Chapter 298: Chapter 294: Emperor Li Bi’s Face Turned Green

Jinluan Grand Hall. What kind of place was that?

It was the main hall of the Imperial Palace! If Golden Scale Imperial City was the political heart of the entire Southern Tang Country, then Jinluan Grand Hall was the heart of that heart. Every day, the Emperor and all his civil and military officials held morning court within its walls.

Jinluan Grand Hall was vast, solemn, and majestic. It represented the face of the Southern Tang Country—it was the Emperor’s face.

And yet, on a dragon pillar in this vast, solemn, and majestic hall, four large words had been carved: "Ye Liangchen was here."

What did he think the Imperial Palace was? A tourist attraction? A place he could come and go as he pleased?

Emperor Li Bi’s face was ashen, veins throbbing on his forehead. He was clearly furious beyond measure.

As the Imperial Army soldier delivered the news, the civil and military officials erupted into a clamor.

"To actually carve words on a dragon pillar in Jinluan Grand Hall... This Lord White Cloud is truly audacious!"

"Lord White Cloud has truly angered His Majesty this time! He must have a death wish."

"A death wish? His Majesty was going to kill him anyway. If you ask me, Lord White Cloud knows he can’t escape, so since he’s going to die no matter what, he’s decided to just let loose and go out with a bang."

"Wait, why ’Ye Liangchen was here’ and not ’Lord White Cloud was here’? My lords, who is this Ye Liangchen?"

"Yes, I was wondering the same thing. Who is Ye Liangchen?"

"You fool. Ye Liangchen must be Lord White Cloud. ’Lord White Cloud’ is just a title. His real name must be Ye Liangchen."

"Oh, I see!"

"Wait, that’s not right, Lord Lin. I’m sure I heard that Lord White Cloud’s name is Ye Xing!"

"That’s right, I’ve also heard his name is Ye Xing. Lord Lin, you must be mistaken!"

"Er... well... they both have the surname Ye. Perhaps it’s his childhood name."

If Ye Xing had been there to hear the officials’ conversation, he would have been amused. Ye Liangchen was an internet celebrity from Earth, a famous show-off and a popular online meme. Ye Xing found the whole thing hilarious and, on a whim, decided to leave the four words "Ye Liangchen was here" in Jinluan Hall as a souvenir from his "one-day tour" of the Imperial Palace.

"Besides the carving, did that Lord White Cloud do anything else?" Emperor Li Bi asked, practically grinding his teeth.

"Well... he... he..." The Imperial Army messenger was drenched in sweat. He truly didn’t dare to continue. But withholding information was a capital offense, an act of deceiving the Emperor that would get his entire clan executed. If he spoke, His Majesty would be furious, but at worst, he’d just be killed to vent the Emperor’s anger.

Weighing the options, the Imperial Army soldier gritted his teeth and mustered his courage. "Your Majesty, besides the carving, Lord White Cloud... he sat on the Dragon Throne. He said it was of excellent quality and very comfortable... and then he... he took it!"

"What?!" Emperor Li Bi’s eyes blazed with fury. A wave of rage caught in his chest, and he broke into a violent coughing fit.

The Dragon Throne represented the seat of the sovereign. It was the imperial throne itself, the ultimate symbol of power, a seat only the Emperor could occupy. And now it had been stolen. Did this not mean his own throne was no longer secure? Once word of this got out, the Royal Family’s prestige would be shattered, and he would become a laughingstock to the entire world. A firestorm of rage consumed Emperor Li Bi; he wished he could grind Lord White Cloud to dust at that very moment.

The more he thought, the more furious and stifled he became. His breathing grew ragged, and he couldn’t stop coughing. The surrounding officials were alarmed and hurriedly tried to placate him.

"Your Majesty, please calm yourself!"

"Your Majesty, you must look after your health!"

"Lord White Cloud is trapped in the Imperial Palace. He’s a dead man walking. Why waste your anger on him, Your Majesty?"

"Indeed. Once we capture Lord White Cloud, he’ll have to spit out every last treasure he’s taken."

"Your Majesty, you must preserve your health!"

"Hey, look! Another messenger from the Imperial Army is coming! Perhaps they’ve already captured Lord White Cloud!"

Just then, another Imperial Army soldier was seen sprinting out from the palace gates.

Emperor Li Bi’s face cycled between pale and livid. He took a deep breath, managing to slightly quell his fury, and fixed his gaze on the newly arrived messenger. With a grim expression, he asked, "Has something else been stolen?"

Clearly, after one piece of bad news after another, Emperor Li Bi had lost all hope in his Imperial Army. In his mind, this messenger had probably just come to report that the treasures of yet another hall had been taken by Lord White Cloud.

The soldier, having just arrived, was taken aback by the question. "Stolen? No! Oh, is Your Majesty referring to the literary treasures in Yunshu Hall and Treasure Hall?"

"We are already aware of the situation in Yunshu Hall and Treasure Hall," Emperor Li Bi said gravely. "We are asking if anything else has been stolen from any other location."

"Other locations? Oh, yes. Your Majesty, Lord White Cloud broke into Jinluan Grand Hall and stole your Dragon Throne," the soldier replied immediately.

"Insolence! We are already aware of the Dragon Throne!" Emperor Li Bi’s face was ashen, his gaze frigid and filled with killing intent. The matter of the throne was his ’reverse scale’—a source of his greatest shame and humiliation.

The Imperial Army soldier said hastily, "Then there’s nothing else! Your Majesty, there’s nothing else!"

"Nothing else? Lord White Cloud hasn’t stolen anything else from Us?" Emperor Li Bi was slightly taken aback. "If there’s nothing else, then why are you here? Do you have some other news to report?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is here to report that Lord White Cloud has broken into... broken into Shuning Palace!" the soldier stammered, trembling.

"What? He broke into Shuning Palace? Why would he do that? What has he done to Our beloved consort? How long did he stay there?" Emperor Li Bi’s face went from ashen to livid and back again, his expression turbulent.

Consort Shu of Shuning Palace was graceful and beautiful. The previous year, she had given birth to a little princess for the Royal Family, and she was one of Emperor Li Bi’s most cherished consorts.

Hearing that Lord White Cloud had broken into Shuning Palace, Emperor Li Bi’s heart leaped into his throat. Lord White Cloud was a young man in his twenties, in the prime of his youth and full of vigor. Why would he force his way into Shuning Palace? It held no priceless treasures. Could it be... was he after Consort Shu’s beauty? At this thought, Emperor Li Bi’s expression grew incredibly tense.

"Your Majesty, Lord White Cloud did not linger in Shuning Palace. He retreated almost as soon as he entered," the soldier answered quickly.

"He retreated as soon as he entered!" Emperor Li Bi was overjoyed to hear this. His greatest fear was that the scoundrel Lord White Cloud had defiled his beloved consort. If he, the dignified Emperor, was made a cuckold, what would become of the Royal Family’s honor? Hearing that Lord White Cloud hadn’t lingered in Shuning Palace or committed any beastly acts, he let out a huge sigh of relief, his mood improving immensely.

After a pause, a look of sorrow appeared on Emperor Li Bi’s face. "Alas, my poor Consort Shu. If she has been harmed, We will surely avenge her!" he declared. Clearly, the Emperor assumed that although Lord White Cloud hadn’t defiled Consort Shu, he had likely killed her before retreating. And compared to her being defiled, Emperor Li Bi would much rather she be dead. After all, while she was a favored consort, he was the ruler of a nation; he had plenty of consorts. Losing one was regrettable, but it was far better than losing the face of the Royal Family.

"Consort Shu... harmed?" The soldier was stunned by the Emperor’s words and quickly clarified, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu is not dead! Lord White Cloud retreated the moment he entered and did not kill her. Consort Shu is perfectly safe and uninjured!"

"He didn’t kill her?" Emperor Li Bi was stunned. His face darkened. "How is that possible? That scoundrel and We are in a fight to the death. Since he was already in Shuning Palace, why wouldn’t he kill Our beloved consort? Are you lying to Us?"

"Your Majesty, it’s true! This servant is not lying! I wouldn’t dare deceive the Emperor even if you gave me ten times the courage!" the messenger said in a panic. "Lord White Cloud truly did not harm Consort Shu, nor did he linger. Many of the soldiers saw it. He left as soon as he entered. It’s just... it’s just..."

"Just what? Spit it out!" Emperor Li Bi snorted coldly.

"It’s just..." The soldier hesitated. "It seems Consort Shu was quite startled. According to the Palace Maids in Shuning Palace... it seems... it seems Consort Shu was in the middle of her bath at the time!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire court fell into stunned silence.

In an instant, the color of Emperor Li Bi’s face turned a shade of green. Yes, truly green. It had cycled from ashen to livid and back again, but now, it settled on a sickening green.

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