Chapter 3 Imprisonment

Chapter 3: Prison Tribulations

Grand Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan, who came from the Lin’an Xiao clan—one of the Four Great Families—is now the most powerful woman in the imperial harem. Previously, only the late Empress Qin Feng, the elder sister of Qin Xiao and a member of the Grand Marshal’s Qin family, could rival her influence somewhat.

With the late Empress’s demise, most of the harem’s power has fallen into the hands of the Xiao clan.

When the late Emperor and Empress passed away simultaneously, the incident was sudden, and only the Qin family was well-prepared, quickly seized control of the imperial city’s situation and stabilizing the various factions.

Qin Xiao, leveraging the late Emperor’s prepared edict naming the crown prince, used swift action to place the fifth prince, Baili Hong, on the throne.

However, the palace still houses the four princes left by the late Emperor.

Three of them are of low birth, with maternal families lacking influence, and thus present little threat.

Only the eldest prince, Baili Hai, is different. His mother was Duan Fei, the First of the Four Consorts during the late Emperor’s reign.

Duan Fei came from a branch of the Xiao clan, of the same clan as the Grand Empress Dowager.

After the late Emperor ascended the throne, the eldest prince was raised by the Grand Empress Dowager. Now sixteen years old, he has already been enfeoffed as a prince—Prince Jiannan.

With various factions in the capital checking each other, the young Emperor’s hold on the throne remains unstable.

The Grand Empress Dowager, using the excuse of being reluctant to part with her grandson, has kept Prince Jiannan within the palace. Her motives are transparent to any observer.

The young Emperor Baili Hong is only three years old. Though bright and proper, he is still naive and innocent. Leaving him alone in the imperial palace under such circumstances is akin to throwing a lamb to the wolves.

Thus, Qin Xiao, braving all censure and risking being labeled a treacherous relative by scholars and officials, has personally taken up residence in the palace. His reasons are twofold: to remain vigilant against covert threats and to facilitate the guidance of the young Emperor.

With the court’s affairs still unstable, the Imperial Guards frequently capture assassins, killers, and spies.

To facilitate operations and interrogations, Qin Xiao ordered the construction of a "Heavenly Prison" within the palace grounds.

The Heavenly Prison is located far from the harem, in a relatively remote area of the outer court, adjacent to the Ningsu Courtyard where the Imperial Guards rest during their shifts. It covers an area roughly three times the size of the Fengtian Hall, with walls taller than those of other palace structures and only one gate for entry and exit.

Upon entering the courtyard, one is met with the sight of cold, hard stone.

Not only is the ground paved with it, but even the entire row of cells facing the gate is constructed from thick stone, appearing immensely sturdy at first glance.

At this moment, with the heavy rain pouring down, the already dim prison cells feel even more damp and chilly.

Chu Jiubian, drenched from the rain, shivered upon entering the cell.

The two Imperial Guards flanking him, who had previously been stern, now regarded him with unconcealed wariness and fear, clearly shaken by the sudden downpour.

An Wuji, faring somewhat better, showed little emotion on his face, but his attitude toward Chu Jiubian was completely different from before.

He personally unlocked a cell door and said politely, "Please, go inside. These cells are newly built and very clean."

Chu Jiubian was feeling pretty good.

After all, he had won his wager with Qin Xiao. Even if Qin Xiao reneged on his promise and failed to provide him with good food and comfortable lodging, it didn’t matter. With the occurrence of the heavy rain, the other party would surely view him with wariness, perhaps even seek to use him, and would no longer easily contemplate killing him.

Having temporarily secured his life, Chu Jiubian felt naturally relaxed.

He stepped into the cell and, turning around, saw An Wuji securing the heavy bronze lock on the cell door. He asked, "Are there others here?"

"No," An Wuji replied, securing the lock and looking at him. "You are the first guest here."

Chu Jiubian: "...What an honor," he said drily.

An Wuji realized his words sounded rather unpleasant and said with an awkward laugh, "Well, if there's nothing else, you should rest now. We'll take our leave."

"Wait," Chu Jiubian called out to stop him, "Bring me a set of clean clothes and some hot water. I need to wipe myself down."

Only then did An Wuji notice that the young man's clothes were completely soaked, clinging tightly to his body and outlining his graceful curves.

The white silk and sheer gauze, drenched and pressed against his skin, faintly revealed the soft skin beneath.

An Wuji withdrew his gaze and said, "My apologies, but without Lord Qin Xiao's orders, we dare not act on our own."

Lord Qin Xiao's command was to imprison Chu Jiubian, but he hadn't given any further instructions.

In fact, if it were anyone else, An Wuji wouldn't have personally escorted them and might even have hinted to his subordinates to teach the person a lesson.

But Chu Jiubian was completely different from anyone he had dealt with before. Not only did An Wuji refrain from giving him any trouble beforehand, but he even carefully weighed his words when refusing him.

Knowing that An Wuji was merely following orders, Chu Jiubian didn’t press him further and said as a compromise, "Then surely there must be drinking water, right?"

"We do," An Wuji quickly untied the water pouch from his waist and handed it through the cell door.

Having been in military camps since he was old enough to wield a weapon, he was used to rough living and had long been accustomed to sharing food and drink with fellow soldiers. But when he looked up and saw Chu Jiubian’s delicate, scholarly appearance, his outstretched hand froze.

He said awkwardly, "This water pouch has been used by me. If you mind, I can fetch a new one for you."

Chu Jiubian’s throat was dry and sore, and he wasn’t particularly fussy about cleanliness. He walked over, took the water pouch, opened it, and took small sips, feeling some relief in his throat.

As he closed the pouch to return it, An Wuji added, "You can keep it for now. Later, I’ll have someone bring you some food and drink."

Hmm, it seemed this "divine" status had its uses after all.

Chu Jiubian smiled at him, "Thank you for your trouble."

An Wuji exchanged a few more polite words before leading the other two away.

The three of them quickly hurried off, only daring to speak in hushed tones once they were far enough away, their conversation inevitably turning to the sudden downpour.

Chu Jiubian gently touched his burning throat and scanned the cell, finding nothing extra in sight.

There was no bed, table, or chair—not even a strand of straw. All he could see were smooth, clean walls and floors.

He walked to the corner and casually sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall.

The hard floor and wall dug into his bones, and combined with the injuries from earlier—being suspended by wires and thrown to the ground by Qin Xiao—there was hardly a spot on his body that didn’t ache.

But he paid no mind to that. What concerned him more was the system in his mind.

On the way here, he had already tried summoning it in his thoughts.

The system had indeed responded, but unlike the systems he had read about in novels, this one had no human qualities. It only answered simple questions with specific answers.

If the questions were more complex, it would simply fall silent, as if unable to process them—completely semi-intelligent.

One thing he could confirm, however, was that the system bore him no ill will. On the contrary, it needed something from him—to correct some kind of causality.

But as for what exactly that causality was, the system remained mysterious, saying only, "Host need only follow their heart to correct causality."

No tasks, no demands—such an accommodating system was rare.

But since it said to follow his heart, Chu Jiubian decided not to dwell on it further. Rather than overthinking, it was better to familiarize himself with the system’s functions and see if there was a way to resolve this dilemma.

He closed his eyes, focused his thoughts, and "saw" a virtual screen resembling a game interface.

However, this panel was as simple as a single-player game, with only four boxes on the initial page.

Each box contained only the most basic column names and explanations.

"Faith Points/Points": Points converted from faith received by the host. Faith Points can be used for transactions in the system mall.

Current Faith Points/Points: 10.

"System Mall": A marketplace spanning countless realms. The host can use Faith Points to purchase any item in the mall. For purchase rules, item uses, etc., please click on specific items to view their details page.

Current Status: Open.

"System Warehouse": Can store various items (excluding living creatures).

Current Status: 10 square meters, occupied space 0 (expands automatically as Faith Points accumulate; space does not decrease if points are reduced).

These three made sense right away. Chu Jiubian glanced at them and grasped their meaning.

Only the last one remained. Just by its name, it was hard to guess its specific functions, and the explanation for this box's function was the most detailed.

"Divine Realm?" Chu Jiubian thought to himself. "Sounds pretty cringey."

"Divine Realm": Through this function, the host can select and connect with believers. Once connected, the host and believers can appear together in the Divine Realm. The Divine Realm is a space independent of the three-dimensional world. Within it, the host is the one true deity and can connect or disconnect with any believer at any time.

Believer Connection Rules:

1. Do not connect with those with ill intentions, those guilty of heinous crimes, or those who hinder the host's "adjusting karma."

2. For every 100 points accumulated, the host can add one believer slot in the Divine Realm (believer slots do not decrease if Faith Points/Points are reduced).

3. Connecting with believers is not limited by distance.

4. Connecting with believers requires them to be in a "sleeping" or "zoned-out" state.

5. Conversations and events within the Divine Realm are known only to the host and the believers present. Without the host's consent, believers cannot convey matters related to the Divine Realm or the host to the outside world.

6. Once believers acknowledge the host as their master, they will not betray.

Current Status: Not open (requires accumulated Faith Points of 100 for initial activation).

Chu Jiubian read it carefully twice, then mentally touched the "Divine Realm" box. As expected, there was no response.

The idea of pulling complete strangers, even those far away, into a space entirely under his control was incredible.

Moreover, according to this, if he had enough points, he could even pull hundreds or thousands of people into the space simultaneously. And everything that happened or was discussed in this space would be absolutely confidential, with no one able to betray him.

Additionally, as the one true deity of the Divine Realm, hiding his appearance and identity would surely be effortless.

The more he thought about it, the more Chu Jiubian could sense the power of this "Divine Realm" function.

He could hardly wait to explore it further. So, he needed to collect Faith Points quickly.

Chu Jiubian looked again at the Faith Points column. Starting with 10 points was likely due to the current rain.

He wondered exactly who had contributed these Faith Points.

The three Imperial Guards probably had a share, and the young emperor likely did too, since he had called him "Immortal Brother" upon their first meeting.

As for Qin Xiao and those sharp-witted civil and military officials, probably few would associate him with a "god." At most, they might think he knew some mysterious tricks.

But such skepticism was mostly limited to the educated, cultured ruling class.

In the context of the Da Ning Dynasty era, ordinary people were ignorant and deeply believed in divine rulership, as well as belief in spirits and the supernatural.

This was perfect for Chu Jiubian, who needed "believers" and "Faith Points."

He only needed to use the system mall or his modern knowledge to show off otherworldly marvels, and he would gain plenty of believers and faith.

With a plan in mind, Chu Jiubian finally opened the system mall.

With the Divine Realm function having set the bar so high, Chu Jiubian’s expectations for the mall were immediately raised. Fortunately, the items inside did not disappoint—in fact, they far exceeded his expectations.

There were exquisite clothing and accessories, antiques and calligraphy from unknown realms and dynasties, practical tool blueprints, various ready-to-eat foods, medicines, weapons...

An overwhelming variety, as if anything he wanted could be found here.

Chu Jiubian was immediately dazzled.

But soon, he figured out the mall’s categories and pricing rules.

Daily necessities and food were the cheapest, followed by clothing, medicines, and various vegetable and fruit seeds. The most expensive were weapons and tool blueprints.

Blueprints were even more valuable than weapons because they contained the wisdom and civilization of different worlds and dynasties.

With just a casual glance, Chu Jiubian had already seen "Fine Salt Extraction Methods," "Glass Manufacturing Techniques," "Crop Encyclopedia," "Traditional Chinese Medicine Compendium," and "Firearm Production."

And what excited him most was that after purchasing these blueprints and books, they would be directly imprinted into his mind, fully understood without needing to study them.

He could also turn these books and blueprints into physical copies for others to learn.

But that was for later. His meager 10 points could only buy some food, drinks, and maybe two sets of clothes—none of which were necessary for him at the moment.

Still, he needed to test whether the points could be used and whether the warehouse size would change if points were reduced.

So, after browsing for a while, Chu Jiubian stingily spent 0.5 points to buy half a box of cold medicine.

After the purchase succeeded, the number in the Faith Points column actually changed. The total warehouse size remained the same, but the occupied space changed because the medicine had been automatically stored in the warehouse.

The points value in the "Divine Realm" box also remained unchanged. It seemed that reducing points indeed did not affect its cumulative value.

Relieved, Chu Jiubian slowly opened his eyes. The cold, damp feeling rushed back, and he shuddered involuntarily.

He took two cold medicine tablets from the system warehouse and took them with water.

Then he turned his head to look toward the cell door.

Sturdy wooden bars tightly enclosed that side.

Now, it was time to find a way out of here.