Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 209

Liu Cenfeng stared at me blankly for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

I was baffled by his laughter when he suddenly reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder, saying loudly, "I never thought that I, Liu Cenfeng, who was so arrogant all my life, would ultimately lose to a woman!"

My lips twitched slightly. I slapped his hand away, lifted my shirt, and sat down on the grass. A moment later, he sat down beside me.

We sat side by side, half a meter apart, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon. A cool breeze brushed against our faces, ruffling our hair, creating a serene and tranquil feeling. I thought to myself, this is probably the last sunset I'll ever watch with Yufei, Feifei, and even Liu Cenfeng.

Liu Cenfeng finally spoke and asked, "Speak, what do you want me to do?" He paused, then added, "I know you've thought it through. And I, no matter how despicable, will not break my promise."

A sharp pain pierced my heart as I thought of that man, as pure and clear as crystal. I had told him I would bring him back in two months, but I ultimately broke my promise. I thought of the man who bore the burden of sin and pain for me. I had promised him I would do anything for him, but in the end, I ran away from him. In this lifetime, I am destined to owe them.

I smiled into the wind, then turned my head, my gaze falling on Liu Cenfeng, tears gently sliding down my cheeks.

Then, in a low, slightly hoarse voice, I said to him, "Liu Cenfeng, please tell them for me that I'm sorry, and thank you! Lin Jialan will never, ever forget their kindness and the debt she owes them. Please, you must tell them..."

Liu Cenfeng looked at me intently, then suddenly chuckled softly. I stared in shock and disbelief, wanting to say something, but I couldn't utter a single syllable.

I could only watch helplessly as the blue in his eyes slowly faded, turning into a deep, pure black like the night sky.

Then, he gave me a smile that I knew all too well, and said softly, "Yu, I forgive you."

Chapter 51 Three Years of Rule

At the end of September in the 774th year of the Wanli reign.

With the fall of Jinyao City, hundreds of thousands of Crimson Universe soldiers stormed into the Tenglong Palace, a symbol of ultimate imperial power, marking the final demise of Jinyao, the last powerful nation on the continent of Ishu.

The soldiers eventually found Yang Yi and Ruoshui, dressed impeccably and sitting proudly, in Ganlin Palace, the northernmost part of the palace.

Ganlin Palace was the Luofei Garden where I used to work. It was somewhat unexpected that Yang Yi would choose to stay there in his final moments. As I walked into the main hall of Ganlin Palace, a memory flashed through my mind: it was here that Yang Yi first laid his cards on his head, openly displaying his suspicion of his subjects.

Yang Yi sat in the main seat dressed in imperial robes, his face showing no sign of surprise or fear. Apart from the white hair at his temples and the vicissitudes etched on his face by the years, he was as dignified and noble as he had been in his prime.

Ruoshui looked at me with trembling eyes, her face pale, her eyes filled with regret and fear, but even more so with guilt.

I looked away, secretly admiring Yang Yi's imperial composure even in his dying moments. Suddenly, Yang Yi raised his voice and said, "Lin Yu, I have been waiting here for a long time. Now that you are before me, what are you waiting for?"

I looked up at him, sighed silently, knelt down and kowtowed three times respectfully before standing up and saying, "People say that once you serve a master, you serve him for life. I, Lin Yu, cannot be such a loyal minister. I can only repay the Emperor's kindness in recognizing my talent with these three kowtows before sending him on his way."

I thought Yang Yi would scoff, or at least dismiss it, but to my surprise, he shook his head forlornly and said with a bitter smile, "I have never believed that someone as brilliant and powerful as you would willingly submit to someone else. But now I have to believe that it was my suspicion that destroyed our relationship as ruler and subject, and also ruined my country."

"Lin Yu, do you still remember the story you once told? 'Success and failure both stem from Xiao He.'" Yang Yi silently turned his gaze to me. "As for me, success and failure both stem from Qin Luo."

I closed my eyes, waved my hand to order someone to bring two glasses of wine to Yang Yi and Ruoshui, and said in a deep voice, "Yuanzhi, Ruoshui, I hope that from now on your lives will only be filled with happiness."

Yang Yi, holding a wine cup, met Ruoshui silently. Ruoshui suddenly smiled, raised her wine cup, looked at me, and said in a choked voice, "Young master, in this life, Ruoshui has betrayed you. If there is an afterlife, Ruoshui is willing to serve under you again and never betray you."

After saying this, she suddenly tilted her head back and drank the "poisoned wine" in the cup. A moment later, her eyes slowly became unfocused, and finally her body went limp and she collapsed.

I looked at Yang Yi, and he looked at me too. His deep blue eyes held an unreadable emotion as he said softly, "Before you drink this glass of wine, I only have one question for you."

Yang Yi unconsciously tightened his grip on the wine glass, stared at me, and asked, word by word, "Lin Yu, are you a woman or not?"

I pondered for a long time before finally nodding slowly.

Yang Yi seemed stunned for a long time, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, his voice hoarse from laughing hysterically. He then swirled the glass, poured all the wine into his mouth, and slowly drank it down.

Seeing that they had finally lost consciousness, I quickly took out a travel permit from my pocket and handed it to Soku behind me, saying, "The wine is laced with a sleeping potion prepared by Yunyan. When they wake up, they will have lost all their memories. You just need to settle them in a remote village in Chuyun and make sure they don't starve to death."

Soku nodded solemnly, then asked in surprise, "Lin Yu, are you really a woman?"

I coughed softly and nodded awkwardly. Soku laughed loudly, "Don't worry, Lin Yu, whether you're a man or a woman, I'll consider you my friend."

He was silent for a moment, then sighed, "In this world, how many people would do something like you, going to great lengths to leave a way out for the enemy? Lin Yu, what will happen if you speak of the future of Yun Kingdom?"

I looked quietly into his worried eyes, and then sincerely made a promise: "Saku, I can promise you that no matter who ascends to the throne in the future, the Izumo Island Kingdom will maintain its autonomy for the next fifty years, and this will never change."

Modern, January 2009.

Because of Xu Lie's sudden death, Xu Tian Group's stock plummeted. The Xu family had only one son, and many speculated about who would succeed Xu's father after his passing, causing widespread anxiety both inside and outside the company.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Xu held a press conference at this time, announcing that he was pregnant with Xu Lie's child, and that this child would be Xu Tian's only heir, and that he would gradually take over the company's affairs before the child was born.

This news shocked everyone. During this time, my body had begun to swell, and being five months pregnant made many things inconvenient. Coupled with the opposition from both sets of parents, and with nothing to do, I began to learn about company management with the help of Mr. Xu and Zimo.

Perhaps because I was used to the ups and downs of ancient times, I didn't find it too difficult to take control of a company. But I never expected that Mr. Xu would announce my succession so soon after I entered the business world.

January 17th was the wedding day of Xiaojie and Yu Xiangkun. This couple, who followed the most traditional model of love and remained devoted to each other through thick and thin, finally walked down the aisle.

Seeing Xiaojie looking so beautiful in her wedding dress, I was genuinely happy for her. She gently hugged me, her voice choked with emotion, and said, "Lanlan, you will be happy. You must be happy."

I smiled and hugged her, calling her a silly girl in my heart, but my eyes slowly welled up with tears.

The best man and maid of honor at the wedding were Zi Mo and Wei Ye. Watching them walk side by side, there was an unspoken understanding between them. Zi Mo's smile was gentle and warm, and a faint glimmer shone in his brown eyes—a glimmer of longing for life, a glimmer of hope for the future. I thought, I can finally rest easy.

At the end of December 774 (the 12th year of the Wanli reign)

It was the dead of winter again. After Yang Yi's death, I had Qin Gui, disguised as the Wind Emperor, order that he be posthumously granted the title of "Marquis of Xiyao." His sons, grandsons, and concubines were all spared punishment, stripped of their titles, and imprisoned in the former Chiyu Tower. Yang Qian was beheaded and his head displayed publicly for his cruelty and bloodthirstiness. Chen Sheng was restored to his original name and promoted to Grand Censor of Fengyin Kingdom, a second-rank official. Lü Shaojun, desiring a career in officialdom, resigned. As for other ambitious individuals in Jinyao, as long as they possessed talent, I would employ them regardless of their background.

Although some cities of Jinyao Kingdom remained unincorporated into my Fengyin territory, they were already at their last gasp. Thus, with little resistance, I conquered the remaining cities of Jinyao in one fell swoop.

After capturing Jinyao, I ceased my haste to attack. Instead, with the help of Han Jue and Han Ning, I began to restore order to the court and improve the lives of the people. I did not want to delay unification, but I was even more unwilling for the future emperor to inherit a devastated and impoverished nation.

Between Firefeather and Golden Radiance lies only the powerless Water Mist Kingdom. I had assumed that with Golden Radiance destroyed, Firefeather, feeling the threat of being left vulnerable, would immediately take action. However, by late spring of 775, Jun Wuhen had still made no move.

Just as I was hesitating whether to launch an attack to probe their strength, Yi Han's message arrived by carrier pigeon. He wrote only a few words in the letter, instructing me not to invade Huo Ling Kingdom for the time being, and said nothing more. I read this thin letter over and over again before tucking it under my pillow.

While the country is recuperating, I know there are some things I must do.