In the southwest corner of the Qi King's Palace, there stood a very abrupt palace.
It lay in a remote corner, desolate and devoid of people.
The palace's exterior, at first glance, resembled a massive blue stone.
In fact, it was indeed constructed from an entire block of blue stone, hollowed out inside.
This was Qingshi Palace—the place where the deposed Crown Prince, Jiang Wuliang, was imprisoned.
Few ever came to this place, and those who had no choice but to pass nearby would always lower their heads and walk quickly, fearing to be tainted by some misfortune.
When Jiang Wuliang was first deposed, he still enjoyed some freedom. Apart from losing all hope of succession, he wasn't much different from the other princes.
But in the sixth year, a censor reported that the deposed Crown Prince had been speaking resentful words in private.
The Emperor flew into a rage and ordered him imprisoned in Qingshi Palace, to grow old and die there for the rest of his life.
Counting on his fingers, Jiang Wuliang had been imprisoned here for nineteen years!
During these nineteen years, let alone visits from nobility, not even moths, flies, birds, or sparrows flew this way.
And on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, a man in blue scholar's robes appeared outside Qingshi Palace.
Eighteen years ago, he was famous throughout Linzi. Eighteen years later, few recognized him.
His body seemed somewhat frail. His cultivation level was indiscernible, and even his steps were unsteady.
But his bearing was impossible to ignore.
Every step he took was slow, yet each step was resolute. This seemed contradictory, but it precisely showed that each step was taken after careful deliberation, each step taken with firm resolve.
This was the remote corner of the vast Qi Palace, long forgotten by the world. There wasn't even a guard standing at the gate.
Jiang Wuliang's imprisonment was not maintained by guards, but by the Emperor's decree.
The blue-robed scholar walked forward on the icy stone path. The towering palace walls enclosed the magnificent Qi Palace behind him, and the solitary, abrupt Qingshi Palace stood right at the end of the path, now before his eyes.
The path had ended. The blue-robed scholar stopped, gazing at the palace doors sealed shut for nineteen years.
He prostrated himself fully, lying flat on the ground, kowtowing in the most abject posture, knocking on the door in the most humble voice.
A sparrow perched on the eaves, tilting its head to look at this strange man, probably finding him unfamiliar and odd.
This was likely the feeling Xu Fang brought to the entire Qi King's Palace.
He was unfamiliar, and he was strange. He was abrupt, and he was noisy.
But the moment he opened his mouth, it was earth-shattering!
"The sinner Xu Fang has come to beg for the Crown Prince's forgiveness!"
It was a hoarse voice, yet one strained with every ounce of strength.
Without cultivation to support it, he poured his remaining life force into a desperate, rasping cry.
And "the Crown Prince"...
Counting from the time Jiang Wuliang was deposed, he had been away from the center of power for a full twenty-five years.
For a full twenty-five years, the title of Crown Prince had no connection to him.
The current Crown Prince of the great State of Qi was Jiang Wuhua, residing in Changle Palace!
Jiang Wuliang was imprisoned here, and naturally there were "jailers"—though not on the surface.
Nineteen years had passed. Jiang Wuliang had not stepped out a single inch. The "jailers" here had been replaced dozens of times.
They were several eunuchs with respectable cultivation.
Nineteen years of wind and rain. Outside Qingshi Palace, moss grew on the stones, and spider webs clung to the eaves.
Few paid attention to this place anymore, including the very "jailers" stationed here.
Those who currently threatened Jiang Wuhua's position as Crown Prince were the Third Imperial Daughter Jiang Wuyou, the Ninth Prince Jiang Wuxie, and the Eleventh Prince Jiang Wuqi.
Many had even forgotten that Jiang Wuhua was not the eldest prince. The true eldest prince had long been cast down.
So when the blue-robed scholar arrived with slow, deliberate steps, the several "jailers" couldn't be bothered to pay attention.
Until he knelt, until he prostrated himself, until he shouted that cry—"the Crown Prince!"
Only then did the several eunuchs start with shock!
Something major had happened!
They didn't yet know what would unfold, but they already had such a realization in their hearts.
And they dared not intervene.
Once that cry of "the Crown Prince" left his lips, this was no longer something they had the authority to stop.
Xu Fang wept and streamed with tears, his voice mournful and plaintive: "In the past, Xu Fang was wild and perverse, failing to understand the times, blind to benevolent hearts. Deceived by treacherous men, he rashly wagged his three-inch tongue. With distorted and shameless words, he smeared filth upon the dignified body of a virtuous man!"
"It has been twenty-six years since!"
"The way of Heaven is constant; retribution never fails. Thunder punishes the wicked; bitter suffering boils the entrails of evildoers!"
"Heaven and Earth have cut me off, Xu Fang—this retribution is deserved! My family has been implicated, and I deserve my punishment!"
"Living worse than death for eighteen years, my heart and liver burned every night!"
"Looking back on the past, I have suddenly come to repent, only then realizing that no one was more wise than the Crown Prince. And Xu Fang, lacking virtue, caused the State to lose its worthy heir."
"Begging for Heaven's forgiveness, I bare my heart and liver!"
Years ago, Xu Fang's furious denunciation of Jiang Wuliang had shocked the entire court. When reviewing past events, it was often seen as the signal of Jiang Wuliang's complete downfall.
That year was the twenty-eighth year of the Yuanfeng era of the Qi Calendar, which is to say, the year 3892 of the Dao Calendar.
And in the very next year, the twenty-ninth year of Yuanfeng, Jiang Wuliang was officially deposed, formally leaving the center of Qi's power.
This year was the fifty-fourth year of Yuanfeng, hence Xu Fang spoke of "twenty-six years since."
The once-famous scholar Xu Fang, renowned for his "wildness," now begged for forgiveness in the most abject posture.
Every word was heartbreaking; every sound was weeping blood.
More and more eunuchs and palace maids ran between the various palaces.
Every manner of communication methods were set into motion almost simultaneously.
This scene unfolding outside the desolate, cold Qingshi Palace swept through Linzi like a storm!
...
The spider webs outside Qingshi Palace were themselves much like the densely interwoven net of the great Qi King's Palace. The slightest disturbance would instantly be detected by the predators upon the "web."
Why was it said that the struggle for succession in the great State of Qi unfolded among Crown Prince Jiang Wuhua, Third Imperial Daughter Jiang Wuyou, Ninth Prince Jiang Wuxie, and Eleventh Prince Jiang Wuqi?
Apart from the fact that they all practiced the Heavenly Meridians and Earthly Parallels from the Supreme Purple Star Scripture.
Another very clear marker was that among the Emperor's princes and princesses, only they still resided within the great Qi King's Palace, and each occupied their own palace.
In Huaying Palace, a spirited woman in martial attire suddenly stopped her drill, casually tossing aside the painted halberd in her hand. "No more practice! Time to watch the show!"
The painted halberd tumbled and flipped through the air, producing rumbling sounds.
An old woman reached out and caught it, handling its weight with ease, the rumbling sounds muffled. As if accustomed to her willfulness, she only produced an ornate cloth bag and carefully sheathed the halberd's head.
...
In Yangxin Palace.
"Heh heh heh heh, hahahaha, interesting, interesting!"
An effeminate-looking man in luxurious robes laughed strangely, pushing aside the disheveled maidservant in his arms: "Bring wine!"
...
An old eunuch hurried into Changsheng Palace.
A slender figure sat with their back to the light, practicing calligraphy.
The old eunuch tiptoed close and whispered something in their ear.
The youth was handsome, though his complexion was overly pale, lending him a sickly air. Upon hearing the news, he remained perfectly calm, and even the hand holding the brush did not pause for a moment.
Only after finishing a piece of calligraphy did he speak in a clear, pleasant voice: "Let us see what Changle Palace does."
...
All eyes were watching Changle Palace.
Its master, the current Crown Prince Jiang Wuhua, had always been low-key and reserved. Many in the world whispered that he had merely gained advantage from the former Crown Prince's downfall. He had simply been born first, and Jiang Wuliang had repeatedly committed grave errors, thus allowing him to enter the Eastern Palace.
Of all the palaces, Changle Palace should have been the most alert to the disturbance outside Qingshi Palace.
But at this moment, inside Changle Palace...
The Crown Prince, whose face was rather plain and honest, was still bustling about in the kitchen.
The head eunuch cooks stood in a line, watching him with troubled expressions.
The Crown Prince had rolled his sleeves up high, his eyes fixed intently on the fire, calling out: "Wife, wife! I want the pork elbow extra tender, don't say I didn't warn you!"
From far away came a sweet shout in reply: "Very well!"
...
And within Qingshi Palace.
The always silent Qingshi Palace.
After a long while, only a soft sigh was heard.
No love, no hatred, no resentment, no regret.