Chapter 524: Entering the Palace

Chapter 524: Entering the Palace

Huangfu Qing now fully embraced her role. It was hard to believe that she was once the same person who had wanted Zhao Changhe dead. The Fire Pig of Shi title had originally been given to Zhao Changhe by Lady Three, and it had mainly been for her amusement.

Xia Chichi, on the other hand, silently agreed with her words. Zhao Changhe had been largely known for his rebellious nature when he first started out. It was just that his later acts of righteousness had caused people to forget that.

But, in truth, he had never changed—he had always been that unruly rebel, that mountain bandit. He naturally fit with the Four Idols Cult, but it was best if he had no leader above him; otherwise, that leader was bound to be toppled sooner or later.

“Alright, let’s go,” Huangfu Qing said, clearly satisfied, standing up and no longer caring that Zhao Changhe had gone to see Tang Wanzhuang first. “I’ll take you both into the palace. One of you will pretend to be a palace maid, and the other...”

Zhao Changhe glared at her.

Huangfu Qing’s eyes twinkled mischievously, her voice dripping with suggestion. “If you care about appearances, you could dress as an imperial guard, but you won’t be able to spend the night in the imperial noble consort’s quarters. If you prefer substance over appearances, you could dress as a eunuch—then you could go in and out freely.”

Zhao Changhe’s expression remained impassive. “Do I look like a tall, imposing eunuch to you?”

Huangfu Qing smiled, her eyes narrowing, “There have been some.”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “I’m going in there to argue with someone, not to be laughed at before I even start. I’ll be a guard.”

Huangfu Qing pouted, throwing a set of guard’s clothes at him in frustration. “Stubborn pig!”

Hmm... Did she prepare this in advance?

Zhao Changhe took the clothes and calmly began changing right in front of both women. “Even as a guard, I can still enter the imperial noble consort’s chambers... Whether I get to stay or not depends on how I handle it.”

Huangfu Qing clicked her tongue, wanting to say something, but one glance at Xia Chichi—who was standing there with a not-so-happy expression—made her hold back. She silently cursed herself for agreeing to bring her into the palace in the first place.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

* * *

Their entry into the palace went very smoothly. Huangfu Qing had not left the palace alone. There was an entire entourage of carriages waiting for her in front of the Huangfu residence. On the way back, a large procession accompanied her, and no one noticed the addition of a palace maid and a guard.

As for the people in the carriages themselves, they were all trusted members of the Four Idols Cult—fanatically devoted believers.

The Four Idols Cult valued quality over quantity. Any core cult member had a very low likelihood of wavering in loyalty. In fact, asking Zhao Changhe to wear a eunuch’s outfit was just Huangfu Qing’s little game—it did not really matter what he wore. As long as he got past the palace guards, once inside her chambers, all the surrounding people were members of the Four Idols Cult, and no one would speak a word of whatever happened within.

Suddenly, laughter came from above. “You’re quite clever. You even figured out how I watched Cui Wenjing’s battle.”

Huangfu Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhao Changhe responded, “Oh, you’re not hiding anymore?”

“When I threw that punch, it would have been impossible to hide from V... Huangfu Qing,” Xia Longyuan said, his voice carrying a curious tone. “The Four Idols Cult finally realized that I’m not actually injured. Congratulations.”

Huangfu Qing: “...”

She thought the joke was in the latter half of his statement, not realizing that Xia Longyuan was actually teasing her with the earlier pause.

Zhao Changhe did not catch on either. He asked, “So, can you see me now, or are you just able to hear everything going on in the palace?”

“I can only hear,” Xia Longyuan answered honestly. “Only one person can truly oversee the entire world... Though she’s weakened, her fundamental abilities remain. But even for her, there are many places she cannot see. She has to rely on the eyes she placed on you. Just like I needed an eye on the Qinghe Sword.”

The blind woman: “...”

Zhao Changhe was not surprised. He had long suspected this, which is why he had mostly stopped using the Back Eye. He barely used it now, although it passively evolved with him. It was now more of an overseeing eye, but its field of view was quite narrow, far from the level of overseeing the entire world.

He did not dwell on this, planning to discuss it with the blind woman later. For now, he did not want to get sidetracked.

“Did you place an eye on Dragon Bird?”

“Why would I bother watching you?” Xia Longyuan chuckled. “Did you really think back then that you were worth my time?”

“And now?”

“Now, you’re somewhat interesting... but only somewhat.” Xia Longyuan said. “If you’ve come to curse me, then come and do it. Bring Chichi along. You could’ve come openly. There was no need for all this sneaking around—it’s ridiculous.”

Xia Chichi: “...”

After a pause, Xia Longyuan sighed, “In this world, only Chichi truly has the right to scold me.”

Xia Chichi finally spoke for the first time since entering the palace, “But I have no desire to scold you, because you’re not worth it.”