Chapter 19

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In Yangxin Hall.

Emperor Xia’s brows were tightly furrowed as a look of worry appeared on his sickly face. “Xuan’er, the Nine States Alliance has always been above the empire and the sects. They rarely interfere in the matters of the empire.”

“How could my mother have anything to do with the Nine States Alliance? From what I know, the Nine States Alliance is located in Celestial City, where martial arts is at its peak. It’s known as the place where all cultivators in the world yearn for the most.”

“Celestial City is simply too far away from Great Xia.”

“Father, the situation in Xia Palace is more complicated than you think,” Ye Xuan said. “Li Zhongxian, the eunuch servant of the Empress Dowager, has secretly trained suicide soldiers and distributed them in various palaces. Two months ago, he even sent suicide soldiers to assassinate me.”

At this point, his face turned solemn and he continued, “Father if I were to fight with the Empress Dowager, who would you help?”

Emperor Xia did not hesitate. “Anyone who wants to overthrow the empire is my enemy.”

With this sentence, Ye Xuan knew what to do.

“Father, the poison in your body has weakened a lot. There won’t be any major problems in the future. I will think of a way to expel the poison from your body as soon as possible.” Ye Xuan said lightly, “Father you should recuperate. I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait,” Emperor Xia’s voice was a little hoarse. “Xuan’er, if you want to remove the devil-brand poison pattern, you must have a divine flame.”

Ye Xuan slowly raised his arm with his palm facing up. A fire sword appeared. It was Taicang Emperor’s Flame. In an instant, a blazing aura filled the great hall. Emperor Xia turned pale with fright and asked in disbelief, “Xuan’er, is this divine flame?”

“Yes, this flame is known as the Taicang Emperor’s Flame.”

“Son, your fortune is profound, and your future is limitless.”

Emperor Xia looked at Ye Xuan’s back as he left and muttered to himself, “Ah Yu, Xuan’er has changed, and he has become stronger. He might really be able to reunite our family.”

After leaving Yangxin Hall, Gao Ying followed closely behind Ye Xuan. “Your Highness, His Majesty’s poison…”

“It’s fine!”

“Eunuch Gao, how many of the suicide soldiers hidden in the palace have been eliminated?”

Ye Xuan asked in a low voice.

“Your Highness, of the 300 suicide soldiers, the identity of the rest can not be determined. There are 10,000 maidservants in each palace, so it will be difficult to identify them quickly.” Gao Ying said with a slight bow.

Of the 1,000 suicide soldiers, 300 had been killed and 700 remained.

“There’s no need to continue the investigation.”

“Your Highness, if we don’t drag them all out, they’ll still be a hidden danger.”

“Eunuch Gao, the national treasury is empty, and the ten thousand servants of the inner palace spend far too much silver a year. Do you understand what I mean?” Ye Xuan moved forward along the long corridor, his deep eyes flashing with slyness. Obviously, he had already thought of a way.

“His Highness, you meant to reduce the number of palace maids and let them out of the palace,” Gao Ying said.

Ye Xuan nodded. “That’s right. The palace maidservants can handle daily life, so let the others leave the palace. Remember to spread the news and then send out all the maids in the palaces, especially Eternal Peace Palace.”

Those who were left behind were the trusted aides, and he wanted to get rid of the trusted aides of the various palaces. He would first clean up the harem and then recruit new people in the future.

Gao Ying understood Ye Xuan’s intentions. “I will do it immediately!”

Ye Xuan was thinking when the 700 suicide soldiers were sent out of the palace, what would the Empress Dowager and Li Zhongxian use to fight him?

In the future, the Xia Palace would have embroidered uniform guards in the open and Dragnet in the shadows. If the Empress Dowager dared to make a move, they would be instantly annihilated.

The reason why he had not made a move against the Empress Dowager was that he wanted to boil the frog and see if he could make the Nine States Alliance’s powerhouse behind her appear.

….

Under the night sky.

A black shadow appeared on the top of the pavilion, looking into the distance in the direction of the Xia Palace. No one knew when, but another person was suspended in the air and appeared behind the black shadow.

“You’ve found it? Who destroyed our Dark Net’s deployment in Chang’an City?”

“Venerable, we’ve found some clues. The organization that massacred the Dark Net is called Dragnet. They’ve hidden very well, and each of their strength is unfathomable. Until now, our people still don’t know who they are or which organization they belong to.”

The Black Shadow’s face darkened. “Dragnet? Lin Mo has been carefully planning in Chang’an for decades, but in the end, he still failed. If we want to destroy the Great Xia Empire, we still need to do it personally.”

“Let our people investigate. As long as there’s news of Dragnet, we’ll immediately crush them.”

“The waters in Chang’an City are deeper than we thought. The current Crown Prince is much more difficult to deal with than Emperor Xia.”

“That’s true,” the person said. “Lin Mo and Gu Tiangang were killed by the Crown Prince. The current principal of Chang’an Academy was also arranged by the Crown Prince. As for his strength, it’s still a mystery.”

“Because he has never made a move. He should be one of the Crown Prince’s trump cards, so we must be on guard.”

The Black Shadow nodded. “Then let the people from the sect go and test it out. It’s a big matter for the sect. Anyone who blocks it will die.”

“Venerable,” the person said, “the arrangements at the Prime Minister’s residence have been made. You can go at any time.”

The Black Shadow waved his hand. “No, I’ll stay in the Wanhua House in the city. If there’s anything, you can come and report it at any time!”

The night grew darker and darker. With a breeze, the two disappeared into the sky above Chang’an City.

….

On this day.

Outside Xiayang City.

Lu Bu led the three thousand Great Snow Dragon Cavalry and left, moving forward in a grandiose manner, like a black dragon soaring in the wilderness.

On the city walls, Liu Mang and Xue Wanqing watched as the army left, their faces filled with disbelief.

“3,000 men against 150,000 wolf cavalry,” Liu Mang said in a deep voice. “Lu Bu is truly arrogant. I really don’t understand why the Crown Prince would send him here. Xiayang City is finished. We have to make preparations in advance.”

“No, I don’t think General Lu is a reckless person. The 3,000 Great Snow Dragon Cavalry are like dragons. Perhaps they can really defeat the enemy,” Xue Wanqing replied.

Liu Mang sneered. “So what if he’s strong? The difference in numbers is too great. We can’t fight against them. We can’t.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and left the city. At this moment, his family had already been ordered to pack up and prepare to leave Xiayang City. In Liu Mang’s eyes, Lu Bu would not be able to return, and it would also anger the Northern Barbarian army, causing the fall of Xiayang City.

At dusk.

When Xue Wanqing received the news, Liu Mang had already left the city. The general beside him said, “General, what should we do?”

“Seal off the news immediately and close the city gate. We can’t leave. Even if we die, we must live and die with Xiayang. Don’t forget that General Lu is still outside the city.” Xue Wanqing’s face was serious. He was initially disappointed with the 3,000 reinforcements that the empire had sent, but after spending these two days with Lu Bu, he had gained a detailed understanding of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, so he believed that Lu Bu could deal a heavy blow to the enemy.

“General, it’s not too late to leave now.”

“Defend Xiayang to the death. Whoever messes with the morale of the army will be punished by military law!”

“I understand!”

Liu Mang’s escape from Xiayang City had put all the pressure on Xue Wanqing. He knew very well that escaping was only a temporary measure. If the Northern Barbarian army broke through Xiayang and attacked the imperial capital, Great Xia would no longer be safe.

No matter where they fled, they would become the slaves of the Northern Barbarians.

There was still a chance of survival, so why should he give it up?

Three counties of Great Xia had fallen, but no one had ever heard of a city commander fleeing without a fight.