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Kapitel 9

'Yes!' At this moment, I really envy Lin Yu. To have someone who is so sincere in caring about her and worrying about her, what could she possibly regret in this life?

“Lin Yu…” Yun Yan grasped my hand, looking at me quietly, her eyes filled with a faint expectation and sorrow. “Don’t forget, you promised me that once your wish was fulfilled, the five of us would quietly withdraw from officialdom, choose a secluded paradise to live in seclusion, and never concern ourselves with worldly affairs again.”

At that moment, even though I knew I had no right to make a promise, looking into those eyes filled with a faint sadness, I couldn't refuse her no matter what. I quickly grasped her hand and said, "Don't worry, Yunyan, I won't forget!"

Yi Han, who had been sitting silently to the side, suddenly said in a cold voice, "The Emperor has arrived."

Our nerves immediately tensed up. Yi Han stood up from his chair and stood behind me, his eyes lowered and his aura instantly becoming faint. Although he was there, it was impossible to easily sense his presence.

"The Emperor has arrived—!!" Sure enough, shouts came from afar, only to be interrupted. The door to the front hall was pushed open, and a tall and dignified figure immediately came into view.

"Lin Yu, are you feeling any better?" He waved away the eunuchs and maids behind him, a cheerful smile spreading across his handsome and masculine face as he looked me up and down.

We hurriedly rose and knelt, calling out, "Your Majesty..."

Before his knees even touched the ground, he lifted him up, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing as he scolded, "Lin Yu, didn't I tell you not to put on these formalities? Hmm, it smells so good! Are you having breakfast? Did I come at the right time?"

Yunyan stood up at this moment and smiled gently, "They are just some simple pastries, Your Majesty. If Your Majesty does not mind, why don't you sit down and have some with us?"

"Very well..." Yang Yi laughed, "I've been waiting for you to say that, Madam." Without further ado, he pulled my hand and sat me down at the table, in the seat that Yi Han had just occupied.

The atmosphere was still somewhat awkward; after all, no matter how amiable the person was, the one sitting next to me was still the emperor. I kept my head down and ate, refusing to say a word unless someone asked me a question.

After an incense stick had burned, Yang Yi suddenly put down his chopsticks and bowl, his brows furrowed as if there was something he couldn't resolve.

Yunyan gave me several meaningful glances before I reluctantly asked, "Is Your Majesty troubled by something? May I share your burden?"

"Lin Yu?!" Yang Yi suddenly raised his head, staring intently at me with a hint of annoyance. "Why are you acting like a stranger to me after just waking up? You insisted that I address you as 'I' before you, saying that even a ruler and his subject can be friends, but today... how are you any different from my other ministers, so distant and respectful?!"

These words were spoken with such force and intensity, the grief and anger in his eyes so real that I couldn't immediately tell whether they were genuine or feigned. If they were feigned, then this person's acting skills were truly terrifying.

Although his mind was filled with wild thoughts, he quickly put on an apologetic expression and said, "Your Majesty, it's my fault. Please don't be angry anymore."

"Sigh..." He sighed and smiled helplessly, "I really miss the days when we talked late into the night in the Third Prince's residence, when you called me Yuanzhi instead of Your Majesty, and neither of us were bound by any status."

I gave a wry smile, unsure how to respond, and then buried my head in my rice.

Yang Yi sighed again and continued, "Lin Yu, last night the Ministry of Revenue sent an urgent report that the Xiangxi region is severely flooded, but the Ministry of War has been drawing on the budget to strengthen the army since last month, and the Tasi Temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Ishel, is under renovation and cannot be stopped. The national treasury is now empty. I really don't know what to do?"

My heart tightened; I knew the real test of whether I could get away with it had arrived. But even if Zi Mo possessed extraordinary abilities, how could he possibly answer without a thorough understanding of the details of this era? It seemed there was only one way.

I pondered for a moment, listened to Zi Mo's words, and then said with a focused expression, "Your Majesty, please do not be anxious. These matters are not urgent. My health has almost recovered, and I will definitely be able to attend the morning court tomorrow. At that time, I will work with the ministers to come up with a solution that satisfies both sides and will not cause Your Majesty any worry."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yi finally smiled again, patted my shoulder and said, "I have always believed that as long as Lin Yu is by my side, no matter how great the difficulties, I can overcome them!"

The meal was a mix of tension and relaxation. When Yang Yi finally left, my nerves relaxed, and I almost collapsed on the spot. I said weakly, "Yunyan, prepare all the relevant political documents for me. I'm going to cram all night tonight!"

Yunyan chuckled: "I knew you'd say that, so I had Yihan go to the court to get copies of all the memorials. Linglong is currently compiling all the information about Jinyao Kingdom. How about that? Am I a good enough wife?"

"Yay—!" I happily got up and hugged Yunyan. "With a wife like this, what more could a couple ask for? The ancients were right!"

Yunyan chuckled and patted my head: "What strange things are you saying now?"

Chapter 7 Return

"Ha..." I yawned, glancing enviously at Yunyan, who was already fast asleep in bed, her mind drifting off to sleep.

"Turn the page!" Someone... the ghost didn't care about my suffering and commanded without any pity.

"Fine, I'll flip it then!" I muttered angrily to myself. "Aren't you supposed to be super strong? Aren't you supposed to have a photographic memory? Look at the time!"

Zi Mo, who had been watching intently, suddenly looked up, a slight smile playing on his lips. The smile on his face sent chills down my spine: "So many complaints, aren't you going to ask me for help tomorrow?"

With a "whoosh," I flipped to the next page. 'See? See? A grown man, all he knows is threatening me!'

"But Zimo, what time is it?" I pleaded with a pained expression. "I'm really sleepy! We might not even need all of this tomorrow, so... how about we look at it another time?"

Seeing that I was really about to nod my head to the ground, Zi Mo finally felt a little pity. He pointed to the mountain of copies of the memorials to the side and said, "Spread all of these out on the ground and go to sleep!"

'Oh my god! Are you trying to kill me?!' I cursed inwardly, but I still obediently went over to spread out the copy of the memorial. It was better than not getting any sleep at all.

Zi Mo frowned, ignoring my curses, and suddenly said in a deep voice, "Lin Yu probably had to handle more than just these administrative matters in the past."

'What did you say?' I stared at him in astonishment.

Zi Mo glanced at the documents in his hand with a half-smile, then looked at my blank expression and said calmly, "It's nothing. Although it's not very obvious, he has indeed started to consolidate power. However, even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

I glared at him fiercely, and while holding the copy of the memorial, I dozed off as I spread it out. Finally, when I finished spreading out the last copy, my defenses relaxed, and I couldn't help but collapse to the ground.

"Hey, Galan, get up and go to bed! You'll catch a cold!"

"Shut up, you brat! I've already laid everything out and you're still babbling on. I'm going to sleep!" I thought to myself, not knowing if he heard me.

I could only vaguely hear the door opening softly, and feel a cool breeze brushing past my ears. My body was gently lifted into a warm embrace, which felt strangely reassuring, and I couldn't help but snuggle closer.

"Young master, please don't sleep on the ground anymore." A cold, indifferent voice said in my ear.

I nodded groggily, my body touching the soft, warm bed. Silvery moonlight shone through the gauze window, creating an atmosphere of extreme peace, tranquility, and comfort. I habitually turned over, my right hand lightly gripping my left wrist, and my consciousness immediately drifted away.

In a daze, I heard Zi Mo's panicked voice: "Galan, wake up, gossip..."

While I was half asleep, I felt someone moving my body and saying something in my ear.

I waved my hand and shouted angrily, "Zimo, you tormented me all night last night and that wasn't enough? Watch out, or I'll turn on you!"

"Who is Zimo?" A familiar voice rang in my ears, and I was grabbed by the shoulders and lifted up. "You lazy woman, get up now! You have a follow-up appointment with Uncle Liu at nine o'clock today!"

I rubbed my eyes and groggily opened them, and whoosh—I froze! I rubbed them hard, really hard, but it wasn't a hallucination! No! Even if it was a hallucination, I didn't care.