His feelings for Qin Chu were too complicated.
Qin Chu was the most important person in his life, and the only important person.
He treated Qin Chu as an older brother, and sometimes as a father and teacher. In this brotherly and fatherly way, he liked and was close to Qin Chu like a child, while also respecting him and even having a bit of fear of his elders.
How could someone like that dare to have any improper thoughts?
The convoy slowly made its way from the border to the capital.
Qin Chu wasn't in a hurry at first, because the journey was long and it would take more than a month to get back. But Qin Chu soon discovered a problem: he couldn't contact Noah.
The last time I contacted Noah was seven days ago, which is already extremely unusual.
In the past, Noah couldn't stand the loneliness, so he would use the body of an emperor to wake up, and incidentally bestow some rewards upon Qin Chu, and also mischievously give those regents a nudge.
However, considering his image as a sickly emperor, he wouldn't be lucid for more than three days.
This was the first time Qin Chu had lost contact with Noah for an extended period of time since entering the virtual world.
If he couldn't see the system panel in his mind and know that all the data was correct and the task progress bar was rising in an orderly manner, Qin Chu would almost have thought that Noah had been captured by the mainframe.
But even if Noah wasn't caught, he's probably encountered some problems.
What Qin Chu feared most was that this guy would become arrogant after gaining power. He had previously punished those ministers too harshly, so he was simply poisoned and the throne was usurped.
Noah is occupying a data body in the virtual world for the first time. If the data body dies, it's unknown where this artificial intelligence will end up.
Thinking about this problem, Qin Chu did not delay any longer, but ordered everyone to travel at full speed, directly reducing the travel time by half.
Fearing a coup, Qin Chu was prepared to be stopped when he led his army to the capital.
Unexpectedly, the soldiers guarding the city opened the gates early and cleared the streets to welcome the army back to the capital.
This attitude is open and welcoming, not like inviting someone into a trap.
Moreover, Qin Chu returned with tens of thousands of soldiers who had fought their way through the battlefield, so no one in the entire imperial city dared to cause trouble.
Qin Chu did not completely lower his guard. Based on the terrain of the palace, he made simple tactical arrangements, leaving most of his soldiers to be stationed in the main camp and waiting for orders, while he led a small elite team to the palace.
Considering Qin Rui's identity, Qin Chu also brought him along.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, the imperial guards standing around were conducting their routine patrol.
The number of guards at the palace gates was neither increased nor deliberately decreased. Qin Chu had his scouts conduct a brief investigation and found no ambushes or hidden killing intent in the vicinity.
The spring sunshine shone on the dark red palace gates, a scene of tranquility and peace, showing no signs of anything amiss.
The most unusual thing was the group of people led by Qin Chu. The strong stench of blood on them made even the patrolling Imperial Guard leader feel uneasy as he approached them.
The leader bowed to Qin Chu: "General Qin, you arrived so quickly? What brings you here...?"
Qin Chu glanced down at him, his expression calm: "I have come to pay my respects to His Majesty."
"But shouldn't the soldiers' rewards be given at tomorrow's court session?"
The leader looked suspicious, not daring to underestimate the people Qin Chu had brought. Fearing that Qin Chu, the general who had fought against the Xiongnu, would be displeased, he said tactfully, "His Majesty's health has improved today. He has just woken up, so it is probably not advisable for him to..."
Hearing this, Qin Chu felt slightly relieved: "His Majesty has woken up?"
His question made the leader of the Imperial Guard look pale.
They just said they came to pay their respects to His Majesty, and now they're asking if His Majesty is awake. If he's not awake, what are you doing bringing this whole entourage here? Are you planning a rebellion?!
Just as Qin Chu was thinking about how to get into the palace, the palace gates suddenly opened from the inside, and a little eunuch squeezed out from the crack in the door.
Qin Chu recognized this eunuch; it was this eunuch who delivered the imperial edict appointing him as general. He was the emperor's confidant.
The young eunuch was taken aback when he saw Qin Chu, then smiled and trotted over: "General Qin, it's been a long time! His Majesty just sent me to find you."
"Is Your Majesty well?" Qin Chu asked.
"His Majesty has been waking up for longer periods lately, and the imperial physicians say he's getting better!" the young eunuch said with a beaming smile.
Then he took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Qin Chu: "His Majesty knows that you must be thinking of him when you return to the capital, so he specially sent me to deliver this letter to you."
Qin Chu took the letter.
Qin Rui followed Qin Chu over and is now standing next to Qin Chu's horse.
When the young eunuch bent down, he inadvertently met Qin Rui's gaze and was immediately startled.
Qin Rui's appearance is quite different now from when he was a child, but a faint resemblance remains in his features. This made the young eunuch shudder involuntarily, as if he had just thought of something.
Qin Rui didn't care and even gave him a thoroughly wicked smile.
The young eunuch trembled even more violently and quickly apologized to Qin Chu before leaving.
This reaction clearly indicated that he recognized Qin Rui. Qin Chu glanced at him and calmly opened the letter while still riding his horse.
The letter is indeed in Noah's handwriting; this AI's handwriting is actually quite nice.
What reassured Qin Chu even more was that Noah had written in interstellar language, telling him not to worry and to attend court and receive his title as usual the next day. He also asked Noah to think of a way to ensure Qin Rui could legitimately inherit the throne.
Qin Chu was somewhat puzzled. If Noah had time to write this, why didn't he just return it and tell him directly?
But considering that Noah now had certain limitations, Qin Chu didn't pay much attention and led his troops back to the main camp.
He doesn't have his own residence in the capital yet, and it's impossible for him to return to the Zhou family where the data body is located. He can only stay in the camp on the outskirts of the capital with the soldiers, which suits Qin Chu's wishes.
The next day, Qin Chu went to court as usual to receive his official title.
But to his surprise, the throne remained vacant. Fortunately, the imperial edicts read aloud by the eunuchs were all written in the emperor's own handwriting, and the regents were relatively well-behaved.
Qin Chu was appointed Grand General and granted fertile land and a mansion. Other generals received their titles one after another, and even outstanding soldiers were rewarded.
The morning passed peacefully, but Qin Chu felt uneasy because he hadn't seen Noah.
He had just finished court and was on his way to meet the emperor when the young eunuch he had met yesterday came to greet him again and conveyed the emperor's decree: "General, His Majesty requests that you bring the eldest prince with you after noon."
When the eldest prince was mentioned, the young eunuch was clearly confused and panicked, but he still managed to finish speaking.
Qin Chu nodded in reply. Just then, rows of palace servants walked by, creating a lively scene. Qin Chu glanced at them and asked, "What are they doing?"
The young eunuch replied, "This was instructed by His Majesty to prepare in advance for the ceremony of bestowing the title of Crown Prince."
Qin Chu was somewhat surprised, not expecting Noah to actually bring Qin Rui up so openly.
This is a real benefit for Qin Rui.
Thinking that he would be coming back in the afternoon, Qin Chu didn't go looking for Noah again this time, but returned to the camp.
-
"What? Appointing a crown prince?"
Upon hearing the news from Qin Chu, Qin Rui was somewhat incredulous, then laughed, "There's no such thing as a free lunch."
Qin Chu was to enter the palace in the afternoon, and he gestured to the boy to tinker with it himself and not run around with a lion's head on his head.
"In any case, go and see; the Emperor specifically requests to see you."
"Wait, how did he know I was with you and my brother?" Qin Rui quickly seized on the loophole.
Qin Chu: "..."
Qin Chu didn't know how to tell him that the current emperor's core was just his system.
Qin Chu couldn't say that, so he could only evade the question by saying, "I mentioned it in my correspondence with His Majesty."
Qin Rui's attention immediately shifted: "Brother, when did you communicate with him? How come I didn't know?"
Every time Qin Chu wrote a letter, he would stand beside him to help Qin Chu grind the ink and learn the characters.
However, Qin Chu wrote very few letters over the years, let alone corresponded with the emperor.
"Just go when they tell you to, don't overthink it." Qin Chu coughed lightly, completely at a loss for words.
Qin Rui became somewhat displeased when the emperor was mentioned.
He walked up to Qin Chu, sat down on the ground, and rested his head on Qin Chu's lap: "Brother, I've never met this father in my life. Is there some kind of conspiracy behind his sudden request to see me?"
These words sounded so melancholic that Qin Chu couldn't help but stroke the boy's spiky hair a couple of times.
In fact, Qin Rui's thinking was not wrong. If it weren't for Noah, that emperor would never have woken up, and he would never have compensated Qin Rui, his bloodline.
Hearing those rumors might even hurt Qin Rui.
Although the child is now grown up, Qin Chu doesn't intend to tell him these meaningless things. He simply says, "After all, it's blood ties. You don't need to be close to him, but you can accept the benefits he gives you."
"Of course, my brother is the closest person to me."
Qin Rui rested his head on Qin Chu's knee, inwardly scoffing.
What bullshit about blood ties and family affection? That old bastard should die sooner rather than later.
He had never had any feelings for this so-called father emperor; he had only ever seen him as a symbol and had never paid him any attention. But now that he knew this father emperor had suddenly awakened and had even secretly corresponded with his brother, Qin Rui became extremely dissatisfied.
Thinking about the upcoming meeting, he gave a mocking smirk: "I'd like to see what this father emperor is like."
Qin Rui's casual remark made Qin Chu strangely tense.
He had known for a long time that Noah had possessed the emperor's body, and he had wondered what kind of trouble Noah would cause when he woke up. He even suspected the palace servants might think the emperor was possessed.
Qin Chu was staying at the border, so what Noah did had little to do with him. But now...
Qin Chu was terrified that this guy would suddenly burst out a string of "aww" when facing Qin Rui.
That would be incredibly embarrassing.
Thinking of this, Qin Chu's legs suddenly felt heavy as he stepped into the palace gate.
He couldn't help but pull Qin Rui, who was traveling with him, his expression indescribable: "Why don't you not go? I can go by myself."
Noah, after all, lived in his mind, and Qin Chu still cared a lot about his reputation.
Qin Rui was amused by Qin Chu's actions. He smiled and teased, "Now that we're here, brother is scared again. Are you afraid that Father will eat me?"
Qin Chu: "...Fine, whatever you want."
Following the palace attendants' directions, the two entered the main hall.
Qin Chu was somewhat surprised. He had thought that since he was going to meet Qin Rui, the meeting place would be more private, but he did not expect Noah to choose the main hall where the court was held.
The court session has long since ended, and the palace servants who were sweeping and cleaning have also left.
The heavy palace doors closed, and the entire magnificent palace suddenly went dark.
Qin Chu looked up, his gaze following the high steps upwards, where he saw a large dragon throne placed at the top. The area around the throne was completely empty, without even a personal eunuch or a maidservant holding a fan.