By the time Yun Liyue’s carriage pulled up outside Wenhua Hall, ten bottles of restorative elixirs had been delivered. Xia Wuyang took them and stored them away.
Wenhua Hall was ablaze with light. The faint sounds of lutes and flutes, mingled with women’s soft laughter, drifted out. Even the Palace Attendants outside were giggling and jesting, showing a complete lack of decorum.
Clearly, even these Palace Attendants no longer regarded the Crown Prince inside with any respect. They believed his days were numbered and that he no longer held any real authority.
Her expression chilled. Yun Liyue stepped down from her carriage and strode toward Wenhua Hall. Only when the Palace Attendants saw her did they finally compose themselves, hurrying to bow in greeting.
"Such a clamor outside Wenhua Hall! Have you no sense of propriety?"
Her sharp reprimand sent the Palace Attendants to their knees. "Your Highness, forgive us! We were wrong."
They feared this cold, moon-like Crown Prince Consort far more than the decrepit Crown Prince.
It was said that a wife’s prestige came from her husband. Given the Crown Prince’s current standing, he could offer Yun Liyue little support. However, Yun Liyue’s own noble status and astonishing strength were enough to command the respect of all.
A Second Grade Marrow Refining Grandmaster in her sixties, the Saintess of Xuan Nu Palace with the potential to one day reach the First Grade Blood Exchange Realm or even the Super Grade Celestial Human Realm—her personal standing alone was more than enough to intimidate every attendant in the Eastern Palace.
"Her Highness, the Crown Prince Consort, has arrived—" The eunuch’s shrill announcement did nothing to interrupt the revelry of song and dance within Wenhua Hall.
As Yun Liyue entered the adjoining Sleeping Palace, the sight that met her eyes made her blood run cold.
The decrepit Crown Prince Xia Wuyang was half-reclined on a gilded divan, surrounded by several scantily clad Palace Maids. Some fed him wine, some fed him grapes, while others massaged his shoulders and back.
Below them, several more young, beautiful Palace Maids danced gracefully. If any of them danced particularly well, he would call her up to dote on her, his actions utterly wanton and unrestrained.
He saw her arrive but paid her no mind. "Liyue, you’re here. What is it?"
’I used to resent this Crown Prince Consort who had grown so distant,’ Xia Wuyang thought. ’However, after awakening my Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent and regaining my sanity, I began to see the cause and effect of many things with greater clarity.’
’True, Yun Liyue had her own faults, but the biggest problem was me.’
’After losing all hope, I had grown irritable and erratic. My actions became crazed, and I frequently berated Yun Liyue and the others, convinced they weren’t doing everything in their power to help me.’
’In my youth, I had neglected to have children for the sake of my cultivation. Now, after being crippled, I was unable to father any.’
’I blamed Yun Liyue and the others for my misfortunes. Then I descended into wanton indulgence and nightly debauchery, hurting them and driving them away until our relationship became icy.’
’It has now come to the point where we haven’t shared a bed in years. Yun Liyue and my other Consorts always refuse me, and I, in turn, have grown to resent them. I prefer to fool around with the Palace Maids than to grace my own Consorts with my presence.’
’But in truth, most of my Consorts still care for me. After all, no matter how decadent and ill-tempered I’ve become, I have never laid a hand on them. In my youth, I showered them with affection. I’m not like many other Princes who, at the slightest displeasure with their concubines or Palace Maids, would resort to beatings and curses, or in worse cases, even execution.’
’In all my years presiding over the Eastern Palace, I have never once struck a single consort or Palace Maid I had taken to my bed, much less killed one.’
’Anyone who shared my pillow was guaranteed my protection. My reputation on this matter is impeccable.’
’This is one of the few virtues I’ve carried over from my past life: I respect women and care for them, never treating them as mere tools. If I hadn’t become so irritable and crazed, my relationship with my Consorts would have remained excellent.’
Even though he knew Yun Liyue still cared for him, Xia Wuyang revealed nothing out of the ordinary, all for his own safety.
In response to his question, Yun Liyue gave a graceful bow. "I heard Your Highness was feeling unwell, so I came to see you."
Her voice was like spring water striking stone—crisp and melodic, yet possessing a steady calm.
Xia Wuyang, with an arm around a maid on either side, looked puzzled. "I’m in excellent health. I could handle ten women in a single night with no issue. What is this talk of being unwell?"
Yun Liyue’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her gaze was as clear as water, but it held a firmness that could not be ignored. "Your Highness, you have no cultivation and are already seventy-two years of age, yet you insist on taking ten Palace Maids to your bed. Such exertion... I worry your body won’t be able to bear it. I implore you to show some restraint."
"My affairs are no concern of yours." Xia Wuyang’s expression soured. "Leave. This is not for you to manage. If you truly don’t want anything to happen to me, then just send over more restorative elixirs. Restraint is out of the question."
Yun Liyue took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on Xia Wuyang. "Father Emperor has said that desire should not be overindulged, and pleasure should not be pursued to its extreme. If he were to learn of your current conduct, Your Highness, I fear..."
"Enough!" Xia Wuyang slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "You dare use Father Emperor to threaten me? Yun Liyue, do you think I’m afraid? He washed his hands of me long ago! I don’t need you to remind me."
The atmosphere in the hall instantly froze. All the Palace Maids ceased their movements and knelt on the floor in terror.
Seeing that Xia Wuyang was so incorrigible that even the threat of the Emperor meant nothing to him, Yun Liyue’s voice filled with disappointment. "If Your Highness is so insistent, then I have nothing more to say."
She made no further attempt to persuade him, turning and walking out of Wenhua Hall. On her way, she instructed her Palace Maid, Cyan Bamboo, "Bring more restorative elixirs. Yangqi Stone, Celestial and Goji, Thousand-year-old He Shou Wu... prepare some of all of them. So that... so that at least he can live a few more years."
There was no anger in her expression, only a hint of deep sorrow.
’The image of the high-spirited, youthful Crown Prince surfaced in her mind. How ambitious he had been back then. She never imagined that in just a few short decades, he would be reduced to this.’
’She had once dreamed of growing old with him, but now that dream was nothing more than a fleeting illusion.’
"Sigh..."
Her carriage departed, leaving only that faint sigh hanging in the air.
Back in Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang watched Yun Liyue’s silhouette disappear into the distance through an ornate window lattice. A complex look flickered deep within his eyes.
’I know Yun Liyue has always cared for me and is someone I can trust. But this is a matter of life and death. How can I be so careless? I will never reveal the existence of my Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent to anyone.’
’Not until the day I possess sufficient power will I reveal my Cultivation Realm. As for the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent, that is a secret I will never tell another soul.’
"Let the music play! Continue the dancing! Tomorrow, send another batch of Palace Maids to Wenhua Hall! They must all be virgins. If a single one of them isn’t, I will hold you all accountable!"
Xia Wuyang put the matter out of his mind. He rose with a great laugh and urged the Palace Maids in the Sleeping Palace to relax and continue their merrymaking. He even repeated his order to the eunuchs and Guards outside to bring more Palace Maids the next day.