My palace is full of female protagonists.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qi'er, bound by her promise to Consort Yi, had no choice but to take the ever-curious Yi Jingwei to the most prestigious theater in the capital. This theater had recently become incredibly famous, all because it boasted that it would be staging the Empress's favorite plays from the palace's corner tower for six consecutive months. This attracted countless guests, especially the high-ranking officials and nobles seated in their exquisite boxes, who considered it the perfect place to showcase their status and taste.

Zhao Qi'er, holding Yi Jingwei's hand, weaved through the bustling crowd, finally settling into a secluded private room. Though far from the noise, this place allowed her to calmly peruse the mountain of account books. Yi Jingwei was an eccentric child; he neither loved fine food nor enjoyed play, but had a particular fondness for things that required mental effort. Whenever Zhao Qi'er took out the account books, Yi Jingwei would instantly quiet down, as if under a spell, immersing himself completely in the sea of ​​numbers.

While the two men were busy in the private box, several ragged and haggard beggars were slowly passing by outside the theater. Their clothes were tattered and worn, as if they had weathered countless storms, making them look particularly shabby and destitute.

Among the group of beggars was an older man. His hair was disheveled, his face etched with the marks of time, and his eyes were deeply sunken, yet they held a calm composure born of experience. He looked down at his tattered clothes, patched upon patched, and a wave of emotion washed over him.

He turned to the younger beggar beside him and said helplessly, “Young master, in my opinion, shouldn’t we try to change our clothes? Look at the other beggars in the capital, even the poorest and most destitute ones, none of them are dressed as shabby as we are!” After saying this, he sighed softly, seemingly feeling helpless and worried about the current situation.

The young beggar, addressed as "Young Master," wore the same tattered clothes as the other beggars, yet his heroic spirit was still undeniable. A bitter smile played on his lips as he said helplessly, "This truly is the capital! I never imagined even beggars' clothes would be patched. These beggar's clothes you carefully prepared for us on the road are clearly unsuitable now."

Upon hearing this, another beggar reached out and scratched his disheveled hair, his face full of confusion. He muttered to himself, "We've never been to this capital city before, so how could we have known that the lives of beggars here could be so good?" As he spoke, his cloudy eyes looked around, taking in the well-dressed pedestrians coming and going, and a sense of loss welled up in his heart.

Just then, an old beggar, dressed in rags and with a weathered face, happened to pass by. He slowly stopped with faltering steps, his cloudy eyes carefully scrutinizing the group of weary travelers from out of town. After a moment, a friendly smile appeared on his weathered face as he spoke, “You must have come from afar, right? Judging from your attire and weary appearance, you’ve clearly endured a long and arduous journey. However, if you wish to make a living in this bustling capital, I have a suggestion for you. In my opinion, you should go to the back gate of the government office and sit quietly. You see, servants from the government office come there every day to distribute clothing to the beggars in the city. After all, we beggars can’t be dressed too raggedly! Otherwise, if the patrolling soldiers see you, they might mistake you for vagrants and drive you out of the city without a word! So take my advice and hurry to the back gate of the government office to try your luck; perhaps it will make your future easier!”

Upon hearing this, the young beggar's eyes flashed with surprise. He then nodded, thanked the old beggar, and led his companions toward the government office.

Just as the three young men disguised as beggars were heading towards the back gate of the government office, following the old beggar's directions, a series of hurried footsteps and the clanging of metal armor suddenly came from the street corner. Their hearts tightened, and they turned to look, only to see a squad of uniformed soldiers carrying long guns rapidly approaching, clearly conducting their routine street patrol.

The young beggar, the "young master" of the three, quickly signaled to his companions to remain calm, while he himself pretended to stagger, trying to mimic the gait of a beggar and blend into the crowd of real beggars. However, despite their tattered clothes, the composure and demeanor they exuded that were not of beggars could not escape the keen eyes of the patrolling soldiers.

"Halt!" a patrolman who appeared to be the leader shouted, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. The three men had no choice but to stop, silently calculating how to handle the impending questioning.

"Where are you three from? What are you doing in the capital?" The patrolman approached, his eyes sharp, scrutinizing each of them. The young beggar took a deep breath, trying to answer in a tone most befitting a beggar: "We are... we fled from the south during a famine, looking for a way to survive. We heard there were many opportunities in the capital, so we came."

The patrolmen were clearly skeptical of their answers, but lacking concrete evidence, they had no choice but to continue questioning them: "Your clothes are so tattered that you cannot stay in the capital. Go to the government office now to register and get your clothes, or we'll kick you out of the city!"

At this moment, one of the young beggar's companions laughed and said, "Yes, yes! We'll go with the official right away!"

Upon hearing this, the patrolman frowned slightly, but he still decided to take them to the government office to further verify their identities. "Come with me. We need to confirm your identities. If there are no problems, you will be allowed to leave."

Although the three were unwilling, they knew it was not the right time to resist, so they followed the patrolmen to the nearest government office. After a lengthy registration and questioning process, the officials finally confirmed their identities. Of course, these were false identities they had fabricated beforehand. They decided to provide them with a clean set of beggar's clothes, in accordance with the regulations of the capital, to conform to the image of beggars in the city.

In the government's clothing storeroom, the three changed into newly issued beggar's clothes. Although they were still tattered, they were clearly more in line with the norms of beggars in the capital than the previous overly conspicuous "beggar's outfit."

In a simple reception room within the government office, a stern-faced middle-aged man in official robes was giving a final admonition to three young people who had just changed into beggar's clothes. Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the window, dappling the room and adding a touch of warmth, yet tinged with irony, to the somber atmosphere.

“Listen,” the middle-aged man cleared his throat, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority, “Since you have decided to stay in the capital and make a living as beggars, you must abide by the rules of the capital. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, at the ends of the streets in the four main markets in the east, south, west, and north of the city, kind-hearted people will give alms. Remember, that is your main source of food and daily necessities.”

The young beggar, the leader of the three, stared intently at the middle-aged man, afraid of missing a single word. His two companions were equally focused, their eyes flashing with uncertainty about the future and a barely perceptible tenacity.

“There is one more thing, which is very important,” the middle-aged man paused, his gaze becoming even more stern, “The capital is under the emperor’s nose and cannot tolerate the slightest filth. If any of you feel that you are about to die or have contracted some serious illness, leave the city immediately. You must not die in the city. Otherwise, once discovered, not only will your corpses be whipped for ten days as punishment, but it will also implicate those kind-hearted people who have helped you.”

At this point, the middle-aged man paused, seemingly waiting for the three beggars' reaction. The three beggars exchanged glances, their hearts filled with fear and unease about the future, but they nodded, indicating that they understood and were willing to abide by the rules.

"Do you understand?" the middle-aged man asked again, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in his voice.

"Understood, sir," the three replied in unison, their voices soft yet revealing an indescribable firmness.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing across his face. "Very good, then go ahead. Remember, this is the capital, a place of dreams and hopes for countless people, but also a place where the strong survive and the weak are eliminated. Good luck; if you find a family willing to take you in, perhaps the next beggar prime minister will be you!"

As the middle-aged man finished speaking, the three were led to the main gate of the government office. Looking at the bustling yet indifferent capital city outside, they felt a complex mix of emotions. There was anticipation and longing for the future, but also fear and unease about the unknown challenges. But they knew that having chosen this path, there was no turning back.

Three beggars wandered through the intricate streets of the capital, frequently stopping to ask passersby for directions to the house they were looking for. That day, they traversed almost half the city, their steps never faltering from dawn till dusk. Whenever they asked nearby residents, the answers were always vague or offered conflicting directions, making their search even more difficult.

Just as they were about to give up and find a random place to spend the night on the street corner, an old woman who happened to be passing by overheard their question, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes. "Oh, the house you're talking about, I know it," she whispered, as if passing on a secret, "It's at the end of that alley ahead, the second house on the left, the one with the old locust tree in front."

Upon hearing the old woman's directions, the three felt as if they had suddenly seen a ray of light in the darkness, their spirits instantly lifted. Filled with gratitude, they repeatedly thanked the old woman and then eagerly strode off in the direction she had indicated. Along the way, they encountered many twists and turns, but this did not deter them in the slightest.

After a long trek, they finally arrived at their destination—a tightly closed gate. The mansion looked solemn and imposing, exuding an air of mystery. Standing before the gate, the young beggar took a deep breath to calm his somewhat excited emotions, then gently knocked on the brass door knocker. At this moment, his heart was filled with tension and anticipation, wondering what awaited them.

With a slight creak, the door slowly opened a crack. A middle-aged man peeked out, scrutinizing the three people outside. He wore a long black robe, his face calm and serious, his eyes showing obvious wariness. However, just as the young beggar lowered his voice and cautiously uttered the pre-prepared code, the middle-aged man's expression changed drastically. His tense muscles relaxed, the wariness in his eyes was replaced by surprise, and his face quickly softened.

The middle-aged man hurriedly opened the door wide and warmly invited the three into the mansion. "Third Young Master, you've finally arrived!" As soon as they entered, the steward spoke impatiently, his voice trembling slightly, with a hint of undisguised sobs. "This old servant has been hoping for your safe return day and night. I was so worried, afraid that something might have happened to you on the way!" As he spoke, he couldn't help but wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

The young beggar, also known as the Third Young Master, gave a wry smile: "I didn't know that even beggars in the capital were so strictly regulated. When we entered the city, we were taken to the government office to change clothes, and we almost got caught."

Upon hearing this, the head of the family was also surprised: "Yes! I didn't expect that you, Third Young Master, would dress up like this to enter the city. I had the servants waiting for you at the four city gates. I didn't expect you to be so low-key that they didn't even notice you after you entered the city."

The third young master shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "Don't mention it. Our fake identities were too low-level to get in, and we didn't have enough money. We couldn't go to the money exchange for small change for fear of attracting attention. We had no choice but to resort to this last resort, disguising ourselves as beggars to sneak in. Although the process was a bit complicated, we finally arrived safely."

Upon hearing this, the head of the family felt a mix of emotions. He admired the third young master's quick thinking but was also dissatisfied with the harsh environment of the capital. He immediately instructed the steward to prepare a banquet to welcome the third young master and his companions, while secretly plotting how to pave a safer path for the third young master in this bustling yet treacherous capital.

As night fell, the flower hall was brightly lit, and the three sat around the table, enjoying a rare moment of peace and warmth. They knew that although the road ahead was still full of unknowns and challenges, as long as they joined hands, nothing was impossible.