Chapter 68 Fengdu Ghost Banquet 13

After the morning assembly at Shouju Palace, Xia Qi and his sister approached a second-class palace maid to ask for leave, earnestly saying they wanted to go out for a stroll.

Upon hearing this, the second-class palace maid’s expression twitched slightly but quickly agreed, instructing them to be careful outside.

Xia Qi and his sister were now living terrors; even if the second-class palace maid was a hundred times unwilling, she didn’t dare to stop them.

Who could blame her? After all, Xia Qi and his sister were the ones who had eliminated the first-class palace maid. She still wanted to live and didn’t want to become Concubine Lin’s meal.

Once Xia Qi and his sister left, the second-class palace maid immediately entered the inner chamber to report to Concubine Lin.

Learning that Xia Qi and his sister had gone out, Concubine Lin’s eyes twinkled, and a smile appeared on her face: "Hmph, quickly find someone to follow him."

Good, Xia Qi finally couldn’t resist going out. He must be off to meet his lover, right?

"Yes, Your Majesty." The second-class palace maid bowed and then arranged for three people to tail Xia Qi.

As soon as Xia Qi and his sister stepped out, they hadn’t walked far when they sensed someone following them.

At that moment, two palace maids happened to pass by them. When they saw Xia Qi, they behaved like little fans, each stuffing a handful of mung beans into Xia Qi’s hand to express their gratitude: "Xia Qi, thank you for giving us hope in this game."

Although Xia Qi was now a thorn in the side of the concubines, since he had eliminated the tyrannical first-class palace maid, he had become a great hero in the eyes of the players who followed the palace maid route.

"You don’t have much supplies either, no need to give me these," Xia Qi refused, pushing the mung beans back.

Since discovering that there was only one steamed bun per day, Xia Qi knew that resources in this game were extremely scarce.

"Alright, if you need help, just let us know," the palace maids winked at him.

"There is something I need your help with right now," Xia Qi glanced at the three people following them and said, "Someone is tailing us. Can you help us change our clothes?"

"Oh, no problem, please follow us." The two palace maids quickly agreed and led Xia Qi and his sister to the shared quarters of the palace maids.

After changing into fifth-class palace maid attire that added +5 to charm, they followed a group of palace maids out of the room and circled around the area several times, finally shaking off the three people who were following them.

"Brother Xia, are you getting used to it?" Seeing Xia Qi walk with a limp, his sister couldn’t help but turn back and ask.

Because the fifth-class palace maid’s clothing was a dress, Xia Qi felt uncomfortable all over, and his walking speed had slowed down.

Xia Qi gritted his teeth and said, "It’s fine."

His sister pursed her lips, suppressing the smile that threatened to break free. Back when Xia Qi wore court dresses in the Rose Baron game, he ran as fast as lightning. Now, he seemed unaccustomed to it, indicating he hadn’t worn women’s clothing in several games.

The two took a roundabout path to reach Lengxiang Palace.

Before coming, Xia Qi had asked a passing palace maid about the current location of the white-collar lady.

Xia Qi carefully crouched on the wall for a while, and after some time, he saw the white-collar lady hurriedly leaving, carrying a bundle in her arms.

"Let’s follow her."

To their surprise, they actually managed to catch the sneaky white-collar lady, and without hesitation, they followed her.

The white-collar lady was dressed very modestly today, also in palace maid attire. Due to her lack of game experience, although she was being very cautious, she didn’t notice the two people following her.

When they reached the Imperial Garden, the white-collar lady suddenly darted inside with her bundle.

"She’s so bold, daring to enter the Imperial Garden!" His sister couldn’t help but whisper, looking puzzled.

In Fengdu, the Imperial Garden was always a place everyone avoided, even Concubine Lin kept her distance when passing by.

What did the white-collar lady mean by entering the Imperial Garden?

Since his sister was a girl, though young, she would grow up to be a woman. Her eyes narrowed, and her tone became dangerous: "Could it be... she wants to take away your Ghost Emperor, Brother Xia?"

Xia Qi: "..."

No, it was bad enough that the white-collar lady wanted to seduce the Ghost Emperor, but did she really have to add "your" before "Ghost Emperor"? The Ghost Emperor wasn’t his...

However, Xia Qi knew that even if he explained, it wouldn’t make a difference; his sister had seen everything.

"Cough, let’s see what happens," Xia Qi cleared his throat and stepped forward.

Given what she had witnessed between the Ghost Emperor and Xia Qi last night, his sister didn’t hesitate and followed Xia Qi into the Imperial Garden.

They were surprised to find that the Imperial Garden during the day was completely different from at night. Looking at the flowers and vegetables around her, his sister’s eyes widened: "There are so many edible flowers and vegetables in the Imperial Garden! Can we take some back?"

After planting ten flower pots yesterday, her gardening skill points had increased.

She asked Xia Qi because she didn’t dare to pick anything here.

"I’ll ask him later."

The two continued to follow the white-collar lady, passing through a pavilion and reaching a small stream.

By the stream, a man in purple stood under a tree, wearing fewer pearls and jade than Concubine Ou, making him look less extravagant.

Even from a distance, Xia Qi and his sister instantly recognized him: "It’s Concubine Sun!"

Concubine Sun, currently the third-ranked concubine, ranked after Concubine Qian and before Concubine Wu. Compared to the gentle and kind Concubine Qian and the arrogant and domineering Concubine Wu, Concubine Sun was low-key and rarely spoke, which made it difficult for Xia Qi to figure out his true character.

Seeing Zhao Fei, the white-collar lady rushed over to Concubine Sun, as if to hand over something.

"Didn’t expect them to have dealings in private. Could they be planning to bring down Concubine Wu together?" His sister whispered, but suddenly, the white-collar lady not far away pounced directly into Concubine Sun’s arms!

Concubine Sun caught the white-collar lady in his arms, kissed her forehead, and smiled, saying, "Bao’er, you finally came. I’ve been waiting for you."

Xia Qi: "..."

His sister: "..."

As they spoke, the two by the stream began to act exaggeratedly, first throwing their headbands and jewelry on the ground, then garments flying wildly in the air. The white-collar woman's snowy shoulders were exposed, and the sight of her and Concubine Sun's pale skin left the two onlookers speechless.

Xia Qi, expressionless, raised his hand to cover his sister’s eyes.

“I, I can do it myself.” His sister quickly lifted her hand to cover her eyes tightly.

Due to the scene before them being too unbearable to watch, Xia Qi lowered his head, not daring to look up again. However, just the sounds alone made him feel uncomfortable all over, goosebumps falling to the ground.

If it weren't for listening to the conversation between the white-collar woman and Concubine Sun, Xia Qi would have wished to run away immediately.

Just as Xia Qi was about to let his underage sister leave first, she suddenly said softly, “Brother Xia, do you think... if the women in the Ghost Emperor’s harem get together, does that count as putting a green hat on him?”

Xia Qi: "..."

In this scenario, although the Ghost Emperor is the Ghost Emperor, it seems that he has nothing to do with the hierarchy of the harem. So far, he has done nothing but kill people.

"Probably... not," Xia Qi replied.

"Right, right, right. Only if Brother Xia you were with someone else, it would count as putting a green hat on him." His sister said seriously.

Xia Qi: "..."

Xia Qi was speechless, thinking that they should stop mentioning green hats.

Since she couldn’t see his face, his sister continued to chatter, trying to drown out the sounds of the white-collar woman and Concubine Sun.

Suddenly, his sister seemed to remember something and asked a soul-searching question, "Then, what about a count? Does that count?"

Xia Qi: "..."

Xia Qi suddenly felt very fortunate that his sister didn’t know about the Sea King and the Night Emperor.

The battle between the white-collar woman and Concubine Sun didn’t last long. After finishing, the white-collar woman lazily lifted her hand and handed the package to Concubine Sun, saying, "Here’s what you wanted."

"My darling, you’re really something." Concubine Sun pinched the white-collar woman’s nose and smiled, "With this evidence, I can take down Concubine Wu and Concubine Qian in one fell swoop."

The white-collar woman lifted her hand and hooked Concubine Sun’s neck, cooing, "So, how will you repay me?"

"Tsk, you little vixen, aren’t you satisfied enough already?" Concubine Sun pinched the white-collar woman, eliciting a scream from her.

The white-collar woman slapped her chest and pouted, "You’re so mean."

Concubine Sun’s eyes darkened, then she continued, "Once those two fall, I’ll promote you to a higher rank first, and then to a concubine. Are you satisfied?"

Hearing this, the white-collar woman’s eyes lit up, and she clung to Concubine Sun, cooing again.

"Don’t worry, I promise I won’t treat you unfairly." Concubine Sun lifted her hand and roughly ruffled the white-collar woman’s hair.

The white-collar woman, being hugged and having her head rubbed by Concubine Sun, suddenly lowered her head, a smug smile on her lips. She thought, what a pity for the Yellow Haired Girl, who watched so many palace dramas but couldn’t even use one trick before meeting her end.

Who would have thought she was the true palace intrigue expert? Upon discovering there were neither princes nor guards in the palace, she adjusted her strategy and latched onto the male concubine.

"Oh, by the way, won’t we be discovered doing this in the Imperial Garden?" The white-collar woman, after the intense encounter, finally seemed to remember the key issue.

"No," Concubine Sun didn’t even lift an eyelid, "The BOSS only appears at night. The Imperial Garden is safe during the day; no one will barge in."

"That’s good..."

The two by the stream cuddled for a bit longer, then started rustling as they dressed.

"Brother Xia, shall we go too?"

Having listened to the entire conversation between the white-collar woman and Concubine Sun, his sister was already impatient, feeling like she might grow thorns in her ears if she listened any longer.

"Alright."

The two slowly stood up and carefully withdrew from the Imperial Garden. After walking a considerable distance, his sister suddenly asked, "Brother Xia, what evidence do you think they have?"

"Perhaps evidence proving a connection between Concubine Wu and Concubine Qian?" Xia Qi frowned, speculating.

He couldn’t blame himself for overthinking; in broad daylight, the white-collar woman actually got involved with the third-ranked Concubine Sun, which was beyond his comprehension.

Therefore, even if Concubine Wu wasn’t with Concubine Sun but lying in bed with Concubine Lin, Xia Qi wouldn’t find it strange.

"I think so too." His sister sighed. It had to be said that the few months in the game equaled ten years of her real life. She felt the weight of responsibility, as if she wasn’t a teenager but in her thirties.

"To fit the scene, I think we should add some melodramatic elements to our stage play." His sister planned to revise the script tonight.

One of the main actors, Xia Qi: "...R-really, it’s not necessary."

"Okay, I’m just joking." Knowing what Xia Qi was worried about, his sister stifled a laugh.

As the two walked slowly, passing a well marked with “Fushi,” a woman’s voice suddenly cursed from inside the well, "You sons of turtles, grandsons of turtles! You deserve divine retribution, to be struck dead by lightning!"

Author's note:

Xia Qi: I never expected your harem to be so chaotic.

Ghost Emperor: Don’t go! Listen to my explanation! This has nothing to do with me—

Concubine Lin: The adultery investigation team, move out!

After a fierce operation, Concubine Sun and the white-collar woman were caught.