V2C120

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However, Sumo, who was far away at the Abyss of Cangwu, did not know that while he was going through all the trials and tribulations and was desperate to return to Yecheng to meet Zhu Yan, the young county Princess of the Red Clan was no longer in Yecheng. She was in the Imperial Capital of Jialan in the heart of Mirror Lake – all the while, trapped in another prison.

What was trapping her were the countless invisible shackles of the world.

As the marriage was granted, the two royal families were required to enter the palace to obtain their consent for the wedding. Early in the morning, Zhu Yan got up, washed and dressed, then followed her father and mother as they prepared to go to the Palace to attend an audience with the Bei Mian Emperor.

In the distant past, when she was about six years old, she once followed her father to the Imperial Capital of Jialan and attended an audience with the Emperor. At that time, the emperor rewarded her and the other six Princesses with a ruyi jade, two strings of luminous pearls and a box of ambergris from the Glistening Sea. She was the only one who found these small items boring and threw them away to Grandma Sheng, then sneaked out to take a look around.

The mischievous girl even climbed up the harem’s wall at the top of the White Tower of Jialan when the attendants were not paying attention, and poked her little head out to have a first glimpse of the entire realm of Yunhuang – under the white clouds, the four vast plains were stretching out to the horizon, surrounded by the Seven Seas, with the Mirror Lake in the middle like the eye of the deep earth, quietly gazing at all the magnificent splendor beneath the heavens.

The little one couldn’t help but let out a sigh of delight and opened her arms, wanting to embrace the ethereal white clouds that were floating around her. The attendants gasped in shock and rushed to grab her by the hand and pull her down.

However, that one single glimpse of the complete picture of Yunhuang’s sky and earth remained engraved like a mark on her heart.

Now she just turned nineteen, and on her second visit to the Imperial Capital, she was in a completely different state of mind.

Before entering the city, Zhu Yan secretly lifted the curtain of the carriage and took a peek outside. What caught her eyes was a huge stretch of white stone, unfolding in front of her like an endless wall – a towering wall that was so high that even when she lifted her head with all her strength, she could not reach the top.

That is the foundation of the White Pagoda of Jialan.

Legend has it that this white tower is sixty-four thousand feet high and its base covers an area of more than ten hectares, one tenth of the entire Imperial Capital. Seven thousand years ago, the greatest emperor in the history of Kongsang, Langguan – the Xingzun Emperor, who founded the Piling Dynasty, sacrificed the blood of nine hundred virgins to the heavens and buried them on each of the six sides of the white tower’s base, dispatching more than three hundred thousand people for over two decades to build this celestial white tower in what is known as the Heart of Yunhuang.

Thousands of years have passed, dynasties have changed, life and death have reincarnated, and both emperors and generals have been reduced to nothing but white bones, but only this tower still stands between heaven and earth.

And today, it will also witness a major turning point in her own life.

The Red King and his entourage arrived outside the Imperial Palace in a cloud of carriages and horses, and entered through the main gate in a well-organized procession. Before she reached the Purple Palace, she noticed an uncharacteristic silence in the quarters, with the palace maids and attendants entering and leaving the residence, all with their heads bowed, but with a vague expression of fear and trepidation written on their faces.

Zhu Yan was secretly surprised, and wondered what was wrong? Why was the atmosphere of the entire inner palace so unusual? It was said that the emperor had been very ill recently, could it be that something had happened to him in the course of their journey?

She followed her King Father and Queen Mother in the side hall and waited for a long time, but the announcement of the audience inside continued to be delayed. The Red King’s face also grew somewhat grave, and he raised his eyes to look outside the window – by now, the White King should have arrived too, and was arranged in the side hall on the other wing; the Red King wondered what kind of circumstances he was in.

The Red King made a seal with a finger within his sleeve and used a magic spell to release an imaginary pigeon to find out the whereabouts of the White King, but the pigeon disappeared without a trace, as if it had fallen into a net and could never return.

The Red King became secretly alarmed, but for fear of worrying his wife and daughter beside him, he remained unassuming on the surface, only whispering to Zhu Yan, “When you enter the inner palace later, you must follow me closely and not stray an inch, understood?”

“Yes.” Zhu Yan was particularly well-behaved today and nodded immediately.

The Red King’s family continued to wait for more than half an hour in the side hall when they finally saw the Head Stewart of the Inner Palace coming out from the Queen’s Court with a group of imperial doctors by his side, sending him a glance from afar. The Red King became even more uneasy in his heart and was about to think of a way to enquire when suddenly a soft breeze blew from behind him and his sleeve moved slightly. Subconsciously, he closed his fingers and with a swish, a white light returned into his palm – it was actually the illusory pigeon that had finally brought back a message.

“There is a certain change in the situation today, so be careful.” What came from the White King, surprisingly, were only these few short words.

What? Startled, the Red King immediately quashed the illusory pigeon and twisted his head to look at the inner palace – in that instant, uncertain of what he caught sight of in the deep, thick shade, he suddenly turned pale!

“Summoning the White King, the Red King, to enter the court for an audience!” At that very moment, the announcement reached from within the palace.

The Red King rose to his feet and glanced at his wife and daughter, his eyes vaguely suspicious. However, the chamberlain was already waiting nearby and there was no way to delay, so the Red King tidied his clothes and followed the servant inside. In between turning the corners, he suddenly whispered to his daughter, “Ah-Yan, take care of your mother.”

What? Zhu Yan was slightly stunned and her stomach sank.

Compared to them, father and daughter, her Ah-Niang was just an ordinary woman who couldn’t do any magic. However, her father’s words were a hint that a big situation was imminent. But… having arrived at the Inner Palace of the Jialan Empire, what kind of accident could possibly happen?

Her mind wandered and her fingers sliced through her sleeves quickly, gathering the spiritual energy in her fingertips, ready to fight and kill at any moment if the situation required, while she walked inside deeper towards the Purple Pavilion along with her parents.

Along the way, the atmosphere became even more stern and murderous. There were archers vaguely glinting from the corners, and guards were pinned on both sides of the way. On a closer observation, a few of these men looked somewhat familiar, and surprisingly, they were not from the original Forbidden Palace guards, but were Shadow Warriors from the Primus Troops!

What exactly was going on? Why were all the elites of the Primus Army mobilized inside the Palace? Zhu Yan became even more worried as she watched, not knowing whether this journey was a blessing or a curse, as she was led cautiously and in silence all the way to the outside of the Purple Palace.

The White King and his group were already waiting right outside the palace, and upon seeing them coming, they just exchanged a quick glance. Bai Fenglin was also standing behind the White King, dressed in formal court attire, handsome and well-groomed, and was gazing at her with a gleaming smile as he spoke, “Your Ladyship, we are meeting again.”

Zhu Yan couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable for a moment, frowning and turning her head away.

Was this man going to be her husband after today? They would live under the same roof, have children and raise them until they died of old age? When she imagined such a future, she felt an overwhelming resistance in her heart and could only barely restrain herself.

The two families of the White King and the Red King were standing in the hallway, waiting to be summoned by the Bei Mian Emperor.

“Is there something strange going on today?” As the chamberlain was heading in to report, the Red King lowered his voice and asked the White King standing alongside him, “I heard that the Emperor has been unconscious the other day, isn’t that so? Why are we suddenly summoned inside today? What is really going on in there?”

“I don’t know.” The White King looked around and whispered, “It is said that when the emperor woke up today, he first summoned the Consort Qing to come in – she went inside this morning and hasn’t come out until now.”

“Consort Qing?” The Red King was startled and lowered his voice, “Why did he summon the Consort Qing as soon as he woke up? Could it be that… the Crown Prince Shi Yu has returned?”

“How can that be possible?” The White King chuckled hoarsely, “The Crown Prince, he…”

However, after those few short words the White King immediately stopped and closed his mouth with a strange expression in his eyes.

“Where exactly did the Crown Prince go?” The Red King glanced at his peer with unsuppressed doubt in his eyes and suddenly lowered his voice, “Do you… know anything about his whereabouts at all?”

“Of course I have no idea!” The White King lowered his voice and his face turned slightly grim, “Do you also think I’m involved in this matter?”

“Who doesn’t know that you and the Green King and Consort Qing have been long-time enemies? If something were to happen to the Crown Prince, you would be the only one to benefit the most. I’m just afraid that even if you didn’t do it, the blame will still be placed on you.” The Red King laughed bitterly and shook his head, “Alas… I’m only afraid that this time around, the odds will be against us upon entering the palace.”

“You are afraid?” The White King was so dark hearted that he actually managed to crack a joke at this moment, “Concubine Qing isn’t sharpening her sword inside while waiting for me, is she? When the time comes, which side are you going to stand by?”

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