"Have you seen the prince?" The grand empress dowager asks the empress dowager as soon as the latter steps inside her hall.
It's been two days since the news about the emperor's death circulated in the entire imperial palace. This news also spread into the nearby towns and will soon notify all the colonies that the empire holds.
The prince is nowhere to be found. Since Prince Yin Wenyan didn't show himself before her after the last time they met, the grand empress dowager suspects that he went out to search for his siblings, which is actually the case.
"Grand Empress Dowager, I still couldn't see even the shadow of the first prince. The emperor's personal eunuch isn't in the Lotus Hall as well." The empress dowager replies. "Could it be he gave up and run away?"
The old empress sneers. "We're talking about Yin Wenyan here. That man is cunning. Let's not assume that possibility. It's still too early to say that."
Yin Wenyan is the empire's tactician for seven years now. The man behind every victory in wars. Knowing him, the grand empress dowager is expecting that he still has something under his sleeves.
"What will be our next move, your highness?" The empress dowager casually asked.
The grand empress dowager smiles sweetly. "Good question."
"Grand Empress Dowager, the head eunuch of the Xue clan has arrived!" The court lady announced behind the door of the hall.
"Let him come." She ordered.
With that, the door slides open. The old Head Eunuch Xue enters the hall with a set of calligraphy brushes and rice papers.
"Head Eunuch Xue, you came just in time!" The grand empress dowager is very pleased to see the eunuch finally arrived. "Have a seat."
"We're putting another emperor as soon as possible. Is it possible to hold the coronation in five days?"
"Yes, your highness, I'd say, it's just right. Not too early yet not too late." The head eunuch takes his seat. He then picks up the inkstick and grinds it in the inkstone. "We will make it look like the imperial palace is mourning over the emperor's death yet call of duty must be carried on. We will announce the coronation of the new emperor on short notice to avoid any potential enemy attacks. But of course, it all depends on you, your highness. Should we take this plan?"
The grand empress dowager nods. "Yes, let's do that."
The empress dowager can't remain silent anymore. "Your highness, you're not planning to put the second prince in the authority right? He's a sickly man. He might die in a month or two from now!"
The grand empress dowager turns her head to the other lazily. "I believe we already discussed this, empress dowager."
They only discussed this matter once. It was when they plotted on taking down the emperor. That time, the grand empress dowager favored someone.
"Are we really putting this duty to the seventh prince?"
The seventh prince, the youngest son of the second princess, is just thirteen years old! Does a young man like him know how politics work? Does he know how to rule over a huge empire? He's not even living in the imperial palace!
The seventh prince, together with his family, is living in the small region, a part of the empire's colonial territory where his mother rules as the countess.
"Why do you make it sound like I am abusing a child? Of course, he's not the one who's actually ruling but me. Just like Yin Renshu's first few years ascending to the throne." The grand empress dowager explained. "Except for the seventh prince and Yin Wenyan, is there any other prince who you think can rule over the empire? They're a bunch of useless spoiled brats and good for nothing."
The empress dowager let out a sigh silently. She thins that she really has to make her own move or else, this dynasty will fall before she could even make the people in debt with her pay.
The grand empress dowager turns her head back to the head eunuch. "We will tighten our security until the new emperor successfully ascends to the throne. The first prince might ruin our plans again."
"Yes, Grand Empress Dowager." The eunuch said, adding her command to the written verdict. "Your highness, may I ask who is this first prince you talk about? I haven't heard anyone got this noble title in the eighth generation, except for the emperor before he ascended to the throne."
It's not surprising for him to wonder. The first prince that everyone knows is the former prince, Yin Renshu, that ascended to the throne.
The grand empress dowager smiles. "It's unnecessary for you to learn about it, Head Eunuch Xue.
Speaking of Yin Renshu, he's staying in a small abandoned hut with his sister, Princess Yin Xiulan. They're planning to stay here for the night.
His majesty caught some fresh fish in the nearby ravine that's enough for their lunch and dinner. And since Emperor Yin Renshu's specialized spiritual root is fire, it's easy for him to make a campfire to roast the fish. He picks up the first batch of cooked fish and handed it over to his sister who's been spacing out for a quite long time now.
"Here, eat something."
Princess Yin Xiulan didn't look back at her brother and just shakes her head without breaking her gaze at the small mound in front of her.
"Xiulan, I'm sorry I don't know how to to comfort others. But please, just please, eat something. We haven't eaten anything since yesterday."
Emperor Yin Renshu knows to himself that he can survive her in the wild for a month or two. However, he's not so certain about his sister. She won't talk, she won't eat. Truth to be told, he's afraid that she might choose not to breathe sooner or later.
"..."
He didn't get any response from her sister after speaking all of those words. Not even a small gesture. She's just silently looking at the small mound of soil with freshly picked flowers on top of it.
It's Liu Chen's grave.
Unfortunately, the lieutenant general really didn't make it.
Well, it's kind of expected but the princess refused to believe that. He was very injured when he arrived at the cliff and fought his last battle against Lieutenant General Song. And not only that, the traitor sliced his throat, severing the little bit of life force he had left.
When they fell off from the ravine, Emperor Yin Renshu took all the impact, sparing his sister. As a result, his majesty lost his consciousness but the princess is luckily awake. They were fortunate enough that the river below where they fell is not shallow so no one hit their head or any part of them on the ground.
She immediately pulled her unconscious brother on the river bank, checked if he's still breathing, and his pulse rate. After confirming that he just lost his consciousness and should wake up soon, she looks at the waters again.
Princes Yin Xiulan was looking for Lieutenant General Liu. She saw her fall with them so he should be around where they fell.
She indeed spotted his body floating in the stream. The princess then quickly swims her way towards her confidant. With the hope that he just lost his consciousness like her brother. That she could still save him from the death's blade.
After pulling him out of the water, she hurried to check his pulse, his breathing, his heartbeats... but all of these signifies one thing.
Liu Chen has left her.
She holds him dearly in his arms. Warmth has escaped his body. He's already turned into a cold empty container. The only warmth she could feel is the drops of water falling from her eyes.
The next thing she knows is that she heard a loud scream of agony that echoed in the entirety of the forest. She doesn't know where it came from, and she couldn't care less. And then she noticed that her throat hurts.
Only by then did she realized that the one who's screaming in pain is her.
Her involuntary sobs stopped her from screaming her lungs out.
She looks at the cold body in her arms and could only whisper in the thin air. "Liu Chen... Liu Chen, please... Don't leave me. Wake up!" Her tears fell on his pale face. "I still have something to tell you. Don't you want to hear it? Won't you stay awake for me? Please?"
She only got a total silence as a response.
Her sobs got worse, yet she still forced herself to talk to the person she has in her arms; Despite knowing that none of her words would reach him.
"Did you know that only you could cheer me up? Did you know that I feel satisfied just by seeing you? Do you even have an idea how you changed the way I see life? I want to tell you that because you're so dumb and dense! You won't just notice that I... I really cared for you. How could you throw away your life like that?"