07 Loyal Old Slave Sea Steward

Shang Wuxin walked out of the cave and slowly wandered through the forest, as if she sensed many hidden guards stirring in the shadows, but there was not a trace of killing intent. Moreover, when they discovered her, they sighed in relief—it wasn’t an enemy! In an instant, Shang Wuxin was able to draw this conclusion.

However, after discovering Shang Wuxin, these hidden guards quickly retreated, leaving only a few guards in the shadows observing or rather protecting Shang Wuxin. A slight smile appeared at the corner of Shang Wuxin’s mouth. It seemed this crown prince identity was becoming more and more interesting. She wondered who would be willing to protect this incompetent crown prince?

Shang Wuxin showed no sign of noticing the dark guards following from the shadows and continued on leisurely as if unaware. In her mind, she quickly located the prince’s residence and had already filtered through the people inside the prince’s mansion.

The dark guards in the shadows looked at the prince in surprise. The outside world said this prince was incompetent and timid, but even as he strolled through the mottled forest with a relaxed pace, the guards could feel the aura he exuded. Although his figure was small and weak, he gave off an air of looking down on the world. Could such a person really be incompetent?

After leaving the forest, Shang Wuxin quickly shook off the dark guards. The guards stared in shock at the prince who had disappeared without a trace. How did the prince manage to leave their sight? Each of them was highly skilled in martial arts, yet the prince was able to slip away silently right under their eyes. Cold sweat broke out on the backs of the guards; it seemed the prince had just discovered them.

Shang Wuxin smiled slightly as she looked at the vanished guards. Even though these people meant no harm, she had to be cautious. Besides, she didn’t want to appear so embarrassed at the prince’s mansion, nor did she want to return there in such a state. So she used her lightness skill to quietly enter the prince’s mansion and made her way to her own bedchamber inside.

Because she was disguised as a man, the crown prince’s bedchamber was off-limits to everyone. Even cleaning the room was done personally by Crown Prince Shang Wuxin, so at this moment, no one knew that Shang Wuxin had entered the bedchamber.

The crown prince’s bedchamber didn’t look like a prince’s chamber at all. There were butterfly and flower-scented hanging screens, a large bed draped with flowing purple gauze, an exquisitely delicate desk, and a red carpet embroidered with patterns on the floor. By the window hung an ornament made by her previous self. Even though her previous self had tried hard to disguise herself, her innate girlishness still showed through. The room was oddly mismatched, and Shang Wuxin disliked it at a glance. But now was not the time to fuss over a bedchamber; there were more important matters to attend to.

Shang Wuxin slowly walked to the wardrobe and opened it, seeing it filled with robes, mostly bright yellow ones, but scattered among them were purple and blue robes. Shang Wuxin shook her head slightly, then casually picked a black robe and went into the inner bath chamber to wash up. There were only a few black brocade robes in the wardrobe, and it was clear that her previous self had never worn them; otherwise, she wouldn’t wear them now.

She stripped off the tattered yellow robe outside and one by one removed the inner garments. Shang Wuxin examined this body. Even though she was cold and indifferent, she couldn’t help but admire it. This body truly had skin like congealed fat. She had seen so many beauties before, but compared to the fairness and beauty of this body, none were worth mentioning. She couldn’t even see the pores on this body’s skin. If Shang Wuxin had truly lived as a woman before, she might have been a femme fatale who brought ruin to the country. But unfortunately, such femme fatales never had a good ending.

After thoroughly cleaning her body, Shang Wuxin* approached the mirror beside the bath to take a look at her face. However, even she was startled by her own reflection. This face was truly beautiful, and only such a visage could match such a perfect body. Even though she didn’t care much about her appearance, she couldn’t help but sigh—this body was truly a marvel, simply stunning!

What Shang Wuxin did not know was that this body and face had once been very beautiful, but unfortunately, due to the previous life’s timidity, there was nothing outstanding about it, which made people overlook it. However, now with a different soul, this beauty was expressed to the extreme; the harmony between soul and body made her beauty unbearable to look at!

After looking at her own face, Shang Wuxin was amazed but did not leave much of an impression. She glanced at the subtle rise and fall of her chest. Perhaps it was because she had wrapped herself in white cloth strips every day before. At fifteen, she should have had a curvy figure, but it was somewhat disappointing; her chest was just two small mounds. Shang Wuxin picked up the white cloth strips and continued wrapping them, but she also resolved to pay more attention from now on. Otherwise, if she really became neither male nor female, it would be a loss.

When the door of the bedchamber opened from the inside, the maids and servants standing outside looked on fearfully. Then they saw the Crown Prince in a black brocade robe, surrounded like a roaring beast. They had never known the Crown Prince could have such an imposing aura.

“Crown Prince!” The servants knelt down in a clatter, many of them terrified. The Crown Prince had disappeared in the forest after going to the imperial tomb, and even the Emperor knew, but the Emperor had not inquired further. So how could the Crown Prince come out of the bedchamber now? Because they thought the Crown Prince was already dead, many had pledged allegiance to other princes, not knowing if the Crown Prince would find out. No, the Crown Prince would not find out; he had always been that foolish.

Shang Wuxin stood on the steps, looking down at the dozens of maids and servants on the ground. How many of these people were truly loyal to his previous self? They were all just ingrates, nothing more. A strange light flickered in Shang Wuxin’s eyes as he looked at them.

“Your Highness!” Suddenly, a eunuch in his forties or fifties ran in from outside. Upon seeing Shang Wuxin, he called out sharply. Shang Wuxin disliked such a tone, but from this harsh voice, he could discern the housekeeper eunuch’s genuine worry and fear. This eunuch had been taking care of the Crown Prince since childhood and was the only person in the prince’s residence who knew the Crown Prince was actually a girl. He was also a rare elder who deeply cared for the Crown Prince.

The eunuch’s name was Hai Qing. He used to be an attendant eunuch serving the Crown Prince’s birth mother, Empress Qiu. Because he was favored and cared for by Empress Qiu, he remained loyal and devoted. After Empress Qiu passed away, he continued to take care of the Crown Prince’s daily life, treating the Crown Prince as if he were his own child. Later, when the Crown Prince established his residence, Hai Qing followed and served in the Crown Prince’s mansion, becoming the steward of the household, and everyone called him Steward Hai.

“Your Highness!” Eunuch Hai came to Shang Wuxin’s side, preparing to carefully check if the Crown Prince was injured, but was stopped by Shang Wuxin. She did not like being touched by others, even though this eunuch had no ill intentions, and besides, she was no longer the original Shang Wuxin.

He had no thoughts about the Crown Prince rejecting Eunuch Hai. Seeing the Crown Prince safe and sound, his heart settled, but his mouth kept nagging, “Your Highness, don’t cause trouble from now on. If something happens to you, how will this old servant live? How will I explain it to the Empress?”

“I am fine, and you don’t need to die!” Shang Wuxin said to Steward Hai. Although this Steward Hai seemed a bit off, the fact that the Crown Prince had survived so well all these years was largely thanks to him. Such a person, both loyal and capable, was someone Shang Wuxin admired.

The Sea Steward was momentarily speechless at the Crown Prince’s words. The Crown Prince seemed different; not only his aura but even his appearance was more dazzling. He had always known the Crown Prince was beautiful, but the current Crown Prince was like a phoenix reborn from the flames, astonishing to behold. However, no matter how the Crown Prince was, he was still his master, the one he loyally served!