Focused on his cultivation, Xia Wuyang had no idea that two prodigies from the Tunneling Sect had already targeted him, intending to take his life.
The Yun Family, which Yun Shuang belonged to, had indeed been annihilated by him back then. However, there was more to the story; it was not just for that one Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure.
Fortunately, the Imperial Palace was heavily guarded. Even though the two had mastered the Stealth Technique to the Great Success stage and their cultivation levels were impressive, they could not infiltrate the Eastern Palace in a short amount of time.
Xia Wuyang’s cultivation and strength were soaring daily. One could almost say he reached a new level every twenty-four hours. It would not be long before he could attempt a breakthrough to the Upper Three Grades, at which point he would possess enough power to protect himself.
However, before Xia Wuyang could even begin his breakthrough to the Upper Three Grades, news that Princess Xiang Yun had also obtained a Divorce Certificate and left the Eastern Palace began to spread, once again causing a huge uproar.
"I can’t believe even Princess Xiang Yun would divorce the elder Crown Prince. He was the one who saved her and Huiwan Country back in the day. Among all the concubines, she was the one most devoted to him. To think she’d choose to divorce him at a time like this... How can the elder Crown Prince possibly show his face now?"
"I thought Princess Xiang Yun would see the elder Crown Prince off on his final journey. But with him having only a few months left, she wasn’t even willing to stay and bid him farewell. And if she won’t, who would? I wonder what Princess Xiang Yun traded for that Divorce Certificate. The elder Crown Prince today is no pushover; he’s perverse and irritable, moody and unpredictable—he’s practically gone mad."
"Lady Xingyan paid such a high price when she left—fifteen hundred bottles of Middle Level or higher Dragon and Tiger Elixir and three portions of Celestial Water Essence. It nearly cost her half her life. No matter how favored Princess Xiang Yun was, her price couldn’t have been any less. I heard it was a full, large bottle of Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine. That’s not a bit inferior to three portions of Celestial Water Essence, and it was even mixed with precious things like Celestial Snow Lotus and Desert Blood Dates. Not only can it greatly nourish the body, but it can also extend one’s life. The elder Crown Prince is truly ruthless."
"Just a large bottle of Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine is on par with three portions of Celestial Water Essence, not to mention it has life-extending effects. A price like that isn’t just comparable to Lady Xingyan’s; it might even exceed it! The elder Crown Prince is going too far. How many concubines in the Eastern Palace can afford to pay such a high price for a Divorce Certificate?"
...
The rumors spread like wildfire. Hearing the news, Wei Xianren and Liu Jun immediately brought their men to "seize" the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine. They caused a huge scene in Wenhua Hall under everyone’s watchful eyes, and the two of them nearly came to blows.
But as it turned out, they learned that Xia Wuyang had already drunk all of the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine, not leaving a single drop. They were too late.
The two of them "berated" the elder Crown Prince for this and even ransacked all of Wenhua Hall. Only after confirming that there was indeed no Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine left did they depart resentfully.
Although the elder Crown Prince lost all face, the outside world also confirmed that he had drunk all the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine, and they stopped scheming for it.
This was only to be expected. Having learned his lesson once, how could the elder Crown Prince be foolish enough to expose the matter again?
No wonder Princess Xiang Yun’s departure was so quiet. It was all to provide cover for the elder Crown Prince, giving him enough time to drink that Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine.
She truly was one of the best concubines the elder Crown Prince had. Even though she had been repeatedly berated by him over the past few decades and had her heart broken, she still stood by his side, willing to hide this matter for him.
It was not until the outside world noticed something was amiss that everyone finally learned Princess Xiang Yun had received her Divorce Certificate and quietly left White Jade City, returning to the Western Desert.
The matter of the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine thus came to an end. The elder Crown Prince’s status in the Eastern Palace and the Imperial Palace fell even further, and he was mocked by more and more people.
Even the Inner Treasury Storage Bureau reduced the stipends for many of the Eastern Palace’s attendants. The reason given was that the Eastern Palace had added too many new Palace Maids recently, and according to the rules of the Imperial Palace, their stipends had to be cut.
However, Xia Wuyang’s expenses for fine food, good wine, Dragon and Tiger Elixir, and so on were not reduced. Although the Storage Bureau looked down on this Dying Crown Prince, they did not want to provoke him at this time. They just hoped he would live out the rest of his days happily and quietly, without causing any trouble for anyone.
But Xia Wuyang was a kind-hearted man, and he was especially kind to the Palace Maids who served him. How could he stand by and watch something like this happen?
Although he had requested more Palace Maids during this time, and some Princes and Princesses with ulterior motives had used various excuses to send over many high-quality beauties from different clans, it was no reason to cut the Palace Attendants’ stipends—especially not the stipends of the beauties who accompanied him.
’It’s already a great injustice for them to serve an old man like me,’ Xia Wuyang thought. ’They are so young, with peerless grace and breathtaking beauty, yet they have to face this decrepit form of mine. Even I feel ashamed.’
’If circumstances didn’t force my hand, I would have long since reverted to my true physique and appearance, not this decaying, elderly facade.’
Most of the beauties were quite diligent and conscientious, showing no disdain for him as the elder Crown Prince. Their service was impeccable.
Compared to serving the other young and vigorous Princes, serving him was no easy task. From time to time, Xia Wuyang even had to put on an act of being "perverse and irritable" to prevent outsiders from becoming suspicious.
Under such circumstances, how could these beauties from various clans who served him possibly feel at ease?
At this moment in Wenhua Hall, the nearly one hundred beauties, all in the prime of their youth, were in an uproar over the matter. Many of the young women could not help the tears welling in their eyes.
"The Storage Bureau cut our stipends by nearly half! The stipends in the Eastern Palace weren’t even high compared to the other palaces to begin with. Now that they’ve cut so much, how are we supposed to get by? I still have several younger brothers and sisters at home to support. What am I going to do now?"
"*Sob*... the only reason we’re serving the elder Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace is for the stipend. We have almost no future to speak of as it is. Now that even our stipends have been cut so drastically, how can we possibly stay here?"
"If I had known, I would have found a way to refuse to enter the Eastern Palace back then. Then I wouldn’t have to serve the Dying Crown Prince, I wouldn’t have my stipend cut, and I wouldn’t even be mocked by the Palace Maids from the other palaces. After the elder Crown Prince passes away, who knows where we’ll be sent."
"The elder Crown Prince just took my first time last night, and today my monthly stipend gets cut by this much... *sob sob*. If I had known, I never would have entered the palace at all. Then I wouldn’t have been assigned to the Eastern Palace."
...
A bleak gloom settled over the Eastern Palace. The melodious, chirping voices were now filled with sorrow. This was especially true for the beautiful Palace Maids serving Xia Wuyang, who felt utterly wronged.
They thought Xia Wuyang could not hear them, but with his current cultivation and strength, he heard every single word with perfect clarity. His expression had already turned grim.