Chapter 1459: Turmoil in the Imperial City of Keluoke (1)

Keluoke Ershisi Shi braced himself against the edge of the bed and sat up a little straighter.

"After you returned from the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, you understood everything. You made Kelake break his leg, you had Kesuosi placed under house arrest, and you made the ministers in the court lean toward you. Now, a fire has started outside the Imperial City, and you are sitting inside, waiting to see how I will resolve this."

Kesi said.

"Father, do you think this fire was set by your son?"

"I have no proof, but this is no coincidence."

Kesi said.

"Father, whether it is a coincidence or intentional, if this fire were truly set by your son, why would I be sitting here, waiting to be questioned by you?"

"Hehehe, who knows? The situation has become chaotic now."

The bedchamber returned to silence.

Keluoke Imperium Imperial City, midnight.

The firelight illuminated half the sky, and the shouting and gunfire outside the Imperial City were intertwined.

In the corridors inside the Imperial City, officials from Kesi's faction were running, and those among the Imperial City guards who belonged to Keluoke Ershisi Shi's side were also taking action, making arrests, searching, and sealing off areas.

Chanei was a senior civil official in Kesi's faction, in charge of document delivery; at this moment, he was walking quickly along the corridor, clutching a secret letter in his hand, preparing to deliver it to the side hall.

Just as he turned a corner, a squad of Imperial City guards rushed out from ahead, a dozen or so men, fully armed, and the leading Captain stared at Chanei with four eyes.

"Halt!"

The Captain raised his Energy Gun.

"You, raise your hands; we are going to search you."

Soon, the secret letter on Chanei was found; the Captain glanced at it and sneered.

"Ha, so it's one of His Highness Kesi's men, take him away!"

Chanei was grabbed by the arms by two soldiers and dragged into an Interrogation Room.

In the center of the room was an iron chair; Chanei was pressed into the chair, and restraint straps tightened around his wrists and ankles.

The Captain walked up to him and threw the secret letter onto the table.

"Who is this letter for?"

"It is a routine official document for the Administrative Office. I was just preparing to send it for filing."

The Captain said with a sneer.

"Routine document? Does a routine document need to be encrypted? Speak, what did His Highness Kesi tell you to do? Set a fire? Or mobilize the army?"

Chanei argued.

"I don't understand what you are talking about; I am just a civil official."

"A civil official? Would a civil official know so many secrets? Give him a taste of something!"

A soldier stepped forward, holding a short metal rod in his hand, and swung it onto his shoulder; the electric current pierced through skin and flesh.

Chanei's body tensed, and his teeth chattered with a clacking sound.

"What did His Highness Kesi tell you to do?"

Chanei panted heavily, his voice hoarse.

"I... I don't know what you are talking about..."

Another strike.

This one landed on his ribs; Chanei's body bent into an arch, and a low whimper escaped his throat.

"Last time I'll ask, is His Highness Kesi planning to commit treason?"

Chanei raised his head, looked at the Captain, and a trace of blood foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"His Highness... His Highness is for the Keluoke Imperium... you... are the ones committing treason..."

The Captain did not let his subordinates continue; he walked up to Chanei and looked down at the civil official before him.

"You are a tough nut to crack, but it's a pity that hard bones are easy to break."

He turned around and said to the soldiers.

"Continue the interrogation, just don't kill him; wait until His Majesty finishes his side, then we will deal with them together."

The soldier nodded.

The Captain walked out of the Interrogation Room, and new sounds of beating came from inside.

In another Interrogation Room, Feng Kasi was pressed into a chair, his hands tightened by restraint straps.

Feng Kasi was a financial official of Kesi's faction, in charge of several important capital flows.

At this moment, his face was covered in blood; the interrogator stood opposite him, holding a leather whip in his hand, the tip of the whip stained with blood.

"I'll ask you one more time, where is His Highness Kesi's secret funding hidden?"

Feng Kasi replied with a bloody smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Secret funding? His Highness Kesi... never hides money; his money is all used where it is needed most."

The interrogator raised the leather whip and lashed down fiercely.

The whip landed on Feng Kasi's back, tearing his clothes and leaving a deep bloody mark; seeing that Feng Kasi still had no reaction, the interrogator put down the whip, walked to the table, and picked up a small knife.

"It doesn't matter if you don't talk; we can take our time."

Feng Kasi closed his eyes.

"You... you can do whatever you want... His Highness... will not lose."

On the east side of the Imperial City, in a remote side hall, a dozen or so officials from Kesi's faction gathered together.

An official spoke in a hurried voice.

"Chanei has been caught, and Feng Kasi has also been caught. There are several others who have all been taken away for interrogation."

Another official said.

"We must find a way; we cannot just sit and wait for death. If they cannot endure the interrogation, we will all be exposed."

The third official said.

"So what if we are exposed? We have already chosen our side; surrendering now means death all the same."

"Then what should we do? We have no soldiers, no weapons, only these few people."

"Find our own people among the Imperial City guards; His Highness Kesi has planted quite a few men among the guards. If we can find them, we still have a chance to fight."

"Are you sure those guards won't turn to His Majesty's side? The situation is unclear now; they may have already defected to the Emperor."

"I am not sure, but it is better than waiting for death."

"I disagree."

An elderly official shook his head.

"We should surrender. Surrender voluntarily, confess our crimes to His Majesty, and say we were coerced by His Highness Kesi; perhaps we can still save our lives."

Before the words had even faded, a dagger pierced his throat.

Fresh blood gushed out, splashing onto the faces and clothes of the officials nearby.

The elderly official widened his eyes, clutching his throat as blood surged between his fingers; his body swayed, and he fell forward.

The owner of the dagger was a young official named Ke Ya.

"Who else wants to surrender?"

Ke Ya asked every official present, and seeing no response, he continued.

"His Highness has treated us well; now that His Highness is in trouble, we have only one path, and that is to stand with His Highness and hold out until the end."

The side hall was deathly silent.

Ke Ya continued.

"Now, go find the guards, find those who are still loyal to His Highness. Tell them we have no way back; only if His Highness wins can we survive."