The Emperor then screamed: “Few people under the Heavens are even able to recognize the Ring of Imperial Fire! Jun Xie! Don’t think you can come snatch my entire empire with just one measly ring! The Fire Country is mine! The Emperor’s! I am the Emperor of the Fire Country! So what if you hold the Ring of Imperial Fire! ? If you kill me, the entire Fire Country will do all it can to annihilate you! No one will know about the Ring of Imperial Fire! You will never be able to ascend to the Fire Country’s throne! Impossible! You will never be able to!”
Jun Wu Xie snorted derisively and said: “You think I care for it?”
The Emperor was too astounded for words.
“If not for the fact you seeked your own death persecuting me, this crummy seat of yours, I would not care for it in the least. But as you made moves to go against me, in reciprocation of the gift you gave me, I would naturally want to help you realize the crime you have pinned onto me.” Jun Wu Xie’s eyes suddenly flashed an icy chill.
[So what if this is the Emperor’s throne of the Fire Country ? In her eyes, it was not even comparable to a blade of grass back in the Lin Palace.]
[But when the Emperor was trying to kill her, how could she allow him to do as he wished?]
“It’s not possible….. You will not become the Fire Country’s Emperor….. Impossible….. Impossible…..” The Emperor was overwhelmed by the terror that washed over him, and he could only repeat those few words to himself over and over again.
The Imperial Guards were outside the main hall, blocked by Lord Meh Meh and would not be able to save him. The only son of his inside the main hall was unwilling to help him because of the long years of neglect and indifference he had shown his son.
The ruler of the mightiest country under the Heavens was at the moment feeling unprecedented helplessness and terror!
“Do not forget, that Imperial Decree, is currently still in the hands of the Empress Dowager.” Jun Wu Xie reminded the Emperor helpfully.
The Empress Dowager had always followed the will of the First Emperor of their line and even if the Emperor was her own descendant, she would not change her mind about it.
“Rest assured though. I will not become the Emperor of the Fire Country.” Jun Wu Xie said suddenly.
The Emperor’s eyes immediately flashed with a glimmer of hope!
But Jun Wu Xie’s eyes was still filled with that same glint of icy chill.
“After you abdicate, and the throne is handed over to me, I will immediately make a decree, to have Lei Chen become the next Fire Country’s Emperor!”
The Emperor’s eyes flared wide open once again, as his gaze suddenly turned to see Lei Chen’s eyes showing the exact same expression.
Jun Wu Xie truly cared nothing for the throne, and was even handing it over to one of such lowly birth, a bastard child where the blood of a palace maid and lowly guard flowed in his body! The Emperor suddenly felt that his mind had been caught up in an incessant whirl!
Volume 10
Chapter 942: “Empress Dowager (1)”
If Jun Xie was truly going to do that, then all that the Emperor had previously done in scheme was deemed for nought.
Even when Jun Xie knew the secret behind the Ring of Imperial Fire, he still held nothing but disdain for the throne of the Fire Country. The Emperor turned to look fearfully at Jun Xie and he could not help but think. [If he had not harboured thoughts of eradicating Jun Xie right from the start, if he had treated Jun Xie exactly like how he had treated all the other youths, would that mean that none of this would have happened?]
Alas, there was no medicine or cure for regrets under these heavens!
The Emperor sat trembling in his throne, and he suddenly felt cold and his body chilled. The chill ran through his entire body which suddenly made his own ring on his finger feel icy cold.
“I am the Empress Dowager’s grandson….. She will not….. She will not help you…..” Till the last moment, the Emperor was still struggling against the fact.
“Oh? Is that so?” Jun Wu Xie’s lips curled up at the corners in a cold smile.
From the back of the main hall, three figures suddenly appeared.
The Grand Adviser was with the real Qu Ling Yue, and an old lady with a full head of white hair walked slowly into the main hall.
“Empress Dowager!” Lei Xi who had been been standing dazed within the main hall suddenly gasped in surprise when he saw the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor screamed out immediately: “Grandmother! Save your grandson! This conniving thief wants to take your grandson’s life!”
The Fire Country’s Empress Dowager was already coming close to a hundred years old and the long years had left indelible traces of its passing on her countenance, but the poised and unperturbed demeanor she carried herself with however stood out the most.
Since the passing of the First Emperor of this line, the Empress Dowager had assisted the late Emperor to ascend the throne. And after the late Emperor handed the throne down to her grandson, she had completely closed herself off and lived in seclusion within the Imperial Palace, never interfering with all affairs, big or small, be it in the Imperial Court or back within the Imperial Harem, never once asking about a single thing, to the extent that many of the Court Officials who attended Court every morning had almost forgotten the existence of the Empress Dowager.
Only the Emperor knew, that the one who held the most powerful fighters of the Fire Country, was the Empress Dowager herself!
Although she never once asked about Court matters, there wasn’t a single thing she did not know about what went on around her.
“Imperial Grandmother! Imperial Grandmother! Save your grandson!” The Emperor was almost scrambling and crawling as he escaped to come to the Empress Dowager’s feet. At that moment, the Emperor showed not a single ounce of the dominating air a ruler should possess, his old and tired face covered in tear streaks, his eyes filled with terror.
The Empress Dowager stood composed and dignified within the main hall, her deep and calm eyes tinged with the wisdom of one who had seen much trials. She looked down silently at the Emperor who was crying like a boy at her feet and she gave a heavy sigh.
“Does Your Majesty still remember the Decree the First Emperor laid down? Members of the Lei Family, always stand by their word. Do you still remember the circumstances under which the First Emperor ascended to the throne? When your Father handed the throne down to you, he had reminded you time and time again. So why are you now still so stubbornly attached to authority and power?”
The Empress Dowager was looking at the Emperor with helplessness in her eyes.
“Imperial Grandmother…..” The Emperor looked up in astonishment, not believing he was hearing what the Empress Dowager was saying.
The last vestiges of hope that had just barely risen in his heart had been severed once more. The words of the Empress Dowager had just admitted that Jun Xie possessed the right to become the Emperor of the Fire Country. With the Imperial Decree drafted by the First Emperor himself in the Empress Dowager’s hands, those very words alone would be enough to forced the Emperor to abdicate the throne!
The Empress Dowager turned to look at Jun Xie. This was the first time that she was seeing the youth who possessed the Ring of Imperial Fire. When she had previously heard from Wen Yu telling her that the possessor of the Ring of Imperial Fire had appeared, her heart had been filled with surprise and joy. She had not thought that her own grandson would be so muddled in his head, to defy the First Emperor’s decree, and tried to kill off the possessor of the Ring of Imperial Fire.
Volume 10
Chapter 943: “Empress Dowager (2)”
Looking at the delicately attractive and petite sized youth in front of her, the Empress’ gaze fell upon the Ring of Imperial Fire upon Jun Xie’s hand.
“How are you related to Lei Qian?” The Empress Dowager asked gently.
Jun Wu Xie shook her head.
The Empress Dowager then asked: “This ring
, belonged to the First Emperor’s Elder Brother, the Emperor of the Fire Country in his time, Lei Qian.”
“Since you came to possess this ring, you must be linked to him in some way. But no matter, the First Emperor’s Imperial Decree is here, and since you are the possessor of the Ring of Imperial Fire, then from this day onwards, you will be the Fire Country’s Emperor.”
Jun Wu Xie was just about to say something.
But the Empress Dowager continued on: “I know the Emperor had been guilty of quite a few wrongs that he had committed, and it is completely reasonable that you hold hatred against him. I do not plead for anything else from you, but to only ask that you spare him his life. Rest assured that henceforth, I will bring him back to my palace, and discipline his strictly, and will not allow him to create any more trouble for you.”
The Empress Dowager had abided by the First Emperor’s decree, but she could not bear to see her grandson’s life end just like this. She had been herself with Wen Yu and Qu Ling Yue in a secret room at the back of the main hall for a long while and everything single word that the Empress had said earlier, she had heard them all clearly.
“Sure.” Jun Wu Xie nodded her head. Killing someone off would be too easy for them, moreover she had not intended to take the Emperor’s life anyway. Instead of slicing a knife across his throat, it would be better that he was trapped within the Imperial Palace, and forced to witness the throne of the Emperor he valued the most, falling into the hands of the person he disliked the most, Lei Chen. The heart rending torment and the burning jealousy, would be hundred folds more agonizing for him!
“But, I need him to first hand over something to me.” Jun Wu Xie said, her eyes narrowing.
“What is it?” The Empress Dowager asked.
“A piece of human skin map.” Jun Wu Xie then replied.
The forlorn and despondent Emperor had suddenly stiffened his body when he heard Jun Wu Xie’s words, his eyes suddenly showing astonishment and disbelief.
And even for Wen Yu standing at the side, a strange glint had flashed in his eyes very briefly as well.
“Human skin map?” The Empress Dowager was obviously unaware of this as she looked down and asked the Emperor. “Do you have it? If you do, then hand it over.”
The Emperor shook his head vehemently and the fear showing on his fear was even more intense than earlier.
“Imperial Grandmother….. your Grandson cannot….. cannot hand that map to anyone! Or your grandson will die! Those people will definitely take your grandson’s live!” The Emperor’s voice had completely distored suddenly.
“Those people?” The Empress Dowager still did not understand.
The Emperor said sobbingly: “Imperial Grandmother, do you still remember how the First Emperor’s Elder Brother went missing?”
The Empress Dowager replied: “Elder Brother Lei Qian had suddenly wanted to bring some men to go to a place outside of the Fire Country, but no one had mentioned where he was going to. How is that linked to this matter?”
The Emperor then said: “It is exactly because of that map! That was why Lei Qian had gone missing! That map was found by your Grandson while I was sorting through the items Father had left behind. But not long after your Grandson had just found that map, several mysterious men suddenly appeared. They held extraordinary powers, all of them possessing Purple Spirits. They told your grandson that they gave that map to Lei Qian many years ago but the map was not complete. They had wanted Lei Qian to use the Fire Country’s might to help them complete the entire map and it was because Lei Qian had gone out to search for the place indicated on the map that he finally disappeared…..”
The Emperor was getting more fearful the more he spoke. Under the vast heavens, the things that could drive fear into the ruler of the mightiest country was few and far between. But the astounding power of those men caused the Emperor to fear even the thought of disobeying them!
Volume 10
Chapter 944: “Empress Dowager (3)”
The Emperor’s words rather surprised the Empress Dowager. She had not been the least bit aware about this.
But when those same words fell onto Jun Wu Xie’s ears, it was immediately clear to her that those people who had come to seek the Emperor out must have been people from one of the palaces among the Twelve Palaces!
“Imperial Grandmother! They told your grandson, if your grandson does not follow their orders to continue seeking out whatever is on the map, they will kill your grandson! Your grandson really doesn’t dare to hand the human skin map over. They will really kill me!” The Emperor was shaking like a leaf, his face filled with terror.
The Empress Dowager’s eyebrow lifted and she turned to look at Jun Xie.
However, Jun Wu Xie told her: “That map, I cannot do without.”
The Empress Dowager could not do anything but sigh as she told the Emperor: “Rest assured. After you hand the item over, I will bring you away from here and find us a place to live in seclusion. They will definitely not be able to find you.”
The Emperor was highly terrified as he looked at the Empress Dowager. He hesitated a long while before he nodded his head slowly. He crawled over to the throne and he reached for the base and took out a brocade box from a secret compartment. The Emperor’s hand holding the brocade box was shaking as he walked to come before Jun Xie, as he trepidly handed the box over.
At that moment, the Emperor already knew that he was completely defeated. He and his sons were no longer capable of reproduction and Jun Xie possessed a high level of power. Moreover, the Empress Dowager had already made a decision and it did not matter how much longer he struggled against it, it would only bring him more agony.
Might as well, he wasn’t a moron, and he knew that there was nothing he could do to change the situation, so why shouldn’t he choose to be cooperative where he would at least be able to save his own life.
Jun Wu Xie took the brocade box and opened it to take a look, and a piece of human skin map sat neatly within.
“Today, you will announce your abdication, and everything between us will be written off henceforth.” Jun Wu Xie put the brocade box away carefully, having no intention to waste any more of her breath on the Emperor. Her aim in coming to the Fire Country had been achieved and the people who provoked her have all been punished. Hence, she did not want to waste any more time here.
The Emperor retreated meekly and went to stand beside the Empress Dowager. The only person who could protect him would only be the Empress Dowager. Although the mysterious strangers were extremely powerful, the hidden bodyguards behind the Empress Dowager were not people to sniff at either.
“After he announces his abdication, I will reveal the First Emperor’s Imperial Decree to the public, and from today onwards, you are the Emperor of the Fire Country.” The Empress Dowager said, finally having fulfilled one of her wishes that had been in her heart for so many many years.
Jun Wu Xie raised up her hand suddenly and said: “No need. You only need to hand the throne over to Lei Chen and that will do.”
Lei Chen was taken aback.
The Empress Dowager seemed to want to say something more, but Jun Wu Xie did not want to stay in that place any longer. She called out to Drunk Lotus and walked straight out of the main hall, to climb onto Lord Meh Meh’s back, calmly leaving the place under shouts of surprise from the Imperial Guards.
Within the main hall, it had fallen deathly quiet.
The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened, as she stared at the little back view that was leaving with uninhibited abandon. When she had been hidden within the secret room earlier, she had heard Jun Xie say those very same words, but she had thought that Jun Xie was only using it to agitate the Emperor, never having expected that she really did not care for the Fire Country’s throne.
“Empress Dowager!” Lei Chen said as he suddenly knelt before the Empress Dowager.
“I am not the Fire Country’s Emperor! And neither do I want to be the Emperor. I will do ever
ything I can to convince Jun Xie, to have her take up all of it.”
The Empress Dowager was a little surprised as she looked at Lei Chen. But Lei Chen had immediately gotten up to chase after Jun Xie the moment he finished saying those words.
The Emperor who was yearning so badly for the throne, saw Jun Xie and Lei Chen not showing any interest in it the slightest, the bitterness he felt in his heart at that moment could not be described with mere words.
Volume 10
Chapter 945: “The Fifth Map (1)”
“Guards, lock these three people in the dungeon and have them dealt with.” The Empress Dowager was already tired. She cast a glance over at the Empress, Prime Minister and Lei Fan in the main hall. Although she had complied with and executed the First Emperor’s decree by making the Emperor abdicate his throne, but she could not find it within herself to forgive these three thankless ingrates who betrayed the Emperor’s benevolence!
The Empress Dowager brought Lei Xi and the Emperor back together with him and made preparations for the Emperor to abdicate.
Within the Imperial main hall, Qu Ling Yue stood staring blankly in her spot with his eyes slightly widened, staring at the wide open doors leading outside, her gaze seemingly having never moved from the direction that Jun Xie ssessed left from.
“Miss Qu?” Wen Yu asked, looking at Qu Ling Yue’s dazed little face.
Qu Ling Yue quickly snapped back to her senses. Yesterday, Lei Chen had brought her to the Grand Adviser’s Mansion and requested for the Grand Adviser to secretly sneak her into the Imperial Palace, and to invite the Empress Dowager to come to the main hall. Although all those words had been said by Lei Chen, but Lei Chen had already stated that all of it had been Jun Xie’s idea.
“Lord Grand Adviser, where is Uncle Xiong and the others now?” Qu Ling Yue’s eyes suddenly sparkled as she asked anxiously.
Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 10 Page 12
