Chapter 27

When the sun has yet to rise, the imperial palace got caught up in uproar. In the early morning darkness all the guards and military officials were running all over the place. Long Xin and his two companions woke up by the noices outside "What the hell is wrong with people, why can't they let someone sleep." Long Xin was angry. He got up from his bed to see both Han Zhi, who slept on a sofe, and Xichan, who slept on other sofa, were looking around while rubbing their eyes.

"What is happening out there?" Han Zhi yawned. Before anyone of them could utter a word, commander Xin barged in, drenched in sweet, eyes were speaking shock and regret.

"What happened? Why are you looking like that?" Xichan asked. He kind of had a guess and was desperately praying that his hunch shouldn't be true.

"Your excellency, Yu Wen Shin escaped."commander Xin informed. 'I was right.' Xichan thought. Commander Xin was shocked of that someone could actually escape from that high security jail and was also regretting for not foreseeing it.

"What??" Long Xin shouted. "How did this happened? Where were the guarde? What were everyone doing?" Long Xin grabbed commander Xin's collar.

"Let him go, Long Xin. It's not time for lashing out on anyone. It's only been 3 or 4 hours since midnight when he was freed from the interrogation, he couldn't have gone far, we should hurry and get every force to search him." Han Zhi put his hand on Long Xin's shoulder.

"Commander Xin, report everything you know about the incident." Xichan was serious as if he was in was zone.

"When I went to retrieve Yu Wen Shin for his last bath and meal, I found dungeon soaked in blood. There were 50 guards assineged there on Yu Wen Shin but all were killed and not only just killed but ripped into pieces as if someone greatly enjoyed doing the deed and Yu Wen Shin was nowhere to be found. As soon as we got to know of his escape, we alerted all the guards and militry unites we could get in contect with in search for him. We have also sealed and curfued the capital and near ares." commnader Xin reported.

"Damn him." Long Xin bumped his fist on the table, hard enough to damage it.

"First, we should go to the dungeon." Xichan said.

When four of them arrived at the dungeon, the emperor was already there. They saw blood all over the place. The walls, sealing, floor, everything was completely red. The limbs of the deads were spread everywhere, not a single body was in one or two or three pieces. Every body's parts be it outer or inner, were detached from each other. It looked like some one had attacked all of the guards and then puked them. It was like the devil had visited them and blessed them in the cruelest way.

"Wh-What the hell is this?" Long Xin put a hand on his mouth and nose, feeling nauseous looking at the site.

"Is this really a human's doing." Han Zhi also couldn't bear to look.

"It couldn't be Yu Wen Shin's doing. He is not much of a fighting type." Xichan came down from the stairs while other were still up there. He clearly searched all the place and found something at a corner, in the middle of sea of limbs. He lifted it up "What could be the meaning of this." Xichan showed others what he had found.

"Are these Yu Wen Shin's hand and leg?" Long Xu asked. He could see a ring in the finger of the single hand Xichan found. The ring Yu Wen Shin never takes off because it was their family heirloom. The hand had a birth mark same as he had. The leg has the shoe of Yu Wen Shin, specially made by Yu business under Yu family.

"These remaining clothes on the hand and leg, shoes, that ring and the birth mark are proving them to be his, I don't know why, but it doesn't fit right." Xichan was troubled.

"We'll discuss this later, the four of you go with soldiers to search him." Long Xu ordered.

Long Xin with a batalian headed to north, Xichan to south, Han Zhi to east and commander Xin to west. They searched whole ares and only came back in evening "We apologies your majesty but we couldn't find him anywhere." they bowed to the emperor.

"Where the hell did he disappear to?" Long Xu snapped. "Your majesty, what if he is dead already? What if the intruders killled him?" eunuch Xiao Lin voiced his thoughts.

"If they had to kill him, they would not have abducted him." Long Xu said as all of them moved to the sitting area where no one can hear them, they settled down on cheir except for commander Xin and eunuch Xiao Lin. "What do you think about this incident general Mu?" Long Xu faced Xichan.

"Your Majesty, I can not be sure but I have concluded some things on Yu Wen Shin's disappearance. Yu Wen Shin is not capable of the mess in the dungeon, that means, someone else got in there and reaked chaos there but if they wanted to save him then why did they made him handicap? It could be that the intruders suffered because of Yu Wen Shin and couldn't let him just die. They could have wanted to torture him but maybe they couldn't do this in the dungeon because the sun would have risen soon so they took him with them. Or it could be that the outsiders who was providing Yu Wen Shin with those fake currency and poison, was controlling him by blackmailling and when he found that his puppet has been caught now so he abducted and maybe Yu Wen Shin was trying to run away so they cut his two limbs to make him freeze in fear." Xichan explained his theory.

"Both of your points sounds like a possible condition." Han Zhi had his finger on his chin.

"No matter what the reason was, all we have to do right now is to find him and punish him for what he is guilty of." Long Xin powerfully expressed his burning anger in worde.

"You are right." Han Zhi nodded his head. All of you, keep your eyes and ears open all the time, even in your sleep. Try every mean to find him. Commander Xin, order some of your men to guard up, anyhting can happen at this point. After watching the chaos in the dangen. We have to prepare for any surprise. Tight the security in the empire also." Long Xu ordered.

"We will do as you ordered, your majesty." All of then bowed to Long Xu.

"You may may leave now." Long Xu dismissed them. 'I will protect you this time around, my wife.' Long Xu thought with determination while thinking about his innocent empress.

...............

Mika was rolling all over the floor while signing every minute. "Ah! I am really bored. All though it was really annoying when those three came here evey single day but now when they have stopped visiting me since last month, it's really boaring now. What the hell are they ingaged in that they aren't coming here?" Mika complained.

"Since the Prime minister's disppearence last month, everything has changed. I heard the crown prince spoke nothing but about the work he is doing and the subordinates working under him are always walking on thin ice cause he is very much short tempered now. Fourth prince has stopped smiling and joking. General Mu stopped escaping work but doing more and more each day. imperial palce is always surrounded with scary and dark aura." Su Mei said.

"Hey, Su-chan, would you bring me something to eat?" Mika requested.

"Your majesty, you don't have to requast but order. And as you wish, I will bring you some food." Su Mei departed. She looked behind at Mika who has once again started to roll, 'Eveyone from empror to guards and mere servants are buried in tension and here she is acting as if everything is normal while she herself is a victim. I can't say wether she is being uncaring as before her compleate change or is she just a pure idiot who can't understand the deapth of this matter.' Su Mei thought and colsed the door behind.

'If what Su-chan said about Long Xin, Han Zhi and Xichan is true then it is getting more and more grave. When I heared about prime minister's escape, I thought I should talk to them about the matter, but when I reached same near to them, I couldn't approach them cause they were just looking that serious and Long Xin was extremly angry among them. I think I understand cause she was his mother after all, I thought if I go to them now Long Xin would be more angry to see the body alive but not her soul, besides I only concluded my theory based on psychology and politics that I have read but they are living this politics, that's why they know more then me. So I went back as to not to disturb them. And it's been nearly a month since they came here or the situation being solved. Should I meet them once?' Mika thoughts came to halt when Su Mei brought food.