After rebirth, she discovered the space golden finger

Chapter 619 The Chosen One (4)

Several months later, Zhao Chen returned to the palace. His mindset had changed. He used to find every place and every person in the palace repulsive and wanted to escape. But after living in the countryside for the past few months, he now felt incredibly welcome back.

"You can rest well for these three days. Wait for me outside the Cold Palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM) three days from now..." Pei Yun and Zhao Chen walked through the Imperial Garden and headed towards the palace where the princes lived.

The emperor seemed to dislike the seventh prince, so Zhao Chen's palace was quite remote.

Zhao Chen felt uneasy. The joy of returning to the palace had faded considerably. He was genuinely afraid that Pei Yun would send him to a remote mountain village to do hard labor again. However, he understood that Pei Yun was testing him, and if he spoke up now, he would definitely reveal his weakness.

He hesitated, but ultimately didn't dare to ask.

Just then, an angry shout came from around the corner ahead—

"Why hasn't the honey-glazed roasted lamb leg that the Eighth Princess ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare been delivered yet?"

"Reporting to Granny Li, today the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and several senior officials are discussing matters in the palace. The Emperor ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare lunch, but they are short-staffed, so..."

"Useless thing! The Eighth Princess is Consort Yu's most beloved daughter. If you offend Consort Yu, I bet you'll be locked up in the Department of Punishments..."

"Granny, spare me! Granny, spare me!"

Pei Yun and his companion stood behind a pillar at the corner and saw a mean-looking old nanny whipping a palace maid, while the other young palace maids and eunuchs knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.

Pei Yun looked at Zhao Chen and said, "Go and calm this matter down, and save that palace maid."

Zhao Chen was slightly taken aback. He lowered his eyes, concealing the coldness within them, paused, and then feigned concern, saying:

“Senior Pei, this Granny Li is a servant of Consort Yu. Consort Yu practically monopolizes the harem, while I am just an unfavored prince looked down upon by everyone. She won’t listen to me.”

“Then make her listen to you.” Pei Yun stared at him intently.

Zhao Chen unconsciously clenched his fists, his hands hanging limply at his sides. After a moment of silence, he looked up at Pei Yun:

"Senior Pei, perhaps you don't know, but when my mother was banished to the Cold Palace, I was still very young. At the time, I didn't understand why, when I woke up one morning, my life had changed drastically. The palace maids and eunuchs no longer served me with all their heart, the hot water for washing my face turned into cold water, the delicious hot meals turned into leftovers, and there was no longer a warm bed at night..."

"Later I gradually understood that power is the most important thing in the palace. The first person you can't offend in the palace is the emperor, and the second is Consort Yu. Am I going out to confront the people around her just to save the palace maids who usually fawn over me and bully me?"

"Do you know why my first test for you was farming?" Pei Yun asked.

"...To temper my will?"

"That's one aspect, but more importantly, I hope you can understand the hardships of farmers, truly feel the difficulties and suffering of ordinary people, and have compassion for them and treat them kindly."

"...What does this have to do with saving a palace maid? After my mother lost power, how did those palace maids and eunuchs change their attitude towards me? This is just karma." Zhao Chen could no longer hide the sarcasm on his face as he said this.

"These palace maids and eunuchs are also caught in a bind, trapped in this enormous cage. The palace is full of intrigue and backstabbing. Even if they don't want to get involved in the struggle, they are used as tools by those in power. Most of them are forced by their circumstances... If one day you become emperor, you can use the power in your hands to change this environment..."

"Zhao Chen, this is also a test for me."

Zhao Chen took a deep breath after hearing Pei Yun's words and walked out alone.

"stop!"

Upon hearing the reprimand, Granny Li stopped whipping her hand, and the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs all looked toward the source of the sound.

Upon seeing that it was the Seventh Prince, Granny Li revealed an undisguised mockery on her face, seemingly forgetting even to bow. She said in a sarcastic tone, "What is Your Highness doing here? I heard that the imperial chefs are very busy today. No one should have noticed that the food is missing. The one in the Cold Palace can also have a full meal..." The palace maids and eunuchs all lowered their heads and knelt on the ground, not daring to speak.

Zhao Chen heard the sarcasm in her voice, and his face instantly darkened: "How dare you! I am the Seventh Prince, and you, a mere nanny, do not even bow to me!"

Granny Li froze. This seventh prince was always very timid and would avoid people in the palace. He usually spoke in a whisper. Today, his strong and angry shout startled her.

However, it only took a moment for Granny Li to regain her composure. She was Consort Yu's person, so why should she be afraid of an unfavored prince? She stiffly curtsied and then revealed a hint of disdain on her harsh face: "I wonder what business Seventh Prince has?"

"Granny Li, what has this palace maid done that you would treat her so cruelly?"

Granny Li glanced at Zhao Chen in surprise: "Your Highness, this palace maid delayed the Eighth Princess's meal, so I only gave her a scolding..."

"That should be enough of a lesson for her now. Have someone take her away..."

"Your Highness, you don't need to intervene in disciplining the palace maids, do you?"

“Granny Li, I’m doing this for Consort Yu’s own good. Right now, Father Emperor, my elder brother, and all the ministers are having lunch in the main hall. If they find out that Consort Yu’s people used severe punishment on the palace maids because of the delayed meal, what do you think they’ll think? I’ve heard that Consort Yu’s palace has a Buddha statue that she burns incense and chants sutras for every day, and the Yu family often helps the poor people in the city. We can’t let the actions of one of her servants affect Consort Yu’s benevolent image, don’t you think?”

Sensing the threat in the other party's voice, Granny Li stared blankly at Zhao Chen, speechless with astonishment.

Zhao Chen ignored her and ordered his men to help the weak, almost unconscious palace maid away...

Three days later, Pei Yun once again took Zhao Chen away from the palace, but this time she led him to the streets of Chang'an...

"Senior Pei, where are we going?" Zhao Chen asked curiously, looking around at the bustling scene on the street. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he wouldn't have to go back to farming.

"The Sixth Prince's Residence".

"Sixth Brother? We're going to Sixth Brother's place?!" Zhao Chen exclaimed in surprise, looking at Pei Yun with a puzzled expression.

Pei Yun continued, "I heard that this sixth prince showed great intelligence from a very young age, but unfortunately he was frail and sickly. The imperial physicians in the capital all predicted that he would not live past the age of twenty..."

Zhao Chen nodded, and then heard the other person say, "His mother, Consort Qin, comes from a military family. His grandfather, Marquis Ningyuan, was once a general of the Zhao state and served as Minister of War in his early years. His uncles have also been stationed at the border in recent years..."

Zhao Chen didn't know what Pei Yun meant, but he told her what he knew: "When I was in the palace, I heard the eunuchs and maids mention that Consort Qin was kind and tolerant to the palace servants. Although Consort Yu was very powerful in the harem, she didn't dare to offend Consort Qin. However, Consort Qin only had one child, Sixth Brother, and all these years she had been a vegetarian and chanting scriptures to pray for Sixth Brother, devoting herself entirely to him..."

"arrive……"

As he was speaking, the two had already arrived at the gate of the Sixth Prince's residence. Pei Yun turned to Zhao Chen and said, "Go in and visit this Sixth Prince. Tell him you've brought a Taoist priest to treat him..."

At this point, Pei Yun used his divine sense to survey the situation inside the mansion and instantly changed his mind, "We're running out of time, let's go in together!"