"Li King's men", Chen Jun hissed angrily beneath his breath.
Speak softly," whispered crown prince Wang Wei as they moved cautiously towards the entrance of the jade palace.
Wang Wei knew that Li Chun was right. The insignia of the red dragon on their uniforms was evidence enough. They were field marshal Li Keng's men, but why had they come to the jade palace? A still more important question was, what had happened here?
Had Li Keng's men betrayed the field marshal and rebelled against the crown? That would explain the carnage. Another possible and more frightening explanation could be that field marshal Li Keng himself had joined the rebellion against the emperor.
The thoughts played out in crown prince Wang Wei's mind as he and Chen Jun entered the jade palace swords held at the ready. Crown prince Wang Wei knew that the imperial guards would have fought to the last man. Their loyalty was unquestionable.
Both crown prince Wang Wei and Chen Jun were aware that the attackers could still be lurking inside the jade palace. They were on their guard as they entered the massive entrance whose doors had been flung wide open.
A trail of more dead bodies ran from the entrance leading into the interior of the palace itself.
Side stepping the corpses of dead rebel soldiers and imperial guards strewn all along the path, they kept their eyes peeled.
Crown prince Wang Wei and Chen Jun moving silently, listened for any tell tale sounds. While keeping a sharp look out for any sinister movement .They were well aware that they could possibly be walking into an ambush.
"Let's follow the trail of bodiescrown prince Wang Wei whispered beneath his breath. Chen Ju instantly understood and followed closely behind Wang Wei. Constantly glancing backwards to make sure that they were not being followed as they advanced into the interior of the palace.
The last thing they wanted was to find themselves trapped between whoever was still in the palace, and anyone who possibly might be coming up from behind them. Both of whom they had no idea of, whether they were a few individuals or a large body of attackers.
Cown prince Wang Wei led their advance keeping a sharp lookout ahead.
They quietly followed the trail of corpses, until they arrived at the great hall. Upon entering through the wide open entrance whose double doors had been blown off their hinges, they were expecting to encounter fierce resistance from the attackers.
The scene was the same as what they had seen outside more dead bodies. Apparently the fight which had no doubt been fierce had carried on into the great hall. The same great hall where the emperor had held court and made public pronouncements. It now lay in desolation the scene of carnage.
Casting his eyes upon the podium his gaze fell upon the bodies lying motionless. A feeling of anxiety tightening around his chest as he quickly approached, his gaze firmly fixed on the bodies lying on it. Dreading what he might see awaiting him. He dared not to even think about.
Suddenly he caught sight of a motionless body lying on the podium dressed in the emperor's imperial robes. Wang Wei quickened his pace no longer paying attention to his surroundings.
"Be careful, your highness!," Chen Jun called out in an urgent whisper noting his master's carelessness. They were still in a potentially dangerous situation. It was all Chen Jun could do to keep a sharp lookout for any possible surprise attack.
Li Yan suddenly appeared a distance ahead of crown prince Wang Wei, sword in hand blocking his passage towards the podium.
"Thank goodness you are alright," Li Yan exclaimed advancing towards him.
Chen Jun was gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands standing protectively close to his master.
"What.. what happened here," crown prince Wang Wei uttered with a sense of shock
"The emperor, the grand dragon of the jade heaven is dead", Li Yan announced without a hint of emotion in her tone.
"Why are you here, Li Yan?" asked Chen Jun suspiciously.
"I came to help, but apparently I was too late. By the time I arrived with my father's men your father and my father had killed each other," replied Li Yan still advancimg towards crown prince Wang Wei.
"Stop right there, that's close enough!," Liu Chen called out, suddenly stepping out from
the shadows where he had been hiding together with with Kai Shek.
"She killed the emperor!," charged Liu Chang pointing an accusing finger straight at Lin Yan. "She wants to kill you too, your highness."
"Your highness, you know how much I love you," Li Yan declared appealing to crown prince Wang Wei "I could never dream of harming you,"
Wang Wei's gaze fell upon the sword in her hand with the blood stains still visible on it.
"What happened between our fathers was a tragedy. Maybe it was too to late for them to clear whatever misunderstanding was between them. It is not too late for us though," Li Yan paused for a bit before proceeding as everyone in the great hall gazed at her quietly.
"We can still get married. It is after all what they had both wanted."
More rebel soldiers poured into the great hall surrounding them. Crown prince Wang Wei and Chen Jun held their swords at the ready keeping a close watch on the rebel soldiers.
"Relax, they are my father's men. One we get married they will be under your command," said Li Yan.
"They are the ones who attacked the jade palace!" charged Kai Shek as he and Liu Chang stood between crown prince Wang Wei and Chen Jun.
"This will not be a union of equals, it will be a compromise. I will never accept captivity in the name of marriage," crown prince Wang Wei declared boldly.
"I am giving you a chance to restore jade heaven. You will rule by my side," said Li Yan.
"You have no authority here," declared Liu Chang.
"That's what you think?, retorted Li Yan facing Liu Chan. "Just look around you."
The rebel soldiers around them had drawn their swords.
"Now I understand everything", crown prince Wang Wei declared watching the rebel soldiers standing around them. "The deep rumbling we had earlier, Chen Jun..."
"It was the roar of the jade dragon," Liu Chang quickly intervened explaining."The emperor used the last of his strength to protect me and Kai Shek from being struck down by field marshal Li Keng. It was the roar that killed Li Keng along with all the remaining rebel soldiers with him. But it exhausted him draining the little strength the emperor still had."
"When Li Yan arrived with reinforcements, the emperor was already dying. In her rage she took a sword from one of the soldiers with her and finished off the emperor. She could have left him to die in peace but decided to hasten his death."
"Enough!!", shouted Li Yan. "kil them all!" she commanded the rebel soldiers around them.
The rebel soldiers charged towards them with their swords drawn. Crown prince Wang and Chen Jun moved with lightening fluidity. Thrusting, parrying, ducking and stroking again and again. All the time keeping being careful to keep Liu Chang and Kai Shek between them. Rebel soldiers were falling left right and centre.
Yet more rebel soldiers kept coming at them.
"Your highness we can not keep this up indefinitely. " We need to make a hasty retreat from here while we still can," Chen Jun panted in between cutting down one rebel soldier and fending off a potentially fatal blow from another.
"But where shall we go?" asked crown prince Wang Wei Inbetween thrusting and jabbing.
"Sometimes the wisest move one can make is a strategic retreat!", shouted Liu Chang above the din of clashing metal. "We must live to fight another day!"
"I will clear a path to the door", shouted," back crown prince Wang Wei wielding his sword with deadly efficiency. "Liu Chang and Kai Shek stay close behind me. Chen will Jun bring up the rear and cover our retreat."
Crown prince Wang Wei was more like a farmer with a scythe cutting down weeds and not a man with sword. Rebel soldiers were falling before him like chaff before the wind. As he curved a path through the throng of rebel soldiers.
"Go!" crown prince Wang Wei called out to Liu Chang and Kai Shek as he knocked the last rebel soldiers from the open door. The two advisers rushed outside glad to be finally out of danger.
"Where to?" asked Chen Jun his chest heaving with exhaustion.
"Follow me," said Liu Chang leading the way and setting off at a brisk pace.
"I thought I knew every path in the celestial realm," commented Chen Jun as he and the others followed Liu Chen.
"The walkways you knew from before are still in the same places. The only thing is that their appearances have changed," explained Chen Jun.
"How is that possible?", asked crown prince Wang Wei.
"The harmony of everything good and noble was linked to the pure heart of the jade dragon. When that heart stopped beating, the balance was disturbed.Hence the vegetation is no longer green. Even the birds have stopped singing.