Change Them All to Maids for This King

"Outrageous!" Gu Qingfeng immediately seized the initiative, berating the guard with a furious shout.

"His Majesty is waiting for me to refine the Ageless Pill to prolong his life, yet you dare obstruct my work with baseless accusations? What are your true intentions? Are you deliberately stalling so the Emperor might die?"

Such a grave accusation, even for a powerhouse at the Dragon Transformation Realm, made the guard pale.

"Don’t spout nonsense!" the guard roared in anger. "It’s clearly you who’s trying to embezzle—"

"Embezzle my ass!"

Gu Qingfeng cut him off. "I see now—you’re plotting a rebellion! If I’m not mistaken, you’re one of the Crown Prince’s men, aren’t you? Admit it! Did the Crown Prince send you to delay my work, waiting for the Emperor to pass so he can ascend the throne and elevate you alongside him?"

Mentioning such matters within the imperial palace was taboo. Hearing this, the guard panicked—if such a label stuck to him, he was finished.

His gaze at Gu Qingfeng was a mix of shock and fury. "You’re slandering—"

Before he could finish, Gu Qingfeng sneered and suddenly raised his voice in a loud shout: "Someone, come quickly! This man is preventing me from refining the Ageless Pill—he wants the Emperor dead!"

The guard’s composure shattered. Driven to madness, he lunged forward to silence Gu Qingfeng.

But at that moment, an overwhelming aura erupted.

"Enough!"

It was Situ Kong. With a cold snort, he put an end to the commotion.

"Grand Tutor..." The guard looked at Situ Kong, his face twisted with unease.

Situ Kong’s voice was icy. "Let him through."

"But—" The guard wanted to argue further, but one glance at Situ Kong’s frigid eyes made him swallow his words. He could only glare at Gu Qingfeng with resentment.

Gu Qingfeng smirked, utterly unfazed. If looks could kill, he’d have died a hundred times over. But since they couldn’t, why bother caring?

Situ Kong seemed unwilling to waste more words. He led Gu Qingfeng away from the treasury, navigating the palace’s winding corridors with no clear destination.

Suddenly, as they walked, Situ Kong remarked, "Now I understand how that mountain of gold ended up in your spatial ring."

Gu Qingfeng: "......"

Before he could defend himself, Situ Kong continued, "We’re here. From now on, you’ll refine pills in this palace. Remember—you have only three days. Go inside."

Gu Qingfeng looked at the palace before him. It was enormous, at least 10,000 square meters, with an inscribed plaque above the entrance bearing three characters: Hall of Nourished Spirit.

A squad of seven guards stood at attention by the door—one at the early Dragon Transformation Realm, the rest at the Grandmaster level.

Ever observant, Gu Qingfeng also noticed that the entire Hall of Nourished Spirit was enveloped in a powerful sealing formation. Testing its strength in his mind, he realized even a late-stage Dragon Transformation expert wouldn’t be able to break it quickly.

His heart sank. Am I being imprisoned here?

He suddenly recalled the tragic fate of the former Pill King, Qiu Yulong, who had also been imprisoned to refine the Ageless Pill.

Now that he’d inherited the Ageless Pill legacy, was history repeating itself?

Surely not… Maybe the Emperor is just protecting me to ensure no one interferes. Once the pill is complete, they’ll release me and even grant me the title of Peerless Prince?

At that thought, Gu Qingfeng nearly laughed. Even a fool wouldn’t believe such wishful thinking.

Anyone who took one Ageless Pill would crave a second, then a third—even if the effects diminished by half, there’d be no shortage of willing takers.

Of course, the so-called "diminished effects" were a lie.

It was a fabrication by Qiu Yulong to reduce his own lifespan loss—he simply halved the amount of unattributed life essence infused into each pill.

The higher one’s status, the more they feared death. Life was too sweet to let go, and the Emperor was the perfect example.

Gu Qingfeng admitted to himself—if he were the Emperor, he’d lock away the Ageless Pill’s inheritor too.

Leaving such a person free was a risk. What if they were kidnapped or killed? Countless people in the realm wished for the Emperor’s demise.

Damn it, I’m screwed!

Gu Qingfeng had envisioned himself rising to the title of Peerless Prince, wielding supreme power by day and drowning in beauties by night. But reality, as always, was far harsher than dreams.

Now he was a lamb walking straight into the wolf’s den.

"Gu Qingfeng, why are you hesitating? Time is short—enter and begin refining," Situ Kong urged, seeing him rooted in place.

"I’ll go in, but let me make one thing clear—I’m used to being waited on hand and foot. Without at least a few dozen maids attending to me, I’ll be utterly helpless. My daily meals must cost no less than a hundred taels of gold. And I only drink Purple Sun Wine, wear only..."

"Whatever you require can be arranged with the servants inside. Now, go." Situ Kong cut him off.

He then ordered the guards to open the palace doors and ushered Gu Qingfeng inside.

As soon as he stepped in—

BANG!

The doors slammed shut, sealing formations activating instantly. The Hall of Nourished Spirit was now completely locked down.

"Your humble servants greet Young Master Gu."

Inside stood two rows of attendants—five maids and five eunuchs, all martial artists.

Two Grandmasters, the rest uniformly at the Tough Qi Realm.

It was obvious—while they pretended to be mere attendants, their true role was surveillance.

Despite their impeccable courtesy, none held genuine respect in their eyes. They knew full well Gu Qingfeng was a prisoner here.

"Young Master? Call me Prince," Gu Qingfeng said with displeasure.

The maids and eunuchs exchanged glances. But recalling their orders—to fulfill all of Gu Qingfeng’s demands while ensuring he never escaped—they hesitated only briefly before obediently addressing him again.

"Prince."

Gu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction, then issued his first command with an air of authority.

"Now, my first decree—remove all the eunuchs. Replace them with maids. Pretty ones. With ample bosoms. Understood?"

The attendants froze.

One of the senior eunuchs stepped forward uneasily. "Prince, this... goes against protocol."

"Protocol? My word is protocol. Didn’t Situ Kong just say all my demands must be met? Or is the very first one already too much to ask?"

"But—"

"But nothing! Do you think I’m asking for maids out of lust? I need them for alchemy! The Ageless Pill extends life—it’s a pinnacle of yang energy. The refining process is perilous, overflowing with yang essence. It requires the balancing touch of feminine yin energy. If you refuse to replace the eunuchs, are you deliberately sabotaging my work? Do you want the Emperor to die?"

The moment "Emperor to die" left his lips, the ten attendants turned ashen.

The eunuch speaking was so terrified that he dropped to his knees. "Your Highness, such words must not be spoken carelessly! This servant will arrange it at once, at once!"

"That's more like it." Gu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction. However, when his gaze swept over the palace maid, his brow furrowed again. "Wait—replace this maid as well."

The pointed-out maid froze, unsure of how she had offended Gu Qingfeng, and immediately asked, "Might this servant ask, Your Highness, what fault you have found with me?"

"Your bust is too small; your yin energy isn’t strong enough. Fetch me one with more potent yin energy."

The maid flushed with anger, feeling deeply insulted, but she dared not voice her resentment—afraid Gu Qingfeng would accuse her of wishing for the Emperor’s death.

"Enough, everyone get moving! Don’t delay my alchemy!"

"Yes, Your Highness."