Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 141

"Alright." I reached out and hooked my arm around his neck, pressing my face against his neck where his pulse was throbbing slightly. Suddenly I laughed and said, "Yihan, I never even dared to dream of being able to snuggle in your arms like this before."

Yihan didn't say anything, but just held me tighter. We enjoyed that moment of tranquility, a time when it was just the two of us, free from any scheming or power struggles, amidst the gentle swaying of the carriage.

As soon as I returned to Chiyu Tower, a white dove fluttered its wings and flew onto Yihan. He took the small copper tube off the dove's leg, took out a roll of silk from it, and handed it to me.

“It was written by Bu Ying.” I looked up and smiled. “He and Yun Yan escaped to Shuiwu and, with the protection of the Dark Camp, evaded the pursuit of the four great assassins. They are on their way to Fengyin right now.”

Yi Han nodded, her eyes filled with tenderness and pity: "That way you won't have to worry."

That day, I vomited blood and fell into a coma. Although I didn't suffer any serious illness, my existing cough and weakness worsened. Normal activities and thinking were fine, but once I exerted myself, I would become short of breath, cough, or even faint. I myself was worried about how long my body could hold on, let alone Yihan.

Entering the hall, I saw Qin Li and Han Jue waiting for me, their expressions both urgent and excited. Upon seeing me, Qin Li politely bowed, but Han Jue pulled me to the table and pointed to a detailed map of Fengyin, saying, "Lin Yu, what does Qin Li mean by saying you want to establish the Fengyin Five Cities Economic Alliance? What exactly is this 'economy'? And which five cities are involved?"

I smiled and said, "Jingyuan, it's not me who wants to form an economic alliance, it's you!"

He squinted at me with his brown eyes, his face expressionless, neither happy nor angry, simply waiting silently for my explanation.

In fact, in terms of appearance, personality, and talent, Han Jue is extremely similar to Zi Mo. However, for some reason, I have a feeling that when it comes to a critical moment where it's either him or me, the seemingly genuine Han Jue will be much more cold-blooded than the seemingly indifferent Zi Mo.

I casually found a chair and sat down, pointing my index finger at the map one by one: "Pucheng, Jianye, Zhuojun, Shangyong, and Fangling, these five cities will be open to full trade in a few months. Your responsibility is to establish an Yixiu Cult and open various chain restaurants, banks, and so on in the five cities. The Yixiu Cult is a private guild, but it will pay more than twice the usual amount of taxes to the Fengyin Dynasty every year."

Han Jue listened attentively, a look of surprise slowly rising on his face: "Although I didn't quite understand some of what he said, I understood the general meaning. But Lin Yu, not to mention whether the original merchants in the five cities would allow us to enter, just establishing a foothold in a town with no foundation is not something that can be done in a year or two."

I rested my chin on my hand, raised an eyebrow slightly, and looked at the five cities that were connected like lips and teeth. I said calmly, "This is why I didn't compete with Yang Qian for credit back then, but patiently occupied and reorganized these five cities. A year ago, when I had full control over all the cities, I secretly ordered people to develop various markets in the five cities. Now you only need to use your wealth to expand these markets. As for those merchants, they will be the focus of this Yi Cultivation Association."

When I mentioned that we had been preparing to expand into the market for a year, a sharp look of shock flashed in Han Jue's eyes. His warm brown eyes turned shimmering and cold, which was then covered by astonishment.

My fingers casually traced the five cities on the parchment, my clear voice possessing a purity unmatched by ordinary people: "Guilds cannot be annexed, but shares can be sold. Regardless of industry or branch, merchants with good reputations and the ability to pay a sufficient price are allowed to join, and even purchase a certain limit of guild shares. Each city must be represented by a merchant holding the highest shareholding, who will hold meetings every three months to discuss the guild's development and expansion, and formulate the economic strategy for the next quarter. But there are a few things you must remember!"

I raised my head, my eyes coldly fixed on him: "First, as the alliance leader, you and I must control more than 50% of the guild's shares; second, your identity and the guild's information must never be leaked. If any member merchant violates the rules, they must be suppressed with overwhelming force. Therefore, I need to arrange a group of people as the guild's protectors; third..."

My voice gradually became serious, and even my speaking speed slowed down: "Thirdly, Jingyuan, you must swear that you will never betray me. I can disregard who your original master was, and I can disregard what your purpose was in approaching me, but from the moment you took over the Five Cities Economic Alliance, you can only be my friend, and I will never allow you to have any disloyalty."

A fleeting look of surprise and fear crossed Han Jue's face, replaced by a deep, enigmatic smile: "Lin Yu, what makes you think I'll never betray you?"

I shrugged, leaned back lazily in my chair, and chuckled, “I don’t rely on anything. But I can promise you three things: First, I can guarantee that your interests will only increase, not decrease, you don’t need to question that; second, even if I take over Jinyao in the future, I will never oppress the people or humiliate the officials; third, I can ensure the safety of your whole family, including… your nephew.”

"You knew?!" Han Jue roared, his expression finally changing drastically, filled with anger and shock. "You've been suspecting me for a long time!"

“Jingyuan,” I sighed, “I’ve only never given up monitoring your second brother, Han Ning. Otherwise, why do you think Qin Xue and the Blood Division members were able to save you when you were assassinated by Lu Ling?”

Han Jue was no ordinary person after all; he quickly regained his composure. His gaze fell on my hand holding the map, and he asked in a deep voice, "What is your purpose? Since you don't want to be emperor, what is your purpose?"

“Unifying the world.” I sighed silently. “Does not becoming emperor mean I can’t have the desire for a unified world and an end to the conflicts? I just want to create a new history for…you and your descendants, for all the people of the world. And controlling the economic lifeline of all countries is necessary to fulfill this wish.”

I stretched and stood up. Han Jue, who was sitting, happened to look up. At that moment, a brown light flickered in his eyes, giving me the illusion that Zi Mo was right in front of me. He looked at me with an extremely complicated expression and asked, "Who is stronger, him or you?"

I didn't react for a moment and blurted out, "Who?"

“Zi Mo…” Han Jue frowned as he looked at me, his handsome face radiating a gentle light, as pure as snowflakes from the sky. “You mistook me for him when you were unconscious. Between Zi Mo and you, who is more powerful?”

So that's how it is. I suddenly understood. No wonder he asked me who Zimo was in Fangling. I smiled faintly, brushing him aside, and said casually, "Everything I know, he taught me. Who do you think is more capable?"

"Lin Yu." He suddenly called out to me. I stopped and turned to look at him. Yi Han also stopped, but didn't turn around, only looking at me. Han Jue stood there with one hand behind his back, looking at me, and said loudly, "I promise you."

Before I could even nod, he smiled leisurely yet inscrutable: "I will wait until the day when you only look at me, instead of looking at others through me, I promise."

What did he mean by that? I walked out of the council hall, completely bewildered, and still couldn't figure out Han Jue's words when I got back to my room. Seeing Zi Mo through him was just a very rare illusion, and besides, Zi Mo was right there within my reach now, so what was he still guaranteeing?

Entering the room, I rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a piece of silk, specially used for sending messages as it was resistant to wear and tear. Without turning around, I said, "Yihan, send a message to Buying in a moment, telling him to take the route through Pucheng and then take a boat directly to Zidu..."

A pair of hands suddenly hugged me tightly from behind, making my voice disappear into the cool and familiar embrace.

"Yihan?" I called his name softly, and grasped his arms that were wrapped around my waist with both hands.

The cool embrace slowly warmed, and Yi Han's hot, soft lips pressed against my neck, whispering in my ear, "Lin Yu, let's do it?"

I almost choked on my own saliva. From that day on, we often ended up in bed together. But when Yihan wanted to do it, he never asked. He would just kiss me passionately, and the kisses would ignite a fire within me. Usually, he would say, "Let's do it, shall we?" It was always me... Why did he suddenly change today?

Yi Han pulled me around and turned me around. His lips landed precisely on my body, and his passionate kiss ignited our bodies. Our breaths became hot and steamy. We lay entangled on the bed, our bodies nestled in the soft mattress, our clothes mostly off.

I felt like I was burning with fire, and the emptiness that yearned for fulfillment made me unconsciously reach out, wanting to grasp something in the air. But he grabbed my hand, our fingers intertwined and pressed against the sides of the pillow, his hot, strong body completely covering me.

Unlike his usual gentleness, so careful not to hurt me, Yihan's actions today were somewhat out of control, even a little rough. Sweat dripped from his damp, silver-black hair, falling onto me.

That outburst, tinged with fear and unease, made me oblivious to my own discomfort, filling me with heartache and pity. I hooked my arms around his neck, my red lips parted slightly, and with a sudden, sharp bite, I bit down hard on his shoulder, the faint taste of blood seeping into my tongue.

He groaned softly and was about to get up when I held him tightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Yihan, I love you, not just love you, not just love you the most, but I only love you... No matter which world we're in, I will only love you!"

Afterwards, I collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted, too weak to even move a finger. Now I finally believe that when Yihan said he didn't want me to be too tired, he was absolutely not joking.

Turning to look at him beside me, aside from his sweaty forehead and slightly hoarse voice, he seemed even more energetic than before.

I snuggled closer to him and poked his chest: "Let the temperature drop a little." I knew from the very beginning of our relationship that Yihan's embrace could be used as an air conditioner. By channeling a little bit of internal energy to maintain a certain body temperature, he could do it even when he was asleep.

He stroked my sweaty forehead and said in a low voice, "You're prone to illness if you get cold. Your body can't take any more stress right now."

That meant he wouldn't allow it. Helplessly, I rested my head on his arm, snuggling closer to him. I wasn't so hot anymore, and sleepiness washed over me. But I still felt that saying everything now was best: "Yihan, I'm not from this world."

Yi Han was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "I know."

I pursed my lips. Sure enough, Yi Han wasn't stupid; he just knew but pretended not to: "I'm not the real Lin Yu. I took over her body when she was six, and then forgot everything when she was seventeen."

I sighed softly, "Yihan, there was a year when I forgot all about our past. In another time and space, I fell in love with Xu Lie, became his wife, and suffered heartbreak for him."

Yi Han tightened his grip on my arms, his voice low and hoarse: "I...know..."

I hugged him tightly: "Yihan, I've been going back and forth between two worlds, and I still am now."