Chapter 8: The Emperor Has Fallen into the Water

Chapter 8: The Emperor's Iron Fist

"Father! Something terrible has happened—the Emperor herself showed up at the Prince Regent's mansion! Eunuch Chang read the decree: the Prince Regent plotted rebellion and attempted to assassinate the Emperor yesterday, and was put to death right then and there. The Prince Regent's mansion has also been seized and ransacked."

Huang Shuyi's father, Huang Dafu,

was at his place on East Street, right next door. With a grim expression, he listened to the news the servant had gathered, clenching his fists.

"Everything's changing, after all. Shuyi... will she be okay in the palace?"

"Swish!"

Inside the mansion, the ground was slick with bright red blood. Most people had already passed out, and the rest were sprawled limp on the ground.

"Your Majesty, we... we found a four-year-old child."

A Dragon Scale Guard, holding a child, looked like he wanted to beg for mercy as he knelt before Yun Ran.

"A child?"

Yun Ran arched an eyebrow.

Suddenly! She snatched the still-sheathed sword from Chang Yuan's hand and cut down the kneeling man with one stroke!

Then she struck again, killing the child too.

Done, she handed the sword back to Chang Yuan, who stayed just as stone-faced.

The others watching all felt their pupils contract, never expecting this outcome.

"Orders are law—that's the most basic rule of being a soldier! Showing mercy to the enemy is being cruel to yourself. I won't keep unpredictable dangers around me. If you can't obey absolutely, you've got no business being a soldier!"

With that, she clapped her hands, nonchalantly kicked aside whatever was in her way, and began searching for what she wanted.

The hidden Imperial Seal—that's what she was after!

The one in the great hall was a fake—Yun Ran knew it without even thinking.

The Emperor wasn't the same person anymore!

At that moment, everyone there saw things in a whole new light.

Yun Ran recalled the various ways the Imperial Seal had been concealed throughout the history of China, and she knew exactly what to look for.

Chang Yuan watched, baffled, as the Emperor prowled the mansion.

He kept his head down and scurried after her, silent.

The Dragon Scale Guards waiting around had already rounded up everyone still alive in the mansion, and everyone waited quietly in place.

Having just seen their master's ruthless methods and terrifying skill, nobody dared say a word.

Yun Ran pried open the rocks by the big rockery in the courtyard and peered inside.

Nothing there.

She was about to enter the Prince Regent's main courtyard but stopped at the gate.

A slight smile tugged at the corners of Yun Ran's eyes.

After a moment's thought, she headed straight into the adjoining room of the eunuch who served the Prince Regent.

The room was tiny.

It was dim, with nothing but a hard little bed and a thin blanket on it.

Chang Yuan wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed; he shook his head. This was just a plain eunuch's room—what could His Majesty possibly want here?

Yun Ran didn't touch the blanket. Instead, she scanned the whole room.

Suddenly! She marched to the wall by the bed and slammed her fist into it!

"Boom!"

The wall was solid. Even with all that force, it only cracked a little, sending a few chips of debris flying.

But Yun Ran's hand was already bloody.

Chang Yuan panicked, forgetting to keep up his eunuch falsetto as he yelled,

"Your Majesty! You must not! If you want to break the wall, there are iron tools—why use your bare hands? Oh dear, you'll hurt your royal hands!"

"No! If I use a hammer, whatever's inside will get smashed."

Yun Ran held up a hand, stopping Chang Yuan from going to fetch a tool.

As if she felt no pain, she kept slamming her fists into the crack.

"Crack!"

The wall finally gave way, and in a fist-sized hole, a hidden compartment was revealed.

Chang Yuan had been watching from behind. When he saw it, his eyes went wide, and he clapped a hand over his mouth—there really was something there!

Yun Ran knocked away the broken bits of wall, reached in, and pulled out the sandalwood box. Opening it—it was indeed the Imperial Seal!

"Not bad. One down—next!"

Yun Ran tossed the Imperial Seal to Chang Yuan like it was nothing and strolled off with her hands behind her back.

This scared Chang Yuan half to death, and his hands shook like crazy. He quickly shoved the hot potato back into the wooden box and hugged it tight to his chest.

Only after making sure the seal was safe did he hunch over and scurry to catch up with Yun Ran.

The Dragon Scale Guards outside saw the Emperor come out, but she showed no sign of leaving.

Behind her, Eunuch Chang suddenly started walking all hunched over, moving in a weird, shifty way.

"Why's Eunuch Chang suddenly acting so shady?"

Everyone thought to themselves.

Yun Ran was an expert at reading micro-expressions.

She could tell at a glance that Chang Yuan, a lifelong general, remained upright and honest even in his old age, and his eyes on her showed complete trust and loyalty.

This man would become Yun Ran's first capable ally in this invented dynasty.

Handing him the imperial seal was a test of whether he could accept unorthodox ways—the reforms Yun Ran intended to carry out were not something stubborn traditionalists would ever accept.

No emperor had ever entrusted the imperial seal to a eunuch before.

So far, aside from clutching the seal to his chest like a loyal dog guarding its food, Chang Yuan showed no confusion or disapproval.

Indeed, military men are easier to figure out than civil officials!

Just as Yun Ran was thinking this, Chang Yuan's trembling voice came from next to her,

"Your Majesty, this... this old servant doesn't dare hold this thing. If it gets chipped or damaged, that would be a grave offense—the late emperor would surely come to me in a dream and take me away."

Yun Ran nearly laughed out loud at that.

"Don't worry, I'll appear in my father's dream and tell him not to take you. I still need you as my great general."

Chang Yuan froze at these words. He had already entered the palace and was registered as a eunuch—how could he still be a general?

Perhaps it was just the emperor's joke to comfort him.

Unexpectedly, Yun Ran spoke very seriously,

"You gave up your family and sacrificed your honor to protect me. Now that I've regained the throne, everything you deserve is yours. Loyal ministers are rare, and I must restore your title of general. In this realm, I decide who you are, and that's who you are!"

Chang Yuan's heart was filled with bitterness.

When the late emperor was on the throne, he had been a capable subject but not a capable father or husband.

When his wife learned he was to be castrated and enter the palace, she understood the reason and voiced no complaint—she only wept silently through the night.

As they parted, knowing this might be their last meeting, she urged him to protect the emperor well.

The emperor was the hope of Yanchi. He felt deep guilt toward his wife and daughter.

"This old servant kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace!"

Just as Chang Yuan knelt down, Yun Ran had already reached the massive pond in the rear garden and—with a splash—dove straight in.

"Ah!!! Someone help! Save the emperor! The emperor has fallen into the water!"

Chang Yuan was still kneeling when he heard the splash.

He looked up, only to be startled by the sight of the emperor already submerged in the water.