Lory and Zhao Li Xin were in the carriage when the massacre was taking place. He poured Lory a cup of tea to help calm her nerves. She accepted the cup and asked, "What happens next?"
"They would come to us…asking for forgiveness, for mercy…then they would try to use me for their advantage..." Zhao Li Xin leisurely sat back on the coach. They were all so predictable, it was honestly boring to watch them. He smiled lazily, "Are you worried?"
?
"I'm not! It is because you aren't... I feel you predicted this would happen a long time ago."
"Yes, you right! The original plan has changed a little," He was in deep thought as he fiddled with his wine cup.
"Really? Did something happen?"
Zhao Li Xin stopped himself from saying 'you happened'. "I wanted to destroy the country from the core at first but then I realized doing that would hurt a lot of innocent people. So, I changed my plans… I won't destroy the country but I will shake it a little…"
Lory smiled at his cunning smile. She couldn't interfere with his plans. She had yet to comprehend the mind of people in this world even after living there for many years. She kept underestimating their will and desire to gain what they want.
She didn't think a parent would actually cast out their own child for a simple matter. She heard about it but she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. Seeing it happen to someone close to her changed the way she saw this world.
"They wouldn't let you go now since they know your identity. Staying at Ninjing Manor would be unsafe," Lory said quietly.
"I know…" Zhao Li Xin finished the wine in his cup. "We won't be staying there anymore."
Lory nodded at his wise decision. Although she knew Zhao Li Xin could handle them, they would be like sitting ducks if they chose to stay in the manor. They couldn't afford to underestimate their opponent.
"Where are we gonna live? Not that I mind living anywhere..." She spent half her life camping in the wilderness so she could live anyplace.
"The Underground Palace," Zhao Li Xin casually said.
Lory's eyes bulged, "You have an Underground Palace?"
"Yes…" He wondered why she was so surprised. Did she hate the thought of living underground? It wasn't like they would live there forever…
"I wanna see it!" Lory shrieked with excitement. She bit her lips to contain it, "Let's go now. I wanna see it."
"You don't mind living underground?" He was secretly relieved.
"Are you kidding me?" Lory held his hands tightly. "There is an actual palace beneath the surface that you can actually live in... I don't know what it looks like but count me in either way!"
Zhao Li Xin patted her head, "I'm glad. The secret entrance is behind my manor so we still need to go home."
"There is a SECRET ENTRANCE?" She screamed in a high-pitched voice.
She used to explore underground dungeons and caves with others. She had seen the remnants of ancient civilizations and ruined palaces covered in moss and wild grass. Each time she visited such places, she would imagine the people who lived there, how the place looked before, and how it felt staying in those places.
Lory, Lucas, and the others would at times camp inside the ruins and she would pretend she was someone who lived there in the past. Fargo would laugh at her antics as normally girls tended to play 'house' with their dollhouse, but Lory played 'house' in the ruins. It seemed absurd but it also showed her childhood wasn't normal.
They arrived at Ninjing manor to find his subordinates had packed everything including Lory's belonging. The bellflowers in the garden had been moved to their original place in the woods. Lory was surprised by how quick the servants were with their job and how empty the place looked.
Zhao Li Xin led her to the secret entrance inside the small pagoda. Lory's eyes glinted with excitement. She never thought one of her dreams would come true. They entered the secret door and left Mong Yi behind, inside the main manor.
Mong Yi did final checks to ensure nothing or no one was left behind. He then took a stick from the insides of his sleeve and lit up a fire, hurled it in one of the rooms. The fire engulfed the room before it spread out burning everything it touched. Mong Yi watched it for a while with a blank expression. He leaped on to the wall and disappeared once he was sure the manor would be consumed.
The next day was an exciting day for the public. The news about the Emperor taking Zhao Li Xin's title and disowning him as his son soon became a popular public topic. The Emperor had tried to suppress the news but the Red Vermillion were better at leaking news and overrode his order. Zhao Li Xin's real identity as 'Long Ming' was also revealed to the public. Many people didn't want to believe the second rumor as they couldn't reconcile the two identities as one. The other rumor that dominated the public was the news about the Sixth Prince's manor catching fire.
The Emperor at first hoped to coax his son back to and sent Royal Consort Ying to personally visit the manor for reconciliation. Consort Ying reached in time to see manor turning into dust and Zhao Li Xin was nowhere to be found. The Emperor threw a fit when he heard this. Zhao Li Xin's actions meant he had dissolved the connection he had with Jiang Wei Kingdom. It was a message for them to forget their plans as Zhao Li Xin didn't wish to give them a second chance.
A week later there was chaos inside the Nan jing city market. Many big companies closed down their businesses which caused a chain reaction. Some shop owners tried to demand compensation from the companies but they still made great losses from the closed business. The small companies also had to close as they relied on the bigger companies. The government also made a loss as they lost their tax revenue stream.
Small companies became bankrupt and many people lost their jobs and drowned in debt. The market slowly crumbled. Zhao Li Xin had been controlled the market price using Hei Shen Sect's power as he bribed the governments to never interfere with his business.
It seemed good until Zhao Li Xin decided to retract his authority. Merchants took advantage of the new situation and rose the prices the way they wished. The fluctuating market prices created disorder. The government wanted to take control but they didn't have the knowledge as all their dealings had been done under the table.
There was no peace in the morning court at the palace as the government tried to come up with solutions. Screams filled the room as things were thrown all over the place. This had become a daily occurrence that even the eunuchs had become accustomed to it. Officials had eye bags from lack of sleep. The Emperor had daily tantrums to the point his concubines feared getting close to him.
The one who got yelled at the most was Royal Consort Ying. The Emperor blamed her for everything. He forced her to find Zhao Li Xin and beg for his forgiveness so that Zhao Li Xin could stop the chaos. The Royal Consort was willing to do the Emperor's bidding but her biggest challenge was the fact that she couldn't find her son. Powerful sects in this world had tried to find the Hei Shen Sect's location for years but failed. How could a normal woman achieve it?
She begged Zhao Qin Feng to find Zhao Li Xin but he was also unhelpful. He didn't even know where to start. It was rumored the Hei Shen Sect controlled every major sector in the country including information. This meant Zhao Li Xin couldn't be found if he didn't wish it. The Ying clan also didn't want to irk Zhao Li Xin's wrath.
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