Lady Meilin is seduced by her green tea brother-in-law everyday-Chapter 276: After the explosion---2

Dusk was falling and the search had turned up nothing but empty air. No remains had been found with the exception of the wing.

Jun Mingzhe stood before the media, addressing the empire and the crowd that had grown to ten times the originals size.

"Our search for survivors has been going on for eight hours and it has turned up empty," he looked up and sighed sadly, "The space ship was obliterated. Other than a small piece of the wing, there’s..... nothing. This does not mean that we are giving up immediately. Our search is continuing and we refuse to give up just yet."

Reporters threw questions like knives:

"Was the Empress targeted?"

"Did you check the space ship before it took flight?"

"Is it true that the explosion is linked to the first assassination attempt?"

"Rumor has it that the same technology in the Cosmosis explosion was used on the Celestial Mo. Is that what caused the explosion?"

"Are you officially declaring the Empress---?"

"I have not declared anything." Mingzhe uttered loudly. "Any official declarations will come from the royal office. What I am saying is that hope is thin and those that wish to mourn should begin doing so at their own pace. We intend to continue the search?"

The reporters did not hold back:

"Where are you searching if the explosion happened in the air?"

"What are you looking for when we all saw what fell from the sky? We know it was not more than two pieces that fell from the sky?"

"Is it true that this was a drone strike from a union of tech companies that were being affected by the Empress’s campaign?"

Mingzhe cut in. "I would like to remind everyone that there was more than one person on the space ship. Just as you are interested and worried about the Empress, share the same concern for the others involved in this tragedy.

It is too early to say what caused the explosion and it is too soon to assume that the Empress was the target of an assassination. No matter what the cause is, the Imperial command will not rest until we have answers. Thank you."

He turned and left as reporters hurled out more questions that pierced his back like blunt arrows and fell to the ground.

The mission was over. The empire would soon have a new empress. His ears picked up the sound of the empire’s imperial anthem being played from somewhere in the crowd.

Mingzhe thought it was befitting.

*****

At the space camp all fun had stopped as soon as holograms of the explosions started showing up in the sky. As the news spread further, the screams of joy and cheer died down.

Within two hours, the camp had been emptied as people headed home or joined those that gathered outside the main royal palace.

Mei Mei had remained behind to make sure that the camp was closed safely and all temporary guests had left. Only the permanent campers remained and some parents were already picking up their children.

"Boss....." Assistant Han called her.

Mei Mei turned away from the window and picked up her bag. It was time to head home.

Like many others in the city, she had to used the normal road. There were a lot of restrictions in the air with all the inspections going on. Imperial soldiers were searching every vehicle leaving the city. This was what was fueling the rumors of an external assassination.

The roads were also congested so the journey home was not as quick or smooth as usual.

"Boss, should we close the camp tomorrow?" Assistant Han asked her.

"Probably." Mei Mei answered softly. After such a tragedy, not many people would be in a celebratory mood. "Keep the eateries open, those that will be willing to work. People still need to eat in a tragedy."

Assistant Han agreed.

As the furthered into the inner city, she saw candles lit up in windows and along the streets both real and virtual ones. Pictures of the victims of the explosion were floating everywhere, especially those of the empress. Footage of the explosion was being replayed on holograms on the walls of buildings.

The news was covering what seemed like the start of mourning across many cities.

When Mei Mei got home, she found the house empty. Even the noisy pets were nowhere to be seen. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Mama Su, what happened to everyone?" She asked as she made entry.

"Mr. Jingzhe is in the music room. Madam Feng went out and most of the workers have gone out to join the mourners outside the royal palace. Miss Mingzhu was called to the palace by the Empress Mother to keep Princess Long Wen company in this difficult time." The nanny answered.

Mei Mei checked her phone and realized that she had received a message about this but did not read it. Mingzhu was not the only one that had gone to the royal palace, the elder Jun’s and all Mingzhu’s cousins were also there.

"And the pets?" She asked as she put the phone away.

"Miss Jun Yi took them to the house next door." She answered. "Except for the leech, it was left behind."

Mei Mi nodded. She walked to the music room, searching for Jingzhe. It was dim when she walked inside, and slow classical music was playing.

"A Zhe." She turned on the lights and called out his name.

He was not the one playing the music. He was fast asleep on the couch and there was a bottle of wine and a glass on a small table next to him. It seemed like a quarter of it had been drunk.

Mei Mei clenched her jaw and moved to the balcony. Her phone was in her hand and she was dialing her mother. There were four rings and then the call was answered.

"Hmm, Mei Mei. Hello my baby, are you calling because you missed me?"

"Mom, he is out." She said in response.

"What do you mean?" Chi Lian asked.

Mei Mei turned around and looked at Jingzhe’s frame and the bottle of wine. "I mean A Zhe. Tell the Empress Mother not to involve him in such things again."

"Baby, I hate to break it to you but the decision is not yours. It is his. It will be better if you tell him about this in person if you have a problem with it." Her mother replied. "Is he okay?"

Mei Mei exhaled blowing air out of her mouth like it was cigarette smoke. He had drunk at least two to three glasses of wine and he was playing sorrowful music. To her, he did not seem to be okay.