Chapter 019: The Grand Palace

The imperial capital was already in turmoil at this moment. Of course, ordinary people had no way of knowing about these affairs, only those nobles awakened all night by visitors from the palace could sense a hint of conspiracy!
After all… over hundreds of years of the empire’s history, no emperor had ever urgently summoned all the nobles and ministers of the capital at night!
Some clever nobles and ministers, as they left their homes, began to suspect that being summoned to see the emperor at such a time surely boded no good… Everyone knew that the old emperor’s health had been declining year by year. Could it be he would pass away tonight?
But if so, it seemed a bit too sudden. By all accounts, he should have had at least another year to live!
If it were just the old emperor’s whim, it might be fine, but if he truly could no longer rule, then the struggle for the throne between the Crown Prince and Prince Fischer might…
Would the capital be dyed red with blood once again?
A few more dull thunderclaps echoed in the sky. The nobles who had left their homes pulled their necks into their coats and hurried into the carriages. Who would have thought that even in the middle of spring at midnight, it could be so cold!?
…
The thunder in the sky masked the creaking sound of the carriage moving forward, making what should have been a very noticeable carriage in the middle of the night almost silent.
Du Fan slightly lifted the beaded curtain at the carriage window and glanced outside, sighing, “It seems the weather is about to change!”
Duke Green nodded and said, “Yes… No matter how you look at it, something is about to change tonight… What an unsettling night!”
As they spoke, the father and son exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
By now, the carriage had left the main road of the imperial city and was heading toward the palace. From afar, its golden gates could already be seen.
The palace was located right in the center of the capital, a true city within a city. It was surrounded by standard city walls that were ten meters high and six meters wide, with tall towers at each of the four corners. Outside the walls was a moat dozens of meters deep, rumored to contain some carnivorous magical beasts. Whether animals or humans, once they fell in, they had no chance of climbing out alive.

Every few meters atop the city walls, teams of imperial guards patrolled back and forth, while massive crossbows on the towers kept rotating. If anyone tried to attack the palace, they would likely be shot dead before even crossing the moat or scaling the walls! Moreover, the moat and walls were by no means easy to overcome. Thus, throughout the ages, this palace had been regarded as an impregnable fortress. Even when the Gavin Empire was invaded by northern barbarians and reached the capital, it was the inner city of this palace that held out desperately until the arrival of the four great legions to rescue the kingdom… Yet ironically, despite being called an impregnable fortress, it had been breached countless times over the years during various political upheavals! And these breaches didn’t come from the outside, but from within! A fortress that almost no one on the continent could conquer was breached countless times by its own people from within—this was truly an enormous irony. Not to mention the time when Austin III ascended the throne: his brother had taken control of the palace and was ready to send troops to suppress him. But the old emperor was prepared—he had his men hidden inside the palace. At midnight, they quietly lowered the drawbridge and opened the city gates, allowing Austin III’s men to storm into the palace. Du Fan naturally knew all of this. As he saw himself getting closer and closer to the palace, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation. This was the heart of the empire! Finally, the horse convoy stopped at the palace’s main gate. The drawbridge over the moat had already been lowered. But here, aside from the emperor himself, not even the princes were allowed to ride horses or carriages—this was the so-called rule that military officials dismount while civil officials get out of their vehicles. After the carriage stopped, the cavalry outside dismounted one after another. Naturally, the Green family’s cavalry wasn’t allowed inside the palace, so they stepped back to both sides of the road. Redcliffe stepped out of the carriage, bowed slightly, and said, “My lord Duke, Lord Du Fan… we’ve arrived!” Du Fan and Duke Green nodded, adjusted their clothes, and slowly stepped down from the carriage. Du Fan looked up at the palace just across the moat and couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

From their vantage point, they couldn’t see the entire palace; not even the buildings inside were clearly visible—only the towering city walls and massive gates could be seen.
The gates were somewhat weathered over time, but they were adorned with large copper bars as thick as a person’s wrist, giving them a solemn and imposing appearance.
Redcliffe made a gesture. The twelve palace guards behind him quickly stood on either side of the drawbridge before he signaled and said softly, “Please, both of you.”
Duke Green nodded and stepped forward first, with Du Fan following closely behind.
In the darkness, the drawbridge emitted creaking sounds, yet it didn’t wobble at all, as if they were walking on flat ground. Du Fan quickly realized that the entire drawbridge was made of metal!
There were no railings on either side of the drawbridge, but each side was connected to the gate by a thick chain. Apparently, the drawbridge was usually pulled up and set up against the gate.
Bubbles occasionally surfaced in the moat beneath the drawbridge. The thirty-meter-wide moat seemed crystal clear, with not a single plant in it—so clean it was almost eerie.
After crossing the over thirty-meter-long drawbridge, they finally reached the palace gates.
The gilded gates were slowly pushed open from the inside. On either side of the wide entrance stood rows of palace guards in shiny armor, holding gleaming spears and carrying swords at their waists. They stared straight ahead, as if unaware of anyone approaching.
Redcliffe frowned slightly but said nothing, continuing to lead the way.
It was Du Fan’s first time at the palace, so he naturally couldn’t notice much.
Duke Green, however, glanced at the palace guards and then looked at Redcliffe with a half-smile, saying, “Vice-commander… why are there so many guards here today? Has something serious happened?”
Redcliffe turned to look at Duke Green and replied, “My lord, I’m not sure either. All I know is that everything was normal before I left. As for the extra guards now, it’s most likely an order from Lord Dax.”
“Dax?” Duke Green smiled slightly. “Is he the commander of the palace guards?”
Redcliffe nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
Duke Green nodded. “I see… then there’s no problem. Let’s continue.”

As he spoke, Duke Green acted as if nothing had happened and continued walking quickly. Although Du Fan had doubts, it was not the right time to say anything, so he could only follow behind. Under Redcliffe’s lead, they soon arrived in front of a grand hall. Along the way, Du Fan saw that every building inside the palace was exquisitely decorated in gold and splendor, and he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—just one brick taken from here could probably feed many families outside for years! When they reached the front of the hall, Du Fan became even more stunned. The entire hall was built in a Gothic style, with a high, raised roof resembling a spire. There were reliefs and murals all around the outside of the hall, but they blended together seamlessly to create a solemn atmosphere. In front of the main entrance of the hall was a circular courtyard, surrounded by twelve huge white marble columns. At the top of each column stood a large cauldron, with resin burning brightly inside, illuminating the entire courtyard as if it were day. After the three of them stood on the courtyard, the heavy nanmu doors of the hall were slowly pushed open, revealing a dark doorway inside. Pointing at the doorway, Redcliffe said softly, “Duke Green, Lord Du Fan, this is as far as I can accompany you. Please go ahead—His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for you!” After hesitating for a moment, Redcliffe glanced at Du Fan’s sword at his waist and said in a low voice, “Young Master Du Fan, please hand over your sword to me.” Du Fan was slightly surprised but, seeing Duke Green’s gaze, knew he couldn’t refuse. He quickly removed his sword along with its scabbard and handed it to Redcliffe. Redcliffe nodded, gently patted it twice before taking it. A moment later, a guard dressed in combat gear stepped out from the darkness. After Redcliffe handed him the sword, the guard disappeared quickly.