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Kapitel 130

The hand I was holding seemed to stiffen for a moment, and Xu Lie said in a hoarse voice with a helpless expression, "I called you several times just now."

My lips twitched, I let go of her hand, and forced a dry laugh, "I just dozed off, I didn't hear you."

After a moment of silence, Xu Lie said in a very slow voice, "Galan, I'm sick."

"Oh..." Everyone knows you're sick. Otherwise, where are you right now?

"I have... a high fever," he said, speaking even more slowly.

"..." What exactly are you trying to say?

"Galan..." he called out to me, as if he had something more to say.

"What?"

"The doctor said the patient cannot move around."

"..." So you crawled just now?

"You also shouldn't overwork yourself."

I'm really...#￥%（@#, I gritted my teeth and asked, "So...so?"

Xu Lie cleared his throat: "So, I can't fly back to China, and I don't have anywhere to stay in Switzerland. I'll have to stay at your place. Of course, I'll pay for your lodging." Just as he was feeling a little better, his rogue and self-centered nature resurfaced.

I sneered, "The hospital has beds, blankets, and free care. As long as you have money, you can stay as long as you want!"

Xu Lie answered crisply without even taking a breath: "I don't like the smell of the hospital."

"Then let's go to a hotel!"

"Why stay in a hotel! It's expensive and not clean." The aunt's smiling voice rang out from outside the door. "Mr. Xu, why don't you stay at our place? We have spare rooms anyway."

"Auntie," I said, trying to keep a calm tone, "could you please ask the other head of household for their opinion?"

"Oh... Nagachi, do you agree?"

"..." Auntie! How much of a bribe did you receive from Xu Lie?! But my brother definitely wouldn't agree, right?

The older brother seemed hesitant for a while before finally saying in a harsh voice, "I'll stay for a month at most! Seven hundred dollars a day!"

A month?! And that's the maximum?! Brother, what's wrong with you?!

"Lin Jiaqi," I called my brother's name in the most ordinary tone, "Help me out!"

I don't know where I am standing. There's wind and walls, probably a passageway with windows open.

"Galan, I..." the older brother stammered, sounding guilty and embarrassed, "I didn't forgive him, it's just... I beat him up and my anger subsided, I just..."

I sighed and picked up where he left off, his words almost tangled: "Brother, tell me honestly, do you want me to remarry him?"

"No!" the older brother quickly replied. "He hurt you so badly back then, and I know that those hurts can't be forgotten with just a few words of apology. Besides, this is ultimately a matter between the two of you, and I won't let my own thoughts sway you."

"Then why are you getting involved with Auntie?" I asked, slightly annoyed. "And you even agreed to let him stay in our house?"

After a moment of silence, the older brother said in a low voice, "To be honest, I feel sorry for him. You can tell from many details that he is a very arrogant, self-centered, privileged person who will not accept any pity from others. He would rather die in pain than show weakness. He is the kind of person who is obsessed with saving face."

"But once he stands in front of you, he completely changes. Lanlan, you didn't see his expression. I don't know how to describe it, but even if you asked him to kneel down, he wouldn't hesitate for a second."

Kneel down... I took a deep breath and warmed my cold hands against my neck. Instantly, the biting coldness was accompanied by a chilling warmth that spread throughout my body: "Brother, there are many things that, once missed, are missed forever. No amount of effort can bring back lost feelings."

“Lanlan…” My brother put his arm around my shoulder and gently hugged me. “I’ve only ever heard that things are possible with human effort. I just don’t want you to be so lonely and silent all the time. Even though you’ve become more mature and calm now, I still wish you were the innocent and happy Lanlan you were back then.”

I nestled in my brother's arms, forcing a silent smile, a bitter taste lingering in my mouth. Brother, there are many things in this world that, once missed, can never be regained, not just matters of the heart!

The continent of Ishu. The trajectory of history.

July 18, 768 (Wanli year)

Rumors spread throughout the continent of Yixiu that King Yang Yi of Jinyao Kingdom had fallen out with Prime Minister Qin Luo, who was leading troops abroad. Upon hearing this news, the Fengyin Kingdom's rulers and ministers were overjoyed, believing that the national crisis had finally been averted. Qin Luo reorganized his army and remained in Fangling; no one could guess his intentions.

July 20, 768 (Wanli year)

King Zhuo Qing of the Fengyin Kingdom was assassinated. Although he was barely saved, he remained unconscious. Three assassins who broke into the palace were killed, one was wounded, and the other two escaped. After interrogation, the assassins revealed that the mastermind was Soku, the son of the patriarch of the Kamupite family of the Izumo Island Kingdom.

July 24, 768 (Wanli year)

Qin Luo, who was in Fangling and only had 100,000 troops under his command, defied the natural order of things and attacked Zidu at this time.

July 25, 768 (Wanli year)

The Purple Capital has fallen! This siege, hailed by all history books as the most mysterious battle on the continent of Ishu, a siege whose unfolding and ending remain unknown to anyone, has come to an absurd end. While everyone was still watching his next move, Qin Luo swiftly seized the capital of Fengyin, giving no one a moment to breathe or think. Court officials and imperial relatives were all imprisoned, and hundreds of thousands of loyalist troops were kept outside the Purple Capital, bewildered and helpless.

July 30, 768 (Wanli year)

Qin Luo publicly announced to the world in Fengyin Zidu that Yang Yi had killed his wife out of jealousy of his talent, and formally declared that he was severing his relationship with his former master Yang Yi and was establishing his own independent regime. He led a close-knit group of 100,000 elite troops, known as the "Chiyu Army," and his subordinates all addressed Qin Luo as "Young Master."

August 1, 768 AD (Wanli year)

Qin Luo stated that if Feng Yin was willing to seek justice for him against Yang Yi in the future and to make Mu Shuangshuang his empress, he would be willing to relinquish his current gains and submit to the Zhuo family dynasty. Feng Yin and his ministers were overjoyed and welcomed the offer, vowing to exact revenge on Yang Yi and Yang Qian for every blood debt owed. As for Mu Shuangshuang, she was the only candidate for Crown Princess. Although rumors circulated throughout the country that she and Qin Luo had an affair, this only better explained Qin Luo's extraordinary actions in devoting himself to his beloved. Moreover, even if Mu Shuangshuang wasn't entirely reliable, the Mu family's power in the court was extremely stable, with generations of loyal subjects serving the emperor and the country; making her empress was a perfectly logical step.

August 10, 768 (Wanli year)

Qin Luo officially surrendered to Fengyin with his 100,000 personal troops, announcing it to the world. Of course, no one dared treat the young prime minister, who had seized control of the entire Fengyin kingdom with just 100,000 troops, as a surrendered soldier. Fengyin was the most devoutly devoted goddess-worshipping nation on the entire Ishu continent. For the people of Fengyin, who already greatly admired Qin Luo, this news was almost ecstatic. The Fengyin court officials, however, were trembling with fear in his presence. After nearly two years of war, no one could guarantee that Qin Luo, with his unpredictable nature, wouldn't be able to destroy the entire country in an instant. If they could, no one would willingly want to be an enemy of such a terrifying person as Qin Luo.

August 15, 768 (Wanli year)

King Zhuo Qing of Fengyin Kingdom remains unconscious. After a consultation with the imperial physicians, it is highly likely that he will never wake up again. Left with no other choice, the court officials discussed the matter and decided to support Zhuo Qing's eldest son, Zhuo Ling (courtesy name Qin Nian), who is only six years old, to ascend the throne. They honored the former Empress Mu Shuangshuang as the Holy Jin Empress Dowager, and together with the Emperor's father-in-law Mu Chengying, General Tong Zhi, and the newly appointed Prime Minister Qin Luo, they assisted the young son in ascending the throne and taking control of Fengyin Kingdom.