Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 215

Even if the Prime Minister were still alive, I would still aspire to serve him.

The young man tosses and turns day and night, wondering where his wandering soul has gone.

I recently visited a remote mountain cliff, and the old monk in the ancient temple said it was true.

Weary birds return to their nests as the sun sets; home lies deep within the white clouds.

The final epilogue: Peaceful and serene.

In December of the 785th year of the Wanli reign, heavy snow fell for seven days, only stopping intermittently in the evening.

A nameless and unremarkable village nestled in the mountains, home to about twenty households, has been trapped by the heavy snow for almost half a month. Strangely, the villagers still come and go, their expressions relaxed. Young children run and play endlessly in the snow, their clear laughter audible from afar.

As soon as the snow stopped, the sky became even brighter, almost like daytime in the evening. On the south side of the village, someone had placed several rattan chairs, and two men were sitting on them, gently rocking back and forth. The four corners of the chairs were deeply embedded in the snow, creaking rhythmically with each sway.

After silently watching the children playing in the snow for a while, the man sitting on the left suddenly blurted out, "Qin Li is probably doomed this time."

The man who spoke was handsome with delicate features, but his eyes were upturned at the corners, and his lips were thin and red, giving him a somewhat effeminate appearance. His white clothes stood out starkly against the snowy backdrop.

The man on the right, dressed in dark blue, had a handsome appearance. Upon hearing this, his face paled slightly, and he angrily said, "Lin Xuan, don't talk nonsense! No matter how much Qin Gui... no matter how much he... would never kill his own brother."

Lin Xuan was neither pleased nor angry upon hearing this. He simply shrugged slightly, put his hands behind his head, leaned back in the rattan chair, and laughed, "Qin Wu, your naivety is truly a product of the young master's indulgence. Even now, you don't even understand the principle that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger."

Seeing Qin Wu's face turn red as he was about to retort, Lin Xuan waved his hand and scoffed, "You mean brothers? Once you're in Qin Gui's position, who would still have brothers or masters? Don't be silly, okay? Who do you think has been secretly forbidding the people from talking about Qin Luo all these years? Who do you think has been constantly searching for information about us all these years?"

Lin Xuan's voice wasn't loud, and his pace was relatively slow, but Qin Wu, standing to the side, couldn't make a sound. A mixture of loneliness, disappointment, and resentment flickered in Qin Wu's eyes, finally culminating in a long, mournful sigh.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Xuan turned to look at the children in the snow and laughed, "You should take it easy. Aside from an anomaly like the Hidden Lord, who can resist the allure of power once they've reached that position? The higher one's position, the more afraid they are of losing power, and their life naturally deviates further from its original trajectory. Qin Li commands hundreds of thousands of troops, and over 70% of the generals in the court are sworn to serve him to the death. His achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor's position. Qin Gui's tolerance of him until today is already more than enough! If Qin Li, with his temperament, had listened to the young master and withdrawn from officialdom earlier, he wouldn't have ended up like this."

Qin Wu stared blankly at the snow on the ground, oblivious to the stinging pain in her eyes. She recalled how the six of them had practiced martial arts together, grown up together, and played together, just like the children in this village.

Qin Wu thought of Qin Ye, who died in Xiangxi, Qin Li, who was on the verge of death, Qi Luo, who had married another man, Qin Xue, who was the leader of the Dark Camp, and Qin Gui, who was the emperor... The beautiful and happy times of the past seemed to have long gone, becoming the most unattainable dream in his memory and the deepest longing in his heart.

On such a snowy night, the two people outside the house sometimes talked, sometimes pondered, and sometimes stared blankly at the children playing, completely unaware that their conversation had already been overheard by the people inside the house.

"That Lin Xuan, he's still so sarcastic. I shouldn't have let him come along in the first place! Hey!" I nudged the man I was playing chess with and said, "Are you going to let Qin Li die? He's your most prized disciple!"

Yi Han raised his head, a strand of silver hair on his forehead swaying gently. His cold face remained calm and expressionless as he said indifferently, "If you want to save him, just say so. Why beat around the bush?"

I picked up a chess piece and gently set it down, sighing, "Before I left, I instructed Qin Xue to save his life three times, no matter what. These three chances were meant to help him understand the situation and retire from officialdom as soon as possible. Who knew..."

Yi Han suddenly reached out and touched my brow, gently massaging it with unwavering persistence. His cold voice was tinged with a hint of tenderness: "This is his choice, and he must bear the consequences himself. You are not allowed to frown for him anymore."

I smiled and took his hand, gazing into his dark eyes: "Power, wealth, prestige, the unparalleled emperor of all time—back then, so many temptations were placed before you. Yihan, how exactly did you choose to let go?"

Yi Han glanced at me sideways, picked up a chess piece and casually put it down, coldly saying, "My wife is smarter than me, wiser than me, and more beloved by the people than I am. Whether dressed as a man or a woman, she always attracts everyone's attention. She has the title of a divine child, the ability to travel between two worlds, and too many uncontrollable variables... Back then, I was so preoccupied with these things that the days just passed by. How could I have the mind to consider how important power and the throne were?"

I chuckled, grabbed his hand tightly and shook it twice, feeling a wave of tenderness and happiness wash over me.

Yi Han sighed softly, took my hand in return, and a gentle smile appeared in his eyes.

Just as they were enjoying their sweet moment, a series of light, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by a child's cheerful, innocent voice: "Mother! Mother!"

The door was pushed open with a bang, and a petite figure darted into Yi Han's arms in a flash.

I looked at the little girl with her rosy cheeks, feeling both annoyed and amused. I really didn't understand why she called out to me, but instead darted into Yihan's arms.

The little girl looked up, her forehead damp with sweat. Her thick cotton-padded coat made her look round and plump, far from petite. However, her face was beautiful and endearing, always adorned with a radiant smile that drew everyone's attention.

Her name is Fengling. She is five years old and is my and Yihan's daughter. She is also the apple of everyone's eye in this village.

Fengling snuggled against Yihan and giggled, "Mom! There's a handsome young man at the village entrance who's very pretty. He said he's here to see you."

Before the words were finished, the automatically closing door was gently pushed open again, and a child of about seven or eight years old entered first. He had a handsome face and delicate features, but his face was expressionless. His eyes revealed indifference and aloofness, yet also concealed a hint of arrogance.

His name is Feng Yi, he's eight years old, and he's my and Yi Han's son. Aside from his appearance, he completely inherited all of his father's traits: aloof, quiet, and not good at expressing his emotions. He has an extremely high talent for martial arts… a fairly scientific case of genetic inheritance, of course, if it weren't for that inexplicable variable…

When Feng Yi entered the room, he didn't close the door behind him; instead, he pushed it a little wider. As soon as Feng Yi came in, Feng Ling excitedly released Yi Han and rushed into his arms. This girl has a father complex and a brother complex, but no mother complex.

A moment later, a boy of similar age to Feng Yi walked in. He was dressed in a moon-white robe, his hair was tied up with a jade crown, and he had a faint smile on his face. He didn't have particularly outstanding features, but just by standing there casually, he gave people the illusion that the world paled in comparison.

I was so startled that my mouth gaped open, and I blurted out, "Zimo?!"

The child looked surprised upon hearing this and asked in astonishment, "Does Madam recognize me?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize his lapse in composure, and quickly composed himself, asking respectfully, "May I ask if your surname is Qin, given name Luo, and courtesy name Linyu?"

I was still a little dazed, unable to snap out of my daze at the face and brown eyes that were ninety percent similar to Zi Mo's. Upon hearing this, I could only nod blankly.

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Although he tried his best to suppress his smile, a slight smile still appeared on his lips. He quickly walked up to me and handed me a scroll, saying, "I, Han Fei, am delivering this item on the orders of my father, Han Jue, and also request a return gift from Madam."

Han Jue?! I exclaimed inwardly. I had only told him that he would settle near the former Qimu Kingdom, but I never expected him to find me! But why would he name his son Han Fei? What is this guy thinking?

As I gripped the scroll tightly, watching Han Fei with a look of disbelief, a hand suddenly swept across the room and snatched the scroll from my hand. Startled, I saw that Yi Han had already opened the scroll, frowned as he stared at it for a long time, his expression growing colder and colder. Finally, he snorted and slammed it on the table.

I was greatly surprised. I took the scroll and opened it, and was immediately stunned. The scroll depicted a woman in simple clothes and a plain hairpin, with eyes like stars, eyebrows like distant mountains, and a gentle smile on her lips. She was a perfect blend of feminine grace and masculine spirit. In the background, a small boat sailed on the boundless water, and the woman stood at the bow, serene and composed, gentle as water. She seemed like an invincible war goddess, or perhaps a lovelorn woman with a gentle smile.

My face flushed slightly. This painting was clearly just a portrait of me, yet Han Jue had infused it with such delicate and indescribable emotions. No wonder Yi Han was angry.

I stuck out my tongue inwardly and continued looking to the side. In the lower right corner of the painting was a poem inscribed:

Wings sprouted from the clouds above the palace.

His teeth and cheeks were weathered from years of military campaigns.

When weary birds return home, their fragrance lingers on your sleeves.

The dream of spring in the pavilion is still many.

Let us travel together in a light boat with short oars.