Chapter 99 - Imperial Secrets

The once-proud haughty emperor, ruler of the continent of Hyesong was reduced to a pitiful lifeless being as his quivering eyes stared into space. It seemed Ji Yao's words had touched on the man's worst experience and he was forced to speak.

What was it about his mother's palace that had this man trembling in pain with an ashen face? It was the dark history of how his family maintained this throne for the past fifty years.

Before the incident happened five decades ago his father's already frail body weakened further as he lost the support of his prime ministers. A power overthrow was imminent with rumours that the officials were pushing support for a powerful general whose family helped unify this continent.

Fortunately for his father, the incident happened and none cared about who was on the throne as they focused on saving themselves and their families. The man who was meant to replace him charged into battle fighting the powerful invaders.

The then emperor should have been happy that his enemy was distracted by war but he also knew that when that man returns to the imperial city alive he might use that reason to take the throne.

That is to say, the emperor was desperate but what could he do? Just when he thought he lost hope, a miracle happened. One night as he strolled in his palace garden he noticed something shimmering under the moonlight at the bottom of the pond.

He had so many other shimmering pebbles and marbles at the bottom reflecting the moons radiance but something about this glow was different. It was as though something was calling to him in a soft voice that warmed his heart making him devoid of all worries.

Curious, he leaned down and stretched his hand to pick it up. His back hurt from bending down but he fought through the pain determined to grab this precious stone. As soon as he grasped it his hand got scorched leaving behind a nasty burn. The stone was a bright yellow with a glow to it the moment he touched it.

The pain was ever so real but the power he felt coming from it made him grab it again but the result was the same. He had some eunuchs place it in a wooden box and kept it in his study. That very night it seemed his luck had changed tremendously.

Firstly, the man who threatened his throne died a miserable death on the battlefield. It was said he was torn into pieces with chunks of his flesh and bone scattered all over the ground.

Secondly, his health that was on a downward spiral was suddenly getting better. He was filled with so much youthful energy that he flipped a tile each night to drill his concubines. It seemed other than his health his instrument had gotten a new lease on life standing up with vigour.

Thirdly, his prime ministers had turned their allegiance to him and acknowledged their mistakes accepting punishment.

One could say his luck was pretty good as everything seemed to fall in place in his favour. However, his good fortune came at a price. The burn on his palm from touching the stone wouldn't heal and as time went on it began to turn black.

This baffled the imperial physicians who used all kinds of methods to heal the wound but nothing happened. In fact, it grew darker and darker over time.

While the imperial palace was up in arms about this a Taoist priest sought audience with the emperor. It was then they found that his lifespan had somehow been cut in half and that black mark on his palm was the mark of death. His fortune would be good but he wouldn't live long.

This news was very devastating to the emperor but lucky enough the Taoist priest had an unconventional solution.

The luck could be kept but the mark could be transferred to someone else. They could have picked a peasant but because the Nocru had longer lifespans they picked an injured one. Using forbidden techniques associated with blood cultivation to draw several talismans they locked the Nocru in a cellar underneath the late empress dowager's pavilion.

But the servants who knew about this were either silenced or killed reducing the number of witnesses. This information was passed on to the current emperor when his father was still alive. His father explained that the Taoist priest made the stone into a necklace with various gemstones to keep its power in check and that its luck would preside over the imperial family for generations.

The Nocru captive received provisions but couldn't leave because of the powerful talismans the Taoist priest put in place. As though to confirm the Taoist priest's words the Nocru agreed to form a peace treaty. Who then could doubt the emperor's good fortune.

Now that this outsider had mentioned the beast in the cage that they barely fed how could he keep calm? Ji Yao seemed to have lost his patience with the man yelling, "Speak!!"

This bellow woke the Emperor out of his stupor as he raised his trembling hands pointing in the direction of the door. "I-I will show you," he said ready to get rid of that beast that scared the shit out of him. He had seen it as a kid and he had nightmares ever since.

This is one of the reasons why he had a strong aversion to Prince Rui's mother after finding out her true identity. It's a miracle that he didn't kill her with his own hand. In his eyes, these people were a pestilence walking around the earth like they were gods.

The emperor tried to get up a few times but failed. His eunuchs had to rush over and help him to his feet. His knees were as soft as jelly from the fright reemerging from his memory.

He led the way and the three members of the concord followed behind including Ji Yao. It seemed the Rui siblings and Xiaoyu were still trying to calm down the shaken Rui Li so they didn't immediately follow. Recalling the fright Rui Yewan had when he touched that keystone in the vision, it was for the best.

***

The beautiful palace stood desolate with the only sound coming from the soothing sound of wind chimes. But instead of calming one's soul, the chimes depicted a sound that send shivers to one's soul like something ominous was lingering in the air.