The maids and eunuchs present hung their heads, not daring to spread word of what had occurred. Second Princess Li Rongxia and the others turned their attention back to the unconscious Li Xian, busy arranging for the best imperial physicians to attend to him.
Li Feng had merely kicked Li Xian’s privates; such a blow could hardly satisfy the monstrous hatred burning within him. Yet, there would be plenty of time in the future. For now, he had at least managed to vent a bit of his rage. He could slowly settle scores with this adopted son later.
He watched the scene before him—a group acting so much like a family—and, after being fiercely warned by Second Princess Li Rongxia, he quietly slipped out of Kunning Palace while no one was paying attention.
Building his own power would be a long and arduous journey. The most pressing matter at hand was to personally destroy Li Xian’s sterling reputation, specifically the fraudulent image he had cultivated as the Great Xia’s premier talent. Although altering his own fate—being sent as a hostage to Zhou Country—would be difficult, he had been reborn. Coupled with his experiences wandering through that mysterious modern metropolis in his dreams, he was determined to put forth his best effort, no matter what.
The August sky was a deep, spotless blue. In the eastern part of the Xia Royal Palace stood a small, dilapidated building. Due to years of neglect and the intense dampness of the area, it had long since become a crumbling, hazardous structure.
Boom!
As the wooden pillars used for support were pushed over one by one, the small house collapsed with a roar, instantly kicking up clouds of dust and ash.
Li Feng watched the collapsing structure with cold eyes, gazing into the billowing dust. He had no intention of suffering as he had in his past life, nor would he watch the maids around him be buried here. If this vast palace could not accommodate him, then he would simply leave; the world was vast enough for him to spread his wings.
"Your Highness, now that you’ve torn this place down, where will you live from now on?" a few eunuchs and maids asked, their faces filled with worry after helping him knock down the structure.
Although this Second Imperial Highness was the biological son of the Emperor and the only legitimate heir to Great Xia, he had never been favored in the palace, and he lived a truly miserable existence. Because of the Grand Preceptor’s prophecy that "two dragons cannot meet," the old Emperor had avoided contact with the Second Prince for many years. Empress Ji, who oversaw the inner palace and was the Second Prince’s biological mother, showed every sign of despising him, even going so far as to deliberately suppress Li Feng.
Now that the most dilapidated building in the palace had been torn down, their only hope was to appeal to the Empress, hoping she would arrange a residence for the Second Prince that befitted his status.
A wry smile appeared on Li Feng’s lips. He knew that reporting this to the Empress would only result in scolding and punishment. "Go to the Imperial Kitchen; I’ve already put in a good word for you there."
"What about you, Your Highness?" the head eunuch, Liang Fang, asked with concern.
Li Feng looked around, realizing that there was truly no place for him in this vast palace. "I am going outside the palace. When I establish my own estate in the future, I will have you all brought to serve there!"
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your trust!" Having already been branded as the Second Prince’s people, the maids and eunuchs expressed their loyalty one after another.
The outskirts of the Xia Royal Palace were enclosed by a square imperial city, guarded day and night by gate-keeping eunuchs and the Imperial Insignia Guard.
"Stop!"
"Is there a problem?"
"Second Prince, where do you think you’re going?"
The gate-keeping eunuch, Wei Zhong, knowing full well that the Second Prince was out of favor, picked at his ear wax and stepped forward to interrogate him.
Li Feng looked the young, chubby-faced eunuch up and down, knowing that the man’s patron had not yet fallen. "Do I need to report to you when I leave the palace?"
"Without a handwritten edict from the Emperor, the Empress, or the First Prince, you aren't leaving this gate!" Wei Zhong blew the ball of ear wax to the side, looking entirely unconcerned.
"Come here."
"What instruction does the Second Prince have for me?"
*Slap!*
Li Feng raised his hand and struck the man across the face with a resounding smack, leaving five finger marks imprinted on his chubby cheek. The Imperial Insignia Guard standing at the gate stared in disbelief. Was this really the timid, spineless Second Prince they had always known?
"You dare hit me?" Wei Zhong touched his stinging cheek, looking utterly shocked.
Li Feng hadn't wanted to waste breath on such a person, but he remembered how this man had remained loyal to him in his place of imprisonment in the past life. "Wei Zhong, use your brain! Our Great Xia has only one real prince; that other one is adopted. Do you really think he can compete with me for the throne?"
This...
Wei Zhong felt that the Second Prince before him had clearly changed, yet what he said made perfect sense. No matter how good Li Xian’s reputation was, he was, at the end of the day, an adopted son. Unless the current Emperor had lost his mind, he would certainly pass the throne to his own biological son.
Seeing the man dazed, Li Feng added indifferently, "The fact that Eunuch Hua has been hoarding silver at his residence in Red Willow Lane of Moonlight Square is already known. If he wants to save his life, he needs to transfer his wealth secretly right now, or he will become a trophy for the newly appointed Grand Thearch of the Court of Judicial Review, Qin Kang."
Corruption was not the original sin; standing on the wrong side was. Qin Kang was a direct subordinate of the First Prince, Li Xian. After being successfully maneuvered into the position of Grand Thearch, he had begun a purge of the imperial court under various pretexts. It was a way to strike at the pro-Emperor faction while simultaneously controlling officials by holding evidence of their illegal activities.
Eunuch Hua was an old retainer of the Hexi Prince's Estate and one of the Emperor’s most trusted eunuchs. Li Feng knew that Eunuch Hua eventually fell because he refused to pledge allegiance to the First Prince. But since the enemy of his enemy was his friend, he might as well pull this greedy but loyal eunuch back from the brink.
"You... you know?" Wei Zhong, who was Eunuch Hua’s confidant, widened his eyes in shock.
"If you don't act now, your good days will be over the moment Eunuch Hua falls!" Li Feng gave a cold warning, then waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. "Keep your eyes open next time. If you dare block me again, I’ll deal with you exactly as I would a stray dog!"
"Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing this servant’s miserable life!" Completely cowed, Wei Zhong bowed respectfully.
The Imperial Insignia Guard at the gate didn't know what had been said, but sensing the newfound authority of the Second Prince, they respectfully stepped aside to let him pass.
Wei Zhong watched Li Feng leave and immediately reported the matter to Eunuch Hua. Eunuch Hua was a very shrewd man, his only flaw being a love for money. "What are you standing there for, you fool? Take some men and help me transfer the assets!"
Just as the Grand Thearch, Qin Kang, and his soldiers burst into Eunuch Hua’s residence like wolves and tigers, the hidden silver was already gone. They found only Eunuch Hua "intimate" with his wife, Li Ping’er.
Bare and exposed, Eunuch Hua pointed an accusatory finger at the Grand Thearch, Qin Kang, who had barged into his private residence. "Qin Kang, today you dare to search my home without cause; tomorrow you’ll be starting a rebellion! I will definitely report you to the Emperor!"
"A misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding!" Qin Kang saw that his intelligence had been flawed and that he had been counter-accused by Eunuch Hua. A chill ran down his spine, and he began to offer apologies repeatedly.