

 

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed in the distance—then more footsteps came from all directions.

 

Even their attendants seemed confused as they turned in circles bowing toward noble ladies and consorts arriving from every side.

 

Dressed in styles ranging from elegant to demure to vibrant, these women brought an explosion of color to the Imperial Garden with their ornate hairpins swaying lightly as they walked.

 

But because they were moving so quickly and their expressions were so serious, there was an inexplicable sense of pressure when looking at them as a group.

 

Qu Dubian hugged his small incense burner tightly and looked around with wide eyes. Are they all here because they think the Emperor is about to finish court? Waiting here for him?

 

Just as he was about to drag his Fifth and Sixth Brothers away, one of the consorts suddenly called out: “The Seventh Prince is over there!”

 

In an instant, all eyes turned toward him—the shortest child in their midst—with smiles that were warm and gentle (yet predatory).

 

“……”

 

Qu Dubian’s cheerful expression froze on his face as shock rippled through him.

 

‘Wait… they’re here for me???’

 

 

 

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