Chapter 64: The Death of Qin Ling

Luo Shangyu was somewhat surprised at Qin Yu’s decisiveness. Normally, she wouldn’t be so direct.

Qin Yu did not sheathe her sword. Instead, she entered the palace hall still carrying the bloodstained blade.

Inside the hall, Qin Yi stood by Qin Ling’s sickbed. Beside him was a trembling imperial physician, and behind him were numerous guards.

“Qin Yu! How dare you come here!”

“I am the Crown Prince. Why can’t I come?” Qin Yu raised her sword. “On the contrary, you have brought troops into the inner palace without authorization, especially at a time like this! What is your intention!”

“Humph!” Qin Yi folded his arms across his chest and completely ignored Qin Yu.

“Imperial Physician, what is the situation?” Qin Yu turned to ask the physician.

“Your Highness, His Majesty’s health is failing. I fear…”

Qin Yu leaned down to look at Qin Ling lying on the sickbed. His eyes were closed, his breathing weak.

She had long anticipated this day would come, but when it finally arrived, she still felt lost and afraid.

Outside the door, Yin An had also arrived. His residence was some distance from the palace, so he came a bit late.

“Your Highness.” Yin An gave a slight nod to Qin Yu and then stood by her side.

Qin Ling lay on the sickbed, breathing weakly, already on the verge of death.

All around him were various life-enhancing magical artifacts, but they were useless. Qin Ling’s life was like fine sand slipping through one’s fingers, gradually draining away completely.

Qin Yi, standing to the side, anxiously thought about how he could seize power.

Earlier, as Qin Ling’s health improved, Qin Yi realized his opportunity was lost.

So he had been waiting for the moment of Qin Ling’s death.

He planned to disperse Qin Ling’s close attendants, and after his death, keep the funeral secret.

Then he would forge a decree to execute Qin Yu and seize the throne.

At this moment, the critical point of his plan had arrived.

He had three hundred armored warriors lying in ambush within the inner palace, and outside the palace, more troops were ready to support him.

Moreover, the entire imperial palace had a magical restriction. No one could use magic freely inside, so Qin Yi was not worried that Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu would use magic.

The final moment came quickly. Qin Ling suddenly opened his eyes, breathing rapidly.

No one expected him to regain consciousness. Everyone was startled.

“F-Father!” Qin Yu was the first to react, grabbing Qin Ling’s trembling hand.

“Qin Yu…” Qin Ling’s voice was hoarse and lifeless. “I know I have been a very unworthy father, and I have treated you poorly…”

As he spoke, Qin Ling’s eyes looked up at the magnificent ceiling of the inner palace, tears trickling from the corners of his eyes.

“I only hope that you will be healthy and happy in the future. I have no other requests…”

As he spoke, Qin Ling’s eyes gradually drooped, and he stopped breathing.

“Father!” Qin Yu gripped Qin Ling’s hand tightly and shook it.

Even though she was unwilling to acknowledge Qin Ling as her father, at this moment she could not help but shed tears.

“Goodbye…” Qin Ling’s lips moved slightly, and his eyes quietly closed. The last few tears rolled down his not-so-aged cheeks and soaked into the luxurious pillow.

Thus, the emperor Qin Ling passed away.

After the imperial physician solemnly announced that Qin Ling had passed away, he pulled up the blanket and covered his face.

Qin Yi acted decisively and immediately shouted into the inner palace, “Guards!”

As soon as his words fell, countless armored warriors burst out from every corner of the inner palace, surrounding Qin Yu, Luo Shangyu, Yin An, the imperial physician, and a crowd of palace maids and eunuchs.

Qin Ling had valued grandeur. In the vast inner palace, a group of several hundred people did not seem crowded, but Qin Yu and the others still felt immense pressure.

Within the inner palace, magic could not be used. Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu were in extreme danger.

“Qin Yi! The late emperor’s body is still warm, and you already want to usurp the throne?” Luo Shangyu stepped forward, cutting in front of Yin An, and drew her sword to protect Qin Yu.

“So what?” Qin Yi said, pointing at the surrounding troops. “With my thousand elite guards here, even if I directly ascend the throne and declare myself emperor, you can do nothing about it!”

Qin Yu snorted coldly. Although she didn’t know the exact number of Qin Yi’s elite guards, she could tell at a glance that he was exaggerating the number to intimidate her.

However, before Qin Yu could react, the doors of the inner palace were smashed open. A group of soldiers filed in, wearing the uniforms of the Yulin Army, led by none other than Zhong Changgong.

“I heard some strange noises inside…” Zhong Changgong began to explain. But before he could finish, Qin Yu interrupted.

“Qin Yi is rebelling! Arrest him immediately!”

“Yes!” Zhong Changgong asked no further questions and immediately charged toward Qin Yi upon receiving the order.

Qin Yi weighed the strength of both sides and realized he was no match. So he led his men to break out, planning to regroup with his reinforcement troops and then attack the inner palace again.

But Zhong Changgong had already planned ahead. More troops were ready, and they engaged in a fierce battle with Qin Yi’s forces within the imperial palace.

“Your Highness, the Chengji Empire will now depend on you.” Yin An bowed deeply to Qin Yu.

“I will do my best.” Qin Yu nodded slightly in agreement.

Luo Shangyu immediately drafted an urgent edict, ordering the Grand Secretariat members and important court ministers to come for a meeting at once.

Before long, Han Youcheng and Shangguan Rong arrived at the inner palace.

As Qin Ling’s trusted confidant, Qin Ling had already entrusted his will to Yin An.

He unrolled the will and slowly read it aloud in front of everyone.

Much of it consisted of advice for Qin Yu. Although Qin Yi had not fulfilled these items, he had written them down verbatim for Qin Yu.

The content was mostly useless advice, but there were also sentences designating Qin Yu as the sole successor to the throne.

“Your subjects pay homage to Your Majesty!” After reading the will, Yin An, Han Youcheng, Shangguan Rong, and Luo Shangyu respectfully saluted Qin Yu. This meant that Qin Yu had gained the recognition of the powerful figures in the court, and the will had been executed.

Although Qin Yu had not yet ascended the throne, she was already the foremost person of the Chengji Empire.

—

According to custom, Qin Ling’s coffin was placed in Weiyang Hall for three days. The court would suspend operations for three days, and all officials were required to come and pay their last respects. As the Crown Prince, Qin Yu also had to keep vigil every night during the mourning period.

Although Qin Yu was supposed to inherit the throne, according to custom, no grand events such as an enthronement ceremony could be held during the mourning period. So Qin Yu planned to hold the enthronement after the three-day mourning period ended.

—

The next day at the morning court, the news of Qin Ling’s death spread among all the officials. Everyone bowed their heads in silent mourning, carrying a trace of remembrance.

At the same time, Qin Yi was captured by Zhong Changgong and brought to justice. His armed forces were completely wiped out, and from then on, he and his faction became a thing of the past.

Regarding how to deal with Qin Yi, Qin Yu’s emotions were very mixed. However, considering that Qin Ling had just passed away, she did not want to kill. So she did not sentence Qin Yi to death, but merely placed him under house arrest somewhere.

—

The three-day mourning period ended. Qin Ling was buried in the Imperial Mausoleum, and his posthumous title was ‘Cheng Huo Di’.

The character ‘Huo’ means: ‘having great ambition but often failing’ is Huo; ‘indulging desires and forgetting the Way’ is Huo; ‘excessive indulgence leading to loss of will’ is Huo; ‘heeding women’s words’ is Huo; ‘boasting ambition but often failing’ is Huo. Therefore, Qin Ling’s posthumous title was the single character ‘Huo’.

Three days had passed. The central court of the Chengji Empire began to function, and everything was returning to order.

As for the common people across the nation, they were not very concerned about Qin Ling’s death. A series of policies and measures implemented during Qin Yu’s regency had won the people’s hearts. Coupled with Qin Ling’s retirement, everyone remembered only Qin Yu and forgot about Qin Ling. Qin Yu’s popularity soared.

“Tomorrow… I will ascend the throne…” At night, Qin Yu looked at the pitch-black sky, her heart full of anticipation and nervousness.