Chapter 13: The Qin Empire Undercurrent.

 

Chancellor Li after coming out from the Qin emperor's room.

 

“Let’s hope your majesty heed my word and make a will before anything happens.” Chancellor Li shakes his head and leaves.

 

Outside the door, eunuch Ye secretly overhears their conversation. “It looks like the second prince's time to make a move has come.” Eunuch Ye smiled.

 

Chancellor Li begins to make arrangements for the 11th prince and his mother to send them out of the capital city to a safe place. However, that it’s all he can do, even though his life is at risk. He found out that most of his followers were acting strange.

 

The empress dowager room.

 

An elderly woman listening to eunuch Ye report.

 

“It looks like my son's illness is getting worse and even the imperial physicians are helpless.” Empress Dowager is feeling melancholy.

 

“Your Highness, consort Jin hope when the time comes you will help the first prince.” The kneeling eunuch Ye said.

 

“Don’t worry the first prince will be the new emperor.” Empress Dowager said with confidence. She already controls the royal shadow ever since it was created for her safety. In history, there have been many emperors and kings who massacred their families to strengthen their rule.

 

“Your Highness, consort Jin give you a peach flower tea.” Eunuch Ye handed an aesthetic wooden box to the palace maid.

 

“Asked her to come and visit me next time.” Empress Dowager smiles.

 

Once Eunuch Ye left the room he grins.

 

-

 

Zou Jie after leaving the restaurant continued to explore the city.

 

A few hours later he enters an inn where the Eagle Claw escort agency stays. he sees the escort leader, Mao Yin, discussing with the merchant.

 

Mao Yin's expression doesn’t look good.

 

“What’s going on?” Zou Jie asked one of the escorts.

 

“Oh, physician Zou, there is a rumor that the Qin emperor had fallen ill and a large group of bandits not far from the capital city.”

 

“What does the Qin army in the capital city do?”

 

“They don’t take any action.”

 

Mao Yin walked toward them and spoke. “We will move to the capital city tomorrow morning.”

 

“How about the bandit group?”

 

“We will move together with other escort agencies that going to the capital city.”

 

“Sir Moa, it looks like we will partway tomorrow.”

 

“Are you not going to follow us?”

 

“No, I have decided to go to Shunan Bamboo Forest.” While exploring the city he accidentally heard about Shunan Bamboo Forest place from the passerby. Zou Jie had a bad feeling going to the capital city. He trusts his instinct which has saved his life many times in the past, and living in the forest is his specialty.

 

“It’s a pity I want to show you around the capital city, if you have any problem contact the Eagle Claw Escort Agency branch in Zhuzi city and say my name.” Mao Yin wants to stay in contact with this young divine physician who can reattach a severed hand. In the future, he might need his help.

 

What Mao Yin doesn’t realize although he and other keep physician Zou's identity a secret, the news about Gu Yi's cut hand reattached begin to spread. At that time there is many people recognized Gu Yi and saw his hand get cut off. People who had sick or injured family members tried to find physician Zou, but there are too late.

 

The next day Zou Jie leaves the city with a bamboo hat and a bamboo basket on his back.

 

He travels leisurely because he is not in a hurry. It will take him a few days to arrive at Shunan Bamboo Forest. According to what he found out, more than half of the forest is covered with bamboo.

 

-

 

Inside an unknown mountain, there is a building that resembles an imperial palace in the vast cavern. This place is the demon sect palace, and since the last great war between the martial alliance and the demon sect, there are not many people staying here.

 

Demon sect in the once was leader of all unorthodox factions. Now the member of the Demon sect is in hiding and work secretly in the shadow.

 

From the last war, the Demon sect had learned from their predecessor that even an ant can hurt an elephant. At that time the former demon sect patriarch is the strongest Unrestrained Realm in the continent. Nevertheless, with the combined strength of the martial alliance, they managed to defeat the demon sect and seriously injure the former demon sect patriarch.

 

Over time the demon sect patriarch died from his injury. However, the martial alliance also lost several transcendent and unrestrained realm martial artists. That war caused many martial arts sects and clans to be weakened or disappear from the annals of history.

 

Sitting on the dragon throne is a beautiful black-haired woman wearing a black imperial robe embroidered with a golden phoenix. Most people who don’t know her will think she is someone's concubine, but they are wrong. She is the demon sect patriarch, Hu Ling.

 

No one can imagine this beautiful woman is a cold-blooded killer.

 

Below the high platform, several delicate women wearing a red hanfu, standing waiting for orders.

 

Hu Ling waved her delicate hand and one of the women moved forward and knelt in front of her.

 

“How is the plan?”

 

“The second prince agreed.”

 

“Start the plan without delay.”

 

“How about the Hundreds of Flower Brothel in Bai kingdom?”

 

“Madam Qiao Fen diseases had been cured?”

 

“How?” Hu Ling knows that diseases are common in brothels and there is no cure.”

 

The red dressed woman explains everything that happened in the Bai kingdom.

 

“Capture physician Zou and made him join the demon sect. If he refuses kill him.” Hu Ling expressionlessly said. Anyone who doesn’t obey her it’s an enemy. To become the demon sect patriarch, she had suffered and killed many people.

 

“Yes, patriarch.”

 

“That’s all.” Hu Ling walks and lustfully gazes at one of the red-dressed women. She stops in front of her and touches her chin. “You follow me.”

 

The woman's body trembles but still follows her. Everyone who practices the demon sect martial arts will develop a twisted personality. Hu Ling is not an exception.

 

-

 

Martial alliance.

 

An Elderly man stroked his long white beard while reading the report.

 

“Do you find anything strange?” The middle-aged scholar asked.

 

“No, we can only wait for the report.” The martial alliance had ordered several groups to take this mission.

 

The marital alliance never interferes or joins the royal because they don’t want to be dragged into any war. However, even if he said that many martial artists would join. At that time the martial alliance needed to make a choice.

 

Innocent people will suffer when the war starts.

 

While talking a man entered the room and handed a letter to the scholar.

 

Reading the letter, the man's expression changes.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s better if you read the report first.”

 

After reading the report the elderly man had the same reaction and frown. If this is true, the martial alliance needed to get involved before it was too late.

 

“Even if the report is true, there is no concrete proof and It’s hard to convince the other.” The marital alliance is created by several powerful marital art families and sects. Each had a representative in the council member of the marital alliance. Anything big needs the approval of more than half of the council members.

 

“It doesn’t matter, send out the message for all council members to gather.”

 

However, it takes time to gather all the council member to the martial alliance headquarter. While they are waiting everything starts to move.

 

-

 

Time passed, and the situation at the Qin Empire capital city already changed. According to the report, the bandits is the Qin Empire soldier in disguise. For what purpose they don’t know.

 

The Qin emperor went into a coma, while the empress dowager suddenly fell ill because of grief. Without anyone in control, there is disorder in the court. Nevertheless, the Qin emperor already prepared the will.

 

When the chancellor Li read the will his face was in shock. After he announces the will the whole palace is in chaos. Because the next Emperor is not the first prince but the second prince.

 

The first prince and others claim the will is fake.

 

The second prince without wasting time begins to take control of the army in the capital city. Trapped in the palace the first prince and others use their connection to escape and return to their army to discuss a countermeasure.

 

 

 

Nevertheless, the Qin emperor, once the second prince's coronation ended. The first prince and others will find it hard to go against the second prince because he is a legitimate hair. Unless they can prove the will is fake.

 

But the chance is slim because several high-ranking ministers became a witness while the Qin emperor wrote the will. But they all don’t know the contents of the will including Chancellor Li.

 

The only good news the disguised army outside the capital city disappeared.