Dragon's Origin

## Chapter 422: Sleepless (Part 2)

The Emperor absolutely couldn't sleep without figuring this out. It wasn't so much about being afraid of Wang Sheng; if it were just Wang Sheng, it would be manageable.

He had sat face-to-face with Wang Sheng more than once or twice, even when Steward Zhou wasn't around. If Wang Sheng wanted to kill the Emperor, he really wouldn't need to sneak into the inner city of the Imperial Palace so stealthily.

The problem was, what if those who harbored ulterior motives towards the Emperor also mastered this method of entering the Imperial Palace? Wouldn't it be easy for them to sneak in?

Even if the Emperor could rest assured, could the Three Great Imperial Bodyguards be at ease? The Second Prince bringing people in had already caused them to lose face, and Wang Sheng's arrival had rubbed salt into their wounds, making them lose all their dignity.

Countless palace guards were meticulously checking every possible entry point in the inner city, yet after half a day, they found nothing.

So many people, so many experts, including those on the Emperor's side and those on the side of the rebellion, none of them knew how Wang Sheng had entered the inner city.

Greatly alarmed, they no longer focused on the entrances and exits, but conducted a large-scale search of the entire inner city. They searched until nightfall, and finally, someone discovered what might be Wang Sheng's traces.

The Three Great Imperial Bodyguards rushed over. It was at the edge of a pond in the Imperial Garden, where there was a shallow footprint, surrounded by traces of dried water stains.

"Where does this pond lead?" Chief Steward Li asked sternly.

"It leads directly to the moat," a guard quickly replied. "But there are three water gates in between, and a waterway several miles long. Also, there is only one bridge over the waterway, and guards patrol the bridge at all times. All those who were on duty yesterday have been questioned, and no one saw anyone in the water."

"Check the water gates!" Eunuch Shen directly grasped the key and sent people to investigate. No matter how everyone guessed, entering would definitely require damaging the water gates, so this had to be investigated thoroughly.

Eunuch Shen's instructions were indeed correct. Before long, someone went underwater and saw the results, reporting back. A large hole, big enough for a person to pass through, had indeed been broken in the water gate.

The Three Great Imperial Bodyguards finally breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving this news. At least they knew how Wang Sheng had entered the inner city without anyone noticing. As for how Wang Sheng had passed through that long waterway without being detected, that was another matter. Some people with good swimming skills could probably pass through even longer waterways.

The Emperor finally received the report and also breathed a sigh of relief. Then he asked the Three Great Imperial Bodyguards, "How do we prevent others from entering through this waterway?"

"Several ways," Chief Steward Li, who was most skilled in this area, immediately replied. "One is to reinforce the water gates and set up formations so that an alarm is triggered immediately if anyone touches them."

"Are there any other ways?" The Emperor asked anxiously, urging them quickly.

"Turn the water gates into several tiny water pipes, the kind that people and animals can't pass through," Chief Steward Li quickly replied, knowing that the Emperor was anxious. "This way, we can still connect to flowing water, and no one will be able to break in. Of course, we also need to add formations."

That was indeed a good idea. The Emperor thought it sounded reliable.

"The most foolproof method is to fill all the waterways, leaving no openings," Chief Steward Li then said, stating the most thorough solution.

"What about water for the palace?" The Emperor frowned. Filling everything was simple, but the palace definitely needed water. What would they do without a water source?

"Dig wells!" Chief Steward Li said decisively. "For Your Majesty's drinking water, we can fetch water from the best spring outside the city every day."

"Let's do it this way. Old Li, go arrange it!" After thinking about it, the Emperor made the decision that would put him most at ease.

Having finally discovered Wang Sheng's method of entry and filled the waterways, the Emperor finally felt that he could sleep soundly.

However, before he could return to his bedroom, he suddenly realized another problem. At that time, the Second Prince and his people had used formations to seal off the entire inner city, especially the main hall, which was even more tightly sealed. How had Wang Sheng entered without alarming anyone?

Wang Sheng's three arrows killed the old bodyguard, so he couldn't possibly be from the Second Prince's side, nor could he have colluded with the person controlling the formations. So, how had Wang Sheng broken through the formations?

The Three Great Imperial Bodyguards had an even bigger headache than the Emperor. The formations had been running continuously and had never been interrupted. Not only in the Imperial Palace, but also in the Emperor's other residence, Wang Sheng had moved through the formations as if they were nothing. This was the most perplexing thing.

The Emperor could trust Wang Sheng, but the Three Great Imperial Bodyguards couldn't trust anyone except the Emperor. Even the Emperor's own son could rebel, so it would be perfectly normal for Wang Sheng to want to harm the Emperor one day. Many things had to be prevented before they happened.

But no matter how hard they thought, they couldn't understand how Wang Sheng had moved through the formations. If this question wasn't answered, neither the Emperor nor the Three Great Imperial Bodyguards would be able to sleep.

After the major decisions were made, the Emperor, along with those important officials and the Three Great Imperial Bodyguards, stayed up for another day. It wasn't until the Empress found out about everything and came to chase them away, forcibly dragging the Emperor to the bedroom and serving him until he lay down on the bed, that she stopped.

"Forget it! Forget it!" The Emperor waved his hand at the Three Great Imperial Bodyguards as he lay down. "Go and rest! At worst, I'll personally ask Marquis Changsheng in a few days!"

The Three Great Imperial Bodyguards bowed in agreement. Just as they were about to leave, the Emperor suddenly remembered something and said to Chief Steward Li, "Old Li, remind me first thing tomorrow morning to draft an imperial decree to promote Marquis Changsheng to Duke Changsheng!"

Everyone was stunned. The Three Great Imperial Bodyguards suddenly remembered the promises the Emperor and the Second Prince had made to win over Wang Sheng when he appeared. Although they were fighting with the old bodyguard at the time, they could still hear the surrounding movements. Now that the Emperor mentioned it, everyone could understand.

Filled with deep doubts and unwillingness, the sleepless individuals forced themselves to lie down and sleep. Having finally experienced several days and nights of fighting, and no longer having to worry about sudden dangers, fatigue swept over them, and they slowly fell into a deep sleep.

As the Emperor slept peacefully, the capital slowly returned to tranquility. Those who didn't know the truth thought that everything was over and that they could sleep well. Those who knew the truth understood that the real storm was just beginning. This was just controlling the situation; the real reckoning hadn't even started.

Many court officials couldn't sleep in fear, afraid that their usual behavior would be linked to the Second Prince and his associates. In the entire capital, the only places where people could truly sleep peacefully, besides the ordinary people who knew nothing, were Wang Sheng's two residences.