Chapter 60 60: Something Amiss

News of a tragic incident at the Palace began to spread throughout the day. It was reported that all Nobles in the palace had been killed by unknown assassins. Sadly, only the Prince of the Eternal Dynasty emerged unscathed.

Initially met with some doubt, the news was eventually accepted by many who came to the realization that the King had indeed passed away.

The news of a Prince from the Eternal Dynasty staying in the Kingdom also brought widespread attention and awareness among the people.

Numerous individuals expressed their gratitude towards the Third Prince as it was reported that his guard successfully eliminated the assassins. Without their prompt action, the Assassins would have evaded capture.

In the evening, Xu Shan invited all the remaining Noble to the Royal Palace to select the next King and avoid any potential civil conflict. This enabled him to ensure the next King's loyalty to him, thereby exerting indirect control over the Kingdom.

The King's little brother, who had lost the succession war in his early years to his elder brother was eventually selected as the next King to succeed the throne, and to lead this Kingdom.

Xu Shan quickly restored stability to the Kingdom in a single day, with assistance from Ye Han. Additionally, they sent a message to the Dynasty regarding the attempted assassination.

He also took the opportunity to explore the Royal Palace in search of intriguing treasures from the King's treasury. Regrettably, the majority of the treasures did not measure up to those held by the Empire.

Xu Shan carefully selected a few valuable treasures and rare herbs, storing them away in his collection.

It was in the night where he finally felt as if they could finally lead.

The new King stood at the entrance, demonstrating his respect. Several nobles accompanied him, casting their eyes upon two Gryphons in the distance, feeling a sense of apprehension.

They had only heard rumors of the extraordinary creatures belonging to the Eternal Dynasty, but now they were face-to-face with them for the first time. The sheer power emanating from the beasts was overwhelming, as if a colossal mountain was pressing down on them, instilling a sense of imminent danger.

With Xu Shan perched atop the regal winged creature, soaring in the sky, Ye Han trailed closely behind on the Second Gryphon. The stormy weather that had impeded their journey had subsided, paving the way for their arrival at the Celestial Palace.

....

The shadows of the Celestial Palace were cast over a young man with dark hair as he stood before a door, knocking softly. He waited outside the chamber, his patience a testament to his respect for whoever lay beyond.

Yu Ming had been making several attempts to meet his father over the past few days after learning that his sister was brought back from outside and punished.

Unfortunately, it was hard for him to meet with his father in recent days, especially since his father appeared to be preparing for a war.

Over the past few days, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of elders on high alert, and some adjustments have been made to the security around the Celestial Palace.

Regrettably, no one was forthcoming with information, leaving him in the dark about what had occurred. All he was aware of was that the situation arose upon his father's return with his sister.

He initially wanted to meet his sister, but he wasn't even allowed to do that, since his sister was punished to spend three months in seclusion at the Western Cliff, which was an area reserved for punishment.

Accessing the Western Cliff proved to be an insurmountable challenge for him due to the presence of a unique barrier that surrounded the area. One could only gain entry or exit with a specific token granted by the Palace Master.

After numerous attempts, he eventually succeeded in setting up a meeting with his father in order to gain clarity on the current situation.

"Enter." A calm yet composed voice came from inside.

Yu Ming entered the grand hall, taking his first step into its majestic expanse.

It has been a long time since he last met his father. Nevertheless, on this particular occasion, his father appeared noticeably agitated, unlike his usual composed demeanor. It was apparent that he was preoccupied with some distressing matter, even during their meeting.

"Father, it's been a while," Yu Ming said, bowing to show respect.

"Yes, it has. I see that you've grown stronger. Not bad," his father replied with a slight nod. "I heard you've been trying to meet me for quite some time. You're here because of Fei?"

Yu Mind nodded in response. It was already so obvious what he wanted, that he wasn't surprised that his father managed to guess.

"I heard that you've locked her in the Western Cliff for three months. I wanted to know why that way? Just what happened when she was outside?! For her to be punished like that..."

Yu Ming knew that his father loved his sister more than him. So for him to punish his sister, he had a really bad feeling about this.

His father or any elder hadn't told him that his sister had gone missing recently, so he had no idea at all.

The Palace Master let out a weary sigh, deliberating whether or not to share a piece of information with his son that might not be essential for him to know. After some contemplation, he decided to disclose it anyway.

He told his son about how Yu Fei was kidnapped and poisoned.

Yu Ming was shocked to hear about what had happened to his sister. The thought of her being in harm's way gave him a cold shiver. Though he was concerned about her safety when she left without him, he never imagined that anyone would actually try to harm her given her position.

His sister was young but she had sufficient strength after all. She was quite strong, although not as strong as him.

As his father continued to recount the events, Yu Ming couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with this.

Qin Ye schemed against them to make the Celestial Palace and Eternal Dynasty go to war? Why would he do that? If he wanted to hurt the Eternal Dynasty, all he had to do was work with the Sky Dynasty which already had enmity with the Eternal Dynasty.

He had received a great deal of information regarding Emperor Qin and his dynasty. It was widely known that the Qin Dynasty and the Celestial Palace had established a positive relationship in the past.

From what he knew, Qin Ye was quite clever, who never made mistakes. How was it possible that his sister was able to escape from him, especially after hearing his plans?

And even if she escaped, how did Qin Ye not know about this? If that was the case, a smart man would've dropped his plan, or at least made sure that the Celestial Palace didn't get involved until they found his sister. So why would they send the Celestial Palace a letter?

There appeared to be many flaws that didn't make sense, especially when associated with someone smart like Qin Ye.

However, these were the words of his sister. So he also couldn't think of it as her lying. But still, something was amiss... As if they were all being manipulated by someone…