Xia Wuyang hadn’t expected the Storage Bureau to be unwilling to wait even a few months. They had started cutting the Eastern Palace’s stipend so quickly.
In everyone’s eyes, he, the elder Crown Prince, only had a few months left to live. Yet, they wouldn’t even grant him this small measure of decency.
After a moment’s thought, Xia Wuyang pretended to have "accidentally" heard about the matter. He feigned a "furious rage" and ordered Andrew and the others to take his Token to the Storage Bureau to demand an explanation, strongly insisting they restore the stipends of the Palace Maids who served him.
This action was consistent with his status. Doing nothing, on the other hand, would only arouse suspicion.
But the outcome was predictable. Since the Storage Bureau dared to make such a move, they naturally had a plan to deal with the fallout. After a round of bureaucratic evasion, Andrew and his men returned empty-handed. The stipends, of course, were not restored.
According to the Storage Bureau, palace expenses were currently strained across the board. It wasn’t just the Eastern Palace facing stipend cuts; other palaces were as well.
The stipends could only be restored after the Royal Family’s income increased. This might be in one or two months, or it could be an indefinite wait. In all likelihood, the increase would only happen after Xia Wuyang, the elder Crown Prince, breathed his last.
But by then, the increase would be for the new Crown Prince’s Palace Attendants, not for the current staff of the Eastern Palace.
Once the new Crown Prince ascended, all the Palace Attendants in the Eastern Palace would likely be replaced. No one would want to keep the staff of the former, elder Crown Prince, especially the Palace Maids.
Even if Xia Wuyang went to the Storage Bureau himself, it wouldn’t have made a difference—unless he was willing to reveal his true Cultivation and power.
From Andrew and the others, Xia Wuyang learned exactly who at the Storage Bureau was targeting him and lining their pockets with the cut funds. That was enough. When he eventually retook power, he would settle the score with every last one of them.
Since the Storage Bureau was unwilling to restore the Palace Maids’ stipends, Xia Wuyang decided he would handle it himself.
"Sell some of my Dragon and Tiger Elixirs. Convert them into silver taels and bring the money back to me."
Xia Wuyang instructed Andrew to take a batch of Dragon and Tiger Elixirs to be sold. They were mostly Low Level Dragon and Tiger Elixirs, a type Xia Wuyang no longer had use for, with only a small number of Middle Level ones included.
After plundering several Princes and Princesses, Xia Wuyang had a more than ample supply of Elixirs. He was on the verge of breaking through to the Upper Three Grades, so these Middle-Low Level Dragon and Tiger Elixirs were of little use to him anymore.
Seeing that Xia Wuyang intended to sell the very Dragon and Tiger Elixirs he relied on, Andrew was shocked. "Your Highness, you still need to take these! Your health will surely suffer otherwise. Please, reconsider!"
"There is nothing to reconsider. My mind is made up," Xia Wuyang stated, his voice firm. "Those Palace Maids serve me with such dedication. How could I allow them to be wronged? I will compensate them for their lost pay, and I will even double it." Andrew was left speechless, his heart filled with an indescribable shock.
Seeing that Xia Wuyang’s decision was final, Andrew took the batch of Dragon and Tiger Elixirs and left. He quickly exchanged them for silver notes, which he then presented to Xia Wuyang.
By now, many of the Palace Maids outside Wenhua Hall had heard the news. They glanced at one another, most of them skeptical.
"The eunuchs just passed on the news. They said the Crown Prince learned that the Storage Bureau had cut our stipends. He was furious and has decided to compensate us for the full amount. He even sold some of the Dragon and Tiger Elixirs he’s been taking, saying he wants to pay us double."
"Is that true? The Crown Prince isn’t exactly wealthy right now, and he needs to take so many of those Dragon and Tiger Elixirs every day. Where would he get the extra money for us? It’s probably a rumor."
"The Crown Prince has always treated us Palace Maids generously, especially those of us he has... favored. It’s probably true. Let’s just wait and see."
"If it is true, then we must serve the elder Crown Prince even better from now on. We should make his last few months as pleasant as possible. It’s the least we can do to repay his kindness."
...
As they were talking, word arrived: the elder Crown Prince was summoning them to Wenhua Hall in groups to receive red envelopes.
An uproar went through the Palace Maids. All doubts vanished as they quickly formed lines outside, waiting to be called in by the elder Crown Prince.
Soon, the first group of Palace Maids entered Wenhua Hall. Xia Wuyang was seated before a Purple Sandalwood desk, which was covered in packets of silver taels wrapped in red paper. He beckoned the Palace Maids to come forward one by one to receive their envelopes.
Looking at the white-haired elder Crown Prince and thinking of his current predicament, many of the Palace Maids were moved that he still cared for them so deeply. They couldn’t stop their eyes from welling up with tears.
"Taotao, this is yours."
He beckoned the first Palace Maid forward. Her name was Taotao, and she had served Xia Wuyang for several years. She had entered the palace at sixteen and, after turning eighteen, was taken in by Xia Wuyang to frequently attend to him in his bedchambers.
With tears in her eyes, Taotao said, "Your Highness, we have been a burden to you."
"It is not you who have troubled me, but I who have troubled you," Xia Wuyang said, gently caressing her cheek as he placed the envelope in her hand. "Hold onto it. I remember you have several younger brothers and sisters at home, and your parents are in poor health. Take this money home to them quickly so they can manage."
Taotao fell to her knees before Xia Wuyang. "This servant will never forget Your Highness’s immense kindness. I only pray that Your Highness takes care of his health. All of us maids hope you live a long and healthy life."
"Alright, I understand," Xia Wuyang said with a smile, helping Taotao to her feet. He then began distributing an envelope to the next Palace Maid.
The Palace Maids came forward in succession to receive their envelopes from Xia Wuyang. They were all maids he had favored, and they were also the ones whose stipends had been cut the most severely.
After all, the Storage Bureau had used the pretext that Xia Wuyang had taken in too many new Palace Maids to justify cutting the Eastern Palace’s stipend. As the maids were the ones at the heart of this excuse, their pay was cut the most—especially those who served Xia Wuyang personally.
Now, Xia Wuyang had not only covered their lost pay, but had even doubled it, bringing their compensation up to par with some of the highest-paying palaces.
As for the Palace Maids who did not attend his bedchambers, Xia Wuyang did not distribute the money personally. He had someone else do it, and the amount they received was smaller.
The eunuchs and Guards received even less. After all, many of them were spies and informants for other factions and were already drawing two salaries.
A small cut to their official stipend was of no concern to them, and Xia Wuyang certainly wasn’t going to use his own money to make them whole.
Once he was back in power, he would make sure they all got what they deserved.
But some people were always looking for trouble. Xia Wuyang hadn’t even begun to think about settling scores, yet some had already set their sights on him, determined to make his life difficult.
Peering through a crack in the doors of Wenhua Hall, a Junior Commander on patrol outside was studying Xia Wuyang intently. Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, his pupils contracted sharply, and his expression turned peculiar.
If Xia Wuyang hadn’t been so preoccupied with comforting his tearfully grateful maids, he would have likely noticed the man’s strange behavior.