In the Crown Kingdom in the Peace Province in the Jasmine City, after Zixin Quon completed the coup successfully, Yingjie Zhuang, The Deputy Imperial Minister of Intelligence, sent a detailed message to his leader, Junjie Song, the Imperial Minister of Intelligence, conveying the latest news for him. Here is a snapshot of the message:
“Dear Junjie Song, I hope you are doing well. It is confirmed that Zixin Quon is the leader of the coup. He armed his farmers, trained them well and then carried out the coup. Not only did Zixin execute the coup in the Jasmine City, his cousins also carried out the coup across the other four capitals of the four kingdoms. Zixin killed our emperor and empress. His cousins captured the kings and the queens of the Ruby and Star kingdoms. The kings and queens of the Crown, Pearl and Cloud kingdoms fled securely to safe houses under the supervision of the Ministry of Intelligence. Please take the greatest security measures to ensure the safety of Yueliang, Taiyang and yourself.
At this point, I must admit my grave mistake. The Ministry of Intelligence was aware of certain moves of Zixin such as his arming of his farmers across the five cities. I personally summoned Zixin for investigation but during the investigation he convinced me with his good intentions. I fell prey to Zixin's deceitful words. Please forgive me for not informing you about this matter earlier because I thought everything was under control. I never expected that Zixin will go that far with his farmers. Please forgive me, Junjie. Had I informed you about this matter on time, you could have better vision and anticipation than me. I am ready to sacrifice my life in order to atone for my grave mistake. Stay safe and keep Yueliang and Taiyang safe.”
When Junjie received this message, he called Yueliang and Taiyang to inform them about the news:
Junjie: Yueliang, Taiyang, it has been confirmed that Zixin Quon is the leader of the coup.
Taiyang: What? Zixin Quon? Is not he the new Minister of Finance?
Junjie: Yes, that is true. You father trusted him and appointed him as the Imperial Minister of Finance after the assassination of Wesheng Zihao.
Yueliang: Could it be that Zixin assassinated Wesheng Zihao in order to take his place?
Junjie: That is very likely. The pointers of events support this assumption.
Yueliang: How could my father trust such an evil person. I know my father is farsighted.
Junjie: Do not blame your father because everything was going in Zixin's favor. All the apparent information we had about Zixin supports the assumption that Zixin is a good person.
Taiyang: Where is the Ministry of Intelligence? Why could not they monitor and discover Zixin's evil moves upfront?
Junjie: The Ministry of Intelligence knew about Zixin's arming of his farmers and carried out an investigation with him. Yingjie Zhuang was convinced about Zixin's good intentions and he did not inform me about this event. This was the major failure of the Ministry of Intelligence.
Taiyang: How are my parents?
Junjie: They are detained by Zixin.
Yueliang: Could Zixin harm them?
Junjie: It is difficult to anticipate Zixin's moves. Let us hope for the best.
Zixin is now the new emperor of the Chinese Empire. He wants to consolidate his dominion and exercise his influence over the Chinese Empire. Zixin wants to keep the operations of the empire running smoothly uninterrupted and minimize the damage caused by his coup. Therefore, he started to ask the ministers he detained to render their allegiance to him so that they keep their positions in his new government. Some ministers agreed to render their allegiance to Zixin while others refused to do such. Those ministers who refused to render their allegiance to Zixin were either imprisoned or executed. Zixin also appointed new ministers that were either his acquaintances or recommended to him by his entourage.
In the Imperial Palace, Zixin laid off many workers such as maids, servants and chefs. Zixin was extremely paranoid about kitchen management. Particularly, Zixin was afraid that some maids or chefs might put poison in his food to revenge the coup and the death of the emperor and the empress. As a precautionary step, Zixin appointed the kitchen staff from his own clan where he guarantees their loyalty and allegiance to him. He kept some maids and servants from the old staff so that they teach the new staff about the procedures, practices, protocols and rules of the Imperial Palace.
Since now Zixin is the supreme leader of the Chinese Empire, he can dictate his new rules the way he likes. For the sake of gaining the loyalty, the allegiance and the support from the ministers and the soldiers, Zixin announced that everyone working in his government will have his/her salary tripled. By this step, Zixin wants to show the ministers and the soldiers that his reign is better for them than the reign of Wei Jian and that their benefits and life conditions will be remarkably better than the old days of the deposed emperor. So how can Zixin afford to triple the salaries of his soldiers and ministers with such a huge leap? The answer is: by his magical stick that turns stones into gold.
The magical stick of Zixin is still working and effective and it continues to turn stones into gold. Since Zixin now has control of the Ministry of Finance, he has access to the major mints where golden taels are cast and produced. Zixin issued an imperial edict that all the true gold obtained from goldmines that is used in producing golden taels must be stored securely in a storage area in the Ministry of Finance and that he will provide his own gold to the mints for casting and issuing golden taels. From now on, all the golden taels of the Chinese Empire are produced based on the magical stick of Zixin. All other true gold is stored securely or hoarded in a designated storage area for later usage. Zixin ordered his soldiers to bring a large amount of stones to his palace every day where he passes over them and touches them with his magical stick in order to covert them to gold. The gold is then transferred with intensive guard to the mints where it is transformed into golden taels. Since Zixin now has unlimited money supply, the huge payments he promised to provide for the ministers and soldiers will not be a major trouble for him. The secret of Zixin's magical stick is kept with top confidentiality and no one except the relevant people know about this secret. The ministers and soldiers of Zixin were dazzled by the generosity of Zixin and his willingness to triple their wages. This boosted their loyalty to him as they have now tangible evidence that Zixin is serious about improving their life quality.
Zixin's greatest fear was from the Imperial Family, the fugitive kings and the Ministry of Intelligence. He was afraid that members of the Imperial Family will seek to revenge for the murder of the emperor and the empress. He also considered members of the Imperial Family as the main threat to his dominion because they will seek to compete with him in the future to restore the usurped throne. In addition, the three kings of the Crown, the Pearl and Cloud kingdoms fled during the coup and they are now hiding. These three kings will be a source of trouble for Zixin if they are not captured soon. Furthermore, the Ministry of Intelligence has firm and solid allegiance to the deposed emperor. This ministry has covert protocols and practices for tracking and sharing information and it will be difficult for Zixin to seize control of it and demystify its mysteries. In order to combat those threats, Zixin made several public announcements that promise generous rewards for those who help in capturing members of the Imperial Family, the fugitive kings and the leaders of the Ministry of Intelligence. Currently, two brothers of the deposed emperor are detained by Zixin: Jun Jian and his family and Shen Jian and his family. The other two brothers of the deposed emperor fled to secure shelters during the attack on the city and they are Li Jian and his family and Laquan Jian and his family. The rewards for capturing members of the Imperial Family, the fugitive kings and the leaders of the Ministry of Intelligence are presented in the following table:
Serial
Wanted Person
Description
Reward for Capturing
(Golden Taels)
1
Yueliang Jian
The son of Wei Jian
5000000
2
Taiyang Jian
The daughter of Wei Jian
5000000
3
Li Jian
The brother of Wei Jian
2000000
4
Mu Shan
The wife of Li Jian
1000000
5
Qiu Jian
The son of Li Jian
1000000
6
Laquan Jian
The brother of Wei Jian
2000000
7
Zhi Ru
The wife of Laquan Jian
1000000
8
Lin Jian
The son of Laquan Jian
1000000
9
Liu Jian
The son of Laquan Jian
1000000
10
Yi Jian
The daughter of Laquan Jian
1000000
11
Xiang Jian
The daughter of Laquan Jian
1000000
12
Lei Keung
The king of the Crown Kingdom
3000000
13
Shui Lim
The queen of the Crown Kingdom
3000000
14
Qiang Sheng
The king of the Pearl Kingdom
3000000
15
Ya Peng
The queen of the Pearl Kingdom
3000000
16
Dong Hai
The king of the Cloud Kingdom
3000000
17
Lan He
The queen of the Cloud Kingdom
3000000
18
Junjie Song
The Imperial Minister of Intelligence
2000000
19
Yingjie Zhuang
The Deputy Imperial Minister of Intelligence
2000000
Zixin allotted the greatest rewards for capturing Yueliang and Taiyang (5 million golden taels each). Until now, Junjie Song, Yueliang and Taiyang are hiding in a secure house in the rural areas of the Jasmine City with the 100 Imperial Guards. Junjie concealed certain news from Yueliang and Taiyang in order to keep their morale high. Until this moment, Yueliang and Taiyang do not know that their parents were killed by Zixin nor do they know that their uncles Jun and Shen were captured by Zixin with their families. Junjie informed Yueliang and Taiyang that their parents were captured by Zixin and that the fate of the Imperial Family is still unknown. Junjie knows that he cannot hide the information from Yueliang and Taiyang forever but he will disclose the information piecemeal in the appropriate time.
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Yingjie Zhuang is now hiding in one secure shelter in the Jasmine City and he is monitoring Zixin's moves closely. One important news is that Zixin during the attack could capture the family of Junjie Song which consists of his parents and his three sisters with ages 13, 17 and 21 respectively. In order to force Junjie to give himself up to Zixin, Zixin made a public announcement with the following threat: “Junjie Song, you have ten days to give yourself up to the government. If you do not surrender within these ten days, all your family members will be executed.” This announcement was published in the public bulletin boards and proclaimed in the markets and other areas of gatherings in the Jasmine City.
When Yingjie reported this news to Junjie, Junjie was extremely puzzled and frustrated. He has now to choose between two very bitter options:
Option 1: to stay with Yueliang and Taiyang to protect them and guide them after the death of their parents but lose all his family in this case.
Option 2: to give himself up to the government and protect his family but leave Yueliang and Taiyang alone after the death of their parents.
Junjie realized that his existence as the Imperial Minister of Intelligence by the side of Yueliang and Taiyang is vital and will help to a great extent in overthrowing Zixin and letting Yueliang and Taiyang restore the throne. Hence, Junjie refused to surrender to Zixin and he knew that he will lose all his family as a result. Junjie choose the interest of the Chinese nation over the his personal interest. He sacrificed all his family that he loves so much for the sake of staying by the side of Yueliang and Taiyang to protect them and help them restore the throne. That was not an easy decision for Junjie. People have to make tough decisions in different stages of their lives.
After the ten days elapsed and Junjie did not surrender to the government, Zixin ordered to execute the family of Junjie in public. The family of Junjie were standing in a row handcuffed. The sisters of Junjie were weeping out of fear. Zixin's edict was recited in public as follows:
“Zixin, the emperor of the Chinese Empire, has ordered to execute the family of Junjie Song as a punishment for Junjie for failing to give himself up to the government within the specified period. This is the recompense for those who refuse to obey the emperor.”
The soldiers then shot the arrows toward the family of Junjie and they all fell to the ground with blood gushing from their mouths. That was a real tragedy and a touching moment. Zixin does not refrain from killing the innocents from the families of his opponents in order to terrorize his enemies. The parents of Junjie and his three sisters are now all dead. When Junjie knew about the news, he started to weep immensely. He lost all his family overnight. When Yueliang and Taiyang saw Junjie weeping, they talked to him as follows:
Yueliang and Taiyang: Junjie, why are you weeping? What happened?
Junjie: Zixin executed all my family. I lost all my family overnight.
Yueliang: Perish the hands of Zixin. My sincere condolence for you, Junjie. I am really sorry for what happened to your family.
Taiyang: My heartfelt condolence for you, Junjie. I am really sad to hear this painful news. Zixin is brutal and ruthless.
Junjie: Thank you for your precious condolence and for soothing my pain. I truly appreciate your warm words and noble feelings.
Taiyang: What made Zixin take this shameful move?
Junjie: He threatened me to give myself up to the government but when I refused, he killed my family. I chose to stay by your side to protect you and help you in the future to defeat Zixin and restore the throne.
Yueliang: Really? But why have you made this critical decision without informing and consulting us first? Your family must be your top priority. Your family is more important than us. Junjie, you acted rashly.
Taiyang: Junjie, saving the lives of your family is the most important thing. You should have considered your decision differently.
Yueliang: Junjie, thank you so much for choosing us over your family; we truly appreciate everything you do for us. We feel we are a great burden on you.
Taiyang: We will never forget that you sacrificed your family to protect and help us defeat Zixin. Thank you so much. Words cannot thank you enough for this noble move. We are truly indebted to you for the rest of our lives.
Junjie: Protecting you is my top priority. Zixin is malicious and insidious. I had no guarantee that he will free my family once I give myself up to him. In the worst case scenario, he might kill me and kill my family without mercy. I do not trust him at all. The most important thing now is to protect you and hide safely away from Zixin.
Li Jian and Laquan Jian are hiding in secure houses with their families in the Jasmine City. Li Jian and his family are hiding with an officer from the Ministry of Intelligence named Delun Fengge. Laquan Jian and his family are hiding with an officer from the Ministry of Intelligence named Qingling Mingyu. Delun and Qingling are communicating with two assistants from the Ministry of Intelligence and these are: Yuanjun Manchu and Boqin Taio.
The huge rewards Zixin announced for those who help capture the brothers of the emperor and their families whetted many people's appetite for becoming rich overnight. Yuanjun and Boqin started to think about betraying the Ministry of Intelligence and win the huge rewards. Here is a snapshot of the soliloquies for each of them:
Soliloquy 1
Yuanjun: I know where Li Jian and his family are hiding. According to Zixin's announcement, I can win 2000000 golden taels for my help in capturing Li Jian, 1000000 golden taels for my help in capturing his wife and 1000000 golden taels for my help in capturing his son. That is an immense fortune. I can gain 4000000 golden taels overnight by just reporting the location of Li Jian and his family. What am I waiting for?
Yuanjun: But I rendered my allegiance to the Ministry of Intelligence and I should be loyal to them. But the circumstances have now changed. The deposed emperor was killed and everything is under Zixin's control. Things change with time. Even allegiance changes with time. I think it is wise that I desert a sinking ship and start working for Zixin.
Soliloquy 2
Boqin: I know where Laquan Jian and his family are hiding. According to Zixin's announcement, I can win 2000000 golden taels for my help in capturing Laquan Jian, 5000000 golden taels for my help in capturing his wife, two sons and two daughters. I can gain 7000000 golden taels overnight by just reporting the location of Laquan Jian and his family. I can become a millionaire overnight.
Boqin: Zixin seems the victor and he already killed the emperor and the empress. I do not think he will be defeated soon. So why do not I switch my allegiance to Zixin? By becoming rich, I can buy my own house, marry a beautiful woman and run my own business. Why should I waste such a precious opportunity? Let me desert a sinking ship and work for Zixin.
Yuanjun chose to betray the Ministry of Intelligence and ally with Zixin. He reported to Zixin the location of Li Jian and his family. Zixin immediately sent a troop to capture them. When Delun saw the troops approaching the house, he was puzzled because the secret of hiding Li Jian and his family is only known to the Ministry of Intelligence. Delun realized that there is a breach of security in the Ministry of Intelligence but he never expected that his assistant Yuanjun betrayed them. Delun started to fight the troop in order to protect Li Jian and his family. The troop killed Delun and besieged the house. Li Jian and his family had to surrender to the troop. Now, Li Jian and his family are in the grip of Zixin.
Similarly, Boqin chose to betray the Ministry of Intelligence and ally with Zixin. He reported to Zixin the location of Laquan Jian and his family. Zixin immediately sent a troop to capture them. When Qingling saw the troop approaching the house, he was perplexed and confused about how the location of the house was discovered by Zixin. He suspected that there is a breach of security in the Ministry of Intelligence without anticipating that his assistant Boqin betrayed them. Qingling started to resist the troop but he was killed. The troop besieged the house. Laquan Jian surrendered to the troop with his family and they became the prey of Zixin.
Zixin fulfilled his promise and gave Yuanjun a reward of 4000000 golden taels and Boqin a reward of 7000000 golden taels. Yuanjun and Boqin both realized their dreams and became rich overnight. They bought houses and started their own businesses away from their old jobs in the Ministry of Intelligence.
The Imperial Family Massacre
Since now all the uncles of Yueliang and Taiyang are captured by Zixin with their families, Zixin wanted to eradicate the Imperial Family and the potential threat it represents for him. He issued an edict to execute all the Imperial Family in public.
First, Li Jian, Mu Shan and Qiu Jian were executed by bows and arrows.
Second, Jun Jian, Min Hui, Xue Jian, Shan Jian and Jiao Jian were executed by bows and arrows.
Third, Laquan Jian, Zhi Ru, Lin Jian, Liu Jian, Yi Jian and Xiang Jian were executed by bows and arrows.
Fourth, Shen Jian, Yun Xing, Kun Jian, Lian Jian, Ting Jian, Yong Jian and Zan Jian were executed by bows and arrows.
Every family was forced to stand in a row and arrows were shot at them at once. Blood gushed from their mouths and the young cousins of Yueliang and Taiyang were weeping prior to their execution. The most touching and heartbreaking moments occurred for Qiu and Xiang who are the youngest of the cousins. They were weeping and frightened from the execution. They were saying to their parents: “My father, my mother, why do they want to kill us? What have we done wrong for them? We are innocents. My father, my mother, is death painful? I do not want to die.”
That was one of the greatest massacres in Chinese history against an Imperial Family. Zixin exterminated the Imperial Family with brutality and without showing any mercy to children who are innocents. In the eyes of Zixin, every member of the Imperial Family is an enemy and a potential threat to his dominion so the best option is to get rid of them. After the murder of the emperor, the empress, the uncles of Yueliang and Taiyang and their families, Yueliang and Taiyang are now the only surviving descendants of the Imperial Family of Jian. If Yueliang and Taiyang die or are killed, the Jian Imperial Family will reach the point of extinction.
New Regicide
Since Tai Wang and his wife Shuang Yan, the king and the queen of the Ruby Kingdom, are captured by Guang Quon and since Bai Chin and his wife Mu Jie, the king and the queen of the Star Kingdom, are captured by Shirong Jinhai, Zixin sent messengers to his cousins ordering them to execute in public Tai Wang, Shuang Yan, Bai Chin and Mu Jie. Guang and Shirong obeyed Zixin's order and they carried out the execution. Not only did Zixin kill the emperor and the empress, he also killed two kings and two queens. Zixin is never reluctant to shed blood as long as that contributes to consolidating his dominion of the Chinese Empire and extirpate his rivals or enemies. He wants to show people his strict, severe, strong and decisive character so that they stay obedient to him and never think about opposing or rebelling against him.
The Deposed Emperor's Armies
When Zixin and his cousins defeated the government's armies, these armies withdrew from the cities and fled to neighboring areas. Some of these soldiers hid in mountains and forests with their leaders. The leaders of these armies are generals who felt the bitter taste of defeat and who consider Zixin and his cousins their archenemies. Although they were defeated, they do not consider this defeat the end of the game. They plan to organize their forces and troops and attack Zixin and his soldiers from time to time using the mode of guerrilla warfare. These armies consider Zixin an illegitimate ruler of the Chinese Empire and their allegiance is still strongly to the deposed government. They have good communication channels with the old Ministry of Intelligence and they plan to coordinate well with one another to thwart Zixin's plans and impede his ambitious visions. They vowed to be the thorn in the flesh for Zixin and his soldiers.
The Saddest News
After the murder of the emperor and the empress and the execution of the Imperial Family, Junjie decided to inform Yueliang and Taiyang about this tragic news. Junjie realized that he cannot hide this news from Yueliang and Taiyang for long and he inescapably has to inform them about it one day. Telling bad news is one of the hardest things in life. Here is a snapshot of the conversation between Junjie, Yueliang and Taiyang:
Junjie: Yueliang, Taiyang, there is one news that you should know about.
Yueliang: Is it a good or bad news?
Junjie: It is the worst news you can ever hear.
Taiyang: Really? Did something bad happened to my parents?
Yueliang: Are my parents and relatives safe?
Junjie: Zixin killed your parents, your uncles and their wives and your cousins. He spared none.
Yueliang and Taiyang: What? Really? Are you serious? Is the news true?
Junjie: Yes, the news has been confirmed to be true.
Yueliang and Taiyang started to weep heavily. There is no loss greater than this that could happen to them in their lives. They lost their parents and their closest relatives and they are now alone. After some time, the conversation was resumed:
Yueliang: How were my parents killed?
Junjie: On the night of the coup, your parents stayed in the Imperial Palace so when Zixin captured them, he ordered his soldiers to stab them with swords.
Taiyang: How about my uncles, their wives and my cousins?
Junjie: On the night of the coup, your uncles Jun Jian and Shen Jian chose to stay in their palaces during the attack with their families. Hence, Zixin could capture them easily. Your uncles Li Jian and Laquan Jian fled with their families under the supervision of the Ministry of Intelligence to secure houses in the Jasmine City but Zixin captured them after some time.
Taiyang: My parents and my uncles Jun Jian and Shen Jian exposed themselves to danger and made themselves an easy spoil for Zixin.
Yueliang: How was the location of my uncles Li Jian and Laquan Jian discovered? Did you not say that they were guarded by the Ministry of Intelligence? How could the Ministry of Intelligence fail to protect them and fulfill its mission as expected?
Junjie: We realized that there is a breach in the Ministry of Intelligence. Zixin made public announcements that whoever captures the Imperial Family members will get a generous monetary reward. We suspect that this made some members of the Ministry of Intelligence defect from the ministry and work for Zixin in order to get the rewards.
Taiyang: Do you mean some members of the Ministry of Intelligence betrayed us?
Junjie; Exactly. The committed high treason. They are ugly traitors.
Yueliang: Have you identified who these traitors are?
Junjie: We are in the phase of investigation. There are some pointers to two suspects: Yuanjun Manchu and Boqin Taio. These are the assistants of the two officers from the Ministry of Intelligence who were hiding Li Jian and Laquan Jian and their families.
Taiyang: Could it be that the officers from the Ministry of Intelligence are the traitors?
Junjie: Impossible. The two officers are Delun Fengge and Qingling Mingyu. They were killed while defending your uncles and their families. They have the utmost loyalty to the government and they are the true heroes of our ministry.
Yueliang: How much was the reward for capturing my uncles and their families?
Junjie: Zixin allotted four million golden taels for capturing your uncle Li Jian with his family and seven million golden taels for capturing your uncle Laquan Jian with his family.
Taiyang: That is a huge amount. It makes greedy persons betray their nation to become rich.
Yueliang: Money is one of the greatest tests of loyalty. Do people sell their allegiance easily for more money?
Junjie: Loyal men and women never sell their allegiance for any amount of money.
Taiyang: Did Zixin allotted money for capturing us as well?
Junjie: Of course. He allotted the greatest amount of money for capturing both of you. He allotted five million golden taels for capturing Yueliang and so did he for capturing you, Taiyang. He allotted two million golden taels for capturing me.
Yueliang: Are we going to hide here forever? What if our location is soon reported by some traitors like what happened with my uncles and their families?
Junjie: You are right, your Highness. I plan to leave this place and the entire Jasmine City soon. The farther we go from Zixin, the safer for us. Now, you are the only surviving descendants of the Jian Imperial Family and protecting you is my top priority.
Taiyang: Thank you, Junjie. You even sacrificed your family to stay with us and protect us. We will never forget your chivalry and sacrifice.
Junjie: But before we leave the Jasmine City, I need to carry out a military operation against Zixin.
Yueliang: What is the purpose of this operation?
Junjie: To assassinate Zixin.
Taiyang: Is it possible? He must be heavily guarded.
Junjie: Do you remember the secret tunnel through which we escaped?
Yueliang: Yes. Will you carry the operation through that tunnel?
Junjie: Yes. I will send a small troop through the tunnel to assassinate Zixin.
Taiyang: That is a smart move. But what if the troop is discovered by Zixin's soldiers and they come into a clash?
Junjie: Yes, that is possible. In that case, our troop must fight until death.
The Assassination Attempt
Junjie gave orders to the Ministry of Intelligence to select a troop of ten of the best soldiers they have in order to assassinate Zixin in the Imperial Palace. The operation is intended to be carried out during the late night. Junjie guided the troop to the exit of the secret tunnel through which they will penetrate the Imperial Palace. Junjie told the troop that they should expect the worst case scenario that they might be discovered by Zixin's soldiers and they will inevitably fight them until death. The troop was ready to sacrifice their lives in order to assassinate Zixin who killed their loved emperor and empress to whom they have the complete allegiance.
During the night of the assassination attempt, the troop entered the exit of the secret tunnel and walked through the tunnel until they reached the entry of the secret tunnel in the Imperial Palace. The troop lifted the movable slab (the entry of the secret tunnel) slowly and checked that the hall is empty. Fortunately, the hall that contains the entry of the secret tunnel was empty. The ten soldiers exited the tunnel and gathered in the hall silently. In order to reach the bedroom of Zixin, the troop must pass through another large hall in the palace. When the first soldier of the troop opened the door of the second hall through which they must pass, he found the hall full of Zixin's soldiers. Moreover, one of Zixin's soldiers saw the door while being opened so he moved toward the door to check who opened it. When Zixin's soldier opened the door and checked the hall that contains the secret tunnel, he found Junjie's troop so he he screamed to call his team: “Invaders. Invaders. Invaders. Help!” When Zixin's soldiers heard the scream of their team member, they moved toward him and called for reinforcement. Junjie's troop did not expect that they will be discovered so quickly so the battle with Zixin's soldiers was inevitable. Junjie's troop fought Zixin's soldiers courageously but due to their limited number and due to the reinforcement that arrived to support Zixin's soldiers, they were all killed. The military operation ended with a fiasco for Junjie and the Ministry of Intelligence.
Zixin woke up due to the commotion in the hall and he found the dead bodies of his soldiers and Junjie's soldiers. Junjie's soldiers killed seven soldiers before being killed. So the result of this military operation was ten casualties of Junjie's soldiers and seven casualties of Zixin's soldiers. Zixin was frightened and puzzled how the assassination troop could infiltrate the Imperial Palace in the presence of a myriad of guards. He started to investigate thoroughly until he found the entry of the secret tunnel and lifted the movable slab in the hall. Zixin ordered his soldiers to trace the secret tunnel until the exit. The soldiers obeyed Zixin and traced the secret tunnel until they reached the exit. Zixin ordered a troop of his soldiers to guard the exit of the tunnel day and night.
The bad news of the failure of Junjie's military operation added more pain to Junjie, Yueliang and Taiyang. The circumstances so far work best in Zixin's favor.
Junjie: The military operation failed. Zixin discovered the secret tunnel.
Yueliang: What happened to our soldiers?
Junjie: It is highly likely that they were all killed.
Taiyang: That is really sad. But we must not surrender. There must be more chances to assassinate Zixin.
Yueliang: I was thinking about Zixin and how he turned from a friend to an enemy.
Taiyang: Do you still memorize the Imperial Constitution of the Chinese Empire? Article 89 of the Imperial Constitution: “An internal enemy might be more dangerous than an external enemy.”
Yueliang: Article 92 of the Imperial Constitution: “A false friend is more dangerous than a true enemy.”
Taiyang: Article 93 of the Imperial Constitution: “A friend might become an enemy and an enemy might become a friend.”
Yueliang: Article 94 of the Imperial Constitution: “A yesterday's friend might become tomorrow's enemy.”
Taiyang: How Zixin could deceive us all although we have these articles in our Constitution?
Junjie: Sometimes you have solid theoretical ideas but you fail in applying them correctly in the right time in real life.
Yueliang: This is the dichotomy between theory and practice. It does not matter how strong your theory is if you fail in practice.
Taiyang: The important thing now is to learn from our mistakes and avoid those mistakes in the future.
Junjie: Let us be optimistic that tomorrow will be better than today.
Junjie, Yueliang and Taiyang moved with the 100 Imperial Guards to the Rainbow City in the Silk Province in the Star Kingdom. They wanted to be safer by being farther from Zixin. In the Rainbow City, Junjie met his father's old friend, Liqin Bowen, who welcomed them warmly and offered them comfortable residence in the Rainbow City.