Swordswoman: The Few Unrecorded Decades - Chapter 20

When Emperor He Mo and Ye Shin arrived at the border entrance of the Ru Empire, they saw six soldiers that are guarding the huge entrance gate. Each soldier has recognized the emperor’s face and they quickly offered a customary bow to him. They are anticipating his arrival as the ascension of their new emperor will be the following week.

The young Emperor of He had also been visited the Ru Empire in the past so these soldiers are already familiar at him. Although they recognized the young emperor’s appearance the soldiers did not dare to be complacent. They have implemented a tight security check as assassins would probably pay them a visit for the upcoming event. The risk is too big if an assassin can enter the kingdom. The soldiers still respectfully ask to see the emperor his token to prevent impostors from entering their territory. The emperor did not also hesitate to show them his jade token.

Next, the soldiers paid their attention to the emperor’s companion. They also asked for the identity of the lady and her token. Ye Shin owned two tokens. She has the Sword Cultivators Clan token and the token that the emperor gave her when he hired the lady to be his bodyguard. The two tokens were securely placed in her pocket. When she took one, the first token her fingers grabbed was the token given by the emperor. She conveniently showed the item to the soldiers.

The two of the oldest men among the six soldiers were taken aback when they saw the token that Ye Shin showed to them. It is the imperial token of the Empress of He! The people in front of them actually possessed both rulers’ token! But isn’t the He Emperor has no wife or concubine yet?

The Empire of Ru might be far from Empire of He but there would be no gossips about this that would slip in their information bank! They should have receive a report from their information collector branch in He Empire if the kingdom managed to choose their empress! Some thoughts appeared on their mind as they quickly examine the lady closely. Although her physical feature can pass to be an empress but there is no air of royalty on her aura. She just looks serene. There is no arrogance or pride in her bearing. They saw nothing in her aspects that the usual empresses have. At most, the lady appears to be demure in their eyes.

Nonetheless, they immediately gave her a customary bow. Ye Shin did not mind their action and thought that the soldiers are just respectful to them. Ye Shin did not even know what kind of token she just showed to the soldiers! She gave them a quick nod to acknowledge their gesture.

After the two figures went through the entrance, the soldiers started to gossip about them. They have been too anxious of what they just saw. They even blink a few times earlier to make sure that their eyes are not tricking them.

“You have seen it clearly Brother Gu?” one if the oldest soldier asked his comrade.

“There is no doubt Brother Dong!” the other oldest soldier responded.

“Seniors, what are you talking about?” a young soldier asked the two and joined them in their discussion.

“You are young and it us good that you have experience this at your early age. It had been so long since I have last seen the token the lady showed to us.” the soldier named Dong started to explain.

“What’s wrong about the token?” the young soldier curiously inquired.

“That token has never emerged since the execution of the last Empress of He. It had been more than several decades! Rumors has spread long ago that the imperial token for the empress of their kingdom is cursed and that whoever inherits this item will bring calamity upon her. The last Empress of He was accused by his husband the late Emperor of He of being possessed with evil spirits. She tried to slit his throat and kill the late emperor for an unknown reason!” soldier Dong continued to tell them the tragic death of the late Empress of He.

“Brother Gu and I were there when the late Empress of He was beheaded. The execution of the late empress had caused a great uproar to the region. And we witnessed the most abnormal thing happened during that day! What transpired during her execution was that when the late Empress of He’s head was cut off from her body, she still managed to speak a few words!” soldier Dong paused as all the other younger soldiers attentively listens to him.

“What did the late Empress of He said, Senior Dong?” one of the soldiers curiously asked him. The face of the two oldest soldiers went pale as the scene of that day was refreshed from their memories. Soldier Dong was silent for a long time.

“The late Empress of He made a horrible vow. She said that the Empire of He will end together with her. The royal will no longer bear heirs and successor of the throne. She had delivered those vows while holding an item. She was using her imperial token! Thus, it was believed that the lady was giving her last orders to the heavens that day!” it was soldier Gu who added the story since soldier Dong remained quiet for too long.

“For a long time, the other wives and concubines of the late Emperor did not really get pregnant proving that the curse was somehow real. The expert physicians from various empires were even invited in their kingdom to treat those women. They also performed exorcism to cast away the curse. Unfortunately, none of them were successful. The late emperor have no choice but to appoint the closest relative of him when he is about to die. The wives and concubines could not complain as they have no offspring. The closest relative of the late emperor was the man who just went inside, Emperor He Mo. Unexpectedly, this young man and his kingdom had managed to prosper. The empire becomes so prosperous that the citizens in there have probably forgotten the dead rulers of their kingdom.” Soldier Gu told them.

“Not all people at present knew the past background of the Empire of He as the appointed emperor has managed to bury their ugly history by using prosperity. That man is so young and capable.” Soldier Dong managed to speak with full of respect in his eyes.

“How about they throw the cursed object seniors?” one of them asked.

“Things are not as simple as that when it comes to imperial tokens. The object signifies the birth of the empire and must be passed down from older generation to younger generation. If the token loses its value, so is the kingdom that is represented by this object.” the old soldier patiently explained to the younger ones.

Meanwhile, the two figures have successfully passed the mighty fortress of the kingdom and finally entered the capital of Ru. The two stopped on a restaurant and decided to have a meal. When they entered the restaurant, the place is quite but there are a lot of tables that are already occupied. Then a servant approached them.

“May I take our honored customers to their table?” the servant offered and guided them. When they arrived at the table, the servant politely offered the various foods they are serving. Once the two finalized their order, the servant swiftly left.

Ye Shin calmly let her eyes travel around the area. She noticed that the other customers are dressed with air of nobility and their clothes are very expensive while only the two of them look ordinary. The emperor should have changed his clothes earlier when they reached the capital of Ru but he was hungry too mind his appearance. Unlike the lady, the emperor has paid too little of his surroundings. His attention was almost glued at the lady.

Not long after, the servant who took their order came back carrying a tray of food in her hands. This servant is careful and gently placed the food on the table one by one. Just as the servant is about to put the cup of tea in their table someone from the entrance of the restaurant who walks in rush approached the servant and quickly slapped her in the face. The impact of the slap is loud that all customers snapped their heads towards the direction of their table.

When the servant felt the strong force in her face, she tried to regain her balance but the tray in her hands slightly tilted and the other cup of tea escaped from her tray. It would not be an issue if the cup drops on the floor but no, it went directly towards the emperor’s side! His bodyguard immediately catches the cup and manage to prevent the disaster.

The emperor was petrified when he saw that the cup of tea is almost going in his face! He was so overwhelmed with panicked emotion that he did not notice the people who are also eating in the area are already screaming! The body of a girl who just recklessly slapped the servant in the face was lying on the ground.

Breathless! Lifeless! Dead!