Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Before the decree from the Imperial Palace was passed, the assassination began. Qin Yu had not expected this.

Qin Yu had an understanding of the situation in the military of the West Desolate. He also knew that he would face resistance upon being sent to the military.

However, he did not know that it would be this intense.

This was the Desolate King's will and even if the military was not happy with this, they should not have used such violent measures.

It was so dumb and this movement was not driven by any form of intelligence.

The darkness finally dissipated and the body of a dead man appeared from it. Although Qin Yu did not have much hope, he asked for Li Zhouyi.

Qin Yu encountered an assassin in his own palace. Li Zhouyi was in a tight spot and he wore an ugly expression.

"I don't recognize him. Ning Qin, don't worry. I will investigate this and give you an answer."

He had to take on this attitude because Ning Qin was very important to him now.

Qin Yu nodded, "I will have to trouble Your Highness."

He sent Li Zhouyi off with a cold glare in his eyes.

Qin Yu did not believe that the assassination was because of the decree that was going to be passed soon.

He thought of a new possibility.

Ye Wangu!

In the Western Barbarian Land, this person tried to kill him to get the lantern. Qin Yu had lured him to be killed by the barbarians.

He thought of the lady who had been behind the Night Demon Sect Master, 'Rourou'. Her expression back then told him that something was off.

Did he make a mistake then?

With this thought, Qin Yu frowned even deeper and his expression fell.

One of the two powerhouses in the military was the Later Ye Family. They were very strong and if he was targeted by them, the consequences would be unbearable.

However, Qin Yu chose to remain silent about this because he still did not know if he was right.

……

An assassination attempt in one of the princes' palaces was like a large stone being thrown into the undercurrents of the capital.

It created turbulent waves that spread quickly and many people were affected by it.

The Desolate King might step down soon. The sudden assassination attempt made many people think about terrifying possibilities.

This included the princes and princesses fighting each other for the position!

Similar situations had happened in the history of the West Desolate.

If things had really tumbled into this state, the capital was going to be chaotic. Anyone with a prominent status in the capital would be dragged into the mess.

Soon after, another piece of news spread. The target of the assassination was someone else and it had nothing to do with the battle for the throne.

This somewhat dispersed the nervous atmosphere in the capital. However, people could not help feeling uneasy. It felt like the sky was dark, hinting at the storm that was about to come.

It had not ended!

……

In a majestic-looking room, Zhou Chengshan frowned. She was an average-looking middle-aged woman, but as a peak-level Ruler, every move she made felt incredibly elegant.

The Eldest Princess sat down calmly and drank her tea.

She already knew about the failed assassination, but she did not let this show.

However, the Darkness Ruler, Ning Qin, was much stronger than she imagined. This was her mistake.

Zhou Chengshan spoke, disrupting the silence in the air, "Eldest Princess, you should know that the order came from the Imperial Palace."

She was trying to say that there was still time for the Eldest Princess to step back now.

She was close childhood friends with the Eldest Princess' mother.

Her words were sincere and she showed her concern.

The Eldest Princess placed her tea cup down. Her expression was cold and she spoke slowly, "Aunt Chengshan, it is not that I am not willing to, I simply cannot…" She paused and a helpless look crossed her face, "Ye Wangu's death placed me in a tight spot and I have to find a way to mend my relationship with the Later Ye Family."

This was related to the contest for the throne in the future and she could not say the reason explicitly. Yet, Zhou Chengshan knew what the Eldest Princess was concerned about.

She frowned because the Eldest Princess was right. Unless she gave up on her ambition, there was no easy way out with this matter.

Hesitating for a while, Zhou Chengshan said, "Ye Wangu's death was because of the barbarian ascetics. Zhe'er and the Demon Sect can confirm this. Why are you certain that it was him?"

The Eldest Princess replied, "The Later Ye Family think it is him…and I also feel that there is something wrong. Ye Wangu was not a careless man and he should not have been discovered by the barbarian ascetics easily."

She sighed deeply and bowed, "Thank you Aunt Chengshan, but there is no way to retrieve an arrow that has already left its bow. I have made my decision, farewell."

She turned and left the palace.

Zhou Chengshan sighed softly to herself. Her niece had always been stubborn and proud. By the time she sent Zhe'er over, it was already too late.

Since she already made her move, she had drawn the line with Ning Qin. She would not give up halfway. After all, the Desolate King wanted him to take on the responsibility of improving the Imperial Clan's foothold in the military.

The Eldest Princess would not accept this.

"Zhe'er!"

She called.

Zhe'er scrambled into the hall, "Aunt."

"Go and meet Ning Qin, tell him…tell him that he has to get through this himself." Zhou Chengshan's eyes flashed.

The Desolate King in the palace held power but he also checked and balanced power in the state. Zhou Chengshan could guess his style.

This was a dangerous risk. However, from another angle it was an opportunity.

If Ning Qin could pass the test, his status would rise and he would have a bright future ahead of him.

Perhaps, he could really become the third power in the military.

Granted, the Imperial Clan had tried to establish themselves in the military many times.

Although these efforts were not in vain, they could not shake the positions of the two Ye families in the military.

As for Qin Yu…it was too early to say what would happen. She would wait till he passed this hurdle first.

……

There was a heavy atmosphere in the room where Qin Yu and Li Zhouyi sat with ugly expressions.

The bad news had been confirmed. It was really Ye Wangu's death that was stirring up the trouble.

Although Zhe'er did not go into the details of things, they could easily confirm their true enemy.

The Later Ye Family was targeting Qin Yu.

The Eldest Princess was also the person in charge of the attack.

It felt like there was a stone weighing on their chests.

Li Zhouyi got out of his desperate situation and redeemed himself. He was in high spirits but this event was bad news for him.

The Later Ye Family!

As one of the two powers of the military that controlled close to thirty percent of the army, it was not an exaggeration to say that they were terrifying.

Even if he was a prince, he was not willing to provoke them. Furthermore, this was related to Ye Wangu's death.

It was no secret that Ye Dingding favored his son greatly.

Nonetheless, Li Zhouyi could not sit idle and do nothing, because their target was Ning Qin.

If Ning Qin was interrogated and killed by the Later Ye Family, Li Zhouyi's reputation would be destroyed and he would no longer have a chance to fight for the throne.

He could only grit his teeth and endure this!

Li Zhou sighed bitterly as his lips curled, "Ning Qin, I only have one question. Is Ye Wangu's death related to you?"

Qin Yu shook his head and confidently said, "I was not involved in it!"

Regardless of who asked him this question, Qin Yu's answer would always be the same.

Qin Yu knew that killing Ye Wangu would bring trouble and hence, he had already prepared himself for it.

No matter what, he could not confess to this!

Li Zhouyi's expression relaxed and he stared at Qin Yu intently, "Good, Ning Qin, you have to remember that this can be your only answer."

He stood up, "I will head to the palace and request an audience with His Majesty. The security in my palace had lapsed and that caused an assassin to mix in. I will ask for the Secret Guards to enhance the security here."

He made his decision to protect Qin Yu.

With the Secret Guards present, no one would dare to target the palace or they would be insulting the Desolate King.

Qin Yu sighed to himself after sending Li Zhouyi off. He had expected that Li Zhouyi would do this.

Although requesting for Secret Guards was going to be effective, Qin Yu felt that things weren't going to be that simple.

The Later Ye Family and the Eldest Princess…with these two allying together, it was not so easy to bring them down!

……

Li Zhouyi grinned in satisfaction as he walked out of the Imperial Palace.

A Secret Guard of the Imperial Palace bowed to him, "Sixth Prince, we have received the orders from the king and will be under your command now."

Li Zhouyi cupped his hands together respectfully, "Thank you everyone. Please follow me to my palace. You will temporarily guard it."

Although it was a nervous situation, he wore a smile.

He had redeemed himself from a perilous situation and it seemed that his status had increased in the king's eyes.

Otherwise, he would not have been able to request the Secret Guards of the Imperial Palace for his own use.

With the personality of the Eldest Princess, she would not give up on what she started.

As he thought of this, Li Zhouyi did not delay any more. He led the group of Secret Guards and rushed to his palace.

……

"Your Majesty, what do you mean?" Zhou Chengtian asked respectfully.

The Desolate King was hidden from his sight by curtains. His hands were behind his back and he had an imposing posture.

He was one of the most powerful individuals in the Desolate Area and he was like a god of the heavens.

A thought of his could shake the world.

"We will examine how things go."

A simple sentence expressed his intentions. He wanted to observe the situation and see if Ning Qin was an individual who was worth his time.

It was not so easy to be his chess piece; Ning Qin had to fulfill his conditions!