In the Azure Moon Imperial Palace, Xiao Man sat alone under the lamp, toying with the nine-tiered pagoda in her hand. The pagoda was exquisitely crafted, with each tier rotatable. However, no matter how Xiao Man turned or studied it, she could not find the mechanism to open it.
"If only Mo Mo were here. If she were, she would surely find a way to open this thing." Xiao Man casually tossed the pagoda into a drawer and took out a scroll of parchment. The parchment contained the secrets of the Pre-Qin Dynasty, but it was written in cipher. The cipher was different from the one in the puzzle box, and Xiao Man had not yet managed to translate all of its contents.
"Miss, the hour is late. You should rest early," Yin Zhu entered, holding a bowl of medicine. The bitter scent of the medicinal soup intensified as she approached, making Xiao Man frown. She disliked taking medicine.
"What is this?" Xiao Man inquired.
"Pregnancy tonic," Yin Zhu explained. "You are always so busy and do not care for your body. You are carrying a child now; how can you not take good care of yourself?"
Xiao Man looked at the bowl of medicine placed before her, her expression pensive. She neither agreed nor refused, but simply gazed at the steaming, dark liquid, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.
"Summon the Second Princess to the palace," Xiao Man suddenly said.
Yin Zhu quickly complied and went to issue the order. By the time she returned, the medicine bowl was empty. She promptly collected it and replaced it with a plate of preserved plums.
Xiao Man picked one and tasted it. It was so sour that her teeth felt soft, and she immediately spat it out. "Too sour, get me something sweet."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Yin Zhu immediately brought up candied fruits. Seeing Xiao Man eating happily, she then withdrew with peace of mind.
Summoned to the palace late at night, the Second Princess thought something had happened. She rushed into the palace, her clothes in disarray. "What's wrong? Why have you summoned me to the palace so late at night?"
Xiao Man looked at the Second Princess, whose clothes were disheveled and shoes were on the wrong feet. The corners of her mouth twitched, but she managed to suppress a laugh. "Tidy yourself up first. If someone sees you like this, they'll think you've been bullied."
The Second Princess glanced at her attire, her face flushing. She sat down nearby, corrected her shoes, and re-fastened her clothes. "It's so late, is there an urgent matter for summoning me?"
Xiao Man beckoned to her, indicating for the Second Princess to come closer. The Second Princess rose and approached, looking at the parchment spread on the table before Xiao Man. "This is Pre-Qin cipher."
"You recognize it?"
"Only a part of it," the Second Princess explained. "Pre-Qin cipher can only be read by direct royal descendants. I am not of the direct royal line, so I only recognize some of it. Don't you recognize it?"
"My mother passed away at my birth. I had no opportunity to learn it. However, there are some parts I can recognize, just like you, I don't recognize all of it." Xiao Man pointed to a few places on the parchment. "I understand this part. It says our Pre-Qin ancestors were outsiders who established their roots and survived on this continent, founding the Pre-Qin Dynasty. I can't quite understand what the latter part says."
"I recognize some of it. It seems to say that the Pre-Qin clan possessed secret arts, making all Pre-Qin people immune to poison. Direct royal descendants were even more impervious to all toxins. The latter part should describe the secret of the Pre-Qin Golden Body of Ten Thousand Poisons."
Xiao Man nodded in understanding. "Then, can you understand what this section means?"
The Second Princess stared at the characters for a long time. They looked like Pre-Qin script, yet not entirely like it, with slight differences. "I don't recognize it either."
Xiao Man continued to point downwards. "What is divine punishment?"
The Second Princess scratched her head. "I don't know about that either. Could divine punishment be the emperor's punishment for a wrongdoer, like exile or hard labor? Is that divine punishment?"
Xiao Man shook her head. "I always feel it's not that simple. These two characters are written with particular force, and the ink is very deep. It shows that the person who wrote the parchment greatly feared divine punishment."
The Second Princess squeezed onto the chair, sitting beside Xiao Man. They huddled together, studying the contents of the parchment. "Could divine punishment be a celestial retribution? Like plagues, floods, earthquakes, and the like?"
"Is that all?" Xiao Man frowned. She felt this explanation was somewhat far-fetched. The Pre-Qin imperial city had become ruins. After so many years, it was still barren, a veritable ghost city devoid of life, as if the city had been burned by fire from beyond the heavens.
"Second Sister, in the records of the Four Kingdoms, I have found no mention of the Pre-Qin. Do you know how the Pre-Qin Dynasty perished? The Four Kingdoms speak of the Pre-Qin's demise in hushed tones. Was the Pre-Qin really annihilated by the combined efforts of the Four Kingdoms' ancestors?" Xiao Man did not believe it. She felt that things were not that simple, and Feng Moran's attitude also made her uneasy.
The Second Princess shook her head. "The reason my great-grandfather was spared was that he did not covet power and always traveled abroad. When the news of the Pre-Qin's misfortune reached him, my great-grandfather immediately went into hiding. It is said that he stealthily returned to the imperial city at that time. The vast imperial city seemed to have been burned by heavenly fire, reduced to scorched earth, with nothing growing."
Xiao Man's brow furrowed. "Could someone have set fire to it?"
"My great-grandfather investigated everywhere at the time, but the people around him were all tight-lipped and dared not say anything, only calling it divine punishment. The four great generals each guarded their own territories and established the current Four Kingdoms. However, they tacitly refrained from mentioning the Pre-Qin's affairs and unanimously pursued the Pre-Qin descendants."
Xiao Man put her arm around the Second Princess's shoulder. She could imagine what kind of life the Second Princess's family had led before. She felt pity for them. One day, she would uncover the truth behind the Pre-Qin's downfall. She did not believe in divine punishment. Behind the Pre-Qin's destruction, there must have been another hand manipulating everything.
"Are the Feng family members related to the Pre-Qin survivors?" Xiao Man asked abruptly. How could the Pre-Qin survivors be related to the Azure Moon royal family? Did the Azure Moon royal family secretly rescue the Pre-Qin orphans, raise them, and allow one to ascend to the throne to preserve the Pre-Qin lineage?
"It is said that the Feng family members can communicate with gods," the Second Princess said with some uncertainty. "But when the Feng family was exterminated, there was no divine oracle. So, whether gods truly exist in this world, no one can say for sure."
"In that case, the key to the puzzle still lies with Feng Moran." Xiao Man's expression was profound. Since Feng Moran's escape last time, she had not found any trace of him. But the quieter Feng Moran was, the more terrifying his plans were. And now she was not alone; she also felt anxious, worried about harming the child in her womb.
"We must find him, but finding him is not an easy task."
"He will reveal himself. After all, what he desires is in my hands!"