Chapter 168: The Angry Emperor Xia
Inside the palace.
Due to the promise made to Qin Bei, the trial of the imperial mausoleum was scheduled to start two months earlier.
This kept Emperor Xia extremely busy these days.
Fortunately, he did not break his promise in the end and fulfilled his agreement with Qin Bei.
The trial of the imperial mausoleum can begin tomorrow.
The only question now is whether these geniuses are prepared.
“I wonder if that kid has learned his lesson these days,” Emperor Xia murmured after leaving the imperial mausoleum.
The person he referred to, of course, was Qin Bei.
“Let’s first check the cabinet.”
As soon as Emperor Xia stepped out, he went straight to the cabinet.
Previously, Qin Bei had always caused chaos there, so he wanted to see if Qin Bei was still up to his antics.
Ultimately, the result was that Qin Bei had been very well behaved these days.
This brought Emperor Xia a sense of relief.
He thought to himself, although Qin Bei loves to make trouble, he understands the stakes and hasn’t constantly disturbed the cabinet officials, which is commendable.
With this mindset, Emperor Xia felt particularly at ease.
Seeing everything progressing in a good direction, as long as Qin Bei could display enough talent, he could be promoted to a princely rank.
Then, by gaining some reputation and achievements within Great Xia, he would be able to compete for the crown prince position against the strongest princes.
Thinking that his plan was unfolding step by step, Emperor Xia felt even more comfortable.
“There’s still a little time left, why not take Concubine Shu for a stroll in the Imperial Garden and let the harem know about Concubine Shu’s current status? We don’t want another troublesome concubine showing up.”
Emperor Xia thought to himself.
So without hesitation, he went to find Ling Fei.
In the harem, no one dared to provoke Ling Fei anymore.
Because everyone knew that the Noble Consort Shu had an unreasonable eldest son who clutched a gold medal of immunity.
Moreover, her second son Qin Xuan also aimed to become a disciple of Ying.
As they say, women in the harem rise in status through their sons.
When Emperor Xia brought Concubine Shu to the Imperial Garden, he immediately noticed that not a single flower was left at the entrance.
Not even the ground remained!
Thinking back, this certainly wasn’t the season for flowers to wither.
However, Emperor Xia didn’t inquire too much at first, assuming it was some arrangement made by the servants.
But when he reached the center of the Imperial Garden, a series of whimpering sounds puzzled him.
In the end, the Holy Infant Tree revealed all the mischief Qin Bei had been up to in the garden.
However, it omitted one detail: Qin Bei already knew that the imperial concubine was a demon cultivator.
“What? Two Holy Infant Fruits?”
Emperor Xia was shocked—no, furious.
The importance of the Holy Infant Fruit to the royal family is beyond words.
They are used to nurture top-tier combat talents.
This left Emperor Xia with no mind for strolling in the garden.
After sending Ling Fei back to the palace, he intended to seek out Ying.
But Ying had his own affairs to attend to these days.
Because Qin Xuan had agreed to become a disciple.
Though the ceremony didn’t need to be too grand, as a master, he had to ensure his apprentice stood tall.
So, for the past few days, Ying had been personally searching for rare treasures to help Qin Xuan transform.
Ying’s thoughts were quite simple; he didn’t expect Qin Xuan to surpass Qin Bei in combat power.
After all, Qin Bei’s fighting ability was out of this world.
But Qin Xuan needed to catch up in training speed, and his combat power had to be boosted.
At the very least, he needed to be close to Qin Bei.
Hence, even if Emperor Xia found Ying, it would be pointless.
Just then, the Ninth Prince appeared.
A playful smile adorned the Ninth Prince’s face.
After ascertaining Emperor Xia’s location, he headed straight to the Xuanzheng Hall.
“Royal brother.”
“Mm, what brings you here?”
Emperor Xia’s mood soured upon seeing the Ninth Prince, especially with that smile hinting mischief.
That kind of smile usually meant his younger brother was planning trouble.
And only when targeting him could his brother grin so merrily.
It was a grin happier than even a night filled with revelry.
“I heard that Your Majesty has some new policies in the works, so I came to see if you could drop a hint or two, just to let the royal family prepare,” the Ninth Prince replied, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his inner garments.
Emperor Xia shot a quick glance at the Ninth Prince. “I don’t know what you’re talking about; if there’s nothing else…”
Before Emperor Xia could finish his sentence, he noticed the undergarments the Ninth Prince wore.
He recognized the scent all too well—those were definitely his!
“Those are your undergarments?”
Emperor Xia asked cautiously.
“Hai~ Royal brother, don’t you know? The personal items you auctioned off were bought by your dear little brother. Naturally, I’m going to wear them after buying them,” the Ninth Prince said with a grin.
In reality, he just wanted to see Emperor Xia’s reaction sinking into embarrassment.
However, Emperor Xia was only left looking surprised and bewildered.
“You mean you picked this up at the auction?”
Emperor Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, his energy flaring up and overwhelming the Ninth Prince with pressure.
“Royal brother, what are you doing? It doesn’t matter who the items were sold to since they’re all for sale. Besides, I’m your biological brother—blood is thicker than water! Why can’t I buy something? I’m supporting you in pushing through your new policy!”
At this moment, the Ninth Prince remained convinced that these items were part of Emperor Xia’s plan to unveil a new policy.
“Hmph!”
Emperor Xia waved his sleeve and whoosh, vanished from the spot.
“Strange.”
The Ninth Prince scratched the back of his head, completely lost as to what Emperor Xia was up to.
…
Instantly, Emperor Xia reappeared in the Yangju Palace.
Looking around the empty Yangju Palace, the only thing left was a dragon robe.
This sight sent Emperor Xia’s fury skyrocketing in an instant.
He grabbed a palace maid at random and got answers through a brief interrogation.
All the items from the Yangju Palace had been taken by Qin Bei.
This was because he had mentioned he could take whatever he wanted without restraint while busy, so even when the palace eunuchs, maids, and guard troops realized Qin Bei had stolen his belongings, they took no action to stop him.
Half an hour later…
Emperor Xia stared down at a group of trembling individuals kneeling below.
Among them were palace maids, eunuchs, and imperial guards.
At this moment, Emperor Xia finally pieced everything together.
He also learned what items about himself had been sold at yesterday’s auction.
Of course, the most important revelation was who was behind all this chaos.
It was that son he thought had learned to hold back!
Never did he imagine that his sharp-witted progeny would set his sights on him.
And to think he manipulated events step by step to lay a trap!
How wicked!
Now, reflecting on events from a few days prior, Emperor Xia understood why Qin Bei had created a commotion in the cabinet.
Wasn’t it all just to force him to say so that Qin Bei could take whatever he liked?
Initially, this command was merely a way to shut down Qin Bei’s incessant nuisances.
Now, however, this very command had provided Qin Bei with a colossal loophole.
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