Chapter 234: Celebration

Chapter 234 -233: Celebration

It was early spring, and the weeping willows by Taiye Pool had already sprouted pale yellow leaves, swaying like smoke in the spring breeze.

On a palace path near the Eastern Palace, several Palace Maids were accompanying Ah Yuela on a walk. This mixed-race beauty from the Southern Barbarian Land was now one of the more favored women of Wenhua Hall.

Today, Ah Yuela wore a light-turquoise ruqun, her golden hair woven into an intricate braid and adorned with small pearls.

Her skin was not the snow-white common among the women of Jiangnan, but a healthy, wheat-like tan—just a bit on the darker side—that glowed like honey in the sunlight.

She was currently bent over, looking at the newly bloomed water lilies by the pond’s edge, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the charcoal beauty from Wenhua Hall?”

A flippant voice suddenly rang out, aimed directly at Ah Yuela.

Ah Yuela looked up to see the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, approaching with several attendants. He had been passing by and, upon seeing Ah Yuela enjoying herself by Taiye Pool near the Eastern Palace, decided to come over and torment her.

The Prince was dressed in a sapphire-blue brocade robe with a Jade Belt cinched at his waist. Holding a folding fan, he cut a dashing, roguish figure.

But his gaze toward Ah Yuela was filled with unconcealed mockery.

Ever since the Third Prince, Xia Wuchen, was exposed as a eunuch and subsequently deposed, Xia Wushang had become the Prince most likely to be named Crown Prince. Many Courtiers who had betrayed Xia Wuchen had flocked to his side.

Now, the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, was at the peak of his influence, poised to become the Crown Prince directly upon Xia Wuyang’s death.

He had almost forgotten that he, too, was a eunuch, and had started acting rather smug.

“Greetings, Fifth Prince.” The color drained from the faces of Ah Yuela and her maids. Not daring to talk back, they quickly bowed in salute.

But the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, was not finished. He took a few steps closer and flippantly lifted a lock of her golden hair with his fan, deliberately drawing out his words. “TSK TSK… This hair is certainly a novelty, so bright and golden. A pity your skin is so dark, just like charcoal. That old man must be on his last legs; his tastes have gotten peculiar. To dote on merchandise like this… Has the Eastern Palace run out of beauties?”

His attendants laughed along in chorus. Someone even couldn’t resist spitting on the ground.

A sharp-chinned, monkey-faced Guest said fawningly, “Your Highness is right. Only a good-for-nothing like the elder Crown Prince would take a liking to this kind of Barbarian woman. Who else would want her? I doubt even a country bumpkin would give her a second look.”

Ah Yuela’s face paled slightly, but she maintained her decorum, not daring to argue. “If there is nothing else, Fifth Prince, I will take my leave.”

“What’s the hurry?” Xia Wushang blocked her way. “I heard that you were a princess of a Barbarian Race in the South Sea. Your kingdom fell and your family was destroyed, leaving you stranded here. How does that feel? Do you feel a certain kinship with that elder Crown Prince, a shared sense of misery?”

His words were like a knife, stabbing viciously into the most painful part of Ah Yuela’s heart.

Her delicate body trembled slightly. She had to dig her nails into her palms to hold back the stinging tears.

Even so, the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, was not done. He humiliated them viciously a while longer before leaving with his attendants, looking utterly pleased with himself.

And all of this was witnessed by a kingfisher perched on a nearby willow tree.

As the bird took flight, Xia Wuyang, inside the Practice Room in Wenhua Hall, had just finished a session of cultivation in the True Realm. His Cultivation had stabilized further, and he was growing more accustomed to his True Qi.

“Xia Wushang…”

Having “received” the scene transmitted by the kingfisher, Xia Wuyang slowly opened his eyes.

A blue glint flashed in his eyes and vanished—a sign of his True Qi circulating naturally. A single strand of it would be enough to easily kill the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang.

He stood up and opened the specially made window of the Practice Room.

The spring breeze brushed against his face, carrying the moist air from Taiye Pool. Faintly, he thought he could hear smug laughter coming from the distant Gold and Silver Palace.

To be honest, the three hundred beauties of Wenhua Hall were already acting with great caution and compliance.

After all, everyone was aware of the elder Crown Prince Xia Wuyang’s current predicament. They were terrified of causing him any trouble, knowing he could no longer protect them, so they were all exceedingly careful.

‘They hoped to wait quietly until the elder Crown Prince passed away, after which they would be sent out of the palace to find a stable livelihood and move on with their lives. After all, they had been bedded by the elder Crown Prince, so they certainly couldn’t remain in the Imperial Palace. The other Princes and Princesses would look down on them, and it would be difficult for them to marry in the future.’

So, each of them lived on, swallowing their grievances. Most of the time, they stayed within Wenhua Hall. It was only because spring had arrived and Taiye Pool was right next to the Eastern Palace that they occasionally went for a stroll there; they didn’t dare go anywhere else.

It was nothing like the glory days of the Crown Prince’s Mansion, when there was no place in the vast Imperial Palace the Palace Maids dared not go. They would never have been so timid and cautious back then.

They were wronged, and Xia Wuyang lost face as well.

“Perfect timing. I suppose a celebration is in order.”

A cold smile touched Xia Wuyang’s lips. ‘I just broke through to True Monarch and was worrying about not having an enemy to practice on. Since you’ve stumbled right into my path… I’ll use you to celebrate my ascension to the Extraordinary realm. You dare humiliate my woman? Then I’ll pay you back a hundredfold.’

Soon, a rumor began to circulate through the palace.

“Did you hear? The Fifth Prince is actually… actually a eunuch, too! He’s ‘incapable’ now, just like the Third Prince. His Yang Meridian was destroyed.”

“That’s right! The Fifth Prince became a eunuch even before the Third Prince did! An Imperial Physician died in the Fifth Prince’s Gold and Silver Palace a while back, and ever since then, the Fifth Prince hasn’t favored any of his concubines. His Root of Right and Wrong was damaged long ago.”

“No way! Hasn’t the Fifth Prince been frequenting some of the famous brothels in the capital? How could he be a eunuch?”

“That’s all just an act. Someone went to check. Those brothel women were never actually bedded by him. They were all deceived by an Illusion, making them think they had been.”

“During this time, the Fifth Prince has also been secretly seeing many famous physicians to treat his condition. If you don’t believe it, just look into it and you’ll see.”

…

These rumors spread through the Imperial Palace like a plague, covering every corner with astonishing speed.

In just a few hours, everyone had heard the rumor: the Fifth Prince, Xia Wushang, had also had his Yang Meridian destroyed and had long been a eunuch.

Some people couldn’t resist investigating, and sure enough, they discovered many suspicious details. The rumors were not false.

Some of the concubines in the Gold and Silver Palace now had a sudden realization. No wonder Xia Wushang hadn’t favored them recently—this was the reason!

‘They had originally thought Xia Wushang had lost interest in them. Otherwise, why would he always be visiting brothels instead of favoring them?’

‘Who would have thought his visits to the brothels were just an act? The truth was, he was ‘incapable,’ which was why he hadn’t come to them.’

‘If that was the case, what were they supposed to do in the future? They were so young. Were they doomed to live as widows while their husband was still alive?’