After a night of arduous cultivation, Xia Wuyang emerged from the Practice Room at dawn, transforming back into the dazed, lecherous elder Crown Prince.
The rising sun illuminated the glazed tiles of Wenhua Hall, making everything appear dazzlingly bright.
But as everyone knew, the Great Xia Imperial Palace was one of the darkest places in the world.
Deceit and trickery, brothers turning on each other, sisters destroying one another... such things were perfectly normal here.
After a morning of "revelry," Xia Wuyang, citing "physical exhaustion," reluctantly returned to his Practice Room. Even this was only possible with the aid of the Dragon and Tiger Elixir. Without it, he likely wouldn’t have lasted more than a few dozen breaths, let alone an entire morning.
At least, that was the impression he gave. The covetous look in his eyes as he departed the bed, in particular, left the surrounding Palace Maids, Qiuci Dancers, and Fox Girls utterly convinced.
Even the spies scattered throughout the Eastern Palace were completely taken in, suspecting nothing.
After cultivating until Noon and restoring his energy, Xia Wuyang once again "eagerly" burst out of the Practice Room and pounced on the beauties waiting for him in the Sleeping Palace.
"Yingying, I’m here! Take off your clothes, quickly."
"Hani’Er, quick... quick, come on up."
"Qingqing, you’re my favorite."
After another round of exertion, Xia Wuyang "collapsed" onto the bed again, only managing to climb back up after a long while.
At the same time, a spread of delicacies was served: clear-stewed squab, jadeite shrimp, honey-glazed ham, and a tureen of fragrant Reishi Duck Soup...
Xia Wuyang didn’t dig in right away. Instead, he gestured for the nearby eunuchs to test the dishes for poison.
This was a routine procedure. It had always been done this way, and the eunuchs were accustomed to it.
Ever since a poisoning attempt several years ago, Xia Wuyang had become far more cautious.
Outsiders knew of his caution, so for a long time, no one had attempted to poison his meals. It was pointless, after all.
This time, however, was different. With his heightened senses, Xia Wuyang had already detected something amiss with the food.
Several eunuchs began testing the dishes. Soon, they were all nodding. "Your Highness, the food is excellent today. This Reishi Duck Soup in particular is made with the finest reishi. It’s incredibly nourishing."
"Wait a bit longer," Xia Wuyang said with a nod, pulling a Qiuci Dancer into his arms and casually plucking a grape from her lips. "Some poisons are slow to act."
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the first eunuch to taste the food suddenly went pale. He clutched his stomach and collapsed to his knees. "Your Highness... this servant... my stomach is in agony!"
Before Xia Wuyang could even ask, the eunuch scrambled to his feet and made a frantic dash for the nearest latrine.
Soon after, the other food-tasting eunuchs began to show symptoms as well. One by one, they cried out as their stomachs twisted in knots, and they too ran for the latrine.
"It’s poison! The food is poisoned!" The Palace Attendants descended into chaos, scrambling to summon the Imperial Physicians.
Xia Wuyang stumbled back in "terror," knocking the dishes off the table. "Someone... someone is trying to poison me! Guards! Help me! Someone is trying to poison me! Report this to the Father Emperor at once! Spread the word throughout the entire Imperial Palace! Someone is trying to poison me!"
He put on a perfect show of panic, his voice trembling convincingly. But in the depths of his eyes, where no one could see, a cold light glinted.
He had known the identity of the poisoner all along. Between the information from the small animals scattered throughout the palace and the fact that the culprit hadn’t bothered to be discreet, it hadn’t been difficult to find out.
The culprit was the Director of the Food Bureau, who was on good terms with the Fourth Prince, Xia Wulei. He had laced the food with the drug to vent some of Xia Wulei’s frustration.
It wasn’t a lethal poison, just a potent laxative. The intent was mainly to warn and teach Xia Wuyang a lesson, not to kill him.
Now, Xia Wuyang was turning the plot back on them, blowing the incident out of proportion to cause a massive uproar. On one hand, this would further dispel any suspicion against him. On the other, it would serve as a lesson for both Xia Wulei and the Director of the Food Bureau.
Soon, attendants from the Eastern Palace were shouting as they ran to summon the Imperial Physicians. Xia Wuyang’s written memorial was rushed to Emperor Xia, and the entire Imperial Palace erupted into a frenzy.
Staff from the Imperial Hospital arrived swiftly and confirmed that the dishes had been laced with a potent laxative. While not fatal, for someone as "sickly and frail" as Xia Wuyang, it might as well have been a deadly poison.
If he were unlucky, he might very well have "breathed his last."
"Investigate! I want a thorough investigation!" Upon hearing the news, Xia Wuyang looked as if his "soul was about to leave his body." He roared furiously within Wenhua Hall, "To dare poison the reigning Crown Prince in broad daylight! Is this treason? Do you even have an ounce of respect for the Father Emperor?!"
He had slapped them with a grave accusation, and word of it spread throughout the Imperial Palace once more. After all, if the Food Bureau dared to poison the Crown Prince today, who was to say they wouldn’t dare to poison other Princes and Princesses tomorrow?
The contents of the memorial Xia Wuyang submitted also circulated within the Imperial Palace, earning him the sympathy of many a Prince and Princess.
Its contents read: "Your humble son, Wuyang, submits this petition with tears of blood. Today at Noon, the meal delivered from the Food Bureau was poisoned. If not for the eunuchs who tested it first, your son would have already descended to the Yellow Springs. Your son knows he does not have long to live, but he is unwilling to die at the hands of a petty villain. I implore the Father Emperor to seek justice on my behalf..."
Every word was a tear of blood, every sentence a blade to the heart.
The news spread not only throughout the Imperial Palace but also to the outside world.
The elder Crown Prince may have fallen from grace and now be on death’s door, but he was still the Crown Prince of Great Xia. For him to be humiliated in such a way, nearly poisoned to death in Wenhua Hall, was a slap in the face to the entire Royal Family.
When Emperor Xia learned that rumors were circulating among the common folk, he became furious. With his vast power, it didn’t take him long to uncover the truth: the Director of the Food Bureau had done it to vent the frustrations of his master.
Before Emperor Xia could even act, the Director, sensing things had taken a turn for the worse, hastily confessed. He claimed he had held a grudge ever since the elder Crown Prince had reprimanded him years ago and had only now sought his revenge.
His excuse was riddled with holes, but Emperor Xia didn’t press the issue. He merely stripped the Director of the Food Bureau of his post, which in turn caused Fourth Prince Xia Wulei’s influence in the Imperial Palace to plummet—a punishment in itself.
The punishment seemed severe, but in reality, it was a light slap on the wrist. Although the Director was dismissed, his life was spared, and the Food Bureau itself faced no concrete repercussions.
For Xia Wulei, however, it was a significant blow, as his influence within the Imperial Palace was already limited.
The Director of the Food Bureau had acted on his own initiative. So even though Emperor Xia hadn’t dealt with him harshly, Fourth Prince Xia Wulei was unlikely to let him off the hook.
Through this incident, Xia Wuyang gained a clearer picture of Emperor Xia’s attitude toward him. He had also taught a harsh lesson to both Xia Wulei and the Director of the Food Bureau, all while securing more time for his future cultivation. It was, in short, killing several birds with one stone.
He heard that Consort De had smashed a beloved tea set in a fit of rage after the incident and had nearly stormed over to confront him again. However, the memory of being turned into the butt of a joke stopped her from acting rashly.
If she dared to cause trouble again, Xia Wuyang would make her regret it for the rest of her life. Even without revealing his true power, he had other, more "special" methods to turn her into a laughingstock once more. For instance, a little ditty like: "Consort De’s fists are just for play, her scolding is a lover’s plea; the Crown Prince takes the hint and embraces his dear Auntie De."

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