Chapter 62 Fengdu Ghost Banquet 7

With another loud bang, the already broken door of the room finally gave way under the concerted effort of the palace attendants and crashed to the ground.

Concubine Lin, lifting her skirt, rushed into the room only to find Xia Qi leisurely closing the windows by the sill.

Upon seeing Concubine Lin and the others arrive, Xia Qi turned around and gave them a faint smile.

Perhaps because Xia Qi rarely smiled, his sudden grin seemed oddly out of place, making Concubine Lin feel uneasy.

What exactly was wrong?

When he saw Xia Qi closing the window, he immediately guessed that the illicit lover might have escaped, especially given Xia Qi's unnervingly calm demeanor, which confirmed his suspicion that the lover had jumped out the window.

The more Xia Qi tried to act composed, the more certain he became that the lover had fled through the window.

"How dare you let the man hiding in your room escape?" Concubine Lin barked coldly. "Have you no sense of shame, harboring a man within the palace walls?"

Without waiting for Xia Qi's response, Concubine Lin hurried to the window and pushed it open.

However, upon opening the window, he found nothing outside—no trace of the illicit lover.

"What are you all standing around for? Go chase after him!" Concubine Lin snapped at the attendants.

Following Concubine Lin's command, the attendants rushed out one after another.

Despite searching the courtyard thoroughly, they found no sign of the supposed lover.

Grinding his teeth, Concubine Lin glared at Xia Qi with resentment. "Xia Qi, you've played tricks right under my nose."

His deduction must be correct; there had to be someone in Xia Qi's room just now.

"Concubine, it seems you're quite worried about me," Xia Qi said with a smirk, looking at Concubine Lin with an unusually arrogant attitude.

Concubine Lin felt his temples throbbing from the provocation. He, who had never lost in palace intrigue, had once again fallen into Xia Qi's trap.

Taking a deep breath, Concubine Lin slowly regained his composure and, with a cold snort, admitted, "I underestimated you."

"Concubine, this Shouju Palace is your territory. How could I possibly hide anyone in my room?" Xia Qi shrugged, effectively blocking Concubine Lin's accusation with his continued arrogance.

"Concubine," Concubine Wu, equally infuriated, shot Xia Qi a venomous look and suggested to Concubine Lin, "Why don't we lock him up and interrogate him slowly?"

Concubine Wu, having suffered greatly at the hands of Xia Qi and her sister tonight, wished she could tear them apart on the spot.

She couldn't let Xia Qi and his sister continue causing trouble; she needed to use Concubine Lin's authority to get rid of them.

Hearing Concubine Wu's suggestion of using him as a tool, Concubine Lin sneered and glanced at her coldly.

Did Concubine Wu think he was foolish enough to detain Xia Qi in his name? Without any concrete evidence, if the system declared Xia Qi innocent, he would be the one suffering the consequences.

Tonight, he had accompanied Concubine Wu merely to reap the benefits, not to be used as a pawn.

However, that didn't mean he was willing to let this go.

"Xia Qi, you and that palace maid will move to my annex," Concubine Lin said after a moment's consideration.

He planned to keep Xia Qi under close watch, personally overseeing him, believing that Xia Qi would eventually slip up.

"Sure," Xia Qi nodded without hesitation, not even bothering to pack his belongings as he walked over to Concubine Lin. "Please lead the way, Concubine."

Seeing Xia Qi's calm demeanor, Concubine Lin couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Why was Xia Qi so pleased about moving to the annex?

Logically, he should be upset about being separated from his illicit lover, yet he seemed relieved instead.

After leaving the room with the others, Xia Qi suddenly stopped.

He turned his head and glanced at his wardrobe.

A layer of black mist floated above it, exuding a palpable aura of resentment.

Xia Qi smiled slightly and followed the attendants outside.

He woke his sleeping sister, telling her they were moving to the annex.

"What? We were living fine here. Why do we need to change rooms?" she yawned, slowly getting out of bed.

Without much packing, they left the palace maid quarters.

As they stepped outside the courtyard, Xia Qi paused and looked back toward the eaves.

Several shadows were crouching on the palace wall, each peeking out half their heads, watching the maid quarters intently.

Just as he suspected, Concubine Lin hadn't relaxed his vigilance and had sent guards to watch his room.

It seemed he wouldn't be disturbed tonight and could sleep soundly.

"Brother Xia, what are you so happy about?" his sister asked curiously upon reaching Concubine Wu's annex.

Ever since leaving the maid quarters, Xia Qi's face had been lit up with a smile, particularly when he saw Concubine Lin's shadow guards outside the maid quarters, a hint of schadenfreude evident in his expression.

Xia Qi touched his face and said, "Really?"

Was it that obvious?

"Uh..." his sister hesitated, turning away with a peculiar expression.

She secretly wondered if the white figure was still in Xia Qi's room.

She originally thought that Xia Qi would be very upset after being separated from his lover by Concubine Lin, but to her surprise, he didn't care at all and even happily moved with her.

Could it be that Xia Qi had an argument with BOSS? Would they end up like her parents, sleeping in separate beds after arguing and eventually divorcing?

After thinking for a while, the sister realized she couldn't figure it out.

Forget it, forget it. The world of adults is beyond her understanding.

"I'm going to sleep now." There were two rooms in the annex, and the sister wisely chose to stay in the outer room to continue guarding the door for Xia Qi.

Xia Qi stayed in the inner room because it had a window, while the outer room did not.

He was worried that someone might climb in during the night, which could scare the sister.

The conditions in the annex were much better than those in the palace maid's quarters. The quilts no longer had a musty smell. Xia Qi took off his shoes and socks, lay on the bed, and felt grateful to the Ghost Emperor.

Thanks to the Ghost Emperor's efforts, he was successfully placed under Concubine Lin's watchful eye.

He hoped Concubine Lin would continue to shine and help him resist the Ghost Emperor's advances.

After a peaceful night's sleep, Xia Qi was woken up early in the morning by the sister.

Opening the door, he found her standing outside, holding a bundle of clothes. She handed the clothes to him and said, "Here, they just gave these to us."

Xia Qi took the clothes and examined them carefully.

"Reward Item: Ninth-Rank Palace Maid's Clothes (only usable in this instance)"

"Rank: Trash, Charm +0"

"Additional Information: Dear, this clothing is so poor quality. Don't you want to be officially appointed?"

Xia Qi: "..."

"No, thank you," Xia Qi muttered inwardly to the system.

So the items in this game could enhance attributes. No wonder the concubines dressed so flamboyantly.

Even more absurdly, the men dressed more delicately than the women. Especially Zhao Fei, who wore a plethora of jewelry, looking like a peacock, more feminine than Concubine Wu.

However, Xia Qi actually liked the ninth-rank palace maid's clothes. Although made of ordinary gray rough cloth, the clothes were unisex and didn't make him look feminine.

Although there was no charm bonus, Xia Qi felt satisfied. He didn't think Concubine Lin was deliberately mistreating him by making him wear a palace maid's clothes as a showgirl.

After changing into the clothes, Xia Qi and the sister went out to gather.

When they reached the main hall of Shouju Palace, they suddenly heard Concubine Wu's sharp, mocking laughter from inside: "Oh, Your Highness, your servant is more precious than you. They're only arriving now."

Hearing this, Xia Qi looked inside and saw that the hall was bustling with concubines seated everywhere.

On both sides of the hall, the concubines were arranged according to their ranks, sitting in their chairs, some rolling their eyes, others sneering, all showing disdain towards him.

Concubine Lin sat in the central seat, sipping tea and idly playing with the lid of his teacup, maintaining his enigmatic demeanor as a master of palace intrigue.

Seeing everyone's posture, Xia Qi knew that the concubines were here to pay their respects to Concubine Lin in the morning. He hadn't expected they would be late. He turned to look at the sister, who shook her head slightly.

In fact, the sister had arrived an hour early, but the maid had given her a later time. She had come out early, yet still ended up late.

"They weren't late for long; it's just that the sisters came too early." Concubine Lin nodded at Xia Qi and the sister, signaling them to step aside.

Though he hated Xia Qi deeply, he couldn't fabricate charges against him.

Rather than wasting effort on minor issues, Concubine Lin thought it better to focus on catching Xia Qi's lover.

Once he caught the lover, he could sentence both Xia Qi and the lover to death. Then Xia Qi would be at his mercy.

"Hmph." Seeing that Concubine Lin wasn't going to pursue the matter further, Concubine Wu pursed her lips and huffed in displeasure.

The time for paying respects was indeed 6 AM, but since the concubines were experienced players, they arrived half an hour early to avoid any mishaps along the way, making Xia Qi and the sister appear late.

Seeing that the other concubines had no intention of further accusations, Xia Qi and the sister stepped back and stood quietly behind a pillar, serving as background extras in the palace drama.

"Oh, Concubine Wu, your hairpin looks lovely. How much charm does it add?"

"Sister Zhao Fei, the pearl on your gold hairpin is so shiny. Does it have any other functions?"

Listening to the concubines' veiled insults, Xia Qi realized that being an unranked showgirl wasn't so bad.

If he had accepted the appointment, they would have been like office workers at a meeting, constantly under scrutiny, with every gesture interpreted differently.

"Tsk, although they haven't committed any faults, three more sisters haven't arrived yet," Zhao Fei, a man, said with a smile. Perhaps due to being a "concubine" for too long, Zhao Fei had lost his masculine demeanor. His eyeliner extended almost to his temples, giving him a fierce and treacherous look.

Looking at the room full of "songbirds," Xia Qi couldn't help but think that this instance was truly twisted, seeing how it had transformed these men.

"Hmph." Concubine Wu clutched her handkerchief and let out a sharp laugh. "Let's wait a bit longer today and see how long we need to wait for them. Your Highness, you can't be lenient today."

Hearing this, the white-collar woman next to Concubine Wu trembled.

Because of her relatively high charm value, she and the Yellow Haired Girl were assigned to Lengxiang Palace. Last night, she heard the Yellow Haired Girl crying nearby until an intruder entered, and then Lengxiang Palace finally quieted down.

Worried about being harmed by Concubine Wu, the white-collar woman didn't sleep all night.

This morning, Concubine Wu didn't send anyone to call her out, so she followed on her own.

Everyone in the main hall of Shouju Palace ate snacks, drank tea, and chatted for quite a while before the three latecomers finally arrived.

Among them was an eighth-rank beauty and two ninth-rank talents. They looked flustered, suggesting they were new players entering the game instance for the first time.

These three newcomers had witnessed the horror of the game yesterday and were worried they would be punished like the woman with yellow hair. Their faces looked terrible, especially that of the eighth-ranked beauty, who was trembling the most.

"The three of you have offended Concubine Lin," Zhao Fei sneered, the male concubine with the most scheming demeanor. "Do you think the rules of the palace are set in stone?"

The beauty was so frightened that she trembled again and knelt before Concubine Lin, sobbing, "Concubine Lin, we know we were wrong. Please forgive us."

"Forgive you? What about Concubine Lin's dignity if everyone starts following your example?" Concubine Wu stepped forward, using Concubine Lin as her weapon, which was always her favorite tactic.

Seeing the concubines condemning their tardiness, the three newcomers showed expressions of terror. Although they didn't know the true consequences of being late, hearing the word "elimination" made them feel uneasy.

The three looked desperately at Concubine Lin, who sipped her tea in a pretentious manner and said calmly, "You three were merely late; it doesn't warrant a severe punishment."

"Thank you, Concubine! Thank you, Concubine!" The three finally regained their composure, relieved to hear they wouldn't face severe punishment.

Hearing this, the other concubines were unhappy, especially those whose subordinates were among the three, showing expressions as if their rations had been taken away.

"But while severe punishment can be avoided, minor offenses cannot go unpunished." Having led the palace intrigue for several months, Concubine Lin knew not to offend the other concubines. He raised an eyebrow at the three and said, "Today, I will demote you three to ninth-ranked palace maids. You will serve in the imperial kitchen from now on."

As soon as he finished speaking, the system began broadcasting the announcement.

"Broadcast: Eighth-ranked beauty Zhang Yun, ninth-ranked maid Li Jing, and Wang An failed to greet Concubine Lin on time. They have been stripped of their titles and demoted to ninth-ranked palace maids."

Upon hearing the broadcast, the three turned pale again, but they were relieved that they had at least kept their lives.

However, Xia Qi noticed that the concubines present looked satisfied, as if they weren't upset by the elimination of the three.

Could there be something wrong with being a palace maid?

No, Xia Qi thought. His sister was also a palace maid, and there were many palace maids in this game. Being a palace maid wasn't dangerous; it was going to the imperial kitchen that posed a risk.

Since they had been demoted to palace maids, they could no longer participate in Concubine Lin's morning assembly and were escorted out of Shouju Palace by the palace servants.

The concubines, having completed their task of harming others, were in high spirits and started chatting animatedly, discussing trivial matters in a seemingly harmonious manner.

If Xia Qi hadn't seen Concubine Wu eating people and transforming into a monster yesterday, he might have believed they were normal players engaged in palace intrigue.

After the concubines finished gossiping, Concubine Lin suddenly spoke up, "Ladies, please quiet down. I have an important announcement today."

Apart from the regular addition of new consorts every half month, Fengdu's palace had been quiet for a long time. Hearing Concubine Lin's announcement, the concubines perked up, looking expectantly at him.

Seeing their eager eyes, Xia Qi felt something was off.

Normally, when people hear about important news, they feel curious, not like these concubines, who looked like starving wolves.

Concubine Lin cleared his throat and said, "In seven days, it will be the Zhongyuan Festival. The emperor has sent me a message, planning to hold a family banquet on the Moon Viewing Platform during the festival. To make the atmosphere lively, please prepare some performances, ladies. The performer who wins first place will have one wish granted by the emperor."

[Ding! Attention all new players, you have automatically received the mission "Debut as Trainees"!]

"Scoring Rules: All palace mentors have different voting powers based on their ranks. Mentors can cast their votes for the trainees performing. After all performances, the system will tally the votes to determine the brightest star of the night!"

"Team Formation Rules: Trainees can form teams, but the team size cannot exceed three members."

"Failure Rules: The bottom three trainees with the fewest votes will be eliminated from this round of the game."

"Mission Description: One vote from you, one vote from me, and tomorrow you'll debut! Your effort, my effort, you're number one in my heart!"

Xia Qi: "..."

Indeed, ever since he was forced to allocate points to dance and music skills, he knew something like this would happen.

Hearing the sudden mission, the new players showed various expressions, while the concubines were particularly excited and started discussing enthusiastically.

Noticing no one was paying attention, Xia Qi whispered to his sister, "What mission did you hear?"

She paused and replied softly, "The mission is called 'Perform a Program.' It requires entertaining the audience and improving the game atmosphere... what's wrong?"

Logically, Xia Qi had a good memory and should have heard the system's announcement. She found it strange.

"Nothing, just asking." Xia Qi said expressionlessly.

"Okay, Brother Xia, let's team up." She offered, as she and Xia Qi had always been partners, making them more compatible.

Xia Qi frowned and couldn't help reminding her, "I should warn you... I don't have any musical or dance talent."

"It's fine, I've got you covered." She raised an eyebrow, looking confident.

Seeing that she didn't mind his lack of skills, Xia Qi didn't say anything more and agreed.

The news of the banquet spread like a torpedo underwater, and the concubines were thrilled, promising to attend the banquet on time and support Concubine Lin's efforts.

"Will the emperor be attending the banquet?" the office lady asked abruptly.

At the mention of "emperor," everyone's expressions froze, and the atmosphere dropped to freezing point.

Even Concubine Wu didn't speak, clutching her chest as if she had been terrified.

Zhao Fei stood up, his face turning green, and said to Concubine Lin, "Concubine, I'm feeling unwell. I'll take my leave."

Seeing everyone's fearful reactions, the office lady realized her mistake.

Concubine Lin pursed her lips and said coldly, "Let's disperse."

Thanks to the office lady's ill-timed question, the morning assembly finally ended. Xia Qi felt his legs had gone numb.

He probably wasn't born to enjoy meetings and couldn't understand why a group of people sitting around talking was necessary.

After the meeting, it was nearly noon.

"You two, come here." Concubine Lin's maid called to Xia Qi and his sister, who were sweeping the floor.

Concubine Lin's maidservant had always been displeased with Xia Qi and his sister. Seeing that the two of them were not sweeping the ground cleanly, she instructed them to go to the imperial kitchen to fetch lunch.

Before leaving, the maidservant deliberately didn't tell them where the imperial kitchen was or explain the rules for fetching lunch. She patted her buttocks and left.

"Seeing her smug look, there might be danger at the imperial kitchen." Xia Qi squinted his eyes as he watched the maidservant skip away.

"Yes, I think so too." His sister nodded. "Brother Xia, will you go?"

His sister was still a ninth-rank palace maid, and the maidservant was her direct superior. Even if Xia Qi didn't go to the imperial kitchen, his sister would have to go alone.

She had to complete the task assigned by her superior, or the maidservant could use it as an opportunity to accuse her of dereliction of duty.

"I'll go with you. I want to see how those three new recruits who became palace maids are doing," Xia Qi said.

Even if the maidservant hadn't given the task, Xia Qi planned to visit the imperial kitchen at some point. After all, those three new recruits had been sent there, and he wondered what they might encounter.

The two of them left Shouju Palace together. As they passed by the entrance of Lengxiang Palace, Concubine Ou suddenly came out and asked, "Where are you going?"

"We're going to the imperial kitchen," his sister replied.

"What?!" Concubine Ou was shocked and hurriedly rushed over, grabbing Xia Qi's arm and exclaimed, "Don't go! Are you tired of living?"

Author's note: Author: How did it feel being locked in the closet all night?

Someone: It was very upsetting, very heartbreaking.