Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 166 - 156 Underground Furnace

Wanhe Palace.

In the eastern part of the imperial city, it was one of the several courtyards nestled in the southeastern corner.

On the palace buildings, the glazed tiles covered the sparkling snow, but inside this courtyard, it was a scene brimming with the breath of spring.

Just as in Qiuhai Villa’s pond, where a circle of ice and snow surrounded it, within the waters was a warmth like the merciful warmth of spring river water, and so it was with the courtyard within Wanhe Palace.

The flowers in the flowerbeds still competed in splendor, vying to bloom.

The temperature in the air was also very comfortable and pleasant.

The sound of the guqin lingered, with a faint scent of sandalwood permeating the air...

Some maids led Qin Qing and his two companions into Wanhe Palace, to the backyard, where they found the Third Prince in plain clothes, gently playing the guqin. The melodies were distant and ethereal, captivating one’s heart.

Seeing Qin Qing and his companions arrive, the Third Prince stopped playing and stood up with a smile, "Qin Qing, you’ve come!"

The Third Prince was very refined and elegant. His gaze swept past Qin Qing and lingered on Jiang Ruorong for a moment, then he nodded towards Qin Shuang as a greeting.

"Greetings to the Third Prince!"

Qin Qing and his companions bowed to the Third Prince.

This Third Prince, named Qin De, was among the most prominent of princes.

When Bai Qiuhe and Xu Fang talked about Qin De, they described him using the words "Benevolent" and "Virtuous."

"No need for such formalities! Please, have a seat," Qin De said with a smile, signaling the maids to prepare cushions, and then they brought tea and fruit.

"Qin Qing, and these two ladies are?" Qin De asked with a smile.

"This is my sister, Qin Shuang. And my senior sister, Jiang Ruorong!" Qin Qing replied.

Qin De nodded slightly, his gaze once again passing over Jiang Ruorong, and when his eyes fell on her, a flicker of admiration couldn’t help but sparkle in his eyes.

"Qin Qing, I didn’t invite you to the palace for any special reason, but mainly because I wanted to get to know you and befriend you. Do you think I have the qualifications?"

Qin De’s face was always smiling. Although he was a prince, he did not have an ounce of arrogance typical of royalty, giving an impression as comforting as a breeze in spring.

"The Third Prince is too modest. To be appreciated by the Third Prince should be my good fortune!" Qin Qing replied with a smile, treating the Third Prince with the same courtesy since he was so polite.

However... to be friends with the Third Prince?

Qin Qing knew very well that these princes and nobles were extremely proud individuals. The Third Prince, Qin De, appeared magnanimous and approachable only because he appreciated Qin Qing.

To put it bluntly, it was because Qin Qing had something the Third Prince needed, or to say, he had value to be utilized.

If Qin Qing were to treat the Third Prince like any other friend, like he did with Gong Yanghe, he would likely be overstepping boundaries and immediately provoke the Third Prince’s dissatisfaction.

"Actually, Third Prince, let me cut to the chase. My coming to see you this time, firstly was in response to your invitation, and secondly, I was hoping to learn more about my father!" When Qin Qing mentioned his father, his heart stirred, feeling as though he had drawn a little closer to his father again.

Qin De nodded: "I understand how you feel... Your father is indeed within the palace. However..."

"However, what..." Qin Qing quickly asked.

Qin De waved his hand slightly, saying, "Well, Qin Qing, I can take you to meet him!"

"I am truly grateful to the Third Prince!" Qin Qing couldn’t help but feel excited.

For other matters, Qin Qing might not have reacted so, but this was about his father, whom he yearned to see for years yet was unable to!

Qin Shuang felt the same, even her frail figure could not help but tremble from the emotion.

"Follow me."

Qin De had a maid fetch a lined robe to put on and then led Qin Qing deep into the palace.

"Your father committed a grave crime. So, he was taken to the imperial city!"

"As for what crime, I still cannot reveal it to you now..." Qin De said as he walked.

"The Imperial Court captures a number of criminals every year and sends them to different places for forced labor."

"And your father, this time he was taken to work in the palace’s Underground Furnace; that’s the entrance to the Underground Furnace ahead!"

Qin Qing was somewhat puzzled and asked, "What is an Underground Furnace?"

"The Underground Furnace is a gigantic furnace! You can see that the Great Qian Dynasty’s royal palace has a total of one hundred and eight palace complexes. Each complex, including the buildings, remains as warm as spring even in the coldest of winters, and it’s all because of this Underground Furnace!"

Qin Qing was amazed in his heart.

He had originally thought that the palaces within the royal palace felt like spring all year round because they were blessed by a Spiritual Array.

But he had not expected it was because of an Underground Furnace.

Not long after, Qin Qing and the two others followed Qin De to the entrance of the Underground Furnace.

Upon opening the passageway into the Underground Furnace, they were immediately confronted by a blast of searing heat.

As they entered the passageway, after just a moment, Qin Shuang, following behind Qin Qing, was drenched in sweat as if she had been washed with water. Fearing for her, Qin Qing held his sister’s hand and could clearly feel that her hand was completely soaked with sweat.

As they went deeper, the sounds of clinking and clanking started to be heard, and the temperature grew increasingly scorching.

"Hurry up!"

"Do you f*cking want to die? Moving so slowly? If the fire dims and there isn’t enough heat, all you idiots will die!"

"Smack! Smack!"

Two sharp-voiced eunuchs were mercilessly whipping a dozen prisoners who were weighed down by heavy shackles.

These dozen prisoners, wearing tattered prison garments and covered with bloodstains, looked extremely weary. Yet they had to keep tossing chunks of black fuel into seven massive furnaces in front of them.

Seeing this scene, Qin Qing couldn’t help but frown.

These prisoners, toiling ceaselessly in the Underground Furnace without ever seeing daylight and enduring such scorching temperatures, were obviously suffering greatly.

His gaze searched among these dozen people but did not find his father.

"Qin Qing, these prisoners have committed heinous crimes to be sent here for hard labor," Qin De said.

"Then where is my father?" Qin Qing grew anxious.

He could not imagine how his father could endure in such a hellish environment.

"He’s up ahead; we can’t go down... Follow me, we’ll take another route!" Qin De led the way at the front, and the group followed a path carved into the rock walls of the Underground Furnace, moving forward.

Behind the seven massive furnaces, there were streams of magma like rivers.

"This magma flows through various palaces and halls of the royal palace... The flow of the magma rivers needs to be manually controlled by turning wheels. By spinning the wheels, they drive the flow of the magma..."

Qin De explained, "Because you need to be close to the magma and keep turning the wheels, this job is even more arduous than replenishing the fuel..."

Qin De stopped talking there; he had stopped walking and did not continue forward.

At this moment, Qin Qing’s pupils suddenly dilated. Next to the scorching flow of magma, he saw a figure that seemed all too familiar, bent over, suffering as he carried a huge iron chain on his back, struggling mightily to pull the chain to turn a massive wheel...

The burning chain had scorched his shoulders, chest, and practically his entire upper body, covered in scars, and his body was also riddled with whip marks.

But what tore at Qin Qing’s heart the most was the look in those eyes...