Chapter 73: The Heirloom Jade Seal of the Realm

Ye City, the West Palace, Pi Xiang Hall.

"Princess, do not speak too much."

Wang Lang (a Jie person), his face fierce and grim, shook the ring-pommel saber in his hand. "If there is the will, one should naturally die in loyalty."

Having spoken, he forcibly snatched the six-year-old Qi Gong Shi Shi from the arms of Princess An Ding.

Glaring fiercely at the tear-streaked Princess An Ding, Wang Lang carried the wailing Shi Shi and left.

Were it not for the worry that beheading her mother in front of Shi Shi would create a terrible influence.

Wang Lang would not have wasted words; he would have simply chopped her to death with a single stroke.

"A Nu~~~"

Watching her only son being snatched away, Princess An Ding, Liu Shi, threw herself on the ground and wailed loudly.

Princess An Ding, Liu Shi, was the youngest daughter of Liu Yao, the last Emperor of Former Zhao (Han Zhao).

Former Zhao was destroyed by Shi Lei; over three thousand nobles, civil and military officials were all executed, only the women were distributed as slaves and thus survived.

The beautiful Princess An Ding caught Shi Hu's eye and was taken as a concubine.

Afterwards she gave birth to Shi Hu's youngest son, Shi Shi.

Historically, Princess An Ding was eventually established as Empress, and Shi Shi was established as Crown Prince.

After Shi Hu's death, Princess An Ding became the Empress Dowager wielding supreme power, and Shi Shi became the fourth Emperor of Later Zhao.

Wang Lang held the ring-pommel saber in one hand, and carried Qi Gong Shi Shi in the other.

On his back he also carried a bundle tied extremely securely.

"Qi Gong, do not cry." Wang Lang led a group of Jie Hu armored soldiers, walking swiftly through the vast palace complex.

He softly comforted the weeping Shi Shi. "The Heavenly King has issued an edict, establishing Qi Gong as the Supervising Crown Prince."

"He is touring Guanzhong."

"Once we reach Guanzhong, Qi Gong will immediately ascend the throne."

"From now on, you will be our Emperor~"

Shi Shi, only six years old, where would he understand these things.

Right now in his heart there was only the panic and fear of leaving his mother, crying non-stop all the way.

"Hateful." Wang Lang, walking swiftly, gritted his teeth in vexation. "If we hadn't been delayed by the arson, we would have left the city long ago!"

Wang Lang was Shi Hu's trusted confidant.

The retreat route arranged by Shi Hu was also entrusted to him to execute.

When he went around setting fires, some of the various Hu under his command coveted wealth, grew greedy, and a firefight broke out; they seized many treasures.

This delay caused a great loss of manpower and wasted time.

Not only were many places not set alight in time, but it also delayed the rendezvous with the reinforcements hidden outside the city after picking up Shi Shi and leaving the city.

"We can only hope the Qi Huo Army is busy plundering, so we still have a chance to leave the city."

As they spoke, a burst of dense footsteps transmitted from ahead.

At the turn ahead on the palace path, a large crowd of people surged out.

They held weapons, their footsteps urgent, and many even wore armor.

The two sides suddenly faced each other, and all halted their steps.

"So it is Li Sikong." Wang Lang grinned savagely. "In such a rush, where are you going?"

Where to?

Li Nong was busy fulfilling his promise, going to seize the Empress to present to Grand Commander Lin.

"Qi Gong?" Seeing the child in Wang Lang's arms, Li Nong narrowed his eyes. "Where do you intend to go?"

Wang Lang did not wish to create more trouble and delay the journey.

After all, his most important mission right now was to escort Qi Gong Shi Shi out of Ye City to Guanzhong to ascend the throne.

"Li Sikong."

"If you still have a shred of loyalty to the Heavenly King, to Great Zhao, then part ways here and say no more."

"Loyalty?" Li Nong laughed absurdly.

"I fucking jumped ship; what loyalty do I have left!"

"If I still had a shred of loyalty to the Heavenly King, to Great Zhao, wouldn't this jump have been for nothing!"

Li Nong raised the hammer in his hand. "Kill!"

The retainers behind him raised their heavy crossbows and fired a volley, then raised weapons and charged.

The two sides collided, engaging in crazy slaughter within the slightly narrow palace path.

Wang Lang's armored soldiers were more elite; they were all Shi Hu's personal guards.

But Li Nong had more men, and held heavy crossbows.

At close range, even armored soldiers could not withstand heavy crossbows.

As time passed, the place where the two sides fought quickly piled up into a mound of corpses.

Seeing his side about to be defeated, Wang Lang gritted his teeth, hugged Shi Shi, turned and ran.

He did not fear death; it was that he had a more important mission to complete.

Just as he was about to run out of the palace path, a crossbow bolt whistled through the air, slicing open half his neck.

Fresh blood instantly spurted out.

Wang Lang, fallen on the ground, raised a hand to cover the wound on his neck.

Turning his head, he saw Li Nong personally leading men in pursuit.

He gritted his teeth, took off the bundle on his back, and stuffed it into Shi Shi's arms.

"Qi Gong! Flee quickly!!"

Having spoken, Wang Lang, his eyes bloodshot, gripped his ring-pommel saber and charged forward, to cover Shi Shi's retreat.

After consecutively slaying several of Li Nong's retainers, Wang Lang, from excessive blood loss, was already teetering on the verge of collapse.

Li Nong retreated a few steps; a squad of retainers holding powerful crossbows stepped forward, aiming at Wang Lang.

Wang Lang gave a miserable smile: "Heavenly King, I did my best~~~"

Wang Lang, with over a dozen crossbow bolts stuck in his body, fell to the ground.

He burned the last of his vitality, raised his head to look back, and in an instant his whole body turned ice-cold.

The young Qi Gong Shi Shi, clutching a bundle, stood dazed in place, not fleeing at all.

"Great Zhao, finished~~~"

Li Nong, covered in blood, strode past the dead-but-eyes-unclosed Wang Lang and came before Shi Shi in great strides.

Looking down at Shi Shi from above: "Qi Gong, come with me for a trip."

Seeing the bundle in Shi Shi's arms was somewhat weird, he reached out, took it, and opened it.

'Hiss~~~'

Seeing the things inside the bundle, Li Nong's eyes instantly went round and wide.

"The Heir~Heir~Heirloom Jade Seal?!"

What was packed inside the bundle was actually the genuine supreme treasure of the realm, the Heirloom Jade Seal.

Thinking about it, it made sense; going to ascend the throne as Emperor, how could one not have this Emperor's ID card at one's side.

"Patriarch." A retainer stepped forward to ask: "Whether to go search for the Empress?"

"Empress my ass!" Li Nong threw back his head and laughed loudly.

He stooped, scooped Shi Shi up in one arm, held the Heirloom Jade Seal aloft in his hand: "Go, quickly go find Grand Marshal Lin~"

Xianyang Hall.

Lin Dao turned the Jade Seal in his hand over and over, rubbing it.

The texture was smooth, slightly cool to the touch.

"Heirloom Jade Seal~~~"

Lin Dao truly hadn't expected that he would actually find this thing.

He lifted his head, looking at Li Nong with eyes full of smiles: "Li Sikong, you have rendered meritorious service."

Li Nong bowed low, touching his head to the ground, his words sincere: "This is because the Grand Marshal's Heavenly Mandate is where it belongs~"

As an Overlord, and one who had masterminded a palace coup, Shi Hu had long since arranged a retreat route.

Entrusting loyal subordinates to take his young son and the Heirloom Jade Seal and escape, to continue his bloodline and the nation's foundation.

Unexpectedly, Wang Lang was delayed setting fires.

On top of that, with bad luck, on the escape route they actually ran into Li Nong.

The retreat route arrangement thoroughly turned into a bubble and shadow.

"You go rest for now."

Lin Dao gently instructed: "When the time comes to assess merits and bestow rewards, there will naturally be a fief granted to you."

Although Li Nong previously served the Qianghu.

But he actively jumped ship, and at this moment moreover found the Heirloom Jade Seal.

These merits are enough for him to save his life, and even obtain decent treatment.

Li Nong, without changing expression, saluted and took his leave.

Having left the grand hall, his heart was nevertheless nervous.

This is the Heirloom Jade Seal, after all~

With such great merit, not to mention ranking among the Immortal Ranks, getting heavily entrusted is certainly no problem.

But Grand Marshal Lin yet~~~

It seems the Grand Marshal still has some dissatisfaction with him.

Since he has already jumped ship, he ought to serve the new captain with unwavering loyalty and handle affairs.

Only thus can he eat well and drink well on the new ship.

Otherwise, who knows when he might be kicked into the sea with a single foot.

But wanting to earn merit, where is it that easy.

Didn't you see right now, the whole city is full of Qihuo Army troops, searching for the traces of the various Hu like madmen.

Seeing a Hu is even more intimate than seeing one's own parents; they pounce like madmen, borrowing the other's head for use.

Even if he, Li Nong, wanted to go snatch merit, with these old arms and old legs, how could he snatch it from those madmen.

His gaze shifted, Li Nong's eyes fell on Shi Shi, who was under guard in a corner.

Thoughts turning in his mind, his eyes instantly shone bright.

He had an idea!

"Heirloom Jade Seal."

This thing, Lin Dao had only heard of before; this was the first time seeing the real object.

"Among the world's supreme treasures, the Jade Seal is most honored."

"If the Nine Tripods do not appear, who can contend for the front!"

As a Central Plains man, seeing the Jade Seal one would naturally be excited, unable to put it down, rubbing it incessantly.

"Hm?"

Lin Dao, rubbing the Jade Seal, suddenly felt it awkward in his hand.

Examining it closely in front of him, he was shocked to see that characters were actually carved on the Yushi!

Of course there were characters carved on the Yushi.

Everyone knew that Li Si, acting on the Ancestral Dragon's orders, carved the eight characters "Mandated by Heaven, May You Live Long and Prosper" onto the Heirloom Jade Seal.

The problem was that those eight characters were carved on the underside of the Yushi.

But what Lin Dao found strange was on the top side.

Taking it over to examine closely for a moment, Lin Dao bared his teeth slightly: "Please invite Nü Lang over for a trip."

He did not recognize the characters on the Yushi~~~

Xie Daoyun lifted her skirt hem and walked into Xianyang Hall.

Xiao Yi, not deliberately dressed up, tried to please.

She trusted Lin Dao's character, knowing he was not a lecher, and could not possibly do anything to her in broad daylight within this great hall.

Grand Commander Lin had great ambitions; he was an extraordinary man of the world.

Beauty to him was like floating clouds~

Xie Daoyun stepped forward to pay her respects, and Lin Dao handed the Heirloom Jade Seal over to her.

"This is..." Xie Daoyun stared in surprise, seeing the eight characters at the bottom: "The Heirloom Jade Seal?!"

"Take a look for me." Lin Dao gestured to the two lines of characters on the Yushi: "What is written above?"

In Xie Daoyun's beautiful eyes, her spirit shone brightly.

He who obtains the Heirloom Jade Seal is the one to whom the Heavenly Mandate returns.

Even someone like Yuan Shu, whom everyone despises, would call himself a false emperor upon obtaining the Heirloom Jade Seal.

A false emperor is still an emperor!

Even if dead, the History Books record it as a demise!

Grand Commander Lin obtaining the Heirloom Jade Seal—this is the true return of the Heavenly Mandate!

Suppressing the surging emotions in her heart, Xie Daoyun respectfully received the Yushi with both hands, carefully examining the characters.

This Heirloom Jade Seal—even the Empresses of past dynasties probably never had the chance to hold it in their hands.

It truly made her excited heart and liver tremble.

"It is Jin Dynasty ancient script."

"This side says: 'The Great Wei received the Han-transmitted Yushi.'"

"This side says: 'Heavenly Mandate to the Stone Clan.'"

Xie Daoyun explained: "'The Great Wei received the Han-transmitted Yushi' comes from what the Wen Emperor of the Former Dynasty carved."

The Former Dynasty of Jin was Cao Wei, and the Wen Emperor was Cao Pi.

That shameless Cao Pi carved such a line on the Yushi, wanting to express that Cao Wei inherited the legitimacy of the Great Han.

"This line here." Xie Daoyun pointed to a slightly shorter segment: "'Heavenly Mandate to the Stone Clan' is said to have been carved by someone ordered by Shi Lei after he obtained the Yushi back then."

"Cao Pi is also shameless," Lin Dao said with disdain. "What qualification does he have to carve characters on the Yushi?"

In Lin Dao's view, only the enterprising Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi, Tang Zong Hongwu, had the qualification to carve characters on the Yushi.

They promoted great unification, laid down vast living space for later generations, and drove out the northern barbarians.

Only such achievements qualify one to leave characters on the Heirloom Jade Seal.

As for Shi Lei

"Miscellaneous barbarian tribes, daring to covet the National Treasure?"

"It's all the Sima Family's fault!"

Lin Dao stuffed the Heirloom Jade Seal into Xie Daoyun's hands: "Go find a craftsman and grind both lines of characters flat."

"They have no such qualification!"

End of Chapter