The sudden, torrential rain added a bone-deep chill to the night, turning the dust churned up by the army's passage into mud that was difficult to traverse.
Few in the entire army knew that the First Emperor had died. No one dared bypass Zhao Gao and Li Si to seek an audience with him; that was forbidden under Qin Law. These laws had originally protected the emperor, but now they had become the perfect excuse for treacherous ministers to cut off all contact between those within and those outside.
Luo Yi and his younger sister Luo Cai, who were constantly watching the First Emperor's movements, were surprised to discover that after a lengthy halt, the Qin army had headed straight toward Luoyang instead of Qi Land.
Luo Yi frowned and mused, "The army is returning to Luoyang. The First Emperor must intend to cross Hangu Pass and return to Xianyang. What could have happened to make him hurry back to Xianyang like this? The eight-hundred-li Qin River Valley is his homeland. Even if the Qin people resent him, they wouldn't go so far as to rebel outright. What could it be?"
Luo Cai, meanwhile, stared at the report that the Qin Army had purchased large quantities of salted fish. Her delicate brows drew together as she said uncertainly, "Brother, the First Emperor may be dead."
The conjecture was so shocking that Luo Yi abruptly straightened and looked at Luo Cai in disbelief. He knew his younger sister had always excelled at observing the smallest details and possessed an astonishing intuition. She never loosed an arrow without a target.
Luo Cai said softly, "In weather like this, the Qin Army bought large quantities of salted fish and even placed them near the First Emperor's imperial carriage. If he were still alive,