Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 196 Imperial Edict
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions instantly hardened, and they hurriedly lifted their robes and knelt down.

The eunuch unfurled the bright yellow imperial edict and read it aloud in a shrill voice: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: There is an important matter to discuss. Yan Mingzhang is hereby ordered to enter the palace for an audience immediately without delay. So be it!"

"Please rise, everyone!" The eunuch said with a kind expression. "Lord Yan, please..."

“Mother…” Yan Mingzhang stood up and looked at Wang Shi with a guilty expression.

"It's alright, go quickly, official business is important." Although Wang was reluctant, she still urged Yan Mingzhang to leave quickly.

Yan Mingzhang bowed deeply to Lady Wang, then he, Moyun, and Changfeng mounted their horses and galloped towards the palace.
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Inside the Golden Palace, the scent of ambergris lingered between the beams and pillars, making the entire hall eerily quiet, with only the chirping of cicadas outside.

Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin knelt side by side, their foreheads lightly touching the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Yan Mingzhang asked in a low, whispered voice.

"Isn't this the old emperor's doing all this..." Rong Wanyin said with dissatisfaction.

"Watch your words!" Yan Mingzhang glanced at her and warned.

Rong Wanyin shut her mouth, but her face showed no fear. Rong Wan noticed that Yan Mingzhang's hand was clenched into a fist under his sleeve. She knew that he couldn't wait to take revenge.

Rong Wanyin was almost asleep while kneeling, but the emperor didn't tell her to get up. She secretly wondered what the old emperor really meant...

The emperor leaned against the gilded dragon throne, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown, but his eyes were half-closed, as if he were dozing off.

The sixth prince stood beside the emperor and gently patted the emperor's arm: "Father... Father... Lord Yan and Miss Rong have arrived!"

"Hmm?" The Emperor suddenly opened his eyes as if waking from a dream, glanced at the Sixth Prince, and then came to his senses: "Sixth Prince... what did you call them here for?"

The sixth prince's face immediately turned ugly. He stared at the emperor without saying a word, and held up three fingers as a hint.

"Oh, oh... I remember now..." The Emperor seemed a little guilty and quickly turned his gaze to Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin, clearing his throat as he said, "There are three things to discuss today. First, the Sixth Prince was in danger in Medicine King Valley, and you were fortunate to rescue him with all your might and ensure his safe return. This is a great achievement. I am very pleased and will certainly reward you accordingly."

The two men quickly kowtowed to express their gratitude, saying in unison, "Thank you for your wisdom, Your Majesty. This is our duty, and we dare not take credit for it."

"The second matter is that the Khitan princess is coming to the capital for a marriage alliance. This matter has been entrusted to the Sixth Prince. If needed, Mingzhang, you just need to cooperate." The Emperor yawned several times, and was so restless that he kept trying not to slide off the dragon throne.

"The last thing, and the most important thing," the Emperor said solemnly, sighing, "is the Imperial Seal of the State... lost."

"The Imperial Seal of the State... is lost?" Rong Wanyin looked at the Emperor in disbelief, and really wanted to curse him. Why couldn't such an important thing be kept safe?
"Yes, the Imperial Seal was there five days ago. Everything was normal that night, but it disappeared early the next morning!" The Sixth Prince said anxiously. "We need it for many things now... This is of utmost importance!"

The Emperor glanced at the Sixth Prince and agreed, "Yes, yes, yes. I order you two to find the Imperial Seal within ten days."

As the Emperor spoke, he unconsciously turned to look at the Sixth Prince. Seeing the Sixth Prince frown slightly and a hint of panic flash in his eyes, the Emperor quickly changed his mind and said, "No, let's do it in five days. We must find him within five days!" The Sixth Prince nodded weakly, and the Emperor seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before turning his gaze back to the two of them.

Five days? They have no idea how the imperial seal was lost; how are they supposed to find it...?

Upon hearing this, Yan Mingzhang felt worried and raised his eyes to ask, "Your Majesty, how was the Imperial Seal lost? Are there any clues?"

The Emperor rubbed his temples, feeling aches all over, and just wanted to get rid of Yan Mingzhang as soon as possible: "The Imperial Seal has always been kept in a secret room in the Imperial Study, heavily guarded, and ordinary people cannot get close. It was only four days ago, during the morning meeting, when I needed to use the Imperial Seal, that I discovered it had vanished. The doors and windows of the secret room are intact, and the guards did not notice anything amiss. Go and investigate yourself. If I knew, I wouldn't need to look for you!"

Rong Wanyin frowned slightly, thinking to herself, "With such tight security, how could the imperial seal disappear into thin air? The thief must be highly skilled and extremely familiar with the palace layout and the guard rotation schedule. It might be the work of someone in the palace, or perhaps it was a collaboration between insiders and outsiders."

Yan Mingzhang said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will do our utmost!"

The Emperor seemed to have completed a task. He turned to look at the Sixth Prince again, and seeing the Sixth Prince nod slightly, he waved his hand and said, "Good. If you can find the Imperial Seal, I will reward you handsomely; if you fail to return by the deadline, don't blame me for being ruthless. You may all leave. Rest for the night, and we will begin the investigation first thing tomorrow morning."

The two men accepted the order and slowly withdrew from the main hall.

"Are you... alright?" Rong Wanyin asked cautiously.

Yan Mingzhang gave a wry smile: "Don't worry, I've waited fifteen years, I won't act rashly..."

Rong Wanyin chuckled and nodded, then hesitated, "Um...sir, don't you think the Emperor...is acting a little strange...?"

Yan Mingzhang raised his eyes and looked at Rong Wanyin: "You mean the Emperor is afraid?"

“Yes, it’s like a child who’s been beaten by his parents and is afraid of them. He’s like a puppet on a string. It’s so strange.” Rong Wanyin frowned and pondered. “It feels like the Sixth Prince is like a dignified father. The Emperor doesn’t dare to disobey him.

Although Rong Wanyin did not see the Emperor often, it was not her first time. Every year on various festivals, she would be able to catch a glimpse of him from a distance.

Yan Mingzhang nodded: "It's true what you said. When I saw him before, he wasn't like this. He had dark circles under his eyes, indicating he hadn't slept well for a long time. His limbs were weak, he lacked energy, and he kept yawning. He didn't seem tired; it was more like... he was poisoned..."

"Poisoned?" Rong Wanyin exclaimed in surprise, then quickly looked around. Seeing that no one was around, she lowered her voice and asked, "My lord, are you telling the truth?"

Yan Mingzhang shook his head, his brows furrowed: "It's just speculation, there's no evidence."

Yan Mingzhang recalled the majestic appearance of the man on the throne, a completely different person. Yan Mingzhang felt a mix of emotions, hard to describe. Was this the person he was meant to take revenge on? It seemed that even without his intervention, that person wouldn't live much longer, or rather, just lingering on like this was torture.

Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin walked side by side. The palace was very quiet at this moment, with only the tinkling of the copper bells on the eaves.

"Little girl!" A familiar voice rang out behind Rong Wanyin.