CHAPTER 243: CHAPTER 53: THE SOVEREIGN AND HIS SUBJECTS

Rather than infiltrating the Royal Palace, Su Xiao actually entered the palace openly and without concealment.

The current situation in the Imperial Capital is chaotic, but as a member of the special Hunter Troop under Esdeath, he naturally has the authority to enter and exit the Royal Palace.

Walking inside the palace, he occasionally encountered a rushing team of guards, and the atmosphere inside the palace was even tenser than that of the Imperial Capital.

The nobility knew what had happened, and now that the Imperial Capital was surrounded, the palace was undoubtedly the safest place.

Some well-dressed nobles appeared inside the palace, some even bringing their families along, followed by their own guards, indicating just how chaotic the management of the Imperial Capital was.

The Little Emperor neglected state affairs, the Chancellor thought every day about controlling the Empire, and Esdeath only cared about where there was war; these three were the center of power in the Empire.

The highest rulers were like this, and the officials below were even worse.

Su Xiao surveyed the situation within the palace, having already obtained a map of the palace beforehand.

Entering the palace, he found a wide stone-paved road, dozens of meters wide, with administrative side halls on both sides. These side halls were offices where middle-level officials handled government affairs.

Following the wide road forward led to the Light Sky Gate, where the guards were different from those at the palace’s main gate, requiring stricter security here.

It would take a significant amount of time to infiltrate and cross the Light Sky Gate, so Su Xiao simply presented his Hunter Troop ID, and the guards at the Light Sky Gate let him through.

After successfully passing through the Light Sky Gate, there was still a wide stone-paved road, also flanked by numerous side halls.

Walking along the stone-paved road, more guards passed by, all fully armed.

"Bai Ye."

A familiar voice called out, Su Xiao turned his head to see it was Will, startled to find him here.

"Mm."

Su Xiao responded a little; he spoke very little when disguised as Anbu.

"Why are you here?"

Will looked mentally exhausted, as the day’s events had been quite a shock for him.

"With nothing to do, I came to stand guard in the palace. The war has begun, and this is the primary target for enemy Anbu."

Su Xiao’s tone was calm, as he often patrolled under the guise of patrolling while actually observing the terrain.

"I see, I’ve also been sent by General Esdeath to maintain order. Okay, I should go patrol."

"Okay."

The two passed by each other, but after a few steps, Will stopped.

"Right, let’s patrol together, your perception force is strong."

"No, I’m used to acting alone."

Will scratched his head, and after being refused, walked away with a cheerful smile.

Su Xiao continued forward, and soon a majestic palace appeared before him.

This was the Imperial Xuchu Hall, where court sessions usually took place, but with the Little Emperor neglecting state affairs, it was now ’half-abandoned.’

The entire Imperial Xuchu Hall was unusually quiet, with only guards and no other officials present, when it should have been the center of the Empire’s power.

The guards in the Imperial Xuchu Hall were few, and Su Xiao easily passed through it.

Beyond the Imperial Xuchu Hall was another main road, with a much denser guard presence, leading further to the Little Emperor’s bedchamber.

It was now eleven o’clock at night, with many guards holding torches standing before the Little Emperor’s bedchamber.

The bedchamber was located in the middle and rear of the palace, meaning Su Xiao had already gone deep into the palace.

Under the cover of darkness, Su Xiao stealthily arrived at the rooftop of the bedchamber, beginning to sense which room within the bedchamber was occupied.

The bedchamber had only a few rooms, but each room was quite large in size.

Su Xiao lightly walked on the rooftop, beginning to sense the presence of the Little Emperor inside.

After relocating several times, Su Xiao sensed the Little Emperor’s position within the bedchamber.

He quietly pried open the glazed tiles on the rooftop of the bedchamber, and a pitch-black ceiling met his eyes.

Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. Although the architecture of this palace was similar to ancient times, the situation was somewhat different.

Jumping into the ceiling cavity, Su Xiao pried open a section of the ceiling with his dagger to look down.

"Your Highness..."

A charming laugh echoed.

It was a room with an antique style, housing a young boy surrounded by a group of women.

The young boy was the Little Emperor, and those women were concubines and beauties presented by the Chancellor.

Su Xiao finally understood why the Little Emperor seemed so frail. With so many women in the room every night, combined with his mere fifteen years of age, he only survived due to the luxurious living conditions of the palace. Without proper nutrition, the young fellow might have perished already.

With such a scheming Chancellor by his side, the Little Emperor’s condition was not surprising.

Su Xiao’s target was the Little Emperor, but with so many women around him, it was inconvenient to make a move.

Patience was essential to accomplish a task, so Su Xiao sat above the ceiling waiting, disbelieving the Little Emperor could last an entire night.

As expected, by around midnight, the Little Emperor lay exhausted on a mattress more than ten meters wide.

The rebel army was already at the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, yet the Little Emperor felt no sense of crisis, all because of the Chancellor’s reassuring words: ’General Esdeath will drive back the rebels.’

These were the Chancellor’s words of comfort to the Little Emperor, to which the Little Emperor invariably complied.

In essence, the Little Emperor was merely a foolish ruler, not a tyrant; a boy so naïve it was pitiable.

The door opened, revealing a corpulent Chancellor entering the room.

"Leave us."

The Chancellor’s voice was not loud, and the women all got up and left.

"Your Highness, drink this."

The Chancellor produced a test tube, feeding its pale yellow liquid to the Little Emperor, whose spirits revived somewhat after drinking it.

"I’m so tired today; leave one more bottle of the secret medicine."

The Chancellor smiled, nodding as he took another pale yellow test tube from his bosom, placing it beside the Little Emperor’s pillow.

"Rest well, Your Highness, I’ll take my leave."

"Mm."

The Little Emperor responded weakly, lying motionless on the bed.

The Chancellor strutted out of the bedchamber, contemplating how much longer it would take for the Little Emperor to become totally useless.

The Chancellor did not wish to kill the Little Emperor; he merely wanted him fully immersed in indulgence.

The Little Emperor was too young for alcohol to be an option, and his upbringing amidst luxury made him uninterested in food and drink, so the Chancellor chose women.

By all accounts, the Chancellor had succeeded, as without his secret medicine’s nourishing effects, the Little Emperor might have succumbed long ago.