Chapter 6

Just a moment of distraction, and his vision cleared up again. Turning his head to look around, the familiar furniture immediately came into view. Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, shining into the room and landing on Xiaosheng, making him feel warm and comfortable.

Xiaosheng let out a long, relaxed breath, raised his hands, and stretched his limbs. Unexpectedly, the clothes on his body immediately "swished" down. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room, or he would have been completely exposed.

There was nothing he could do about it. Although Xiaosheng appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old when he entered the parallel dimension through the Garo Hall, in the world he truly belonged to, he was only fifteen years old.

His physique had changed with age, but his clothes had not. Therefore, the clothes that used to fit him no longer did.

Xiaosheng had experienced this many times and was already used to it. He gave a self-deprecating smile, then got up and walked to the wardrobe, taking out a new set of clothes to change into. Unintentionally, he glanced at his left wrist.

Where his gaze fell, he saw the wooden bead bracelet neatly worn on his wrist. Just by looking at its appearance, no one would know that this bracelet was actually the key to the mysterious Garo Hall. Even fewer people would know that if Xiaosheng channeled his willpower into the bracelet, he would immediately disappear from this world and reappear on the thousand-step stone staircase of the Garo Hall.

In addition, the bracelet had storage capabilities, allowing him to store small items of moderate size. However, there were limits in terms of quantity and weight, far inferior to the storage facilities inside the Garo Hall. Its advantage lay in its simplicity and convenience.

Xiaosheng put the crystal storing the imperial aura and the Sunstone into the bracelet. He then rubbed the wooden bracelet up his wrist a couple of times and pulled down his sleeve to cover it.

Just as he finished changing, sudden shouts and curses came through the door, drifting into Xiaosheng's ears. Among them were sounds of banging, hitting, groaning, and laughter, all interwoven in a chaotic and noisy cacophony. At first listen, it sounded like a chaotic market.

Xiaosheng felt puzzled. Just as he was about to open the door to see what was happening, he heard a series of hurried footsteps approaching from a distance. Immediately after, a voice full of arrogance and tyranny shouted, "You old dog, get out of the way immediately! If you dare to obstruct this prince, I'll have you dragged away and beaten to death!"

An elderly voice immediately followed, pleading, "Your Highness, Ninth Prince, please show mercy. Fourteenth Prince only recovered from a high fever a few days ago. The imperial physician said he must rest quietly and must not be disturbed. For the sake of brotherhood, please be merciful."

"Ha! What brotherhood? What a huge joke," the arrogant and tyrannical voice sneered. "His dead mother's origins are unknown. Who knows if the son she bore is even the emperor's?"

The elderly voice was shocked and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Ninth Prince, you mustn't speak rashly. Be careful, be careful."

"Careful my ass!" The Ninth Prince spat and coldly laughed. "If he were really of our Xiao family, how could he be a useless waste who can't cultivate? I speak my mind. Even if the emperor were here, I wouldn't be afraid. Brother, my ass! This bastard doesn't deserve the surname Xiao and has no right to be my brother."

As soon as the Ninth Prince finished speaking, a chorus of approval erupted outside the door. People praised and flattered him.

One said, "Ninth Prince is truly upright and just, worthy of being the first hero in Luoyang who dares to speak the truth!"

Another said, "Ninth Prince's words are sharp and to the point, hitting the nail on the head."

Yet another said, "Ninth Prince's insight is like a torch, seeing through everything. No conspiracy can deceive him."

Someone else sighed in shame, saying, "If it weren't for Ninth Prince exposing this plot, we would all have been deceived by that bastard. Ninth Prince is so smart, we can't even catch up."

The flattery and sycophancy were endless, and the words were so nauseating that Xiaosheng, standing behind the door, couldn't help but feel goosebumps all over his body.

However, as the saying goes, different people are raised by different grains. The Ninth Prince seemed to enjoy it immensely. He said smugly, "Old dog, did you hear that? Everyone here agrees with me. If that bastard isn't of imperial blood, he has no right to anything of the imperial family. Where is the Phoenix Egg? Hand it over quickly!"

The elderly voice was shocked and stammered, "What, what Phoenix Egg? Ninth Prince, this old servant has never heard of such a thing."

The Ninth Prince suddenly flew into a rage and cursed, "Damn it, at this point, you're still pretending to be ignorant to protect that bastard? You're stubborn to the core! The Phoenix Egg is the tribute from the Western Border Golden Lion Empire to the emperor. The emperor, after hearing a few sweet words, actually bestowed this treasure to that wild woman, Mu.

"After the wild woman died, the Phoenix Egg naturally fell into the hands of the bastard. Old dog, you're the head steward of the bastard. If you don't know where the Phoenix Egg is, who does?"

The elderly voice pleaded bitterly, "Ninth Prince, you are wronging this old servant. There is no such thing as a Phoenix Egg. After the Noble Consort passed away, all the imperial treasures were taken away by the Empress. There are no treasures left here. Ninth Prince, please be wise."

The Ninth Prince wouldn't believe it. He sneered, "You old servant, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. Fine, since you won't hand over the Phoenix Egg, don't blame me for being impolite. I'll search for it myself." He paused and then raised his voice, shouting, "Search!"

More than a dozen voices responded in unison. Immediately after, the sounds of pushing, cursing, groaning, and the smashing of objects filled the air. Standing behind the door, Xiaosheng couldn't see the actual situation, but from the sounds alone, he could roughly imagine what was happening.

Xiaosheng's face darkened. He took a deep breath and forcefully pushed open the door. What he saw was a once-elegant and refined study now in complete disarray, a sight that was almost unbearable to look at.

The famous paintings on the walls had been torn down and trampled on the floor; the hundred-treasure rack filled with exquisite porcelain had been knocked over, shattering all the porcelain; the bookshelves and screens had been hacked into broken pieces of wood; books had been torn into countless pages, scattered on the ground or broken and crushed, with not a single one intact. The purple sandalwood desk had been knocked over and lay tilted in the center of the room.

Next to the overturned desk was an elderly man with gray hair. His face was bruised and swollen, but he still knelt at the feet of a tall, strong, and arrogant young man in luxurious clothing, desperately bowing and pleading.

The young man was the Ninth Prince. He cursed and whipped the elderly man's head and face with a leather whip, drawing blood.

Xiaosheng saw all this clearly. The elderly man, actually a eunuch named Guan Canghai, had been in the palace for over twenty years. A loyal servant for two generations, Xiaosheng considered him like family. Now, seeing him being whipped until he bled, how could Xiaosheng bear it?

In an instant, a fierce anger burned in Xiaosheng's eyes. He slapped the door and shouted, "Stop! All of you, stop! Otherwise, I will have you all executed with your entire families!"

Dozens of eyes immediately turned to Xiaosheng from all directions. After a moment of silence, a loud burst of laughter erupted. More than a dozen voices laughed uncontrollably, almost unable to stop. Clearly, they didn't take Xiaosheng seriously and saw him as a joke.

The Ninth Prince put away the whip, turned to Xiaosheng, and said with a fake smile, "Oh, Fourteenth Brother. Aren't you supposed to be sick in bed, waiting to die? How did you have the strength to get up and shout? Is it a last burst of energy? Congratulations, congratulations, Fourteenth Brother, you won't have to suffer anymore."

Xiaosheng ignored this low-level provocation. He stared intently at the Ninth Prince and said in a deep voice, "Xiao Kun! Or, Ninth Brother. It's you again! What do you want?"

One called him Ninth Brother, the other called him Fourteenth Brother. Were they brothers? Yes, Xiaosheng and the Ninth Prince, Xiao Kun, were half-brothers with the same father, the current emperor of the Da Hao Dynasty, Emperor Xuan.

The Da Hao Dynasty ruled over ninety-nine provinces and had a population of billions. Emperor Xuan had been on the throne for thirty years and had fourteen sons in total. However, only nine of them grew up, the rest having died in infancy. Xiao Kun was the ninth, and Xiaosheng was the fourteenth, the youngest son of Emperor Xuan.

The palace was not a peaceful haven. On the contrary, it was the cruelest, coldest, and most realistic arena of power and wealth.

Years ago, Xiaosheng's mother, Noble Consort Mu, was deeply favored by Emperor Xuan. She was truly the most beloved among all the concubines. Xiaosheng, benefiting from his mother's status, grew up in a life of luxury.

But good times didn't last. Five years ago, Noble Consort Mu suddenly fell ill and passed away. Emperor Xuan, overwhelmed with grief, fell ill and left the