“Your majesty... Advisor Yang... The 1st eastern palace....it is ...on fire.”

  Yang Lei’s face fell, while Yang Feng sprinted outside the room, not caring about status or clothing, his vision clouded by tears while screaming, “ELDEST BROTHER...”

  Xian Shang looked out of his mansion’s window at the rising smoke cloud. “What is all that smoke?”

  A servant bowed. “It looks like it is coming from the imperial residential buildings.”

  Xian Shang gazed at the smoke for a second, then stood up rapidly, rushing outside while muttering, “Damn it, Wen Zi Shan... What the hell did you do? Didn't I warn you not to do anything stupid?”

  Wen Zi Shan, in turn, saw the smoke and rushed there with his marshals and dozens of imperial guards. The scene near the 1st eastern palace was of complete chaos; servants were trying to escape while the present imperial guards tried desperately to put out the fire. Jian’s bodyguards were all defeated and injured. Their groaning bodies were scattered around the palace as they were pulled away from the falling, blazing debris.

  Yang Feng finally arrived, his clothes drenched in sweat, screaming at the guards, “ELDEST BROTHER... WHERE IS HE?”

  The guard in front of him bowed and trembled, “We... can’t...find him yet, your majesty.”

  Feng’s scream filled the air as more guards approached, “FIND HIM NOW.”

  As more guards brought water to put out the fire, Jian emerged from inside the palace, holding the unconscious Yang Yan in his arms with a guard behind him holding Yang Xiao. When they crossed the gate, Jian was left behind because his leg was bleeding badly. The guard looked behind him, yelling, “Master.”

  The imperial guards rushed to pick him up, but the flaming sign on the door was about to fall. Jian threw Yang Yan towards the guards as the sign fell on him.

  Yang Feng tried to rush in but was held still by Lei, who watched the imperial guards, put out the fire on Jian, steam coming from around his body. All the survivors were rushed to the 2nd western palace, away from the fire, as Yang Lei ordered the guards to seal off the gates completely. No one comes or goes without exception.

  In a large room in the 2nd western palace, the room was silent. The physician apprentice was wrapping the red parts of the right side of Jian's unconscious body with cotton wraps, then she turned to the sobbing Feng. “Your majesty, the steward’s injuries are beyond my capabilities. I will go get my uncle. He is the current patriarch of our family and the most knowledgeable man in the city in this field.”

  Feng nodded, and the teenage girl ran outside with a guard as fast as she could, crossing the sealed gates under Feng’s orders. Yang Feng sat beside his eldest brother’s unconscious body, holding his hand and sobbing. Wen Zi Shan, Xian Shang, and Yang Lei exchanged accusing glances, while Zhang Wu & Mo Yuan’s eyes didn’t fall from Jian, bandaged right half.

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  After a while, Jian slowly blinked, opening his eyes as his groans washed off the deadly silence in the room. Yang Feng stood up in surprise, his eyes still wet with tears, “Eldest brother...”

  Jian tried to sit straight but was gently kept in place by Lei, who was desperately holding back his tears. “Eldest brother, please don’t move.”

  Jian’s mouth opened and closed several times before whispering, “Where... am I?”

  Feng replied, his voice muffled with sobs, “You are safe, eldest brother... You are safe.”

  Wen Zi Shan took a step forward, his face unreadable. “What happened, steward Jian?”

  Everyone looked at him with doubt. The first was Feng, whose eyes were blazing with fury. Xian Shang tried to salvage the situation by approaching the bed, his hand resting slowly on Jian’s leg. “Don’t worry, Steward Jian. Just focus on recovering for now. Everything else can be uncovered later.”

  Jian’s eyes suddenly snapped open, and he sat straight “My wife.... and son. What happened to them?”

  Feng rose to his feet, holding him back. “They are safe, eldest brother. Big sister and little nephew are safe and sound. They were just unconscious but without a scratch. Your bodyguards, too... they were all injured, but no fatal injuries. They will recover in no time. Just focus on yourself for now. I beg you.”

  Jian sighed and rested back on the bed. “Marshal Zhang, can you please check on them for me? I won’t rest till I know for sure. I hope I am not troubling you.”

  Zhang Wu nodded, his face sympathetic, “Sure, steward Jian. I will go now.”

  As soon as Zhang Wu left the room, Jian took a few deep breaths and muttered, “This was an assassination attempt. Someone really wants me dead.”

  Feng patted his hand gently. “Please, don’t talk, eldest brother. I will find whoever did this and make him suffer. I promise you that.”

  A man cleared his throat at the door, gathering everyone’s attention. They found the young physician apprentice standing side by side with a man in his 50s with humble eyes, curved back, and a long grey beard who was resting on a cane. The man’s face was calm and composed as he approached slowly and bowed an incomplete bow to the emperor. “Han Yu, the current patriarch of the Han clan, greets his majesty, the emperor. This old man’s body has withered and unable to greet the emperor properly. I hope Your Majesty can forgive me.”

  Feng looked at Jian again and hugged him while whispering, “You protected me for a long time, brother. It is time I paid some of your debt.” He then stood up, his tone trembling with wrath, “Patriarch. I want you to stay by my brother’s side day and night. I will give you all the money you want. Don't leave his side. I will provide you with all the food, guards, and herbs you order.”

  Han Yu nodded, “I understand, your majesty.”

  Feng turned to Mo Yuan, “Mo Yuan, you also will stay. I want this palace flooded with guards. 250 of them. Day and night. I don’t want an ant to approach this room.”

  Mo Yuan’s face changed. “Your majesty...”

  Feng interrupted him, his voice unnegotiable, “That is an order, Marshal. Till my brother is fully healed, I don’t want you to leave this palace.”

  Mo Yuan didn’t have a choice, so he bowed, “As you wish, your majesty.”

  Feng walked outside the room, looking at Lei. “Second brother, I want you to tighten the seal of the entire palace yourself. Also, search the entire imperial ground. Flip it upside down. I want any clue. Whoever did this won’t escape me this time.”

  Lei walked outside with him. Wen Zi Shan looked at Jian for the last time before leaving, too. Xian Shang also left, still trying to piece everything together, thinking “A lot of things aren’t adding up...”

  Zhang Wu caught wind of the drastic security measures, but he reassured Jian that his family was safe. Once the door slammed shut, only Han Yu, the apprentice, and Mo Yuan were present with Jian. Han Yu’s voice cracked up, “Marshal, I need to examine the steward. You can wait outside.”

  Mo Yuan gnashed his teeth so hard, and he drew his sword, approaching the bed. “You bastard....”