The True Dragon dissipated the moment it saw the small emperor’s corpse, like a persistent spirit.
Perhaps the small emperor was the last sovereign it acknowledged, and the current emperor in power had not been recognized, merely occupying a title.
It was unclear what the state of the dynasty’s succession really was.
Wang Sheng sighed and let the curtain fall.
He had guessed some things about the scene just now and did not want to comment further.
Once the small emperor was buried, it would be none of his concern.
“Uncle, what are you looking at?”
Wang Lingwei leaned in; her uncle had suddenly pulled back the curtain, but beyond a mysterious rain, there was nothing.
Obviously, only Wang Sheng had seen that True Dragon just now, and it was uncertain if this was due to his formidable strength.
The identity of that True Dragon was actually not hard to guess.
Wang Sheng figured it was the destiny of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The title of Master of Destiny alone had already defined the nature of the dynasty, but considering everything he had encountered along the way, Wang Sheng felt that this “destiny” might not be so simple.
These matters were not necessary to discuss with Wang Lingwei and others.
“It’s nothing; let’s keep moving and find a place to stay.”
There were no Yuelai Inns open inside the Imperial City.
Zhu Xiao did not want to be involved in the affairs of the Imperial City, so he had withdrawn his staff, leaving Yuelai Inn’s facade, albeit with no one around.
However, Wang Sheng had other options, and soon he arrived at the entrance of an estate, whose plaque bore the words “Wu Residence.”
This was the foundation Wu Yuancheng had in the Imperial City. Even after leaving, he had kept it and entrusted its care to a reliable person.
He stepped out of the carriage and knocked on the door.
It wasn’t long before Wang Sheng heard footsteps, but the door did not open immediately.
“Who’s there?”
“Martial Virtue Abundant!” Wang Sheng did not beat around the bush and gave the password straight away.
After their last meeting, Wu Yuancheng knew Wang Sheng would sooner or later come to the Imperial City, so he had told him the secret passphrase, saying that if there was no place to stay, he could come here.
As expected, after the passphrase was given, the door quickly opened.
The person opening the door was not an old man, but a middle-aged man, looking to be in his forties, a Martial Artist of the Ninth Grade.
“May I ask who you are?”
“I’m a friend of Mr. Wu. He said I could stay a few days in the Imperial City, and here’s a token of proof.”
Wang Sheng took out a token once more, which was the family emblem of Wu Yuancheng’s clan, specially made.
The combination of passphrase and token convinced the middle-aged man to fully open the door.
“Please come in; my name is Sun Xing, you may call me Steward Sun!”
Wang Sheng did not stand on ceremony and directly helped Liu Jian’an and the others alight, entering the Wu Residence together with them.
Sun Xing was somewhat surprised, not because of the number of people—the Wu Residence was large enough to comfortably accommodate twice as many—it was because this person carrying the master’s token had come from a distance and dared to bring so many children.
It was either boldness or great strength.
Obviously, Sun Xing did not think it was mere boldness; this was undoubtedly a powerful person.
Sun Xing became even more respectful.
Wang Sheng took the opportunity to ask a few questions.
Wu Yuancheng was Sun Xing’s savior; having worked for the Wu Family for many years, he gained Wu Yuancheng’s trust and eventually chose to stay and look after the estate.
“Mr. Wu told me before coming that you could leave directly,” Wang Sheng said. “The Imperial City cannot be held; the Wu Residence is so large that once the Rebellion Army breaks through, they won’t ignore the Wu Family.”
“But…” Sun
Wang Sheng saw his hesitance and continued, “Mr. Wu said if you choose not to leave, consider it an order.”
Sun Xing no longer resisted.
Indeed, now was the time to go.
But not just yet.
“You’ve arrived, I simply can’t leave right now.”
The guest of his benefactor had arrived, and he felt obligated to offer hospitality before taking his leave. Besides, he had the means to depart and was not lacking in strength, so he was not overly anxious.
Wang Sheng thought the man seemed frank and asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to find my family, they told me their location before they left.”
Sun Xing had his own family and was not a bond servant to the Wu Family. He knew much about them and trusted their reliability, so he asked Wu Yuancheng to take care of his family.
Wu Yuancheng naturally had no objections.
So Sun Xing was going to find his family.
“In that case, you should leave with me when the time comes. It’s good to have company. Can you drive a carriage?”
“Yes!”
With that settled, Sun Xing would depart with Wang Sheng to find the Wu Family when the time came.
Wang Sheng also settled in with his people.
After resting for one night, he called Liu Jian’an and others over.
“Stay here and don’t go out. I need to leave for a while.”
The Imperial City was his final destination. Once his business was concluded, he could head home.
“Alright!”
Liu Jian’an and his companions were still very obedient.
“Please take care of them for me,” Wang Sheng said to Sun Xing.
“Rest assured.”
Wang Sheng nodded, said no more, left a flying sword in secrecy, and left directly.
He first dealt with the body of the young prince.
According to the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley, it was clear that the prince could not be buried directly in the Imperial Mausoleum; he needed to be laid next to his mother.
Wang Sheng found it strange. He had inquired about the young prince’s mother, the Empress, who was not buried alongside the emperor.
Of course, Wang Sheng didn’t want to dwell too much on these matters. He directly headed to the mountain south of the Imperial City, the final destination indicated by the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley.
Tai Mountain was far too distant and was reserved for only the gravest of matters. This mountain was the usual site for offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors.
The Empress was buried at the mountain’s peak, and it didn’t take long for Wang Sheng to arrive there.
Indeed, there was a tomb there, seemingly not more than a few years old.
Not only that, but next to the tomb was a large pit and another tombstone.
“Zhou Qingjiang’s Tomb”
Upon seeing the inscription on the tombstone, Wang Sheng understood what this so-called burial site meant.
It was most likely made by the young prince himself, who had anticipated his own death.
The fact that the Empress’s tomb was here likely meant it was also the prince’s doing.
The epitaph on the Empress’s tomb read, “The Tomb of Mother Luo Yun,” but the content of the inscription was intriguing.
Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, it suggested that the Empress had been put to death by Zhou Tianyuan, the father of the young prince.
It just goes to show how ruthless the Royal Family could be.
With the Empress dead, it was likely that few concubines were left.
The young prince’s own epitaph had but a single line.
“Watch on as the tide ebbs and flows; in the end, they shall perish.”
This so-called ’perishing’ was probably a reference to the Great Zhou Dynasty.
He turned and glanced toward the Imperial City.
From here, one could see the Imperial City clearly—the rise and fall of the empire all within view.
“How interesting indeed!”
Wang Sheng buried the young prince, covered the grave with soil, and softly chanted.
“Weeping, weeping at the seventh pass…”
(The chapter is cut short, there was a power outage, the next chapter will be a bit late or not at all.)