Chapter 160: Melodious Bell Chimes
The eunuchs and palace maids saw Fang Chen and the others and quickly lowered their heads, standing to the side. One of the palace maids seemed to have suddenly realized something as she turned her head back to take a look, surprise on her face.
A eunuch beside her noticed and quickly pinched her arm, whispering, "What are you doing? Stop looking around! You’ll offend Duke Fang and drag us with you!"
The young palace maid winced in pain, her face contorted in agony. At that moment, a five-year-old boy ran over from a distance and slammed into the eunuch. "How dare you bully Sister Xiangzhen!" he yelled, glaring at the eunuch.
The eunuch, caught off guard, winced in pain, involuntarily letting out a low cry. “Ouch!” Fang Chen and Li Daoye turned to stare at them.
The five-year-old boy was dressed in fine clothes, but they were visibly worn out. His clothes had been clearly stitched multiple times before. Additionally, the boy's face was covered in various injuries, some of which seemed days old and were still healing. The others seemed a lot fresher. There were also some that had already scabbed over.
"You little rascal..." The eunuch instinctively raised his hand, but then he suddenly remembered that Fang Chen was here and quickly turned around. He shuddered uncontrollably from head to toe at his negligence.
The palace maid named Xiangzhen suddenly knelt down as she put her hands on the boy’s shoulder, lightly pressing on his shoulder so he kneels too. The boy’s knees bent and he joined them.
The eunuch prostrated on the ground, quivering.
"W-We pay respects to you, Duke Fang."
Their voices trembled as they offered their greetings. The only one who remained silent was the young boy, who curiously observed Fang Chen.
Seeing the boy, Fang Chen fell into thought briefly, then asked, "Are you... the seventeenth prince?"
He had made a judgment based on the boy's age, as well as some of his other characteristics. He vaguely remembered that on the day he had been defeated on Three World Mountain, Xia Xuanji had given birth to another son.
"Are you Duke Fang?" inquired Xia Yuan.
"Seventeenth Prince, please be mindful of your language!" Xiangzhen hurriedly reminded him as a thread of worry flashed in her eyes. She was afraid that Fang Chen would be enraged by his rudeness.
"Yes, Sister Xiangzhen." Xia Yuan nodded his small head and then asked respectfully, "My respects to you, my lord. Are you Duke Fang?"
"Yes." Fang Chen smiled and nodded. "You can stand and talk."
"Alright." Xia Yuan immediately stood up.
The kneeling eunuch felt his legs go numb and weak, and his forehead touched the ground. He was drowning in guilt.
When Eunuch You saw what was happening from some distance away, he ran over in haste. He bowed while asking with a slight trace of trepidation. "Duke Fang, did they offend you?" He glanced at Xia Yuan from the corner of his eye as he felt a little uncertain.
"Why did your subordinate try to hit the prince earlier?” asked Fang Chen with a faint smile.
The eunuch who had failed to control his emotions earlier released a miserable cry as he slammed his forehead into the ground. His voice trembled as he cried, “I was wrong, I was wrong! Duke Fang, please forgive me!”
Xia Yuan stared blankly at the scene, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes. He didn’t expect that the normally fierce eunuch would become such a little, meek mouse in front of Fang Chen.
Recalling some of the things he had heard about Fang Chen, curiosity began to emerge in Xia Yuan's eyes as he couldn't help but discreetly observe Fang Chen.
Eunuch You’s expression stiffened. He glanced at Xia Yuan and whispered, "Lord Fang, to be honest... the seventeenth prince's background isn’t so great. His mother was just a palace maid, and she died shortly after giving birth to him. He has no foundation in the palace, so—”
“—so the other consorts tried to suppress him and you servants became tools for them to do so, right?” said Fang Chen with a snort.
Eunuch You thudded to his knees immediately and he exclaimed, “This servant wouldn’t dare! Not only was I not involved in their antics, I had helped the seventeenth prince from time to time.”
It was then that Xia Yuan chimed in with a heavy nod. "Yes, Eunuch You isn’t a bad man! He even gave me a bun back then. Otherwise, Sister Xiangzhen and I would have starved to death on that one night,” the young boy testified.
Tears welled up in Eunuch You’s eyes. He couldn’t help but want to kowtow to Xia Yuan a hundred times on the spot!
Li Daoye couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "There are times when you have to starve as a prince?”
Fang Chen found himself smiling, and he recalled, "There was once a person who was very much like him. That person often went hungry in his childhood, too. Don’t be deceived by the imperial palace’s grandeur, if you can see it for what it is, you'll find that it’s quite filthy."
This was a rebellious and blasphemous statement, and it was for all to hear.
The faces of Eunuch You and others turned deathly pale, but none of them dared to speak up. In the entire Great Xia, Fang Chen was probably the only one who had the ability to speak that way in the palace.
"There’s someone who’s like me?” Xia Yuan was somewhat surprised. "Apart from me and Sister Xiangzhen, is there anyone else in this palace who can't eat enough?"
"Yes, your third brother was one such person," answered Fang Chen.
Xia Yuan looked a bit confused. "My third brother...?”
"He went to the Qingsong Empire to be kept captive the day you were born. That’s why you’ve never met him," explained Fang Chen.
Xia Yuan nodded his little head. "I see..."
"Like you, his mother was also a palace maid, and she died shortly after giving birth to him."
Xia Yuan's expression changed slightly. Xiangzhen didn't know what Fang Chen meant, and her expression became a bit panicked. Eunuch You seemed to have figured something out, and a trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes.
His gaze toward Xia Yuan had changed.
There was a smile on Fang Chen’s face as he continued, "A while ago, many people saw a special phenomenon in the sky when it rained. Did you see it? I seem to remember that you didn’t measure your spiritual potential earlier, right?”
"Yeah, on the day of the spiritual measurement, Sister Xiangzhen and I were locked up."
Xia Yuan nodded, then added, "That day, I saw nine giant elephants in the sky! They were very, very big!" He gestured with his hand, but his small hands and short arms seemingly couldn’t depict just how big they were.
"Those who can see such phenomena generally have some innate talent for cultivation," reminded Li Daoye.
A smile appeared on Fang Chen’s face as he raised his hand slightly. A bell emerged and started to expand. In an instant, a measuring bell about ten feet high landed in front of everyone.
The palace maids and eunuchs around were all stunned. Fang Chen's method was exactly the same as that immortal on the day of the spiritual measurement!
"Wow!"
"Duke Fang actually has a Spiritual Measurement Bell?"
"I told you, he has already been accepted by a major sect."
Many concubines stood at a distance, watching. They couldn't help but inhale sharply when they saw this scene. They started to whisper among themselves.
When they realized that Fang Chen was going to measure Xia Yuan’s spiritual potential, their faces turned conflicted.
"Come, come forward and give it a try." Fang Chen beckoned Xia Yuan over with a smile.
Xiangzhen was visibly excited for him, and she whispered, "Seventeenth Prince, Duke Fang is giving you an opportunity. Quickly go and test your spiritual potential."
Xia Yuan vaguely understood what was happening. So, he took a deep breath and stepped forward. He threw a punch with all his might at the bell.
Clang!
A clear and melodious bell sound rang out. This surprised the officials in the palace, including Li Guozhu who was discussing matters regarding the succession. They couldn’t be more familiar with the sound!
"Someone is measuring their spiritual potential!?"
"Is there another immortal looking for disciples?"
The officials looked at each other in astonishment.
"The sound seems to be coming from the palace."
The fifth prince's expression became serious. He immediately stood up and walked towards the door. "Let's go and take a look."
A large group of officials, civil and military, immediately followed.
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