Chapter 13: Entering the Palace.

This time, who knows what’s gotten into that girl again?
She went straight to report it to the Emperor?
But why does she think the fire was orchestrated by Prince Rui’s mansion?

Qian Junyou sat on the bed, face blank with confusion.
The drowsiness that had just washed over him vanished in an instant, exactly like back in university when he’d skip class and hide in the dorm to sleep in, only for his roommate to suddenly text saying the counselor was coming to inspect the rooms…

With the servants’ help, he threw on some simple clothes and was promptly brought to the entrance of Prince Rui’s mansion, only to find the courtyard already packed with people from the Censorate.

“Censorate?!!!”

Qian Junyou’s heart clenched; he sucked in a sharp breath.
This was bad—things were clearly not looking good!

In the original plot, Bai Shuxi had agreed to Prince Rui’s request for revenge on his son in exchange for saving her father; she lured the protagonist into a trap and got him captured.
Afterward, Prince Rui kept his word and spoke up for Bai Shuxi’s father, but the case was never properly resolved.
This sparked widespread discontent among the officials, who jointly petitioned to impeach Prince Rui.
In the end, the Censorate found evidence inside Prince Rui’s mansion.

But… why had the plot jumped straight to the Censorate raiding the house?
And what exactly was this “evidence”?
Where was it hidden?
Qian Junyou knew nothing about it.

Had Prince Rui been involved in the case from the beginning?
Or was someone deliberately framing him by planting fake evidence inside the mansion?

Although it was still called the Censorate, its functions had long since become equivalent to the modern procuratorate.
Its status had been elevated above the Six Ministries and below the Inner Cabinet, making it the highest supervisory organ.
It not only oversaw the judicial agencies but also possessed the authority to “decide major matters by memorial and settle minor ones on the spot.”
It specialized in the evaluation and impeachment of officials.

The Censorate was an existence feared by all court officials.
If any minister accidentally offended one of its agents, his official hat would almost certainly be gone.

Of course, the Censorate could not openly run amok in the imperial court.
Above them stood the Emperor’s five direct subordinate departments:
the Brocade Guards, the Pure Yin Palace, the Crimson Dark Army, the Mystic Twilight Ghost Riders, and the Chess Shadow.

The first two organizations served as the Emperor’s hidden eyes and ears.
They rarely took action and merely observed from the shadows.
It was said that the last time anyone had seen them move openly was fifteen years ago.

As for the final one, “Chess Shadow,” most people only knew the name.
Whether it truly existed was still an open question.

“Brat, hurry over here!”

Prince Rui waved and shouted toward Qian Junyou.
Only after seeing his father did Qian Junyou hurriedly trot over.
He discovered that everyone in the entire Prince Rui’s mansion—from top to bottom—had been gathered in the center of the courtyard.

For an audience with the Emperor, Qian Junyou should have worn the formal four-clawed dragon-embroidered brocade robe.
But under Prince Rui’s urging he had simply thrown on a plain white casual robe.

“Grand Chancellor, Lord Censor, everyone in the mansion is present!”

Prince Rui turned to the two leading ministers.
The “Censor” was the head of the Censorate—the Right Chief Censor—while the “Grand Chancellor” referred to the Inner Cabinet member—the Grand Academician of Wenhua Hall, rank one, equivalent to a prime minister.

The Right Chief Censor merely bowed low, cupped his hands, and remained silent.
Only the Grand Academician took over the conversation, speaking with courteous politeness:

“The Cabinet is merely carrying out orders.
Prince Rui, we have offended you.”

The Grand Academician gave instructions to the Right Chief Censor, then immediately began directing the search of the mansion.
Out of respect for Prince Rui, they skipped the body searches entirely.

“In that case… Prince Rui, Young Prince, please proceed to the Taiqing Palace!”

Once the Censorate started the raid, the Grand Academician invited Prince Rui and Qian Junyou to board the carriage together and head into the palace for the imperial audience.

On the way into the imperial palace, Qian Junyou felt like a country bumpkin.
This was his first time entering the palace since transmigrating.
He had to admit that an immortal-cultivation world’s imperial palace truly looked as if it had been built straight out of someone’s imagination.

Inside the capital, it was impossible to see the palace’s true appearance.
Just the outer ring of walls alone stood six hundred and fifty meters high.
What did six hundred and fifty meters mean?
Exactly—the tallest skyscraper in a certain magic city measured 632 meters.

The walls were named Wangqiong City.
That height did not even include the gate towers above the entrances.
The entire wall was constructed from immortal stone, its color shifting endlessly with the seasons and the alternation of sun and moon.
If ordinary people approached within twenty meters of the wall, white mist would rise around them, and no matter which direction they walked, they would end up moving away from the wall instead.
To catch even a distant glimpse of the palace, one had to travel at least thirty kilometers outward.
The palace grounds themselves covered twice the area of the largest airport in that same magic city.

Upon entry, no gate was visible at all.
Only white mist enveloped everything.
A golden emblem glowed, and the carriage continued forward.

The driver was specially assigned to enter Wangqiong City.
He possessed a Foundation Establishment cultivation base and usually doubled as a household guard.
Forming a hand seal, he caused the carriage to rise on clouds and mist, following the imperial path into the palace.
All the palaces floated above the clouds—layer upon layer of towers and halls, majestic and imposing, arranged like scales on a fish or stars scattered across the sky.

‘Good heavens, if you ignore the fact that everything is flying in the air, this layout… is practically the same as that mountain city.’

The ground was completely shrouded in white mist.
Countless stone monuments pierced through the fog, standing upright toward the sky and revealing only their sharp tips.
Along both sides of the imperial path floated aerial towers linked by golden iron chains.
The towers themselves tilted at a twenty-five-degree angle, yet their pavilions remained perfectly level, resembling two rows of torches embedded in a wall.
Imperial guards stood densely packed on every pavilion.

The carriage followed the imperial path, ascending at a forty-five-degree angle toward the sky palaces, flying straight toward Taiqing Palace.

Although it was called submitting an imperial petition, a centuries-old noble house like the Bai family possessed intricate influence both inside and outside the court.
It was not difficult for them to present a complaint directly before the Emperor.

The carriage came to a stop on the cloud layer outside Taiqing Palace.
A circle of eunuchs stood waiting to receive them—all of them from the Pure Yin Palace, immortal cultivators of the “Reverse Yang Path.”
In truth, the Pure Yin Palace was essentially the Eastern Depot.

Both the Grand Academician and Prince Rui stepped down from the carriage and walked on the clouds.
Qian Junyou, however, remained frozen in place, too afraid to get out.

They were nearly a thousand meters in the air.
Could these clouds really be stepped on safely?
He had not inherited the original owner’s memories and had no idea how to walk on clouds.

“Hurry up and get down. Stop dawdling.”

Seeing his son hesitate, Prince Rui began to urge him.
The Grand Academician helpfully smoothed things over from the side.

“The Young Prince rarely enters the palace; he may be a little unfamiliar with the place.”

“Unfamiliar? I brought him here during the Longevity Festival just two months ago.
Enough—come over here!”

Indeed, “Qian Junyou” had entered the palace two months earlier.
The Longevity Festival was the Emperor’s birthday, when all ministers were invited to the banquet.

Staring at the clouds beneath his feet, Qian Junyou felt goosebumps crawl up his back.
If he stepped down and fell straight through… this would be far more thrilling than bungee jumping!

Noticing the fear on Qian Junyou’s face, an ornately dressed white-haired old eunuch smiled warmly and stepped forward to assist.

“If the Young Prince does not mind, allow this old servant to help you down.”

With someone offering help, Qian Junyou finally relaxed.
He steeled himself—worst case, the eunuch would catch him.
Thinking that, he closed his eyes and jumped out of the carriage.

The moment both feet landed, a solid “thump” sounded.

‘Damn! There’s actually a floor underneath!’

Prince Rui looked at his son’s cowardly expression and frowned.

“Eh… Eunuch Cao, you really spoil this boy too much!”

At the title, Qian Junyou’s heart skipped a beat.
Could this man also be the Eastern Depot Superintendent who had practiced ten years of boyhood cultivation arts?

Eunuch Cao held Qian Junyou’s hand and chuckled cheerfully.

“Hahaha, it’s nothing.
When the Young Prince came to the palace to play as a child, wasn’t it always this old servant who helped him?
Young Prince, please follow me.”

Standing on the cloud layer, Qian Junyou gazed at the heavenly palace built amid the mist and fog and let out a deep sigh.

The Bai family dared to submit an imperial petition; naturally they had come prepared.
Yet he knew nothing about any of it, and there might even be incriminating evidence hidden inside the mansion…

Although the moment getting off the carriage had been a small, harmless scare, it had also served as a clear reminder—

Inside this grand hall, every single thing was an unknown threat.

Entering the main hall of Taiqing Palace, the place was already bustling with noise and excitement.
Every official connected to the case was present.

The Ministry of Revenue, which managed the granaries, and the Ministry of Works, which had built the disaster-relief camps.
The three departments investigating the case: the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate.
The Inner Cabinet, responsible for presiding over today’s hearing.
The Emperor’s two executive departments: the Brocade Guards and the Pure Yin Palace.
The capital’s yamen—the Shuntian Prefecture—along with the local magistrates from the refugee towns.
And the officials who had visited the mansion the previous night, including the “Three Dukes” who had chatted with Qian Junyou.

Meanwhile, Bai Shuxi and the rest of the Bai family who had filed the complaint against Prince Rui’s mansion were left coldly ignored in a corner.
Bai Shuxi nervously fidgeted with her fingers—a small habit of hers.
From her expression alone it was obvious she was extremely tense right now.

In official circles everyone curried favor with the powerful.
The Bai family was already facing disaster; daring to accuse Prince Rui’s mansion was like kicking an iron plate with bare feet.
Naturally, no one wanted to associate with them.

The moment Prince Rui’s group entered the hall, all eyes turned toward them.
Aside from the Bai family and the Censorate, the other officials swarmed over with smiling faces, fawning and greeting them.

“I heard the Young Prince can resume his cultivation! Congratulations!”

“The Young Prince has been clever and gifted since childhood.
It won’t be long before he attains the Dao Fruit!”

The crowd surrounded Prince Rui and Qian Junyou, praising the entire Prince Rui’s mansion with every sentence, terrified of missing a single compliment.
Some officials whose own children had long since reached Foundation Establishment deliberately belittled them to elevate Qian Junyou to the heavens.

He was still only at Qi Refining, yet they spoke as if he would ascend to immortality tomorrow.
Others were already hinting at marriage proposals, claiming they had daughters in their clans who were natural cauldrons that could assist the Young Prince in his cultivation…

“The Young Prince’s dantian is vast as the sea and his foundation is profound.
That’s why it took longer.
Now that his spiritual veins are nourished, the road ahead will be smooth!
Everything before was merely him concealing his brilliance!”

Yeah, first time I’ve heard of concealing one’s brilliance by going to the Teaching Department…
Qian Junyou watched the fourth-rank official gesticulating wildly and felt utterly speechless.

This group of sanctimonious bureaucrats finally ran out of praises and remembered that Prince Rui’s mansion had come today as the “defendant.”
They immediately switched to endless chatter again.

“That Bai Shuxi really doesn’t know the height of the heavens!
She thought a little talent meant she could act arrogant and look down on everyone.
Now she’s ruined her own future.”

“Going against Prince Rui’s mansion!
The Bai family is clearly courting death.
Prince Rui’s loyalty to the court is known to heaven and earth, yet they dare slander the Young Prince!
Truly inverting black and white, calling the righteous wicked!”

Even Eunuch Cao patted Qian Junyou’s shoulder lightly and smiled.

“Young Prince, don’t worry.
This realm belongs to the Qian family; outsiders have no right to rebel.”

Eunuch Cao spoke while raising his orchid-finger pose, occasionally glancing toward Bai Shuxi in the corner.

The trial had not even begun, yet the officials had already pinned the crimes of treason and false accusation on the Bai family, each voice louder than the last.

On the surface everyone stood on his side, but the more Qian Junyou listened, the more his heart panicked…

He was the villain!
Bai Shuxi was the female lead…
All of you are mocking her to her face while the Censorate is searching the mansion…
Isn’t this the textbook “act arrogant then get slapped” template?

Sure enough, he had zero destiny to become the protagonist.
This plot…

Bai Shuxi kept her head lowered, standing silently on the other side of the hall.

She had always believed that Prince Rui’s heir was merely a flirtatious, greedy, lustful man—his nature… should not have been evil.

But when she heard her uncle Bai Zhongxiang had obtained evidence from a stranger, her worldview shattered.

Of course she loathed Qian Junyou; she even hated him somewhat.
After all, he had done that sort of thing to her childhood playmate Mengyao.

But would anyone really kill over eight hundred innocent disaster victims for such a trivial reason?

Yet when every piece of evidence linked perfectly and corroborated one another, she had no choice but to begin doubting that this noble young master’s soul could have fallen to such depths!

Sure enough, evil deeds were always done by evil people…
If it really was Qian Junyou, he absolutely could not be forgiven!

Under her uncle’s persuasion and her family’s demands, Bai Shuxi had submitted the petition directly to the Emperor.

Qian Junyou turned to look at Bai Shuxi and happened to catch her slowly raising her head.
She stared at him with tightly furrowed brows, her complicated gaze filled with doubt, confusion, and resentment.

Bai Shuxi’s uncle—Bai Zhongxiang—patted her shoulder, then stood with hands behind his back and addressed Qian Junyou.

“Young Prince, this humble official always thought you were merely a bit arrogant and domineering.
I never imagined you would turn out to be such a heartless, life-despising monster!”

Faced with the man’s accusation, Qian Junyou was completely lost.

The plot had skipped way too many episodes, right?
Had he missed a whole chapter?
He had no idea what the Bai family was even trying to do.

“Esteemed… sir?
Would you mind explaining clearly—what exactly do you mean by heartless and life-despising?!”

“Young Prince, you know very well what you have done.
Today the Bai family will expose every cruel act you secretly committed against those innocent civilians!”

“Hmph… sorry, but I really have no idea.
Could it be that your Bai family is so desperate you’re trying to frame Prince Rui’s mansion?”

The surrounding ministers immediately joined in, loudly condemning the Bai family.
Yet Bai Shuxi, facing the one-sided barrage, showed no fear.
She looked straight at Qian Junyou and finally spoke.

“Young Prince, there is no need to refute in haste.
Once the Censorate finishes searching Prince Rui’s mansion and returns, you will understand.”

“!!!”

The Censorate—searching the house—they really did know something!

Moreover, this could not have been Bai Shuxi’s decision alone.
Submitting an imperial petition and slandering a prince were both crimes that carried extra punishment.
If they lost, the three clans would be implicated.
Without absolute certainty of victory, the Bai family would never have taken such a risk.

In the previous two loops he had also survived until the third day, so why had Bai Shuxi not filed a complaint then?

Just because he had mocked her this time?
Qian Junyou simply could not figure out where things had gone wrong…

But then a more serious problem suddenly occurred to him.
They were accusing him?
What if… the original “Qian Junyou” had actually done it?

He possessed none of the original owner’s memories from before.
The diary left behind had been as good as useless after reading it.
If it really had been “Qian Junyou” who committed the deed, then he was nothing more than a scapegoat!