Chapter 399: Rebellion in the West Capital
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
It had been raining for five days. The rain shrouded the capital city in the gloom, like the mood of most people in the imperial palace.
The Queen was dying.
Luo Xuehuan, the Queen of the Jin dynasty, was critically ill.
Luo Xuehuan and Yan Yuntian got married young. After suffering together all these years, they were deep in love. Thus, when she was seriously ill and could not be cured, Yan Yuntian’s temper become eccentric. These days, a large number of little eunuchs and little maids were beaten to death for little mistakes. It was precisely because of the Emperor’s bad mood that the whole palace was put into a rather downcast atmosphere. Except for some people with ulterior motives, everyone in the palace hoped that the Queen would recover quickly so as that they would not be caught up in the wrath of Yan Yuntian. But, the reality is always cruel.
Early this morning, Luo Xuehuan was in a state of dying. From morning till afternoon, Yan Yuntian remained in the Queen’s bedchamber and beheaded 48 imperial doctors in a row, but it still useless.
“Yunfei, Yunfei…”
At the Queen’s bedchamber, the Queen, who was already in her final state, murmured Yan Yunfei’s name with her dry mouth. Her left hand was clasped in Yan Yuntian’s hands, and the latter stared at her with his bloodshot, unblinking eyes, afraid that Luo Xuehuan would die in the blink of an eye.
“Xuehuan, Xuehuan, don’t worry, Yunfei is coming, Yunfei is coming!” He whispered to console her but felt helpless in his heart. Yan Yunfei was in the northwest. Though he had sent the letter as fast as he could, it was tens of thousands of kilometers from the northwest to Western Capital. It took some time to come here. He hadn’t received any news yet, so he surmised Yan Yunfei should be unable to come. Even if she did come, the Queen seemed unable to wait until then.
Deep sadness pervaded the bedchamber. Of course, there was sadness. After the Queen died, perhaps the maidservants and eunuchs in the palace had to be buried with her. Even if they died, they must serve the Queen in the netherworld. It was a rule, an iron rule. Therefore, within that bedchamber, the Queen was the last person that they had hoped would die.
“Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap…” Suddenly there was a knock at the door of the quiet bedchamber.
“Who?” Yan Yuntian asked impatiently. He raised his head suddenly but was afraid to frighten the Queen, so he deliberately lowered his voice. The voice traveled to the door flatly and startled the little eunuch who was knocking at the door.
“Your Majesty, Grand Tutor begs for an audience!”
“No!”
“But…”
“Didn’t you hear me? No!” Yan Yuntian yelled, louder than before, making the little eunuch too scared to go on. When the eunuch was about to turn away, unexpectedly, there was a resonant voice rang out.
“I, Pei Tianming, beg for an interview! I have something important to say to Your Majesty!”
The voice went straight to the bedchamber, and Yan Yuntian’s expression changed, a flicker of exasperation crossing his face.
“Whatever it is, wait!”
“This matter is too important to wait!” Pei Tianming, whose beard and hair were perfectly white, refused to yield an inch.
“Humph, Pei Tianming, what makes you so bold?” Yan Yuntian was really in a peeve, and his voice became dramatically sharper. “Tell me, what makes you so bold?”
“Your Majesty, you have not held court for 10 days. All the big events are pending. But you have killed imperial doctors and servants continuously for a woman. The whole inner city is filled with panic and complaints. It is against the way of being a sagacious king!”
“How dare you!” His thunder-like fulmination hit Pei Tianming hard as though it was tangible. Pei Tianming’s expression changed, and he retreated three steps successively. Though the fulmination could break metal and stone, it only made him take three steps back.
He knelt down, saying, “Your Majesty, I’m loyal! All I do is for the Great Jin. Please go to the Taiyuan Palace to hold court!” After that, he banged his head on the ground.
Yan Yuntian was unswayed and looked even more serious.
However, as Pei Tianming kowtowed, one by one, more and more people gathered outside the bedchamber.
This was the Queen’s bedchamber, the royal interior. Even ministers like the Three Ducal Ministers could not enter. But today, it was as if there was no defense, or, the defense did not work. All the officials rushed in through the palace gate. Neither the eunuchs nor the guards in the palace could stop them.
Rus.h.i.+ng in, they all knelt and kowtowed at the door of the bedchamber, begging the Emperor to leave and to hold court.
The sound was getting louder and louder.
“Look, Elder Chen, why don’t you persuade His Majesty?”
Outside the bedchamber, an old eunuch, who was obviously wearing the clothes of the head of the eunuchs, was quite anxious. He said to a green-clothed old man who was standing beside him, “It can’t go on like this! If His Majesty really rages, I, I can’t afford it!”
“That’s the best. Let others afford it!” The old man, whose clothes were a little washed out, smiled. “I just come to ask the Queen’s condition and have nothing to do with this matter. Look, the Three Ducal Ministers are kneeling down and begging the Emperor to hold court. Why should I get involved?”
“But…”
“Alright, Old Jin, I advise you not to get involved either. For this kind of thing, the farther away you are, the better!” Elder Chen patted the old eunuch on his shoulder, and continued, “It is better for you to persuade His Majesty. You’ve been with the Emperor for so many years, he will be considerate towards you. As for me, an old man with one foot in the grave, forget it!”
After saying this, he ignored the old eunuch’s pleas and left, leaving the old eunuch in a state of great anxiety and bewilderment, not knowing what to do.
“Elder Chen, what do you think of this?”
As Elder Chen walked out of the palace gate, he met several officials who stepped forward and seemed to ask for information. But he beckoned to them and said, “Don’t ask me or anyone else. Don’t get involved in this matter. Go back, even if the Emperor holds court today, he won’t want to see too many people!”
“But, Elder Chen…”
“Just go back, go back! Don’t you think the situation here is chaotic enough?” Elder Chen said and looked back at the high palace wall with an odd smile on his face.
Elder Chen went to the palace and stayed aloof in regards to this matter. At the same time, Yan Yunfei, who had received the news that the Queen was terminally ill, spent the night preparing. Even Zhou Bao did not know how many things were she going to carry. When things were ready, they hit the road the next morning.
With his current cultivation and strength, Zhou Bao was able to take a person, such as Yan Yunfei, and fly tens of thousands of kilometers a day at high speed. It was only tens of thousands of kilometers from Wuyang Region in the northwest to Western Capital, so he only spent 6 hours.
From a distance, he saw that the dark clouds hanging over the capital were mingled with a dense purple Qi, which looked conspicuous.
Zhou Bao knew neither Fengshui nor fate, but after the practice in the Azure Secret Area, his Fiery Eyes had strengthened a lot. He could not see ordinary people’s fate, but could see the fate of a city like Western Capital, which had been magnificently situated in the Central Mainland Region for tens of thousands of years, and gathered several dragon veins.
“Though Western Capital is shrouded in purple Qi, there is a hint of grey in the soaring purple Qi. This should not bode well! Moreover, the fate of Mingyi Lane is much more obscure after my trouble making, yet there is a white and golden fate in it, which is alive. What happened there?” Zhou Bao thought, frowning, but soon he laughed at himself, “d.a.m.n it, I’m not Earth Bat of Girl, a fortune-teller, so why am I thinking so much? No matter whose fate is better, it seems to have nothing to do with me. I’d better wait and see the battle between the Royalties of the Jin. G.o.d knows who will emerge victorious, as long as it’s not the b.a.s.t.a.r.d Prince Ning, it will be okay in the end!”
While thinking, he rolled up the dark golden Gang Qi, and suddenly sped up, flying toward the Royal Capital in a rush.
“Eh?” As soon as they entered the city, he distinctly felt something was wrong. There seemed to be a kind of invisible tension in Western Capital. The moment they reached the city, a mighty force arose from the Royal Capital and tried to pull them down from the air.
“What a formidable inhibition!”
Even Zhou Bao, whose combat capability had reached the level of a Genuine Immortal, was a little overwhelmed in the Royal Capital. Slowing down, he descended from the skies and was ready to walk to the imperial palace. Anyway, they had arrived in Western Capital and were in no hurry.
But when they had just landed, they heard a yell. “Who are you? How dare you enter the Royal Capital without permission! Fold your hands for capture!”
Before the voice died away, a chain came towards him, aiming right for his head.
“d.a.m.n it!” Zhou Bao let out a scream. Ever since he saw those 81 Primordial Celestial Dragons that had suppressed by black chains in the unknown s.p.a.ce, chains had left a big shadow in his heart. How could he not be furious when someone dared to throw a chain at him? He reached for the chain, then jerked it, drawing the chain’s master to his side. It was a young General in silver armor.
Bang! With one foot, Zhou Bao kicked the General out.
There was a noise ahead. No one imagined that anyone would dare to be so aggressive in Western Capital.
With a burst of yells, a group of soldiers in prominent armor appeared and surrounded Zhou Bao and Yan Yunfei.
“Stop!”
“Stop!” Before the soldiers did anything, an exclamation came from behind them.
Then, a man squeezed himself out of these soldiers, rushed to Zhou Bao and Yan Yunfei, and fell to his knees.
“Pay respects to Your Highness! Pay respects to the distinguished emperor’s son-in-law!”