《Ming Jing Tai》 CH 1 (t/n: Hello reader, I translated this entire novel over a year ago to practice my chinese. Finally editing it now, but please comment or dm me if you¡¯re a native english speaker interested in being an editor.) At the break of dawn, two hundred men and horses arrived outside the capital. After the gatekeepers saw the men¡¯s waist tokens, they were not respectful, but spoke in an official manner, ¡°In accordance with the law, your highness¡¯s army can only be stationed three miles outside the capital.¡± ¡°You!¡± A man raged, but the leader of the group raised a hand to stop him and said, ¡°Find a place for our brothers to camp, I will head in by myself.¡± ¡°Your highness, I should go with you.¡± ¡°I will go alone.¡± Forcefully pressing down on his shoulder, Hou Feng slightly nodded towards his men and mounted his horse. The city doors opened and Huo Feng entered the capital alone. As the only brother of the Jiazheng emperor, Southern Chu¡¯s great general Huo Feng, when the dynasty met with grim situations, he had to be extremely careful. Although he was a general with 700,000 of Southern Chu¡¯s men under his command, with his wives and children trapped in the capital, he could only submit to humiliation. Usually, Huo Feng would avoid returning to the capital, but his concubine had given birth to a son one month prior, so his majesty issued a decree ordering him to return to the capital immediately, forcing him to return. If he did not return, he would be resisting a decree, a sign of disrespect, and he and his mens¡¯ families would be unable to avoid entanglement. He did indeed miss his wives and sons a bit. But returning was indeed incredibly dangerous. ¡°Old Huang, I¡¯m really anxious about the prince returning alone, that place is a den of wolves.¡± A soldier who had returned to the capital with Huo Feng, Xu Baicai said worriedly. Huang Han thought of the prince¡¯s figure, and similarly concernedly replied, ¡°I also worry. But while we are here, we must speak and work carefully. Their people are everywhere, so we must not give the prince any troubles or any weaknesses. Go, find a place to camp.¡± ¡°En.¡± The two men mounted their horses, taking the two hundred soldiers to find a place to camp three miles away. Eunuch Zhang Zhong sat in a courtyard feeding the birds. One man bowed towards him and whispered in his ear: ¡°Lord Dugong[1], Huo Feng has returned.¡± Zhang Zhong¡¯s hand froze for a moment, but he soon continued to scatter the rest of the rice grains in his hand onto the ground. The man immediately waved his hand and a eunuch quickly brought in a pot of hot tea. Zhang Zhong wiped his hands, then took a tea cup and took two sips, before slowly asking, ¡°How many men did he bring?¡± ¡°About two hundred men. Our people blocked them outside the capital, only he entered, he is currently on the way into the palace.¡± Zhang Zhong handed the tea cup over and the eunuch immediately received it. Zhang Zhong stood, still slowly speaking: ¡°Prince Yue[2] just returned, we should give him some face. I am going to see his majesty now. Where is Chongren?¡± The eunuch replied: ¡°The novel consort called him over.¡± ¡°Then wait for him to return, let him come see me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± July days always brought troubles, Zhang Zhong yawned and brought a few men to the Jiazheng emperor Huo Wenlong¡¯s bedchamber. Outside the bedchamber, Zhang Zhong heard a faint cry from inside. He raised his sleeves to cover his mouth, hiding the satisfaction on his lips. The eunuchs guarding the door opened the door to the bedchamber. Only Zhang Zhong walked inside, and in the outer room called with a shrill voice: ¡°Your majesty, this slave requests an audience for important matters.¡± The promiscuous sounds from inside ceased and a lazy male voice traveled out: ¡°I am busy.¡± ¡°Your majesty Prince Yue has returned to the capital.¡± ¡°He has returned? So quickly!¡± Movement sounded from inside the room. After a while, the Jiazheng emperor walked out clad in his dragon robes, though his hair was a bit messy and his dragon robes seemed to have been thrown on casually. His body still had the strong stench of pleasure making. The Jiazheng emperor could be considered an able-bodied man, however after years immersed in wine and pleasure, the corners of his eyes and mouth had all sagged, revealing a state of weakness unfitting of his age. Zhang Zhong personally poured tea for his majesty and respectfully spoke: ¡°Prince Yue has returned to the capital to report on his durites, will your majesty see him today?¡± The Jiazheng emperor stared at the tea hesitantly, finally asking: ¡°Has his crime been confirmed?¡± ¡°All confirmed, just waiting for your majesty¡¯s decree.¡± The Jiazheng emperor waved his hand irritably: ¡°Since it¡¯s already confirmed, do what needs to be done. But still ¡°question¡± him clearly, he is after all still my brother, I can¡¯t have the people calling me coldblooded with a disregard for blood ties.¡± ¡°Yes-¡± ¡°Go.¡± Zhang Zhong bowed and retreated with eyes sparkling with the joy of securing a big success. Zhang Zhong left, and the Jiazhong emperor sat on the throne, frowning. He still held some brotherly affection for his little brother. But this little brother had control over the military and Zhang Zhong also found that he had plans for rebellion. This could not be forgiven. No matter how important brotherly affection may be, it cannot compare to the rivers and mountains (the empire). ¡°Your majesty, why do you still not come, this servant can wait no longer.¡± The serious expression on the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s face immediately became one of obscenity. He put down the tea cup, and stood up to quickly enter the bed chamber. On the large bed, a sensual and voluptuous beauty lay half naked with long hair flowing, very charming. ¡°Aifei[3], I¡¯m coming.¡± Pouncing on the bed, the Jiazheng emperor impatiently shed his dragon robes, raised his body and pressed her down. ¡°Your majesty¡­¡­ah ah ah¡­¡­.¡± A spring night is worth a thousand gold. With a beauty by one¡¯s side, forget about brotherly affection, even the rivers and mountains are no longer important. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C The Jiazhen emperor loved beauties, with three thousand beauties in his palace and six thousand belles, yet only Noble Consort Ru bore him a son. This child smoothly became the crown prince. Although Noble Consort Ru was only a noble consort, she was prized and her birth family was not ordinary, so she was already the owner of the inner palace. Even the empress had to greet her with comity. At this time, Noble Consort Ru half lay on her chaise lounge as a man fanned her. With half lidded eyes, Noble Consort Ru appeared incredibly comfortable, however the words that escaped her mouth were not very pleased. ¡°That foxy girl Zhang Zhong gave his majesty really knows how to wait on people. His majesty keeps staying in the bedroom for her, not even going to court, really ¡®A king deeply in love no longer attends morning court¡¯[4] .¡± The man did not make a sound, but the fanning stopped. Noble Consort Ru opened her eyes. Although the corners of her eyes showed signs of age, her peerless elegance could not be overshadowed. It is no wonder that she could be the object of his majesty¡¯s affections for so many years, but these few months Noble Consort Ru was quite unhappy. ¡°Chongren, I don¡¯t blame you, I know of your sincerity, but Zhang Zhong has been too unkind with this move.¡± Once this man opened his mouth, a cold and clear voice sounded out: ¡° Lord Dugong has his own reasons for his actions. However, that is just a big-breasted, brainless girl, niangniang[5] has no need to be familiar with her. No matter how favored she is, she hasn¡¯t borne a son. Before long, his majesty will get tired of her.¡± Noble Consort Ru smiled: ¡°You¡¯re right. Chongren still thinks most thoroughly.¡± She sat up, tenderly stroked Yi Chongren¡¯s face, and sighed: ¡°In this palace, only you understand my heart. You are the flower who understands me, my noble. Without you, the crown prince would have¡­¡± ¡°Niangniang, don¡¯t mention the past. The crown prince is blessed with fortune, that time he just accidentally fell in the water and this servant was lucky enough to see it. Even without this servant, there would be someone else. Sometimes, mentioning things too often will make them come true. Niangniang should pray for the crown prince¡¯s fortune instead.¡± ¡°Ah, look at this mouth of mine. The crown price must stay safe and healthy. Chongren, I¡¯m becoming more and more reliant on you.¡± Noble Consort Ru leaned on Yi Chongren¡¯s shoulder, extremely intimate. Yi Chongren¡¯s face showed no signs of joy or panic from Niangniang¡¯s favor, his expression as cold as his voice. Paired with his makeup, he was truly terrifying. Yi Chongren raised his hand, rubbing his thumb against Noble Consort Ru¡¯s red lips, then spoke: ¡°Niangniang, this servant should leave.¡± ¡°Can you not accompany me a bit longer?¡± Noble Consort Ru retreated. ¡°Wait for this servant to finish work before coming to accompany niangniang.¡± Yi Chongren coldly spoke this short sentence, Noble Consort Ru smiled like a flower and waved her hand: ¡°Then go.¡± Yi Chongren stood up, bowed, and retreated. After he left, Noble Consort Ru touched her red lips that had just been touched by him with regret in her eyes wondering why such a beautiful man had to be a eunuch. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Everyone in the palace knew of how Noble Consort Ru favored Yi Chongren, even the Jiazheng emperor knew. However, Yi Chongren was a eunuch. No matter how much Noble Consort Ru favored him he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything, so the Jiazheng emperor kept one eye open and one eye closed. Otherwise with Noble Consort Ru¡¯s jealous temperament, she¡¯d make trouble with all the women by his side. With Yi Chongren to restrain her, he wouldn¡¯t say anything, as long as both sides weren¡¯t excessive, it would remain peaceful. After leaving Noble Consort Ru¡¯s chamber, Yi Chongren walked a few steps before someone stopped him, bowed, and spoke: ¡°Lord Qianhu[6], Lord Dugong wishes to see you.¡± ¡°En.¡± Indifferently, Yi Chongren began walking on the path to leave the palace. He was in the inner palace, so he couldn¡¯t ride a litter. Two men carried the litter behind him. The eunuchs in the palace of Southern Chu all had to wear makeup, even the top ranking eunuch Zhang Zhong had to apply powder and draw eyebrows after waking up and washing every morning. It is said the dynasty¡¯s founding emperor liked this, so the trend of eunuch makeup continued. Some eunuchs looked pleasing, looking quite good after applying powder and drawing eyebrows, while other eunuchs simply looked demonic, like Zhang Zhong. Yi Chongren could be considered the most beautiful eunuch in the palace, but the makeup on his face made him look like a man-eating monster. Crimson eyeliner curving upwards, a face as pale as ghost, deep purple lips, paired with his unfathomable skill and cruel methods, even the Jiazheng emperor who originally wanted to be served by him was dissuaded by that face and cold aura. It had been a whole fifteen years since Yi Chongren entered the palace at the age of ten. These fifteen years, he went from being the lowest ranking eunuch to the second most powerful eunuch in the court through his unordinary strategies and schemes. In addition, he was the savior of the crown prince, the confidant of Noble Consort Ru, the imperial guard¡¯s Lord Qianhu, and Zhang Zhong¡¯s trusted subordinate. He was at the height of his power in the palace. Everyone believed that once Zhang Zhong passed, he would be the most powerful eunuch in the palace. After leaving the inner palace, Yi Chongren sat on the litter. Leaning on the litter and closing his eyes to rest, he twisted the jade ring on his index finger. Ears twitching, Yi Chongren opened his eyes and lifted the litter curtain as someone walked over. His eyes flashed and he spoke: ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°Stop-¡± Following the order, the litter stopped. Immediately, someone lifted the litter curtain for Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren remained seated in the litter without the intention to leave, eyes watching the man in front of him slowly walk closer with a group of men and horses, in other words, the man was ¡°escorted¡± by a group of men and horses. The man pursed his mouth after stopping below Yi Chongren¡¯s litter, trying to mask the disgust in his eyes. If he had known he would meet this person, he would have entered the palace later. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t just ignore him , especially when the other party was clearly waiting for him. Facing the imperial guards and Hu An guards[7], Huo Feng wished they would all be struck to death by thunder. Swallowing this anger, Huo Feng, this prince of Southern Chu, arrived before Yi Chongren, clasped his fists and saluted: ¡°Yi gonggong[8].¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± Yi Chongren disrespectfully sounded, only now leaving the litter. Coldly sizing him up, the corner of his lips curved upwards: ¡°This servant heard your side concubine bore you a son, this servant offers the prince my congratulations. Returning to the capital this quick, you must have many matters to attend to.¡± Hearing these piercing words, Huo Feng calmly spoke: ¡°I have returned quickly to report on my duties and reunite with my family. Yi gonggong must be busy, I will keep you no longer.¡± ¡°Your highness has finally returned to the capital, this servant is not busy.¡± As expected, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t plan on releasing Huo Feng. The two men had met before, before Yi Chongren had risen to power, when he still had to show respect when meeting Huo Feng. After attaining power, he spoke to Huo Feng with a mocking attitude. Huo Feng hated eunuchs, especially ones like Yi Chongren who had hands stained with the blood of countless loyal officials. He could never forget how former prime minister Zhang Deyuan¡¯s family died tragically at that person¡¯s hands. Raising a hand, letting the left and right guards retreat, Yi Chongren¡¯s cold eyes landed on Huo Feng¡¯s face as his purple lips lightly spoke: ¡°Does your highness still remember the incident that occurred in the palace five years ago?¡± ¡°This prince¡¯s memory is not very good.¡± Huo Feng sneered in his heart. Anger ignited in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes before being suppressed in a second. ¡°Your highness may have bad memory, but this servant will never forget. Should this servant remind your highness?¡± ¡°Since this prince can¡¯t remember, why mention it again?¡± As the two spoke, Yi Chongren suddenly raised his hand to lightly flick Huo Feng¡¯s shoulder, like he was flicking away some dust. Huo Feng retreated a step with a disgusted face, as if he was touched by something dirty. ¡°Your highness, farewell[9].¡± Even if they did not speak of the event from five years ago, Yi Chongren sent Huo Feng those words, farewell. ¡°Lift the litter-¡± The litter curtain was lowered, and Yi Chongren¡¯s demonic face was obscured from Huo Feng¡¯s view, but Huo Feng couldn¡¯t help but scrunch his brows in his heart. What was that look Yi Chongren just gave him? And why did he suddenly mention that event from five years ago? And what meaning did that phrase ¡°farewell¡± hold? Huo Feng¡¯s eyelids twitched a few times and he turned around. In the sedan, Yi Chongren put away the mocking look he had used to face Huo Feng. Outside the litter, Huo Feng watched Yi Chongren¡¯s litter gradually disappear. Five years ago, in the imperial garden he couldn¡¯t help but ridicule Yi Chongren as a demon, a castrated dog. Yi Chongren replied to him at that time with the phrase: ¡°Beware of attracting demons when returning at night.¡± After that time, he and Yi Chongren could be considered to have completely torn off each other¡¯s masks of civility. Afterwards, he had regretted his own indiscretion. Although he controlled seven hundred thousand men, when facing this den of wolves, he could only endure. Offending Yi Chongren was tantamount to offending the Hu An guards. He had already expected that Yi Chongren would bring him troubles, but in the end Yi Chongren didn¡¯t do anything. However, three months later, prime minister Zhang Deyuan was convicted of unwarranted charges and his whole family was decapitated or exiled. Zhang Deyuan and his son both died at the hands of Yi Chongren. Huo Feng suddenly chuckled in his heart. The event five years ago. In addition to his feud with Yi Chongren, there was also the tragic death of Zhang Deyuan. ¡°Your highness, farewell¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng¡¯s body was suddenly covered in cold sweat. ¡°Your highness?¡± A court guard tasked with escorting Huo Feng asked. Huo Feng spoke calmly: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Five years ago¡­¡­-farewell¡­¡­ Huo Feng resisted the desire to look back. Yi Chongren, what do your words really mean? [1] Dugong: kind of means supervisor, he¡¯s basically a really high ranking eunuch [2] Another title for Huo Feng since he¡¯s the brother of the emperor [3] Means favored concubine [4] This is a line from the poem Chang Hen Ge by Bai Juyi which is about the story of Emperor Xuanzhong of Tang and Yang Guifei. Yang Guifei is one of the four beauties of ancient china. [5] Way to refer to a consort [6] Literally means thousand households. A fifth rank military position with a thousand men under their command. [7] These guards don¡¯t seem to appear to exist in history. [8] Way to refer to a eunuch. [9] һ·×ߺà is a way to say farewell. It¡¯s a saying often used to put the deceased to rest, though it most often means: the road ahead is long and unpredictable so I wish you reach your destination safely. These words sound pretty ominous here since they¡¯re often used to address dead people. I can¡¯t really get the right vibes in english CH 2 Huo Feng entered the palace, but his majesty did not summon him, claiming to feel unwell. Huo Feng left the palace feeling uneasy, constantly thinking about Yi Chongren¡¯s words as he walked. That cruel person may be plotting against him. With this thought, Huo Feng whipped his horse to speed back to the prince mansion. Once he returned to his mansion, without having a proper reunion with his family, Huo Feng sent a subordinate out of the capital to tell Huang Han and Xu Baicai that the situation was changing, so they could find a way to quickly go to Yellow Sand Pass ten miles away to secretly meet him. He had to take his wives and sons out of the capital. Huo Feng had an official wife and a concubine. His eldest son Huo Yunkai was born from the official wife and had just turned ten years old; his second son was just born from his concubine. Huo Feng was stationed at the border for most of the year and his two wives were ordered to stay in the capital by his majesty. For various reasons, Huo Feng did not have many wives and concubines like his imperial brother, and naturally did not have many children. However, compared to his imperial brother, he could already be considered to have many. In Zhang Zhong¡¯s mansion, after Yi Chongren arrived, Zhang Zhong ordered his guards to retreat so he could have a private talk with Yi Chongren. Zhang Zhong whispered: ¡°After leaving the palace, did you meet Prince Yue?¡± Unsurprisingly, Zhang Zhong already knew of his meeting with Huo Feng. The corner of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips raised indifferently: ¡°Met. Prince Yue is still so ¡®arrogant¡¯.¡± Zhang Zhong laughed: ¡°Prince Yue always calls us ¡®castrated dogs¡¯ or ¡®demons¡¯, Chongren has no need to take it to heart. You are loyal to the emperor, so no harm is done from this aggravation.¡± Yi Chongren unhappily pursed his lips in response. Zhang Zhong became a bit more serious and said: ¡°We found that Prince Yue has the intent to rebel, but there¡¯s not enough evidence. I fear it is not enough to convince the masses, but his majesty has already issued the decree so we must handle this thoroughly. Prince Yue has seven hundred thousand men under his command so we must be cautious.¡± Yi Chongren put down the tea cup in his hand: ¡°Isn¡¯t the evidence revealed by the people? As long as the people by Prince Yue¡¯s side say he wants to rebel, then he wants to rebel.¡± Zhang Zhong laughed, as expected, Chongren still thinks most thoroughly. Yi Chongren continued: ¡°The two masters by Prince Yue¡¯s side seem to not have entered the capital with him. To clear weeds we must get rid of the roots. Only by completely cutting off these wings of Prince Yue can we make sure the seven hundred thousand men under his command don¡¯t cause chaos. Otherwise, even if Prince Yue is captured, troubles will not stop cropping up. His majesty hates being troubled the most.¡± Zhang Zhong nodded, and said shadily: ¡°I am also thinking of how to thoroughly get rid of those loyal men by Prince Yue¡¯s side. Chongren, do you have any ideas?¡± Yi Chongren replied coldly: ¡°Two pronged attack.¡± ¡°How?¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t reply directly, implying: ¡°After capturing Prince Yue, those subordinates of his would definitely come to his rescue. His majesty has already issued the decree. If anyone dares to take a risk and resist the decree, doesn¡¯t it become clear that Prince Yue holds rebellious intent?¡± ¡°Hehe,¡± Zhang Zhong nodded repeatedly, ¡°As expected of Chongren. I still can only find you for these matters. Others only add to my troubles. Then I leave this to you. But those two sons of Prince Yue¡­¡± Zhang Zhong made a killing motion. Yi Chongren approached and whispered in Zhang Zhong¡¯s ear: ¡°Prince Yue¡¯s youngest son just turned a month old. Isn¡¯t Lord Dugong lacking in some ¡®medicine¡¯ lately?¡± Zhang Zhong¡¯s heart was moved and his eyes showed some hesitancy. Yi Chongren took Zhang Zhong¡¯s hand: ¡°Leave everything to this subordinate.¡± Then he backed away. Zhang Zhong was very satisfied: ¡°Chongren ah Chongren, if I didn¡¯t have you, it would be like not having my left and right arms. Prince Yue¡¯s manor definitely doesn¡¯t lack precious goods. Take whatever you like.¡± ¡°Thank you Lord Dugong.¡± Yi Chongren stood to retreat. Zhang Zhong smiled and let him retire. Thinking of how the biggest obstacle in his path to power was about to be eliminated, he couldn¡¯t help but feel joy from the bottom of his heart and laugh loudly. After leaving Zhang Zhong¡¯s residence, Yi Chongren immediately summoned his men. Zhang Zhong had sent Liu Yu, a trusted eunuch under his command, to assist Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren went to the main hall of the Hu An guards to discuss the specific arrangements and time of operation with the four officers of the Hu An guards and imperial guards. During this period, Yi Chongren received some news, the two hundred men stationed outside the capital were preparing to leave. Zhang Zhong had already instructed Sun Jiyu to send imperial guards to intercept the two hundred men and told Yi Chongren that Prince Yue intended to escape, so he must capture him quickly. Yi Chongren planned that in an hour, the Hu Anwei and Imperial Guards would directly storm into Prince Yue¡¯s residence to capture Prince Yue, his two wives, and his two children alive. Over at the Prince Yue residence, the men who were sent out did not bring any news back, making Huo Feng feel the urgency of the matter. He immediately found his two wives, asking them to disguise themselves and bring the children out through the back door to leave the capital immediately. At this moment, Huo Feng received terrible news. Huo Yunkai, his eldest son who was playing in the back garden suddenly disappeared along with the two guards and two maids that served him. Huo Feng¡¯s heart sank and his official wife almost fainted. Huo Feng immediately ordered Jia Ding to search outside the residence. Time was not waiting for anyone, so he set about arranging for his two wives and youngest son to leave the mansion. But fate didn¡¯t plan on letting go of Huo Feng. Before he had time to send out his wives and youngest son, an army of men and horses appeared outside the manor, surrounding his residence. Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu had sent a group of eunuchs to monitor Huo Feng since he returned to the capital. Naturally he had eyes in the prince¡¯s manor, so how could he not know what Huo Feng was planning to do. ¡°His majesty has issued a decree and orders Prince Yue to wait in the manor before being summoned for an audience. No one may leave Prince Yue¡¯s manor at will. Those who violate the order will be killed on sight.¡± In the main lobby, Huo Feng clenched his hands into fists. He knew Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu always saw him as a thorn in their side because of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command. But he always held a glimmer of hope. No matter how stupid or confused his imperial brother was, he wouln¡¯t let those two bastards mess with him. But with this imperial decree, whether his imperial brother personally ordered it or not, the last bit of hope in Huo Feng¡¯s heart was completely extinguished, leaving only hatred and regret. Regret over all the unrealistic hope and brotherly affection he maintained over the years. ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± His two wives cried. The infant in the arms of his concubine must have felt the murderous atmosphere around them and began to cry. Huo Feng raised his head, eyes red, and almost crushed his two fists. ¡°It¡¯s me who hurt you. I should have come to take you away sooner.¡± ¡°Your highness!¡± The two women knelt before Huo Feng. The door to the mansion was forced open by a battering ram outside, not giving Huo Feng a chance to flee. A few hundred Hu An guards and imperial guards stormed into the mansion, killing or arresting everyone in their path. Huo Feng looked outside the door, slowly unclenched his fists, put his arms around his wives and the swaddled child, and whispered: ¡°If they torture you, kill yourself. I will be waiting for you in death.¡± ¡°I[1] would never drag down your highness!¡± The demons stormed over, and the official wife pulled out the hairpin on her head to stab it into her own chest. Everyone knows, being caught by the Hu Anwei or imperial guards would be more painful than death. ¡°Your highness, forgive me.¡± The concubine cried, raised the hairpin in her hand, and stabbed the child in her arms. Suddenly, a whip flew by, wrapping around the child in the concubine¡¯s arms as the child¡¯s cries suddenly rose in volume. ¡°My child!¡± ¡°Yi Chongren!¡± Huo Feng put down the body of his wife, picked up a broadsword on the table, and rushed towards the man that had just entered. Yi Chongren¡¯s army stormed in, and the concubine once again raised the hairpin in her hand, piercing her own heart before being caught. ¡°Yu¡¯er!¡± Huo Feng tasted the grief of heartbreak and death. Seeing his two wives lying in a pool of blood, seeing his crying son in the arms of Yi Chongren¡¯s men, thinking of the unknown whereabouts of his eldest son, the broadsword in Huo Feng¡¯s hands hacked the demons trying to capture him. Yi Chongren raised his hand at the soldiers who were about to rush over, and the soldiers stopped. He drew a flexible sword from his waist and appeared before Huo Feng, whose eyes were red with killing intent. This was the first time Yi Chongren and Huo Feng truly exchanged blows. Yi Chongren¡¯s martial arts was respected by even the great masters, and Huo Feng was the great general stationed at the border who had the fierceness of a general who killed countless enemies. In an instant, he had lost both his wives and sons. Huo Feng didn¡¯t intend to leave alive and knew he was fated to die, but he vowed that before his death, he would pull a few men down with them, one of them being Yi Chongren. Blades flashing, dazzling eyes, the soldiers surrounding the hall gradually retreated outside to avoid being accidentally injured. The sound of the child¡¯s cries accompanied the thick bloody atmosphere as blood rained all around them. Five years ago, Prime Minister Zhang¡¯s family died tragically, and Huo Feng¡¯s subordinates had advised him to raise troops. There was already no hope for Southern Chu. Now the emperor was muddleheaded, only concerned with earthly pleasures, and the Hu An guards and Imperial guards controlled the court. Sooner or later their blackened hands would reach him. But Huo Feng kept hesitating. Raising troops was easy, but once defeated, not only would he lose his life, but it would also leave him with the stigma of rebellion. He always thought that his imperial brother would remember their brotherly affection and shared mother. In the end, he turned out to be the most foolish person! How could he still have hope for this rotten to the bones imperial brother?! Look at this world! Look at these demons! Look at his tragic wives! Look at his child who was snatched away! He couldn¡¯t even snatch his own child back! All of Huo Feng¡¯s hatred and humiliation was directed at that one man standing before him, directed at that wicked Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren¡¯s face was still covered in that ghostly makeup, still holding a cold sneer. Seeming to laugh at his incompetence, mocking his foolishness. ¡°Dang!¡± The broadsword left his hand, splashing blood in the air before plunging into the brick wall. Several Hu An guards who failed to dodge had their necks severed. Huo Feng¡¯s chest was directly kicked by Yi Chongren and his body heavily fell to the ground ten feet away. The figure flickered and Yi Chongren¡¯s sword was pointed directly at Huo Feng¡¯s neck as his foot stepped on his chest. Huo Feng spat out a mouthful of blood, eyes staring at his opponent with hatred and ferocity. ¡°Your highness, this servant is only tasked with bringing you highness into the palace. Your highness¡¯s reaction is a bit too extreme.¡± Yi Chongren looked down at the two women in a puddle of blood. ¡°If you wanted this prince to enter the palace, one order would be enough. You castrated dog, what did you come to this prince¡¯s mansion for!¡± Unable to sit up, Huo Feng cursed Yi Chongren ruthlessly. Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold light, and with a flick of his sword, a wound appeared on Huo Feng¡¯s neck. Stooping down to press on the acupuncture point on the back of Huo Feng¡¯s neck, Yi Chongren stepped back, and in an even icier voice than before: ¡°Declare the decree.¡± A eunuch appeared at the door holding an imperial decree. He opened the decree and in a cruel shrill voice proclaimed: ¡° Following the will of the heavens, the emperor¡¯s decree states: Prince Yue used the army for selfish reasons, plotting to thrust the court into chaos¡­¡­¡± After hearing a sentence, Huo Feng laughed in a low voice. As for what was written on the rest of the edict, he didn¡¯t bother listening. Using the army for selfish purposes¡­¡­plotting to throw the court into chaos¡­¡­.imperial brother ah imperial brother, you really are my good imperial brother! ¡°Hahaha, hahaha¡­¡­Zhang Zhong! Liu Jiyu! This prince curses your whole family!¡± Huo Feng¡¯s curse came to a sudden stop. Yi Chongren stepped on the acupuncture point on the back of his neck. Retreating a step, returning his flexible sword to his waist, Yi Chongren took out a silk handkerchief to wipe his white hands, before throwing the silk handkerchief on Huo Feng¡¯s face. ¡°Take him away.¡± The soldiers swarmed around him and carried away the immobilized Huo Feng. ¡°Wah-¡± Hearing his son¡¯s cries, unable to move or speak, Huo Feng tightly closed his eyes. Child, this father is sorry. This father promises you that he will be your father in the next life and will never let you be wronged or bullied. Child, in the next life, this father will give you a nice name, for sure! Huo Feng was taken away by the Hu An guards, and the prince¡¯s manor was turned upside down as all its valuables were recorded and moved into Yi Chongren¡¯s residence. As for the Jiazheng emperor, as long as Zhang Zhong said a word, all would be well. Obsessed with his beauties, the Jiazheng emperor had no energy to care about his brother¡¯s life and death. Liu Yu walked to Yi Chongren¡¯s side and whispered: ¡°Lord Qianhu, that child¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren coldly looked over, Liu Yu shrank back and immediately lowered his head. Yi Chongren said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: ¡°The lord naturally has plans for this child, so don¡¯t be nosy.¡± ¡°Yes¡± No longer looking at Liu Yu, Yi Chongren walked away followed by the man holding the child. Once Yi Chongren left, Liu Yu pursed his lips with resentment in his eyes. If he had been the one to save the crown prince back then, Yi Chongren would have never been able to climb to his position! Yi Chongren, just you wait, sooner or later I will have you kneel before me and lick my toes! He ordered people to move the two bodies of the women into the Hu An guard yamen, and Liu Yu hurriedly left the prince¡¯s manor to report back to Zhang Zhong. Zhang Zhong kept waiting for news in his manor, and he received it after Yi Chongren took Huo Feng away. It was a bit regretful that the two women died, losing two pawns, but they committed suicide so Zhang Zhong had no one to blame. Not only did he not blame, he was also very satisfied with Yi Chongren for snatching the child in time. ¡°Lord Dugong.¡± Someone outside requested an audience. Zhang Zhong casually agreed and Liu Yu entered with a bow. ¡°Lord Dugong, Prince Yue has been taken away. Only his eldest son was not in the mansion, his whereabouts unknown. This servant has set troops to find him, we won¡¯t let him run away.¡± ¡°En. I already know. Chongren went out so Prince Yue naturally won¡¯t be able to run away. After his son is caught, he can be directly executed.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Liu Yu endured the dissatisfaction in his heart, walked two steps and spoke in a low voice: ¡°Lord Qianhu took away Prince Yue¡¯s young son. This servant asked him how he should be dealt with, but Lord Qianhu reprimanded me. This servant panicked, thinking weeds should be cut at the roots, just in case¡­¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhang Zhong shouted angrily, scaring Liu Yu. Signaling the people in the room to withdraw and close the door, Zhang Zhong reprimanded: ¡°Liu Yu ah Liu Yu, I have been trying to cultivate you by my side with all my heart, but you simply have a pig¡¯s brain!¡± Liu Yu panicked and hurriedly knelt down: ¡°Lord Dugong please explain!¡± ¡°Explain your ass!¡± Zhang Zhong directly kicked Liu Yu aside, and Liu Yu kneeled down and kowtowed. Zhang Zhong knocked Liu Yu¡¯s forehead and cursed: ¡°Everyday you complain about Chongren being more favored than you, but you don¡¯t think about why. You pig brain, you can¡¯t even compare to half of Chongren! You really let my efforts to cultivate you come to waste! Don¡¯t you dare bring up the child¡¯s matter again or else I¡¯ll scrape off your meat and feed it to the dogs! Scram!¡± ¡°Calm down lord, calm down, this servant is foolish, calm down lord!¡± ¡°Scram!¡± Liu Yu left quickly on his stomach. Kneeling outside the door, he broke into cold sweat, racking his brains to think of the reason why he was scolded. After thinking for half a day, thinking until his knees were numb, Liu Yu exclaimed ¡°Ah¡± and hurriedly covered his mouth. After slapping himself twice, he quickly stood up to leave in a panic. How could he have forgotten about Lord Dugong¡¯s medical situation! [1] The wife refers to herself as æªÉí (qie shen). Ancient people of different positions refer to themselves with different words, but I¡¯ll just use ¡°I¡± since I¡¯m lazy. CH 3 Zhang Zhong started secretly taking a very special ¡°tonic¡± three years ago. It is said to be able to prolong life and regenerate what was cut off. This tonic requires a very special ingredient¨C the blood of a baby boy under two years of age. Procuring a few children was easy, but drinking the children¡¯s blood every day without stopping was not that easy, especially when this matter could not be leaked out. Only a few trusted cronies by Zhang Zhong¡¯s side knew of this matter, including Liu Yu and Yi Chongren. Liu Yu had been by Zhang Zhong¡¯s side for longer than Yi Chongren, so Zhang Zhong trusted him very much. Yi Chongren had strong martial arts, an icy temperament, and the backing of Noble Consort Ru. Zhang Zhong still had some reservations towards him, so Zhang Zhong entrusted Liu Yu with the task of finding children. Liu Yu had the heart but lacked the brains. As Yi Chongren rose in power, Zhang Zhong became more dissatisfied with Liu Yu, like with the matter of Prince Yue¡¯s youngest son. Yi Chongren was able to think of bringing the child to make the tonic, but Liu Yu only thought about cutting the weed at the root. As if he wouldn¡¯t think of cutting the weed at the root! Zhang Zhong shook his head repeatedly. Originally, he had wanted to cultivate someone capable of restraining Yi Chongren, but that seemed to be too difficult. However, Yi Chongren was able to think of using Prince Yue¡¯s child to make the tonic, signifying that his sincerity towards him was no less than Liu Yu¡¯s, so Zhang Zhong began to care for him in his heart. No matter how stupid Liu Yu was, he knew he handled this matter too foolishly. No longer caring for jealousy, he clearly asked where Yi Chongren was, and Liu Yu anxiously headed over. After annoying Lord Dugong, he could only hope to earn some merits by dealing with the matter of Prince Yue, or else he would really be doomed. Liu Yu unceasingly wiped his cold sweat, thinking of Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes at the Prince Yue manor, and shuddered. In the Hu An guards¡¯ prison, Yi Chongren sat on the soft throne with his head resting on his hand, looking ahead lazily. In contrast, three men were tied to three pillars before him. The man in the middle was Huo Feng, who was just arrested, while the other two were Huang Han and Xu Baicai, who hadn¡¯t gotten away in time. In the stove, the soldering iron was already red, and three large, topless men each held a whip. Both Huang Han and Xu Baicai had their mouths blocked by pieces of cloth, and Huo Feng, who was immobilized from his acupuncture point, glared at Yi Chongren with hatred. Huang Han and Xu Baicai¡¯s bodies were covered with whip marks, and Yi Chongren motioned for his men to take out the balls of cloth out of their mouths. As soon as their mouths were free, knowing they wouldn¡¯t be able to live much longer, the two immediately began yelling curses. ¡°Castrated dog. I¡¯ll X your eight generations¡­¡­¡± (t/n: ¡°X¡± is in the raws = censored curses) With a ¡°Swish¡±, Yi Chongren raised his hand and Huo Feng let out a muffled grunt. Huang Han and Xu Baicai immediately stopped cursing and began to shout fearfully: ¡°Your highness! Your highness, what¡¯s wrong!¡± Yi Chongren sat upright, eyes gleaming coldly: ¡°Let me hear you curse another word and I¡¯ll pierce him with a needle.¡± Moving his right hand, Huo Feng¡¯s left shoulder twitched. Only now did the two men realize there was a string in Yi Chongren¡¯s hand, a string with a thin silver needle at the end. Just now, this needle pierced right into Huo Feng¡¯s shoulder. Huang Han¡¯s eyes turned blood red: ¡°Come at me if you can! I¡¯m not scared of you!¡± ¡°Swish!¡± Yi Chongren raised his hand again and Huo Feng grunted again. ¡°Keep cursing.¡± Yi Chongren moved his hand and a thin needle came out of Huo Feng¡¯s left shoulder. Huang Han didn¡¯t dare curse again. Tears began to flow from the seven foot man¡¯s eyes from the guilt of making his highness suffer from being hurt by the needle. ¡°Your highness! How are you, your highness!¡± Huo Feng shook his head, hoping they would be appeased. It was just a needle, it didn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Prince Yue,¡± Yi Chongren opened his mouth, ¡°If you don¡¯t want your subordinates to suffer, just confess. As long as you confess, I won¡¯t have to make them suffer.¡± Yi Chongren looked at the needle in his hand. ¡°Your highness should know of my methods.¡± ¡°Your highness, we do not fear death.¡± Xu Baicai glared at Yi Chongren with eyes full of hatred. Yi Chongen slightly raised his hand and the three officers cracked their whips. ¡°Hit.¡± The whips fell and Huo Feng clenched his teeth. Huang Han and Xu Baicai did not want his highness to worry so they too clenched their teeth and endured. The pain of the whips hitting their bodies was lighter than expected, this was nothing! If they manage to survive, they must kill those castrated dogs! Whip their corpses! ¡°Lord Qianhu!¡± Yi Chongren raised his hand and the whips stopped. The three prison officers retreated. Liu Yu embarrassedly walked in with a head covered with sweat. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t stand and said with obvious dissatisfaction: ¡°Where did Lord Liu go? This case should be handled by both Lord Liu and I, but I¡¯ve been working for half a day without seeing Lord Liu¡¯s shadow. If Lord Dugong were to ask, how would I reply?¡± Liu Yu humbly spoke: ¡°Lord Dugong had reason to summon this subordinate, I¡¯ve made Lord Qianhu wait.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s like this. I thought Lord Liu must have gone to Lord Dugong to accuse me of ¡®acting without authorization¡¯ over here.¡± Liu Yu¡¯s face turned pale from embarrassment. Yi Chongren turned his head: ¡°Since Lord Liu has arrived, begin. Someone come, ¡®invite¡¯ Prince Yue and his two subordinates to the moon viewing platform.¡± ¡°What do you want to do! Yi Chongren! You have done this prince an injustice! You can¡¯t have a simple death!¡± ¡°Gag his mouth!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t wuwu¡­¡­¡± Hu An guards took down the three men. Only then did Yi Chongren stand and look down on Liu Yu to say: ¡°Lord Liu should head with me, it¡¯s best not to go ¡®elsewhere¡¯?¡± Liu Yu was angered to the point that steam seemed to rise from his face, and replied with a stiff voice: ¡°Naturally I will go with Lord Qianhu. Didn¡¯t Lord Qianhu already say, Lord Dugong intends for the two of us to investigate this case together.¡± Yi Chongren appeared to smile as he passed Liu Yue to walk out: ¡°Then let¡¯s go.We can¡¯t have Lord Liu disappearing again.¡± Liu Yu gritted his teeth and vowed to take revenge. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Huo Feng, Xu Baicai, and Huang Han were brought to the moon viewing platform. Although called the moon viewing platform, it was the place where the Hu An guards disposed of criminals. The area was spacious with tall walls. If the Hu An guards¡¯ prisoners were especially important or large in number, they would be brought to this place for execution. Sometimes it was used for intimidation or interrogation too. On the large field of the moon viewing platform, Huo Feng, Xu Baicai, and Huang Han were tied up under the scorching sun. The Hu An guards surrounded the three important suspects. Yi Chongren sat near the moon viewing platform, looking down condescendingly at the tiger trapped in the prison below with a cold smile on his lips. Liu Yu sat at a position lower than Yi Chongren, while Yi Chongren¡¯s personal guard Yaba stood behind him. Yaba didn¡¯t have a name, just called yaba[1]. He had an ugly face covered in burn scars from when Yi Chongren rescued him from a fire four years ago. Wanting to repay his savior, he chose to continue serving by his side. He was called a personal guard but his job mostly involved serving tea and pouring water. Yi Chongren had strong martial arts so he did not need protection. Yaba was the person who snatched Huo Feng¡¯s youngest son. Huo Feng lowered his head as if he had already accepted his fate. Huang Han and Xu Baicai feared their words would annoy Yi Chongren, harming his highness, so the two also lowered their heads in silence. Knowing their voices would only bring troubles, under the scorching weather, Huang Han and Xu Baicai thought being burned to death by the sun would be a nice end. However, the two were also a bit confused. Yi Chongren¡¯s methods seemed too gentle, only whipping them a few times, too unlike his usual methods. This man tied them here, to show who? Xu Baicai suddenly shuddered and raised his head to look at Yi Chongren. Could it be! Xu Baicai thought of it, so naturally Huo Feng did as well. He knew what Yi Chongren wanted to do. He had seven hundred thousand men under his command. If he died, those seven thousand men would naturally fall into another¡¯s hands. But these seven hundred thousand soldiers were not that easy to control. His left and right generals were not vegetarians. If he really did die, those two generals would definitely raise the troops to rebel, so he couldn¡¯t die. At least before his two generals were captured, he could not die. Huo Feng laughed coldly in his heart: ¡°Yi Chongren ah Yi Chongren, this prince won¡¯t give you this chance.¡± Yi Chongren stood up and Liu Yu immediately asked: ¡°Lord Qianhu?¡± ¡°I have a private grievance with Prince Yue that needs to be settled.¡± Spitting out this sentence, Yi Chongren directly flew down from the tall moon viewing platform. Liu Yu sat back down. The ¡°private grievances¡± between Yi Chongren and Prince Yue were well known. Thinking of that person¡¯s temperament, Liu Yu did not find it strange. Hearing the deliberate footsteps of the opposing party, Huo Feng raised his head with calm eyes. After a while, his meridians would be unblocked, and he already couldn¡¯t wait to see Yi Chongren, Zhang Zhong, and Sun Jiyu, those foolish conspiring bastards. Once news of his death reached the border, Ruan Xingtian and He Jia would definitely rebel to avenge him. Because of his hesitation, he had harmed his own family and the brothers who followed him in life and death. This time, he would not hesitate. Such a country and such an emperor should have been destroyed long ago. Xingtian was resourceful and He Jia was calm and steady, so he could rest easy after passing those seven hundred thousand brothers to their hands. In this world, there was no one who could compete with them. They would definitely avenge him. Walking in front of Huo Feng, Yi Chongren and Huo Feng¡¯s glares met. Both men wanted to bore holes into the opposite party¡¯s body. Suddenly, Yi Chongren acted. He punched Huo Feng in the abdomen and Huo Feng released an anguished breath, immediately clenching his jaw to endure the pain. Huang Han and Xu Baicai roared: ¡°Yi Chongren. You bastard!¡± Yi Chongren punched again and the two no longer dared to shout. Struggling desperately, they wanted to break free from their shackles to save his highness. Yaba flew down from the moon viewing platform, and while midair, kicked the two men. They stopped screaming, and their acupoints were tapped. With a fist on Huo Feng¡¯s abdomen, Yi Chongren¡¯s face was almost touching Huo Feng¡¯s face asd he coldly spat in his ear: ¡°You are a coward.¡± Huo Feng clenched his teeth, whole body taunt. ¡°Regret it? Who knew the great Prince Yue who holds seven hundred thousand troops in his hand could be humiliated to such an extent by an accursed castrated dog. If you aren¡¯t a coward, what are you?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s nails cut into his palms. ¡°I¡¯ve always looked down on you, now even more so.¡± Another punch. The blue veins on Huo Feng¡¯s forehead bulged, and his eye sockets seemed ready to burst, but he was unable to release the roar building up in his throat! The fist left his stomach and instead reached to grab his hair. Yi Chongren lifted his head, continuing to mock by his ears: ¡°You couldn¡¯t even protect your own wives and children, you coward, fool. You ridicule me for being a eunuch, but you, you can¡¯t even compare to a castrate! ¡±I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Huo Feng¡¯s meridians were cleared, and he opened his mouth to bite at Yi Chongren¡¯s ear, but it was a pity he was a step too late. He panted heavily, bloodthirsty eyes glaring fiercely at Yi Chongren, the man who humiliated him to such a point. Yi Chongren raised his right fist to block Huo Feng¡¯s mouth. Huo Feng¡¯s body shuddered and his eyes froze. ¡°If you want to kill me, first see whether you have the ability.¡± The palm of his hand firmly pressed on Huo Feng¡¯s mouth, Yi Chongren¡¯s left hand released Huo Feng¡¯s hair to slowly stroke down his forehead, seeming gentle yet dangerous. ¡°Do you still remember what happened five years ago?¡± Yi Chongen coldly smiled: ¡°That night the moon was very round, and your highness humiliated me in front of so many people. At that time I said a word to your highness, which I just reminded your highness this morning.¡± Releasing the right hand covering Huo Feng¡¯s mouth, Yi Chongren retreated slightly, left hand still slowly stroking down the side of Huo Feng¡¯s body, ¡°Your highness should know, I, Yi Chongren hold grudges, especially for being humiliated. What should I do, your highness?¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s left hand touched the rope on Huo Feng¡¯s arm and continued downwards. ¡°Your highness should have heard of my methods before.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s right hand touched Huo Feng¡¯s left shoulder. On the moon viewing platform, Liu Yu saw Yi Chongren randomly touching Huo Feng¡¯s body with eyes holding contempt, that bitch. Huo Feng didn¡¯t speak, panting as he glared at Yi Chongren. Both of Yi Chongren¡¯s hands touched all over his body before stopping at his hands which were tied behind him. ¡°Today also seems to be the fifteenth, who knows if the moon will be as round as that night.¡± ¡°Your highness, farewell[2].¡± After patting Huo Feng¡¯s shoulder three times, Yi Chongren¡¯s left hand left Huo Feng¡¯s hands and he turned to leave. Huo Feng stared at his back, eyes holding a sort of repression. ¡°Has Lord Qianhu resolved the past grievances?¡± After Yi Chongren returned, Liu Yu immediately asked. Yi Chongren sat on his seat, staring at Huo Feng, who had bowed his head, and spat out two words: ¡°For now.¡± Liu Yu¡¯s heart was filled with regret. He just saw Yi Chongren mercilessly punch Prince Yue three times. At first he thought if Yi Chongren accidentally beat Prince Yue to death, then Lord Dugong would punish him. But this Yi Chongren handled things too well, making it too difficult to find a weakness. Lui Yu pursed his lips and told himself not to give up so easily. After keeping watch for a while, Yi Chongren let Yaba guard, and he went to rest. Liu Yu didn¡¯t want to suffer in this hot weather. Although there was a shaded pavilion over his head, he still felt hot after sitting for a while. Yi Chongren left, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t stay any longer. Only the prison guards were left on the moon viewing platform. Yaba watched them from above for a while before jumping down from the platform, removing the wads of cloth from Huang Han and Xu Baicai¡¯s mouths, and signaling for people to give them some water. Before leaving, Yi Chongren ordered that they must not die, so the prison guards did not hesitate to feed the three men a bowl of water. After they drank the water, Yaba returned to the observation platform to continue watching them. Huang Han urgently asked: ¡°Your highness, your highness are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Stop speaking and save your energy.¡± Huo Feng lowered his head. Who knew what he was thinking as his hands tightened into fists behind him. Huang Han thought his highness was suffering, so he didn¡¯t make a sound. They already knew there was no hope this time. Thinking of his family, Huang Han couldn¡¯t not feel sad. He only hoped his family would be able to escape. They knew their cries would only be accompanied by the scorching sun. Yaba ordered people to feed them water every once in a while. Having eaten nearly nothing for a day, at least there was water, or else they would really be sunburned to death. Huo Feng always appeared very calm, as if he accepted his unchangeable fate. The sun gradually set to the west, and Huang Han and Xu Baicai, who were dizzy from the heat (and starved) breathed out a few not breaths, finally cooling off a bit. Gradually, the sun set, and the night arrived. Yi Chongren and Liu Yu returned to the moon viewing platform. Looking at the three ¡°dejected¡± tied up men, Liu Yu asked: ¡°Lord Qianhu, Lord Dugong needs them to lure out Ruan Xingtian and He Jia. They¡¯ve already starved for a day. Shouldn¡¯t we¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve let Yaba feed them water. They are all military commanders. They can survive a day.¡± ¡°Yes. But¡­¡­¡± Liu Yu looked at the three men, ¡°Who knows when Ruan Xingtian and He Jia will arrive. In case they don¡¯t come, and Prince Yue is starved to death by us, we haven¡¯t gathered enough evidence, so I¡¯m afraid Lord Dugong would have a hard time explaining things to his majesty.¡± ¡°Is Lord Liu saying Lord Dugong arrested the wrong person?¡± Liu Yu hurriedly waved his hand: ¡°No no! It¡¯s just that his majesty ordered it. As servants, we naturally have to share the worries of his majesty and share the worries of Lord Dugong.¡± Liu Yu meant that before Ruan Xingtian and He Jia arrived, Prince Yue must stay alive, especially since they hadn¡¯t tortured Prince Yue into confessing his rebellious intent yet. Although they often carried out the emperor¡¯s decrees, arresting and killing people, those people were not the emperor¡¯s little brother. His majesty would definitely intervene for his little brother. Of course it would still be best to arrest the right people. Liu Yu wanted to make Lord Dugong look at him anew. Only out of these considerations would Liu Yu speak about giving Prince Yue some food to eat. As for the other two, it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Lord Liu¡¯s words make sense.¡± Yi Chongren looked at the sky and said: ¡°Starve them for a little while longer.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Thinking of how Yi Chongren touched Prince Yue¡¯s body for so long during the day, Liu Yu couldn¡¯t resist asking: ¡°What was Lord Qianhu trying to find on Prince Yue? Maybe I could help.¡± Yi Chongren narrowed his eyes and Liu Yu immediately lowered his head. He coldly said: ¡°Aren¡¯t we all waiting here for the thing I want to find on Prince Yue? Lord Liu¡¯s eyes are too lacking. Did you not see the needle in my hand?¡± Liu Yu¡¯s body shook. So Yi Chongren was using a needle to pierce Prince Yue at that time! Thinking of Yi Chongren¡¯s skill with the needle, Liu Yu quickly said: ¡°Lacking, lacking. Lord Qianhu¡¯s needle is as thin as a cow¡¯s hair. Forgive my bad eyes.¡± No longer looking at Liu Yu¡¯s disgusting face, Yi Chongren spoke: ¡°It¡¯s dark, let them be more alert.¡± ¡°This minister will personally guard here.¡± Liu Yu immediately volunteered. Yi Chongren nodded, not arguing with him. [1]Yaba literally means mute or stupid person. [2] Same phrase often used to send off dead people as mentioned in the last chapter. It¡¯ll keep showing up periodically. CH 4 The two men guarded the moon viewing platform until nearly the hour of zi[1]. Yi Chongren yawned a few times, feeling tired. Upon seeing this, Liu Yu said: ¡°Lord Qianhu should go rest. I will guard here.¡± Yi Chongren glanced at him, obviously distrustful. Liu Yu endured his anger and said: ¡°My martial arts naturally cannot compare to Lord Qianhu, but I can still guard these criminals. Not to mention the Hu An guards and Imperial guards are here. Even if someone wanted to save Prince Yue, they would have to see if the arrows in their hands would be able to. Also, this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve guarded here.¡± This was his chance to gain merits, so he must grasp it! Watching Liu Yu become more and more anxious, Yi Chongren stood: ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to Lord Liu.¡± ¡°Of course of course.¡± Yi Chongren left with Yaba. Huo Feng slightly lifted his head, watching Yi Chongren walk down from the moon viewing platform. Once he mounted his horse, Yi Chongren glanced at him for a second before riding away. Huo Feng once again lowered his head, appearing weak. Once Yi Chongren left, Liu Yu immediately straightened his waist. First, he ordered someone to feed Huo Feng a bit of rice soup, lest he starve to death. Afterwards, Liu Yu sat on Yi Chongren¡¯s seat, and breathed in some refreshing essential oils while staring at Huo Feng who was tied up below him. Thieves often acted at night so he had to be very alert. It appeared to be the end of the hour of zi[1]. No matter how energetic Liu Yu was, he couldn¡¯t resist the call of nature. He nearly fell asleep multiple times, so he stood up to walk down the moon viewing platform. It was harder to become sleepy when standing. Walking around the three prisoners a few times and giving them a few kicks, Liu Yu imagined a day where he would gloriously become the top eunuch. At this time, one of Liu Yu¡¯s subordinate eunuchs rode a horse over, appearing anxious. Once he arrived before Liu Yu, he immediately jumped off the horse and whispered in his ear: ¡°Lord Zongyi, our men have found the trails of Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son, but we don¡¯t have enough manpower. What if we ask Lord Qianhu¡¯s side to act first?¡± ¡°What?!¡± Liu Yu pulled the man to the side and said excitedly: ¡°You¡¯ve found Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son?¡± The man nodded and said anxiously: ¡°This servant listened to your orders. We haven¡¯t told anyone else and rushed over to tell you. However, we don¡¯t have enough manpower. There seem to be many people protecting Prince Yue¡¯s son. They appear to be fleeing to Yidong. We must capture him before he leaves the city.¡± This was a golden opportunity! If he could capture Prince Yue¡¯s son before Yi Chongren, that would definitely be a great merit. Liu Yu¡¯s mind never spun so fast. Glancing at the soldiers surrounding him, he whispered: ¡°Quickly continue observing the movements of Prince Yue¡¯s son. I will immediately order people to follow.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have enough men. If you send someone now, you could disturb Lord Qianhu. You might even disturb Lord Dugong.¡± ¡°You really are stupid!¡± Liu Yu couldn¡¯t resist slapping the other party, ¡°If I say there are men, then there are men. Quickly go!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes!¡± The eunuch gritted his teeth, quickly mounting his horse to leave. Liu Yu looked around him and ordered the guards: ¡°Lord Dugong has a special assignment for us. You, choose half of the troops to go with me.¡± ¡°This¡­¡­¡± The guard didn¡¯t dare to obey. After all, there were important criminals here. Liu Yu was anxious. If he could receive news of the prince¡¯s son¡¯s whereabouts, then so could Yi Chongren. There were thousands of men under Yi Chongren¡¯s command! Liu Yu directly took out his own waist token, ¡°Still not obeying orders! If you delay Lord Dugong¡¯s plans, I¡¯ll have your head!¡± Thinking of Lord Dugong¡¯s methods, the guard shuddered. Liu Yu was Lord Dugong¡¯s most trusted aid, so he couldn¡¯t be wrong. The guard immediately ordered half the soldiers at the scene to follow Liu Yu. Liu Yu anxiously led the troops outside the capital. His glory and wealth were right before his eyes, waiting for him to grab them! Huang Han and Xu Baicai silently watched Liu Yu lead the men away, worrying and doubting in their hearts. Worrying that Ruan Xingtian had come and doubting that Ruan Xingtian would be so fast. Why would Zhang Zhong that castrated dog let half of the troops leave? What happened? Huo Feng naturally also noticed. But he kept his head down, remaining motionless. The round moon hung in the sky and Huo Feng opened his cracked lips: ¡°What time is it now?¡± Xu Baicai looked around, and said with uncertainty: ¡°It¡¯s almost the hour of chou[2], right?¡± Huang Han replied: ¡°I think I just heard the signal for 3 ke[3] passing.¡± The third ke of the hour of zi (11:45 pm)[4]? Huo Feng pursed his lips tightly. He felt like his shoulder was just patted thrice again. Looking up at the moon in the sky, the events of five years ago suddenly came to mind. ¡°Da da da da¡­¡­¡± The sound of horses galloping drew near, and Huo Feng immediately returned to his senses. Huang Han and Xu Baicai looked towards the moon viewing platform. Hearing the sound of horseshoes, there seemed to be many men and horses approaching. There must be around a thousand people. The two men coldly smiled. Had they gotten worried again and ordered the men back? ¡°Who?!¡± ¡°The commander of the Imperial Guards ordered these additional troops to take the prisoners into custody.¡± Seeing the token of the Imperial Guards in the other party¡¯s hand and thinking of how Liu Yu took away half the troops, the prison guards ordered the release. The leader of the group led some men down the moon viewing platform, and another group ran in a practiced manner to the entrance to stand on the city walls to stand together with the Hu An guards. The guard yawned a few times and nestled into his seat to continue to doze. After the leader¡¯s men entered the moon viewing platform, he immediately ordered the accompanying soldiers to disperse. Looking at that person, Huang Han and Xu Baicai would have shouted if they were not so weak from starvation. Xingtian?! Winking at the two, asking them not to make a sound, the leader¡¯s men walked before Huo Feng. Huo Feng raised his head, surprise flashing in his eyes. Slightly nodding towards the other party, Huo Feng¡¯s body suddenly exerted a burst of force, and the ropes tied around him split into several pieces. At the same time, Ruan Xingtian let out a long whistle and the ¡°Imperial guards¡± standing with the Hu An guards suddenly pulled out their weapons. Hands raised and swords fell. A terrible scream broke the silence of the night. Ruan Xingtian pulled out a dagger to cut the ropes on Huang Han and Xu Baicai and said quickly: ¡°Go!¡± Someone led three horses over and the three men quickly mounted them. Nearby, the guard yelled: ¡°Quickly report to Lord Qianhu! We made a miscalculation!¡± ¡°Whoosh!¡± A flaming arrow shot in from outside and stabbed into the guard¡¯s chest. Huo Feng stuffed the thing he had been holding into his clothes and ordered: ¡°Go quickly!¡± and swung down his horse whip. The fake ¡°Imperial guards¡± killed their way out on horseback. A masked man stood on a tree a distance away from the moon viewing platform, holding a bow and arrow aimed at the Hu An guards¡¯ minions. ¡°Whoosh!¡± Against the moonlight, his face was not clear, only revealing a black mask. Huo Feng clasped his hands in thanks to the man and hurriedly sped up his horse with a whip. Ruan Xingtian picked up a package from behind the horse¡¯s ass and threw it over. ¡°Your highness, wear this!¡± Then, he threw another package to Huang Han and Xu Baicai. Huo Feng opened the package with one hand and found a full set of Imperial guard uniforms. His legs squeezed the horse¡¯s abdomen and he quickly changed into the clothes. Huang Han shouted at the side: ¡°Is there any food, I¡¯m starving to death!¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the package!¡± Huang Han casually put on the uniform and saw two pancakes at the bottom of the package. He picked it up and wolfed down the food. Xu Baicai did the same. They were both extremely hungry. ¡°Your highness, are you alright?¡± Ruan Xingtian asked worriedly. Huo Feng didn¡¯t eat and looked ahead with both eyes, saying: ¡°There is no one as alright as me. Where is He Jia?¡± ¡°He is guarding ¡®at home¡¯, in case anyone wants to use this opportunity to make trouble.¡± Then, he guiltily said: ¡°This subordinate has not found your son, and did not manage to save the youngest young master.¡± ¡°They are safe.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s words surprised the three men. However, he did not explain, only asking: ¡°How many men did you bring?¡± Ruan Xingtian answered: ¡°I brought two thousand men back in fear of attracting too much attention and alerting the enemy. Now, half of our brothers are outside the capital waiting for your highness.¡± ¡°How should we rush out of the city?¡± Huang Han asked a bit worriedly. A deep expression flashed through Ruan Xingtian¡¯s eyes and he said: ¡°We only need to be concerned with rushing out of the city. The city gates will open automatically.¡± Huang Han was stunned, but Ruan Xingtian didn¡¯t seem to be joking. He closed his mouth, not asking. At worst they would just be captured again. The group ran unimpeded all the way to the capital gates. The Huo family soldiers disguised as imperial guards surrounded Huo Feng, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai in the center. The torches by the city gates lit up the sky as Ruan Xingtian made a gesture¡ª¨C rush! Huo Heng, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai lowered their heads and covered their faces. Huo Feng lowered himself on the horse, carefully observing the movements around the city gates. Huang Han and Xu Baicai held their breaths, hearts racing. The city gates were getting closer and closer, and Ruan Xingtian was the first to rush out of the city while holding his waist token high. When the guards saw them, not only did they not stop them, they also quickly moved the barriers in front of the gate to let them out. Ruan Xingtian rushed his army out from the city gates. Once all the men were out, Huo Feng, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai all looked back. Huang Han and Xu Baicai were puzzled. They were out, just like that?! Ruan Xingtian didn¡¯t order them to slow down, instead continuing to lead them onwards to join the other thousand troops. Not long after they left the capital, the city gate guards came under the control of the Hu An guards. Yi Chongren brought a few thousand Hu An guards¡¯ soldiers out of the city to chase after them in two directions. At Zhang Zhong¡¯s residence, a man knelt on the ground in fear. Zhang Zhong sat on his chair with a dark expression and said with gritted teeth: ¡°You¡¯re saying Liu Yu led half of the guards out of the moon viewing platform to secretly leave the capital?¡± ¡°Yes! Lord Yi was originally planning to stay at the moon viewing platform to guard, but Lord Liu insisted that Lord Yi should go to rest, so Lord Yi left. Who knew that before long, Lord Liu would transfer half of the guards out of the moon viewing platform, saying he was following your orders to investigate an important matter. The guards at the moon viewing platform didn¡¯t dare disobey, so they just let Lord Liu lead them away. As a result, not long after Lord Liu left, a group of imperial guards arrived, saying the lord commander ordered them to go to the moon viewing platform. He held the waist token of the imperial guards and they were all wearing the uniforms of the imperial guards, so the guards believed them. Who knew, once the group entered the moon viewing platform, they started killing guards on the spot. They took away Prince Yue and his two subordinates and left the capital.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t the city guards question them!¡± ¡°When Lord Liu left the city, he said it was under Lord Dugong¡¯s orders, so the city guards thought that the group of fake imperial guards was also working for Lord Dugong and didn¡¯t stop them for questioning.¡± ¡°Liu Yu that stupid dog! Capture his entire family for me!¡± ¡°Lord Yi personally went to give chase. Before leaving the capital, Lord Yi sent people to arrest them.¡± ¡°Catch Liu Yu alive for me! Capture Liu Yu alive! I must kill him personally! Which direction did Prince Yue flee to?!¡± ¡°For now, we don¡¯t know. We must wait for news from Lord Yi.¡± Zhang Zhong unceasingly heaved. Who knew that the plans that had nearly come to fruition would be ruined by their own people. Once they let Prince Yue flee back to Yidong, a disaster would be upon them! Prince Yue held 70% of Southern Chu¡¯s troops in his hands! ¡°Immediately summon Lord Sun. You must not alert his majesty! Pass my order, the Hu An guards must capture Prince Yue!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The man immediately rose to leave. Zhang Zhong paced around the room with a layer of cold sweat building on his forehead. Yi Chongren already led men to give chase, so now his biggest hope was that Yi Chongren could succeed in chasing and containing Prince Yue until the Hu An guards and imperial guards could arrive. In addition, he could also mobilize the capital troops in the name of his majesty. Thinking of this, Zhang Zhong immediately ordered a subordinate to complete this task. They must not allow Prince Yue to escape to Yidong. Here in his mansion, Zhang Zhong thought of all the ways they could capture Huo Feng; Over there, Yi Chongren, who had led men to chase Huo Feng, encountered an ambush. Ruan Xingtian set up a trap on their path. Although Yi Chongren did not get hurt, many of his subordinates were injured. He immediately ordered to chase after Huo Feng from a different route. Yi Chongren ordered Yaba to scout the path ahead, and Yaba wrapped himself in a large black cloak, riding a horse into the distance. Yi Chongren settled down his injured subordinates and re-adjusted the team to chase after Huo Feng. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- The sky gradually brightened. After passing through another city, Huo Feng ordered his nearly two thousand soldiers to split into four groups to reach Jade City Pass from different directions through the river and mountain roads. He Jia would personally bring men to Jade City Pass to meet them. Ruan Xingtian, Huang Han, Xu Baicai, and Huo Feng each brought a man and a horse. They changed out of their imperial guard uniforms and changed into ordinary state soldier uniforms to disguise themselves as official soldiers tasked with capturing criminals. After the four groups took a rest, they returned to the road. Huang Han and Xu Baicai didn¡¯t have time to ask Ruan Xingtian how he was able to arrive in such a timely manner, let alone why his highness was so sure that his two children were safe. Huo Feng led his men to the mountain road. Watching Ruan Xingtian, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai lead the rest of the men to leave in three other directions, Huo Feng took a jade pendant out of his lapel. A dragon was carved on the jade pendant. This was the pendant that his son Huo Yunkai always had on him. One that he had personally put on him. Placing the jade pendant back into his clothes, Huo Feng mounted his horse. ¡°Go!¡± Riding a horse into the mountain forest, Huo Feng thought of that demon, that cold and mocking face, and those pair of eyes that seemed to see through everything. The coldness of that person¡¯s palms seemed to remain on his lips. Yi Chongren, are you a friend or a foe? For the first time, Huo Feng became so conflicted over a man he should have hated to his bones. [1]×Óʱ: In the 12 hour day system of ancient China, this was from 11pm to 1 am. [2]³óÊÂ: 1 am to 3am [3]Èý¿Ì£º 3 ke£¬1 ke is 15 minutes, so 3 ke is 45 minutes [4]×ÓʱÈý¿Ì = 11:45 CH 5 A small village sat atop a remote mountain. A family woke before dawn to prepare for the day¡¯s tasks. Spreading the wheat harvested from the day before in the courtyard, an elderly man opened the courtyard door and walked out, breathing in the clean mountain air. He picked up the hoe by the door, preparing to take a look at the fields. The village was very small with only a dozen households scattered around. Smoke rose from each house, signifying that they had all woken up. The old man only walked a few steps before hearing the gallop of horseshoes. He immediately put down his hoe, looking toward the entrance of the village. The sound of horseshoes drew closer and closer, and villagers came out of their courtyards one after the other. Gradually, everyone was able to clearly see who had come. Some people waved for family members still in their houses to quickly come out, and others immediately ran over. There were two people on the horse. One appeared to be around twenty years of age with a handsome face, but carried the tired demeanor of someone who toiled for days on end. Sitting before the man was a young boy, and in the arms of the young boy was a basket. The boy appeared a bit frightened. ¡°It¡¯s Qiuhuai!¡± A person shouted, and everyone gathered over. The newcomer tightened the reins on his horse and stopped before the old man. ¡°Father.¡± The man got off the horse, gave the basket in the arms of the boy to his father, and finally carried the child off the horse. The old man lifted the cloth on the basket and saw a baby inside. The old man immediately said: ¡°Come in come in.¡± The others did not ask the man about the two children, surrounding him to enter the old man¡¯s courtyard together. A woman walked out of the house, and the man called: ¡°Mother.¡± The woman was at first overjoyed by her son¡¯s return, but seeing the strange children, she pulled the curtain aside, saying: ¡°Quickly come in, mother will go make you some food to eat.¡± ¡°Mother, is there any milk or rice soup? The child in the basket just turned a month old.¡± The man took the basket from his father¡¯s hands to give his mother a look. The woman hurriedly took out the sleeping child: ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Afterwards, the woman carried the child away, and everyone entered the house. Someone closed the door, and someone stayed outside to guard. The man brought the ten year old boy before him and whispered to everyone: ¡°This is the eldest son of Prince Yue, and that child is Prince Yue¡¯s newborn youngest son. Zhang Zhong acted against Prince Yue. The two prince consorts are no more.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± They exclaimed. The boy bit his lip as tears welled up in his eyes. ¡°Prince Yue has already escaped the capital. I followed the lord¡¯s order to bring the children back here.¡± Then, the man said to the child: ¡°Young master, from today onwards, this is your home. My father and mother are your uncle and aunt. Your name is Yuanmai, mai as in wheat; your little brother¡¯s name is Yuandou, dou as in bean. I am your cousin, named Yuanqiu. Remember this.¡± Young master Huo Yunkai nodded and wiped away his tears: ¡°I am Yuanmai, my little brother is Yuandou, and big brother is Yuanqiu. This is my home.¡± The man pushed the boy before his father and said: ¡°I must go.¡± Immediately after hearing this, the old man asked: ¡°What about our lord?¡± ¡°Our lord is escorting Prince Yue back to Yidong. Father, war is upon us, you should ask everyone to prepare. Our lord said we might need to find a new place to live. Tell mother that our lord fed the child some medicine, he should wake up in a while.¡± ¡°Tell him not to worry. I will arrange it accordingly.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving.¡± Without time to even eat a warm meal, the man bid farewell to his family and hurried out the door to mount his horse and leave. The crowd of people stood by the door and watched the man¡¯s figure fade into the distance. Everyone¡¯s eyes carried deep hatred. The old man returned home with the young master, and the young master cried, asking: ¡°Uncle, will my father[1] be ok?¡± The old man said in a deep voice: ¡°With our lord protecting him, he will reach Yidong safely.¡± In his heart, the old man hoped that Prince Yue would make up his mind to protect the common people from water and fire, and return peace to the land. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu respectively issued instructions to the Hu An guards and imperial guards across the land, ordering them to chase and intercept Prince Yue. Along the way, reports regarding Prince Yue appeared one after another. The Hu An guards and imperial guards followed the news but couldn¡¯t even see Prince Yue¡¯s shadow. All across Southern Chu, one could see soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Hu An guards or imperial guards, as well as officers and soldiers from all over the country on the chase. For a while, all the conflicting reports threw the search into chaos. Yi Chongren was also affected by this fake news at first. After a while, he met with Yaba who had traveled ahead to scout their path. He ordered his men to directly march towards Jade City Pass and let other people continue to chase after Prince Yue. No matter where Prince Yue fled, his final destination would always be Yidong, so Jade City Pass was a road he must travel. After chasing for a few days, the subordinates were all extremely tired, so Yi Chongren handed these subordinates to an officer and asked them to find a place to rest. He and Yaba continued chasing. After resting for long enough, the officer brought the brigade to catch up to them. Everyone knew Yi Chongren had strong martial arts and was full of energy, and they admired Yi Chongren for his sincerity to Lord Dugong. Yi Chongren and Yaba hurried to Jade City pass. Over there, Huo Feng headed towards Jade City Pass through the mountain forest path, only taking a few shortcuts. After letting the horses rest for a bit, Huo Feng continued on his journey. With enemies in front and behind, he could not delay for a moment. After rushing the horses for ten days nonstop, Huo Feng was on a small road three miles away from Xiangfan City when he bumped into the Hu An guards and imperial guards who were chasing him. Huo Feng¡¯s party was dressed in military uniform so the other party did not question them, only asking: ¡°Which government office are you from?¡± Huo Feng calmly replied: ¡°We are from Suiyang county, following orders to chase criminals.¡± ¡°Suiyang county?¡± The other party immediately said: ¡°Jiujiang [county] found dregs that escaped Prince Yue manor, so our superiors ordered us to block off this area. Don¡¯t bother heading towards Jade City pass, come with us.¡± The Hu An guards and imperial guards had the power to deploy forces from every city and county. Seeing this group¡¯s messy and chaotic appearance, wondering how they couldn¡¯t possibly catch up to Prince Yue, the leader of the party decided to simply take them to capture the rebels together. Wasn¡¯t Xingtian¡¯s group headed towards Jiujiang? Huo Feng calmly asked: ¡°Have the troops in Jiujiang been captured?¡± The opposite party said impatiently: ¡°If they were already captured, would we still need to give chase? Don¡¯t be too wordy, bring your troops to follow.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Feng signaled to his soldiers to make way. Once the Hu An guards and imperial guards all passed, he suddenly pulled out a broadsword from his horse, covered the head of the man in front of him, and cut down. ¡°Ah!¡± A pained scream sounded and horses whinnied. ¡°It¡¯s the rebels! They are the rebels!¡± Someone screamed. The fighting sounded. Huo Feng vented all the pent up sorrows in his heart from losing his wives and children on these people. The opponent was equal to them, but because they had made a surprise attack, the opponent was caught off guard. In the midst of the messy fighting, some men turned their horses in the hopes of reporting the events to their superiors. Huo Feng saw this and cut down the enemy before him, hurried his horse to chase after them. ¡°Whoosh-¡± A cold arrow flew from the forest at the roadside. Huo Feng instinctively got down, and the arrow flew over his head, directly piercing the heart of the man who was hoping to report. The man released a pained scream and fell down from his horse. Huo Feng tightened the reins of his horse and stopped, vigilantly observing the area where the arrow had come from. He didn¡¯t forget that he had also seen these mysterious arrows the night he escaped. ¡°Whoosh whoosh-!¡± Another arrow flew out of the forest, and multiple Hu An guards fell to the ground, screaming before being hacked to death by the Huo family army. Someone from the Hu An guards yelled: ¡°It¡¯s an ambush! Withdraw! Quickly withdraw!¡± Those guards immediately looked for a place to break through the encirclement. As long as they escaped and called upon reinforcements, those people would be caught even if they fled to the ends of the earth. They definitely could not allow these people to escape alive! Huo Feng rushed towards a fleeing enemy. Sword chi broke through the air and two black clothed men flew out of the forest. First, a few hidden weapons appeared, and then, the swords in the hands of the two men took the heads of the Hu An guards and imperial guards. They were allies. Huo Feng breathed a sigh of relief in his heart as the broadsword in his hand continued to fall mercilessly. These two people had strong martial arts. With their addition, the pressure on Huo Feng¡¯s side was lessened drastically. Two hours later, the ground was littered with the bodies of enemies, leaving no survivors. Huo Feng got off his horse, panting. After traveling on the road for so many days, eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew, and just experiencing a fight, he was very tired, very exhausted. The two black clothed men not only wore masks, but also black veils and hats. Even when Huo Feng walked towards them, they did not take off their veils, obviously not intending to reveal their faces. The taller black clothed man stood behind the other. It was obvious that the shorter, thinner black clothed man was the one in charge. ¡°Thank you two strong men for your help.¡± Huo Feng clasped his fists in gratitude, both eyes staring at the shorter man, wanting to gaze through that black veil and see those shrouded eyes. The other party did not return the gesture and did not speak a word. The man behind him opened his mouth to say: ¡°These bodies cannot remain here. Take off their clothes and burn all the bodies.¡± After speaking, he reached into his mask and blew a whistle. The sound of horses galloping sounded from the forest. Two handsome black steeds ran out and stopped beside the two men in black. The shorter black clothed man took a package from his horse¡¯s back and directly threw it to Huo Feng. Huo Feng caught it with one hand, opened it to take a look. Inside was an eagle robe and waist token of the imperial guards. Huo Feng immediately took off his dirty and torn clothes and changed into the clean clothes. The other party threw over a water pouch, obviously to let him freshen up. Huo Feng let his soldiers put on the clothes stripped from their dead enemies, regardless of whether they had blood stains or not. He held the water pouch and walked to the side, wiping his face with the dirty clothes he had just changed out of, and tidied up his messy bun. ¡°Go straight into the city through Jade City Pass. If someone stops you along the way, just show them your badge.¡± It was still the taller black clothed man. Huo Feng once again clasped his fists in gratitude, eyes still staring at the shorter man. ¡°Can these two strong men report their names? If I can succeed in my revenge one day, I will once again thank these two strong men.¡± ¡°No need for thanks. Your highness only needs to continue on without hesitating.¡± The taller man mounted his horse. The shorter man also mounted his horse. The two left. ¡°Wait!¡± Huo Feng grabbed the shorter man¡¯s horse reins with a sort of impatience in his eyes, ¡°Is it you!¡± He spoke ambiguously, but he believed the other party understood his meaning. The man reached out to grasp Huo Feng¡¯s hand, and Huo Feng¡¯s body suddenly shook. Pulling Huo Feng¡¯s hand off of the horse reins, the man¡¯s finger lightly tapped Huo Feng¡¯s shoulder as if he was patting off some dust. Huo Feng¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and he retreated a step. ¡°Your highness, farewell.¡± The tall man suddenly spoke this word. The shorter man waved his horse whip, the horses neighed, and the two men¡¯s figures quickly faded into the distance. Tightly clenching his fists, ¡°Your highness¡­¡­farewell¡­¡­¡± began ringing in Huo Feng¡¯s ears. He had already heard this phrase three times in such a short period of time. Farewell¡­¡­farewell¡­¡­I¡¯ve already reached this point, if I still don¡¯t do well or can¡¯t go on, isn¡¯t it more likely that you¡¯ll curse me for being a ¡°foolish coward¡±? Huo Feng mounted his horse: ¡°Burn the bodies, let¡¯s go!¡± Not long after, flames rose, and Huo Feng brought his subordinates out of the mountain into Xiangfan city. No one could stop Prince Yue from reaching Yidong. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C At Jade City Pass, He Jia personally led fifty thousand elite soldiers over from the Huo family army camp in Yidong. The city guards were Huo Feng¡¯s subordinates, and they had already received the urgent letter from the capital, so he already knew something had happened to Prince Yue. Jade City Pass was strictly guarded, so He Jia ordered that once something happened to his highness, the Huo family army would kill their way through Jade City Pass and take the capital as revenge for his highness. Standing on the tall walls of Jade City Pass, He Jia looked into the distance anxiously. There seemed to be dust rising in the distance, so He Jia immediately shouted to the men below him: ¡°Go see if people have arrived!¡± Two messengers quickly mounted their horses to investigate the situation. He Jia clenched his fists tightly, praying in his heart that it must be his highness, it must be his highness! Anxiously waiting for the time it took to burn a stick of incense, a messenger returned and shouted: ¡°Reporting to the general! General Huang, General Xu and General Ruan have returned!¡± ¡°What about his highness!¡± He Jia¡¯s heart skipped twice. ¡°His highness has not returned. General Ruan asked us to continue waiting for his highness. His highness will arrive tomorrow at the latest.¡± He Jia was abruptly scared into cold sweat. Already seeing troops approaching, He Jia quickly came down from the city walls and directly rode out of the city to meet his brothers who had managed to escape death. Jade City Pass was right before their eyes. Seeing He Jia, Huang Han, Xu Baicai, and Ruan Xingtian sped up their horses. Once they met, the three immediately jumped off their horses. He Jia also jumped off his horse and hugged the three of them. Ruan Xingtian pressed down his excitement saying: ¡°Return to the city. If his highness doesn¡¯t return by tomorrow, we will directly rush into the pass.¡± He Jia said: ¡°I¡¯m all ready. You must be tired, hurry back to rest.¡± ¡°First give me a whole roast lamb, fuck, I¡¯m starved.¡± Huang Han wiped his face and yelled. Many of the returning soldiers had injuries, so He Jia let Ruan Xingtian, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai eat and rest first, and let him deal with the aftermath. After ordering someone to investigate news on his highness and dealing with the aftermath, He Jia returned to the camp only to see Ruan Xingtian, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai waiting for him. He Jia walked over and said: ¡°It just so happens that I also have something to ask you all. If you aren¡¯t tired, let¡¯s speak now.¡± Huang Han was most anxious and asked first: ¡°Did that mysterious person send you another letter?¡± Ruan Xingtian shook his head: ¡°I already told those two. His highness didn¡¯t have time to discuss with us.¡± He Jia thoughtfully said: ¡°After Xingtian left, the mysterious person stopped sending letters, which is why I was worried about whether you could escape smoothly.¡± ¡°Who on earth is this mysterious person?¡± Xu Baicai wondered to himself. Ruan Xingtian and He Jia shook their heads. They also wanted to know. It turned out that after Huo Feng took Huang Han and Xu Baicai to leave Yidong to return to the capital, Ruan Xingtian and He Jia received a secret letter. The secret letter wrote that Huo Feng would be unlucky upon returning to the capital. It was very likely that Zhang Zhong would take action against him, so they had to make preparations quickly. Ruan Xingtian and He Jia didn¡¯t know if the secret letter could be trusted, but just in case, Ruan Xingtian immediately led men towards the capital city. It would be best if they could catch up to his highness, but if they couldn¡¯t, they would act based on the situation. They must bring his highness back safely. Not long after Ruan Xingtian led his men out of Jade City Pass disguised as a caravan, they received a few carts worth of boxes. The boxes were all filled with imperial guard uniforms and a waist token. Ruan Xingtian had half of his men change into the imperial guard uniforms and the other change into ordinary army uniforms to rush into the capital city using two routes. Before they reached the capital city, Ruan Xingtian received news that his highness had been caught, his two wives had committed suicide, his eldest son had disappeared, and his youngest son had fallen in the hands of Yi Chongren. Ruan Xingtian nearly crushed his silver teeth. But shortly afterwards, he received a secret letter from the mysterious person telling him to go to the moon viewing platform to save people three ke past the hour of zi (11:45 pm). The letter also instructed him on how to respond and told him how to leave the city after saving the men as someone would find a way to open the city gates for them. Everything happened in accordance with the letter. Ruan Xingtian¡¯s group, disguised as the imperial guards, was able to enter the moon viewing platform under the guise of replenishing guards. As soon as he saw his highness tied up there, he knew what to do. Leaving the city went even smoother than expected. Ruan Xingtian became more and more curious about the mysterious person who sent him the letter. Who on earth was secretly helping them? To be able to make these kinds of plans, to be able to control the Hu An guards and Imperial guards to such an extent, this person¡¯s identity must not be ordinary. Who could it be? Unable to think of who that person could be, the four men stopped thinking. Although they were tired from the journey, Ruan Xingtian, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai didn¡¯t want to rest because his highness hadn¡¯t returned yet. The four men simply stayed in He Jia¡¯s barracks to discuss major issues. His highness was loyal to the country, yet now his home was broken. This should be considered the government forcing people to rebel so the people have no choice but to rebel. The four men all believed that their prince would hesitate no more. [1] He¡¯s referring to his father as ¸¸Íõ (fuwang)which is a respectful way of calling your father when he is a Íõ (a prince). Kids are going to refer to their dads in a lot of different ways depending on their status so I¡¯ll try to translate the addresses accordingly. CH 6 Xingtian, Huang Han, Xu Baicai and He Jia spiritedly stood up: ¡°Where are they from!¡± ¡°They appear to be imperial guards.¡± ¡°Prepare the archers!¡± He Jia picked up his spear and walked out. Ruan Xingtian, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai picked up their own weapons and also strode out. Could it be that those bastards had caught up? The four men quickly climbed up the city gate. Archers in place, the torches on the city walls drove away the darkness, and the warning horns blew, telling the new arrivals that this was Jade City Pass, not a place where the Hu An guards and imperial guards could do whatever they wished. The four men were very anxious. Those bastards had already caught up but his highness had yet to return. Could it be that something happened to his highness? Thinking of this, Ruan Xingtian blamed himself. He should be by his highness¡¯s side! At this moment, an energetic roar sounded from the distance: ¡°Tell He Jia to open the city gates. I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°Your highness!¡± Ruan Xingtian¡¯s heart trembled. Joy appeared across the faces of Huang Han, Xu Baicai, and He Jia as they turned to run down the city walls. ¡°Open the gates! Quickly open the gates! It¡¯s his highness! His highness has returned! His highness has returned!¡± The archers retracted their bows and the heavy city gates slowly creaked open. The four men immediately mounted their horses and led a few hundred soldiers to welcome them back. Fiery light beamed out of Jade City Pass, lighting up the road. The four men¡¯s eyes widened as they stared ahead. They could already hear the clear sound of hundreds of horses galloping. The horse whips sounded, and both sides were so eager, eager to clearly see each other. ¡°Yu-¡± The leader dressed in the eagle robes of the imperial guards stopped first. Seeing this man¡¯s face clearly, Ruan Xingtian, Huang Han, Xu Baicai, and He Jia were all so excited they couldn¡¯t help but let hot tears flow from their eyes. ¡°Your highness!¡± ¡°Your highness! You¡¯ve finally returned!¡± ¡°Your highness, was your journey alright?¡± The four men jumped off their horses and surrounded his highness to ask. The bearded Huo Feng replied in a deep voice: ¡°My life is not that easy to take.¡± Ruan Xingtian immediately spoke: ¡°Your highness, let¡¯s go back to Yidong immediately and make plans for the future. You can¡¯t be too soft-hearted this time.¡± Huo Feng slightly turned his horse, looking behind him: ¡°I want to wait for one more person. Don¡¯t worry, this time I won¡¯t hesitate.¡± ¡°Your highness, who are you waiting for?¡± Huang Han asked curiously. ¡°Yi Chongren.¡± ¡°Yi Chongren?!¡± The four exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Your highness, why are you waiting for him?¡± Huo Feng didn¡¯t reply and instead whipped his horse: ¡°Bring something for me to eat, I¡¯m starving to death. And boil some water, I want to have a nice bath.¡± Without giving his subordinates an opportunity to argue, Huo Feng directly rushed into the city. ¡°Ai, this, why does his highness want to wait for Yi Chongren?¡± Huang Han mounted his horse and followed curiously. Xu Baicai said: ¡°Yi Chongren humiliated his highness, so his highness must not be able to let go of this injustice. If he returns, we can kill him, preventing from hurting any more people.¡± Ruan Xingtian and He Jia shared a look. Really? Just now when his highness mentioned that person, he didn¡¯t appear to want revenge. With all kinds of doubts, the four hurriedly followed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Lying in the bathtub, Huo Feng put a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. In one day, his home was destroyed, his wives died, and his two children disappeared. He was almost forced to bite his tongue and commit suicide. ¡ª- ¡°You are a coward.¡± ¡ª ¡°¡­¡­Who knew the great Prince Yue with seven hundred thousand troops in his hand could be bullied to such an extent by an accursed castrated dog. If you aren¡¯t a coward, what are you?¡± ¡ª ¡°I¡¯ve always looked down on you, now even more so.¡± ¡ª ¡°¡­¡­but you, you can¡¯t even compare to a castrate!¡± The hand on Huo Feng¡¯s forehead gradually clenched into a fist until the green veins bulged on the back of his hand. ¡°You are a coward coward coward¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t even compare compare compare¡­¡­¡± An opening and closing mouth appeared before his eyes, poking into his sore spots word by word, cruelly tearing open his wounds. ¡°Hua!¡± Water splashed everywhere as his fist plunged into the water, and his eyes opened, blazing with hatred and determination. Yi Chongren, you have humiliated me, so I will have you pay me back with interest! As if seeing those eyes again, those mocking, cold eyes, Huo Feng stood in the bathtub, eyes blazing like torches. Changing into clean clothes and shaving off his long beard, the thin Huo Feng summoned his four subordinates. After meeting with much misfortune and fleeing for days, Huo Feng¡¯s cheeks had visibly sunken. However, his eyes revealed a new level of determination. Seeing his highness like this, Huang Han, Xu Baicai, Ruan Xingtian, and He Jia strengthened their resolve in their hearts. They would follow his highness even in death. Huo Feng looked at Ruan Xingtian, and Ruan Xingtian immediately understood. He told his highness everything he had explained to Huang Han and Xu Baicai. Huo Feng didn¡¯t say a word from beginning to end, so calm to the point that his subordinates were a bit puzzled. After he finished speaking, Ruan Xingtian was still uneasy: ¡°Your highness, are your children really safe?¡± Huo Feng seemed to fall deep into thought and didn¡¯t respond, so Ruan Xingtian again said: ¡°I heard that the youngest young master was taken away by Yi Chongren. That person is so cruel. With the youngest young master in his hands, I¡¯m afraid¡­..¡± Huo Feng raised his eyes as his two hands clenched and loosened on his knees: ¡°The child is safe because he is in Yi Chongren¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°Your highness?!¡± Even the calmest of the four, Ruan Xingtian, showed an expression of shock. His highness hadn¡¯t gone insane, right! Huo Feng didn¡¯t explain, instead saying another phrase that left the four in shock again: ¡°If nothing went wrong, Yunkai should have also been rescued by him in advance.¡± ¡°Rescued? Yi Chongren? The Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards, Yi Chongren? Your highness, you, are you¡­¡­¡± Huang Han really wanted to ask if his highness had really gone mad. Huang Han clenched his jaw tightly, took something out of his lapel, and presented it before the four men. ¡°This is¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng dully said: ¡°This is the jade pendant that Yunkai always carried. Yi Chongren gave it to me.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Huo Feng stared at the jade pendant and said: ¡°At the moon viewing platform, Yi Chongren put it into my hand when he was addressing our private grievances. He blocked my mouth to feed me a ¡®Tianxin pill¡¯.¡± Ruan Xingtian suddenly thought of something and immediately asked: ¡°Your highness, were the ropes on your body also cut by Yi Chongren?¡± He had almost forgotten this point. Back when he went to rescue his highness, before he even acted, his highness had already escaped from his ropes. It was too chaotic at that time, so he didn¡¯t think about this much. Thinking about it now, his highness¡¯s martial arts should not have been strong enough to easily break free from the ropes used by the Hu An guards to restrain prisoners. Huo Feng replied with doubt: ¡°I don¡¯t understand. He already knew people would come save me so why did he feed me the ¡®Tianxin pill¡¯. Why did he secretly cut the ropes?¡± Ruan Xingtian pondered and said with uncertainty: ¡°Maybe he thought we wouldn¡¯t reach the capital so fast. Or maybe he had other plans. If he is the Yi Chongren we know, if he¡¯s decided what he wants to do, he¡¯d definitely make a fool-proof plan.¡± At this time, Xu Baicai said: ¡°No wonder I didn¡¯t faint even after being whipped.¡± ¡°How could it be him?¡± Huang Han¡¯s face distorted, obviously finding it hard to believe. ¡°I also didn¡¯t imagine¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng put away the jade pendant, ¡°it would be him.¡± A strange silence filled the room. Ruan Xingtian quickly put his thoughts together and asked: ¡°Your highness, is he the person you¡¯re waiting for?¡± Huo Feng nodded and said unclearly: ¡°He rescued me from the capital. I can¡¯t put him in a tight spot. As for why he did this, I will ask him myself in the future.¡± He Jia opened his mouth: ¡°Your highness, did Yi Chongren mention when he¡¯d bring the young masters back?¡± The scene of Yi Chongren¡¯s subordinate, Yaba ¡°snatching¡± his youngest son from the arms of Yu¡¯er flashed before Huo Feng¡¯s eyes. He closed his eyes and said: ¡°War is about to start. The children will be safer with him. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll bring the children over.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The four men looked at each other, still unable to accept that Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t an enemy but his highness¡¯s savior. Huo Feng suddenly said sternly: ¡°You must not tell anyone about this! Whoever leaks a word will be punished according to military policy!¡± The four were startled and said in unison: ¡°We will not say a word!¡± Afterwards, Huo Feng didn¡¯t mention Yi Chongren again and began discussing important matters. He had a hunch that Yi Chongren would definitely come to Jade City Pass, and he had a strong desire to meet him. As for the reason why he couldn¡¯t put Yi Chongren in a tight spot, that was just an excuse. Huo Feng¡¯s mind was clear but also full of doubts. Since they had last met at the moon viewing platform, his mind couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that name, that face. Thinking carefully, he never seemed to have seen Yi Chongren¡¯s true face under all those layers of makeup. The rumors said Yi Chongren appeared very handsome, but he had only ever seen that disgusting demonic makeup. Huo Feng¡¯s heart was conflicted, so conflicted that before returning to Yidong, he must see Yi Chongren¡¯s face unveiled. After covertly discussing important matters with his subordinates, Huo Feng let He Jia and Ruan Xingtian return to Yidong first. Those seven hundred thousand soldiers were the key to his success, so they couldn¡¯t have any difficulties. At dawn, He Jia and Ruan Xingtian, who hadn¡¯t slept all night, brought a few hundred soldiers back to Yidong. Fifty thousand elite soldiers remained stationed at Jade City Pass for now. Huang Han and Xu Baicai accompanied his highness as he waited. The two still found it too difficult to accept the sudden change in Yi Chongren¡¯s identity. After He Jia and Ruan Xingtian left, Huo Feng returned to his own barracks to rest for a while. He was very tired, but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, he would see those scenes of chaos. The capital, the palace, the prince mansion, the moon viewing platform, the suicide of his consorts, that cold and mocking face. Huo Feng had never been so affected by a single person, but now he was so affected, affected by that Yi Chongren who he could never see through. If Yi Chongren was good, why would so many people die at his hands over the years; if he was evil, why would he save him and his children? Could it be that he knew he would rebel, so he wanted to defect to a new master? Immediately afterwards, Huo Feng shook his head in his heart. Even if he knew he would rebel, how could Yi Chongren know that he would succeed? Yi Chongren could be said to be at the height of his power. Once Zhang Zhong died, he would be the most powerful eunuch in the court, especially with his identity as the crown prince¡¯s savior and Noble Consort Ru¡¯s favor. Why would he need to take this risk? On one side were the loyal officials that died at Yi Chongren¡¯s hands; on one side were his own children that were saved by Yi Chongren. Huo Feng couldn¡¯t wait to ask him face to face why he did this, what was his true intent. But Huo Feng also clearly knew that Yi Chongren would not tell him. He had a feeling that their meeting at Jade City Pass would be their final meeting. That person saved him but looked down on him. Two fires appeared in Huo Feng¡¯s eyes. Yi Chongren! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Huo Feng¡¯s guess was correct. He had just lay on his bed to rest for an hour when Huang Han hurriedly (excitedly) came to report¨C Yi Chongren arrived with the Hu An guards. Huo Feng awakened almost immediately. Having not taken off his shoes yet, he left his bed, picked up his broadsword, and headed out. As soon as he arrived atop the city walls, he could see Yi Chongren with that demonic makeup, wearing the court uniform of the eunuch in charge of the Hu An guards. That man still had that cold expression with a slight sneer on the corner of his lips. Seeing Huo Feng appear, he drew his flexible sword from his waist. Half the length of a horse behind him was the man who always followed Yi Chongren, Yaba, whose disfigured face made it impossible to make out his original appearance. Huo Feng couldn¡¯t help but glance at Yaba a few times. He was indeed a bit taller than Yi Chongren. ¡°Prince Yue.¡± Yi Chongren spoke first with a voice revealing traces of exhaustion from chasing for days on end. With one hand holding his broadsword and one hand dropped at his side, Huo Feng looked at Yi Chongren blankly and also spoke: ¡°Yi Chongren, you came a step too late. There are fifty thousand of my elite troops in Jade City Pass. How are you going to capture me?¡± Giving his broadsword to Xu Baicai, Huo Feng stepped forward and took a bow and arrow from a half-kneeling archer on the wall. With a precise action, Huo Feng let the arrow fly. There was a commotion among the Hu An guards as the men frightenedly tried to avoid the arrow whose path could not be determined. However, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t move, looking towards Huo Feng as calm as an old monk. ¡°Whoosh!¡± The arrow whizzed past his ear and a shrill screech sounded behind him. A man fell from a horse with an arrow passing through his heart. The Hu An guards became more chaotic, and no longer caring about Yi Chongren¡¯s orders, they turned their horses to retreat. The city gates of Jade City Pass opened from the inside and a Hu An guard shouted: ¡°Lord Qianhu! Let¡¯s retreat!¡± Yi Chongren raised his hand, and the man who had just spoken was whipped off his horse. The whip wrapped around the man¡¯s neck, and with a forceful action from Yaba, the man¡¯s body was thrown into the air. When he hit the ground, the man was already dead from a broken neck. Yaba took back his whip, and no one else dared to mention the word ¡°retreat¡±. ¡°This is what happens to those who try to shake the army¡¯s confidence!¡± Coldly glancing at that dead subordinate, Yi Chongren once again looked towards the armored man standing atop the city walls ¨C the great general of Southern Chu, Prince Yue, Huo Feng. Behind the gates of Jade City Pass was the Huo family army, surrounded with killing intent, led by Xu Baicai. Huo Feng once again drew his bow and took aim. This time, his arrow flew unhindered. Once again, it whizzed past Yi Chongren¡¯s ear, and another Hu An guard died under Huo Feng¡¯s arrow with the arrow passing straight through the heart. ¡°Kill!¡± Xu Baicai¡¯s Xiaotian halberd aimed towards Yi Chongren. With his shout, ten thousand elite Huo family soldiers followed him to rush towards their enemies. Prince Yue¡¯s two arrows had already cast the Hu An guards into panic. At this time, facing this group of soldiers surrounded with killing intent, they were so frightened that they wet their pants. Normally holding these positions for prestige and fortune, they had never imagined that they¡¯d face such fierce enemies. No longer caring about shaking the army¡¯s morale, a Hu An guard turned his horse and fled. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t stop him. He was still coldly looking at the man on the city walls. More and more Hu An guards began to flee, and the Hu family soldiers that rushed over passed Yi Chongren to chase after the fleeing Hu An guards. Those who didn¡¯t have time to escape were surrounded and hacked to death. At this time, the man standing atop the city walls moved. With his Zhenyan blade in his hand, Huo Feng directly jumped off the city walls that were tens of feet tall. A white horse galloped out of the city. Huo Feng mounted the horse and rushed towards Yi Chongren. Only then did Yi Chongren take action. He sped his horse through the Huo family army encirclement and headed towards Huo Feng. Yaba tried to follow Yi Chongren but was blocked off by Xu Baicai. Outside of the encirclement, Huo Feng¡¯s blade collided with Yi Chongren¡¯s sword. The horses were agitated by the seriousness of the surrounding atmosphere. Yi Chongren directly dismounted, and Huo Feng also dismounted. Broadsword vs flexible sword, Prince Yue vs the eunuch controlling the Hu An guards. In the past, the two had a confrontation and Huo Feng lost tragically. The outcome of this second confrontation was difficult to determine. CH 7 The two fought and fought until they reached the edge of the city wall. Huo Feng¡¯s broadsword slashed towards Yi Chongren¡¯s head, Yi Chongren dodged, and Huo Feng¡¯s body pressed down, directly presing Yi Chongren against the city wall. Turning his back to the people fighting behind him, Huo Feng whispered: ¡°What the hell is your intention?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand Prince Yue¡¯s words.¡± Yi Chongren forcefully pushed aside Huo Feng, and his flexible sword approached Huo Feng¡¯s face. Huo Feng blocked with his broadsword, turned to avoid another attack by Yi Chongren, and once again pressed Yi Chongren against the wall. ¡°Why did you cut my ropes? Why did you save me and my children?¡± ¡°Prince Yue, what are you talking about? If I had such a good heart, why would I chase you here? Wasn¡¯t it Liu Yu who saved you?¡± ¡°Bullshit! Stop pretending! Then why did you feed me the ¡®Tianxin pill¡¯?¡± Huo Feng was so annoyed by Yi Chongren that foul words began to escape his lips. Yi Chongren once again pushed Huo Feng aside and forced his sword towards him. ¡°His majesty ate the ¡®Tianxin pill¡¯. I couldn¡¯t have taken the pill from his majesty¡¯s hands. That was just a pill to prevent you from being sunburned to death, after all, I needed you to bait some big fish. Too bad Liu Yu ruined my plans.¡± ¡°Yi Chongren!¡± Huo Feng¡¯s fury exploded. Why wouldn¡¯t this person admit it! ¡°I¡¯m afraid Prince Yue is confused.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s flexible sword opened a wound on the back of Huo Feng¡¯s hand. The wound wasn¡¯t deep but blood flowed out. ¡°You hate me.¡± Glancing at the wound on the back of his hand, Huo Feng said angrily, definitely. ¡°I¡¯ve mentioned it before. I hold grudges. Could it be that Prince Yue has forgotten how you humiliated me?¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s sword once again moved forward. Suddenly, two arrows were shot towards Yi Chongren and Huo Feng from the city walls.The arrows approached fast. If Yi Chongren dodged, the arrows were likely to hurt Huo Feng; if he didn¡¯t dodge, his vitals would be hurt. Huo Feng saw the two arrows approaching and reached out to grab Yi Chongren. Unexpectedly, not only did Yi Chongren not dodge, the sword in his hand also did not change its course, continuing to aim towards Huo Feng¡¯s heart. Huo Feng avoided the sword instinctively and heard two ¡°pu pu¡±. The two arrows pierced through Yi Chongren¡¯s body. ¡°Yi Chongren!¡± Huo Feng¡¯s eyes reddened, raised his head to look at the archer, and hastened over to support the other party. Yi Chongren, who had been shot in the shoulder and arm, kicked him away, using a backhand to create another wound on Huo Feng¡¯s shoulder. With the sound of horse hooves approaching, Yaba, who had escaped Xu Baicai at some point, hurriedly rode his horse to the injured Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren breathed a sigh of relief and flew towards Yaba. Yaba flicked his whip, and Yi Chongren was brought onto the horse. ¡°New hatred adds to old hatred, your highness, I[1] don¡¯t owe you anymore.¡± It¡¯s me, not I[2]. Yi Chongren¡¯s face appeared pale as he threw this sentence to Huo Feng who was rushing over. His sword struck the horse¡¯s ass, and feeling pain, it wildly ran away. Huo Feng grabbed his horse, mounting it to follow, but Xu Baicai stopped him. ¡°Your highness! You can¡¯t give chase! Be careful of traps!¡± Xu Baicai still didn¡¯t completely trust Yi Chongren. After such a short delay, Yaba and Yi Chongren¡¯s figures had already faded into the distance. ¡°Bring the bastard who fired that arrow to me!¡± Xu Baicai hurriedly shouted this sentence. Huo Feng saw all the slaughtered Hu An guards and said with gritted teeth: ¡°Leave some survivors to send a letter. Withdraw!¡± Huo Feng whipped his horse¡¯s ass a few times and rushed back into the city. Seeing his highness¡¯s angry back, Xu Baicai furrowed his brows, then sighed and ordered his soldiers to retreat. His highness trusted Yi Chongren too much. This was very dangerous. That man was both righteous and evil. After they saved the young masters, it would still be better to get rid of him. Returning to the barracks, Huo Feng forcefully threw his broadsword on the ground and irritably beat the wall a few times. Yi Chongren could have easily dodged those two arrows, so why didn¡¯t he? Could it be that he was afraid they¡¯d hurt him? Huo Feng didn¡¯t want to appear so weak in Yi Chongren¡¯s mind. How could he not dodge those two arrows? Those two arrows were obviously aimed at Yi Chongren, so why didn¡¯t he dodge! ¡ª ¡°New hatred adds to old hatred, your highness, I don¡¯t owe you anymore.¡± A cold light flashed in Huo Feng¡¯s eyes. Yi Chongren, did you use those two arrows to compensate for my humiliation? ¡°Your highness, we brought the man.¡± Xu Baicai was outside the door. Huo Feng¡¯s anger surged: ¡°Bring him in!¡± Xu Baicai lifted the curtain door and stepped inside. Behind him followed two soldiers pressing down an archer. ¡°Who let you fire those arrows!¡± Huo Feng shouted angrily. The young archer said hatefully: ¡°Yi Chongren is a demon, the leader of evil! Everyone wants to end him!¡± Huo Feng stepped forward and slapped him: ¡°What do you think this place is! Who do you think this prince is? Did this prince order you to release that arrow! A military order is like a mountain! What did you take this prince¡¯s order as!¡± Not expecting to be given an earful by his highness, the man was stunned and shouted with dissatisfaction: ¡°He is the leader of those miscreants! The dog of Zhang Zhong! Your highness! If you let him go, who knows how many loyal men will die at his hands! Your highness shouldn¡¯t have forgotten about how Lord Zhang¡¯s family was brutally murdered by him!¡± Huo Feng¡¯s eyes turned dark: ¡°Who are you to Prime Minister Zhang?¡± The man cried: ¡°I was Lord Zhang¡¯s servant and the young master¡¯s sword. When that happened to his excellency, the young master knew it would be difficult to preserve his own life so he sent us close attendants out of the capital. I must avenge his excellency! I must avenge the young master! I must avenge the members of the Zhang family who died so unjustly!¡± Huo Feng tightly clenched his fists, and Xu Baicai tried to persuade him: ¡°Your highness, Yi Chongren¡¯s hands are stained with the blood of too many people. I¡¯m afraid many people in the military hold deep hatred towards him. Although this person disobeyed the military discipline, his heart is in the right place. I hope your highness will reconsider. Do not hurt the hearts of the soldiers for Yi Chongren.¡± Xu Baicai spoke vaguely but Huo Feng understood. His subordinate didn¡¯t trust him; in other words, even if everyone knew that he was saved by Yi Chongren, no one would believe him to be a good person. Without mentioning other people, even he himself didn¡¯t completely trust Yi Chongren. Huo Feng turned. He once again thought of every word Yi Chongren had said to him, every insult, every look he had given him that he couldn¡¯t see through, and those two arrows that pierced through Yi Chongren¡¯s body. That man, why would he deny it; why did he get hurt? Maybe after missing this chance, he would never find out. ¡°Your highness, the broader issues take importance.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s shoulders visibly shook. After a while, he said: ¡°Take him out. Flog him fifty times. No matter how just your reasons may be, you can¡¯t be dealt with mercifully for disobeying military orders. Remember, this is the military. If everyone acted on their own like you, what am I, the military commander, here for!¡± ¡°Thank you, your highness for this mercy!¡± The man heavily kowtowed three times, before being taken away by the two soldiers that brought him in. ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± Xu Baicai wanted to say a few more words but his highness raised his hand to stop him. ¡°Issue the order to return to Yidong in an hour (2 hours in modern times).¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± Xu Baicai retreated. Huo Feng slowly lowered his hand and looked down at the armor that was stained with blood, Yi Chongren¡¯s blood. Wiping with his finger, Huo Feng took a deep breath and ordered himself to stop thinking about that person. Xu Baicai was right, the broader issues take importance. Thinking about what he was about to do or the broad issue he was about to deal with, Huo Feng¡¯s face turned cold. Imperial brother, I won¡¯t endure any longer, so don¡¯t blame me for being unrighteous! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C In a dilapidated temple not far from Jade City Pass, the faint scent of blood wafted through the air. Yi Chongren sat on a pile of withered grass. Yaba knelt before him, using a dagger to cut the two arrows , and then cut his sleeve to deal with the arrow in his arm first. Yi Chongren already sealed his acupoints to prevent further bleeding, but even so, blood still gushed from the wound. Yaba checked the wound and furrowed his brows. Yi Chongren was expressionless, as if he wasn¡¯t the one who had gotten hurt. Only the white beads of sweat on his forehead revealed his pain. ¡°It¡¯s a hooked arrow.¡± Yaba said, his voice young and steady. Yi Chongren closed his eyes, but said: ¡°You are Yaba right now.¡± Yaba closed his mouth, his eyes full of chagrin. His ears moved slightly and he lowered his voice: ¡°There¡¯s no one nearby.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to be careful.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yaba stopped talking. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what type of arrow it is, just get it out. Clean it. I would rather it leave a scar than discharge pus.¡± Yi Chongren glanced at the blood stained arrow with disgust. Yaba glanced at him as if to say if he didn¡¯t like pus, why would he not avoid the arrow. Yi Chongren sighed and did not answer, instead saying: ¡°Things have come to this point¡­¡­Huaiqiu, I¡¯m tired, very tired. I want to escape this life.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Yaba said in a very low voice. He picked up the flask of wine beside his leg and took a swig, heated his dagger over the open fire and said in a low voice: ¡°Endure.¡± Then, the heated dagger slit the wound on Yi Chongren¡¯s arm. Yi Chongren gritted his teeth to endure, his powdered face appearing as pale as paper. The hooked arrow, once shot into the body, would firmly hook bone and flesh. Yi Chongren anticipated where the arrow would pierce his body. The hooked arrow would only hook his flesh, not his bones. Yaba tightly pressed his lips together as large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He almost cut off a piece of flesh from Yi Chongren¡¯s arm before he could get the arrow out. Yi Chongren released a breath and coughed a few times. Yaba helped wipe his sweat and asked in a low voice: ¡°Can you still endure?¡± ¡°I can bear it.¡± The corner of Yi Chongren¡¯s mouth curved upwards in a sneer, ¡°I can endure even more painful injuries, this little thing is nothing. Continue.¡± Yaba handed the flask of wine to Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren took two swigs and nodded towards him. Continue. Carefully cutting apart Yi Chongren¡¯s clothes to reveal the wound on his shoulder, Yaba¡¯s eyebrows knit into a single line, eyes full of dismay. Yi Chongren was puzzled: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me who got you involved.¡± ¡°How?¡± Yaba observed Yi Chongren¡¯s injuries, wanting to relieve as much of his pain as possible, and said: ¡°The man who shot the arrow was my swordsman. He must have done this to avenge the Zhang family.¡± Yi Chongren hooked his lips: ¡°This has nothing to do with you. Many people want to kill me, just him doesn¡¯t make a difference. Also, I took this arrow deliberately. He could be considered to have done me a favor.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Yaba said angrily. Yi Chongren looked at the sky outside the temple: ¡°I¡¯ve already said, I¡¯m tired, I want to escape this life. I¡¯m injured, so I have an excuse when I return to the capital. Only this way can I push everything on Liu Yu. Huaiqiu, I¡¯ve endured for fifteen years, my opportunity is getting closer and closer. This time when I return to the capital, I can definitely turn the heavens and earth upside down and leave everything behind. This world¡¯s matters will no longer have anything to do with me.¡± ¡°Have you thought it through?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through.¡± Yaba once again heated his dagger over the fire and said: ¡°As long as you¡¯ve thought it through. Just know, I¡¯ll always support you.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t go to help Prince Yue?¡± Yi Chongren raised an eyebrow. Yaba frowned and shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m also annoyed. If my father wants to go, let him.¡± Yi Chongren stopped talking because the dagger in Yaba¡¯s hand moved over. Afterwards, the two both stopped talking. Yi Chongren let out a few suppressed groans from time to time, but Yaba¡¯s face appeared to be suffering more than Yi Chongren. With great difficulty, the arrow stuck in his shoulder was finally pulled out and Yi Chongren fainted. Placing Yi Chongren on his own clothes, Yaba dressed Yi Chongren¡¯s wounds. Looking at the crimson blood staining the white cloth, looking at Yi Chongren¡¯s face hidden by that white makeup all year round, thinking of all those years he stood beside Yi Chongren, watching him persevere through hardship, Yaba thought all his old attempts to repay his savior were not enough. He had to do something for Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t a demon, wasn¡¯t evil. That night, Yi Chongren had a fever, and Yaba didn¡¯t sleep a blink to take care of him. When the sun rose, Yi Chongren¡¯s fever finally subsided, but he didn¡¯t find a place to recuperate, instead asking Yaba to return to the capital with him. After sweating for a night, his makeup was mostly melted. Yaba brought some water and Yi Chongren redid his makeup. After putting on his makeup and hiding all his emotions under that mask, the injured Yi Chongren and Yaba returned to the capital together. One was headed towards Yidong while another was headed towards the capital. Yi Chongren and Huo Feng exchanged blows at Jade City Pass and parted ways at Jade City Pass. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Prince Yue Huo Feng was tortured by the evildoers, the two prince consorts committed suicide, the eldest young master¡¯s whereabouts were unknown, and the youngest young master who was just born fell in the hands of the evildoers. Huo Feng who had escaped alive, in the name of Qing Jun Ce[3] called upon the great heroes of the land to rise up, defeat the devils, and return peace to the land. Huo Feng¡¯s call was answered by the common people, who were oppressed by the devils to live lives worse than death, and various other local groups. These people who held such deep hatred towards the devils previously didn¡¯t not want to eradicate the evildoers, but instead never had a true leader. Huo Feng was a prince, held important troops, and had a certain reputation among the ruling class and the common people. Even his family was ruined by the devils, almost losing his own life. The common people of Southern Chu held immense hatred towards the devils. Once Huo Feng raised the troops, the common people naturally welcomed the action with open arms. It took eight hundred miles to rush back to the capital. Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu were both angry and anxious, and especially panicked. They only had the Hu An guards and imperial guards in their hands. Even if they had some military troops, just that amount of soldiers was not enough to compare with Huo Feng¡¯s troops, who were of an entirely different caliber. Liu Yu had already been caught. Without even listening to the other party¡¯s claims of ¡®injustice¡¯, Zhang Zhong directly ordered men to drag Liu Yu to the torture chamber. Before even two hours passed, Liu Yu was tortured to death. Not only this, the angered Zhang Zhang mercilessly murdered Liu Yu¡¯s entire family, not leaving a single survivor. Zhang Zhong ordered men to quickly urge Yi Chongren to come back to the capital and discussed with Sun Jiyu how to solve their immediate problems. When matters reached this point, they could no longer hide from the emperor. Only by taking out the military talisman in his majesty¡¯s hands could they mobilize the capital guards and the remaining troops scattered across Southern Chu, but altogether, these troops only amounted to about four hundred thousand. This was the first time Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu felt so afraid. The big success they were originally planning for had become a big mess because of an incompetent insider! Zhang Zhong wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and thought of Yi Chongren who always had that calm demeanor no matter what happened. Zhang Zhong hoped he could hurry back to the capital fast enough to resolve these urgent issues. [1]Yi Chongren uses the word ÎÒ (wo) to refer to himself instead of ÔÛ¼Ò(za jia) as he usually did before this point. I translated them both as ¡°I¡± before since I¡¯m lazy. [2] ÊÇÎÒ£¬¶ø²»ÊÇÔÛ¼Ò(shi wo, er bu shi za jia)¡£ ÎÒ (wo) is the most common way people refer to themselves, but ÔÛ¼Ò(za jia) is a humble and proud way to refer to oneself. It is often used by eunuchs in dramas though its use isn¡¯t exclusive to eunuchs. Basically, the vibes are different. [3] Çå¾ý²à is an ancient chinese political term meaning to eliminate rebellious ministers surrounding the monarch CH 8 Having fun with his prized consort deep in the palace, the Jiazheng emperor didn¡¯t expect the news that a bolt of thunder had crashed down on a clear day. Thinking of how much favor he bestowed onto Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu, the Jiazheng emperor harshly scolded the two. The two had never been berated to such a degree by his majesty and didn¡¯t even dare to release a loud breath. Although they usually were able to do whatever they wished, that was all because his majesty didn¡¯t question their policies. Even when people accused them of misconduct, the memorials wouldn¡¯t reach his majesty. However, if his majesty truly became annoyed or disgusted by them, then that would be the worst case scenario. Under one person and above ten thousand people. Those at the top still have people above them. If this issue was not resolved adequately, then his majesty would not trust them again and their continued prosperity would be in danger. ¡°Every day, you told me that Prince Yue was conspiring to rebel! And they were all just a bunch of rumors! Now, not only have you not presented any evidence, you¡¯ve also stirred up such a big mess! Seven hundred thousand! Prince Yue has seven hundred thousand men under his command! What do you say! Give me a solution!¡± Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu kept quiet out of fear. They had never seen his majesty so angry before. The Jiazheng emperor was panicking. He originally did not want to bother his little brother, after all they were blood brothers of the same mother, and the other party controlled much of the most important military forces. However, Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu said that Prince Yue held the intent to rebel. It was only because he felt that some of Prince Yue¡¯s subordinates felt dissatisfied with the monarch that he ordered for Prince Yue¡¯s arrest, and for the same reason, he ordered Zhang Zhong to find indisputable evidence of Prince Yue¡¯s will to rebel. But now, not only did the man escape, he also rebelled! Prince Yue held the strongest forces in Southern Chu in his hand. Once something bad happened, he, the emperor, didn¡¯t want to deal with it! Angered to the point that his fingers were shaking, the Jiazheng emperor pointed at Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu as he scolded: ¡°I don¡¯t care what methods you have to use! Appease Prince Yue! Immediately appease Prince Yue! Give his two consorts a generous burial and immediately send men to find the eldest young master. Where is Prince Yue¡¯s youngest son?¡± Zhang Zhong perspired a cold layer of sweat and hesitated: ¡°At, at Yi Chongren¡¯s place. I don¡¯t know where he took him.¡± He already used the child to make his medicine. How could he dare to say that the child was in his own hands. ¡°Immediately order Yi Chongren to bring the child into the palace!¡± ¡°Yi Chongren, is chasing Prince Yue and has yet to return to the capital¡­¡­¡± ¡°Make him come back to the capital immediately!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Although the Jiazheng emperor was an incapable ruler, he was still the emperor after all and still had some brains. He ordered Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu to appease Prince Yue and immediately summoned his military generals to transfer troops into the palace to prepare. This time, the Jiazheng emperor did not have Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu remain to discuss the proceedings and drove them out in anger. The two gloomily returned to their residence to convene with their subordinates to discuss countermeasures. If they didn¡¯t handle this matter well, then their plans would truly be in the gutter. The Jiazheng emperor was truly furious. Not only did he admonish Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu, he also went to Noble Consort Ru¡¯s palace to reprimand Noble Consort Ru. After he finished reprimanding, the Jiazheng emperor flicked his dragon sleeve and left with a stomach full of raging anger. Noble Consort Ru, who was berated to tears, threw a tantrum in her room, smashing much of her belongings to pieces. This was truly a disaster. The angered Noble Consort Ru immediately ordered someone to go send a letter to Yi Chongren telling him to hurry back to the capital. At this time, the first person Noble Consort Ru thought of wasn¡¯t her own father. The atmosphere in the palace suddenly became tense. Not only the palace, but the entire nation of Southern Chu was tense. Prince Yue left fifty thousand soldiers at the garrison of Yidong to prevent the border from falling and brought sixty five thousand men, divided in five groups led by Huang Han, Xu Baicai, He Jia, Ruan Xingtian, and himself, to lead the troops in the same direction, towards the capital. For half a month, the army didn¡¯t encounter much resistance. The Jiazheng emperor and the devils had long lost popular support and finally tasted the results of their immorality. However, for the sake of the dragon throne and continued glory and wealth, they wouldn¡¯t give up easily. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- After reading the urgent letter from the capital in his hand, Yi Chongren handed it to Yaba with a calm expression. Yaba directly burned it with the oil lamp on the table. Yi Chongren leaned on the head of the bed, half-laying on the bed. Although his face was still covered with makeup, because of his injured state, his face appeared even more pale. Once they left Jade City Pass, Yi Chongren directly entered the city without concealing his traces so that the Hu An guards and Noble Consort Ru¡¯s people could find him easily. ¡°Once the sun rises tomorrow, let¡¯s hurry to the capital. I don¡¯t want to meet Prince Yue¡¯s troops before returning to the capital.¡± Yaba furrowed his eyebrows and Yi Chongren said weakly: ¡°Prince Yue rose troops. We must help him with other matters when we return to the capital. If he still can¡¯t take control of this land after all this, then he truly is a cowardly fool.¡± Yaba walked to the bedside and whispered in Yi Chongren¡¯s ear: ¡°The injury on your shoulder is very serious. You¡¯re not fit for travel.¡± Yi Chongren sighed heavily and whispered back: ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I return too late, the child will already be dead.¡± Yaba pursed his lips and stopped talking. Once dawn broke the next day, Yi Chongren and Yaba rushed back to the capital with the three hundred Hu An guards who arrived to meet them. Yi Chongren carried heavy injuries so their journey was a bit delayed. After twenty days, Yi Chongren finally returned to the capital. At this time, Prince Yue¡¯s troops were like an unstoppable force, as the cities and towns around the strategic defensive positions along the border nearly all surrendered to Prince Yue without any resistance. This time, the Jiazheng emperor personally drafted the imperial edict. First, he emphasized the deep brotherly affection they shared from their blood bond, and then said he had mistakenly listened to the slander of vile characters and wronged his little brother. He granted the two prince consorts generous burials, and claimed that both the eldest and youngest young masters were found and sent into the palace. He would ensure the safety of the two children and punish the treacherous officials who dared to slander his imperial brother. Once this imperial edict by the Jiazheng emperor was released, even the most insensitive of people could sense that something was amiss. Vile characters¡­¡­treacherous¡­¡­all discerning people knew who would slander Prince Yue. If his majesty wanted to punish the treacherous officials who slandered Prince Yue, then wouldn¡¯t that be taking down Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu? The court officials who hated these two to the bones immediately joined hands with his majesty, enumerating all the various villainous deeds of Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu, and begged his majesty to severely punish the two men and their two subordinates. Among the list of officials impeached, Yi Chongren was the third person named after Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu. Once they found the opportunity, the court officials who had always been looking for the opportunity to take down those powerful evildoers naturally would not let the chance slip away. Zhang Zhong¡¯s residence was enveloped in a thick, dull atmosphere. At this time, those who normally tyrannically abused their power didn¡¯t even dare to release a deep breath. Now was the time that would determine whether they lived or died. Yi Chongren, who rushed back from Jade City Pass, sat down just one position beneath Zhang Zhong. His right arm hung in a sling of white cloth, and his face powder hardly concealed his weakness from injury, but his eyes still carried that chilling light that made whoever saw them feel a shiver down their spine. Everyone who sat there was one of Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu¡¯s most trusted subordinates. Prince Yue raised troops, his majesty was angered, and the court officials were raising articles of impeachment. If it wasn¡¯t for Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu¡¯s operations over the years, they would have already been imprisoned long ago, but if they didn¡¯t handle things properly this time, they would be in a very dangerous situation. Yi Chongren secretly returned to the capital the day before. His majesty ordered for him to immediately bring Prince Yue¡¯s youngest son into the palace once he returned to the capital. Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu suppressed the news of Yi Chongren¡¯s return. Zhang Zhong absolutely couldn¡¯t hand over the child, and Sun Jiyu thought the child was already dead, so in their eyes, this was another big issue. Sun Jiyu was a bit dissatisfied with Zhang Zhong. The Hu An guards were the ones who guarded Prince Yue¡¯s mansion, but they allowed Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son to escape right under their nose. If it wasn¡¯t for Liu Yu that fool, things wouldn¡¯t have become so hard to deal with. It was Sun Jiyu¡¯s idea to deal with Prince Yue. As long as Prince Yue was here with hundreds of thousands of soldiers in his hands, the crown prince would be in a dangerous situation once he ascended to the throne. Killing Prince Yue would bring the most benefits to Sun Jiyu. However, the two of them were now like grasshoppers tied to the same rope[1]. No matter how dissatisfied they were with each other, they first had to deal with the issues right before their eyes. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Zhang Zhong spoke with a dark expression: ¡°Chongren, do you have any countermeasures? Liu Yu that bastard refused to say who supported him even until he died. I really didn¡¯t expect that fool that lived off our kindness would dare to work against me behind my back. Killing him could be considered letting him off easy!¡± Yi Chongren lowered his eyes and spoke in a voice that wasn¡¯t high or low: ¡°Right now our most urgent task is to regain his majesty¡¯s trust. With his majesty¡¯s support, those big officials won¡¯t be able to make too much trouble. This matter needs Lord Sishi¡¯s[2] intervention.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Sun Jiyu knit his brows, ¡°What can I do? His majesty won¡¯t even see me.¡± Yi Chongren lightly said: ¡°His majesty is just venting his anger. Don¡¯t forget who his majesty now favors the most.¡± Sun Jiyu and Zhang Zhong¡¯s eyes dulled for a moment and Zhang Zhong said: ¡°Concubine Qin?¡± Yi Chongren nodded and said: ¡°Concubine Qin is currently favored. Let¡¯s have her convince his majesty to see Lord Sishi. Although his majesty may be taking out his anger on the crown prince, the crown prince is his majesty¡¯s only son and eventually, this world will belong to the crown prince. Prince Yue controls important troops. Even if he doesn¡¯t rebel now, he might rebel once the crown prince ascends the throne. Lord Sishi should let his majesty understand that no matter how close a blood related brother may be, he is not as close as the crown prince. Prince Yue has already revealed his true face. Even if he has a change of heart, the knot in his heart will never truly disappear. Also, Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son truly isn¡¯t in our hands. It¡¯s hard to determine whether he was taken by one of Prince Yue¡¯s enemies. And the two prince consorts committed suicide. They were already dead before we reached them so we can¡¯t be blamed for that. Even if we arrested Prince Yue, we didn¡¯t impose severe punishment on Prince Yue. Saying we forced Prince Yue to reel is too much of a stretch.¡± Yi Chongren finished speaking. Sun Jiyu and Zhang Zhong¡¯s faces immediately revealed traces of joy. Exactly! Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son¡¯s disappearance and the two prince consorts¡¯ suicide had nothing to do with them! Who knew who took the eldest young master. Maybe it could even be one of Prince Yue¡¯s own plans. Afterwards, Yi Chongren continued: ¡°As for that child. Just carry one into the palace. I think even Prince Yue doesn¡¯t even know what his youngest son looks like.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Zhang Zhong patted his thigh, ¡°Newborn children look different everyday. If we say it¡¯s Prince Yue¡¯s son, who can say he isn¡¯t? I¡¯ll immediately send someone to find a suitable child.¡± Yi Chongren spoke: ¡°There¡¯s no rush. First, have Lord Sishi enter the palace to appease his majesty. It¡¯s best to be with the noble consort. One is a little brother that can still rebel any time in the future and the other is a biological son. His majesty should understand what¡¯s important. Of course, Prince Yue should also be appeased. We can pull people who defected from Prince Yue to our side and chase Prince Yue under his majesty¡¯s name for being disloyal and unjust. Not everyone can bear the name of rebellion and treason, so by then we will not have no chance of winning.¡± ¡°Good, good, as expected from Chongren!¡± The gloomy expression on Zhang Zhong¡¯s face swept to one like the bright sound of sharpening a knife. Sun Jiyu thought for a bit and said: ¡°There is logic to Chongren¡¯s words. This matter should not be delayed. I¡¯ll enter the palace now.¡± Zhang Zhong immediately stood: ¡°Thank you for your trouble Lord Sishi. Then the Hu An guards will first deal with the families of those bandits. I don¡¯t believe that they won¡¯t care about their families¡¯ life and death. Lord Sishi should directly find Concubine Qin. She will think of a way to appease his majesty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I will enter the palace immediately.¡± Not staying any longer to chat, Sun Jiyu left with his subordinates. Once he left, Zhang Zhong also had his subordinates leave, leaving only Yi Chongren. Without any more outsiders, Zhang Zhong¡¯s expression changed and he lowered his voice to ask: ¡°Chongren, there are no outsiders now, do you have any other plans?¡± Zhang Zhong understood Yi Chongren. Although Yi Chongren was Noble Consort Ru¡¯s confidante, they always kept a distance from Sun Jiyu. Zhang Zhong believed that Yi Chongren¡¯s sincerity between himself and Sun Jiyu was different. The current situation did not favor him, so Yi Chongren would definitely think for him. Yi Chongren stood and walked to the seat where Sun Jiyu was sitting just now a small table away from Zhang Zhong and leaned over. Zhang Zhong saw him come to whisper in his ear. He just knew Yi Chongren had other plans. ¡°If we fail this time, all of us will die. If we don¡¯t fail, I¡¯m afraid Lord Sishi will have some suspicions toward Lord Dugong.¡± Zhang Zhong narrowed his eyes. The corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips curved upwards and he said with a sneer: ¡°The main reason why Lord Dugong messed with Prince Yue was to help Lord Sishi. Now the situation has changed. Lord Dugong should have seen that Lord Sishi is dissatisfied.¡± Zhang Zhong¡¯s eyes darkened a bit. ¡°Prince Yue naturally holds some prejudices against Lord Dugong, but it¡¯s not enough to tear apart his face. If it wasn¡¯t for Lord Sishi continuously lobbying you, you wouldn¡¯t have to do these strenuous, thankless tasks. If only you don¡¯t act against Prince Yue, Prince Yue won¡¯t see you in an irreconcilable light. After all these years, if Prince Yue really wanted to work against you, he would have taken action much sooner, right.¡± Zhang Zhong¡¯s hands tightened into fists. ¡°Your excellency, from the beginning, I did not approve of taking action against Prince Yue, but Liu Yu and the others kept following Lord Sishi to try and persuade you, so it made it difficult for me to speak. Your excellency, think. Even if you succeed, how many benefits could you reap? Lord Sishi is the uncle of the nation. Once the crown prince ascends to the throne, Lord Sishi will truly be under one and above ten thousand. At that point, what would you count as? With the emperor supporting his waist and him controlling the imperial guards, will Lord Sishi still accommodate you? If we get rid of his excellency, and replace him with one of his own people, the Hu An guards and imperial guards in Lord Sishi¡¯s hands, and even the emperor would have to listen to him. Without the threat of Prince Yue, Lord Sishi would really be able to get whatever he wants. Your excellency, do you understand?¡± Zhang Zhong gritted his teeth and his eyes turned red: ¡°No wonder at that time Liu Yu kept talking about how dangerous Prince Yue was. So it turns out Liu Yu had already colluded with others behind my back long ago!¡± Yi Chongren coldly said: ¡°The issue of Prince Yue¡¯s escape may have something to do with Lord Sishi. Your excellency, don¡¯t forget, Ruan Xingtian¡¯s troops were wearing the uniforms of the imperial guards.¡± ¡°Sun Jiyu!¡± Zhang Zhong furiously beat the table, ¡°He dares to plan against me! I won¡¯t let him off easy!¡± Yi Chongren continued to share his analysis: ¡°Prince Yue doesn¡¯t want to kill me. He wants to capture me alive, but someone went behind his back to fire an arrow at me. When I was injured, the surprise on Prince Yue¡¯s face wasn¡¯t fake. Clearly, he didn¡¯t arrange for someone to assassinate me in advance. Prince Yue asked me where his child is but didn¡¯t ask where the eldest young master is. Prince Yue might know where the eldest young master is. Prince Yue asked this and didn¡¯t want to kill me because he thinks his child is in my hands. Your excellency, who do you think wants to kill me? If I die, who would benefit the most?¡± Zhang Zhong went mad with rage. His trusted aide betrayed him and now even Sun Jiyu dared to hold a knife behind him. It was as if they truly believed, he, Zhang Zhong, was a vegetarian! He immediately asked: ¡°Do you have any good ideas? I definitely won¡¯t let Sun Jiyu off lightly!¡± The crimson eyeliner at the corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes appeared to be scorching flames. ¡°Kill!¡± Zhang Zhong laughed coldly: ¡°You¡¯re right. Sun Jiyu is the uncle of the nation. Even if he doesn¡¯t kill me now, he will still kill me in the future. We must act first.¡± Yi Chongren once again leaned over, almost sticking to Zhang Zhong¡¯s ear, and said: ¡°Not only Sun Jiyu.¡± Zhang Zhong waited for the other party to explain and Yi Chongren whispered a reminder: ¡°His majesty is already dissatisfied with your excellency. Sun Jiyu has the crown prince, but what about you?¡± Zhang Zhong gasped, but immediately, he ruthlessly said: ¡°We must do this!¡± Since they had already started this, they must carry it out no matter what! Yi Chongren lowered his voice to the lowest degree possible, and after speaking like this for a long time, Zhang Zhong couldn¡¯t help but nod. After Yi Chongren stepped back, Zhang Zhong asked: ¡°Regarding that child, should we¡­¡­¡± he made a killing motion. ¡°Leave it to this subordinate. Regarding the family of those rebels, let¡¯s spare their lives for the time being and use them to control those rebels. They are more useful to us alive.¡± ¡°Ok. It¡¯s all up to you!¡± Right now, Zhang Zhong trusted Yi Chongren absolutely. With Yi Chongren¡¯s plans, Zhang Zhong became even more ruthless. In the current situation, either he would die or others would die. Zhang Zhong naturally understood how pathetic he would end up if he was pulled from his position of power. He must take the initiative. After he finished discussing with Zhang Zhong, Yi Chongren left the Zhang residence. Once he stepped out the door, he could see the palace litter waiting outside. Yi Chongren entered the litter without a word. Yaba didn¡¯t leave with him. Sitting in the litter, the corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips rose in an inconspicuous smile. [1] Ò»¸ùÉþÉϵÄÂìòÆ means that they were two people involved with the same case and none of them could get away with it [2] ˾ʹ: kind of means secretary. Baidu explanation I threw in deepl: After the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the financial administration became more and more complicated, so the ministers were appointed to judge the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Salt and Iron Transport to manage the financial revenue and expenditure, rent and taxation, and salt and iron monopoly respectively. In the first year of the reign of Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty (926 A.D.), one minister was appointed to be the judge of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Finance and the Salt and Iron Transit Agent. In the first year of Changxing (930 A.D.), the three ministers were merged into one, called the Three Secretaries, who were in charge of financial revenue and expenditure, rent and taxation, and salt and iron monopoly affairs. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the three ministers were in charge of the national money and grain payments and balanced the financial income and expenditure, and were the highest financial officials in the central government, called ¡°the minister of planning¡±. In the fifth year of Yuanfeng of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty (1082 AD), the official system was changed, and the functions of the Three Secretaries were merged into the Ministry of Household Affairs. CH 9 Inside Noble Consort Ru¡¯s palace, all the palace maids and eunuchs were driven out by Noble Consort Ru, leaving only one person in the palace. Noble Consort Ru cried and cursed: ¡°Even though the crown prince and I didn¡¯t do anything, his majesty rebuked us. Now Concubine Qin, that bitch, has clawed her way up above me. If the crown prince wasn¡¯t his majesty¡¯s only son, his majesty would even have the crown prince abolished. I can¡¯t let that bitch off easily! Chongren, help me vent this anger!¡± Yi Chongren gave a silk handkerchief to Noble Consort Ru to wipe her tears. Although his expression remained cold, this action was very warm. Noble Consort Ru leaned against the injured side of Yi Chongren¡¯s body and gently laid her hands upon him: ¡°Your martial arts is so powerful. How could you get hurt?¡± Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t immediately comforted. After waiting for Noble Consort Ru to calm down a bit, he lightly said: ¡°I also wonder why I¡¯ve been injured. This matter is strange.¡± Noble Consort Ru straightened and whispered: ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t answer directly and said: ¡°From the time Prince Yue returned to the capital to the time he raised the troops, many strange matters occured. Prince Yue was able to escape right under the noses of the Hu An guards and imperial guards. Once this happened, his majesty vented his anger on you and the crown prince. What do you think?¡± Noble Consort Ru¡¯s eyes widened. She thought carefully about the incident and couldn¡¯t help but gasp: ¡°Someone wants to harm the crown prince and I!¡± Yi Chongren coldly said: ¡°Lord Sishi is your biological father. I am your confidante. If I die, you and your highness will lose the protection of the Hu An guards. Now, it is hard for Lord Sishi to preserve even his own life. If I die, who would reap the most benefits?¡± Noble Consort Ru was enraged: ¡°Zhang Zhong, that undying bastard, dares to scheme against me! He¡¯s got a lot of nerve!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s expression became even colder, ¡°But I¡¯ve never been a man who¡¯s been at the mercy of others. You should know this the best.¡± ¡°Whoever dares to mess with you will be offending me. Chongren, in my heart, you are the only one worthy of the position of Lord Dugong of the Hu An guards. I definitely won¡¯t let Zhang Zhong off lightly!¡± Noble Consort Ru was able to gain her current position and birth the only son of his majesty, so the schemes of others couldn¡¯t be compared to hers. After such a big incident, his majesty unjustly vented his anger out on her, his favored consort, while Zhang Zhong found that bitch to appease his majesty. Even his father had to go through that bitch when entering the palace to see his majesty. In the blink of an eye, she lost his majesty¡¯s favor. Zhang Zhong¡¯s move was very clever. Although Yi Chongren was Zhang Zhong¡¯s trusted aide, Zhang Zhong didn¡¯t trust Yi Chongren as much as he trusted Liu Yu in the past. Maybe Liu Yu¡¯s betrayal was even one of Zhang Zhong¡¯s tricks. Noble Consort Ru felt like she could see Zhang Zhong¡¯s butcher¡¯s knife right in front of herself and the crown prince. She felt a chill down her spine. ¡°I will immediately send someone to invite father over!¡± ¡°No.¡± Noble Consort Ru didn¡¯t understand: ¡°Why not? Now the only group that can compete with the Hu An guards is the imperial guards.¡± Yi Chongren only said a few words to make Noble Consort Ru dispel this idea. ¡°Do you plan on relying on Lord Sishi even after the crown prince ascends the throne?¡± Noble Consort Ru¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She knew better than anyone that her birth family was a double edged sword for her. She was the noble consort, but she still had to rely on her father for many issues. The crown prince was still young, but once he ascended the throne, she would be promoted to empress dowager. If she still relied on her father for everything at that time, she and the crown prince would be no different than puppets. ¡°Niangniang, if you don¡¯t break off what should be broken off, you will be harmed.¡± Noble Consort Ru¡¯s expression appeared resolute and fierce. She was the noble consort, the future queen mother. Whoever hindered her would be her enemy, even if the other party was her closest family. ¡°Chongren, what do you think I should do now?¡± ¡°We will become fishermen.¡± Noble Consort Ru¡¯s eyes flashed, and then she laughed sinisterly. As expected, Concubine Qin calmed down the Jiazheng emperor and Sun Jiyu was able to see his majesty. Following Yi Chongren¡¯s plans, Sun Jiyu explained the matter once more with snot and tears dripping from his face. They were a bit too hasty at most, but the young master¡¯s disappearance and the prince consorts¡¯ suicide had nothing to do with them. Sun Jiyu thoroughly reported his analysis to his majesty. They concluded that no matter how his majesty tried to appease Prince Yue, even if this incident did not occur, Prince Yue would definitely still rebel. This time Prince Yue raised troops in the name of the ¡°Qing Jun Ce¡±. This sounded awe inspiring but in actuality he held the evil intention to ¡°use the emperor¡¯s name to command vassals for personal reasons¡±. Also, the crown prince was the only son of his majesty. If Prince Yue were to kill the crown prince, then the crown would naturally become his. Rather than have this happen, it would still be better to act first by taking Prince Yue¡¯s child as hostage or by directly killing him. The Jiazheng emperor thought Sun Jiyu¡¯s words made sense. Concubine Qin also persuaded him in a timely manner, so the more the Jiazheng emperor thought, the more he was convinced that his little brother held malevolent intentions. The hatred he initially held towards Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu immediately turned into hatred for his younger brother from the same mother. As expected, with the imperial throne on the line, familial affection was all fake. ¡°I do my best for your majesty and the land, so it is inevitable that I will offend some people. Those people take advantage of their situations to frame me. Heaven and earth can stand witness to the sincerity I hold towards your majesty. If Prince Yue didn¡¯t have the intent to rebel, how would I dare to frame Prince Yue.¡± The Jiazheng emperor¡¯s expression distorted and he asked: ¡°Then where is the child?¡± ¡°He¡¯s with Yi Chongren. After heavy discussion, Zhang Zhong and I decided that having him stay there is the most safe. Yi Chongren¡¯s martial arts is powerful and all the people in his residence are not weak. If he stays in the palace, it¡¯s hard to ensure he won¡¯t be secretly taken away. We must let Prince Yue know that the child is in your majesty¡¯s hands. Prince Yue should be clear on whether he wants the child or the throne.¡± The Jiazheng emperor nodded with satisfaction: ¡°Then leave the child with Yi Chongren. Have the Hu An guards and imperial guards cooperate to defeat Prince Yue. I¡¯ve already completely closed my heart to him. Issue an edict in my name to gather forces to suppress the rebels.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sun Jiyu felt relieved, and he smiled with satisfaction. As expected, Yi Chongren was a master strategist, but allowing such a person to stay at Zhang Zhong¡¯s side was dangerous for him. After this matter was dealt with, he must find an opportunity to get rid of Yi Chongen. His majesty¡¯s attitude did a 180, so naturally, Zhang Zhong was very pleased and came to trust Yi Chongren even more. Once the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s edict was issued, Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu would have regained his majesty¡¯s trust. Naturally, the ministers who attempted to impeach them wouldn¡¯t be pleased. However, Yi Chongren restrained the two¡¯s butcher knives to prevent more issues from arising. It wasn¡¯t too late to deal with Prince Yue and those people. After all, they can¡¯t run away, so as to not make his majesty dissatisfied once more. Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu followed Yi Chongren¡¯s advice and didn¡¯t bother messing with those people. After a while, the court was in a state of trepidation. The officials that had submitted the articles of impeachment were prepared to have their heads fall to the ground. They only felt bellies full of buried anger and discouragement toward his majesty. There was already no hope for this emperor. When Prince Yue¡¯s troops met with the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s army, the war officially started. All of Southern Chu was drawn into the quagmire of war once the two armies met. At this time, Yi Chongren stayed within the gates of his mansion to recuperate from his injuries. Zhang Zhong, Sun Jiyu, and Noble Consort Ru also began to secretly work in the shadows to advance their own interests. Following the plan Yi Chongren made for Zhang Zhong and Noble Consort Ru, he did not have to appear, and with Sun Jiyu¡¯s presence, his majesty wouldn¡¯t summon him for the time being. Yi Chongren leisurely recuperated and rested in his residence. On a bed, a child with a yellowish complexion and thin face slept deeply. Yi Chongren sat at the bedside, watching him, and holding the child¡¯s similarly thin hand in his palm. Under his sleeve, his wrist was wrapped with a circle of white cloth. After watching the child for a bit, Yi Chongren put down the his hand and lightly touched the child¡¯s unhealthy face, whispering to the man standing beside him: ¡°Take him away overnight. Send him to old brother. This child¡¯s name is Jiabao. You don¡¯t have to return. If nothing unexpected happens, the matters on this side will end soon. At that time, I¡¯ll directly go to find you all.¡± Yaba frowned and said in a low voice: ¡°I¡¯ll still come back to meet you. This place is a den of wolves. If something goes wrong, you¡¯ll be in a dangerous situation. You¡¯re also still injured.¡± Yi Chongren calmly said: ¡°Zhang Zhong, Sun Jiyu, and Noble Consort Ru are busy scheming against each other. Huo Feng¡¯s army is suppressing his enemies everywhere he goes. They don¡¯t have time to think about me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll leave safely.¡± Saying this, Yi Chongren caressed the child¡¯s face, ¡°I can¡¯t have children in this life, so this child is my child.¡± Yaba leaned over and picked up the child: ¡°I¡¯ll take the child away now. You must return safely.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Glancing at Yi Chongren, Yaba picked up the baggage he had prepared and put it on his back. Then he tied the child to his chest, put on a cloak, and left into the night. Sitting before the vanity, Yi Chongren washed off his makeup and looked at his unfamiliar reflection in the bronze mirror. He raised his left hand and slowly touched his face. Without the demonic heavy makeup, this face appeared less fierce, more gentle, and even more beautiful. Yi Chongren had a face that could be considered beautiful, but with his stern eyes, that face contrastingly revealed a sort of nobility that was difficult to scorn. Even Yaba, who had stayed by Yi Chongren¡¯s side for many years, had never seen him without his makeup. As if he had just thought of something, Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes flashed coldly and he stood up to walk away from the vanity. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- In Songlai city, Huo Feng, who had just captured the city, led his men into the province governor¡¯s residence. The governor of the province had already surrendered, as it hadn¡¯t taken too much effort to capture the city. However, Huo Feng was not satisfied with the current situation. This was only the beginning, and the hardest part had yet to come. He had already gotten a tip that the court¡¯s army was approaching them. The Jiazheng emperor had used four cities as a gift to persuade Southern Chu¡¯s allies, Meng and Kun, to send troops to help, so the situation suddenly became uncertain. Huo Feng knew that they needed to move faster to capture more cities before the troops from Kun arrived so that more of his troops could gather. He didn¡¯t expect that the Jiazheng emperor would actually exchange four cities for reinforcements from Kun. Huo Feng did not feel the slightest sense of guilt towards such an imperial brother. ¡°Your highness, his majesty¡¯s edict says that the two young masters are in the palace. Should we think of a way to rescue them? His majesty will definitely use the two of them as hostages to threaten your highness.¡± Tang Nian, Huo Feng¡¯s best counselor, said worriedly. His majesty¡¯s first imperial decree and subsequent edicts had completely different attitudes, making it difficult not to think of the two children who had fallen into his majesty¡¯s hands. Huo Feng¡¯s face did not reveal the slightest trace of worry. He stared at the battle map and calmly said: ¡°His majesty is just bluffing. The children aren¡¯t even in his hands.¡± ¡°Not in his majesty¡¯s hands!?¡± Tang Nian was surprised. After Huo Feng raised the troops, he defected to become Huo Feng¡¯s counselor. Seeing how sure his highness was, he thought to himself, could it be that his highness has already rescued the children? After seeing his highness¡¯s calm face, which didn¡¯t show the slightest trace of concern for his children, Tang Nian became more sure of his conjecture. He couldn¡¯t help but admire his highness. After all, his highness was able to save the children from his majesty without batting an eyelid. His power truly was unfathomable. The whole world knew that of his highness¡¯s two children one went missing and the other was captured by Yi Chongren of the Hu An guards. Thinking of how his highness had his own power in the Hu An guards, Tang Nian did not find it strange that his highness was able to escape from the capital safely. Huo Feng didn¡¯t know about Tang Nian¡¯s thoughts as all his focus was on the battle map. Raising troops in the name of the Qing Jun Ce naturally helped him gain more support despite how everyone knew in their hearts that he was rebelling. The strongest forces in Huo Feng¡¯s hands were those seven hundred thousand soldiers and his loyal subordinates, but he couldn¡¯t win Southern Chu with only soldiers and horses. After the war started, he still felt that he lacked counselors. In war, the strength of the soldiers was important, but to win the world, strength and resourcefulness need to coexist, both are indispensable. Although Southern Chu was already rotten to the bones, skinny camels are bigger than horses[1], not to mention those forces connected to the interests of the Hu An guards and imperial guards wouldn¡¯t possibly let them into the capital easily. Huo Feng understood that the future would become more and more difficult to walk. However, he had no way out. He could either break into the capital or be completely defeated and fall from grace. However, as he said to Tang Nian, Huo Feng believed that the imperial edict was false. Not only were his sons not in his majesty¡¯s hands, they were also very safe. For no apparent reason, whenever Huo Feng thought of those cold yet always mocking eyes, he firmly believed that that person would protect his sons even though he denied it when they fought that day. Occasionally when he was tired or resting, Huo Feng would think of Yi Chongren, think of his demonic face and those eyes that seemed to hide all his thoughts. Why did he save him? Why did his children have to be in Yi Chongren¡¯s hands? Why did he escort him all the way back to Jade City Pass? Since he and Zhang Zhong were not on the same side, why did he have to stain his hands with the blood of so many loyal officials? Countless questions continuously flew through Huo Feng¡¯s mind whenever he was tired. He had never been so ¡°concerned¡± for anyone. Even towards his own late wives, Huo Feng had never ¡°longed¡± for someone like this. Huo Feng¡¯s irritation was palpable as he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that eunuch he once hated so much. Half a month later, Ruan Xingtian¡¯s troops encountered the army sent out by the court. A fierce battle was inevitable. At the same time, a man called ¡°Sima Xian¡± suddenly appeared in the south, claiming to be an envoy sent by the gods to exterminate demons. The demons meaning Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu. He also claimed that the current emperor connived with demons and harmed the people because he was possessed by the devil. Once this Sima Xian appeared, hundreds of thousands of his followers appeared, signifying that this group had been around for more than one or two years. Taking advantage of Prince Yue¡¯s rebellion, Sima Xian, using the name of envoy of the gods, built the ¡°Tian Shen Sect[2]¡± to raise troops from across the land, becoming the second biggest ¡°rebellion¡± force after Prince Yue. However, Sima Xian clearly did not have the same goals as Prince Yue. Prince Yue¡¯s troops came from the northwest, while Sima Xian¡¯s troops came from the southeast. Sima Xian bewitched the common people with his claims of divine power, earning him more and more followers. In contrast, Huo Feng, this orthodox prince who lived as a general, didn¡¯t appear as prestigious as Sima Xian. ¡°Where did this Sima Xian come from? In the Qianhu manor in the capital, Yi Chongren, who was still recuperating, asked his subordinates. One of his subordinates answered: ¡°The man is an orphan who was raised in a Daoist temple. He used to be a nobody, but he took advantage of Prince Yue¡¯s rebellion to establish himself as an envoy of the gods in an attempt to win the world, very ambitious.¡± ¡°He is indeed quite ambitious.¡± Yi Chongren put down the teacup in his hand and lightly said: ¡°Prince Yue has already beaten us black and blue, and here come some gods. Even if Kun agrees to send reinforcements, it¡¯s only because Southern Chu agreed to give them some benefits. If there aren¡¯t enough benefits, they won¡¯t help us deal with Sima Xian either.¡± After pondering for a while, Yi Chongren commanded: ¡°Lord Dugong and Lord Sishi have been busy dealing with Prince Yue lately and are not able to deal with this matter. Send people to go undercover in the ¡®Tian Shen Sect¡¯ to investigate. Then send some people to oppress men and dominate women. Plot some murders and blame the Tian Shen Sect. Label them as a ¡®cult¡¯. Let¡¯s see how they can deal with this.¡± ¡°Your excellency is wise.¡± ¡°Go. Work carefully. Don¡¯t let anyone find out we did it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your excellency!¡± The man left after receiving his order. Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes turned colder. Tian Shen Sect? Even frog really dare to jump out. [1] ÊÝËÀµÄÂæÍÕ±ÈÂí´ó Came from Dream of the Red Chamber. About how someone with special skills but has met with hard times is still stronger than someone who has just started learning those skills [2]ÌìÉñ½Ì literally means sky god sect or heavenly sect but I¡¯ll keep pinyin CH 10 Sitting before the vanity, Yi Chongren slowly drew a crimson line from the corner of his eye with a single stroke. After drawing this, he slowly painted his lips. Deep purple lips, crimson eyes, and a pale white face combined into a demonic face. After an hour, Yi Chongren received secret letters from Zhang Zhong and Noble Consort Ru, telling him that they¡¯d make their move tonight. A sneer formed on Yi Chongren¡¯s lips. ¡°Child, from now on you are called Yi Chongren, ¡®reborn as a human[1]¡¯ . The most dangerous place is also the safest place. Forget your original name. Your surname is now Yi, and you are a young eunuch that just entered the palace. Your life is not easy to come by, so don¡¯t think about getting revenge. Surviving is the most important.¡± Yi Chongren put down the brush and looked at his reflection in the bronze mirror. Surviving is the most important? Then what do his dead parents and relatives count as? What do his forsaken manhood and self respect count as? No, surviving is not the most important. Standing up and straightening his clothes, Yi Chongren put on a cloak and headed out. The sun had already set, and the November day had long lost its heat. In the midst of the cold, blowing wind, Yi Chongren entered the palace. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- The troops from Kun had already entered Southern Chu and were fighting against Prince Yue¡¯s army. Of Prince Yue and the Tian Shen Sect, the Jiazheng emperor clearly hated Prince Yue more. The Jiazheng emperor only sent some Hu An guards and imperial guards to exterminate the Tian Shen Sect. The court¡¯s army and the reinforcements from Kun were both tasked with fighting against Prince Yue. Huo Feng was under great pressure. Huang Han¡¯s men had already joined with Huo Feng half a month ago. Now they were at ¡°White Feather Pass¡± fiercely fighting the troops from Kun. At present, there was no obvious war atmosphere in the capital, as many of the people that congregated there were the important gentry and aristocratic officials of Southern Chu. The troops dispatched from Kun seemed to give these people feelings of reassurance, so although gunpowder was flying everywhere, it did not stop these people from abandoning themselves to pleasure and merrymaking. It seemed as if once the troops from Kun arrived, everything would be fine. Yi Chongren rode a horse towards the palace followed by the Hu An guards and imperial bodyguards. All the pedestrians on the street bowed to him in respect and made way. One could not know who Yi Chongren was, but one definitely couldn¡¯t not recognize that makeup. From time to time, the laughter of courtesans and the obscene language of men sounded from the brothel nearby. Yi Chongren glanced over and reined his horse. The gazes of the pedestrians surrounding him shivered with fear. Yi Chongren lightly said to the Hu An guards and imperial bodyguards behind him: ¡°The nation is in crisis, yet there are still people indulging in wine and pleasure. They should be punished.¡± Two subordinates following Yi Chongren immediately led two men and horses to separate from the group. After a while, blood-curdling screeches and cries sounded from the brothel. The corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips rose, and he continued riding towards the palace. In the imperial study, the Jiazheng emperor was in the midst of a tantrum. Prince Yue hadn¡¯t even been fully dealt with and now here came the ¡°Tian Shen Sect¡±. The Jiazheng emperor had been on the throne for more than ten years, and had sought pleasure for more than ten years. Who knew that now his ship would capsize in the gutter, and after more than four months of nervousness from dealing with governmental affairs, he endured a stomach of anger with nowhere to vent. Anyone who was prevented from eating well, drinking well, and playing well while forced to be busy day and night would have their face darkened, not to mention the Jiazheng emperor who wasn¡¯t even interested in government affairs at all. These four months, every day felt like a year. Every day, he hoped a hero could descend from the heavens to instantly defeat all the rebels. The Jiazheng emperor was not happy, so naturally the people beneath him were unfortunate. Not to mention, the eunuchs and palace maids that served him closely would be scolded or brought to death if they didn¡¯t pay attention and carelessly offended the emperor. The Jiazheng emperor, who became angrier and angrier as he kept thinking, dug out Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu¡¯s old accounts. Even if Prince Yue carried the intent to rebel, that was because Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu messed with him first, giving Prince Yue an excuse. The court was now split into two factions. One faction naturally sided with Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu; The other faction consisted of the officials that wanted to pull those two from their positions of power. Because the Jiazheng emperor began to personally deal with government affairs, Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu could no longer blatantly arrest ministers like they used to. In addition, the Jiazheng emperor was enraged by their response to this matter, so the two didn¡¯t dare act so unbridled at this point. This also led to the fact that their accounts would be brought before his majesty nearly everyday now. Anyone who hears lots of malicious talk about a person will also form unpleasant impressions of the person. After hearing the cabinet ministers talk about whatever evil deeds Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiu committed everyday and even hearing his favored concubine¡¯s whispered pillowtalk, the Jiazheng emperor could no longer trust Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu as he did in the past. The Jiazheng emperor wasn¡¯t stupid after personally dealing with government affairs for over four months and investigating how the two deceived their superiors and bullied their subordinates. After all the warnings, after punishing the individuals as an example to others, after venting his anger, the Jiazheng emperor directly issued an order to deal with the people who held power over the Hu An guards and imperial guards. If not for Noble Consort Ru protecting Yi Chongren, it would have been difficult for Yi Chongren to escape death. The situation was becoming more and more dire for Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu. And this night was a battle of life or death for Zhang Zhong. The Jiazheng emperor was in the imperial study berating his ministers. Such a little Tian Shen Sect had cast all of Southern Chu into pandemonium. If he didn¡¯t berate his ministers, who else could he berate? The Jiazheng emperor definitely wouldn¡¯t cast the blame on himself. After he finished scolding the ministers, the Jiazheng emperor returned to the palace with a stomach full of rage. Under the placation of his favored consort, his mood became a bit better, and he ordered the imperial kitchen to bring in his dinner. In the most magnificent palace of the imperial harem, Noble Consort Ru sat alone before the altar, looking as clear-hearted as the Buddha. If someone familiar with her was at the scene, they would definitely discover that under her peaceful mask was a discernible nervousness. Noble Consort Ru turned the prayer beads at her fingertips as she trembled slightly, her delicate countenance appearing two tints paler than usual. Time passed by slowly and Noble Consort Ru finally opened her eyes, put down the prayer beads, and gradually stood up. ¡°Rongwei, what time is it?¡± ¡°Replying to your highness, it¡¯s two ke past the hour of hai (9:30 pm).¡± Noble Consort Ru¡¯s hands visibly trembled. She calmly took in a deep breath and walked out of the Buddhist hall. She said to the eunuchs guarding outside: ¡°I want to visit the crown prince. He¡¯s growing more and more stubborn. Don¡¯t let him wake up so late like yesterday.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Noble Consort Ru led the imperial bodyguards towards the crown prince¡¯s palace. In the emperor¡¯s bedchamber, the Jiazheng emperor embraced his favored consort and closed his eyes to rest, though his eyebrows still revealed traces of irritation. Concubine Qin lightly rubbed the center between the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s eyebrows and delicately said: ¡°Your majesty, you haven¡¯t rested for so many days. Rest earlier tonight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to sleep.¡± The Jiazheng emperor opened his eyes and said bitterly. At this time, the voice of the eunuch on guard duty sounded from outside: ¡°Reporting to his majesty, Lord Zhang and Lord Sun are requesting an audience, claiming there are important matters to report.¡± ¡°Look, something has come up again. These annoyances can¡¯t let me live in peace, they¡¯re all useless!¡± The Jiazheng released his hold on the beauty and walked out of the bedroom Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu entered with lowered heads and bent waists, followed by Yi Chongren. The three men entered and the guard eunuch retreated, closing the door. The three kneeled on the ground and the Jiazheng emperor glanced at Yi Chongren, coldly asking: ¡°What matters do you have to report? Did Prince Yue reach us or did the ¡®Tian Shen Sect¡¯ conquer some cities?¡± Sun Jiyu glanced at Zhang Zhong. He had been called over by Zhang Zhong. Zhang Zhong only told him that he received a secret piece of news without telling him what the secret news was, only saying he¡¯d know once he reported it to his majesty. Sun Jiyu was a bit happy. What else could he fear letting others find out about first? Zhang Zhong lowered his head and said: ¡°Your majesty, this servant has found the whereabouts of Prince Yue¡¯s heir.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The Jiazheng Emperor released the women in his arms. Sun Jiyu was surprised. ¡°Where!¡± The Jiazheng emperor was excited. If he caught Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son, he would have one more bargaining chip to threaten Prince Yue with! And this was a very important bargaining chip! Zhang Zhong raised his head and said hesitantly: ¡°The place where Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son is hiding¡­¡­might be a place where your majesty can¡¯t send people to. This servant doesn¡¯t dare to directly say. This servant can only tell your majesty quietly.¡± ¡°Somewhere even I can¡¯t send people to? Could this place be heaven? Come here.¡± The Jiazheng emperor hooked his finger towards Zhang Zhong. He wanted to know what place had such capability. Zhang Zhong immediately stood and walked over. Sun Jiyu¡¯s eyes flashed with killing intent. Was Zhang Zhong that bastard planning on hogging everything for himself?! Concubine Qin moved aside. Zhang Zhong arrived beside his majesty, leaned over, and whispered in his majesty¡¯s ear: ¡°This servant found out, the young master is at¡­¡­¡± at this time, Zhang Zhong suddenly pulled a dagger out of his sleeve, stabbed into the side of the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s waist, and used his other hand to cover the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s mouth and nose. The Jiazheng emperor¡¯s eyes widened, staring at Zhang Zhong in disbelief. How dare you! ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± Concubine Qin screamed. Sun Jiyu was stunned motionless for a second before he jumped out and started calling for people. In the next moment, he felt a chill on his neck. His line of vision changed into a bizarre angle and the last thing he saw was a cloud of blood. ¡°Peng!¡± The palace doors suddenly burst open and Yi Chongren, who just killed Sun Jiyu, quickly hid his flexible sword back into its sheath at his waist, and loudly exclaimed with panic: ¡°Your majesty!¡± The sound of footsteps approached and a group of the palace¡¯s imperial guards appeared in the palace without warning. Still blocking the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s mouth and nose, Zhang Zhong, who still hadn¡¯t pulled out his dagger, felt his mind turn blank. Chongren? ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh!!¡± Noble Consort Ru, who was holding the crown prince, released a blood-curdling screech. Her painted finger pointed towards the dumbfounded Zhang Zhong and screamed: ¡°Your majesty¡ª! Someone assassinated his majesty!¡± Afterwards, she saw the decapitated corpse, and nearly fainted, ¡°Father¡ª¡ª!¡± Yi Chongren flew before Zhang Zhong and kicked him away, and Zhang Zhong collapsed to the ground with a miserable shriek. Yi Chongren supported his majesty, stealthily stabbing the dagger deeper into the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s waist, and yelled: ¡°Your majesty! Call the imperial doctor! Quickly call the imperial doctor!¡± The Jiazheng emperor stared at Yi Chongren. His body twitched a few times and he unwillingly choked on his breath. ¡°Zhang Zhong! How dare you assassinate his majesty!¡± Noble Consort Ru¡¯s scream pierced the eardrums of everyone present at the scene. Zhang Zhong actually dared to assassinate the emperor in his palace. The imperial bodyguards were scared to death and immediately rushed over without thinking and carved Zhang Zhong, who had been injured by Yi Chongren, into pieces. The Jiazheng emperor¡¯s eyes were still wide open, dead but not in peace as blood gushed from out of his waist. He couldn¡¯t even understand why he would die, why Zhang Zhong dared to kill him. He could slowly ponder over this question in the underworld. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Overnight, the Jiazheng emperor died, Sun Jiyu died, and Zhang Zhong died. If it wasn¡¯t for Noble Consort Ru, who brought the crown prince to see his majesty, arriving in a timely manner, the world may have become Zhang Zhong¡¯s. Before Zhang Zhong entered, all the palace guards were replaced with Zhang Zhong¡¯s people. Only by doing this could he bring a dagger into his majesty¡¯s bedchamber. But how did Sun Jiyu die? It was very strange. Zhang Zhong¡¯s assassination of the emperor was seen not only by Noble Consort Ru but also the young crown prince, so the evidence was irrefutable. However, Sun Jiyu was decapitated by someone. Who other than Yi Chongren was capable of such a feat? Yi Chongren gave an explanation. Zhang Zhong falsely accused Sun Jiyu of colluding with Prince Yue, even bringing out a letter Sun Jiyu had written to Prince Yue. His majesty was enraged and ordered him to behead Sun Jiyu on the spot. Zhang Zhong used this as an opportunity to approach his majesty, and the rest occured just as Noble Consort Ru saw. This explanation was not indubitable, but it was undeniable that Zhang Zhong assassinated the emperor, and Concubine Qin testified that his majesty had ordered Yi Chongren to kill Sun Jiyu. Concubine Qin was the only witness present so her words were used as the most important evidence. In addition, everyone knew that Concubine Qin and Yi Chongren were from opposing factions. Yi Chongren was one of Noble Consort Ru¡¯s people and Concubine Qin was his majesty¡¯s favored consort. Concubine Qin had no reason to speak for Yi Chongren, so whatever she said had to be the truth. Who knew Zhang Zhong was this vicious. Yi Chongren took Zhang Zhong¡¯s dugong token and rushed towards the Hu An guards¡¯ base camp. Noble Consort Ru quickly calmed down, ordered for all news of the matter to be suppressed, and called several important officials into the palace in the name of the crown prince. The crown prince was only nine years of age, so being called in the name of the crown prince¡­¡­allowed the officials who were summoned to instantly sense that something was amiss, and they immediately entered the palace. That night, everyone in the palace was in a panic. A major purge swept through the palace and the capital before news of the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s assassination spread. After ten days, news of the emperor¡¯s death was released. Zhang Zhong assassinated the emperor, Sun Jiyu was framed to death by Zhang Zhong, and Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards, Yi Chongren, seized Zhang Zhong at the critical juncture, saving the crown prince and earning the most merits. Although Yi Chongren killed Sun Jiyu, he was acting on orders, so no one blamed him. Whoever wanted to blame could only blame Zhang Zhong for being too vicious. The emperor passed suddenly, the young prince ascended to the throne, and Noble Consort Ru, who became the empress dowager, governed behind the curtain, ruling in place of the emperor. Yi Chongren became Dugong of the Hu An guards. Additionally, before the next Sishi was selected, Yi Chongren took over the imperial guards. Yi Chongren was the savior of the new emperor and the confidant of the empress dowager. Now he had grown even more powerful, comparable to Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu in their prime. The court officials who had previously been trying to think of ways to pit Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu withdrew their voices at once. Yi Chongren¡¯s ruthlessness was different from Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu¡¯s, he was more frightening than both of them. Many people thought a bloody storm was coming, not knowing which big official would come under Yi Chongren¡¯s blade first. For a while, everyone felt that they were in danger. ¡°Chongren, are you really going personally? Isn¡¯t it just a charlatan pretending to be god? Can¡¯t you just send someone else?¡± In the empress dowager¡¯s palace, Empress Dowager Ru said while pulling Yi Chongren¡¯s hand, reluctant to part. Her son had smoothly ascended to the throne and she was crowned empress dowager. If it weren¡¯t for Yi Chongren, she wouldn¡¯t know when she¡¯d have been able to achieve all this. Empress Dowager Ru didn¡¯t seem to feel any of the heartbreak expected from someone who just lost their father. Now, it was none other than Yi Chongren that she trusted the most. Yi Chongren let Empress Dowager Ru grasp his hand and frowned: ¡°Sima Xian is a charlatan that can receive a hundred answers with a single call, so his strength isn¡¯t to be underestimated. All the people I¡¯ve sent to assassinate him have not returned. Either he has experts by his side, or he himself is an expert. Your highness, at present we have the threat of Prince Yue in the north and Sima Xian in the south. His majesty has only just ascended to the throne. If we manage to kill one of them, we could greatly boost the morale of the imperial court. At present, Prince Yue is fighting against the three hundred thousand soldiers from Kun and the two hundred thousand soldiers sent by the court. This is not a big issue at present, but it¡¯s best to exterminate the ¡®Tian Shen Sect¡¯ as soon as possible, to avoid endless troubles in the future. Killing Sima Xian will cast the Tian Shen Sect into chaos, giving the court a chance to eradicate them and ease the pressure on the court. In addition, Kun sent enforcements because they want those four cities. Now the previous emperor is dead. How could there not be any unforeseen happenings? Even if everything goes according to plan, would your highness be willing to cede these four cities?¡± Empress Dowager Ru¡¯s expression turned ruthless: ¡°Kun took advantage of our people¡¯s situation. After dealing with Prince Yue and that charlatan, I must take them on. I definitely won¡¯t let anyone threaten the emperor¡¯s position.¡± ¡°So I must go.¡± Empress Dowager Ru said worriedly: ¡°If you go by yourself, I won¡¯t be able to stop worrying. Take some people with you.¡± He agreed. Yi Chongren said: ¡°I will naturally make all the necessary preparations.¡± ¡°When you leave, what will happen to the Hu An guards and imperial guards? I don¡¯t trust any of those people.¡± ¡°Naturally, I have found suitable people before leaving your highness. Your highness should be assured to know that I¡¯ve handed the Hu An guards over to the newly promoted eunuch, Guo An. This person is cautious and used to be an outstanding leader in the Hu An guards. As for the imperial guards, why don¡¯t you choose someone from your family. I remember your highness has a cousin named Zhuang Ye. This person comes from a side branch of the family, has no parents or siblings, and is a small general in the military. If your highness promotes him to Sishi of the imperial guards, he must be extremely grateful and obedient. What¡¯s most important is that he¡¯s from a branch family and is not very involved with the family, so he won¡¯t be difficult to control in the future.¡± Empress Dowager Ru nestled into Yi Chongren¡¯s arms and emotionally said: ¡°You still think the most thoroughly. If only all the people around me were just half as capable as you. Chongren, if you weren¡¯t a eunuch, I would immediately let his majesty seal you as prime minister.¡± A cold light flashed in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, but his tone was warm as he said: ¡°I don¡¯t do these things for your highness expecting anything in return. Your highness should know of my heart.¡± Empress Dowager Ru was moved and tightly embraced Yi Chongren. ¡°Your highness, you must be careful after I leave.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a little bitch who just relies on the favor of men. I¡¯m not that easy to bully.¡± Empress Dowager Ru¡¯s tone changed and she asked darkly: ¡°Where¡¯s Concubine Qin that bitch? You must promise to help me vent this anger.¡± ¡°Does your highness not trust me? She¡¯s in my hands. I will only make her feel how life can be worse than death.¡± Noble Consort Ru laughed: ¡°I just knew giving her to you would be the best choice.¡± The corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips curved into a smile. [1] ÖØÉúΪÈË (chong sheng wei ren) has the same chong and ren as in Yi Chongren (t/n: That was probably the chapter I had most fun translating (£þ¨Œ£þ)¡±) CH 11 Yi Chongren personally led fifty thousand elite soldiers from the imperial guards and Hu An guards to exterminate the Tian Shen Sect. This news caused an uproar in the court. Shouldn¡¯t Yi Chongren have been the first person killed to cleanse the court? How could he lead troops into battle? Although the target of this deployment was the Tian Shen Sect, which they still didn¡¯t really care about, this move was too incomprehensible and shocking. However, no matter whether they believed it or not, on November 27, Yi Chongren led his vast fifty thousand horse strong army out of the capital. The leader¡¯s face was covered with a layer of demonic makeup, blood red eyeliner, deep purple lips, a pale white face. No one would be able to misidentify him. Amidst the crowd of onlookers, a man and woman, each wearing a red warm hat[1] and leading a horse, watched the army leave. Once the last soldier passed through the city gates, the crowd of common people who had gathered at the two sides of the road gradually scattered. Those two people mounted their horses and rushed towards the city gates. They left the capital very smoothly, and the woman asked: ¡°Your excellency, are you really going?¡± ¡°En.¡± The man¡¯s eyes shone coldly under the brim of the hat. His countenance was exceptionally handsome, but carried an unhealthy paleness. He reined his horse and said to the woman: ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a letter to Huaiqiu to let him pick you up. I¡¯ll send you to Clam Mountain City. Wait for Huaiqiu there.¡± The woman¡¯s face was covered in powder but it did little to hide her beauty. She worriedly said: ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for you to go by yourself, why don¡¯t you let Huaiqiu go with you.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s more convenient for me to go alone, less easy to be exposed. Go.¡± Not wasting any more time, the man swung his horse whip. The woman pursed her lips and swung her whip to catch up. Looking back at the capital that was gradually appearing farther and farther away, the emotions in the woman¡¯s eyes were complicated, but showed more of the freedom of leaving a cage. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C After Huo Feng and Huang Han¡¯s troops met, they encountered the vanguard of the Kun army, and the subsequent battle was extremely intense. However, Kun¡¯s troops had rushed over a long distance without resting, so naturally they suffered a loss. However, Huo Feng¡¯s side also didn¡¯t gain many benefits. Kun¡¯s troops had now retreated back to Baqiu City to wait for reinforcements, so Huo Feng ordered an attack. After three tries, facing the corpses of soldiers, he had to issue another order, besiege the city. Facing a stalemate, Huo Feng didn¡¯t sleep for three days straight; He spent his time planning with Huang Han, Tang Nian, and others on how to win this battle, and how to break into Baqiu City. Once Kun¡¯s reinforcements or the court¡¯s reinforcements arrived, they would have to play defensively. As Huang Han and Tang Nian analyzed, Huo Feng rubbed the space between his eyebrows, not partaking, only listening to his subordinates¡¯ discussion. He couldn¡¯t think of any plans now either. ¡°Your highness! Your highness! Major news! Major news!¡± A man burst in from outside, looking agitated and in a bit of disbelief. Huo Feng knit his brows: ¡°What makes you so flustered? Is there movement in the city?¡± The man who just entered was called Jidi and was Ruan Xingtian¡¯s cousin. The man had a jumpy personality and exceptional medical skills. Ruan Xingtian was worried about his highness, so he sent Jidi over to take care of his highness. Jidi was good at making friends and had the nickname ¡°inquiry¡± among Huo Feng¡¯s army. At this time, Jidi¡¯s inquiry was also quite useful to Huo Feng. Jidi¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and he couldn¡¯t stop panting, directly yelling with a trembling voice: ¡°The emperor is dead!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Everyone was stunned, and Huo Feng subconsciously asked: ¡°How did he die!¡± Jidi swallowed and spoke as quick as beans falling through a bamboo tube: ¡°It¡¯s said that Zhang Zhong planned a rebellion and killed his majesty. Zhang Zhong was caught by Noble Consort Ru and was killed on the spot. Before Zhang Zhong killed his majesty, he said that Sun Jiyu and your highness were secretly plotting together to rebel, so his majesty ordered Yi Chongren to kill Sun Jiyu. Now the crown prince has ascended to the throne and Yi Chongren has become Dugong of the Hu An guards and Sishi of the Imperial guards. However half a month ago, Yi Chongren left the capital and took fifty thousand men from the Hu An guards and imperial guards to suppress the ¡®Tian Shen Sect¡¯.¡± Huang Han¡¯s neck rattled, and he turned towards his highness with a dumbfounded look on his face. His majesty was dead? Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu were both dead? Thinking of how Yi Chongren now had both guards in his hands and how he had taken the troops to suppress the ¡°Tian Shen Sect¡±, Huang Han¡¯s heart suddenly started beating very fast. ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± ¡°Haha, hahaha, Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu are dead, hahahaha¡­¡­¡± Jidi raised his head and laughed loudly. The deaths of these two people really satisfied everyone. Tang Nian noticed the peculiar air around his highness and Huang Han, so he secretly tugged Jidi a bit. Jidi stopped laughing, and seeing his highness¡¯s dim expression, he felt a shiver down his spine. Although he did not understand why his highness appeared to not be happy, Jidi didn¡¯t dare to ask why and instead retreated two steps: ¡°I¡¯ll go ask around again.¡± He turned and ran off. ¡°I¡¯ll also go ask around.¡± Tang Nian also ran off. Three other men that were in the room also ran off, leaving only Huang Han. His highness had a very terrifying expression. Could it be that his highness wasn¡¯t happy? Everyone was wild with joy. Ah, the emperor was also dead. The emperor was still his highness¡¯s brother after all, so it should be expected that his highness wouldn¡¯t be very happy. Aiya aiya, don¡¯t think too much, let¡¯s just leave his highness alone for now. Though Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu were both dead, the emperor was also dead, hahaha, this could count as the heaven¡¯s helping them. Soon this news spread all across the camp, and everyone who heard it clapped and cheered. However, in Prince Yue¡¯s military tent, the atmosphere was very different. Huang Han cautiously shouted: ¡°Your highness?¡± For some reason, Huang Han connected this incident to Yi Chongren. How could things be this coincidental? The emperor, Zhang Zhong, and Sun Jiyu were all dead? Suddenly, Huo Feng punched the table and strode off in raging anger without saying a word. Huang Han was taken aback, and after thinking for a bit, he chased after him. ¡ª¡ª ¡°You are a coward.¡± ¡ª¡ª- ¡°¡­¡­Who knew the great Prince Yue with seven hundred thousand troops in his hand could be bullied to such an extent by an accursed castrated dog. If you aren¡¯t a coward, what are you?¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡°I¡¯ve always looked down on you, now even more so.¡± Huo Feng did not feel a bit of joy in his heart, instead, only strong anger. Storming to a place with no people, he started punching and kicking a tree unrulily. Huang Han who had followed him hurriedly went over and grabbed him. ¡°Your highness! Why are you so angry? His majesty was not kind to you, so why must you be concerned about him?¡± Huo Feng pulled his arm away and turned towards Huang Han. Huang Han subconsciously stepped back, but continued to advise: ¡°Your highness, whether it¡¯s in my heart, or Xiangtian, Baicai, and the others¡¯, you are the true son of heaven. This subordinate is not afraid of angering you. Once we capture the capital, this subordinate would definitely kill the emperor. The emperor died at Zhang Zhong¡¯s hands. This subordinate thinks this is for the best. At least once your highness enters the capital, you won¡¯t have to worry about how to deal with the emperor.¡± ¡°Did I say I was angry about the emperor¡¯s death?¡± Huo Feng coldly retorted. Huang Han was puzzled: ¡°Then why is your highness so angry? Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu deserved to die. Shouldn¡¯t their deaths be a reason for celebration?¡± Huo Feng gritted his teeth: ¡°I should be happy? I am Prince Yue, a prince with seven hundred thousand men under my control, but what was the result? I couldn¡¯t even protect myself, not to mention my wives and children. I can¡¯t even personally deal with all these people who deserve death. Do you think I should be happy?¡± Huang Han became even more confused: ¡°Why must your highness be concerned about who killed them? The two consorts¡¯ deaths were not the fault of your highness. Your highness was always loyal to his majesty, so no one expected that his majesty would dare to treat you so mercilessly. As for the two young masters, aren¡¯t they both safe now? Or are you worried that Yi Chongren won¡¯t treat them well?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to owe him any more favors!¡± Huo Feng shouted at once. Huang Han was stunned at first, and then stupefied: ¡°Your highness?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s hands tightened into fists, and his chest heaved violently: ¡°Could it be that you still don¡¯t see it?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s voice lowered a few tones, so only Huang Han could hear what he was saying. ¡°The emperor died, Zhang Zhong died, Sun Jiu died, and the crown prince is still a child. Even if some powerful ministers remain, the court can¡¯t do anything against us. This is tantamount to eliminating the threats in the court for us. Yi Chongren has taken control of the Hu An guards and imperial guards, how could things be this coincidental? Do you still not understand? Think about it, he has led the troops to eradicate the ¡®Tian Shen Sect¡¯, but why would he want to eradicate the ¡®Tian Shen Sect¡¯? Fifty thousand soldiers. The Hu An guards and imperial guards only add up to about a hundred thousand men. He has taken away half of their men at once. If he said he was doing this for the newly ascended emperor, would you believe it?¡± Huang Han¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Could it, could it be, Yi Chongren?¡± ¡°Other than him, who could handle things so thoroughly?¡± Huo Feng turned around, punched the tree with hatred again, and said with his back facing Huang Han: ¡°He isn¡¯t wrong. I¡¯m just a coward, a fool. So what if I control seventy thousand troops? There¡¯s someone I hate to help me with everything. He saved me, saved my bloodline, eliminated the threats in the court for me, and is now heading to eradicate the ¡®Tian Shen Sect¡¯. Huang Han, do you think I should be happy?¡± ¡°Your, your highness¡­¡­¡± Huang Han didn¡¯t know what to say. He was surprised to the point that he felt his soul leaving his body. This was even more surprising than when he found out Yi Chongren saved his highness. Yi Chongren would actually kill the emperor, Zhang Zhong, and Sun Jiyu! This person is too powerful! Huo Feng¡¯s fists tightly pressed against the tree trunk. Huang Han opened his mouth trying to think of some words to console him before closing his mouth again. He was dizzy, couldn¡¯t even believe it himself, couldn¡¯t accept this matter, so how could he comfort his highness? His highness had repeatedly ¡°fallen into¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s hands, so no one could blame him for being angry. However, Huang Han still didn¡¯t completely understand. Wasn¡¯t it a good thing that someone was willing to eliminate his highness¡¯s enemies for him? It didn¡¯t matter if it was a eunuch or a demon. Huo Feng¡¯s heavy breathing gradually stabilized, he released his fists and ordered: ¡°Siege the city!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Prince Yue captured Baqiu City and wiped out Kun¡¯s 100,000 soldiers. This news, like the news of the emperor¡¯s assassination, quickly circulated all around Southern Chu. Prince Yue didn¡¯t leave Kun¡¯s army any mercy, but ordered his soldiers not to bully the common people. Those who disobeyed military orders would be killed on the spot. Huo Feng¡¯s army was subject to strict military discipline. Not only did they not receive any public grievances, but they also earned the love and respect of the common people. After capturing Baqiu City, the morale of Huo Feng¡¯s army increased greatly. Huo Feng issued an order that their army would continue onwards in three days to take the next city. In the south, the Hu An guards and imperial guard¡¯s fifty thousand elite soldiers met the main forces of the ¡°Tian Shen Sect¡± outside Yunyang City. The Tian Shen Sect was not having a good time lately. Although their numbers had been continuously increasing, the Tian Shen Sect were rumored to have robbed people on the streets, stole money, killed for money, etc. without end. The common people, who had initially respected the Tian Shen Sect, now changed their opinions on the Tian Shen Sect. Some decided to leave the sect, some secretly stole from the sect, and in some places, the common people were universally against the sect. Now that the Hu An guards and imperial guards had directly sent troops, the Tian Shen sect could be considered to be suffering enemy attacks from the front and behind. There were already two hundred thousand people in the Tian Shen sect, so Sima Xian, the heavenly messenger, couldn¡¯t possibly take care of every person. The elders in the Tian Shen Sect were also very chagrined. They had already found that the Tian Shen Sect did not commit all the deeds they were accused of, but they lacked the evidence to prove their innocence. Sima Xian didn¡¯t know how many times he had pointed at the heavens in anger. Don¡¯t let him find out who was secretly slandering them. Most of the Tian Shen Sect consisted of common people who could barely survive after being oppressed by the government and local despots. Once these people met with the elite soldiers of the Hu An guards and imperial guards who killed and caught people for food, they naturally admitted utter defeat. After suffering a few losses, Sima Xian led the Tian Shen Sect to fight against the two groups of guards. Both sides suffered heavy losses on the fierce battlefield. However, unexpectedly, Sima Xian, who had been hidden in the back giving orders, had been stabbed through the chest by a person who came from who knows where. The masters beside Sima Xian jointly acted and heavily wounded the opponent, but the other party was still able to escape. Sima Xian was assassinated and the Tian Shen Sect was immediately defeated. Not long after, news of Sima Xian¡¯s assassinated spread, and Sima Xian¡¯s son became the Tian Shen Sect¡¯s new heavenly envoy. Once Huo Feng heard this news from Jidi, he wasn¡¯t enraged, and instead yelled in surprise: ¡°That assassin was injured?!¡± ¡°It seems so. It¡¯s said that he was heavily injured by one of the masters by Sima Xian¡¯s side, but he was able to escape.¡± Jidi patted his chest, ¡°No one knows where this hero who was able to kill his way to Sima Xian by himself came from. He was able to pierce straight through the heart of Sima Xian right under the noses of so many masters. I heard that there were many masters by Sima Xian¡¯s side. Wow, this person¡¯s martial arts must be incredible. Hopefully this hero is ok.¡± Huo Feng said a bit anxiously: ¡°I don¡¯t care what methods you have to use. Investigate where that assassin was injured!¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Jidi was stunned. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Huo Feng raised his sword brows and Jidi lowered his head to run out: ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Your highness¡­¡­¡± Huang Han couldn¡¯t help but worry a bit. It couldn¡¯t be Yi Chongren again. He waved his hand, and Tang Nian and the others retreated with confusion. Could it be that his highness sent someone to do this? But why was his highness so worried about that assassin? Tang Nian gasped. As expected of his highness, naturally, his power is deep and unfathomable! Huo Feng¡¯s brows knit together and he said with a hoarse voice: ¡°Jidi said that Sima Xian was killed by a sword through the heart. ¡®He¡¯ uses a sword.¡± Huang Han was puzzled: ¡°Why would he assassinate Sima Xian?¡± After asking, he shuddered and realized he asked a stupid question. Huo Feng¡¯s heart was in a state of chaos, and he felt a difficult to control panic. His instincts told him that the name of this assassin was Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren was injured, heavily injured. Thinking of how Yi Chongren had last been injured right in front of him and how now he was ¡°heavily¡± injured, Huo Feng was unable to sit or stand still, he felt a difficult to describe restlessness. ¡°Huang Han, go inquire, be sure to find out how heavy the assassin¡¯s injuries are.¡± Knowing that his highness was in an unstable state of mind now that he knew Yi Chongren was involved, Huang Han didn¡¯t say anything and immediately left. Huo Feng rubbed the center of his brows and muttered to himself in a low voice: ¡°Yi Chongren, you can¡¯t die. Before I punish you for your crimes, you must live!¡± [1] ůñ, It¡¯s those round, red stringy looking hats from the Qing dynasty. (t/n: We have an editor now!) CH 12 Another run down temple, another injury. For the first time, Yi Chongren found out that he had fate with run down temples. He had succeeded in assassinating Sima Xian, but he had also been heavily injured by the masters by Sima Xian¡¯s side. Yi Chongren, who was struggling to bandage his own wounds, wore a mocking smile at the corners of his lips. So what if there were five masters by Sima Xian¡¯s side. Of those five people, he had heavily injured two, cripled one, and left two to be dealt with by ¡°others¡±. In the midst of chaos, masters could not win against great numbers. Yi Chongren¡¯s face was pale, and his lips seemed even more bloodless, but he still held the same steadfastness and grandeur in his eyes. Step by step, he had endured humiliation to reach where he is today. Yi Chongren held his sword in his hand and coldly said to himself: ¡°Huo Feng, if you still can¡¯t take this world like this, then you really are a cowardly fool, and I can be considered to have misjudged you.¡± A whistle sounded, Yi Chongren¡¯s body trembled, and he put a finger to his mouth to whistle twice. After a while, a figure flew in through the door of the rundown temple with the anxiousness of someone who had rushed over. The December days were gloomy and dreary, yet Yi Chongren met this person with a faint smile. ¡°You¡¯re hurt again.¡± The other party sheathed the sword in his hand and quickly walked towards Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren raised his hand that wasn¡¯t holding his sword and lightly said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve sent Xiao Qin to the village before rushing over. I didn¡¯t expect to still be a step late.¡± ¡°Not too late.¡± Yi Chongren took a few weak breaths, ¡° I don¡¯t have the strength to go back by myself. Those charlatans from the Tian Shen Sect won¡¯t let me off easily. You¡¯ve come just in time.¡± The visitor pursed his lips, swallowed the words he wanted to say, and bent down to carry Yi Chongren on his back and quickly leave the rundown temple. A horse quickly appeared before them, the man helped Yi Chongren onto the horse, and they hurriedly left. Sima Xian was assassinated, and the hearts of members of the Tian Shen Sect were unsteady, yet the person they were most concerned about was not that assassin but the fifty thousand elite soldiers of the Hu An guards and imperial guards. The Hu An guards and imperial guards were all vicious people who could kill a person without batting an eye. However, the person leading these troops, ¡°Yi Chongren¡±, had two brushes[1] and aimed to take down the main forces of the Tian Shen Sect. Now that Sima Xian was dead, the elders of the Tian Shen Sect mobilized all of their manpower to counter the Hu An guards and imperial guards. Of course, they still had to investigate the assassin. The Tian Shen Sect sent some masters to track down the assassin¡¯s whereabouts, vowing to use the assassin¡¯s head as a sacrifice to Sima Xian, and most importantly, to raise the morale of the Tian Shen Sect. Huo Feng was paying close attention to this mysterious assassin that killed Sima Xian, and someone from the inner palace was also paying close attention. Hearing that the assassin was heavily injured, Empress Dowager Ru became very anxious, unceasingly using the new emperor¡¯s name to order the Hu An guards and imperial guards to investigate the whereabouts of the assassin. Empress Dowager Ru knew that the assassin who killed Sima Xian was none other than Yi Chongren. The ¡°Yi Chongren¡± who was leading the fierce battle against the Tian Shen Sect was a military general pretending to be him. Very few people knew of this matter as Yi Chongren had told Empress Dowager Ru to use the strategy of ¡°doing what was least expected¡±. Everyone assumed that the person commanding the battle was him, so no one would suspect that the true Yi Chongren would assassinate Sima Xian. To Empress Dowager Ru, Yi Chongren was an irreplaceable existence, not just for Empress Dowager Ru herself, but for the entire court. She couldn¡¯t lose Yi Chongren¡¯s strength and help. If they lost Yi Chongren at this critical juncture, it would be a huge blow for Empress Dowager Ru. After capturing Baqiu City, Huo Feng appointed several well-respected heads of large households from Baqiu City to temporarily assume control over Baqiu, left a thousand men and horses to garrison Baqiu, and then led his main army to continue heading towards the capital. However, after learning that the ¡°assassin¡± who killed Sima Xian was heavily injured, Huo Feng brows were constantly knitted, creating a tense atmosphere in the army. The people who weren¡¯t aware of the reason thought troops from the court or Kun would be arriving soon. Nonetheless, the Huo Family army had killed their way out of the battlefield, so no one would face dangers timidly. It would only raise their fighting spirit. Southern Chu had long lost the hearts of the people, especially those of these hotblooded men. Only Huang Han knew what made his highness like that. Although he still carried some doubts towards Yi Chongren, thinking that if Sima Xian was really assassinated by Yi Chongren, Huang Han couldn¡¯t help but hold some admiration towards Yi Chongren. However, once he thought of all the loyal officials that innocently died at Yi Chongren¡¯s hands, he once again thought that if Yi Chongren died like this, it could count as atonement. ¡°We¡¯ve found it! We¡¯ve found it!¡± As Huang Han was going on this mental journey, Jidi stormed in from outside the tent. He had messy hair and sunken cheeks, yet his eyes were shining like copper bells, glowing with excitement. Hahaha, as expected, no task was too hard for him, Jidi! Huo Feng raised his head from the battle map the moment Jidi¡¯s voice traveled into the room. Although he was trying his hardest to restrain himself, Huang Han and Tang Nian could still see the nervousness hidden below his calm facade. ¡°Your highness, this subordinate has completed the mission. This subordinate has found it. That assassin was nearly cut in half from behind by Sima Xian¡¯s people. It is a very serious injury. But fortunately, he didn¡¯t break any arms or legs. This subordinate has also found out that the Tian Shen Sect most likely has not found the assassin yet.¡± After saying this, Jidi let out a breath, ¡°This chivalrous assassin must not fall into the Tian Shen Sect¡¯s hands. Although his wounds are indeed very serious, I don¡¯t know if he has anyone to support him. It would be good if he had someone to support him.¡± Then, he said worriedly, ¡°It seems that the Hu An guards and imperial guards are also looking for him. Who knows what they want to do. Your highness, should we send someone to assist the chivalrous assassin?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s two sword brows seem to scrunch together. Almost cut in half by someone¡­¡­this was a life threatening injury! That person had been injured by his people at Jade City Pass, and now he was injured so seriously¡­¡­Huo Feng¡¯s heart was the same as his eyebrows. If it wasn¡¯t for his subordinate injuring him, he wouldn¡¯t have been so seriously injured this time. A pang rang through Huo Feng¡¯s heart. Finding out that his emotions were swayed by that person, Huo Feng immediately recovered his calm, surprised by how much he valued this person. But then, he once again thought that that person owed him an explanation. His own two children were still in that person¡¯s hands, so that person definitely couldn¡¯t die. Huo Feng¡¯s expression turned dark: ¡°Even if we sent someone to help him, we wouldn¡¯t be able to find him.¡± ¡°Ah? Why?¡± Jidi was stunned. Tang Nian was also stunned. Was that assassin someone sent by his majesty? How could they not find him? Lowering his head once again to look at the battle map, Huo Feng didn¡¯t explain, only saying: ¡°Pay attention to the assassin¡¯s movements. The reinforcement troops from Kun are stationed at Shangyuan City. They clearly don¡¯t want to lose too much of their strength. Why don¡¯t we hide our true intentions behind superficial actions to confuse the opponent and win by surprise[2].¡± Still thinking about the assassin, Huang Han, Jidi, and Tang Nian were stunned. Weren¡¯t they talking about the assassin? They quickly shifted their thoughts to join in the discussion. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C That night, Huo Feng walked out of the military tent, and the six guards stationed outside his tent followed behind him closely. Huo Feng waved his hand to let them retreat: ¡°I¡¯m just going to take a walk around the camp.¡± ¡°Your highness¡¯s safety is of great importance. This is where this subordinate¡¯s duties lie.¡± A guard said, refusing to leave. Huo Feng glanced at him, but didn¡¯t make things difficult for him, and said: ¡°Then stay a step back a bit. I want to think about certain matters, so don¡¯t disturb me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The six guards stayed a dozen steps behind. It wasn¡¯t possible for Huo Feng to leave the camp. He walked slowly and thoughtfully around the camp. As he walked for about an hour, he didn¡¯t stop thinking once. At the end of the year, the camp didn¡¯t have any end of year festivities, instead, it was covered with the thick smoke of gunpowder. Someone came out of their military tent, and saw his highness who was ¡°wandering¡± outside. He strode over. As it was the middle of winter, it was very cold, and even colder at night. ¡°Your highness, why are you still outside when it¡¯s so cold?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s contemplations were interrupted by the man. He raised his head and lightly said: ¡°Thinking about some matters. Just to sober up a bit outside.¡± Huo Feng didn¡¯t mention what matters he was thinking about, yet Huang Han understood. He asked: ¡°Would your highness like to take a seat with this subordinate? This subordinate also can¡¯t fall asleep.¡± Huo Feng was ¡°roaming¡± outside, so a few concerned soldiers quietly reported to Huang Han. Huo Feng nodded: ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± The two men went to Huang Han¡¯s tent together. Once they entered the tent, Huang Han poured a cup of tea for Huo Feng. After sitting down, he directly said: ¡°Your highness, are you worried about Yi Chongren?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s tea drinking motion paused. Putting down the teacup, he was silent for quite a while before opening his mouth to say: ¡°Yi Chongren gives me too many questions. I always thought he was just a castrated dog, a demon, a traitor to be slain. But after the events at the capital, he acted in so many ways that I can¡¯t understand.¡± Deeply taking a breath, Huo Feng looked towards Huang Han, ¡°If I wanted to kill him before, then now, I want him to live, I want to personally ask him why he did all this, or what his objectives are.¡± Huang Han also had a contemplative look on his face and said: ¡°I also keep wondering about what his goals are. If he wanted to express goodwill towards your highness, it would make sense. Maybe he thinks that your highness has the ability to become the son of heaven so he gave himself an alternative path?¡± For some reason, Huo Feng didn¡¯t like Huang Han¡¯s guess. He shook his head: ¡°If he wanted to give himself an escape route, he wouldn¡¯t have told me those words.¡± ¡°What words?¡± Huo Feng clenched his fists. ¡°He said that I¡¯m a coward, said I¡¯m incompetant, can¡¯t even compare to him, a eunuch.¡± ¡°He said this to your highness?!¡± Huang Han was shocked. Oh my lord! Yi Chongren, that slave, even dared to speak to his highness like that! ¡°He said these words to me because he didn¡¯t intend to leave an escape route to my side. How could he express goodwill to me for this reason?¡± Huang Han was at a loss for words and still in shock. Huo Feng¡¯s eyebrows tightly knit together. Once he said ¡°escape route¡±, a thought flashed through his mind, but it was too fast, and he didn¡¯t catch it. ¡°He killed the emperor, Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu, and even killed Sima Xian. No matter how you look at it, he¡¯s helping us, yet he still dares to say such insulting words to your highness? What on earth is he thinking?¡± Even Huang Han¡¯s curiosity towards Yi Chongren¡¯s actions became matchless. A light suddenly flashed in Huo Feng¡¯s eyes and his expression changed drastically: ¡°He wants to go!¡± ¡°Go?¡± Huo Feng punched the tabletop with gritted teeth: ¡°He wants to leave! He didn¡¯t do any of this for us! He wants to leave the capital! Completely leave!¡± ¡°Leave?¡± Huang Han couldn¡¯t keep up with his highness¡¯s train of thought. Huo Feng stood up and once again said with an indescribable fire: ¡°The emperor, Zhang Zhong, and Sun Jiyu all died. There¡¯s already no one in the capital who can threaten him. There¡¯s definitely someone in the court who knows he assassinated Sima Xian. Otherwise, how would the fake ¡®Yi Chongren¡¯ hide from the fifty thousand soldiers from the Hu An guards and imperial guards? He was heavily injured from assassinating Sima Xian, and now no one knows where he is. If he doesn¡¯t show up for a long time, everyone will think he succumbed to his wounds and died. By doing this, not only would be like a golden cicada shedding its shell[3], he would also make me owe him a huge favor. It has to be so, I can¡¯t be wrong! He wants to completely leave the capital, leave the Hu An guards and imperial guards¡¯ control, and especially leave any possible threats I may hold towards him in the future!¡± Huang Han was at a loss for words: ¡°This, this, this is too¡­¡­¡± The more Huo Feng thought, the more he thought his guess was right. The more he thought, the more the fury in his chest grew, especially the hint of panic he hadn¡¯t noticed before. Thinking of something, he stormed out of the tent without another word. Jidi was deeply asleep. Suddenly, he was awakened by the shock of ¡°earth quaking and mountains shaking¡±. Hazily waking up, he got up: ¡°An earthquake? An earthquake?¡± ¡°Jidi! Find someone for me and monitor Empress Dowager Ru.¡± Jidi¡¯s eyes widened and he completely woke up. ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡°Find a reliable person to monitor Empress Dowager Ru, and find out where Yi Chongren is. Don¡¯t make this matter public!¡± All the fine hairs on Jidi¡¯s body stood on end as a sinister expression appeared on his highness¡¯s face. He was a smart man. Although he was still tired, he immediately understood the importance of the matter. ¡° This subordinate will think of a way to plant one of our people by Noble Consort Ru¡¯s side. However, to do this, this subordinate must personally go to the capital first.¡± ¡°I will send twenty men to protect you.¡± His highness was serious! Jidi immediately said: ¡°No need. It¡¯s more convenient for this subordinate to go alone. Your highness only needs to give this subordinate the travel expenses.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± The next day before the sun rose, Jidi quietly left the barracks, bringing sufficient travel expenses to head to the capital alone. Huang Han didn¡¯t know what Jidi had headed off to do, but he believed that it had something to do with Yi Chongren. Huang Han was a bit worried. His highness was too concerned about Yi Chongren. If Yi Chongren wanted to go, they should just let him go. It was better to leave now. In a few days after they attacked the capital, there would be many people looking for Yi Chongren to exact revenge. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª In a remote village, the villagers were clearly all a bit anxious. Before dawn, everyone had already woken up. A month had already passed since the New Year, but everyone passed the new year with disappointment. Every household still hung bright red lanterns, stuck on bright red paper cut flowers, as if they couldn¡¯t bear for the New Years to just pass. After everyone finished eating breakfast, they all gathered in Yuande¡¯s house. The village was very remote and very small, without any village chiefs. The most prestigious Yuande was the village¡¯s backbone. Whenever anything big happened, everyone would go to his house. However, today, Yuande was also visibly anxious and uneasy. ¡°Old brother, nothing¡¯s happened to his excellency, right? Huaiqiu went out before the new year. Now it¡¯s already February, and we haven¡¯t received any news.¡± A man who was similar in age to Yuande asked. The worry in Yuande¡¯s eyes grew stronger: ¡°I¡¯m also worried about whether something happened to his excellency.¡± ¡°Something must have happened to his excellency.¡± A beautiful woman quickly started crying, ¡°His excellency said he¡¯d immediately come find us after killing Sima Xian. But Sima Xian has been dead for so long, yet his excellency hasn¡¯t come back. Something definitely happened.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense!¡± Yuande¡¯s wife patted the woman, ¡°His excellency is blessed with great fortune, he must be fine. There must be a reason why he has been delayed.¡± Yuande frowned: ¡°Huaiqiu and his excellency both can¡¯t send us any letters, and we can¡¯t go out to inquiry, so all we can do is wait. Huaiqiu hasn¡¯t returned so either he hasn¡¯t found his excellency or he and his excellency have both been delayed.¡± Thinking, Yuande looked towards a young boy, ¡°Xie Ming, go to town today and listen around. His excellency¡¯s identity is sensitive. If something really happened, there would definitely be rumors circulating outside.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with Xie Ming gege.¡± A young boy sounded, ¡°I¡¯m a child, so I can listen.¡± Yuande was a bit hesitant, and the child earnestly said: ¡°No one will recognize me. Now that there are battles going on everywhere, who would pay attention to me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok to let Yuanmai follow.¡± Xie Ming said. Yuande thought for a while before saying: ¡°Ok. Just pretend to be selling dry goods. But if it¡¯s very chaotic outside, you must return immediately. This place definitely can¡¯t be exposed now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Not delaying any longer, Xie Ming brought Yuanmai to carry a basket of dry goods and drove a donkey cart out of the mountain. The woman who had just been berated by Auntie Yuan hugged Auntie: ¡°Godmother, I¡¯m scared.¡± Auntie pressed her arm: ¡°His excellency must be fine.¡± She said this for herself, and also for everyone else. [1] Á½°ÑË¢×Ó literally translates two brushes but means someone is skillful [2] Ã÷ÐÞÕ»µÀ£¬ °µ¶È³Â²Ö basically achieve victory in a way the opponent doesn¡¯t expect [3] ½ð²õÍÑ¿Ç means to vanish leaving an empty shell CH 13 After anxiously waiting for a while, Xie Ming and Yuanmai returned at night, bringing news that would make everyone even more worried. ¡ª¨C The Hu An guards and imperial guards encountered the Tian Shen Sect and confronted their main forces, suffering heavy losses. ¡°Yi Chongren¡± was hit by a poisonous arrow and died on the road back to the capital. However, the Tian Shen Sect also didn¡¯t gain many benefits. Sima Xian died, so the dragon lost its head. Even if Sima Xian¡¯s son was now the heavenly envoy, he did not have enough prestige. It could be said that the court and the Tian Shen Sect were both defeated in this battle. The Hu An guards and imperial guards kept looking for the assassin who killed Sima Xian, and it was said that the empress dowager considered this matter of utmost importance. They met imperial guards in the town today. This was a remote place in the southwest. The fact that the imperial guards were able to find this place meant that they placed great importance on the assassin. Xie Ming¡¯s face turned pale as he said: ¡°We heard that the assassin was likely heavily injured by the people by Sima Xian¡¯s side.¡± ¡°His excellency was seriously injured?!¡± Xiaoqin¡¯s body shook, ¡°The assassin who killed Sima Xian is his excellency!¡± Yuanmai¡¯s face also turned a bit pale as he said: ¡°I heard people in the teahouse talking about this.¡± Yuande looked towards the crowd of people: ¡°This must be the reason why his excellency hasn¡¯t returned yet. His excellency was heavily injured, so he found a place to recuperate. Our place is too far away and there isn¡¯t any good medicine, so his excellency couldn¡¯t possibly come back here to recover. Huaiqiu hasn¡¯t returned, so I think he must have found his excellency. No news is good news. His excellency must still be alive!¡± Saying this, he looked towards Yuanmai, ¡°The imperial guards didn¡¯t notice you?¡± Yuanmai shook his head: ¡°No. They didn¡¯t see me. They were just questioning people around the medicine hall and inn.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Yuande thought for a bit before saying, ¡°His excellency hasn¡¯t returned so we mustn¡¯t move rashly. Everyone should prepare for his excellency to return at any moment. His excellency said before that once he returns, he¡¯ll take us all away.¡± Everyone nodded their heads with heavy and worried expressions. In the room, two children that were not yet a year old slept soundly, still ignorant of the vicious world. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Two horses slowly entered ¡°Lianshan City¡±. The two men riding the horses appeared unimpressive. The sun had already risen, everyone had already woken, so the streets were bustling with activity. Lianshan City was a small city in the southwest of Southern Chu. The small city was located near a mountain range, hence its name[1]. Because of its remote location, the main forces of the Hu An guards and imperial guards didn¡¯t go very deeply in, as at this time, the magnificent battle didn¡¯t really impact this place. The people living in the town lived simple lives, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. However, recently, a few strange imperial guard soldiers disturbed these people¡¯s peace. Although the people here were simple, they knew that the arrival of the Hu An guards and imperial guards meant something. Luckily, this group of people only stayed there for two days before leaving, so the common people could release a sigh of relief. The two people first found a place to eat breakfast. They spoke the local dialect and wore the local wear, not attracting much attention from others. There were quite a few small villages in the mountain range, and the manner of speech of the two people seemed to come from there. The two calmly observed their surroundings, and after finding out that there were no suspicious people nearby, they rode their horses through and out of Lianshan city. The small village was filled with a thick, anxious atmosphere because of news of a certain lord¡¯s late return and heavy injuries. The first thing everyone did after waking up was take a look at the entrance of the village. However, everyone would return in disappointment. It was already the fifth time Yuanmai came out of the courtyard to take a look. He held very complicated feelings towards that lord. However, he was the same as everyone else in that he didn¡¯t want his excellency to meet any accidents, hoping his excellency would return sooner. Because he wasn¡¯t tall enough, Yuanmai raised his hands to vigorously climb up the big tree by the door. This way he could see even farther. In the past, he never did such unruly things, but now, after going through some great changes, he learned how to do many things that he used to look down upon. Climbing trees, farming, fetching water, folding the bedding by himself, etc. Walking out wearing course clothes, no one would believe that he was the eldest son of Prince Yue. After watching for so long without even seeing a person¡¯s shadow, Yuanmai sat on the tree trunk with disappointment. At this time, two fuzzy black dots appeared on the mountain path to the village. Yuanmai was first stunned, before he jumped up from the tree trunk, almost falling off. Heart pounding, Yuanmai rubbed his eyes, trying to open them as wide as possible. The villagers would not go out unless absolutely necessary, and if anyone wanted to go out, they¡¯d tell everyone first. Yuanmai didn¡¯t hear about anyone going out, so that must not be someone from the village! ¡°Uncle! Someone¡¯s coming! Someone¡¯s coming!¡± Yuanmai yelled. Seeing Yuande rush out of the house, Auntie Yuan, Xiaoqin¡­¡­people from every household all came out of their houses. ¡°Who!?¡± Yuanmai ran out. ¡°I can¡¯t tell, there¡¯s two people!¡± ¡°Two people?!¡± Yuande tried to open his old presbyopic eyes as wide as possible. But when he saw those two people waving towards them, his eyes instantly wet, and he waved his hands excitedly, shouting: ¡°His excellency has returned! His excellency has returned!¡± ¡°His excellency is back!¡± Once everyone heard, they all rushed towards the two men. Yuanmai jumped off the tree and also rushed over. That person had returned! Running over, everyone could see clearly. Tears of excitement formed in everyone¡¯s eyes. The two men on the horses dismounted, and Xiaoqin squeezed through the crowd, throwing herself into the arms of someone: ¡°Your excellency!¡± The person held Xiaoqin with one arm and lightly smiled toward the excited crowd: ¡°I¡¯ve let you all worry. I¡¯m back.¡± Saying these final words with great emotion, he seemed to be relieved from a great burden. Yuande wiped his eyes and said: ¡°Xiaoqin, stop hugging his excellency. It¡¯s so cold. Quickly take his excellency inside!¡± Xiaoqin¡¯s body shook, and she immediately let go of his excellency, crying as she laughed: ¡°Look how foolish I am. Your excellency, quickly come in, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°Huaiqiu and I have already eaten outside.¡± His excellency let go of Xiaoqin and noticed Yuanmai, who kept staring at him. Yuanmai pursed his lips, stepped forward, and bowed towards his excellency: ¡°Thank you, your excellency for your life-saving grace.¡± ¡°Hereditary prince is polite.¡± His excellency helped Yuanmai up and still lightly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that your mother and erniang[2] would commit suicide.¡± Tears welled up in Yuanmai¡¯s eyes: ¡°I know. Your excellency has saved my brother and I, saved my father. Yuanmai will never forget this kindness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. Saving you was my heart¡¯s intent[3].¡± Not wanting to say any more, his excellency lightly smiled towards the crowd: ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s cold outside.¡± ¡°Quickly go in!¡± The group of people surrounded his excellency as he entered Yuande¡¯s courtyard. Seeing the corn hanging from the wall, his excellency drew in a deep breath and was escorted into the house by the crowd. The small village was especially lively today. His excellency had returned, so everyone¡¯s heart was at ease. Everyone squeezed into Yuande¡¯s house, waiting to hear his excellency¡¯s plans. Yuande was still the first to speak. He asked: ¡°I heard that you were heavily injured. Where¡¯s the wound? Is it alright?¡± Everyone looked worriedly at his excellency¡¯s sickly pale face. His excellency didn¡¯t respond. Instead, the man sitting beside him, who had returned with him, answered: ¡°He nearly lost his life. The imperial guards, Hu An guards, and Tian Shen sect are all looking for him. It hasn¡¯t been easy for us, so we hid in Yunyang city. The most dangerous place is the safest place. Everyone assumed that he fled, not expecting that we were hiding right under their noses.¡± ¡°Are your wounds healed?¡± Xiaoqin¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Healed.¡± This simple word concealed all the danger and pain. However, everyone here was someone who had crawled out of hell, so how could they not hear it? As if those wounds weren¡¯t worth mentioning, his excellency continued on to speak about serious matters: ¡°Yi Chongren is already dead. I am now Lin Ruhai.¡± This lord wasn¡¯t any other but the Yi Chongren sought by all sides. ¡°Lin?!¡± Yuande¡¯s expression changed as he stared at Yi Chongren in astonishment, ¡°You¡¯re the Lin family¡¯s¡­¡­¡± The expressions of most of the people in the room changed, and Yuanmai looked towards his uncle in confusion. Lin family? A cold light flashed in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes: ¡°I am the last survivor of the Lin family.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Everyone gasped. Even Huaiqiu appeared to be in disbelief. Yuande¡¯s lips trembled and he grasped Yi Chongren, no, Lin Ruhai¡¯s hand: ¡°Chancellor Lin is your¡­¡­¡± ¡°Grandfather.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Yuande¡¯s eyes instantly filled with tears, ¡°You¡¯re really, really Old Lin¡¯s grandson¡­¡­Chongren, no, Ruhai, fifteen years, fifteen years ah¡­¡­.you¡­¡­you¡± Everyone who knew about the Lin family couldn¡¯t help but let tears fall from their eyes. Xie Ming¡¯s father, Xie Dan, explained to the young people with eyes full of tears: ¡°Fifteen years ago, when the former emperor was still in this world, the Lin family was implicated in a miscarriage of justice, and every member of the Lin family was beheaded.¡± ¡°The Lin He miscarriage of justice?¡± Huaiqiu was shocked. He remembered! Xie Dan nodded: ¡°The previous emperor was suspicious by nature, and the Lin family produced important ministers for three dynasties. The previous emperor ordered the Hu An guards and imperial guards, those miscreants, to slander Chancellor Lin and Prime Minister He. At that time, the two families were killed, staining the capital with blood, and snowing in June[4]. Yuanmai also couldn¡¯t help but gasp. And Yi Chongren, still indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him, only said: ¡°The Lin family has long been gone. Regaining my surname is just a simple name change. It¡¯s been more than ten years. Not many people still remember the Lin family. We are going to hide in Jade City Pass[5].¡± ¡°Jade City Pass?!¡± Everyone was shocked, and Yuanmai was the most shocked. Lin Ruhai nodded: ¡°Jade City Pass is an important place guarded by Prince Yue. The Hu An guards and imperial guards won¡¯t be there. There also aren¡¯t any members of the Tian Shen Sect there, so it¡¯s the safest place. If Prince Yue fails, we will return here.¡± ¡°My father will not be defeated!¡± Yuanmai¡¯s eyes burned with the flames of hatred. Yi Chongren looked over: ¡°Then I¡¯ll take your word for it. However, young master is still just Yuanmai for now. Even when we reach Jade City Pass, you must hide your name. You and your brother are all your father¡¯s weaknesses, so we definitely can¡¯t let anyone find out where you are.¡± Yuanmai nodded: ¡°I know. I won¡¯t go find my father!¡± When he said this, Yuanmai held back his tears. After all, he was still an eleven year old child. It wasn¡¯t easy to bear not being able to see his father. A trace of appreciation flashed in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes: ¡°After we reach Jade City Pass, I will personally teach you martial arts. If you don¡¯t want to hold back your father, you must become stronger.¡± ¡°Yunkai will always remember your excellency¡¯s great benevolence in his heart. I will never dare to forget.¡± Yuanmai, Prince Yue¡¯s heir, Huo Yunkai, directly kneeled and gave Yi Chongren three kowtows. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t stop him. He bent over to help Huo Yunkai up and said: ¡°To me, I have already avenged the Lin family. Young master should just call me Uncle Lin. But I still have a small favor to ask of young master.¡± ¡°Uncle Lin, do tell.¡± Yi Chongren carried a thin child out of an aunt¡¯s arms. He took the child¡¯s left hand and pushed up his sleeve. There was a clear scar on the child¡¯s wrist. Huo Yunkai was no stranger to this wound and a certain guilt appeared in his eyes. ¡°Young master should already know. Jiabao is the child I exchanged your brother with. He suffered the pain of blood loss in place of your brother, and I¡¯m afraid his body may be affected by it in the future. I want young master to promise me, no matter when, to protect Jiabao.¡± ¡°Jiabao is also my brother. I will treat him just as I treat Douzi[6].¡± ¡°Douzi?¡± A trace of an immature smile befitting of his age appeared on Huo Yunkai¡¯s precocious face: ¡°It¡¯s Yuandou. I call him Douzi. Jiabao is Baozi[7].¡± ¡°Douzi, Baozi¡­¡­¡± A trace of a smile appeared on Yi Chongren¡¯s sickly pale face, ¡°Sounds like a pair of brothers.¡± ¡°Douzi and Baozi are both my younger brothers.¡± Huo Yunkai seriously said once again. Seeing how Huo Yunkai¡¯s eyes resembled those of Huo Feng, Yi Chongren handed the child to an auntie and with a suddenly firm expression: ¡°I¡¯ll give everyone a day to prepare. We¡¯ll be moving at the hour of zi tonight (11 pm).¡± No one asked any more questions, so those who ought to leave left and those who ought to pack went to pack. Yuande didn¡¯t move, and Yi Chongren knew that he had something to say to him. Huaiqiu took Huo Yunkai away. ¡°Your excellency.¡± ¡° Old brother.¡± Yi Chongren visibly didn¡¯t want to hear the other party refer to him in this way. Yuande smiled with gratitude. ¡°I used to alway think that you were a saboteur someone planted in the palace. I never imagined¡­¡­¡± Taking a deep breath, he murmured: ¡°Lately, I keep thinking that, maybe, it¡¯s about time for us old bones to leave the mountain.¡± Yi Chongren grasped Yuande¡¯s hand: ¡°Old brother, you must think carefully.¡± Yuande patted Yi Chongren¡¯s hand and smiled: ¡°Old brother believes in your judgment. You chose Prince Yue to take this world, so old brother believes that he won¡¯t be an incapable ruler. These few years, I¡¯ve come to appreciate those words you once said to me the most. ¡®Once the emperor no longer cherishes and sympathizes with the common people, letting the tigers and wolves in charge, then we should choose someone who can¡¯. If it weren¡¯t for you, we would have died tragic deaths long ago at the hands of Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu. Not only did we lose our clean name, but we also couldn¡¯t earn even a sliver of guilt from his majesty. Our sincerity and our righteousness only made the common people live more difficult lives. Old brother promises you, if Prince Yue is also a hopeless incapable ruler, old brother will immediately withdraw without hesitation.¡± Yi Chongren released a low laugh: ¡°If old brother wants to go, then go. If I could get old brother out of Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu¡¯s hands, what could others do?¡± Yuande laughed loudly: ¡°I only decided to leave the mountain because I have you.¡± ¡°Go.¡± That night, everyone in the small village disappeared overnight, whereabouts unknown. No one paid attention to this small village hidden deep in the mountains, and no one paid attention to those few villagers that rarely left their village. In the middle of April, a large household surnamed Lin arrived at Jade City Pass and bought the largest courtyard in Jade City Pass. There were around forty to fifty people in that household. Many people were very curious about how a family would move to Jade City Pass during turbulent times, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to understand. Southern Chu was currently in chaos, and Jade City Pass was Prince Yue¡¯s rear defense, the safest place. Many people guessed that this Lin household came from the capital because many of them had capital accents. At the start, everyone was very curious about this Lin family, but gradually, everyone¡¯s attention shifted to the war. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Yi Chongren went missing or died. Yi Chongren¡¯s death stopped being a secret a long time ago, but some people couldn¡¯t accept that the real Yi Chongren died. Empress Dowager Ru spent a few months in the palace flying into rage and then bursting into tears. But one person still believed that Yi Chongren was alive. Because Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t die, definitely couldn¡¯t die. After reading the secret letter he had just received, Huo Feng¡¯s expression turned gloomy, but he also revealed a bit of heaviness. Yi Chongren disappeared. No one knew where he was. He may have really died. ¡ª¡ª- ¡°You are a coward.¡± ¡ª¡ª- ¡°I¡¯ve always looked down on you, now even more so.¡± ¡ª¡ª- ¡°Today also seems to be the fifteenth, who knows if the moon will be as round as that night.¡± ¡ª¡ª- ¡°Your highness, farewell.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s fists heavily punched the table. How could that incomparably scheming mind just die! He was definitely hiding somewhere! What that person wanted from beginning to end was never power, but to turn the world into a muddy pool of water. Even he himself could just be a chess piece in that person¡¯s hands. Huo Feng couldn¡¯t understand Yi Chongren at all, but according to Jidi¡¯s investigation on Yi Chongren¡¯s past in the capital, according to Huo Feng¡¯s painstaking investigation and thinking, he became more and more sure of his own conjecture. ¡°Yi Chongren ah Yi Chongren. Don¡¯t make me look for you¡­¡­You owe me too many explanations!¡± ¡°Your highness, someone outside is requesting an audience.¡± Huo Feng quickly put his thoughts away. He had just defeated Kun¡¯s reinforcement troops the day before and now Kun¡¯s reinforcement troops had shrunk back into the city again. He also ordered his army to rest and think of countermeasures. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°They refused to say, only saying they need to see your highness face to face.¡± Huo Feng furrowed his brows. He now frowned so frequently that there were three more folds in between his eyebrows. ¡°Let him in.¡± Burning Jidi¡¯s secret letter, Huo Feng took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. He already became the calm Prince Yue. The door curtain was lifted, and about a dozen young and old people entered. Once he saw the old man who led the group, Huo Feng stood up, whole body shaking. The old man bowed towards Huo Feng and said: ¡°Commoner Zhang Deyuan and son Zhang Huaiqiu seek shelter with your highness.¡± ¡°Commoner Xie Dan and son Xie Ming seek shelter with your highness.¡± ¡°Commoner Zong Linxiang seeks shelter with your highness.¡± ¡°Commoner¡­¡­¡± Not to mention Huo Feng, even the soldiers guarding outside were stunned by the words they heard from inside. Zhang Deyuan? That, that, that, isn¡¯t that the former prime minister that died at that traitor Yi Chongren¡¯s hands!¡± Huo Feng only felt that his head was exploding as a pair of eyes appeared before him. ¡°Your highness, farewell.¡± [1] The Á¬ in Á¬É½³Ç (lian shan cheng (city)) is same Á¬ as in Á¬ÃàµÄ´óɽ (lian mian da shan) which means uninterrupted mountains/ continuous mountain range [2] No clue how to translate ¶þÄï so pinyin will stay for now. It¡¯s referring to Huo Feng¡¯s concubine [3] ³öÓÚ±¾ÐÄ kind of means to believe from the bottom of your heart [4] ÁùÔ·ÉÑ© refers to a major case of injustice [5] ´óÒþÓÚÊÐ means that a more hidden life can be found in the midst of urban prosperity [6] ¶¹×Ó means bean [7] °ü×Ó means bun. The kids are literally called bean and bun lol CH 14 After receiving a secret letter personally written by his highness, the always calm Ruan Xingtian was in shock. Zhang Deyuan, Xie Dan, Zong Linxiang, and the other powerful officials killed by those miscreants were still alive! Ruan Xingtian¡¯s throat felt dry, and he unsteadily poured himself a cup of water, downing it in a gulp. Heart pounding, the first thought that appeared in Ruan Xingtian¡¯s mind after this shock was¡ª- now his highness was like a tiger with wings[1]! Not to mention their individual abilities, just their reputations were enough to unite the hearts of the common people of Southern Chu. What his highness lacked the most wasn¡¯t soldiers, but capable advisors and the hearts of the people! Now, those two big problems were resolved with these arrivals. Ruan Xingtian carefully read the secret letter once again and couldn¡¯t help but laugh heartily. The will of heaven! This was the will of heaven! Then, Ruan Xingtian¡¯s slightly furrowed and emotions surged in his heart. Yi Chongren really was¡­he didn¡¯t know how to describe. These officials that they all thought had long been killed by those miscreants were all secretly saved by Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren¡¯s hands were still stained with the blood of innocents, but he exchanged the blood of these innocents for the lives of these important officials. It wasn¡¯t easy to describe Yi Chongren as just good or evil. Ruan Xingtian released a breath. From this perspective, Yi Chongren had been planning to save his highness since long ago. Thinking of the frigid irony and scorching satire[2] Yi Chongren had used against his highness from beginning to end and his incomparable ability to hold a grudge, he didn¡¯t reveal any hints of his rescues. He had to consider himself inferior to such schemes. Although his highness¡¯s letter wasn¡¯t very straightforward, Ruan Xingtian could tell that Yi Chongren was still alive. Thinking of how the eldest and youngest young masters were both in Yi Chongren¡¯s hands, the worry in Ruan Xingtian¡¯s heart was relieved. Ruan Xingtian couldn¡¯t help but feel fortunate, fortunate that Yi Chongren was a ¡°good person¡±, fortunate that Yi Chongren chose his highness. The emperor, Zhang Zhong, Sun Jiyu, and Sima Xian were all dealt with by Yi Chongren. If they still couldn¡¯t help his highness win the world with this, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to raise their heads in front of that person in the future. At this time, Ruan Xingtian¡¯s attitude towards Yi Chongren completely changed. Yi Chongren was worth respecting. Not only Ruan Xingtian received a secret letter from Huo Feng. Xu Baicai and He Jia, Huo Feng¡¯s two most trusted subordinates, also received secret letters from him. The two had the same reaction as Ruan Xingtian. That hateful traitor was actually¡­¡­the two, like Ruan Xingtian, couldn¡¯t find a suitable way to describe him. Huang Han was always by Huo Feng¡¯s side on the battlefield, so naturally, he was the first person to receive the news. After a few days, Huang Han was still stuck in the midst of ¡°incapable of believing¡± and ¡°unable to believe¡±. If it wasn¡¯t still wartime, he would definitely be muddleheaded. Compared to the shocked and mindblown state of his four subordinates, Huo Feng was a bit more unexplainably angry and frustrated. As a general, this may have been a reasonable reaction. But as a prince, as a prince who wanted to win the world, his wisdom, schemes, courage, foresight, etc. were far from enough. If Yi Chongren weren¡¯t¡­¡­Huo Feng couldn¡¯t say those unpleasant words now, in other words, after Yi Chongren fed him the ¡°Tian Xin Pill¡±, he couldn¡¯t say those insulting words. If Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t physically disabled, he would definitely have the strength to compete for this world. But at the same time, Huo Feng felt a bit relieved. Yi Chongren was alive. However, so many people had come to find him, so Huo Feng followed Zhang Deyuan¡¯s advice and suppressed this news, also hiding the identities of Zhang Deyuan and the others. They still used their fake names. Zhang Deyuan and Xie Dan stayed by Huo Feng¡¯s side. Zhang Huaiqiu, Xie Ming, and the others became subordinates under He Jia, Xu Baicai, and Ruan Xingtian. The troops in Huo Feng¡¯s hands were split in three groups, but to win the world, seven hundred thousand soldiers were far from enough, not to mention that Huo Feng¡¯s troops suffered some losses after several battles. At present, on one hand, they had to continue attacking cities, but on the other hand, they had to steadily fight to absorb power and personnel to strengthen their own forces. With the additions of Zhang Deyuan and the others, Huo Feng and his subordinates became more confident towards the future. Everyone knew that if they still didn¡¯t achieve the final victory with such great circumstances, then they would truly be a bunch of fools. Like a tiger with wings, Prince Yue¡¯s army became even more powerful. The three hundred thousand soldiers sent as reinforcement from Kun were slaughtered by the approximately one hundred thousand of Prince Yue¡¯s subordinates, and the remaining forces were forced to retreat. The ruler of Southern Chu had changed, and now all power was in the hands of Empress Dowager Ru. As for the agreement with Kun signed by the previous emperor, Empress dowager Ru had no intention to fulfill it. Not long after the troops from Kun withdrew from Southern Chu, Kun¡¯s major military forces appeared at the border. Compared to the four cities agreed upon previously, they now wanted to take even more cities. Taking advantage of the chaos in Southern Chu, Kun also intended to take part. Huo Feng reacted quickly, and he immediately issued an order in the name of Prince Yue. He ordered the common people and heroes to resist against Kun together and hoped to join forces with the Tian Shen Sect. The Tian Shen Sect suffered many losses from the battles with the imperial guards and Hu An guards and was later pursued and killed by the two groups of guards. Their situation could be considered terrible. Prince Yue was willing to join forces with them to face the shared enemy, so naturally, they were willing. Empress Dowager Ru also wasn¡¯t someone easy to deal with. She also immediately issued an imperial edict in the name of the emperor. Southern Chu would mobilize all forces to fight against Kun. Although the common people were very dissatisfied with the court, at times like these, everyone was united, and the atmosphere of war spread further. Regardless of how everyone was fighting outside, a large household in Jade City Pass lived their day to day lives in a low-key and peaceful manner. In the blink of an eye, summer had arrived once again. Two years had passed. To many, their lives all changed drastically. Yi Chongren, who had regained his original name, laid under the grape trellis for a nap with two chubby children beside him, appearing comfortable. Huo Yunkai stood outside the grape trellis. Although the sun overhead wasn¡¯t scorching, the heat was unbearable. He pursed his lips tightly as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead onto his arched knee. Huo Yunkai was in horse stance. His posture was standard and his gaze was firm, without a hint of dissatisfaction. After quite a while, his legs began to tremble. Yi Chongren opened his eyes, glanced at the position of the sun, and he said: ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Huo Yunkai exhaled and sat down on the ground, gasping for breath without any more energy. Yi Chongren glanced at the two children who showed no signs of waking and slowly got off the bed. Under the grape trellis was a basin of water with melting ice inside. Yi Chongren wrung a cooled towel and threw it to Huo Yunkai. Huo Yunkai raised a hand with difficulty to catch it and wiped his face indiscriminately. ¡°Yifu[3] , when can I become as strong as you?¡± Huo Yunkai asked with a sense of closeness. Yi Chongren took the cloth towel out of his hand, pulled him up, and struck him: ¡°You can¡¯t even walk and you want to run.¡± ¡°I want to become stronger faster.¡± Huo Yunkai¡¯s expression was unusually firm as he said this. Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t moved and said: ¡°Your talent for martial arts isn¡¯t bad, but even if you¡¯re a genius, there¡¯s only one way to become strong, and that¡¯s hard work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of hardship.¡± Huo Yunkai¡¯s eyes shined. After two years, he had already changed wholly. Yi Chongren believed this. Huo Yunkai¡¯s firmness and endurance exceeded his expectations. However, what surprised him most was that Huo Yunkai was determined to recognize him as his yifu. Unable to dissuade him, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t act pretentious and accepted. After resting for an hour, Huo Yunkai stood up, picked up his sword, and started practicing. Ever since they settled down there, Huo Yunkai had seriously studied martial arts under Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren was free of chores and relaxed physically and mentally. Huo Yunkai was indeed a good sapling, so he did not hesitate to teach everything he knew to Huo Yunkai. He had to say, Huo Yunkai was made for this. Huo Feng used the long saber[4] and his Yanzhen blade was a precious sword. However, Huo Yunkai wasn¡¯t interested in his father¡¯s swordsmanship. His mind was now filled with his yifu¡¯s swordsmanship. After he finished practicing the horse stance, Huo Yunkai began his sword practice. Yi Chongren watched from the side, giving pointers from time to time. Yi Chongren not only taught Huo Yunkai swordsmanship, he also taught him to read. Huo Yunkai practiced martial arts during the day, and after dinner, he would follow Yi Chongren to study the art of war, military history, Confucianism, legal studies, and even the art of the emperor. Yi Chongren was like a huge library. No matter whether Huo Yunkai liked it or not, he passed all his knowledge onto Huo Yunkai. Huo Yunkai studied seriously and assiduously, and his respect and admiration for Yi Chongren grew day by day. He often thought that the heavens were unfair. His yifu was so amazing, yet why was¡­¡­.his body disabled. Every time he remembered when he was ignorant and cursed his yifu, Huo Yunkai would feel incredibly guilty and study his martial arts and books even more diligently. No longer wearing any makeup, Yi Chongren¡¯s face appeared more human. After living peacefully for over a year, his face also appeared more rosy. However, maybe because of years of hiding under heavy makeup, Yi Chongren¡¯s face was very pale, even paler than most maidens. He was already very handsome, as even when he was covered in heavy makeup, he had aroused the interest of the Jiazheng emperor. Now, without the concealment of makeup, Yi Chongren was like a pearl from an opened clam shell, and even the aunties in the household would lose their concentration when they saw him. Yi Chongren¡¯s body was disabled, so his figure and appearance were visibly a bit feminine and his voice was a bit softer than ordinary men. In the past, he was Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards, and coldness was his camouflage. Now, without makeup, his coldness naturally receded quite a bit, and his voice became as refreshing as flowing water. Huo Yunkai was often distracted by his yifu¡¯s appearance, but he would immediately be awakened by his yifu¡¯s cold gaze. Even without makeup, yifu was still yifu, so Huo Yunkai never dared to underestimate his yifu¡¯s ferocity. After learning martial arts for a day, at dinnertime, Huo Yunkai ate as if he had been starved for three days. His entire body was quickly buried among a pile of bowls, lacking all the mannerisms expected from the heir of Prince Yue. All the remaining women and children gathered around one table. The men had all left to deal with important matters, so this courtyard was just these women and children¡¯s beloved home. Yi Chongren did not hire any servants as all their identities were still sensitive and it was best not to let side issues arise amidst the chaos. Xiaoqin was now the stewardess of this ¡°big family¡±, and Yi Chongren was naturally the head of the household. Yuandou and Jiabao had already turned two and could start calling people long ago. Yuandou was different from his elder brother as he called Yi Chongren daddy[5]. Yi Chongren tried to change this habit of his, but once Yuandou heard Jiabao call him daddy, he would immediately follow. Now that he was more intelligent, if he didn¡¯t let him call daddy, he would cry, so Yi Chongren could only let him. However, Yi Chongren was still quite pleased with being called daddy by the cute Douzi. Yi Chongren recognized Jiabao as his son, but Yi Chongren treated Yuandou and Jiabao equally, so both children became extremely attached to Yi Chongren. They both didn¡¯t have mothers, so their daddy wasn¡¯t just their daddy, but also their mother. Yuandou¡¯s family changed drastically after he turned a month old, his mother died from suicide; Not to mention Jiabao, the scar on his left wrist had yet to completely fade. Yi Chongren feared that in the future, Jiabou would be left with some problems, so he would give Jiabao all the supplements he could get his hands on. Although Jiabao and Yuandou were the same age, he was a bit chubbier than Yuandou, but in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, that was just distension, so he still needed supplements. Compared with how strict he was to Huo Yunkai, Yi Chongren spoiled Douzi and Baozi very much. He held a big bowl, fed Douzi a spoonful, and then fed Baozi a spoonful. The two children ate and played hand in hand at the same time. Huo Yunkai was very envious whenever he saw this. He didn¡¯t have a friend to play with. After feeding the two children until they were full, Yi Chongren carried them off their stools to let them play by themselves before eating himself. Huo Yunkai was already eating his fourth bowl of rice. ¡°Daddy, peach, peach.¡± Douzi grabbed his daddy¡¯s sleeve, wanting to leave. Baozi sucked his chubby little thumb as his similarly chubby face was slightly drooling. Yi Chongren put down his bowl and picked up Douzi. ¡°Wait for daddy to finish eating before picking some grapes for you to eat[6].¡± ¡°Doudou, Doudou.¡± ¡°Ok, Doudou pick.¡± Douzi smiled, and Yi Chongren put him down. Baozi took small steps towards his daddy, a string of clear saliva at the corner of his mouth: ¡°Baobao, Baobao.¡± ¡°Ok, Baobao also pick.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡­¡± Baozi happily clapped his hands. Seeing the two children¡¯s smiling faces, Yi Chongren¡¯s heart softened. He was unable to have his own children so he thought of these children as his own from the bottom of his heart. However, Yuandou couldn¡¯t stay by his side forever. Yi Chongren pinched Douzi¡¯s little nose and let him go play. After dinner, Huo Yunkai followed his yifu to the study to begin the day¡¯s lesson. Once he sat by the desk, Huo Yunkai heard his yifu say: ¡°Tonight, write an analysis on your homework from the past month.¡± Yi Chongren pulled a letter from his lapel, casually sat on a soft chair, and opened it. Seeing his yifu reading the letter, Huo Yunkai swallowed the words he wanted to say, got some paper, and pondered over how to write his analysis as he grinded his ink block. Yi Chongren received the letter from Zhang Huaiqiu. These two years, Zhang Huaiqiu stayed by Ruan Xingtian¡¯s side. Ruan Xingtian trusted him very much, asking for his advice first whenever he met with an issue. Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s letter first told Yi Chongren about their situation, reporting their safety; secondly, he told him the current situation of the world. Although Yi Chongren was hiding in Jade City Pass, he was still well-informed on the happenings of the world. However, Yi Chongren never replied to these letters, and never offered any suggestions. With those old men supporting Prince Yue, his involvement was unnecessary. Burning Huaiqiu¡¯s letter, Yi Chongren picked a book from the bookshelf to read. According to the current situation, it would be difficult for Prince Yue to win all the mountains and rivers within three to five years. However, Yi Chongren was not in a hurry. A change in dynasties always brought foul wind and bloody rain. Three to five years was already a short period of time. Looking towards Huo Yunkai who was diligently writing his analysis, Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes were full of approval. This child could definitely become a great person. Prince Yue having this son could be considered good shoots growing from bad bamboo. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª In Huo Feng¡¯s camp, after discussing important matters with his trusted subordinates, Huo Feng laid on his wooden board bed fully clothed to rest for a bit. Two years had passed, and Huo Feng was calmer and steadier than before, emotions unnoticable from the outside. Even Huang Han said he changed very much. Zhang Deyuan and the other¡¯s arrivals helped him tremendously as battles passed far more smoothly than he expected. Only¡­¡­he still needed a very long time to win the entire land. That pair of eyes appeared before him once again. Huo Feng opened his eyes. After two years, his memory of that person¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t fade, instead becoming clearer and clearer, appearing in his mind from time to time when he was tired. These two years, he hadn¡¯t not met with danger and hadn¡¯t not been injured. But every time he ¡°saw¡± that pair of eyes, he told himself he couldn¡¯t lose, definitely couldn¡¯t lose. He must win the world, must prove to that person he wasn¡¯t a foolish coward! Huo Feng knew he was bewitched, bewitched by ¡°Yi Chongren¡±, but he was unable to extricate himself. These two years, he barely thought of his dead wives and missing children, but he couldn¡¯t forget Yi Chongren, couldn¡¯t forget that pair of eyes. He asked Zhang Deyuan where Yi Chongren was multiple times, but the other party always replied that he didn¡¯t know. He knew Zhang Deyuan didn¡¯t want to tell him , and he guessed that this was Yi Chongren¡¯s own request. Huo Feng once again closed his eyes. After he won the world, no matter where Yi Chongren hid, he would find him! [1] È绢ÌíÒí with redoubled power [2] Àä³°ÈÈ·í mock and ridicule [3] Ò常 danmei readers should be familiar with this. Means adoptive father. Maybe this kid could be the ml in an alternative universe lol. [4] ³¤µ¶ two handed, single edged Chinese sword [5] There are so many different addresses for ¡°father¡± in this novel, so I¡¯ll try to differentiate them based on formality. [6] ÌÒ (tao)==peach , ÆÏÌÑ (pu tao)==grape. The kids are saying peach instead of grape by mistake. t/n: Sorry for the lack of updates last week. I got busy with some uni stuff and falling down new rabbit holes. I¡¯ll try updating every weekend. CH 15 ¡°Daddy.¡± Two five or six year old children crossed the threshold hand in hand. Yi Chongren, who was reading a book, put down the book and reached out to the two. The two children ran to their daddy and climbed onto him. ¡°Daddy, Baozi wants to go out to play.¡± ¡°Daddy, Douzi wants to go out to play.¡± Yi Chongren patted the two children¡¯s heads: ¡°Ok. Go tell your big brother, daddy will bring you out to play.¡± ¡°Daddy¡¯s the best!¡± Baozi kissed his daddy¡¯s cheek, leaving a pool of saliva. ¡°Daddy¡¯s the best!¡± Douzi pursed his lips and pressed them on daddy¡¯s cheek, similarly leaving a pool of saliva. After leaving their saliva, the two children got off their daddy and went to find their big brother hand in hand. Seeing the two children leave, Yi Chongren wiped his face, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his lips. Stretching, he stood up, changed his clothes, got his flexible sword, and went out. Not long after, Huo Yunkai led his little brothers over, holding one with each hand. Beads of sweat still perspired on his forehead, clearly disturbed from his martial arts practice by his two little brothers. ¡°Douzi and Baozi want to play. Go with them. It¡¯s good to relax occasionally.¡± Yi Chongren said lightly. Huo Yunkai nodded. At sixteen years old, he was already at the age for marriage and could be considered half an adult. His temperament had become more calm and restrained, often making people forget he was just sixteen. ¡°Wipe your sweat.¡± Huo Yunkai used his sleeve to wipe his face: ¡°Ok.¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t mention how rude his motion was, going to hold Baozi and Douzi: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The two children were extremely happy, yelling out all the delicious snacks they wanted to eat. Everytime they said something, Yi Chongren said yes. Huo Yunkai held Baozi¡¯s other hand with a relaxed expression from being with family. Six years, in the blink of an eye, six years had passed. Huo Yunkai had grown into an adult and the two children were now six years old. And Yi Chongren had passed thirty years of age, but the heavens seemed to want to make up for his more than ten years of hardship, not leaving any traces on his face. These six years, Huo Yunkai changed very much. If Huo Feng saw his own son right now, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him. And these six years, what changed the most about Yi Chongren was the feeling of tranquility on him, a kind of tranquility that came from letting everything go and returning to his original self. Of course, this was a time when no one provoked him. The household was full of women and children with Yi Chongren and Huo Yunkai as the only ¡°men¡±, so naturally this would arouse some evil intentions in other people. In particular, Xiaoqin, whose appearance was considered first or second in the capital, was coveted by who knows how many people in Jade City Pass. Some people, unafraid of death, even fancied Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren used his sword to teach these people what was called courting death, so now, no one dared to bother them. Once they reached the street, Yi Chongren carried Baozi and Huo Yunkai carried Douzi. Many people looked over. The lowkey and mysterious Lin family had attracted quite a bit of attention in Jade City Pass over the past two years. Whether it was the handsome Yi Chongren or the youthful Huo Yunkai, everyone paid attention to them with gazes full of curiosity and inquiry, even admiration and covetousness. Huo Yunkai¡¯s good mood was ruined by these people¡¯s gazes. He naturally understood how attractive his yifu was. Shooting cold glares all around them, Huo Yunkai succeeded in scaring away some people, but some people unafraid of death still bodly stared at Yi Chongren. As for Yi Chongren, he indifferently kept walking as if he didn¡¯t feel those gazes. Seeing that Baozi and Douzi wanted to eat some snacks, he let Huo Yunkai pay. As long as he went out with Huo Yunkai, Yi Chongren would never pay, letting Huo Yunkai take charge. Under Yi Chongren¡¯s tempering, Huo Yunkai could be considered capable of all kinds of martial arts. Baozi and Douzi happily ate their tanghulu (sugar coated hawthorns on a stick), and Baozi very sensibly said: ¡°Daddy, Baozi will walk by himself.¡± Once Douzi heard this, he immediately said: ¡°Gege, Douzi will walk by himself.¡± Yi Chongren put down little fatty Baozi, and Huo Yunkai put down Douzi. The two children licked their tanghulu hand in hand. While strolling aimlessly, a small group of people rode over. Yi Chongren and Huo Yunkai immediately picked up the two children and flashed to the side of the road. Immediately afterwards, they heard the leader of the group shout: ¡°Prince Yue has defeated Kun! Invaded the capital! Prince Yue defeated Kun! Invaded the capital!¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart skipped a beat and Huo Yunkai drew a sigh of relief with an ecstatic expression. But once he excitedly looked towards his yifu to say something, his heart also skipped a beat. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s expression and gaze changed. Huo Yunkai became agitated: ¡°Yifu.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back and talk.¡± Yi Chongren carried Baozi back home. Baozi stopped licking his tanghulu, and Douzi also stopped licking his tanghulu. What was wrong with daddy? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- The news of Prince Yue defeating Kun and invading the capital spread throughout Jade City Pass. And everyone believed that this news would soon spread throughout all of Southern Chu. These six years, Prince Yue¡¯s troops had won successively. Two years ago, the new leader of the Tian Shen Sect died mysteriously, and the Tian Shen Sect completely collapsed and many of the sect¡¯s old members became Prince Yue¡¯s soldiers. If it weren¡¯t for Kun hitting the country while it was down, Prince Yue would have invaded the capital long ago. Without Yi Chongren¡¯s Hu An guards and imperial guards to counter Prince Yue, no one could fight against his army. Soon, more accurate news spread. Prince Yue personally led his army into the capital. Empress Dowager Ru committed suicide and the young emperor was beheaded by a soldier who didn¡¯t recognize him after he escapted the palace. Southern Chu was already in Prince Yue¡¯s grasp. The five hundred thousand soldiers from Kun suffered heavy losses from the battle, the monarch of Kun surrendered, and Kun agreed to become a vassal state of Southern Chu, ceding six cities. Amidst inner and outer troubles, Prince Yue won Southern Chu and defeated Kun. The call for Prince Yue to ascend the throne grew louder and louder as the common people believed that Prince Yue would bring them a golden age. Compared to the sound of firecrackers going off outside, the atmosphere in the Lin manor was dim. After letting Xiaoqin take away the two children, Yi Chongren summoned everyone. Huo Yunkai hadn¡¯t been so panicked in a long time. Yifu was too calm, so calm he seemed indifferent. ¡°Prine Yue has won.¡± Yi Chongren said flatly, and everyone nodded. This was the result they long expected. Looking at each of the aunties and sisters that had accompanied him for so many years, Yi Chongren said: ¡°Back then, you were persecuted by the two guards and forced to leave the capital. Now that Prince Yue has won the world, it¡¯s time for you to return to glory.¡± ¡°Ruhai, what are you saying?¡± Auntie Zhang wasn¡¯t happy, ¡°We are all a bunch of old ladies with a foot in the coffin. What return to glory. Once old brother, Huaiqiu, and the others return, we¡¯ll all live together here.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Everyone agreed. Although glory was great, after experiencing life and death, normalcy was all they wanted. ¡°If that¡¯s what you all want, then let¡¯s speak again once old brother and the others return or send a letter.¡± Yi Chongren looked towards Huo Yunkai, and Huo Yunkai immediately said: ¡°I want to stay with Yifu. Douzi can¡¯t leave you either.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t return to the capital.¡± Yi Chongren cut off Huo Yunkai¡¯s hopes with one sentence. The blood drained from Huo Yunkai¡¯s face. Yi Chongren held back his reluctance and said: ¡°I finally left the capital. After leaving that place, I won¡¯t return. You are Prince Yue¡¯s heir. Your father has already become the owner of the world. You will likely become the crown prince, so you must return to the capital. Douzi must also return to the capital.¡± ¡°Yifu! You are the savior of Douzi and I, and the savior of my father. I can guarantee that father will definitely receive you with due courtesy! Can you bear to leave Douzi?¡± And me. Yi Chongren tightly gritted his teeth. How could he bear to leave Douzi. Douzi and Baozi had never left his side, and the two children still slept by his side every night. He wasn¡¯t the two children¡¯s biological father, but he genuinely treated them as his own sons. But, even if he can¡¯t bear it, he must bear it! Taking a deep breath, Yi Chongren stood up and coldly said: ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision. If you really see me as your yifu, don¡¯t make things hard for me.¡± Not giving Huo Yunkai the chance to reply, Yi Chongren walked away. Huo Yunkai¡¯s blood seemed to freeze instantaneously. Before that person left, he shouted without thinking: ¡°Yifu! Can you really bear to throw away Douzi and I?!¡± Yi Chongren stopped his footsteps, and with his back facing Huo Yunkai, ruthlessly said: ¡°I¡¯m not your biological father.¡± After saying this, he left with big strides. ¡°Yifu!¡± Huo Yunkai wanted to give chase but Auntie Zhang stopped him. Auntie Zhang winked at the others and everyone quietly left. Huo Yunkai¡¯s eyes were red. He, who hadn¡¯t cried since he was eleven, let tears well up in his eyes. Yifu didn¡¯t want them anymore, didn¡¯t want him and Douzi anymore. Auntie Zhang pulled Huo Yunkai to a seat and patted him: ¡°Maizi, ei, Yunkai ah, don¡¯t blame your yifu. The capital and the palace are all places that hurt him, you must understand him. Also, everyone thinks he¡¯s dead, so if he returns to the capital, someone will definitely find out his identity. He has so many enemies. He has finally found peaceful days, so how could he be willing to return?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t want Douzi and I anymore.¡± Huo Yunkai¡¯s nails sunk into his palms. ¡°It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t want you, he can¡¯t want you. After your father ascends the throne, you and Douzi¡¯s status will be worlds apart from us. Even if you are willing, your father, the court, and the people of this world definitely won¡¯t let you recognize him as your yifu.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll always be the yifu of Douzi and I!¡± Wiping away his tears, Huo Yunkai stood and left. Even if he becomes the emperor, yifu will still be his yifu! After running away, Huo Yunkai didn¡¯t go find yifu. He had a deep understanding of yifu¡¯s temperament and knew it definitely wouldn¡¯t change. What should he do? What could he do to make yifu change his mind? Huo Yunkai made himself calm down. He had to think of a solution. He had to think of a solution before yifu left. He had a feeling that yifu would definitely quietly leave them. ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Douzi said worriedly, hands holding daddy¡¯s face. Baozi was also worried, but he didn¡¯t dare to speak. Carrying the two children, Yi Chongren kissed Douzi¡¯s forehead and forced down the sadness of parting to say: ¡°Nothing. Daddy¡¯s thinking of something.¡± ¡°Daddy, Douzi will be good, Daddy don¡¯t be sad.¡± Although Yi Chongren was trying to hide it, Douzi could still see his daddy was sad. Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes felt hot, and he forced himself to smile towards Douzi: ¡°Douzi and Baozi are both so good. How could daddy be sad?¡± ¡°Daddy, did Baozi become fat again?¡± Baozi was being forced to lose weight by his nanny became scared. Baozi was just like the buns he was named after, fat and round. Yi Chongren was amused by Baozi, but his heart became even sadder. ¡°Baozi isn¡¯t fat. Daddy likes Baozi like this.¡± ¡°Douzi also likes.¡± Douzi didn¡¯t forget to state his stance. He didn¡¯t really understand why his nanny didn¡¯t want Baozi to eat too much. Once he heard daddy and Douzi say they like his fat self, Baozi patted his chubby stomach and laughed. Baozi laughed so Douzi also laughed. The children were the easiest to satisfy, the easiest to make happy. Yi Chongren looked at the smiling faces of the two children, heart hurting like never before. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C In the capital, Huo Feng, who had occupied the palace, didn¡¯t shout in excitement or feel as unburdened as expected. He still had an important matter to complete. Xu Baicai, He Jia, and Ruan Xingian discussed everything with him before the attack on the capital. Huo Feng tasked his four subordinates and their followers with dealing with the aftermath. He quickly packed his backs as if he was leaving. ¡°Your highness, Lord Yuan seeks an audience.¡± A guard shouted from outside. ¡°Quickly let him in.¡± Putting a few hundred taels of silver in his bag, Huo Feng walked out of the former emperor¡¯s bedchamber. Yuande bowed towards Huo Feng out of courtesy and said: ¡°Prince Yue, the land is settled. This old minister can¡¯t live up to your trust. This old minister wishes to ask Prince Yue for a favor.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± Huo Feng particularly admired and trusted these old ministers. The corners of Yuande¡¯s eyes were a bit wet as he said with a muted voice: ¡°Chongren has suffered a great grievance because of us and shouldered too many responsibilities that didn¡¯t have to be carried by him. This old minister implores Prince Yue to let the common people of this world know of Chongren¡¯s loyalty and Chongren¡¯s grievances. This is what we all believe in our hearts.¡± Huo Feng supported Yuande up and said in a low voice: ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t ask, I would still do it. I owe him more than one life. I¡¯ve already ordered people to draft a decree to clear Yi Chongren¡¯s name.¡± ¡°This old minister thanks Prince Yue for his grace!¡± Yuande, the former prime minister Zhang Deyuan was so moved that he wanted to kneel, but Huo Feng stopped him. ¡°Old prime minister, please tell me where he is.¡± Hesitation appeared on Zhang Deyuan¡¯s face. Chongren wouldn¡¯t want to let his highness know. Huo Feng saw this and immediately said: ¡°If you don¡¯t say, I won¡¯t investigate. Right now, this world belongs to me. I will definitely find him. Old prime minister, I won¡¯t make things hard for you. I only want to thank him face to face.¡± Huo Feng used both carrot and stick. No matter what Zhang Deyuan said, he would think of a way to find Yi Chongren¡¯s whereabouts. Six years, he had waited for six years. Seeing Prince Yue¡¯s determined expression, Zhang Deyuan said: ¡°Can Prince Yue promise this old minister not to make things hard for Chongren?¡± ¡°I promise! I¡¯ve already packed my bags. I want to personally go see him.¡± Zhang Deyuan was very surprised. No longer hesitating, he revealed: ¡°Chongren is in Jade City Pass. Lin manor.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s eyes widened with obvious surprise and excitement. Letting go of Zhang Deyuan, he turned and rushed into the bedroom to grab his bag and strode out, saying: ¡°I will go find him now!¡± ¡°Your highness, this subordinate will go with you.¡± Zhang Huaiqiu stood at the door to the bed chamber with Ruan Xingtian by his side. Zhang Huaiqiu said: ¡°Chongren isn¡¯t willing to return to the capital. If your highness insists for Chongren to return to the capital, you must find a way to convince him.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s eyes turned dark and he threw his pack to Ruan Xingtian: ¡°I will make him return to the capital obediently.¡± Zhang Huaiqiu furrowed his brows. Without further delay, Huo Feng left the palace and walked to the stables. Ruan Xingtian and Zhang Huaiqiu followed him. Seeing his highness¡¯s congenial footsteps, Zhang Huaiqiu thought his father made a foolish decision. Chongren would definitely be furious. CH 16 After living in that vicious place for over ten years, Yi Chongren had developed a very keen intuition for danger. The year he said those words to Prince Yue, he didn¡¯t regret it. Now, he still didn¡¯t regret it because he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever meet that person again even if that person won the world. But now, the situation had become more dangerous after things left his control. Not to mention, because of Douzi, he couldn¡¯t just leave if he wanted. This was also a reason why he thought the situation was dangerous. He didn¡¯t want to meet Prince Yue again. If he didn¡¯t leave quickly, it would be difficult to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t meet that person. But Douzi¡­¡­ Yi Chongren was hesitating, but Huo Yunkai was in a hurry. Yifu seemed to have steeled his heart to abandon him and Douzi, but how could this be allowed to happen. Huo Yunkai didn¡¯t know about the ¡°grievances¡± between his father and yifu, so naturally, he couldn¡¯t think of too much. He simply didn¡¯t want yifu to leave. Not only was yifu his and his brother¡¯s savior, he was also their teacher. He genuinely wanted to recognize the other party as his father. He thought it through. Once his father attained victory, he would take yifu back to the capital with him to live in peace. Although his current lifestyle was quite good, with yifu¡¯s intelligence and courage, living in this place meant falling to oblivion and aggravation. And with yifu¡¯s life experiences, he didn¡¯t want to hear any more people calling yifu a traitor or a miscreant. He would definitely plead for his father to clear yifu¡¯s name and let the common people all know that yifu was loyal and good. But yifu didn¡¯t want him and Douzi anymore. Huo Yunkai was very sad, as sad as he when he learned of his mother¡¯s suicide, maybe even sadder. Once Yi Chongren revealed his decision not to return to the capital with Huo Yunkai and Douzi, the atmosphere in the mansion turned gloomy, especially obvious around Huo Yunkai. At mealtimes, Huo Yunkai wouldn¡¯t speak, eating little. Many times, Huo Yunkai wanted to talk to Yi Chongren, but Yi Chongren would always avoid him. Not knowing what happened, Douzi and Baozi thought daddy was mad at big brother, so the two children were very worried. Daddy and big brother had never been like that before. When it was time to sleep at night, Douzi and Baozi obediently lay side by side on the bed after their bath, waiting for daddy to lay down. Yi Chongren took off his outer robes, got in bed, and saw the two children staring at him as if they wanted to speak. Looking across at Douzi¡¯s face, Yi Chongren¡¯s heart started aching once more. Turning his head and letting down the bed curtain as if nothing was wrong, he lay on his side and patted the two children: ¡°Sleep.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡­¡± Baozi¡¯s chubby face appeared a bit melancholy. Douzi as well. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Sleep.¡± Yi Chongren covered Baozi¡¯s eyes, not daring to look at Douzi. ¡°Daddy.¡± Douzi turned to look at daddy from next to Baozi and said with distress: ¡°Did big brother do something bad? Daddy doesn¡¯t pay attention to big brother anymore. Daddy, tell Douzi, Douzi will make big brother apologize to daddy.¡± Yi Chongren tightly clenched his hands into fists under the blanket and said without his expression changing: ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. How could your big brother do anything wrong? You two children shouldn¡¯t guess blindly. Go to sleep.¡± Yi Chongren said these final three words with a harsher tone, and Douzi and Baozi didn¡¯t dare to ask further. Yi Chongren really loved these children, but these two children knew to listen to daddy. Obediently closing their eyes, Douzi lay back down and gradually fell asleep to his daddy¡¯s soft patting. The two children fell asleep. Yi Chongren lightly got off the bed. Putting on his outer robes, he left the room. The night didn¡¯t have a hint of the scorching heat of daytime, a bit cool. Yi Chongren used qinggong[1] to reach the rooftop, silently watching the moon in the sky. Moonlight shone down, seeming to wrap his body with a layer of golden light, but this layer of golden light cast a kind of coldness around him that made it difficult for people to approach. During his childhood, he was also a mischievous boy who gave his mother headaches. In order to cure him of his mischief, his father invited a teacher over to teach him martial arts and tame his reckless energy. If his parents were still alive, they definitely wouldn¡¯t recognize their son. After experiencing so many changes, after entering the palace to become a slave, his temperament became colder and colder. At that place, not being cruel would get him get eaten alive. Uncle Yi, who saved him, was just a low ranking eunuch so preserving his life wasn¡¯t easy. He had to depend on himself to survive. He had to learn to be cruel and learn to be cold. But no matter how cold he became, he was still a person. The human heart is made of flesh. Every time he looked at Douzi or heard Douzi call him ¡°daddy¡±, he couldn¡¯t bear to say the words to send Douzi away. But Douzi was Prince Yue¡¯s son, a future prince. Even if he was reluctant, Douzi couldn¡¯t possibly keep calling him daddy and couldn¡¯t possibly remain his son. No matter how reluctant he was to leave Yunkai and Douzi, after they entered the palace, after they gained their respected positions, after they gained a different father, mother, sister, or brother, this illusory father son relationship would become a shame they¡¯d wish to get rid of sooner or later. Thinking of this, the aura around Yi Chongren became even colder, and his gaze became more resolute. Short term pain was better than long term pain. He definitely couldn¡¯t hesitate when it came time to let go. If what should be broken isn¡¯t, one must suffer the consequences of their actions. Yi Chongren jumped off the rooftop and entered the room. The two children slept soundly. He opened the closet and took out a locked wooden box. He felt for a key by the foot of the bed and opened the box. In the box was his savings. Inside were banknotes, gold and silver ingots, and jewelry. When he was Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards, Yi Chongren accepted all benefits with a peace of mind. When Prince Yue¡¯s mansion was ransacked by Zhang Zhong, nearly all of the possessions were given to him. Yi Chongren left these for Huo Yunkai and Douzi, including relics of the two prince consorts. Although this household was financed by him, Yi Chongren¡¯s remaining money was more than enough to support him and Douzi for life. Locking the box, he left with the box to find Xiaoqin. Xiaoqin was asleep. Once she heard someone knocking the door, she hurriedly woke up. Seeing Yi Chongren upon opening the door, she was extremely surprised, and she let the other party into the room. ¡°Dage?¡± Yi Chongren put the box on the table and turned to ask: ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Do you want to go with me or stay here?¡± Xiaoqin was stunned at first before she understood what the other party was asking. She pursed her lips and replied with another question: ¡°You¡¯re not going to return for my godfather and the others to return?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send a letter to Huaiqiu. If they aren¡¯t willing to stay in the capital, they will know where to find me. I¡¯m afraid nights are long and dreams are unending. I can¡¯t be sure whether Prince Yue will let me go or not.¡± Xiaoqin took a deep breath and said: ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I don¡¯t want to trouble godfather and godmother. I won¡¯t return to the capital. If I stay here, godfather and godmother will worry about me. Godfather and godmother are old, so they should stay in the capital.¡± As expected, Xiaoqin wasn¡¯t willing to return to the capital. Yi Chongren patted the box: ¡°These are all my household assets. I¡¯ll leave them with you. Start arranging the household¡¯s matters over the next few days. We might leave at any time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yi Chongren swallowed and said in a voice a few tones lower: ¡°Keep this a secret.¡± ¡°En!¡± Leaving the box to Xiaoqin, Yi Chongren left. With a mind in turmoil, he didn¡¯t notice the person who kept following him in the shadows. Returning to his room, looking at the two children, Yi Chongren ignored the reluctance in his heart to quietly pack his bags. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C After he finished meditating in his room, Huo Yunkai opened his eyes and resolution flashed through his gaze. Standing up, he left the room. At this time, Baozi and Douzi would definitely be playing in the courtyard. Before he reached the courtyard, he heard Baozi and Douzi laughing, and Huo Yunkai stopped. Looking all around him, only two aunties were watching over them, and he heart loosened for a bit. ¡°Douzi, Baozi.¡± Huo Yunkai called, striding over. Baozi and Douzi, who had just finished their class with daddy, saw their big brother and immediately ran over, arms stretched out for a hug. Huo Yunkai bent over and picked up his two little brothers with ease, asking with a smile: ¡°What¡¯d you learn from daddy today?¡± ¡°Gege gege, I learned to write daddy¡¯s name.¡± Baozi said, raising his fleshy little hand with pride. Douzi added: ¡°Daddy wanted us to memorize the ¡° Three Character Classic[2]¡±. Baozi and I both memorized it. Daddy said tomorrow he¡¯s going to teach us ¡°Di Zi Gui[3]¡±.¡± ¡°Baozi and Douzi are amazing. Do you want gege to take you out to play?¡± ¡°Yes yes.¡± Once they heard the word play, the two children immediately forgot about their recent worries regarding daddy and gege. Huo Yunkai took his little brothers to the swings. He had built the swings with yifu the year before. Looking at those two swings, Huo Yunkai¡¯s heart became a bit sour. Yifu didn¡¯t want them anymore. Immediately, he tightly gritted his teeth. He would definitely make yifu promise to return to the capital with them! After a while, the sound of Baozi and Douzi¡¯s laughter spread across Lin manor. The two aunties watching Douzi and Baozi handed them to Huo Yunkai with peace of mind and went to make lunch. But once mealtime arrived, everyone became panic-stricken as they noticed that Douzi and Baozi disappeared. They didn¡¯t know where Huo Yunkai went either. After receiving the news, Yi Chongren¡¯s expression turned dark and he rushed out of the house with his sword, bringing an icy fire in his eyes that scared everyone who saw him witless. The two aunties blamed themselves. Who would have known Huo Yunkai would secretly take away the two children. Huo Yunkai knew he was courting death. Even if he didn¡¯t die, he knew he¡¯d be beaten by yifu. But for the sake of keeping yifu, he was willing to do anything. He didn¡¯t know how to contact his father and didn¡¯t know about his father¡¯s attitude towards yifu. After thinking for a few days, he directly took his two little brothers to the guard camp at Jade City Pass and revealed his identity as Prince Yue¡¯s eldest son. Yifu wanted to leave and no one could stop him. Huo Yunkai put all his hopes on his father. Yifu was their savior. For the sake of reason and justice, his father shouldn¡¯t make things hard for yifu. Once he let his father know what type of person yifu was, let his father know how yifu took care of him and his little brother over the last few years, his father would definitely help him persuade yifu to return to the capital with him. When Huo Yunkai appeared, the atmosphere in the guard camp suddenly changed. The whole world knew about the hereditary prince¡¯s disappearance, and now, the hereditary prince had arrived at their doorstep. The captain of the guard camp felt that he was facing a great enemy. Although they couldn¡¯t confirm whether the other party¡¯s identity was real or fake, he definitely couldn¡¯t be neglected. The captain, Zhao Dongchuan, was shocked into cold sweat by the sudden appearance of Prince Yue¡¯s heir, and personally made arrangements for Prince Yue¡¯s hereditary prince and the two children with unknown identities, and immediately sent men to report to Prince Yue . Many people on the street saw Huo Yunkai bring the two children into the guard camp so Yi Chongren didn¡¯t spend too long searching for their whereabouts. But before he reached the guard camp, a group of people stopped him. ¡°The military barracks are a restricted place. Get out of here!¡± Faintly hearing the sound of a child crying, Yi Chongren¡¯s heart clenched. Tightening the reins, he directly shouted: ¡°Huo Yunkai! If you don¡¯t want to die, bring Douzi and Baozi out!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Everyone around him gasped. This person wanted to find his highness the hereditary prince! Something¡¯s wrong! ¡°How dare you! How dare you be rude to his highness!¡± Yi Chongren was surrounded. Ignoring the soldiers exuding killing intent around him, Yi Chongren¡¯s cold eyes searched for the direction the crying sounds came from. Soon, a voice obviously lacking in confidence sounded out: ¡°Yifu, promise to return to the capital with me and I¡¯ll bring Baozi and Douzi home.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Another round of surprised gasps sounded. The soldiers surrounding Yi Chongren immediately retreated a few steps. This person was his highness¡¯s yifu?! ¡°Wuwu¡­¡­Daddy doesn¡¯t want Douzi anymore¡­¡­Daddy doesn¡¯t want Douzi anymore¡­¡­¡± Huo Yunkai carried Douzi and Baozi out of the camp tent. Baozi was also crying: ¡°Daddy, I don¡¯t want to leave Douzi, daddy, wuwu¡­¡­¡± Huo Yunkai¡¯s eyes were red and his voice was hoarse: ¡°Yifu, I don¡¯t want to force you. I just don¡¯t want to leave you and Baozi. Can yifu forgive me.¡± After saying this, Huo Yunkai carried Douzi and Baozi back into the camp tent and the sound of the children¡¯s crying became louder. ¡°Daddy¡­¡­Daddy¡­¡­Douzi will be good, Douzi will be good¡­¡­¡± Throwing his sword, Yi Chongren dismounted and stormed into the barracks. Zhao Dongzhuan, who came out with Huo Yunkai, stopped the soldiers who wanted to restrain Yi Chongren. Killing intent appeared in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, and he stormed into the tent like it was nobody¡¯s business. Huo Yunkai, who was hiding inside, was frightened at first, and then he released his two crying little brothers from his arms. ¡°Daddy!¡± Once they saw daddy, Douzi and Baozi, who were out of breath from crying, rushed over. Douzi¡¯s two little hands tightly grabbed daddy¡¯s clothes and he cried loudly: ¡°Douzi will be good, Douzi will be good¡­¡­¡± Baozi cried until his little face was flushed red: ¡°Daddy, why don¡¯t you want Douzi¡­¡­ wuwu ¡­¡­ Daddy, Baozi will be good, Daddy, don¡¯t not want Douzi¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren half-knelt on the ground and hugged the two children, and said again and again: ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t not want Douzi, Daddy doesn¡¯t not want Douzi¡­¡­¡± Huo Yunkai stood at the side with his head lowered. Zhang Dongchuan stood outside with his mind full of fog. What on earth was going on? Who was that person? Only after coaxing for an entire two hours did Yi Chongren manage to coax the two children to stop crying. Tired from crying, they fell asleep in their daddy¡¯s arms. However, the two children were so sad this time that they couldn¡¯t stop sobbing and sniffling in their sleep. Placing Baozi and Douzi on a hard board bed that wasn¡¯t soft enough, Yi Chongren looked towards Huo Yunkai, who was still silent. Huo Yunkai gradually knelt down before him: ¡°Yifu, hit me.¡± Yi Chongren walked over, raised Huo Yunkai, and punched him in the stomach without mercy. Yi Chongren was very angry this time. Even though Huo Yunkai was Prince Yue¡¯s heir and could even become the crown prince one day, he still beat Huo Yunkai until he had a bloody nose and a swollen face. This was the first time Huo Yunkai had ever been beaten so badly, but he endured it willingly because this way yifu wouldn¡¯t leave. Zhao Dongchan ordered people to surround the tent with three layers inside and three layers outside. At this time, no matter whether they were Huo Yunkai or Yi Chongren, Zhao Dongchuan definitely wouldn¡¯t let them leave the barracks. What¡¯s more, Yi Chongren beat Huo Yunkai into such a shape, giving Zhao Dongchuan extra courage. He also didn¡¯t dare to let go of the ¡°yifu who beat Prince Yue¡¯s hereditary prince¡±. Yi Chongren was forced to stay in the barracks. After beating Huo Yunkai for a bit, he quickly calmed down. Looking at the two children who had cried until their eyes and cheeks were swollen, he conceded. Actually, he had already conceded when Douzi cried. If he had any weaknesses on this earth, they had to be Baozi and Douzi. He calmly waited there for Prince Yue to arrive or for Prince Yue to issue an imperial decree. He didn¡¯t care how Prince Yue would deal with him. He had a clear conscience. Kicking Huo Yunkai out, not letting him enter, Yi Chongren lay on the bed that wasn¡¯t spacious enough to guard the two children. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A group of three thousand men quickly arrived at Jade City Pass. When they were still five days away from Jade City Pass, the leader of the group received an urgent letter from the person sent out by Zhao Dongchan, the captain of Jade City Pass. There were two letters. One letter was written by Zhao Dongchuan; one letter was written by ¡°his son¡±. Reading Zhao Dongchuan¡¯s letter, his expression changed; as for the other letter, he only read half before flaring into anger. Once he finished reading, he immediately ordered his subordinates to speed up so they could rush to Jade City Pass in the shortest amount of time possible. Yi Chongren, you want to run away? Between you and I, who¡¯s the real coward? [1] ÇṦ kinda like ancient chinese parkour ig/ a type of martial arts [2] Èý×Ö¾­ is a 13th century reading primer consisted of Confucian tenets in lines of 3 character [3] µÜ×Ó¹æ written in the Qing dynasty about the Confucian requisites for being a good person and living in harmony with others (t/n: I have returned! My editor is on indefinite hiatus for medical reasons so if anyone¡¯s interested in editing this novel, please contact me. I hate editing.) CH 17 All of Southern Chu was stunned by a ¡°cleansing edict¡±. The former Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards, Yi Chongren, known to be guilty of monstrous crimes, was actually a loyal official?! The families of former prime minister Zhang Deyun, former minister of revenue Xie Dan, and the other loyal ministers that were thought to have died at Yi Chongren and those miscreants¡¯ hands were actually all still alive! This ¡°cleansing edict¡± cleared Yi Chongren¡¯s name. And the one who drafted the edict was actually prime minister Zhang Deyuan who was previously thought to be dead! What¡¯s more, Prince Yue and Prince Yue¡¯s two children were also secretly saved by Yi Chongren. In a moment, Yi Chongren went from the hated leader of evildoers who everyone wanted to execute to a loyal, virtuous minister who endured humiliation. Not to mention the dizzy common people, even the officials of the court who weren¡¯t aware of the truth were also dizzy. Even several of Huo Feng¡¯s subordinates were so shocked that they couldn¡¯t sleep for three days and three nights after seeing the ¡°cleansing edict¡±. This news was too shocking. Away at Jade City Pass, Yi Chongren still didn¡¯t know of this matter and was unable to deal with it. After being so scared, Douzi kept sticking to him, afraid that daddy would abandon him at any moment. Whenever he couldn¡¯t see him, he would cry. Because of this, Yi Chongren nearly gave Huo Yunkai another beating. If it wasn¡¯t for Zhao Dongchuan stopping him, he really would have acted. Douzi was uneasy, so Baozi was also uneasy. The two children followed daddy¡¯s every step with less smiles on their faces. Every time Yi Chongren saw this, he regretted. That day, when mealtime arrived, Yi Chongren served the children their plates of food without even looking at Huo Yunkai. He was still angry. The bruise on Huo Yunkai¡¯s face was still visible. He, who didn¡¯t gain yifu¡¯s forgiveness, didn¡¯t leave, continuing to train, eat, and sleep as usual every day. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t pay attention to him. Of course he felt bad, but he believed that as time went on, yifu would forgive him. Douzi and Baozi were especially obedient these two days. The two children held their own spoons to scoop vegetables and rice for themselves. Yi Chongren silently filled the children¡¯s bowls with vegetables, knowing things couldn¡¯t go on this way, as the more obedient Douzi and Baozi were, the more angry he would become, angry at Huo Yunkai¡¯s deeds. ¡°Baozi, Douzi, daddy will take you to ride a horse after your afternoon nap.¡± Baozi and Douzi¡¯s eyes lit up, but they immediately became cautious again. Douzi asked: ¡°Ride to where?¡± Would daddy throw them away while riding? Pretending to not see the worry in Douzi¡¯s eyes, Yi Chongren said: ¡°Just around the camp. Daddy, you two, and big brother. We¡¯ll all ride horses together.¡± Huo Yunkai, who was eating with boredom, sharply raised his head. Baozi and Douzi looked at their big brother and moved to daddy. Baozi raised his little face that had lost some weight and grabbed daddy¡¯s hand: ¡°Daddy, are you going to leave Douzi and I?¡± The rims of Douzi¡¯s eyes turned red and he also grabbed daddy¡¯s hand: ¡°Daddy, Douzi will be good.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart seemed to be tightly clenched by someone. He wrapped his arms around the two children¡¯s little heads and seriously said: ¡°Don¡¯t ask this again. Daddy will never leave you.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡­¡± Douzi hugged daddy. ¡°Ok. Go eat. After eating, daddy will take an afternoon nap with you. After sleeping, we¡¯ll go riding.¡± Letting go of the two children, Yi Chongren looked towards Huo Yunkai, who had a look of eagerness: ¡°You haven¡¯t done your homework in so many days. When are you planning to make it up?¡± Huo Yunkai jolted: ¡°I¡¯ll make it up whenever yifu says I should make it up.¡± ¡°Ten copies of ¡°Cao Tang Shu Yu[1]¡±, turn it in to me before lunch tomorrow.¡± Huo Yunkai held his chopsticks unsteadily. He immediately raised his bowl to scarf down his food, smiling in his heart. Yifu punishing him meant he forgave him. After eating, Huo Yunkai went into his own tent to write the ¡°Cao Tang Shu Yu¡±. Douzi and Baozi hugged daddy as they slept. Possibly because of Yi Chongren¡¯s words, the two children appeared less worried in their sleep, recovering their childish aura. After sleeping for two hours, Yi Chongren took the children out to ride horses as promised, and Huo Yunkai, who had only finished writing one copy, accompanied. Baozi and Douzi sat before daddy, and once the horse started to trot under daddy¡¯s control, the two children started laughing. After all, they were little boys and didn¡¯t not like riding horses. A smile also appeared on Huo Yunkai¡¯s face. He followed by Yi Chongren¡¯s side, protecting his two little brothers. A slight smile appeared at the corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips. Not thinking of his future, at this moment, he was their father. In the field behind the camp, the surrounding soldiers all curiously watched them ride horses. Zhao Dongchuan was there too. His highness the hereditary prince was riding a horse, so how could he not be there. However, he was still a bit unsure about that overly handsome ¡°his highness¡¯s yifu¡±. Until now, he still didn¡¯t know that person¡¯s name. His highness wouldn¡¯t answer when he asked. The prince sent a flying pigeon ordering him to look after that person and not let them take even a step out of the barracks. What on earth did his highness mean by this? Ah no, he should say his majesty. Zhao Dongchuan¡¯s heart shuddered and didn¡¯t dare to neglect these orders. At this time, a soldier hurriedly ran over and whispered a few words in Zhao Dongchuan¡¯s ear. Zhao Dongchuan¡¯s body shook, and he turned to run out of the camp. Yi Chongren, whose back was directly facing Zhao Dongchuan, didn¡¯t notice his peculiarity. Baozi and Douzi wanted him to speed up, so Yi Chongren lightly tapped the horse¡¯s ass, and the horse gradually started to run. Baozi and Douzi clutched the reins, and the children¡¯s immature laughter was particularly pleasant to listen to. When a man, who had rushed from the capital, strode into the field, he saw a both strange and familiar man riding a horse with two children. At that moment, he only saw those faintly smiling lips and that pair of eyes that he could never forget. Heart pounding, he suddenly lost control. As if he felt something, Yi Chongren turned his head to look over, and the smile at his lips disappeared, visibly stunned. Time seemed to stop at this moment. Huo Feng looked at the man on the horse, and Yi Chongren looked at the man at the entrance of the field. Neither of them made a sound. Even Douzi and Baozi just tightly grabbed daddy¡¯s hand and curiously watched that slightly sloppy looking man. Huo Feng¡¯s mouth was surrounded by a beard. With a glance, anyone could tell that he hadn¡¯t taken care of himself in a long time. His eyes were sunken and his eyebags were clearly visible. Looking at that face that had long become blurred in his memory, Yi Chongren slightly frowned. The world was settled, so why would this person come here? And why would he appear so sloppy and haggard? Could it be that the situation in the capital changed? This was the real face hidden under that demonic makeup for all those years? He seemed to be the only one who couldn¡¯t forget the other. That pair of eyes and the pair carved into his heart were one and the same, but it seemed to have something more. Huo Feng¡¯s gaze swept over the two children in front of Yi Chongren and his heart understood. Just now, he finally understood why he couldn¡¯t forget that pair of eyes, why he rushed over here from the capital once the beginning of a new world was set in place. Huo Feng moved first. He strode towards Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren also moved. He dismounted and stood there without the intention to greet him, only carrying the two children off the horse. Huo Yunkai also dismounted and walked to Yi Chongren¡¯s side, gaze unusually excited, carrying a wetness in his eyes as if reuniting with long lost relatives. Walking to a spot one step away from Yi Chongren, Huo Feng said: ¡°Yi Chongren, do you know your sins?¡± ¡°Father!¡± Huo Yunkai was dumbfounded. Could it be that father did not receive his letter?! All the surrounding people who heard these words gasped once again. The hereditary prince¡¯s yifu was Yi Chongren?! Yi Chongren of the Hu An guards?! ¡°Daddy.¡± Douzi and Baozi were scared. Who was this person? So fierce. Yi Chongren¡¯s expression remained calm, he looked at Huo Feng with a slightly cold gaze, and asked: ¡°What crime has this commoner committed? May your highness explain.¡± Huo Feng glanced at the frightened Douzi and Baozi, and also glanced at his anxious eldest son, before saying: ¡°You committed the crime of showing contempt towards me. Yi Chongren, I¡¯ll give you three days to pack your valuables and return to the capital with me. Now,¡± Huo Feng suddenly bent over and picked up Douzi and Baozi: ¡°take me to your manor.¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± Douzi and Baozi struggled. They didn¡¯t want to be held by this weird uncle. Yi Chongren went to hold the two children, but heard Huo Feng say: ¡°Douzi, Baozi, I am your father. I¡¯m the father of both of you. Father has come to take you back to the capital[2].¡± ¡°Father?¡± Douzi and Baozi were stunned. What¡¯s that? Yi Chongren¡¯s hand stopped in mid air. Huo Feng looked towards Huo Yunkai and said in a lowered voice: ¡°Yunkai.¡± Huo Yunkai held back the wetness in his eyes and knelt down: ¡°Son Yunkai, kowtows to father. This son has been unfilial.¡± Huo Feng tightly clenched his jaw: ¡°Get up.¡± Huo Yunkai stood up, looking excited. Not returning the two children to Yi Chongren, Huo Feng turned and left, yelling at Zhao Dongchuan, who was guarding at the perimeter of the field: ¡°To Lin manor!¡± ¡°Daddy¡ª¡± The two children who were kidnapped by the weird uncle stretched out their hands and called for help, calling for daddy to save them. ¡°Douzi, Baozi, I¡¯m your father. Your father.¡± Huo Feng carried the two children onto his horse. Baozi bravely asked: ¡°What is father?¡± ¡°¡­..your other daddy.¡± Yi Chongren stood there motionlessly. Why did that person come here? For the first time, Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t see through someone, someone he had once so fiercely held in ¡°contempt¡±. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The peaceful ¡°Lin manor¡± became visibly panicked after the arrival of a certain someone. Outside Lin manor, Prince Yue¡¯s personal guards encircled the mansion tightly. People who weren¡¯t aware of the situation even thought the Lin household committed a serious crime. Soon, news that the owner of Lin manor was the ¡°deceased¡± Yi Chongren of the Hu An guards spread across Jade City Pass. Immediately afterwards, a copy of the ¡°cleansing edict¡± appeared on the walls of Jade City Pass. Only then did the common people of Jade City Pass learn that those aunties living in Lin manor were actually the family members of the loyal officials saved by Yi Chongren. In a moment, Jade City Pass was in an uproar. Yi Chongren still didn¡¯t know about this. Once he returned to Lin manor, he saw Zhang Huaiqiu and the look of guilt on his face. Yi Chongren was displeased. Huaiqiu should have known that he didn¡¯t want to see Prince Yue again. Zhang Huaiqiu didn¡¯t explain himself, but Ruan Xingtian, who came with him, explained. The person who revealed his location was not Zhang Huaiqiu but his father, Zhang Deyuan. Once he heard this, Yi Chongren could guess the reason why old brother did this. Old brother always felt he was wronged, and everyone else in the house also thought he was wronged. But he didn¡¯t think so. He didn¡¯t care how others saw him. Even if everyone in the world thought he was a traitor, he wouldn¡¯t care. The children were in Huo Feng¡¯s hands, and Yi Chongren didn¡¯t have a say. Once he returned to Lin manor, he returned to his room, shutting out all the outside noise. Huo Feng said he wanted to punish him for his crimes, but Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t worried at all. Instead, he was more concerned about the reason why Huo Feng wanted to bring him back to the capital. He had a feeling that his dream for a peaceful life would be shattered. Also, why did that person say he was Baozi¡¯s father? He didn¡¯t believe that person didn¡¯t know about Baozi¡¯s identity. Huo Feng didn¡¯t go find Yi Chongren immediately. He carried Baozi and Douzi into Yunkai¡¯s room. The father and son hadn¡¯t seen each other in six years, and his youngest son was forced to leave his side not long after he was born. Six years, things have remained the same, but people have changed. Looking at his grown up eldest son, Huo Feng¡¯s heart was full of emotion. And seeing the curiosity and unfamiliarity on his youngest son¡¯s face, Huo Feng felt a pang in his heart. Douzi and Baozi started to squirm in the weird uncle¡¯s arms. They wanted to go find their daddy. Looking at the two children who were about to cry, Huo Feng put them down and let Zhang Huaiqiu take them to find Yi Chongren. Only the father and son were left in the room. Huo Yunkai¡¯s first words were: ¡°Father, did you receive my letter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Feng raised his two hands to put them on his son¡¯s shoulders with eyes full of gratification: ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much. I heard Huaiqiu say you¡¯ve been practicing martial arts and studying under your yifu. Has he treated you well these years?¡± Although he had long known that his son wouldn¡¯t be wronged at Yi Chongren¡¯s side, as a father, Huo Feng still wanted to personally ask. Hearing that father didn¡¯t mind him recognizing Yi Chongren as his yifu, Huo Yunkai immediately said: ¡°Yifu is very powerful and knowledgeable. I¡¯ve benefited greatly from staying by his side. Father, yifu saved and taught me and my brother. I want to bring yifu back to the capital. I,¡± Huo Yunkai murmured, ¡°I want to look after yifu when he¡¯s aged and arrange his burial. I hope father can agree.¡± After speaking, Huo Yunkai kneeled. Even if yifu didn¡¯t say anything, he still understood some things. Yifu was physically lacking. Now, father had won the world, with his position, it was natural for yifu to have some scruples. But he didn¡¯t care. He recognized yifu as his yifu, so he would treat yifu with filial piety and take care of yifu in his old age. If others want to laugh, then let them laugh. Huo Feng looked at his resolute son, very pleased, but also a bit displeased. This displeasure came from his son recognizing that person as yifu. He thought his son ¡°valued¡± Yi Chongren too much. ¡°You should know your yifu used to be someone from the palace. You are my eldest son and the future crown prince. If you recognize him as your yifu, you will be ridiculed, and the ministers will be opposed. You must think carefully.¡± Thinking father was unwilling, Huo Yunkai felt unhappy. ¡°Without yifu, Douzi and I would have died long ago. If I abandon yifu just out of fear of getting ridiculed, how would I be any different than those who are ungrateful? Father, could it be that you want to turn your back on yifu because of his identity? Have you forgotten how much yifu did so that you could win this world?¡± Huo Yunkai was very disappointed, very disappointed. He thought father would support his decision, who would have thought. How could Huo Feng not see the disappointment in his son¡¯s eyes. He bent over to support his son and calmly said: ¡°Before I arrived, I already wanted to bring your yifu back to the capital. If I turned my back to your yfu, I wouldn¡¯t rush all the way here from the capital. But Yunkai, you must think this through. After you become the crown prince, after you become someone above tens of thousands, can you tolerate having a yifu that used to be a eunuch in the palace, can you tolerate the opposition and impeachments of the ministers. People will change.¡± ¡°I will not change.¡± The rims of Huo Yunkai¡¯s eyes were red, ¡°I will never forget who brought me out of the prince manor, who raised Douzi, who taught me martial arts and knowledge. Father, if it wasn¡¯t for the previous emperor¡¯s muddle headedness, how could yifu enter the palace and be humiliated. I don¡¯t want to let my conscience down.¡± As expected, this child is like me. Huo Feng sfirmly embraced his eldest son, and then let go. ¡°Remember the words you said to me today.¡± ¡°I will not forget!¡± That person raised his son very well. Looking at his son who was almost as tall as him, Huo Feng knew that he could pass the world to his son at ease. The Huo family had a qualified successor. ¡°I¡¯m going to go see your yifu. We¡¯ll return to the capital in three days. Pack your stuff.¡± ¡°En!¡± Huo Yunkai smiled. They could finally go home. After his son left the room, Huo Feng let out a deep breath. He appeared to be strategizing, but his heart was uncertain. It¡¯d been six years. He, who was about to become emperor, was actually a bit nervous about meeting someone, how shameful. It¡¯d been six years¡­..Huo Feng wiped his face. He was already almost forty. Time went by so fast. Only that person didn¡¯t seem to change one bit. But it just seems so. Because before, he didn¡¯t even know what that person¡¯s true face looked like. Huo Feng took a step forward and walked towards Yi Chongren¡¯s room with steady footing. The world was already his, nothing could be harder. [1] ²ÝÌÃÊéÓï no clue what book this is, I can only find info about a ²ÝÌÃÔŠÔ’ which is book of poems [2] Huo Feng uses ¸¸Íõ while Yi Chongren uses µùµù. The first is more formal and the second is more casual/ close sounding. They both mean dad but with different tones so I¡¯ll use father and daddy respectively CH 18 Huo Feng could hear the voices of the two children from outside Yi Chongren¡¯s room. ¡°Daddy, are there peaches in the capital?¡± ¡°The capital has everything. Douzi, it¡¯s grapes, not peaches.¡± ¡°Wu¡­¡­Daddy, why does Douzi have to call that weird uncle ¡®Father¡¯? Douzi already has a dad, so how could there be another dad? Isn¡¯t daddy called ¡®daddy¡¯? How could he be ¡®father¡¯?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still young. Daddy will tell you when you grow up. Remember to call ¡®Father¡¯. Once you return to the capital, you might need to change this habit.¡± ¡°Why do I have to change this once we return to the capital?¡± ¡°Daddy will tell you when you grow up.¡± ¡°Wu¡­¡­¡± Douzi was visibly confused. ¡°Daddy, does Baozi also have to call weird uncle ¡®Father¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren became silent. A man naturally opened the door and walked in: ¡°Naturally, Baozi should also call me ¡®Father¡¯.¡± In the bedroom, Yi Chongren frowned and raised his head. The man walked in. Once Baozi and Douzi saw the weird uncle, they immediately forgot about what daddy told them. The two children sitting on the bed immediately hid behind daddy, only sticking out half of their little heads. The two children were still a bit curious towards this weird uncle that appeared out of nowhere. Huo Feng spoke: ¡°You still haven¡¯t replied to Baozi¡¯s question. What should he call me?¡± ¡°Your highness, this isn¡¯t a trivial matter, please reconsider.¡± Yi Chongren stood and let down the bed curtain, separating the two children from Huo Feng. ¡°The children are still young, they¡¯ll misunderstand. This commoner will explain it to them clearly.¡± Obviously, Yi hcongren didn¡¯t want Baozi to be involved with this ¡°relative¡±. ¡°Someone come.¡± Huo Feng shouted. Xiaoqin entered from outside with her head lowered. Yi Chongren vigilantly paid attention to Huo Feng, not knowing what he wanted to do. Huo Feng looked at Yi Chongren and said to Xiaoqin: ¡°Take Baozi and Douzi away.¡± Xiaoqin raised her head and worriedly glanced at Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren loosened his hold on the bed curtain and nodded towards Xiaoqin. Xiaoqin walked to the bedside and carried the two children away. ¡°Daddy¡­¡­¡± Baozi and Douzi didn¡¯t want to leave. ¡°Go find your big brother with Auntie Qin.¡± Yi Chongren and Xiaoqin helped the two children put on their shoes. Baozi and Douzi looked at daddy, then looked at the weird uncle they had to call ¡°Father¡±, and obediently walked away with Auntie Qin. Xiaoqin took the children out, and Ruan Xingtian, who was standing outside, arranged for a few guards to guard them from afar as Huo Feng had ordered. He had important matters to discuss with Yi Chongren, so no one could disturb them. Huo Feng pulled a chair over to sit across from Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren sat on the bed a bit on guard and looked straight at the other party. Neither of them spoke, and after a while, Huo Feng broke the silence. ¡°Yi Chongren, what are you afraid of?¡± A sneer that Huo Feng was once very familiar with flashed across Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes: ¡°What should this commoner be afraid of? This commoner just doesn¡¯t understand why your highness came here. This commoner treated your highness with a bit of disrespect in the past, but on account of the favor this commoner has done for you, I hope you can let this commoner go.¡± ¡°Commoner? You call yourself a ¡®commoner¡¯, but why do I think that you¡¯re the same as you were in the past, looking down on me?¡± Huo Feng moved his chair forward, knees meeting Yi Chongren¡¯s knees. Then, he leaned forward and placed his two hands on Yi Chongren¡¯s sides. Yi Chongren retreated back, eyes cold. ¡°What are you afraid of? Afraid this prince will eat you? Or punish you for your crimes?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s breath touched his face, and Yi Chongren, not wanting to show any weakness, didn¡¯t move back. He coldly said: ¡°Didn¡¯t you already say that you¡¯d punish me for my crimes?¡± A sneer similar to Yi Chongren¡¯s appeared at the corner of Huo Feng¡¯s lips. He leaned towards Yi Chongren¡¯s ears, as Yi Chongren once did to him, and said: ¡°Where¡¯s the Yi Chongren that once called me a foolish coward? How come after not meeting for a few years, you¡¯ve become so cowardly? You¡¯re afraid of returning to the capital with me, afraid I¡¯ll adopt Baozi, and afraid of meeting me again. Yi Chongren, you¡¯re the real coward.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes appeared dull: ¡°Your highness, stimulus is useless against this commoner.¡± ¡°Why would I use stimulus against you? I¡¯ve never forgotten those words you said to me over these six years. Yi Chongren, you can run. If you can bear to let Baozi become homeless and miserable, you can run.¡± Killing intent flashed in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes. ¡°Zhang Deyuan and the others are still in the capital. Yi Chongren, you¡¯re just an ordinary commoner now. You already don¡¯t have the ability to save them anymore. If you don¡¯t want them to suffer a calamity, just run away.¡± With this sentence, Huo Feng stood up and strode away. Yi Chongren tightly clenched his fists, resisting the urge to grab his sword. Closing the door, not a trace of his previous cold-heartedness could be discerned on Huo Feng¡¯s face. Seeing him come out, Ruan Xingtian walked over to say something, but Huo Feng raised his hand to stop him. Remembering that there was a strong martial artist in the room, Ruan Xingtian immediately closed his mouth. After reaching a point far enough from Yi Chongren¡¯s room, Ruan Xiantian said: ¡°Your highness, the world is set. You should return to the capital soon.¡± Huo Feng said: ¡°We¡¯ll depart in three days, Tell Huaiqui to not interfere no matter what I do to Yi Chongren. I have my own plans.¡± Ruan Xingtian found this a bit difficult. He knew how much Zhang Huaiqiu valued Yi Chongren more than anyone. He would definitely clash with his highness if it was for Yi Chongren. Ruan Xingtian was completely powerless in regards to this. ¡°I am not an ungrateful person, but I must use some schemes to make him obediently return to the capital with me. Don¡¯t tell this to Huaiqiu. This is a fight of wisdom and courage between Yi Chongren and I. If anyone interferes, I won¡¯t let them off easy.¡± This last sentence left no room for change in this matter. Ruan Xingtian could only nod. It seemed that he¡¯d need to watch out for Huaiqiu. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C After speaking with Huo Feng, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t leave the room. The more adversity he faced, the calmer he became. Upon returning to the capital, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have a pleasant experience. He had already prepared for Huo Feng to use Baozi to threaten him. Yi Chongren considered how to secretly kill Huo Feng and escape with Baozi. As for Douzi¡­¡­he believed Huo Yunkai could take good care of him. He already couldn¡¯t take care of them for much longer. But just as Yi Chongren was thinking of countermeasures, Huo Feng ordered people to carry a bed to Yi Chongren¡¯s room and move his own baggage to Yi Chongren¡¯s room. Not even looking at Yi Chongren, after washing off all the dust from the journey, he directly lay on the bed and pulled up the quilt. After a while, snoring sounded. Yi Chongren stared at the person sleeping in front of him in a daze. For the first time, he was at a complete loss. What was this person doing? He was just thinking about how to kill him, but that man carefreely ran over and slept right in front of him! Yi Chongren grabbed his sword from the head of the bed. When could he kill if not now! ¡°Daddy¡­¡­¡± Baozi and Douzi ran in. Yi Chongren hurriedly hung his sword back. Seeing the weird uncle sleeping as they entered, Baozi and Douzi lightened their footsteps, happily ran to daddy, raised the night pearl[1] in their hands, and whispered: ¡°Daddy, uncle father gave us this. It can light up.¡± Both Baozi and Douzi had a night pearl in their hands. Upon receiving the gifts, the two children¡¯s first thought was to give them to daddy. Yi Chongren felt guilty in an instant. He had just wanted to abandon Douzi! He didn¡¯t deserve to be called dad by Douzi! ¡°Daddy, give.¡± Douzi put his night pearl in daddy¡¯s hand. Baozi also gave his to daddy, and also quietly said: ¡°Uncle father said this pearl will become even brighter at night.¡± Swallowing, Yi Chongren put the two pearls in Douzi and Baozi¡¯s pockets and said in a low voice: ¡°You should keep the things your father gave you. Call him father, not uncle father.¡± The two children blinked, seeming to understand and not understand at the same time. Glancing at Huo Feng, who was sleeping soundly, Yi Chongren carried the two children out. Douzi and Baozi took out their night pearls to play, liking their present very much. And Huo Feng truly seemed to have fallen asleep, not giving any reactions. Yi Chongren, who initially felt guilty towards Douzi, pushed open the door, but the guards outside told him he couldn¡¯t leave the courtyard. The rage in Yi Chongren¡¯s heart flared up in an instant. He wouldn¡¯t flare-up in front of the children, so he carried Baozi and Douzi back into the room, thinking it would still be best to kill the person in the room. Once he fell asleep, Huo Feng didn¡¯t wake up until the sky was dark. The first thing he did after waking was touch his neck to check if his head was still attached. His head was still there, so Huo Feng was relieved. There was a faint light shining in from outside the room, so Huo Feng got up and opened the door. And saw Yi Chongren reading by the candlelight. The two children weren¡¯t there. Hearing movement, Yi Chongren raised his head to look at Huo Feng, before indifferently continuing to read his book without the intention to speak. Huo Feng could see the anger in the man¡¯s heart. He went out to let someone bring something to eat, and then naturally sat directly across from Yi Chongren, a small square desk in between them. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t say anything, so Huo Feng carefreely stared at the other. No matter how calm Yi Chongren¡¯s heart was, he couldn¡¯t¡¯ remain calm under the other¡¯s undisguised gaze. But firstly, he didn¡¯t want to say a word to the other party; second, he didn¡¯t know what to say. Yi Chongren stealthily turned a bit to avoid Huo Feng¡¯s gaze, turned a page in his book, and continued reading. ¡°Empress Dowager Ru and the emperor are both dead.¡± Huo Feng spoke. Yi Chongren¡¯s hand paused momentarily and he raised his eyes to look at the other. Seeing Yi Chongren recover his calm after a momentary look of bewilderment, Huo Feng felt satisfied. ¡°After the final result was set in stone, Empress Dowager Ru committed suicide. The emperor escaped from the palace and met my people. My people didn¡¯t recognize him and directly killed him.¡± Huo Feng appeared as if he was just talking about some trivial matter, but firmly fixed his gaze on Yi Chongren, wanting to discern if the other was truly as calm as he seemed. Yi Chongren could hear the test in Huo Feng¡¯s words. He put down the book, turned towards Huo Feng, and heartlessly said: ¡°It was best to let these two people die for you. Leaving them would only make them fall in the hands of people with aspirations.¡± ¡°Yi Chongren, where on earth is your heart?¡± Huo Feng stretched out his hand and lightly tapped Yi Chongren¡¯s heart with his index finger. Yi Chongren backed off without words. ¡°Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards was Empress Dowager Ru¡¯s confidante and favored official. Everyone knew. Your closeness with Empress Dowager Ru has long stopped being a secret. She died, but you seem indifferent. I thought you would still feel some affection towards her.¡± It¡¯s me, not ¡°this prince¡±[2]. Huo Feng¡¯s attitude was very different from when he was using Baozi and Douzi to threaten Yi Chongren earlier. Yi Chongren only thought the gaze Huo Feng was using to look at him was too deep. He couldn¡¯t see through what the other was planning to do to him. With Huo Feng¡¯s current status, it was normal for him to be unable to swallow the anger from what he did and said to Huo Feng in the past, but why would he involve Empress Dowager Ru? Yi Chongren responded carefully: ¡°No matter how much affection this commoner shared with Empress Dowager Ru, after this commoner left the capital, it disappeared. What does your highness think this commoner should do? Get revenge for Empress Dowager Ru?¡± I only want to know just how close you were to Empress Dowager Ru. Huo Feng deeply looked into Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, wanting to see the true thoughts hidden at the bottom of his heart. ¡°Your highness, supper is here.¡± Huo Feng directly stood up, letting the other enter. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry. After they returned to the capital, he would have plenty of time. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Three days later, Huo Feng and his party set off as planned. These three days, Huo Feng spent all his time in Yi Chongren¡¯s room reading books, establishing father son bonds with Baozi and Douzi, or fighting with Yi Chongren. No matter how one looked at it, he was monitoring Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren seemed to have accepted his fate. To him, other than the two children, nothing was important, including his own life. Every time Douzi brought his latest present from father to daddy, Yi Chongren¡¯s heart would be gnawed by guilt. If he couldn¡¯t let it go, he¡¯d face it. The first thing Huo Feng did upon returning to the capital was ascend the throne. Soon, Huo Feng would marry some wives and bear other children. Once kind hearted, simple Douzi entered that dangerous quagmire, as a dad, he had to protect his son. As for Huo Yunkai, Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t very concerned. Huo Yunkai was already sixteen, was Huo Feng¡¯s eldest son, and was knowledgeable in martial arts and studies after years under his guidance. Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t boasting, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy for Huo Feng to raise a son who could rival Huo Yunkai, at least for the next ten years. At that time, Huo Yunkai would already be over twenty years old. Even if the other party had Huo Feng¡¯s favor, they wouldn¡¯t be able to compete with Huo Yunkai. In other words, Huo Yunkai¡¯s position as the crown prince was not only set in stone, but also unshakeable. In comparison, Douzi was in more danger. After thinking these matters through, Yi Chongren had no more baggage. In the past, he could save old brother and the other right under the noses of Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu. In the future, he could protect Douzi and Baozi in the same manner. Even if Huo Feng became the emperor, he was not afraid. Yi Chongren, confident in his abilities, brought everyone in the mansion, including Xiaoqin, who once vowed to never return to the capital. Xiaoqin had no relatives, and Yi Chongren treated Xiaoqin as his own little sister, so naturally, he would place her at his side to protect. The large group of people headed towards the capital. Unlike the journey there, the journey back went a bit slower. All the people in the mansion were old, weak, women, or children, so they naturally couldn¡¯t ride horses. Huo Feng had let Ruan Xingtian and Zhang Huaiqiu prepare many carriages to bring these people and their families back to the capital. Huo Feng transferred ten thousand men from Zhao Dongchuan¡¯s group to escort them back to the capital. The carriages were in the front, the soldiers followed. In the carriage at the head of the group, Baozi and Douzi lay by the window, appearing curious. Huo Yunkai didn¡¯t sit in the carriage. He rode a horse beside the carriage. Returning to the capital, no one was happier than him, because yifu seemed willing. And most surprisingly, Huo Feng didn¡¯t ride a horse. He sat in the carriage with Yi Chongren and the two children, holding Baozi, who was looking out the window. Douzi was in Yi Chongren¡¯s arms. Huo Feng wasn¡¯t biased towards Douzi because he was his biological son. On the contrary, as if to prove that he treated Baozi as his biological son, Huo Feng pampered Baozi a bit more. Just like now, he didn¡¯t hold Douzi, instead holding Baozi. Douzi and Baozi did not feel as repulsed towards this father that came out of nowhere as before. Not to mention, Huo Feng¡¯s ¡°toy offensive¡± was very effective. This was Ruan Xingtian¡¯s idea. In addition, Huo Yunkai kept speaking for his father, so Douzi and Baozi were bribed easily. In response, Yi Chongren always appeared calm. Douzi was originally Huo Feng¡¯s son, and Baozi also did Huo Feng a favor no matter how one looked at it, so Huo Feng should treat Baozi well. Yi Chongren, this dad, wasn¡¯t against more people treating his children well. He wasn¡¯t so petty. Huo Feng sensed that Yi Chongren accepted the matter of returning to the capital, so he was relieved quite a bit. If Yi Chongren really took Baozi and left, he wasn¡¯t confident that he¡¯d be able to find him. Those threatening words were just a tactic for making the first move. In terms of scheming, he was far from capable of being Yi Chongren¡¯s opponent. Also, he didn¡¯t want to scheme against Yi Chongren. He preferred to live in peace and harmony with Yi Chongren to take care of the two children like now. [1] Ò¹Ã÷Öé a rare form a fluorite that is naturally luminescent. It¡¯s those glowing round rocks that appear in cdramas a lot. [2] ÊÇÎÒ£¬²»ÊÇ¡°±¾Íõ¡± Throughout the novel, Huo Feng had been using ±¾Íõ to refer to himself, and in the previous paragraph he used ÎÒ. I translated both as ¡°I¡± or ¡°me¡± to avoid clunkiness but the first is more formal and the second is more casual. CH 19 Seeing his older brother riding the horse so majestically, Baozi¡¯s eyes were full of longing. Huo Feng saw this and asked: ¡°Baozi wants to ride a horse?¡± Baozi looked towards daddy. He wanted to ride. Huo Feng let the carriage stop and directly carried Baozi out, saying: ¡°Father will take you to ride a horse.¡± Once Douzi heard this, he also wanted to go, so Yi Chongren accepted his fate and got out of the carriage. ¡°Chongren, you bring Douzi, and I¡¯ll bring Baozi.¡± In a natural manner, Huo Feng had someone lead a horse over and carried Baozi onto the horse. Yi Chongren was stunned for a moment. ¡°Daddy.¡± Douzi pulled daddy¡¯s hand. He also wanted to ride a horse. Yi Chongren returned to his senses. At this time, someone led a horse over, and he silently carried Douzi onto the horse. ¡°Chongren, let¡¯s take the children to the front and then turn back.¡± Huo Feng appeared to be in a good mood, and not caring whether Yi Chongren agreed, he smacked the horse¡¯s ass, and the horse sped forward. Baozi¡¯s laugh sounded. ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s chase Baozi and father.¡± Douzi couldn¡¯t wait. Yi Chongren waved his whip, and in front of him, the man turned his head to signal for him to follow with a relaxed smile on his face: ¡°Chongren, hurry up, I¡¯m going to turn around.¡± Yi Chongren rode over as Douzi and Baozi laughed. ¡°Father (daddy), faster.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart pounded a bit faster than usual. In his memory, this was the first time that person called his own name. He couldn¡¯t help but frown. He disliked this feeling, disliked it very much. Zhang Huaiqiu also frowned from behind them with a thoughtful look on his face. He clearly heard Prince Yue call ¡°Chongren¡± a few times just now. What made him even more doubtful was how Prince Yue referred to himself, using ¡°I¡±, not ¡°this prince¡±[1]. Zhang Huaiqiu slightly narrowed his eyes, watching Prince Yue with a bit more scrutiny. ¡°Huaiqiu, what are you worried about?¡± Ruan Xingtian called. Because of Huo Feng¡¯s attitude towards Yi Chongren, Zhang Huaiqiu hadn¡¯t said much to Ruan Xingtian over the past few days. He naturally wasn¡¯t in the best spirits, so Ruan Xingtian was helpless. Zhang Huaiqiu lowered his voice and said with a slightly threatening tone: ¡°Chongren and I are brothers, family, close friends. I won¡¯t let anyone hurt him, including his highness.¡± Ruan Xingtian suppressed his displeasure: ¡°Do you think his highness will hurt Yi Chongren? You¡¯ve worked at his highness¡¯s side for so many years. Could it be that you still don¡¯t trust his highness?¡± Zhang Huaiqiu looked towards Ruan Xingtian: ¡°Then tell me. Once we reach the capital, where does his highness plan to place Chongren?¡± Ruan Xingtian was speechless. Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t become an official, would he go back to the palace to be a eunuch? Thinking of Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, Ruan Xingtian didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be willing. So where did his highness plan to place Yi Chongren? Ruan Xingtian was stumped. ¡°If his highness wants Chongren to go back to being a eunuch, I¡¯ll take him away.¡± Spitting out these resolute words, because Zhang Huaiqiu was dissatisfied with Prince Yue, he was also dissatisfied with Ruan Xingtian. Riding his horse away, Zhang Huaiqiu obviously cast his dissatisfaction with Prince Yue onto Ruan Xingtian. Ruan Xingtian smiled bitterly. This really was a disaster. Naturally, Huo Feng didn¡¯t hide his path. He did not intend to conceal it. The more people who knew where he was, the safer they were. The cities and towns they encountered on the way had long made preparations to meet them. He had yet to ascend the throne, but to the common people of Southern Chu, he was already Southern Chu¡¯s new leader, so naturally, they didn¡¯t dare to disregard him. Every time they reached a city, Huo Feng stationed his troops outside the city, and he led the others into the city. At first, the two children were confused about why ¡°daddy¡± had to be called father, but gradually, their young hearts realized that father was more powerful than daddy because the people who came to pick them up all respected father very much, even kneeling to father. But they couldn¡¯t understand why so many people feared daddy. Sometimes children are the most sensitive. The people who knew that the man next to Prince Yue was Yi Chongren were afraid. The remaining power of Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards was visible. To Yi Chongren, no matter whether Huo Feng could see through him or not, whether those people feared him or not, he was calm. His only worry was that the two children had to travel so far for their first journey outside. He feared they wouldn¡¯t eat enough, but so far, the two children¡¯s adaptability seemed quite good. And after his initial discomfort, Yi Chongren became numb towards being frequently called ¡°Chongren¡± by Huo Feng. There were old people and children in the group, so their speed naturally wasn¡¯t very fast. Moving and stopping like this, after a month, the capital gates appeared before their eyes. Yi Chongren felt complicated. In the past, he thought he¡¯d never return. ¡°Baozi, Douzi, we¡¯re home.¡± Huo Feng was visibly excited. Of course he was excited. After returning to the capital, he had the final say in many matters, and a certain someone couldn¡¯t escape easily. ¡°Daddy, this is the capital?¡± ¡°Daddy, the capital gates are so tall.¡± ¡°Daddy¡­¡­¡± The two children, who had already learned how great the capital was from their father, couldn¡¯t wait to see how the capital truly was. Outside the city gates, the ministers, who learned of Prince Yue¡¯s return in advance, had already waited there for a while. The leader of the group was former prime minister Zhang Deyuan. After Huo Feng conquered the capital, he let his subordinates deal with the aftermath while he took Ruan Xingtian and Zhang Huaiqiu to Jade City Pass to ¡°capture people¡±. He didn¡¯t explain how to deal with official resignations, enthronement, and other matters. The country couldn¡¯t go without a ruler for a day, especially at the start of a new reign, so Prince Yue¡¯s safe return allowed the anxious ministers to let out a sigh of relief. But thinking about the person who returned with Prince Yue, many people felt complicated and even more confused. To express his gratitude, his highness only needed to issue an imperial edict. Why did he personally go? Everyone thought his highness personally went there not for Yi Chongren, but for the two children. Thinking of this, they could understand. Huo Feng didn¡¯t sit in the carriage. He rode a horse with Baozi in front. Yi Chongren also rode a horse with Douzi in front. Huo Yunkai rode behind his father, half the length of a horse away. When they reached the city gates, Huo Yunkai carried the children down, and Yi Chongren also dismounted. Huo Yunkai carried Baozi over. Zhang Deyuan and the ministers kowtowed in respect: ¡°This official welcomes your majesty, welcomes your highness¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Please rise.¡± Huo Feng supported Zhang Deyuan up with both hands, emotionally saying: ¡°Thank you former prime minister for the hard work.¡± ¡°This old official didn¡¯t do much. It was the concerted efforts of all these lords. Your highness, you should enter the palace.¡± Enter the palace and become the owner of the imperial palace. Huo Feng glanced at Yi Chongren and dismounted. Everyone followed his movements to glance at Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren nodded towards Zhang Deyuan, Xie Dan, and the others with a normal expression and silently dismounted. ¡°Enter the palace.¡± With this command, all the ministers entered the place with Prince Yue. A new reign had come. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Contrary to many people¡¯s expectations and within many people¡¯s expectations, Huo Feng settled Yi Chongren in the palace with Baozi and Douzi. After Huo Feng entered the palace, he was so busy that it was difficult to see even his shadow. In comparison, Yi Chongren lived in the ¡°Ning Shen palace¡± which was extraordinarily cold. ¡°Ning Shen palace¡± sounded like it had an idyllic atmosphere far from the mortal world, but everyone knew this was a cold palace. Prince Yue placed Yi Chongren in a cold palace. This move made people rack their brains, but Prince Yue¡¯s youngest son also lived there, so no one could guess what his highness was thinking. No, his majesty. The second day after Prince Yue returned, the imperial edict was issued. Southern Chu¡¯s dynasty name changed to Yue and the era name became Kangzheng. The first year of the Kangzheng era, Prince Yue Huo Feng became the Kangzheng emperor. Huo Feng was part of the royal family of Southern Chu, but he changed the name of the dynasty to draw a clear line with Southern Chu. A month later, Huo Feng held the ascension ceremony in the former Southern Chu Imperial Palace. Immediately afterwards, various decrees were issued, including one that banned servants from using makeup and getting involved in politics to eliminate aberrant policies made by the eunuchs of Southern Chu and put an end to the dictatorship of eunuchs. Along with the promulgation of various laws and decrees were awards for meritorious officials. Huo Feng followed the advice of Zhang Deyuan and sealed Ruan Xingtian, He Jia, Huang Han, and Xu Baicai as generals. The four of them were loyal and devoted and were subordinates that always followed him and worthy of his trust; the rest of the military leaders were divided into military generals, generals, or lieutenants based on merit. The military power was mainly in the hands of the four generals, and Huo Feng, as the emperor, held the vermillion bird, black tortoise, green dragon, and white tiger military talismans to control the four generals¡¯ military power. The other high ranking military officers held thirty percent of the military power and were under the control of the four generals. Huo Feng started off his career in the military, and he led the generals to win the world, so the military held him in high regard. It was unlikely that the four generals would use their military power for personal reasons, but it was best to have some precautions. After all, he had to consider whether the crown prince could control these generals after his death. But Huo Feng wasn¡¯t worried. He believed that someone else would think more thoroughly than him. Huo Feng initially wanted to seal Zhang Deyuan as the prime minister, but was rejected by the other party on the grounds that he was too old. Afterwards, Huo Feng asked Zhang Deyuan to teach Huo Yunkai, and this time, Zhang Deyuan didn¡¯t reject him. All the old people saved by Yi Chongren chose to retire from the court. Naturally, Huo Feng was reluctant to just let them all go home like this, so after discussing with Tang Nian and the others, Huo Feng appointed Xie Dan as the teacher of Douzi and Baozi, and the others entered the capital university to teach at the Imperial Hanlin Academy. Unlike the elderly, Zhang Huaiqiu, Xie Ming, and the other youngsters entered the court, and Huo Feng arranged them in key positions. The new dynasty was set, and now was the time talents were most needed. Xie Ming became the prime minister, Zhang Huaiqiu became the grand commander of the imperial army, and Tang Nian became the imperial secretary of the court of censors. Everyone who followed Huo Feng on his journey received their corresponding rewards, except for Yi Chongren. Ning Shen palace was in the remote southeast corner of the imperial palace. Huo Feng even sent people to guard outside Ning Shen palace. Yi Chongren could come in and out as he wished but he couldn¡¯t leave the palace. If he ever left Ning Shen palace, the guards would definitely follow him. Huo Feng even sent seven or eight eunuchs to serve Yi Chongren and the two children. They weren¡¯t lacking in food, clothing, and expenses. Apart from being a bit more remote, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t seem to be ¡°neglected¡±, but no matter how one looked at it, he seemed to be under house arrest. Yi Chongren ignored the curiosity and speculation surrounding him. Ning Shen palace had a large courtyard. In the past, concubines who didn¡¯t want to starve to death had to grow their own food, so Ning Shen palace had the most land. Yi Chongren took Baozi and Douzi there to sprinkle vegetable seeds, plant flowers, build a grape trellis, and even let people build two swings, just like in Lin manor. This day, Zhang Huaiqiu went to find Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren had just watered the vegetables and had worked out a head of sweat. Yi Chongren motioned for his guards to leave and poured a cup of tea in the pavilion. ¡°What wind brought Lord Zhang here?¡± Yi Chongren teased. Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s sullen expression directly explained his reason for coming: ¡°Chongren, if you want to, I¡¯ll take you out of here.¡± The emperor threw Chongren here, not the least bit concerned. Zhang Huaiqiu, who had long been dissatisfied, was about to explode. Yi Chongren laughed and pushed the teacup in front of Zhang Huaiqiu: ¡°Drink a cup of tea and calm down. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s quite nice like this? It¡¯s peaceful, and no one bothers me.¡± ¡°I asked his majesty what he planned to do with you, but his majesty said this only concerned him and you so I can¡¯t interfere. Chongren, we¡¯ve known each other for so long, I understand you. If it weren¡¯t for Douzi, you definitely wouldn¡¯t return to the capital, wouldn¡¯t enter the palace. If you say the word, I¡¯ll take you and Baozi away immediately.¡± ¡°Then what about Douzi?¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s voice became a bit colder. He drank the tea, looked ahead, and unhurriedly said: ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of what they want to do to me. No matter how cruel he is, he can¡¯t compare to Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu. I¡¯m staying here for Douzi, to not separate Douzi and Baozi. Every day Douzi calls me dad, I am his dad. I also want to know what his majesty wants to do with me. Huaiqiu, you know that I¡¯m someone who protects my weaknesses. At this time next year, his majesty might have other sons, but I won¡¯t let anyone bully my sons. I want you to firmly control the imperial army, and tell old brother to advise his majesty to establish the crown prince as soon as possible. Also, Douzi¡¯s position as a prince should also be confirmed soon.¡± Looking at Yi Chongren¡¯s profile, Zhang Huaiqiu seemed to once again see the Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards who had everything in the palm of his hand. The corners of his lips curved upwards, and he drank the cup of tea Yi Chongren gave him. How could he forget who this person was? This person was the amazing person who destroyed all of Southern Chu. ¡°I know what to do.¡± Putting down the teacup, Zhang Huaiqiu stood up: ¡°Before the matter is settled, I won¡¯t come find you again.¡± Yi Chongren nodded. Now, countless eyes were secretly trained on him. What he wanted to do was respond to changes by not changing. Zhang Huaiqiu walked away, and in the old wives¡¯ summer, Yi Chongren continued drinking his tea with a light heart. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Huaiqiu went to find Chongren?¡± In the imperial study, Huo Feng asked, unclear whether joyful or angry. ¡°Replying to your majesty, Lord Zhang talked with Lord Yi for a while before leaving.¡± An eunuch standing behind Huo Feng bowed and said. This person was called Lu Tao. He used to be the eunuch in charge of Prince Yue manor. After Prince Yue manor was ransacked, he and others were imprisoned, initially giving them little chance to survive. But because of their relationship with Yi Chongren, these people were only exiled, saving their lives. After Huo Feng raised the troops, Lu Tao led a group to find Prince Yue with great pains. Lu Tao could be considered a sincere person, so Huo Feng ordered him to be a palace servant temporarily. Others envied Lu Tao for changing with the overall trend, but Lu Tao himself clearly understood that his majesty ordered him ¡°temporarily¡±, which meant there was someone more suitable than him. Lu Tao immediately thought of that person in the ¡°cold palace¡±. His majesty reminded him more than once to take care of the people in Ning Shen palace and not let them be wronged. If Lu Tao still didn¡¯t understand how much his majesty valued that person, then he wouldn¡¯t be Lu Tao. These few years, he was most clear on how much his majesty thought about that person. As for his majesty¡¯s thoughts, Lu Tao understood. But thinking of that person¡¯s temperament and identity, Lu Tao was still a bit unsure. Letting Lu Tao retreat, Huo Feng contemplated in the imperial study. After quite a while, he stood, left the imperial study, and headed towards Ning Shen palace. [1] Once again noting the difference between ÎÒ and ±¾Íõ. Maybe I should change all the ¡°I¡± in the beginning of the novel to ¡°this prince¡± for more distinction later. CH 20 July 22nd, 2022 / In Ning Shen palace, Yi Chongren was eating with the three children. Huo Yunkai had already started to help his father with work, and today, he had finally found time to eat a meal with yifu. The two children hadn¡¯t seen their big brother in many days so they were very happy. Huo Yunkai saw that yifu was in a decent mood, so the worry in his heart diminished a bit. He also didn¡¯t know what father was planning to do with yifu, but father instructed Lu Tao to look after yifu, so he wasn¡¯t too worried. The four people were in the midst of eating when a guard called from outside: ¡°The emperor has arrived¡ª¡± Yi Chongren put down his chopsticks and stood up. Huo Yunkai also stood up. The two children,who had yet to learn palace etiquette, didn¡¯t move, curiously looking towards the entrance of the courtyard. Huo Feng entered, and before the two paid their respects, he said: ¡°No need to be polite.¡± He looked at Yi Chongren, ¡°So you were eating.¡± Yi Chongen followed his words and asked: ¡°Has your majesty eaten yet£¿¡± ¡°No. Looks like I[1] came at the right time.¡± Huo Feng walked to Yi Chongren¡¯s side naturally and someone immediately brought a stool. Sitting down, Huo Feng looked at the table of dishes, and seeming to be in a good mood, asked: ¡°Are you used to the food here yet? Before going to Jade City Pass, I let them change the imperial chefs. I don¡¯t know if they suit your taste.¡± ¡°Pretty good. Thank you, your majesty, for your concern.¡± Yi Chongren replied neither servile nor overbearing and sat down. The swift palace servants brought over bowls and chopsticks for his majesty, and someone already instructed the imperial kitchen to make more dishes. Huo Feng picked up his chopsticks, picked some food, and put it in his mouth. Chewing slowly, he frowned slightly: ¡°It¡¯s a bit spicy. I remember you don¡¯t like spicy food.¡± A look of bewilderment slid through Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes. Then, he heard Huo Feng say: ¡°Someone come. Go to the imperial kitchen and tell them to bring some non-spicy dishes to Ning Shen palace.¡± ¡°Your majesty,¡± Yi Chongren sounded, ¡°This commoner can eat food that¡¯s a little spicy.¡± What was more important was that the three children liked eating spicy food. Also, how did this person know he didn¡¯t like spicy food? Huo Feng pushed three non-spicy dishes in front of Yi Chongren and said: ¡°I asked the former prince minister. He said you can¡¯t eat spicy food. When we were heading back to the capital, I didn¡¯t see you eat anything spicy either. You always let the imperial kitchen prepare whatever the children like to eat, but don¡¯t forget to order what you like to eat. I didn¡¯t bring you back to the capital to be wronged.¡± Yi Chongren tightly pursed his lips, heart feeling strange. He stared at Huo Feng, wanting to see the deeper meaning in those eyes. Huo Feng picked some spicy dishes as if nothing was wrong and ruefully said: ¡°These few years, I¡¯ve become able to eat spicy food.¡± Saying this, Huo Feng pinched Baozi and Douzi¡¯s noses with each hand, ¡°What are you looking at father for? Eat. If you don¡¯t eat well, father will punish you.¡± Baozi immediately shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth, and then asked about something he never really understood: ¡°Father, why did you become imperial father[2]?¡± Douzi nodded from the side. Daddy¡¯s title kept changing so the children were confused. Yi Chongren tried to restrain himself from smiling, and Huo Feng laughed openly, saying: ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you grow up.¡± Daddy also said this. The two children stopped pondering over this question and continued shoveling food in their mouths. If they didn¡¯t eat well, daddy would punish them. There was joy in Huo Yunkai¡¯s eyes. Father and yifu were getting along well, so naturally, he was happiest. As Huo Feng ate, he asked his eldest son if he¡¯d been adapting well over the last few days, and Huo Yunkai replied to each question. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t make a sound, silently eating the three dishes Huo Feng placed before him. After a while, the imperial kitchen sent over some new dishes, all not spicy. Huo Feng had a good appetite, so he ate three bowls of rice. After eating, Huo Feng let Huo Yunkai take Baozi and Douzi to digest, and he entered the house with Yi Chongren, clearly having words he wanted to say. Closing the door, Yi Chongren brewed some tea for them. The atmosphere in the room was calm. Huo Feng drank a cup of tea, put down the teacup, and looked towards Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren raised his eyes. ¡°Chongren.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Huo Feng¡¯s gaze was too scorching. ¡°Help me.¡± Yi Chongren waited for him to continue speaking. Huo Feng said: ¡°It¡¯s the beginning of a new era and the state is in chaos. Whether inside or outside of the palace, the land can¡¯t be considered to be at peace. Chongren, no matter what I say, I do not disdain you. I have been hurt by those rebels and have hated them. But you also know that if these people in the palace aren¡¯t kept in check, they will easily become rebels. And as I live in the palace, it¡¯s difficult to avoid using others for certain matters. I need a trustworthy person who can keep those people in check for me.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s expression turned cold and a sneer flashed in his eyes. What was the point of speaking so tactfully, he just wanted him to resume his old trade and become a eunuch. Huo Feng saw this misunderstanding with a glance. He reached out to grab Yi Chongren¡¯s hand, but was avoided by the other. Yi Chongren coldly said: ¡°Your majesty overestimates this commoner. This commoner came from the Hu An guards, part of the rebels. Is your majesty not afraid of attracting criticism?¡± Huo Feng stood and walked before Yi Chongen, put both hands on his armrests and leaned over. Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t retreat, and his gaze became even colder. Huo Feng bent down, meeting Yi Chongren face to face, and holding back a certain type of desire and anger, said: ¡°You convicted me before I even finished speaking. Are you still blaming me for humiliating you in the past? I was wrong, I apologize.¡± Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t help but feel dumbfounded by Huo Feng¡¯s deep voice. He once again felt this disorientation that often cropped up after he encountered Huo Feng again. The two people¡¯s breaths seemed to intertwine as Huo Feng approached, and Yi Chongren tilted his head to avoid the scorching heat radiating off of Huo Feng. But soon, his heart regained its coldness. That identity was something he hated and wanted to forget, but that person in front of him kept reminding him. ¡°Chongren,¡± Huo Feng took Yi Chongren¡¯s hand. Yi Chongren drew back as if he was scalded, but couldn¡¯t escape his grasp. ¡°Can you listen to me?¡± It was me, not us(zhen)[3]. Yi Chongren turned his head with surprise in his eyes that could no longer be concealed. After a while, he spoke: ¡°May your majesty speak.¡± The future is long. Huo Feng released the hand that Yi Chongren kept trying to withdraw and returned to his seat, saying: ¡°I can¡¯t completely trust any of the servants in the palace, including Lu Tao. Whenever I look at the people by my side, I am reminded of Zhang Zhong and the others. What¡¯s most important is that it¡¯ll take a while to eliminate all the noxious influences of the previous dynasty. It¡¯ll be hard to ensure there are no remnant rebels in the palace. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s difficult to defend against arrows in the dark. If Baozi and Douzi¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes turned cold, and after contemplating for a while, he looked towards Huo Feng: ¡°What does your majesty want this commoner to do?¡± What that person said wasn¡¯t wrong. Southern Chu had been under the control of eunuchs for a century, so at the dawn of a new dynasty, it was difficult to ensure there wouldn¡¯t be anyone who brought disaster upon the court. If it was for the children, so what if he became an eunuch again? Huo Feng knew that if he mentioned the two children Yi Chongren would agree. He said in a deep voice: ¡°Be my imperial attendant. Take part in politics, manage the court, and meet the emperor when necessary.¡± Yi Chongren had something different in mind. How was this any different than the duties of the Hu An guards? Huo Feng looked straight in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes and said: ¡°I need your tactics and abilities to clean up the inner court, find those unresigned remnants, and eliminate hidden dangers for the crown prince¡¯s future ascension. The new dynasty is beginning, and I need someone to set new rules for these inner servants. Other than you, no one can reassure me. There¡¯s only one ¡°walk before the emperor[4]¡± position and that¡¯s for you. After a hundred years, this position won¡¯t exist any more.¡± Frankly, this official position was made for Yi Chongren. Huo Feng¡¯s words and eyes were like a fire, igniting Yi Chongren¡¯s heart. He never expected that this was what Huo Feng was planning. Heartbeat a bit irregular, Yi Chongren subconsciously wanted to avoid Huo Feng¡¯s gaze. But after all, he was Yi Chongren, so he wouldn¡¯t avoid. He mentioned what wasn¡¯t right: ¡°How is this any different than the Hu An guards? This will only make the common people dissatisfied.¡± Huo Feng nonchalantly said: ¡°There will definitely be opposition but you can ignore it. I had this idea because it¡¯s you; if it were someone else, I¡¯d fear they¡¯d become the next Zhang Zhong.¡± Yi Chongren seemed to smile yet not smiled at the same time and asked: ¡°Why does your majesty trust this commoner so much?¡± A flame that could burn Yi Chongren appeared in Huo Feng¡¯s eyes: ¡°Because you are Yi Chongren.¡± These words were spoken resolutely. A peculiar feeling once again slid through Yi Chongren¡¯s heart, and he gradually stood up, the corners of his lips curving upwards. ¡°If this commoner still refused, then I would be too ignorant of kindness.¡± Yi Chongren raised his robes to kneel and take his orders, and Huo Feng quickly reached out his hands to support him. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t squirm or panic, looked directly at Huo Feng¡¯s eyes, and opened his thin lips: ¡°This official will not fail you.¡± Huo Feng laughed, deeply laughed, and grasped both of Yi Chongren¡¯s hands, not letting go, instead tightening his grip: ¡°I believe you.¡± The trust of the emperor is often accompanied by foul wind and bloody rain, so no emperor would always trust a single person. Yi Chongren understood this point. But at this time, he didn¡¯t think about the dangers he¡¯d face in the future. This man was the emperor but also the father of his two sons. Perhaps from the moment he decided to save the Huo family, his fate became entangled with that man. Dangerous or not, since he already made the decision, he would follow through to the end. He was Yi Chongren, the Yi Chongren who wandered in front of the gates of hell countless times. What was there to fear about danger. On the way back to his palace, Huo Feng¡¯s mood could only be described with the word pleasant. However, nothing was revealed on his face. He knew how all the officials would react once he issued this imperial decree. But his arrow was already on the string so it had to be released. For countless days and nights, he gnashed his teeth with rage thinking of that pair of eyes and that harsh mouth, unable to restrain his anger. Time and time again, he vowed to take revenge on that person and return the shame cast on him back to that person with interest, but he never thought about how he¡¯d return it. In other words, he subconsciously avoided it. Until he saw that person riding a horse in Jade City Pass, saw how that person genuinely smiled at the children, he finally knew the reason why he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that person for the past six years; what he wanted to get revenge on. Raising his eyes to look at the night sky, a pair of eyes once again appeared before him. But this time, that person¡¯s eyes were so clear, lacking the cover of demonic powder, appearing as bright as the stars, making people unable to look away. That was Yi Chongren, Chongren. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Huo Feng, who had moved Yi Chongren, didn¡¯t immediately issue the imperial edict. He had already passed this matter to Zhang Deyuan, Xieming, and the other old officials. Most of these people were saved from the butchers of the rebels by Yi Chongren, so naturally they wouldn¡¯t object. As they saw it, this position actually wronged Yi Chongren. As long as someone took control of the inner court, in accordance with the law, if he wasn¡¯t the empress, he would never be able to leave the title ¡°a certain palace eunuch¡± ,¡°a certain eunuch¡±. This was a wound on Yi Chongren¡¯s heart, a wound destined to remain unhealed. However, this position was already the best arrangement for Yi Chongren. Taking part in politics and walking in front of the emperor were honors that could only be enjoyed by officials of the third rank or above, not to mention, Yi Chongren was also in charge of the inner court. When Huo Feng proposed this resolution, the group from ¡°Lin manor¡±, led by Zhang Deyuan, were very pleased. His majesty still had Chongren in his heart. With these people¡¯s support, adding to the fact that Ruan Xingtian and his other trusted officials would definitely not object, Huo Feng didn¡¯t care about whoever would disagree. On the 19th day of the 9th month of the Kangzheng, Huo Feng held a grand ascension ceremony in the imperial palace. Yi Chongren held the hands of the two children, ignoring the stares around him, and stood with Huo Yunkai, watching that man walk to the throne step by step while covered in bright yellow robes to become the true emperor. Not thinking about what type of role he¡¯d have to play after that man became the emperor, when that man turned to accept the homage of the officials, Yi Chongren, who was kneeling, saw that man looking towards him with a deep gaze. He noticed that the more he looked at the man, the less he could see through him. ¡°Long live the emperor¡ª¨C¡± Huo Feng raised his hand: ¡°You may rise¡ª¡± Standing on the imperial stage, looking down at the packed officials below, Huo Feng¡¯s heart shook. So there was a day he¡¯d reach this step, reach the highest position in the land. Without thinking, Huo Feng accurately found a figure in the crowd and that person was also staring at him. Amidst all those eyes, Huo Feng and Yi Chongren¡¯s gazes seemed to stick together, yet also seemed to meet for only a moment. Lu Tao walked out from the side with the bright yellow imperial edict scroll. Standing a position below the emperor, Lu Tao unfurled the imperial edict and read it out loud. When he had just read half of the edict, gasps sounded from all around. Even Yi Chongren was dumbfounded. And once Lu Tao put away the edict, the entire court was in an uproar. Huo Feng sealed his eldest son, Huo Yunkai, as the crown prince and a day was set for the crowning ceremony. He sealed his second son, Douzi, as Prince Anping, a first rank prince; He sealed his adopted son, Baozi, as Prince Heshou, a first rank prince. The two late prince consorts were sealed as empress and imperial noble consort. It wasn¡¯t a secret that Huo Feng recognized Baozi as his adopted son, but titles given to the two children in the imperial edict caused a wave of shock. Huo Feng never changed Douzi¡¯s name. He never mentioned it, so Yi Chongren also didn¡¯t mention it. And now, in front of the entire court of civil and military officials, in front of all the common people of the world, Huo Feng gave his son the name¡ª Huo Enchong. And Baozi¡¯s name also changed, no longer Lin Jiabao, but Yi Enbao. Of the two children, one was named Enchong, and one was named Enbao; One was surnamed Huo, and one was surnamed Yi. At the end of the imperial edict, Huo Feng sealed Yi Chongren as imperial attendant so he could take part in politics, walk in front of the emperor, and control the inner court, a second rank official. This already wasn¡¯t a question of overwhelming power. Even Huo Feng¡¯s trusted aides felt their jaws drop. His majesty¡¯s actions were too obvious. Huo Feng didn¡¯t care about the reactions of the officials. With a wave of his hand, this matter was set in stone, not to be changed. Just as a few officials wanted to petition his majesty to revoke the order, they saw Yi Chongren dressed in his official uniform at the celebratory banquet that night. Many people¡¯s eyes went wide, in a trance, feeling like a deer in headlights. Yi Chongren¡¯s official uniform had a dark red base with purple and gold threads intertwining into beautiful patterns, especially on the neckline, cuffs, and hem, which looked even more luxurious. This was an official uniform? What kind of official uniform had such beautiful colors! And Yi Chongren seemed to naturally suit those colors. His face appeared even more fair and handsome, and paired with his icy expression, his whole person seemed enchanting yet holy, seemed seductive yet sophisticated. Quite a few people stared in rapture. Even the usually calm Ruan Xingtian and others were stupefied, not to mention others. In contrast, Yi Chongren¡¯s expression was the same as usual, natural and unrestrained. Although he was a court official, he was the dad of the two princes, so his position was beside the crown prince, Huo Yunkai. It also seemed to be the first time Huo Yunkai ever saw his own yifu like this and his eyes sluggishly followed yifu as he approached. He knew yifu was good looking but didn¡¯t know he was this good looking! As expected, a man relies on his clothes as a horse relies on its saddle. It was clearly just an article of clothing, yet it could produce such a dazzling effect! Someone coughed twice. The sound wasn¡¯t very loud, but it was enough to sober up all those dumbfounded people. Once they saw the person who made that sound, everyone jolted in unison. The emperor was mad. Huo Feng gritted his teeth in his heart. He was wrong. He shouldn¡¯t have chosen that outfit for that person! When he was choosing a uniform for Yi Chongren, Huo Feng¡¯s first thought was to use red and purple. He had never seen someone other than Yi Chongren who suited those two colors so much. But he never expected that that outfit would produce such an effect. Huo Feng was regretful, very regretful, but he couldn¡¯t make Yi Chongren go back to change. This was already approved by the Ministry of Justice so it couldn¡¯t be casually changed. If he really changed it, his guilty conscience would become obvious. Yi Chongren¡¯s gaze lightly swept across some people, and immediately, those people, who couldn¡¯t help but stare at him, shivered and bowed their heads. The rumors of the former Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards¡¯ ferocity weren¡¯t false. There were two nannies serving Baozi and Douzi, but they were still more used to being with daddy. Douzi was the first to stand up and run to daddy, yelling: ¡°Daddy, Douzi¡¯s hungry.¡± Baozi also ran over, pouting: ¡°Daddy, Baozi¡¯s also hungry.¡± There were so many delicacies, but why couldn¡¯t they eat? Huo Feng glanced at Lu Tao, and Lu Tao immediately shouted: ¡°Begin the banquet¡ª¨C¡± Yi Chongren picked up his chopsticks and fed the two children some food with a calm expression. Baozi and Douzi simply sat beside daddy. They wanted to stay with daddy. Seeing Yi Chongren completely unaffected by all those gazes, Huo Feng picked up his wine glass and thought about how to quickly end the banquet. He should find time to talk to Yi Chongren about changing his official uniform. He could wear those red robes again when they were alone. [1] Huo Feng uses ëÞ now which is how emperors refer to themselves [2] Huo Feng went from ¸¸Íõ to ¸¸»Ê. They both mean father but the »Ê means he¡¯s emperor now.¡£ [3] ÊÇÎÒ£¬¶ø·ÇëÞ This type of line shows up a lot in this novel lol. It¡¯s the difference in referring to oneself more casually and formally again. [4] ÓùÇ°ÐÐ×ß Literally means can walk in front of the emperor. It¡¯s a special pass that lets someone meet the emperor whenever necessary. CH 21 July 23rd, 2022 / That night, only Baozi and Douzi ate until they were full. Before the banquet ended, the two tired children had already lay on their daddy and fallen asleep. Yi Chongren held a child in each hand and left the table first, not knowing that Huo Feng let out a huge sigh of relief when he left. Huo Feng originally wanted Baozi and Douzi to sleep in separate rooms. The two children were already six so they should learn to sleep by themselves. However, Baozi and Douzi always followed daddy to sleep, impossible to persuade. So even though the two children were now distinguished princes, they still lived in Ningshen palace and slept with Yi Chongren. With the help of their two nannies, the children changed into their pajamas and wiped their hands and feet. Yi Chongren dismissed their servants and changed out of his crimson palace robes. Sitting before the dressing table, the bronze mirror reflected an expressionless, handsome countenance. Letting down his hair, the man in the mirror immediately appeared neither male nor female. Yi Chongren knew how his face looked. Whether it was the Jiazheng emperor or the officials of the previous reign, there were many who were interested in him. If it weren¡¯t for his cruelty and demonic appearance and schemes, he would have long been eaten clean by who knows how many people. There were few good-looking eunuchs in the palace who weren¡¯t favored by the Jiazheng emperor. The eunuchs favored by the Jiazheng emperor were all either killed by Noble Consort Ru or Sun Jiyu, or recruited by Zhang Zhong to seduce indulgent ministers. Even Sun Jiyu secretly played with countless young eunuchs. To not become like that, he practiced martial arts like his life depended on it, learned to be cruel, learned to be cold, and learned to play mind games. He set a trap to let the crown prince fall in the water so he could save him in a timely manner and get in the good graces of Noble Consort Ru. With Noble Consort Ru as his backer, with his own strong martial arts and cold temperament, even the Jiazheng emperor didn¡¯t dare to mess with him. After many years, even he himself felt that he was that demonic face¡ªdark purple lips, crimson eyeliner, and pale white face. That day, once he saw the court uniform sent by the Ministry of Personnel, all his memories from the past appeared before his eyes. The person who sent the uniform said that his majesty personally picked the color. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t know what that person meant. Did he want him to use the methods of Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards, or was it because that person remembered his old makeup? No matter what it was, he didn¡¯t like it. However, he didn¡¯t let any of this show on his face. In the eyes of others, he was powerful, but in his heart, from beginning to end, he clearly understood his own position. Huo Feng could give him power, but he could also beat him to hell overnight. Power is the most delicious poison. Even if Douzi called him daddy, he was just a commoner. As for the flame in Huo Feng¡¯s eyes that burned him from time to time¡­¡­Yi Chongren contemplated before the bronze mirror. He wouldn¡¯t presume that Huo Feng was in love with him. No matter how unwilling he was, he couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that he was a eunuch. Even now, he was just a eunuch with the title of a servant, a eunuch. A castrate could only be a doll, not even fitting to be a male pet. Huo Feng could hold feelings toward him, but at most, only feelings of gratitude. By accepting Baozi as his adopted son and letting Douzi call him ¡°daddy¡±, that person had already done enough to repay him for his favor. Hearing footsteps, Yi Chongren quickly collected his thoughts. Then, he heard a ¡°creak¡± from the door of the outer room. Only wearing inner robes, he stood to get his outer robes, and the door to the inner room was pushed open by someone. ¡°Chongren¡­¡­are you asleep?¡± An intoxicated man staggered inside. Yi Chongren draped on his clothes and frowned: ¡°Your majesty, why did you come here?¡± Having a drink, Huo Feng waved his hands, unsteadily walked to the bedside, and sat down. ¡°Come, take a look at Douzi, and, Baozi.¡± He had really drunk too much. He couldn¡¯t even say ¡°I¡± properly. Yi Chongren looked towards the outer room and saw no one. Could this person have come by himself? He lifted his foot to walk out and call someone to send Huo Feng back to his bedchamber. Immediately afterwards, someone grabbed his wrist. ¡°Chongren, don¡¯t go.¡± Forcefully pulling Yi Chongren over, Huo Feng staggeringly got to his feet, bent over, and pressed against Yi Chongren¡¯s body. Yi Chongren hurriedly reached out his two hands to support him. Huo Feng was a head taller than Yi Chongren. He had a military background, so his figure was tall and sturdy. With this push, Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t hold him up and could only retreat. As he moved back, Huo Feng moved forward. Yi Chongren retreated four or five steps until he reached the dressing table. ¡°Your majesty, you¡¯re drunk. This official will call someone to send you back to your bedchamber.¡± All of Huo Feng¡¯s body weight was on Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren could only rely on the dressing table to support Huo Feng. Only at this time did Yi Chongren realize just how heavy Huo Feng was. Huo Feng circled his arms around Yi Chongren and rested his chin on his head, the scent of alcohol rushing to the sky. Having never been hugged by someone like this before, unaccustomed, Yi Chongren forcefully pushed back to withdraw. However, Huo Feng kept him trapped before the dressing table, not letting him leave. Yi Chongren was flustered for a moment, flustered like never before. ¡°Your majesty, let this official go first. This official will bring you some sobering soup.¡± ¡°Chongren¡­..¡± Huo Feng didn¡¯t let go, both hands tightening, ¡°Change your official robes¡­¡­.I¡¯ll pick another set for you.¡± Yi Chongren stopped struggling and his expression became colder. ¡°I just thought that you¡¯d look good in those clothes. Who knew you¡¯d look that good¡­¡­ change, change it¡­¡­.even Yunkai, that child, was captivated, eyes¡­..change it, definitely, have to change¡­¡­ in the future, wear it in private. Outside, wear plain, plainer¡­¡­ in case they all stare at you, stare¡­¡­that won¡¯t do, decency!¡± Surprise appeared in his eyes, the iciness receded for the most part, and Yi Chongren unconsciously asked: ¡°Why did your majesty choose those colors for this official?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s finger twisted a strand of Yi Chongren¡¯s loose, long hair, and he deeply voiced: ¡°The first time I saw you again at Jade City Pass, I thought that those clothes would definitely suit you very much¡­¡­¡± Maybe because he was too drunk, Huo Feng¡¯s voice sounded a bit more intimate, ¡°I, don¡¯t like, your makeup¡­¡­ but for some reason, I think, those colors, suit you the most. Chongren, you are both ice and fire.¡± The thick smell of alcohol drifted towards the top of Yi Chongren¡¯s head as Huo Feng spoke. Every pore on his being was tingling from the scent of alcohol. This was the reason? Not to remind him of his previous identity, and not to make him remember his old appearance, just because he thought he¡¯d look good in those clothes? These words were hard to believe. ¡°Chongren¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng laughed in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m the emperor now.¡± seeming to boast of his merits. Yi Chongren¡¯s heart pounded and he forcefully pushed Huo Feng. Huo Feng seemed to sense that he felt uncomfortable and let go of him, staggered two steps back, and grabbed Yi Chongren¡¯s hand with both hands with a thick look of joy on his face. ¡°Chongren, I¡¯m the emperor now.¡± The corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips curved upwards, and under the candlelight, his eyes were full of light that made one¡¯s heart thump. Secretly wanting to push away the other¡¯s hands, his palm burned. ¡°Congratulations your majesty.¡± ¡°This is all because of you.¡± Huo Feng raised Yi Chongren¡¯s hands to hold his own face. Reflecting the candlelight, a pair of eyes locked on the somewhat uncomfortable person, ¡°Without you, I would have died long ago.¡± ¡°Your majesty, the heavens help those who are worthy.¡± Not knowing whether it was because the candlelight wasn¡¯t light enough, or because the atmosphere between the two people was too cordial, or because that person was drunk, Yi Chongren knew he should pull back his hands, but as they remained on Huo Feng¡¯s face, he relaxed. ¡°Chongren¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng rubbed his hands, ¡°Your hands are too cold.¡± ¡°¡­..I was born this way.¡± Yi Chongren appeared a bit absent-minded. It seemed that after he became physically disabled, his hands became this cold. ¡°These years¡­¡­have been hard on you¡­¡­¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wear those clothes.¡± Lowering his voice, Huo Feng closed his eyes and leaned back. Yi Chongren stepped forward to hold him and drag the drunk man to the bed. Huo Feng mumbled a few sounds, turned over, and fell asleep. Yi Chongren quickly took off his shoes, otherwise the mattress would be soiled. With this, Huo Feng became more comfortable and started snoring. Looking at the two children and the drunk Huo Feng soundly sleeping on the bed, Yi Chongren¡¯s brows knitted together. He definitely couldn¡¯t let that person sleep here! He put on his clothes and walked out to call someone. Lu Tao and a few chamberlains guarded outside, so Yi Chongren let them carry Huo Feng back to his bedchamber. After Lu Tao entered and saw his majesty¡¯s situation, he embarrassedly said: ¡°His majesty definitely can¡¯t walk back. The table hasn¡¯t been cleared yet. If the lords see his majesty being carried back, the dragon will lose face. Why don¡¯t we let his majesty sleep here. Later, his majesty can say he went to see the two princes.¡± If he slept here, where would he sleep? And the room was covered in the scent of alcohol that¡¯d assail the nostrils of Baozi and Douzi. But what Lu Tao said was also right. It¡¯d be inappropriate for that person to be carried back drunk on the first day after his ascension. After contemplating for a bit, Yi Chongren said: ¡°There¡¯s a bed in the study next door. Move it here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Tao respectfully retreated, and without delay, immediately took people to move the bed. The bed was quickly carried over. Yi Chongren let Lu Tao put it outside the room, and then they moved Huo Feng onto it. Lu Tao once again found things difficult. How could they let his majesty sleep outside? Looking at Baozi who had drilled into Huo Feng¡¯s arms, Yi Chongren gritted his teeth. ¡°Put it here.¡± Lu Tao let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly called for people to move the bed inside. The room instantly became more crowded. Huo Feng, who was fast asleep, was unceremoniously thrown onto the bed by Yi Chongren. Frightened by Yi Chongren¡¯s expression, Lu Tao covered his majesty with a quilt and hurriedly retreated out, closing the door. Sitting on the bed, Yi Chongren¡¯s eyebrows knit together. The room was filled with the stench of alcohol, stinky. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Ningshen palace only had this bedroom, he definitely would take the two children somewhere else to sleep. Letting down the bed curtain to isolate the stench of alcohol, Yi Chongren went out with a cold expression to wash his face and rinse his mouth. He never expected that that person would get wildly drunk. When Yi Chongren returned from washing, he opened the window to ventilate and lit some incense to make the room more breathable. Cold air blew in, and Yi Chongren, who was about to get into bed to rest, paused and got up to close the window, leaving only a gap. After tucking Huo Feng in the quilt, he finally got in bed. Turning sideways to face the children, someone lightly snored behind him, making him feel as if he had returned to those days at Jade City Pass. Did that person understand that he was the emperor? How could the emperor randomly ¡°sleep around¡±, especially here. With some inexplicable moodiness, Yi Chongren closed his eyes. Somewhere he couldn¡¯t see, Huo Feng, who was sound asleep, laughed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Huo Feng stayed at Ningshen palace the day after he ascended. Although he explained during court the second day that he wanted to accompany his two young sons, it was difficult to dispel the doubts of the ministers. After all, Yi Chongren also lived in Ningshen palace. His majesty stayed in Yi Chongren¡¯s room for a night, and among them¡­¡­seeing as his majesty put Yi Chongren in an important position immediately after his ascension, accepted Yi Chongren¡¯s adopted son as his adopted son, sealing him as prince, and included ¡°Chong¡± in both the princes¡¯ names, many ministers were uneasy. Even if Yi Chongren was a loyal official, he used to be Qianhu of the Hu An guards and he was an eunuch. Even if his majesty gave him the official position of ¡°the emperor¡¯s retainer¡±, everyone was well aware that it was just another name for secretary of justice[1]. But uneasiness is uneasiness. Although some ministers petitioned his majesty to be cautious when dealing with Yi Chongren to prevent repeating the mistakes of the previous reign, with the old ministers¡¯ silence, his majesty trusted the ministers¡¯ silence, and those people¡¯s petition, as if a stone sunk into the sea without a trace, elicited no response from the emperor. In the imperial study, Ruan Xingtian, Xu Baicai, Zhang Huaiqiu, Tang Nian, Ji Di, Xie Ming, and Huo Feng¡¯s other trusted officials lined up. Huang Han and He Xia had returned to the border to guard. With the start of a new reign, they had to guard against chaos at the border. Ruan Xingtian and Xu Baicai kept watch over the court. Zhang Huaiqiu was enough to keep watch over the capitol, not to mention Huo Feng himself was a military commander. Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t present. Huo Feng let him walk before the emperor and participate in court politics, but Yi Chongren spent most of his time patrolling the palace. Internal court affairs, palace purchases, and eunuch selections all needed Yi Chongren¡¯s approval. The palace didn¡¯t have a female owner. Yi Chongren was much busier than he expected, so in the month since he took office, he hadn¡¯t listened to much politics with the other ministers. Huo Feng threw out some memorials and said in an unclear tone: ¡°Recently, there have been more accounts about concubine selection. Do you know of this matter?¡± Ruan Xingtian and Xu Baicai didn¡¯t speak. They were military leaders who only managed soldiers and battles, not the emperor¡¯s ¡°family matters¡±. Besides, could they manage it? Zhang Huaiqiu and Xie Ming also didn¡¯t speak. They all knew that concubine selection was a taboo subject for Yi Chongren. Concubine selection meant there would be new heirs, which wasn¡¯t good for Douzi and Baozi. Tang Nian saw that no one was responding so he said: ¡°Although the land is settled, your majesty just ascended the throne. This official thinks we should begin considering the concubine selection. Your majesty can¡¯t not have concubines by your side.¡± Ji Di sympathetically glanced at Tang Nian. This guy had a few tricks up his sleeve for government affairs, but he was lacking in the ability to observe words and gestures (to understand the emperor¡¯s thoughts). Huo Feng calmly let out a ¡°wu¡± and turned towards Ji Di. Ji Di said: ¡°This official believes the matter of selection can be delayed. There are many things to be done for the country now. If your majesty organizes a concubine selection just after ascending the throne, it will be difficult to prevent the common people from misunderstanding. Also, we must first consider your majesty¡¯s intention. After all, this involves choosing a concubine for your majesty.¡± Tang Nian looked at Ji Di, not understanding why the other party was opposed to it. At this time, Xie Ming said: ¡°This official agrees with Lord Ji¡¯s words. The previous emperors were all concerned with concubine selection and pleasure seeking upon ascending the throne. Now is the time we should be stabilizing the hearts of the people. Your majesty should continue to delay for now.¡± Huo Feng nodded, seeming to think their words were reasonable. When Tang Nian saw this, he immediately understood that his words were wrong and hurriedly said: ¡°The Prime Minister and Lord Ji¡¯s concerns are also right. The national treasury still isn¡¯t full and a concubine selection would take lots of money and manpower. Silver is needed to deal with other matters, so delaying is for the best.¡± Very satisfied with his minister¡¯s responses, Huo Feng said: ¡°I also don¡¯t have that intention right now. In the future, directly deal with those types of memorials. Don¡¯t submit them to me again.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you have no other matters to discuss, you may retreat. Ji Di, stay.¡± ¡°These officials will retire.¡± Other than Ji Di, everyone bowed and retreated. The moment he left the imperial study, Xu Baicai hurriedly secretly asked Ruan Xingtian: ¡°Did his majesty call us over just for this?¡± Ruan Xingtian whispered back: ¡°His majesty means he doesn¡¯t want any of us to participate in the matter of concubine selection. If we hear about it, pretend not to hear about it.¡± Xu Baicai mulled over the meaning of these words, and after a while, he asked with uncertainty: ¡°Could his majesty simply not have that intention?¡± ¡°You¡¯d guess right.¡± Throwing out this sentence that shocked Xu Baicai, Ruan Xingtian went to find Zhang Huaiqiu. That man ran away again! In the imperial study, Ji Di, who was left inside, took something from his arms, walked towards his majesty, and presented it with both hands. A small courtyard in the northeast corner of the palace was the place where Yi Chongren dealt with political matters, called the ¡°house of internal affairs¡±. After promising Huo Feng, Yi Chongren found a few saboteurs he had hidden in the Hu An guards and imperial guards to help him. Among them included secretary of the Hu An guards, Guo An, and supervisor of the imperial guards, Zhang Ye, who he personally appointed. When the Hu An guards and imperial guards finally lost terribly, these two¡¯s contributions could not go unnoticed. Once the civil and military court officials learned that these two were actually Yi Chongren¡¯s people, everyone was as shocked as one would imagine. Even Huo Feng was surprised. Just as Yi Chongren was stewarding, an eunuch sent over a memorial. Guo An walked in and whispered by his ear: ¡°Your excellency, this subordinate just heard that many officials submitted a petition to his majesty to organize a concubine selection.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s expression sank and he asked in a low voice: ¡°Did his majesty agree?¡± ¡°It seems that he hasn¡¯t.¡± Yi Chongren put down the memorial. After a while, he said: ¡°Secretly pay attention to who wants his majesty to organize the selection.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Guo An left and Yi Chongren¡¯s expression appeared dark. He had long known that such a day would come. There weren¡¯t any women by Huo Feng¡¯s side, and now that he was the emperor, how could he lack three thousand beauties. Thinking of how the palace would eventually be full of countless warblers and swallows, capricious and domineering imperial sons and daughters, Yi Chongren¡¯s expression turned even darker. To him, it would be best if Huo Feng didn¡¯t produce any heirs in the next ten years, but it seemed that this would be very hard to achieve. However, he could prevent the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s women from bearing children, but he couldn¡¯t use similar tactics on Huo Feng. He didn¡¯t want to break the trust between Huo Feng and himself. Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t in the mood to read the memorial again. He had to prepare for a rainy day and strengthen the crown prince, Baozi, and Douzi¡¯s status in the palace. As long as their statuses were unshakeable, it didn¡¯t matter if Huo Feng produced any new heirs. [1] Secretary of Justice was the most powerful position among twelve eunuchs in the Ming dynasty. Responsible for final review of Ming national decision-making with the ¡°red¡± seal. Btw most of these t/n¡¯s are just taken from google CH 22 Trigger warning: drugging t/n: At this point, this novel starts getting pretty morally wrong. No nsfw this chapter but in the next. I DO NOT CONDONE ANY OF THE ACTIONS IN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS. I was translating as I was reading so I was unaware of this content when I started this project. I still translated to the end because there¡¯s only like five chapters left anyways, and I treated it as an educational experience. I¡¯m going to try posting daily for the next week to finish posting this novel. Feel free to leave at this point if you¡¯re uncomfortable with this type of material. If you have enjoyed my work up to this point, consider following me on twitter @sleepyneedle for future project updates or if you just want to fangirl over other novels together (the next novel I¡¯m planning to throw out if completely sfw) Before dinner, Yi Chongren had to report on inner court affairs to Huo Feng. Huo Feng didn¡¯t request for that, but Yi Chongren insisted. Many people were skeptical towards his control over the inner court, so Yi Chongren didn¡¯t hide anything from Huo Feng to avoid attracting any unnecessary suspicions from him. Inquiring if Huo Feng was still in the imperial study, Yi Chongren took a few important memorials to the imperial study. The court ladies and eunuchs he encountered on the way bowed to him in succession as they saw him, calling ¡°Lord Yi¡±. Yi Chongren only nodded slightly. He didn¡¯t change that gorgeous palace uniform. After Huo Feng sobered up, he hinted at it a few times, but Yi Chongren pretended not to understand. He didn¡¯t intend to adopt such a confrontational posture against Huo Feng, but once he thought of how that person regretted picking those clothes for him, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t want to change them. After walking for a while, his steps slowed to a stop and he turned. Four eunuchs who had just bowed turned rigid, not daring to breathe for a moment. Yi Chongren walked before one of the eunuchs and with his usual cold voice: ¡°Raise your head.¡± The man trembled and raised his head slightly. Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes sternly scanned across him and he asked: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Replying, replying to your excellency, this servant, this servant is called Xiao Wang.¡± ¡°Which ¡®Wang¡¯?¡± ¡°Which eunuch do you work under?¡± ¡°Replying, replying to your excellency, this servant, this servant¡­¡­¡± The man¡¯s voice trembled and he knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, ¡°Your excellency, have mercy, your excellency, have mercy, this servant is clumsy with hands and feet and didn¡¯t clean well, your excellency, please have mercy.¡± There was a broom by the eunuch¡¯s feet, as if the eunuch had just been sweeping the road. The man was visibly frightened, kowtowing like his life depended on it. Fresh blood soon began flowing from his forehead and all the surrounding eunuchs didn¡¯t dare to breathe. Not one person in the palace didn¡¯t fear the former Qianhu of the Hu An guards. Yi Chongren remained unmoved as he watched the eunuch continue kowtowing for a while and he turned to leave. Without explanation, and without letting that person rise. As the man continued to kowtow, hatred flashed in his eyes. Soon, a eunuch chased after Yi Chongren: ¡°Lord Yi, that person¡­¡­¡± ¡°Get him out of the palace.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t explain why, and the eunuch didn¡¯t dare ask, personally going to deal with this matter. Yi Chongren whispered to Guo An and Zhuang Ye who were following behind him: ¡°Send someone to observe him. I saw him at Noble Consort Ru¡¯s side before.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Guo An felt awe in his heart, and left calmly. Reaching the entrance of the imperial study, after being allowed in, Yi Chongren entered alone. The only person in the imperial study was Huo Feng, who was in the midst of reading through memorials. Once he saw Yi Chongren enter, he pointed to an empty chair: ¡°Chongren¡¯s here. Sit, I¡¯ll finish reading these memorials.¡± ¡°This official isn¡¯t in a rush.¡± Yi Chongren did not refuse and sat down. Yi Chongren was never very respectful towards Huo Feng. He knew he couldn¡¯t continue being like this but every time he saw Huo Feng, he just couldn¡¯t act as respectful as he should. And Huo Feng seemed to condone this behavior. Yi Chongren looked at Huo Feng and thought of the matter he just learned of, feeling annoyed for some reason. Huo Feng wasn¡¯t as good looking as the Jiazheng emperor, but with his greater masculinity and vast military experience, now that he was also the emperor, his presence became more majestic. Men like this are never destined to lack women. Huo Feng felt Yi Chongren¡¯s gaze on him and perceived that there was a load on Yi Chongren¡¯s mind, so he pretended not to notice and continued lowering his head to read memorials. After reading through the last memorial, Huo Feng raised his head, colliding with Yi Chongren¡¯s line of sight. Yi Chongrend didn¡¯t dodge in time, and his heart skipped a beat. However, he immediately calmed down and stood to present his report. Huo Feng didn¡¯t look at it, putting it beside him, saying: ¡°Chongren, I must seek your advice on something.¡± ¡°Your majesty, please speak.¡± Huo Feng sighed and said a bit emotionally: ¡°After the empress and noble consort died, I never thought about remarrying. I always feel like it¡¯d be letting them down. But now, I¡¯m the emperor, and I can¡¯t act on my own volition. These, these few days, many ministers have submitted petitions about organizing a concubine selection.¡± Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t help but feel his expression become colder. Huo Feng stared at Yi Chongren and continued saying: ¡°But I¡¯m so annoyed. I¡¯m used to being alone after all these years. Once I think about marrying, I will think of how the empress and noble consort committed suicide right before my eyes, and I lose that desire. Chongren, do you also think I should organize a selection?¡± Of course not. Yi Chongren lowered his eyes to avoid Huo Feng¡¯s gaze. After an inexplicable feeling of satisfaction returned in his heart because of Huo Feng¡¯s words, he raised his eyes, saying: ¡°This official can¡¯t escape blame for the empress and noble consort¡¯s death. If this minister came just a bit earlier, the two ladies wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng raised his hand to stop Yi Chongren from blaming himself and said: ¡°It was already hard enough for you to save the two children and I. Don¡¯t take this matter to heart. I only want to hear your opinion.¡± Yi Chongren feigned contemplation, and after a while, he finally said: ¡°Your highness toils day and night. There should be a thoughtful person to serve by your side.¡± And the desires of men can¡¯t be endured forever. Thinking of the desires of men, a shadow passed through Yi Chongren¡¯s heart, and he continued to say: ¡°Only¡­¡­There are so many servants in the palace, so this official can¡¯t understand everyone. If your majesty wants a concubine selection now, it would be hard to prevent people from taking advantage of this. Yunkai and Douzi just arrived at the capital, lost their mothers at a young age, and just became close to your majesty. If your majesty gets a new concubine, this official worries that they will feel difficult. Also, the land has just been settled. If your majesty chooses to hold a concubine selection now, it will be easy for the people to feel anxious and look down on your majesty¡¯s prestige.¡± Huo Feng appeared to agree: ¡°I think so too. You also understand that I¡¯m so busy that I don¡¯t have time to sleep. Where would I get the energy to hold a concubine selection? Let¡¯s drop this matter for now and talk about it later.¡± Yi Chongren nodded, very satisfied. Discussing serious matters until now, Huo Feng said: ¡°I¡¯ll go to Ningshen palace for dinner. I haven¡¯t eaten with Baozi and Douzi for many days. Someone come.¡± Lu Tao bowed and walked in: ¡°This servant is here.¡± ¡°I will have dinner at Ningshen palace. Let the crown prince come too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Huo Feng said he hadn¡¯t gone to Ningshen palace for many days, but he had just gone three days ago. Yi Chongren was already used to Huo Feng coming to Ningshen palace for dinner from time to time. Most importantly, Baozi and Douzi liked eating with their imperial father so he let them be. Knowing Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t unwilling, after Lu Tao retreated, Huo Feng stretched his arms and bitterly laughed: ¡°Being the emperor is even more tiring than marching and fighting with the army. Accompany me to drink a bit later?¡± ¡°This official is at your majesty¡¯s command.¡± Yi Chongren appeared to be in a decent mood. Huo Feng laughed. He was also in a decent mood. Yi Chongren now controlled the inner court. Although Huo Feng allowed him to participate in court politics, he still put most of his energy in the inner court. He didn¡¯t have much time to accompany the two children. Douzi and Baozi also began their formal education, taking classes in the morning and practicing martial arts after their afternoon nap. However, they said martial arts practice was more like playtime. At dinnertime, they saw imperial father and daddy come together. Baozi and Douzi self indulgently drilled into imperial father¡¯s arms, making Huo Feng laugh heartily. Huo Feng always spoiled Baozi and Douzi, so naturally the two children quickly became closer to him. Not long after, Huo Yunkai arrived. He had already begun taking over the duties of the crown prince, and Huo Feng valued this son of his very much. Under Yi Chongren¡¯s tutelage, Huo Yunkai, who originally already had a calm and steady temperament, gained the confidence to be a good crown prince. Huo Feng didn¡¯t mind that the crown prince arrived late, and after exchanging a few words with the crown prince, he ordered the imperial kitchen to serve the dishes, even specially letting the imperial kitchen bring out two bottles of palace aged wine, goods left over by the Jiazheng emperor. Yi Chongren rarely drank wine, so no one knew how his alcohol tolerance was, but today, Huo Feng was in high spirits, and Yi Chongren accompanied him to drink one cup after another. Once he began feeling dizzy, Yi Chongren stopped drinking. Huo Feng obviously didn¡¯t want to let him go and poured him another cup, persuading: ¡°Drink another cup, it¡¯s rare that I want to drink with you today. Don¡¯t put a damper on my good mood.¡± Yi Chongren supported his forehead with one hand and smiled slightly at Huo Feng: ¡°This official seems to be drunk, can¡¯t drink any more.¡± Seeing Yi Chongren look at him with that appearance, Huo Feng felt his mouth and tongue turn dry, and he pulled over Yi Chongren¡¯s hand, stuffing in another cup of wine: ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to leave without getting drunk with you. I¡¯m not drunk yet.¡± ¡°Your majesty, drunkenness harms the body.¡± Yi Chongren said, refusing to drink. His current state was already very dangerous. Huo Feng said: ¡°Then one last cup. Drink it, and I won¡¯t force you again.¡± Yi Chongren once again lightly smiled: ¡°Once last cup?¡± ¡°Once last cup.¡± Whatever, just drink it. Yi Chongren drank the cup of wine with drunken eyes, only feeling a subtle sweetness in the wine. This was Huo Yunkai¡¯s first time seeing yifu¡¯s drunken state, and he was amazed. Drunken yifu had a different flavor than usual, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the specifics. Baozi and Douzi were already full, and as daddy and imperial father drank, they chatted on their seats. Huo Feng looked towards the crown prince and said: ¡°Yunkai, take Baozi and Douzi on a walk to help them digest. Imperial father wants to speak with your yifu.¡± ¡°Yifu seems to be drunk.¡± Huo Yunkai didn¡¯t think yifu had the energy to discuss politics with imperial father. Huo Feng waved his hand to drive him away: ¡°Go.¡± Huo Yunkai had no choice but to just take Baozi and Douzi away. Not long after they left, Lu Tao closed the gate to the courtyard of Ningshen palace, leaving only Huo Feng and Yi Chongren in Ningshen palace. Yi Chongren was also pretty much full, and he had a terrible headache. Half squinting, he asked: ¡°Your majesty¡­¡­what matters do you want to discuss with this official?¡± Huo Feng once again poured a cup of wine for the two of them. He picked up a cup and handed the other cup to Yi Chongren, seriously saying: ¡°Chongren, you¡¯re one cup behind.¡± One cup behind? A doubtful expression appeared on Yi Chongren¡¯s drunken face. He subconsciously received the wine: ¡°This official, is drunk.¡± ¡°Chongren, I, thank you. Thank you for your kindness.¡± Huo Feng raised his head and downed the cup. As if infected by Huo Feng¡¯s seriousness, Yi Chongren also raised his head to down the cup, forgetting he had just drank ¡°the last cup of wine¡±. Putting down the cup, Yi Chongren lightly said: ¡°This official, only did one thing, this official only did what I wanted to do. Your majesty doesn¡¯t have to keep worrying about this.¡± Seeing the person in front of him become two people, Yi Chongren closed his eyes. He had never been so drunk before. A radiant light quickly flashed through Huo Feng¡¯s eyes, and he supported Yi Chongren: ¡°I see that you¡¯re really drunk. I¡¯ll support you to the bed to rest.¡± Yi Chongren shook his head and put both hands on the table to support himself up: ¡°This official, will go by myself. Your majesty should also return to your bedchamber.¡± Huo Feng clasped Yi Chongren¡¯s shoulders with both hands and took him into his arms, leading him out, saying: ¡°I should still send you back into the room.¡± ¡°Call Baozi and Douzi back.¡± Yi Chongren was used to coaxing the two children to sleep before he went to sleep. ¡°Someone is taking care of Baozi and Douzi, don¡¯t worry.¡± Taking Yi Chongren out of the dining room, Huo Feng somewhat eagerly supported Yi Chongren into the bedroom and used his foot to close the door. Huo Feng led Yi Chongren¡¯s unsteady footsteps to the bedside and he used a hand to push Huo Feng away: ¡°This official, will do it myself.¡± Huo Feng swallowed, and suddenly forcefully pushed Yi Chongren onto the bed. Feeling his body falling for a moment, Yi Chongren sobered up, but not waiting for him to make a move, a shadow pressed on him, letting down the bed curtain, dimming his line of sight. If Yi Chongren wouldn¡¯t sense danger at this time, he wouldn¡¯t be Yi Chongren. Both hands pressing against Huo Feng¡¯s chest, Yi Chongren¡¯s expression turned cold: ¡°What does your highness want to do?¡± Huo Feng wantonly touched Yi Chongren¡¯s smooth face, voice hoarse: ¡°I only want to ask you a question[1].¡± ¡°Can your majesty let go of this official first?¡± Yi Chongren was pressed under Huo Feng very uncomfortably. Huo Feng slightly shifted his body, both legs straddling Yi Chongren¡¯s sides and pulling away both his hands, trapping the man under his body. Yi Chongren tried to push him away, but immediately realized with astonishment that he actually couldn¡¯t muster out any strength! ¡°You drugged me?!¡± This conjecture made Yi Chongren lose all respect he held towards Huo Feng. ¡°Just to make you unable to push me away.¡± At this time, Huo Feng didn¡¯t seem like the high and mighty emperor, but a danger. He was too careless! But now wasn¡¯t the time to regret. Yi Chongren¡¯s first thought was to delay time, delay until Yunkai brought back Douzi and Baozi or he forced out the pharmaceutical properties. ¡°Chongren.¡±Huo Feng¡¯s rough fingers slid across Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, his hoarse voice making his heart palpitate. His and Yi Chongren¡¯s breaths completely blended together, and Yi Chongren turned his head, not looking at him. Huo Feng didn¡¯t let him escape, wrenching his face to make him look at himself. ¡°Why me?¡± Huo Feng asked out the doubt buried in his heart for so many years, ¡°You saved so many people, but why did you help me of all people win the world?¡± Yi Chongren revealed his customary sneer: ¡°Just a lucky coincidence.¡± ¡°Chongren,¡± Huo Feng laid a hand on Yi Chongren¡¯s chest with a serious expression, ¡°I want to hear the truth. Why me?¡± Then, he took a deep breath, voice becoming even more hoarse, ¡°These six years, I kept asking myself, why did you choose me? Chongren, I want to know.¡± Feeling a wave of dizziness sweep over, Yi Chongren closed his eyes. Huo Feng embraced Yi Chongren¡¯s waist and rolled over, leaving Yi Chongren laying on top of him. Huo Feng drew out Yi Chongren¡¯s hair pin and caressed his face. ¡°Chongren, tell me.¡± A powerful heartbeat traveled from Huo Feng¡¯s chest to Yi Chongren¡¯s eardrums. The arm embracing his waist was forceful, yet the hand caressing his face seemed especially gentle. Under a dizzy spell, Yi Chongren only felt a burst of heat flow from where he was stroked to the rest of his body. ¡°Chongren¡­¡­tell me¡­¡­¡± Like an earworm, the voice seemed to come from far away, and the dazed Yi Chongren stubbornly refused to speak, but he couldn¡¯t ward off the repeating words ¡°tell me¡­¡­¡± Powerless fingers curling, the scene before his eyes gradually distorted. Soldiers storming into his home, his bound parents and siblings, the dark, damp prison cell, the sinister face of the castrator, the overwhelming stench of the room full of crying children¡­¡­Yi Chongren let out a low voice: ¡°I hate¡­¡­I want, revenge¡­¡­¡± The hand stroking Yi Chongren paused without a word. ¡°That person, killed my parents and relatives¡­¡­I want to destroy his rivers and mountains, kill his sons and grandsons¡­¡­to survive, I became a demon neither male nor female¡­¡­how could I not take revenge¡­¡­.how could I, not take revenge!¡± Huo Feng tightly hugged the man, feeling an unbreakable heartache. ¡°Then why, me? That man¡¯s blood flows through my veins. You should have, also killed me.¡± ¡°I thought about it.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s body shook, a look of unbearableness passed through his eyes. ¡°Do you still remember that night? You called me a castrated dog¡­¡­a demon¡­¡­should¡­¡­¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± Huo Feng covered Yi Chongren¡¯s mouth, unable to face that person, ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I regret saying those hurtful words to you.¡± After Huo Feng let him go, Yi Chongren laughed in a low voice: ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong, I¡¯m just a¡­¡­¡± His mouth was covered again. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t. You were just seriously injured. Chongren, did you choose me because there were troops in my hands?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t hesitate, yet Huo Feng was disappointed. Of course it was like this. ¡°I hated you, but there was no one more suitable¡­¡­at least you, weren¡¯t an asshole. My parents wouldn¡¯t blame me for helping you.¡± These words didn¡¯t make Huo Feng very content. Should he be happy? ¡°What about now? Do you still hate me?¡± ¡°Now?¡± A bit of perplexity appeared in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, ¡°Now¡­¡­I don¡¯t know¡­..I never thought about, meeting you again¡­¡­never thought¡­¡­¡± He sighed, ¡°I¡¯m tired¡­¡­I¡¯m tired¡­¡­¡± With another flip, Huo Feng pressed the tired man under him. Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes lost their customary coldness, and bewilderment, fatigue, and a bit of vulnerability that he had never seen in that person before appeared. Huo Feng undid the first frog on Yi Chongren¡¯s crimson official robes, then undid the second, the third¡­¡­Yi Chongrenjust watched Huo Feng¡¯s torch-like eyes without stopping him. ¡°I know you¡¯re tired¡­¡­and know you don¡¯t like this place, unwilling to stay in this place, but¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng leaned close and pressed on Yi Chongren¡¯s lips, slowly moving against him, gently licking, ¡°But¡­¡­I don¡¯t want you to leave me again¡­¡­Chongren¡­..Chongren¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes opened wide. The moment Huo Feng covered his lips, his mind suddenly turned blank. What was, this, person, doing? [1] Starts using ÎÒ instead of ëÞ here. Less formal CH 23 Trigger warning: Explicit rape and mentions of castration. I think I¡¯m pretty bad at writing smut so constructive criticism is appreciated. The belt was thrown off the bed, and not long after, the crimson official robes and white inner robes followed. When he felt a chill on his upper body, Yi Chongren abruptly woke up. ¡°What are you doing!¡± Laying half naked under a man, Yi Chongren¡¯s face turned deathly white, the words ¡°you dare¡± appearing in his eyes. Huo Feng couldn¡¯t care less about Yi Chongren¡¯s threats. He straightened up and took off his nuisances layer by layer. Soon, he was half naked like Yi Chongren. ¡°Huo Feng, if you dare, I¡¯ll definitely kill you!¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, not caring that the other party was the emperor that could crush him to death with one finger. Huo Feng bent over and kissed Yi Chongren¡¯s lips. After a brief taste, a deep kiss as fierce as a storm followed. Yi Chongren understood the ways of the world, but he had only ever heard about it and never experienced it himself. His threats and viciousness were immediately defeated by Huo Feng¡¯s masculine aggression. Adding to the fact that he was drugged and drunk, the tongue that drilled into his mouth easily sucked away all his resistance. He only felt that the top of the bed was spinning. ¡°Wu¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t know how attractive sounds he let out were, and Huo Feng¡¯s pants became more and more rough and heavy. The lustful beast in his heart broke free from the prison of reason the moment he touched Yi Chongren, only wanting to swallow this person that he had been thinking of for too long into his stomach. ¡ª¡ª ¡°You are a coward.¡± No! I¡¯m not a coward! I will prove to you that I¡¯ve become the ruler of this world! ¡ª¡ª- ¡°¡­¡­ hundred thousand troops in his hand could be bullied to such an extent by an accursed castrated dog¡­¡­¡± You saw I was useless. How should I punish you? I want to block off your mouth and let you know just how courageous I am, make your thin lips unable to say another word to irritate me. ¡ª¡ª ¡°I¡¯ve always looked down on you, now even more so.¡± You look down on me because I¡¯m not in your heart. I want to capture your heart, I want you to only know how to say you want me while under me! ¡ª¨C ¡°but you, you can¡¯t even compare to a castrate!¡± Castrate¡­¡­castrate¡­¡­Chongren, is this what you think of yourself? No, you aren¡¯t just a castrate. Did you know that to earn your respect, I would even be willing to put my life on the line? No matter whether you¡¯re a castrate or not, the first time I saw you again after rushing to Jade City Pass for days and nights, my uncontrollable desire let me understand why I couldn¡¯t never forget you. It turned out, I unknowingly fell in love with you long ago. You, took away my children; and took away my heart. Chongren, you¡¯re the one who provoked me. Separating from Yi Chongren¡¯s swollen red lips, looking at the other party¡¯s blurred eyes, Huo Feng breathed heavily and searched Yi Chongren¡¯s body. Soon, he found two arrow wounds on the other party¡¯s shoulder and arm. Then, he turned Yi Chongren over and a scar that ran across his entire back came into view. In addition to that, many small and large scars were scattered throughout Yi Chongren¡¯s pale body. Yi Chongren gasped hurriedly, but without waiting for him to calm down, a wetness licked his back. He couldn¡¯t help but groan, body burning from a certain kind of fire. Huo Feng licked along that long sword wound, a hand teasing the erect red blossoms onYi Chongren¡¯s chest and Yi Chongren¡¯s inexperienced response aroused his swelling desire. Palm smoothly sliding down Yi Chongren¡¯s lean body, finding the drawstring of his trousers, Huo Feng pulled. At this moment, Yi Chongren immediately sobered up, and grabbed Huo Feng¡¯s hand with sudden strength. ¡°Go away!¡± The rosiness on Yi Chongren¡¯s face disappeared without a trace. ¡°I want you. Tonight.¡± Yi Chongren gritted his teeth: ¡°Scram!¡± ¡°I want you!¡± Huo Feng took off his own pants and underwear, clamoring male desire bared before Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren¡¯s chest rose and fell violently, eyes filled with killing intent. ¡°Destroy my martial arts or cut off my limbs. Otherwise, I will definitely kill you!¡± Huo Feng grabbed both sides of Yi Chongren¡¯s pants with both hands and bent over to kiss his chest, hoarsely saying: ¡°You are the father of my children, and I¡¯m the imperial father of your son. We should be together. Chongren, I like you, I¡¯ve fallen for you.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s body trembled, and the next moment, Huo Feng tore off his pants without hesitation. Yi Chongren¡¯s head buzzed, couldn¡¯t hear anything, couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡°Lord Wang, this small matter is disrespectful. This child is my distantly related nephew. His parents are deceased. I took pity on him and brought him into the palace. Have some mercy and spare some thoughts for this child.¡± ¡ª¡ª- ¡°That won¡¯t do, castration isn¡¯t clean. I can¡¯t be blamed for committing a crime or getting found out.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡°Lord Wang, don¡¯t worry. If something really happens, I¡¯ll take care of it myself. The palace head doesn¡¯t ¡°supervise¡± the eunuch selection. Lord Wang, show some mercy, this child will definitely be deeply grateful towards you. In the future, if he can enter the Hu An guards, he will definitely report your excellency¡¯s kindness.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡° No no, this child looks good, it¡¯ll be hard to prevent people from taking a fancy to him. If he exposes me, ten heads won¡¯t be enough to chop.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡°Lord Wang, please be kind, if this child had someone to rely on outside of the palace, I wouldn¡¯t let him enter the palace. You only need to spare some thoughts for this child. I¡¯ll take care of him, please be kind. You also said this child looks good. If his body is a bit better, maybe one day someone who takes a fancy to him one day will thank you for having mercy.¡± ¡ª- ¡°En¡­¡­ok. But his male root can¡¯t remain, it¡¯ll be easy to blow his cover. Go back and do it¡­¡­you have to remember, otherwise, if he grows a beard, he¡¯ll die from a thousand cuts.¡± ¡ª- ¡°Thank you, your excellency, thank you, your excellency! I¡¯ll remember.¡± Huo Feng stared at Yi Chongren¡¯s lower body, mind confused. Yi Chongren¡¯s that place wasn¡¯t completely cut off, leaving two immature balls, and the other part was obviously castrated before but grew back, half a finger long. Huo Feng¡¯s eyes turned hot. This person always called himself a castrate, but in fact wasn¡¯t a castrate. This person only got injured there. This person was a man, a real man. Huo Feng pulled apart Yi Chongren¡¯s legs, crawling on top of him, opened his mouth towards that thing that was once heavily injured and sucked it. ¡°Wu!¡± Yi Chongren, who had fallen into a nightmare, was suddenly surrounded with warmth. Once he realized where this warmth came from, his head buzzed once more and his heart felt like it was beaten by a heavy hammer. That place¡­¡­that place¡­¡­Yi Chongren was stupefied, dazed, stunned, that place, his place¡­¡­ ¡°Wu!¡± Body shaking, that place was, was¡­¡­even if Yi Chongren could become calm, at this moment, he didn¡¯t know how to act at all. His most inferior, most ashamed place, was held by that person¡¯s mouth, that person, was even the high and mighty emperor! He knew how eunuchs served men. He had personally seen how the Jiazheng emperor favored eunuchs. Not to mention kissing or licking, the Jiazheng emperor saw that place as disgraceful. The serving eunuchs had to first lay on the bed exposing that desired spot and clean and lubricate well in advance. After the Jiazheng emperor was satisfied, the eunuchs had to put on their pants with their backs facing him and immediately climb off the bed. And at this time, this person, was actually using his mouth! So what if he wasn¡¯t completely castrated? This body was just a sign of mercy. He still couldn¡¯t be considered a man! A strange sensation spread from the place where he was held to his limbs and then his whole body. Yi Chongren suddenly panicked. He forcefully raised his hand to push Huo Feng, to hit Huo Feng. Go away! Go away! Huo Feng easily subdued Yi Chongren¡¯s hands, and despite the other¡¯s struggles, interlocked their fingers, tongue meticulously licking every part of Yi Chongren¡¯s place. ¡°Scram! Scram! Huo Feng! Scram!¡± Something slid down from the corner of Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes. Huo Feng, who kept paying attention to Yi Chongren, naturally saw it. But he definitely couldn¡¯t retreat, this was his only opportunity. Huo Feng released him, caught Yi Chongren¡¯s waist, and let him lay down. Then he raised his lower body and separated his anal lobes. ¡°Huo Feng!¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s calm and reason had long been shattered. He was screaming in his heart for Huo Feng to scram. That place, how could that asshole lick that place! But his mouth couldn¡¯t scream out. His entire lower body was licked by Huo Feng. Yi Chongren turned his head, long, black hair flowing to both sides of his pale, scarred back. Something kept slipping from his eyes, sliding down both cheeks. ¡°You¡­¡­go away¡­¡­¡± ¡°Chongren, I want you.¡± Huo Feng stuck on Yi Chongren¡¯s back, kissing that sword wound, rubbing his thumb against that certain wet place on Yi Chongren¡¯s body. ¡°I will, kill you¡­¡­I definately, will!¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°Dying under the peony is also romantic[1].¡± ¡°Wu!¡± Yi Chongren tightly gritted his teeth. ¡°Relax, Chongren, you¡¯re too tight.¡± ¡°Scram!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt. I already can¡¯t endure anymore.¡± ¡°Wu!¡± It hurts! ¡°Relax.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Yi Chongren had never been so embarrassed before, and he broke out in a cold sweat. It hurts, it hurts so much! ¡°This is also my first time, you should cooperate.¡± ¡°Scram!¡± ¡°Ya! I forgot the lubricant.¡± ¡°If you dare to use it on me I¡¯ll definitely kill you!¡± ¡°But you¡¯re too tight.¡± ¡°You dare!¡± Huo Feng withdrew his finger. This person wasn¡¯t willing, so he could only give this person the lubricant. ¡°Wu!¡± Yi Chongren bit his own arm, not letting himself call out. He would definitely, kill that asshole! That night was a chaotic night. After using three fingers, Huo Feng couldn¡¯t endure any longer. He flipped over Yi Chongren so that he was facing him. Huo Feng raised Yi Chongren¡¯s legs, and lifted his own erect member to cruelly pry apart Yi Chongren¡¯s body. Yi Chongren slid his nails down Huo Feng¡¯s back, leaving three long scratches. All the muscles on Huo Feng¡¯s body clenched, both hands holding Yi Chongren¡¯s waist, seeming to punish the other party for his disrespect. In one fell swoop, he directly forced into his deepest parts, and Yi Chongren felt that this moment was worse than death, it hurt too much. ¡°Chongren, let¡¯s be together.¡± Yi Chongren opened his mouth and panted heavily, eyes blank. Huo Feng didn¡¯t say anything else, and he bent over to kiss Yi Chongren¡¯s trembling lips, waist moving slowly. Ji Di had said before that this person was an eunuch, so it would be very difficult for him to feel anything during sex. When he kissed this person before, he thought this person was actually very sensitive. After looking at this person¡¯s body, he understood why this person was sensitive. This person, could feel the joy he gave him. Unlike his cold temperament, Yi Chongren¡¯s body was unusually hot, seeming to almost melt Huo Feng. These six years, other than fighting, Huo Feng only had one person in his heart from beginning to end. Once he realized why he kept thinking of that person, his shock passed in a blink of an eye. Spending most of his time in the army, Huo Feng wasn¡¯t a stranger to male preferences, especially now that he was the emperor. This wasn¡¯t uncommon in the palace. After being ¡°tormented¡± by Yi Chongren for six years and understanding his own heart, Huo Feng chose to face it. If he didn¡¯t capture Yi Chongren, he would definitely regret it. He had already done many regretful things in this lifetime. This time, he would strike decisively. Feeling his cock wrapped in scorching warmth, Huo Feng couldn¡¯t help but groan, Chongren, Chongren. He felt more ecstasy from obtaining this person¡¯s body than the pleasure of thrusting. Looking at this single person laying under him naked, he couldn¡¯t help but shoot. For the first time, Yi Chongren understood that a cock could be so hard, hard enough to kill him. It hurt, it hurt so much, but this pain also caused an inexplicable throbbing in his heart. Huo Feng¡¯s hard member seemed to pierce through both his body and his heart. A scorching body quite a bit broader than his own surrounded him, and the definite masculine aura rendered him unable to refuse the invasion into his mouth and the entanglement of his tongue. Strength seeming to come back to him, Yi Chongren angrily left more scratches on Huo Feng¡¯s body; but his strength seemed to disappear again and he was left unable to push away the person wreaking havoc on his body. The two people¡¯s breaths intertwined, you in me, me in you. The painful numbness on his lower body gradually gave rise to a different feeling. Yi Chongren¡¯s fingers held by Huo Feng couldn¡¯t help but tighten their hold. As the two people¡¯s lips entangled together once more, he ruthlessly bit the other party¡¯s lips. The taste of blood spread across the two people¡¯s mouths, and the next moment, Yi Chongren opened his mouth and let out repeated groans. This was, this was¡­¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Chongren, do you feel something? Is it here?¡± What ¡°here¡±? Yi Chongren¡¯s nails sunk into the back of Huo Feng¡¯s hands, unable to control the shouts breaking out of his throat. Huo Feng didn¡¯t ask any more, and the pale face of the man below him turned rosy. Those groans were full of emotion because of him. It was here, the place that let that person feel pleasure was here. The rhythm became smoother and smoother, and Huo Feng lost all reason. He stared at the man swaying underneath him with eyes like a wild beast and used his own hardness to make the other party let out even more pleasing sounds. This person, was finally his. All the senses of the two were connected. When Huo Feng suddenly increased his speed like an out of control bull, Yi Chongren felt that he might die. A violent heat swept across his whole body, and a wave of numbness converged at his ravaged place. Huo Feng¡¯s breaths brought a frightening low roar, and Yi Chongren screamed many times. Something burst inside his body, followed by a strong collision from Huo Feng, and then, a warm fluid shot into him. It was finally over¡­¡­finally, over¡­¡­Yi Chongren didn¡¯t know whether he should push away Huo Feng first or feel for the dagger under his pillow to kill the other party first. But without giving him the time to finish thinking, the person on top of him started moving again. ¡°Chongren, let¡¯s be together.¡± Mouth caught, Yi Chongren¡¯s raised hand gradually fell down and was then captured by the man. He didn¡¯t reply to Huo Feng, only forcefully biting the other party¡¯s adams apple. Stop saying such foolish words, they couldn¡¯t be together. Not surprised by Yi Chongren¡¯s reaction, Huo Feng, whose Adam¡¯s apple was bitten by the other party, didn¡¯t force Yi Chongren to answer him. A moment in spring is worth a thousand gold. The night was still long. For the first time in six years, he wanted to eat his fill. [1] from the kunqu ×íÎ÷Ê©. I¡¯m too lazy to explain. CH 24 Huo Feng didn¡¯t attend morning court today. He didn¡¯t head out from Ningshen palace to the imperial study until around 9:07 am. The emperor stayed at Ningshen palace overnight, the two princes stayed in the emperor¡¯s bed chamber overnight, and Yi Chongren stayed at Ningshen palace. Although they didn¡¯t hear any definite news from anyone¡¯s mouth, the officials tacitly understood what his majesty did at Ningshen palace last night. There were obvious scratches and nail marks on the back of his majesty¡¯s hands, there was a line of imprints on his neck, and his lips were broken. Who could bite the emperor? And who could leave wounds on the emperor¡¯s mouth? Seeing the hidden smile on his majesty¡¯s face, no matter how one looked at him, he looked like a cat that stole some fish. For a while, a strange atmosphere flowed around the group of officials, and Xie Dan, Zhang Huaiqiu, and the others couldn¡¯t help but knit their brows. It was one matter if his majesty favored Yi Chongren, but ¡°dominating¡± Yi Chongren was another matter. Huo Feng didn¡¯t mention a single thing about last night, discussing national affairs with the officials the moment he reached the imperial study. The crown prince Huo Yunkai was also present, and he kept staring at his imperial father, finding it hard to hide his shock. Three quarters past noon, Huo Feng, who was ready to eat, let the ministers retreat, leaving only the crown prince. Huo Feng dismissed the servants, and ordered for no one to disturb him. Huo Yunkai directly asked: ¡°Imperial father, why didn¡¯t you return to your bedchamber last night? Why didn¡¯t you let Baozi and Douzi return to Ningshen palace?¡± Huo Yunkai didn¡¯t sleep well last night. When he was heading back from taking his little brothers on a stroll, Lu Tao told him that his imperial father would be staying in Ningshen palace and wanted him to let his brothers sleep with him for the night. Even if he was stupid, Huo Yunkai could sense that something was up. Huo Yunkai greatly cared about Yi Chongren, his yifu. His first reaction was that imperial father was taking advantage of yifu. Some people said that yifu seduced imperial father, but he didn¡¯t believe it. Huo Yunkai was saved by Yi Chongren and lived with him for six years, so his feelings naturally differed. Huo Feng was also clear on this, so although he knew about how much the crown prince cared about Yi Chongren, he didn¡¯t use his position as his father and the emperor to reprimand the crown prince, only calmly and seriously saying: ¡°Last night, your yifu and I performed the rites of husband and wife. Your yifu is my person now.¡± Huo Yunkai sucked in a cold breath, and subconsciously asked: ¡°Yifu was willing?!¡± He didn¡¯t believe it. Naturally, that person was not willing. Huo Feng said frankly: ¡°I¡¯ve already liked your yifu for many years. This is the reason why I personally went to Jade City Pass to receive him. Your yifu always minded his past, so even if his heart was willing, he wouldn¡¯t express it to me. But I, don¡¯t want to wait any longer. Yunkai, the moment your yifu sent your jade pendant into my hands, your yifu and I¡¯s fates were entangled for a lifetime. I, hope you can accept this.¡± Huo Yunkai didn¡¯t know how to respond. He was in a mess. Although he wasn¡¯t knowledgeable on the ways of the world, he could tell that last night, imperial father definitely took advantage of yifu when he was drunk. Imperial father, actually liked yifu¡­¡­ yifu actually sent his own jade pendant to imperial father six years ago¡­¡­ yifu¡­¡­ imperial father¡­¡­ ¡°Your yifu is willing to be with me. I won¡¯t hide it from you, many people will be against this matter and will try to force me into disposing of your yifu. Yunkai, are you going to join the others in forcing me to drive away your yifu or kill him, or will you help your yifu and I?¡± Huo Yunkai¡¯s body shook. There was definitely a possibility that this would happen! Huo Yunkai, whose temperament was greatly affected by his yifu¡¯s, quickly calmed down. One was imperial father, and one was yifu. If imperial father and yifu could really be together, then that would be the best outcome for him! With a suddenly clear mind, Huo Yunkai raised his eyes: ¡°Imperial father, this son has said before that he will be filial to yifu and take care of yifu in his old age. This oath will never change. This son only wants to ask imperial father of one matter. Will you establish an empress?¡± ¡°No.¡± Huo Feng answered without hesitation, ¡°Having you three sons and your yifu is already enough. This is also the only thing I can do to compensate your mother and auntie. I will never have another woman and will never have other heirs. But for now, I still can¡¯t open up on this matter or else the court officials will aim their spearheads on your yifu. There are already people sending petitions for me to hold a concubine selection. I can delay this matter for now, and when the time is ripe, I will let them understand that in this life, I will have no one other than your yifu. I need your help.¡± Huo Yunkai clenched his fists and said: ¡°Imperial father, what do you need this son to do?¡± As expected of the son taught by Yi Chongren! Huo Feng was extremely pleased with the crown prince¡¯s reaction. He let the crown prince come to his side and whispered in the crown prince¡¯s ear what he wanted him to do. Huo Yunkai nodded, and once he heard his imperial father¡¯s final words, he shook abnormally. Huo Feng patted his son¡¯s shoulders: ¡°I¡¯ve conquered the rivers and mountains for you. For the rest, you must rely on yourself.¡± After a while, Huo Yunkai kneeled down and kowtowed thrice to his imperial father: ¡°This son will definitely live up to imperial father¡¯s expectations!¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± Huo Feng supported his son up with both hands. In his eyes, the crown prince was good, Baozi and Douzi were also good. They were all the children of him and another person, them, the children of the two of them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C When Yi Chongren woke up, his first thought was that he was actually still alive. The next moment, he found out that he was only still alive. That year he was heavily injured, he was nearly cut in half by someone, and he fled with all his remaining strength. But now, he even found difficulty turning over. His entire lower body didn¡¯t seem to be his anymore. Last night was both blurred and chaotic, so he couldn¡¯t even remember how many times Huo Feng did him, let alone when the other party left. It was dim in the bed, and Yi Chongren weakly raised the bed curtain. The outside was naturally very bright. Withdrawing his hand, and turning over with difficulty, Yi Chongren¡¯s left hand grabbed the bed to support himself up. Just as he raised his upper body, his wrist trembled and he fell back into bed. Yi Chongren instantly broke out in cold sweat. A certain part of his lower body hurt. Eyes flashing with killing intent and another complicated sentiment, Yi Chongren thought of how to tackle his current dilemma, and then he froze. Lifting the quilt, his eyes flashed slightly. The clothes on his body¡­¡­were new. He felt a cooling sensation from a certain area. Yi Chongren pursed his lips, not moving anymore. What happened last night greatly exceeded his expectations, and once Yi Chongren found out he was changed into a set of clean satin inner robes and he was drugged there, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t know how to react. Ever since reuniting with Huo Feng, this feeling of ¡°not knowing how to react¡± appeared more and more. Yi Chongren was shrouded by a strange feeling. If it was the past, he would definitely kill Huo Feng without a word. But now, he hesitated. At a time he should be hesitating, he hesitated. He seemed to be in danger. He thought of Huo Yunkai, thought of Douzi, thought of how he and Huo Feng met countless times in the palace, thought of the moon viewing platform where he and Huo Feng opposed each other with equal harshness¡­¡­Yi Chongren powerlessly closed his eyes. It was a mess, everything was a mess. ¡°Daddy¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren immediately opened his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Douzi.¡± Yi Chongren realized how unpleasant his voice sounded the moment he opened his mouth. ¡°Daddy? What happened?¡± The bed curtain was lifted and a worried small face appeared before Yi Chongren. Yi Chongren tried to laugh and raised his sore arm to touch Douzi¡¯s face. ¡°Where¡¯s Baozi?¡± ¡°Daddy.¡± Baozi¡¯s voice sounded, and Yi Chongren raised his eyes to see Baozi slowly walk over, carrying a bowl. Huo Yunkai followed behind Baozi, carrying a tray. ¡°Yifu, you¡¯re awake.¡± Yi Chongren lost all his hesitations. He would definitely kill Huo Feng! If Huo Feng had any bargaining chips to cool Yi Chongren¡¯s temper, they were the three children. Last night, Yi Chongren suffered, so he really wanted to accompany Yi Chongren by his side, but he also understood Yi Chongren¡¯s temperament. If Yi Chongren saw him when he woke up, it would be hard to guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t draw his sword and hack him to death, so he first let Yunkai, Douzi, and Baozi dissipate Yi Chongren¡¯s fury. Huo Feng didn¡¯t evade the issue out of fear and let the imperial kitchen prepare a light meal for the people in Ningshen palace, even specially instructing the children to bring it to their father¡¯s bedside. He also let Douzi give a letter he wrote to Yi Chongren. In front of the children, Yi Chongren wouldn¡¯t flare up. But bumping into Huo Yunkai made him very awkward. Luckily, Huo Yunkai performed very normally, even supporting him off the bed to sit down naturally. Baozi and Douzi took turns speaking to coax their daddy into happiness. Imperial father told them that daddy¡¯s body was unwell, so Baozi and Douzi were very worried. They had never seen daddy so weak. After Yi Chongren finished eating, Douzi gave daddy a letter, saying it was from imperial father. While yifu was in a daze, Huo Yunkai led his two little brothers away. Chongren: I know you hate me. But what happened last night wasn¡¯t because of a drunken stupor, but what I wanted to do ever since I saw you at Jade City Pass. Chongren, these six years, every night, I thought of you. Thought of your eyes, thought of your face, thought of your disdain towards me. At first, I was angry and embarrassed, only wanting to win the world and tell you not to humiliate me anymore; but later, what I thought about the most were your eyes. I wanted to see your true face underneath all that powder. Once I hurried to Jade City Pass, I saw it. I saw that pair of eyes carved in my heart, saw a true smile that I had never seen on your face before. That moment, I knew why I could never forget you those six years. Chongren, I¡¯m already forty, I don¡¯t want to miss you anymore, I don¡¯t have many more six years. You know that the moment I sat in this position, I lost much of my freedom, but for you, I definitely will not concede. No matter how much the court resists, no matter how much the officials object, I will firmly grasp you. Because there is only one Yi Chongren in this world. I may encounter many beautiful things in life, but it¡¯s enough to grasp one with all my heart[1]. Chongren, let¡¯s be together. Together, let¡¯s take charge of this world; Together, let¡¯s watch Yunkai become a brilliant ruler; watch Baozi and Douzi grow up. You, are their daddy; I, am their imperial father. Yi Chongren tightly gritted his teeth. Once he read the last word, he forcefully threw the letter to the side. Both eyes glaring at the top of the bed, Yi Chongren panted hurriedly, trying to suppress a certain emotion that made him incredibly sad. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªwhat happened last night wasn¡¯t because of a drunken stupor¡­¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªcould never forget you¡­¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªthere is only one Yi Chongren in this world¡­¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªI may encounter many beautiful things in life, but it¡¯s enough to grasp one with all my heart¡­.. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Chongren, let¡¯s be together¡­¡­ Closing his eyes, Yi Chongren pulled the quilt over his head. He could cut off a person¡¯s head without blinking, could watch people die right in front of him indifferently. But towards Huo Feng¡¯s short letter, he once again didn¡¯t know how to react. Mind in chaos, heart in chaos, a feeling of headache he hadn¡¯t felt in many years lingered in his heart. Damn it! Damn it! He hated these types of uncontrollable feelings, he was Yi Chongren, the Yi Chongren who never lost his reason and calm! ¡°Creak¡±, the door to the bedroom was pushed open, and Yi Chongren forcefully bit his lower lip, pulling down the quilt. The hanging bed curtain was once again lifted, and Yi Chongren¡¯s anger rose, reddened eyes glaring at the newcomer, tightly scrunching the letter in his hand into a ball. The newcomer sat by the bedside, holding the hand gripping the letter, and leaned over. Yi Chongren breathed unstably and felt for the dagger under the pillow with his other hand. The other party seemed to not notice, and he covered Yi Chongren¡¯s cool warm lips with his own, gently tossing about in bed. Yi Chongren tightly grabbed the dagger yet his hand trembled beyond recognition. The other party easily took away the dangerous dagger and wrapped Yi Chongren¡¯s trembling hand in his rough palm. Once Yi Chongren¡¯s lips became as heated as his own, the other party backed off. ¡°Chongren,¡± Huo Feng¡¯s voice was very hoarse and his expression was quite emotional, ¡°Let¡¯s be together¡­¡­I¡¯m unable to give you status and can¡¯t raise you as the empress¡­¡­I can only use these methods to give the inner palace and inner court to you.¡± The day I ascended, you, were already my empress. Yi Chongren pursed his lips without saying a word, so Huo Feng just watched him. After a while, Yi Chongren tightly closed his eyes, and once again opened them, eyes cold. Huo Feng¡¯s heart sank. Was he still unwilling? ¡°If you want me to agree, I can, but you must promise me one thing.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s face lit up with ecstasy: ¡°Say it!¡± Yi Chongren calmly said: ¡°A lifetime is too long, I just need ten years. These ten years, you can¡¯t hold a concubine selection, can¡¯t raise concubines, can¡¯t set a finger on even a palace maid. If you agree, then from today onwards, I, Yi Chongren, am yours.¡± Huo Feng froze, and he immediately understood why Yi Chongren raised these conditions. At once, Huo Feng didn¡¯t know whether he should be happy or angry, but he didn¡¯t argue. After ten years, this person would understand that what he said today was by no means an impulse. Huo Feng lowered his head and gave Yi Chongren¡¯s mouth a light peck. ¡°Ok. I promise you.¡± Yi Chongren felt something burst in his heart with Huo Feng¡¯s ¡°Ok¡±. Then, he heard Huo Feng say with thick desire: ¡°Then from today onwards, you, are mine.¡± Letting down the bed curtain, Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes panic. This person really wanted to do him to death! ¡°Hehehe¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng was amused by Yi Chongren¡¯s appearance. He took off his shoes, got in bed, hugged Yi Chongren, and yawned, saying: ¡°Your body isn¡¯t better yet. Accompany me to sleep for a bit. But Chongren, don¡¯t leave wounds on obvious places next time. For better or worse, I¡¯m also the emperor, so help me save some face.¡± Yi Chongren glanced at the wound on Huo Feng¡¯s lips, disapproving. Not killing this person was already giving him face. Was he this easy to obtain? Huo Feng¡¯s hand touched Yi Chongren¡¯s heavily injured area, and he bit his ear: ¡°Does it still hurt a lot?¡± Yi Chongren took the dagger thrown aside by Huo Feng and stabbed at him. Huo Feng hurriedly grabbed his wrist, not daring to ask again. He forgot, the person he liked was not just full of strategems but also a master of martial arts. Hurriedly throwing the dagger off the bed, Huo Feng held Yi Chongren tight, not saying another word. The both familiar and unfamiliar breath sprayed on the top of his head. Yi Chongren wanted to push Hou Feng away but forced himself to be patient. He gave this person ten years, so he had to quickly get used to everything about this person. Not thinking of whether these ten years were worth it, Yi Chongren told himself that this was the best choice. The best, the best. [1] ÈõË®Èýǧ£¬ ÎÒ£¬Ö»È¡Ò»Æ°Òû Comes from a Buddhist scripture. Metaphor for fidelity and devotion to love. Used in Dream of the Red Chamber when Jia Baoyu expresses his love for Lin Daiyu. CH 25 Zhang Huaiqiu once again visited Ningshen palace. Yi Chongren, who had been lying in bed for five days, sat in the courtyard basking in the sun. The weather was cool, and the midday sun wasn¡¯t especially harsh, making people drowsy. These few nights, Huo Feng didn¡¯t stay at Ningshen palace overnight, as if that night really was just a drunken stupor. Huo Feng never admitted what he and Yi Chongren did. Though everyone was well aware, the emperor didn¡¯t admit it, and Yi Chongren didn¡¯t admit it, so this matter could be considered ambiguous. Huo Feng hadn¡¯t established himself as the emperor for long, so he didn¡¯t want the officials to pay too much attention to Yi Chongren. Of course, this was also to protect Yi Chongren. As for whether Yi Chongren needed this or not, Huo Feng didn¡¯t take that into account. Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t curious about why Zhang Huaiqiu came. After the other party sat down, he poured the other party a cup of tea as usual, and then looked up at the sky, thinking about who knows what. Zhang Huaiqiu took a sip of tea, poured himself another cup, and then said: ¡°Are you and his majesty together?¡± The eye catching hickeys on Yi Chongren¡¯s neck were visible to all who weren¡¯t blind. Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes gradually turned towards Zhang Huaiqiu, revealing an indistinct bearing that made Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s eyebrows scrunch into a ¡°´¨¡±. People who have tasted the flavor of lust will naturally change, not excluding Yi Chongren. ¡°What¡¯s the attitude of all those people in the court now?¡± Yi Chongren replied with a question. This question could also be considered an answer to Zhang Huaiqiu. ¡°Are you really with his majesty now?!¡± Zhang Huaiqiu obviously found it difficult to accept. Yi Chongren unhurriedly looked towards the sky and said with a bit of languidness: ¡°Each takes what he needs. Do you think I¡¯d forget myself just because of receiving his favor? Or think losing my body is a matter of life or death? Huaiqiu, I only chose what¡¯s most advantageous for me.¡± ¡°What did you choose?¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s thin lips opened: ¡°I want him to not touch women for ten years.¡± ¡°This is what you see as most advantageous?¡± Zhang Huaiqiu was going crazy. How could Chongren willingly resign himself to a position below another man! He was so proud! ¡°What do you think I should do? Kill him?¡± Yi Chongren mocked himself, ¡°I want to give him a taste of his own medicine, but I¡¯m unable to do anything about it.¡± Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s expression turned dark: ¡°Why ten years?¡± ¡°Ten years is enough for me to establish myself in court.¡± Yi Chongren said confidently: ¡°In ten years, Douzi and Baozi will have grown up, not to mention the crown prince. At that time, even if he raises an empress, I won¡¯t have no way out. If he gains other heirs, they won¡¯t be a threat to Douzi and Baozi.¡± Zhang Huaiqiu understood clearly: ¡°You¡¯re doing it for the crown prince and Douzi?¡± Yi CHongren didn¡¯t deny it. Zhang Huaiqiu subsequently asked something that made him stunned on the spot: ¡°Do you like his majesty?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- When he returned to his senses, Zhang Huaiqiu had already left. Yi Chongren vaguely remembered that the other party seemed to say something about helping him. He trusted that Zhang Huaiqiu would help him, but why would Huaiqiu think he liked that person? Like¡­¡­ after he was castrated, those kinds of feelings lost any connection to him. Huo Feng was a man, an emperor. How could he like that person?! Everything he did was for himself, for the three children who called him dad. He couldn¡¯t possibly like Huo Feng, never! But why was his mood so bad? Yi Chongren lost his mood to drink tea and stood to leave, locking himself in the room. Huo Feng knew that Zhang Huaiqiu went to find Yi Chongren. It would be false to say that Huo Feng didn¡¯t mind the two people¡¯s relationship. However, he was the first person to obtain Yi Chongren¡¯s body, and Yi Chongren agreed to be with him for ten years, so Huo Feng suppressed these thoughts in the bottom of his heart. Yi Chongren¡¯s reaction after the matter exceeded his expectations, giving him even more confidence, especially because he still had three big bargaining chips in his hand. At night, Huo Feng, who hadn¡¯t seen Yi Chongren in a day, went to Ningshen palace. Yi Chongren had spent his whole afternoon in the house. Huo Feng knocked on the door that was locked from the inside, and after a while, Yi Chongren finally opened it. Huo Feng naturally held Yi Chongren¡¯s hand and raised his foot to enter the room, saying: ¡°I¡¯ll rest here tonight.¡± Yi Chongren looked at their joined hands, silent. Closing the door, Huo Feng silently embraced the man. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t calmly let him hug himself, struggling free. Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s question perturbed Yi Chongren¡¯s heart. Facing Huo Feng at this moment, he only felt uncomfortable all over, not to mention the area where he was being hugged by the other party. The two people¡¯s relationship just took a step forward, and Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t one to act coquettishly in front of others, so Huo Feng didn¡¯t think too much about Yi Chongren¡¯s unwillingness. He understood that there was still a long road ahead to close the distance between their hearts and learn to love each other. Huo Feng also understood that Yi Chongren was willing to give him ten years mostly out of consideration for himself and the children. But he wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Obtaining Yi Chongren¡¯s promise for ten years, he could obtain the other party¡¯s company until their hair grew white. As for why he was so persistent towards Yi Chongren, Huo Feng never thought about it deeply. He already understood the reason behind wanting to catch him many years ago. In the contest between the two, Huo Feng wanted to take the initiative, grasp every opportunity to take the initiative. Hugging the man once more, Huo Feng said with some weariness: ¡°Let me hold you for a bit.¡± A scorching breath sprayed by his ear and goosebumps rose all over Yi Chongren¡¯s body. But this time, he didn¡¯t push Huo Feng away, just standing there, not raising his hands, letting Huo Feng hold him. Heart pounding more chaotic than normal, Yi Chongren furrowed his brows as Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s question echoed in his ears. No, he didn¡¯t like Huo Feng. The only reason why he couldn¡¯t calm down was that he wasn¡¯t used to such intimacy, especially when the other party was a man, an emperor. After hugging for the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Huo Feng let go of Yi Chongren. From start to finish, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t give the right reaction. Expression cold, conduct cold, he seemed to be telling himself he didn¡¯t like this person, would never like this person. The crown prince didn¡¯t come for dinner. After eating, Huo Feng let Lu Tao take Baozi and Douzi away and he entered the bedroom holding Yi Chongren¡¯s hand. Although Huo Feng didn¡¯t say anything, his hints were already enough. The moment they stepped into the bedroom, Yi Chongren¡¯s heartbeat rapidly quickened. That bed seemed to be the open mouth of a beast, and Yi Chongren felt a rare sense of tension. Huo Feng closed the door, and Yi Chongren¡¯s tension appeared especially pleasant in his eyes. Taking the man to the bedside, Huo Feng lightly pushed the stiff Yi Chongren down on the bed and let down the bed curtain. There was a dagger under the pillow¡­¡­he didn¡¯t drink, wasn¡¯t drugged, could definitely fight back¡­¡­ as long as he left this place he could escape¡­¡­countless thoughts flashed through Yi Chongren¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t stop his body from lightly trembling. He knew tonight would be a repeat of that night. That night, he drank and was drugged. This time, he was sober and he could clearly hear his own heartbeat! It was easy for him to say he¡¯d give himself to Huo Feng , but once things came to a head, he found it very hard. ¡°Chongren, you promised me ten years.¡± // Huo Feng reminded Yi Chongren before he began moving, and subsequently pressed down. Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t help but push Huo Feng away to try to get out of bed, but the man held him and immediately gave him a scorching kiss behind his ear. ¡°Wu!¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s body turned soft at once and the chaotic scene from that night swept past his eyes. ¡°Chongren, you promised me ten years. Do you regret it?¡± Dragging the man back onto bed, Huo Feng¡¯s rough voice made his heart palpitate, made the heart of the person in his arms palpitate. ¡°My wounds aren¡¯t healed yet.¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t realize he was still afraid until he said these words. He, who never avoided or retreated, actually lied out of fear! But before he returned to his senses after this shock, his body was once again pushed down. Huo Feng easily tore away Yi Chongren¡¯s belt, breath searing his ears. ¡°You want to flee? The Yi Chongren I know isn¡¯t a fleeing coward.¡± Tongue coquettish. Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t help but groan as he tried to stay calm: ¡°Stimulus is useless on me. I said I¡¯d give you ten years, so I won¡¯t regret it. Could it be that your majesty still doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s time to open up? Last time, your majesty could use the excuse of a drunken stupor. This time, how can your majesty block the mouths of the officials?¡± ¡°Xie Ming, Zhang Huaiqiu, and the others are all my people, naturally they won¡¯t say anything. Ruan Xingtian and those officials that followed me also won¡¯t speak frivolously. The rest can be disregarded. Although I need to settle their hearts, I won¡¯t let them be led by the nose. I¡¯m the emperor, the son of heaven. They don¡¯t have a say in this matter. Chongren, we¡¯ve wasted too much time.¡± These words had a double meaning. Wildly kissing Yi Chongren¡¯s lips, Huo Feng wouldn¡¯t let this person escape. These lingering emotions had waited for too long. Even though reason reminded him that he should show some restraint, after seeing that person, all that was left was thick desire. If time could rewind, he would definitely take a good look at this person, definitely cherish his person, and not use those vulgar words to humiliate him, hurt him. Hair intertwining, Huo Feng once again unhesitantly sucked that unspeakable part of Yi Chongren. This wound was not only on Yi Chongren¡¯s body, but also on his heart. Since that person minded it so much, he would use this method to tell this person that he didn¡¯t mind. Even if this person¡¯s that part was completely cut off, he wouldn¡¯t mind. What he wanted was just a person called Yi Chongren, a person who gave him infinite hope at his most desperate times and nearly threw away his life for him. Biting down hard on his lips, Yi Chongren held Huo Feng¡¯s head with both hands, wanting to push him away yet also clinging to the comfort of his lips and tongue. Even if that regrown part was stimulated, it wouldn¡¯t swell like a normal man, only becoming slightly hard as if it was still that of a child. Body flipped over, Yi Chongren grabbed the bedsheets as a warm tongue licked his newly recovered place. At this moment, deliberately keeping his private parts clean seemed to be out of love. Tongue probing in, Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t help but groan, spirit seeming to escape his body with each lick. Feeling chills, Yi Chongren jolted. ¡°Give me some medicine. Otherwise, you¡¯ll get hurt again. A tongue isn¡¯t as effective as ointment.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart sank. He pulled away Huo Feng¡¯s hand, eyes cold: ¡°I don¡¯t need that. Directly come in or get off the bed.¡± In the entire world, only Yi Chongren treated Huo Feng so disrespectfully. Huo Feng kissed Yi Chongren¡¯s back and explained: ¡°If you don¡¯t use medicine, you¡¯ll have to stay in bed all day to recover. How will you deal with the inner court? I¡¯m not against letting you recuperate in Ningshen palace all day, but that isn¡¯t like you.¡± Yi Chongren tightly pursed his lips. Last time they did it, he stayed in bed for five days. But it just so happened that today once Huo Feng did it, he would be stuck in bed for a few days. Once he healed, this person would come back¡­¡­what he said was right, without medicine, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to leave bed. But¡­¡­once he thought of using medicine, he thought of those eunuchs that knelt on the dragon bed and were favored by the Jiazheng emperor. This was his last shred of dignity. He could give his body to Huo Feng, but he definitely would not let himself become a catamite, a male pet, a bed eunuch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll clean you up later. I won¡¯t let you feel any discomfort. This ointment won¡¯t let you get hurt. It¡¯ll benefit your body.¡± Sucking Yi Chongren¡¯s ear as the other party was lost in thought, Huo Feng covered his finger with the ointment and gradually probed into Yi Chongren¡¯s already wet walls. But it was still too tight. Tonight, he didn¡¯t want to hurt him. Kissing along the scar on his back, the one finger in his body became three, and then four. His body was flipped over, and a sweaty face appeared before him. Both legs were raised by him, and his emptied body was immediately filled with another hardness. Yi Chongren left scratches on Huo Feng¡¯s back to vent. ¡°Wu¡­¡­¡± It still hurt¡­..that place, was barely enough. Huo Feng kept caressing those two delicate balls, gradually withdrew and gradually pierced in. Once the whole length entered, he didn¡¯t rush into a rhythm like last time, instead bending over to kiss Yi Chongren¡¯s lips, teasing the other¡¯s passion. With bed matters with Yi Chongren, Huo Feng needed patience. Two red points on his chest, Yi Chongren gradually sank into the lust Huo Feng gave him. Knowing he was prepared, Huo Feng began to thrust. Two groans escaped the two¡¯s mouths, one repressed, one satisfied. Gazes entangled, Yi Chongren only felt that his heart was going to burst because of Huo Feng. Scalp numb, Yi Chongren¡¯s nails sunk Huo Feng¡¯s muscular back, that was it! ¡°Ah! Wu¡­¡­¡± It was here, he didn¡¯t remember wrong. Huo Feng pressed down his body, accelerating the rhythm of his waist, and Yi Chongren¡¯s pale body was instantly dyed a layer of pink. Huo Feng whispered by his ear: ¡°Chongren¡­¡­call my name¡­..¡± ¡°Ahah¡­¡­¡± ¡°Chongren, call my name, call¡­¡­¡± ¡°Huo, wu en¡­¡­Huo, Feng¡­..¡± ¡°Chongren, let¡¯s always be together.¡± ¡°Slow¡ª-, ahahah¡­¡­¡± Hair intertwining, fingers interlocked, breaths blending together¡­¡­he didn¡¯t drink, but why was he this dizzy? He wasn¡¯t drugged, but why did his body lose all strength¡­¡­how could a man feel such strange emotions under another man, strange, it seemed to be addicting. At some point, his arms wrapped around Huo Feng¡¯s neck, and at some point, his legs wrapped around Huo Feng¡¯s robust waist. Yi Chongren, who couldn¡¯t escape, had no way to escape, stopped caring about the costs, sinking in the strange senses Huo Feng gave him. At this time, he seemed to forget about his bodily damage, only knowing that his original self could also have desire, could feel the joy of desire, feeling like he was floating to immortality[1]. It wasn¡¯t clear who released first. The liquid spurted by Yi Chongren was wiped onto Huo Feng, and the dragon essence spurted by Huo Feng was completely given to Yi Chongren. Their kiss wasn¡¯t as strong as in the beginning, but even more intoxicating. Huo Feng left a special mark on Yi Chongen¡¯s neck to let others know that this person belonged to him. When their lips and tongues separated, silver threads connected, and Huo Feng held the hand Yi Chongren stuck on his face. The two gazed at each other, something circulating between them. This moment, silence was better than sound. Huo Feng closed his eyes and rubbed Yi Chongren¡¯s palms that though not delicate, made him especially infatuated. At this time, the scorching sun was in the sky, and the man¡¯s cold hands calmly wiped away his sweat and cut off his drawstring, stealthily stuffed the crown prince¡¯s token into his hand. Chongren¡­¡­. Chongren¡­¡­ ¡°Did you feed me the ¡®Tian Xin pill¡¯?¡± Huo Feng¡¯s waist gradually began moving rhythmically. Yi Chongren still hadn¡¯t calmed down from what just ended so it took him a while to understand what Huo Feng¡¯s question meant. ¡°En¡­..¡± Seeming to answer and seeming to groan, Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes were half closed, appearing as if he was exposed. Huo Feng didn¡¯t continue asking, he already received the answer he wanted. Huo Feng didn¡¯t say anything else, whole heart engrossed in the pleasure of lovemaking. He believed that he wasn¡¯t the only one to feel such pleasure. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª // On the bed, Huo Feng wrapped his arms around Yi Chongren¡¯s waist from behind, and the exhausted Yi Chongrn rested with his back facing Huo Feng, drowsy. After two times, Huo Feng laid down the flag and stilled the drums. This was also the reason why Yi Chongren wasn¡¯t done until unconscious. Huo Feng did as he promised and personally cleaned up Yi Chongren after they finished, even giving him medicine. Yi Chongren wanted to do it himself at first, but Huo Feng refused to leave, and he didn¡¯t dare to do these things right in front of him. He already saw everything anyway, so he relaxed. ¡°Chongren.¡± ¡°¡­¡­En.¡± Yi Chongren fell asleep quickly. ¡°Why did you kill Sima Xian? Did you think I couldn¡¯t?¡± Huo Feng kept brooding about this matter. Okay, he still minded how Yi Chongren called him a foolish coward. Just wanting to quickly go to sleep, Yi Chongren murmured: ¡°I don¡¯t allow things from outside my plans to appear¡­¡­just a charlatan overestimating his abilities¡­¡­I¡¯m going, to sleep¡­¡­¡± Unable to support his head up any longer, Yi Chongren¡¯s head sank and he directly fell into his dreams. Hs body was different from normal people, so he was especially tired after sex. Behind him, Huo Feng sank into thought, and gradually, a pleasant smile appeared on his lips. In that case, this person was planning to help him win the world from the beginning. If anyone messed with his plans, he¡¯d kill them. Killing Zhang Zhong and Sun Jiyu, killing Sima Xian, planting saboteurs by Noble Consort Ru¡¯s side¡­¡­everything was for him. Huo Feng was both distressed and happy. Distressed because Yi Chongren didn¡¯t believe in his strength; happy, naturally because Yi Chongren arranged everything for him. He believed, if Yi Chongren picked someone else, the person sitting on the throne definitely wouldn¡¯t be him. Was it just because he held military power? Huo Feng suddenly wanted to know whether Yi Chongren liked him even a bit. If he wasn¡¯t in his heart, why else would he plan for him to such a degree? Huo Feng didn¡¯t want to imagine that his love was reciprocated, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from thinking this way. But Yi Chongren was already dead asleed. He could only hold him tightly and lightly kiss the marks left on his neck. It wasn¡¯t important whether he held feelings towards him or not. This person¡¯s body and heart were all his. With this confidence, Huo Feng closed his eyes. Sooner or later, there would be a day when they could sleep in each other¡¯s arms without burden. That day, wasn¡¯t too far away. [1] ƮƮÓûÏÉ metaphor that describes someone¡¯s feeling of relaxation and pleasure CH 26 After Huo Feng got out of bed, Yi Chongren opened his eyes to glance at him and went right back to sleep. Huo Feng also wanted to go back to sleep, but he was the emperor. A group of officials were already waiting for him in the imperial study waiting to discuss official matters with him. With a satisfied body and mind, Huo Feng casually ate breakfast and went straight to the imperial study. His majesty spent another night at Ningshen palace, so the atmosphere in the imperial study naturally wasn¡¯t very relaxed. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t get up until after dawn. Enduring his discomfort in a certain area, he went to the ¡°inner court¡±. Guo An and Zhuang Ye were both startled when they saw him. They thought his excellency wouldn¡¯t be able to attend. They both knew what happened between his excellency and his majesty, and the news had spread across the capital. They never imagined that the terrifying former Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards would become his majesty¡¯s person. They¡¯re jaws dropped to the ground when they heard this news, it was too shocking. Yi Chongren appeared as usual, and Guo An and Zhuang Ye could only suppress their raging thoughts under his sharp watch, trying to keep their calm. ¡°Your excellency, this subordinate has already investigated the origins of that eunuch you drove out of the palace.¡± Guo An reported, ¡°You excellency said that you saw him by Noble Consort Ru¡¯s side before, so this subordinate used that clue for the investigation. As expected, we found that that eunuch used to take care of the flowers in Noble Consort Ru¡¯s palace. He and a palace maid by Noble Consort Ru¡¯s side were in a relationship[1] That palace maid accidentally broke a jade vase so Noble Consort Ru had her flogged to death.¡± Zhang Ye continued with a deeper meaning: ¡°Your excellency gave that jade vase to Noble Consort Ru.¡± Yi Chongren appeared to not understand what Zhuang Ye meant, coldly saying: ¡°He wants to get revenge on me?¡± He had seen countless similar cases, so no matter how much that person masked his hatred, it couldn¡¯t escape his eyes. Zhang Ye said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. This subordinate found that this person went to see someone after being driven out of the palace. That person must know that person, it¡¯s Sun Changshu. This subordinate already sent someone to monitor him. There are some remnants of the Sun clan by Sun Changshu¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Sun Changshu? I didn¡¯t expect him to survive.¡± Yi Chongren coldly scoffed. Sun Changshu was Sun Jiyu¡¯s adopted son. Zhuang Ye said with shame: ¡°This subordinate is incompetant.¡± Yi Chongren raised his hand: ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself. Back then, I asked you to weaken the imperial guards, not exterminate the entire Sun clan.¡± Then, a cold clarity appeared in his eyes, ¡°Since the Sun clan still refuses to be silent, then don¡¯t blame me for being discourteous. Spread the news that I¡¯m going to the Buddhist temple to pay respect to my parents and clansmen soon[2]. I¡¯ll wait for them to find me.¡± Guo An and Zhuang Ye immediately disagreed: ¡°Your excellency, this is too dangerous. We still haven¡¯t confirmed how many remnants of the Sun clan there are or how much power they still have.¡± Yi Chongren raised the corners of his lips: ¡°The ones growing restless in the dark aren¡¯t just the remnants of the Sun clan. I want them to tremble in fear just thinking of me.¡± Guo An and Zhuang Ye saw the cold smile on his excellency¡¯s face, suddenly pitying the people who offended him. Even his majesty was once beaten by his excellency with no way to counter. Other people¡­¡­they couldn¡¯t help but admire his majesty. Only his majesty could obtain his excellency. After Huo Feng learned that Yi Chongren wanted to go to the Buddhist temple to pay respects to his unjustly killed relatives, he immediately ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange this matter. He didn¡¯t know that Yi Chongren made this trip for other purposes. After the two closed their relationship, Huo Feng completely stopped managing the inner court. Even when Yi Chongren reported to him, he didn¡¯t bother to listen. He wasn¡¯t afraid of Yi Chongren taking advantage of his powers. If asked who he trusted most in the world, it could only be Yi Chongren. They had shared children, so what if Yi Chongren monopolized his power? Wasn¡¯t he just planning for the three children? Huo Feng put his whole heart into implementing new policies. The new monarch was open-minded, the crown prince was industrious, and the court officials were dedicated to the country. Yue swept away the dejection of the end of Southern Chu, gradually emerging as a new scene. Huo Feng still spent the night at Ningshen palace from time to time, but he spent most of his time alone in the imperial study, rarely staying in his own bedchamber. Huo Feng¡¯s actions made the officials¡¯ heads foggy. He didn¡¯t show Yi Chongren the favor of three thousand in one, but he and Yi Chongren did become closer. Every time Huo Feng spent the night in Ningshen palace, his neck would be covered in hickeys or bite marks the next day, and in comparison, there were even more marks on Yi Chongren¡¯s neck. Even a blind person could tell what the two did. But Huo Feng didn¡¯t let Yi Chongren sleep in his own palace, nor did he linger everyday. Every ten days, he would go to Ningshen palace around two or three times. For an emperor, a man, this wasn¡¯t considered frequent. What on earth did his highness mean with his treatment towards Yi Chongren? What was he planning? These doubts lingered in every officials¡¯ heart, including those who were close to Yi Chongren. Zhang Deyuan and the other old officials who already stopped participating in court politics worried, but Yi CHongren didn¡¯t want them to overthink, so they could only suppress the worry in their hearts. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Pushing open the door, Zhang Huaiqiu, who didn¡¯t return to the mansion until late at night, reeked of alcohol. Entering the room with slightly unsteady footsteps, he picked up a teapot on the table, brought it to his lips, and drank. The water in the pot had long turned cold, but he didn¡¯t care. A person followed behind him, entered, and closed the door, carefully lighting the oil lamp on the table. The room brightened, and the person¡¯s face became clearer. Unexpectedly, it was Ruan Xingtian! After drinking enough, Zhang Huaiqiu put down the teapot, wiped his mouth, and sat down on the chair, asking Ruan Xingtian: ¡°Should you return?¡± Ruan Xingtian also reeked of alcohol. He put his hands by Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s side and bent over: ¡°I¡¯m staying here tonight.¡± An unnatural look flashed through Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s eyes and he pushed away Ruan Xingtian: ¡°I already said I¡¯m not interested in men.¡± ¡°You are!¡± Ruan Xingtian grabbed Zhang Huaiqiu, the imperiousness of a military general bursting forth, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot that night.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything that night!¡± Zhang Huaiqiu made a move. Ruan Xingtian used his body to easily repress Zhang Huaiqiu on the chair, not letting him escape. ¡°Didn¡¯t do anything?¡± Appearing angry, he grabbed Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s trousers, ¡°I still clearly remember the shape of this place. Don¡¯t forget who provoked me first!¡± Zhang Huaiqiu gritted his teeth: ¡°We only touched each other a bit. You didn¡¯t lose out!¡± ¡°I suffered a great loss!¡± Ruan Xingtian didn¡¯t say another word and kissed Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯ lips, palm madly rubbing Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s lower body. Zhang Huaiqiu forcefully struggled, but after a while, he turned weak. Ruan Xingtian¡¯s kiss became gentler, lightly kissing from the corner of Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s lips to his earlobe. He hoarsely said: ¡°See, you¡¯re already hard. You still dare to say you don¡¯t like it? Huaiqiu, is it really that hard to admit that you have feelings for me? I know you¡¯re the only son in your family and you can¡¯t break the Zhang clan¡¯s incense. I had a wife and a daughter, so I won¡¯t force you. No matter how painful it¡¯d be, I¡¯ll let you get married. I want your heart, want your heart to only belong to me, is that ok?¡± Zhang Huaiqiu breathed heavily, eyes blank. He never thought about such things happening with men. Yi Chongren and Huo Feng¡¯s relationship gave him quite a blow. Chongren, was actually willing to lay under a man. Zhang Huaiqiu blanked out, but at the same time, he still felt a thick loss and sadness. He thought he could always stand by Chongren¡¯s side¡­¡­now, it seemed that Chongren didn¡¯t need him anymore¡­¡­ ¡°Huaiqiu¡­¡­¡± Ruan Xingtian affectionately kissed Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s neck, leaving a faint mark, ¡°I love you¡­¡­I love you¡­¡­¡± Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s body trembled, and Ruan Xingtian reached into his pants, directly touching his hardness. Why? He clearly didn¡¯t have affection but why did he have feelings? Men really couldn¡¯t be provoked. ¡°Ahem.¡± A faint voice sounded from the shadows of the room. Ruan Xingtian and Zhang Huaiqiu instantly sobered up from their desire. Ruan Xingtian leapt up and stood in front of Zhang Huaiqiu. Zhang Huaiqiu hurriedly sorted out his clothes, taking out the dagger hidden underneath the table. Shit! There was someone else in the room! ¡°Come out!¡± Zhang Huaiqiu walked beside Ruan Xingtian with a murderous look on his face. A dark figure walked out of the shadows, and once a crimson hem appeared in the light, Ruan Xingtian and Zhang Huaiqiu only felt their scalps turn numb, especially Zhang Huaiqiu, who broke out in cold sweat. ¡°Chongren?!¡± Zhang Huaiqiu nearly dropped the dagger in his hand, ¡°Why are you here!¡± The dark figure became entirely visible. If it wasn¡¯t Yi Chongren, who else could it be? He indifferently looked at the two. Arms over his chest, Yi Chongren said to Zhang Huaiqiu: ¡°I need the imperial army to be secretly arranged for my trip to the temple tomorrow. This matter can¡¯t be made public. I need to ¡®go fishing¡¯.¡± As if he didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary. Zhang Huaiqiu forced himself to calm down and asked: ¡°Fish who?¡± Yi Chongren took a letter out of his sleeve and threw it over. Zhang Huaiqiu calmly caught and opened it. After reading it, he frowned: ¡°You want to be the bait? Does his majesty know?¡± ¡°He knows. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve come to find you. Only you can make sure it¡¯s absolutely safe. I¡¯m leaving the palace at 7:30 tomorrow.¡± Once he heard that his majesty knew, Zhang Huaiqiu didn¡¯t argue. Consistent with his trust in Yi Chongren, he nodded: ¡°I will make the necessary arrangements before 7. Should we exterminate them or leave some survivors?¡± ¡°Your choice.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Yi Chongren slowly walked away. As he walked into the darkness, he suddenly said like a ghost: ¡°Huaiqiu, I¡¯m under his majesty out of helplessness as I have the heart but not the power. You can¡¯t be considered powerless right?¡± For the first time, he admitted his relationship with Huo Feng in front of another person. Ruan Xingtian¡¯s expression changed. The wind blew through, and Yi Chongren was gone from the room. He strode into the darkness and found an open gap between the windows. Ruan Xingtian feared Yi Chongren¡¯s strong martial arts, but was especially angered by the other party¡¯s instigating words! He turned his head to see Zhang Huaiqiu¡¯s eyes turn dark. Ruan Xingtian silently called out ¡°Oh no¡±! Yi Chongren actually suspected he ¡°had the heart but not the power¡±! Zhang Huaiqiu stared at Ruan Xingtian like a wolf. Was he destined to be pressed down just because he wasn¡¯t as strong as the other party? His lips curved up into a cold smile similar to Yi Chongren¡¯s, and Zhang Huaiqiu walked towards Ruan Xingtian. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Yi Chongren was in a pretty good mood when he quietly returned to the palace. He was eaten cleanly by Huo Feng, but he couldn¡¯t get revenge even if he wanted to. Huaiqiu was his closest friend. If he couldn¡¯t fight back, how could he let his closest friend be ¡°subjected¡± to one of Huo Feng¡¯s men? Ruan Xingtian wanted Huaiqiu, but it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t deny that he was taking his anger out on someone. Who told Ruan Xingtian to run into him? Ruan Xingtian could only be blamed for coming at the wrong time. However, Yi Chongren was very surprised that he actually never suspected that Huaiqiu and Ruan Xingtian would end up together. Yi Chongren reflected in his heart. He must be more careless now, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be so easily eaten by Huo Feng. As he took a step into the room, Yi Chongren heard a person¡¯s voice: ¡°Where¡¯d you go?¡± Huo Feng? Yi Chongren walked into the room, looked at the person, and asked: ¡°Why are you here? I thought you wouldn¡¯t come tonight.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in so many days.¡± Naturally holding Yi Chongren¡¯s hand, Huo Feng once again asked: ¡°Where¡¯d you go?¡± Yi Chongren closed the door and whispered: ¡°Went to find Huaiqiu. The crown prince is going to the temple with me tomorrow so I wanted to personally take care of the guards. Where are Baozi and Douzi?¡± ¡°I let Lu Tao take them to my palace. Tomorrow, take Baozi and Douzi too. You¡¯re paying respects to your relatives, and they¡¯re your sons, so it makes sense. Why don¡¯t I go with you?¡± Not caring about his position, Huo Feng thought he should go too. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t actually tell Huo Feng that he wasn¡¯t just going to pay respect to relatives. Once he heard Huo Feng¡¯s words, he immediately said: ¡°The site could scare Baozi and Douzi. Wait for them to grow older or want to go themselves and we can go offer sacrifices later. You can¡¯t go. I don¡¯t want to lose the tranquility of my future days.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng broke into laughter and wrapped his arms around Yi Chongren¡¯s waist to walk into the bedroom, ¡°When did you become so cowardly? I thought you didn¡¯t care about what others said.¡± ¡°Could it be that you want to read accounts about me all day?¡± Yi Chongren raised his brow and asked. With one smooth action, Huo Feng held Yi Chongren to his chest, and he sat on the bed, making Yi Chongren sit on his lap. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t blush, and he naturally caught Huo Feng¡¯s neck. The sex between the two could be considered to be getting better and better. Whether Yi Chongren admitted it or not, his and Huo Feng¡¯s relationship was becoming closer with each instance of physical intimacy. Huo Feng habitually pulled out Yi Chongren¡¯s hairpin. He liked how Yi Chongren appeared with his hair down, and Yi Chongren would only allow himself to reveal this bearing at times like these. He lost much of his unapproachable coldness and gained much seductive charm. Every time, Huo Feng felt his mouth and tongue turn dry, wanting to swallow this person into his stomach with one bite. The intimacy between the two made Huo Feng fall deeper and deeper into the charm of being with Yi Chongren. This was a dangerous signal for this emperor, but for a man, a relationship of mutual affection wasn¡¯t far away, and he, endured this hardship gladly. Not replying to Yi Chongren¡¯s question, Huo Feng kissed Yi Chongren¡¯s eye¡ªclean, enchanting eye. He hadn¡¯t not seen accounts about Yi Chongren. To avoid arousing suspicion, Xie Ming and the others gave all these accounts to him, and Huo Feng suppressed them all. Now wasn¡¯t the time to confront the ministers, otherwise, one misstep could trigger the court officials to accuse Yi Chongren of misconduct, and the gains wouldn¡¯t make up for the losses. Holding down Huo Feng¡¯s hand which was untying his belt, Yi Chongren reminded him with unstable breathing: ¡°I¡¯m leaving the palace tomorrow morning. I don¡¯t want to be unable to ride a horse.¡± Tomorrow would likely be the scene of foul wind and bloody rain. He couldn¡¯t be immobilized. Huo Feng pulled Yi Chongren¡¯s hand to his certain place and said roughly: ¡®I¡¯ve held back for so many days. If I don¡¯t come tonight, both of us can¡¯t even think about sleeping.¡± Under his palm, Yi Chongren could feel Huo Feng¡¯s scorching heat through the cloth. Overcome with desire, Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart pound, but they definitely couldn¡¯t do it tonight. After thinking for a while, Yi Chongren said: ¡°I¡¯ll use my hand.¡± Seeing his resolute attitude, Huo Feng could only accept reluctantly. This wasn¡¯t his first time seeing Huo Feng naked, but it was the first time touching that part of Huo Feng. Once Yi Chongren¡¯s hands held Huo Feng¡¯s heat, a strong shock swept through his heart. So true men had these feelings. Compared to Huo Feng¡¯s mass, his own was as immature as a child¡¯s and carried the obvious scars of damage. Yi Chongren used both hands to surround Huo Feng¡¯s masculinity with envy, wishing his own was also so normal. ¡°Chongren¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng¡¯s voice was incredibly hoarse. Yi Chongren¡¯s slightly cold hands comforted his place that needed release, and the other party¡¯s completely naked body gave him a certain inexpressible satisfaction. ¡°Lick¡­¡­Chongren¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng longed for Yi Chongren¡¯s beautiful lips to hold him. Yi Chongren wrapped Huo Feng¡¯s full cock with one hand, wondering if the fate of his family changed, would he also have such an imposing length? Rough big hands forced between his legs, covering his entire organ, and Yi Chongren comfortably groaned a few times. Unexpectedly, he bent down, lips aimed at Huo Feng¡¯s dick which was dripping precum. ¡°Chongren!¡± Huo Feng called out, body instantly stretching taut. This moment, Huo Feng seemed like a lamb for slaughter, losing the strength to turn over. Huo Feng¡¯s reaction gave Yi Chongren a sort of delusion. He seemed to also be capable of pushing Huo Feng under himself and doing whatever he pleased, and could also show off his masculinity on top of Huo Feng. Sitting across Huo Feng¡¯s legs, Yi Chongren used his mouth and tongue to control Huo Feng. Seeing Huo Feng¡¯s enduring expression, hearing Huo Feng¡¯s intolerable low pants, Yi Chongren grabbed Huo Feng¡¯s hands, not letting him obstruct himself. ¡°Chongren¡­¡­Chongren¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng felt dead from desire, as if his soul was sucked out of his body. Who would have thought, the cold, ruthless Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards would use his mouth to serve another man one day, even so pleasurably. No! He also had to eat! Forcefully withdrawing his hand and pulling up Yi Chongren, Huo Feng turned and pressed him down, accurately finding the other party¡¯s vulnerability and swallowed it. ¡°Wu!¡± Huo Feng didn¡¯t know that what Yi Chongren liked most was when Huo Feng sucked and licked him like this. Every time, he would think he wasn¡¯t a castrate, wasn¡¯t a eunuch. Although unable to enter, Huo Feng and Yi Chongren became more invested than any previous time. The two untiringly tasted each other¡¯s bodies, explored the secrets of each other¡¯s bodies. Once the two ejected their own desires, the two¡¯s lips were still inseparably entangled with each other. Hearts feeling bouts of soreness and numbness, maybe, these ten years wouldn¡¯t be so hard to endure. [1] ¶Ôʳ refers to palace maid and eunuch becoming a couple. Could also refer to lesbianism in the palace. [2] ³¬¶É Free the souls of the dead from the sufferings of hell in Buddhism and Taoism. Cross over; pass ove CH 27 Trigger warning: Sexual content (not much) Every time he went to Ningshen palace to spend the night, Huo Feng would be refreshed and invigorated the next day. Today was no exception. Last night, he and Yi Chongren¡¯s passion were not affected at all by not entering, instead they fell under a sort of illusion of mutual affection. But after carefully reflecting, Huo Feng didn¡¯t think it was an illusion. If it wasn¡¯t for the time not being right as Yi Chongren had to leave the palace today, Huo Feng really wanted to be an incapable ruler who ¡°did not attend morning court¡± for once. He could understand why there were so many incapable rulers obsessed with beauty throughout history. No matter how beautiful the beauties of the world were, they couldn¡¯t compare to a smile from Yi Chongren. The emperor once again felt his soul leave his body. In the imperial study, the ministers exchanged looks with each other. Every time his majesty spent a night at Ningshen palace, he seemed to be in a trance the next day. You Hong, minister of Taichang temple[1], saw that no one reminded his majesty, so he stepped forward and said: ¡°Your majesty, also state affairs must come first at the start of a new reign, your majesty¡¯s affairs are the state¡¯s affairs. Now that the inner palace is empty, for the health of your majesty¡¯s dragon body and the peace of the court, your majesty must quickly select concubines and an empress.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s expression instantly sank. Xie Ming glared at You Hong, trying to suppress his disgust. Among the memorials sent to his majesty regarding concubine selection, most were submitted by You Hong. After Huo Feng established the state, he commissioned many ministers from the previous reign who were persecuted by the Hu An guards and imperial guards. You Hong was one of them. This person used to serve the Taichang temple, so Huo Feng arranged for him to continue working there. If he knew this person was so stubborn earlier, Huo Feng definitely wouldn¡¯t use him. Of Huo Feng¡¯s most trusted ministers, only Xie Ming and Ruan Xingtian were present. Ruan Xingtian¡¯s face was a bit pale today, seeming sick, so Huo Feng bestowed him a seat. Ruan Xingtian uncomfortably shifted his body and lightly swept his gaze across the others. Xie Ming was the prime minister, and he didn¡¯t speak; Ruan Xingtian was a general and also didn¡¯t speak. The others looked at him, and he looked at the others, but everyone kept their mouths closed. You Hong didn¡¯t change the subject, continuing to say: ¡°Your majesty, the country can¡¯t go a day without a monarch, and the inner palace cannot go a day without an owner. This official thinks¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng raised his hand to stop him, speaking with obvious displeasure: ¡°I¡¯ve already said that we¡¯ll discuss this matter later. Do you see how many memorials are on my table! I don¡¯t even have time to have a peaceful meal, so how can I have time to choose concubines? Ask again when I have time. Do you have anything else? If there¡¯s nothing else you can retreat. I have matters to discuss with the general.¡± Saying this, he impatiently waved his hand. ¡°This official will retire.¡± Xie Ming sounded first, and the others quickly followed to retreat. Seeing everyone leave, You Hong could only unwillingly retreat. After everyone left, Ruan Xingtian spoke: ¡°Your highness, if people like You Hong aren¡¯t suppressed now, they will cause major problems. Many people in the court aren¡¯t satisfied with Lord Yi. If your highness doesn¡¯t choose a concubine, those officials with daughters and sisters in their family will see Lord Yi as a thorn in their side. We must be cautious.¡± Huo Feng frowned: ¡°I know. I¡¯ll find a suitable time to kill their spirit.¡± Then, he asked with concern: ¡°What happened to you? If you aren¡¯t well, don¡¯t enter the palace and rest in your residence. Although state affairs are important, your body is also very important.¡± Ruan Xingtian let out a bitter laugh. His body was indeed uncomfortable, but he was not ill, just a bit injured. However, he couldn¡¯t say this to anyone, especially his majesty. He shook his head and said: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. This official accidentally hurt my waist. I¡¯ll be better after a few days of resting.¡± Huo Feng laughed: ¡°Even you can hurt your waist. It seems we¡¯re really getting old.¡± Ruan Xingtian could only bitterly smile. Thinking of something, he seriously said: ¡°Your majesty, it¡¯s too dangerous for the crown prince to go to the temple. How could you let the crown prince go?¡± ¡°Dangerous?¡± Huo Feng froze, ¡°What¡¯s dangerous? Isn¡¯t Chongren going to pay respects to his relatives? Where¡¯s the danger in that?¡± This time, the surprised one became Ruan Xingtian. He subconsciously asked: ¡°Your majesty doesn¡¯t know what Lord Yi is doing today?¡± ¡°What is he doing !¡± A ferocious group from the imperial army sped out of the palace and went straight to the Buddhist temple thirty miles outside the capital. The capital guards who received the news in advance closed the checkpoint into the city, and set up checkpoints along the way to ensure the road out of the city was unimpeded. The common people in the capital saw the imperial army¡¯s iron cavalry guard whiz out of the city, instantly shaking the hearts of the people. Nothing big was happening right? This was the first time Huo Feng left the palace, left the city, since his ascension. He never expected that Yi Chongren would hide such a big matter from him! Huo Feng unceasingly whipped his horse¡¯s ass, anxious as hell. Ruan Xingtian¡¯s body wasn¡¯t fit so he stayed in the palace to keep watch, while Xu Baicai and the other military generals followed Huo Feng towards the temple. Once he thought of what Yi Chongren did behind his majesty¡¯s back and once he saw his majesty¡¯s dark expression, Xu Baicai shook his head in his heart. Would Yi Chongren lose his favor because of this? Definitely not. His majesty was once willing to plant Ji Di by Noble Consort Ru¡¯s side for Yi Chongren. But as his majesty grew more and more concerned with Yi Chongren, and thinking of Yi Chongren¡¯s temperament, Xu Baicai lamented his majesty¡¯s misfortune. How could his majesty fall for a person so difficult to control? Xu Baicai wasn¡¯t worried about Yi Chongren and the crown prince¡¯s safety. He had long learned of Yi Chongren¡¯s resourcefulness. If Yi Chongren was willing to take the crown prince with him, then he was definitely fully prepared. That person, definitely wouldn¡¯t let anything go outside his plans. Xu Baicai learned this point first hand. Huo Feng didn¡¯t know Xu Baicai¡¯s thoughts, but even if he did, he¡¯d still be furious. He hated that he didn¡¯t have a pair of wings that could fly him to the temple in an instant. At this time, the temple was the scene of a fierce struggle. Everything was under Yi Chongren¡¯s control. Those remnants of the previous reign who hated Yi Chongren to the bone gathered a large group and lay in ambush around the temple. Once they saw that Yi Chongren only brought a few dozen people to the temple, including the crown prince, they smiled. Today would not only be Yi Chongren¡¯s death day, but also a heavy blow on the new reign. The death of the crown prince was enough to shake the foundation of the new dynasty. Once these people charged out of their hiding positions, they were shocked to find out that Yi Chongren was not only unfazed, but also letting out a sneer, completely unsurprised at their appearance. When the imperial guards appeared around them, they finally understood. They¡¯d been had! Yi Chongren didn¡¯t give them the chance to react, unsheathing the flexible sword at his waist to face Sun Changshu, the leader of the sinful party. Huo Yunkai also wasn¡¯t untimely. Deeply influenced by yifu, he did not fear the murderous miscreants in the slightest, using the sword in his hand to cleanly cut off a person¡¯s head. Huo Yunkai¡¯s sword stunned the scene. No one expected the crown prince to be so tough. Zhang Huaiqiu led the five hundred men from the imperial army to outflank the enemies. Seeing the situation, these people were even more willing to fight, and for a while, the sound of shouting and killing resounded through the sky. Once Huo Feng led a thousand men from the imperial army to the temple, the fighting was already coming to an end. From afar, Huo Feng could see that intense crimson, like a crimson sharp blade, dying the sky with blood everywhere he went. The crown prince wasn¡¯t far from Chongren, sword covered with blood, and wearing an expression similar in coldness to Yi Chongren. Huo Feng reigned his horse, and all his anger instantly turned into desire for a certain person, only that crimson red entering his eyes. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C In Ningshen palace, after ¡°capturing¡± Yi Chongren, Huo Feng¡¯s expression once again became shadowed. Yi Chongren seemed to also think he was wrong for hiding things from the other party, pursing his lips in silence. Huo Feng paced back and forth in front of Yi Chongren and shouted at him: ¡°How could you not discuss such an important matter with me! If Xingtian never mentioned it, I would still be in the dark! I thought you were just going to the temple to pay respects!¡± Yi Chongren looked down: ¡°This official was wrong. This official shouldn¡¯t have brought the crown prince along.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s fury instantly soared. He forcefully clasped Yi Chongren¡¯s shoulders with both hands and gritted his teeth: ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you for bringing the crown prince, but blaming you for hiding things from me!¡± Yi Chongren raised his eyes: ¡°Tell me, would you let this official go?¡± ¡°No!¡± Yi Chongren stopped speaking, but his message was clear. He only hid it from him because he knew he wouldn¡¯t let him go. Seeing that Yi Chongren had no intention to reflect, Huo Feng lowered his head and bit him. Not expecting Huo Feng to suddenly do this, Yi Chongren was bitten head on. Lips hurting, he didn¡¯t resist, letting Huo Feng vent his anger on his lips. When the two¡¯s breaths became full of desire, Huo Feng let go of Yi Chongren, and tightly embraced him. Most of Huo Feng¡¯s anger was quelled with this kiss, and he hoarsely said by Yi Chongren¡¯s ear: ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt again. I can never forget how you were hurt by that arrow right in front of me, and I couldn¡¯t do anything but watch you leave. You don¡¯t know how much I envy Huaiqiu. When you got hurt, the one by your side wasn¡¯t me.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heartbeat ¡°pounded¡± , shaking his eardrums, and an irrepressible desire surged in his heart. He raised his head and said some words that made Huo Feng lose control in an instant. ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Last night you didn¡¯t enjoy yourself to the fullest. Next time I¡¯ll tell you in advance.¡± ¡°There¡¯ll be no next time!¡± Directly hugging Yi Chongren, Huo Feng strode to the bedroom entrance and kicked the door close and fiercely said: ¡°I must punish you heavily today! Let¡¯s see if you dare to mess around again in the future!¡± Throwing the man onto the bed, Huo Feng pulled down the bed curtain and pounced. Yi Chongren proactively kissed Huo Feng¡¯s scruffy chin and took a bite, both hands tearing at Huo Feng¡¯s clothes. He wanted, wanted this man. Yi Chongren¡¯s proactivity inspired Huo Feng¡¯s beastly desire. He snarled and tore off Yi Chongren¡¯s clothes, pulled off his trousers, took out his already hard masculinity and prepared to aim at Yi Chongren¡¯s softness. ¡°I must heavily punish you!¡± ¡°Come! Ah!¡± Even Yi Chongren himself didn¡¯t know what he said, or what he did. Lu Tao, who was guarding outside, heard motion inside and quickly motioned for everyone to retreat. After a while, he ran back and let the guards of Ningshen palace stand ten feet away. The two in the room were making too much of a commotion, so Lu Tao was very worried the bed would collapse. That day, Huo Feng stayed in Ningshen palace, not appearing in the imperial study until noon the next day. The ministers in the imperial study bowed their heads out of shyness. Many people guessed that every time his majesty stayed in Ningshen palace he used force. Why else would his highness¡¯s lips always be broken? There were wounds on his chin. Not to mention the deep purple hickeys scattered on his neck. But if his majesty used force, with Yi Chongren¡¯s temperament, how could he peacefully stay in the palace without leaving long ago. Not to mention others not understanding, even Ruan Xingtian, Xu Baicai, and Huo Feng¡¯s other trusted officials couldn¡¯t understand. In the end, did his majesty and Yi Chongren hold mutual feelings? Of course, Huo Feng wouldn¡¯t explain his and Yi Chongren¡¯s bedroom matters with his officials. His lips and chin hurt, but compared to the pleasure of entering paradise time and time again, this little pain was nothing. Especially since yesterday¡¯s lovemaking was initiated by Yi Chongren. The two¡¯s feelings were no longer only initiated by himself, so how could Huo Feng not be happy? Seeing the satisfaction and joy on his majesty¡¯s face, You Hong ¡®s heart sank. He hated the Hu An guards and imperial guards to the bone. Although Yi Chongren saved many people including his majesty and the crown prince, You Hong still found it difficult to see Yi Chongren in a positive light. Many of his clansmen were killed by the blades of Yi Chognren¡¯s subordinates. Not to mention, Yi Chongren was also a eunuch. Even if the crown prince recognized him as his yifu, they couldn¡¯t ignore the reality that he was a eunuch. His majesty didn¡¯t select, didn¡¯t look for concubines, scandalously spending his days with a eunuch! For the subjects of Yue, he definitely had to die admonishing,he definitely couldn¡¯t let Yi Chongren remain in the palace or the capital! ¡°Your majesty,¡± You Hong presented a memorial with both hands, ¡°This official, has a memorial.¡± Huo Feng¡¯s expression immediately turned dark. When I don¡¯t unleash my power, you all treat me like a sick cat! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Yi Chongren was totally ¡°looking for trouble¡± this time. He didn¡¯t even have to think about leaving bed in five or six days. However, this time he wasn¡¯t as angry as the first time. He initiated yesterday¡¯s madness, so he couldn¡¯t blame ¡°other people¡± for him not being able to leave bed. Yesterday was both painful and pleasurable. Pained just from physical discomfort; but pleased in his soul. His body couldn¡¯t help but feel hot just thinking about it. Did he like Huo Feng? Suddenly, such doubts appeared in his mind. ¡°Wu¡­¡­daddy. Baozi can¡¯t walk anymore.¡± The child¡¯s voice returned Yi Chongren to his senses. Thinking of how he hadn¡¯t accompanied the children in a while, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t make them attend martial arts class. Daddy was sick ¡°again¡±, so Baozi and Douzi obediently played go by daddy¡¯s bedside. Baozi obviously wasn¡¯t as skilled at go as Douzi, not knowing where to place the black piece in his hand. Glancing at the board, Yi Chongren patted Baozi¡¯s head: ¡°Think carefully. How did daddy teach you before?¡± ¡°Wu¡­¡­¡± Baozi¡¯s worried little face became a real baozi (bun). ¡°Your excellency, his highness the crown prince has arrived.¡± Someone reported from outside. Baozi threw down the black piece and stood to run out. Douzi also stopped playing go. The two children called ¡°Dage (big brother)¡± but didn¡¯t even see a shadow. ¡°Baozi, Douzi, Dage brought snacks. Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Is there osmanthus candy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh! I want to eat I want to eat.¡± Yi Chongren gradually sat up and supported his waist with a pillow. After a while, Huo Yunkai entered. The father and son didn¡¯t appear awkward at all. Huo Yunkai moved aside the little table Baozi and Douzi were using to play go and sat on the stool by the bed. Yi Chongren asked: ¡°Did the captives say anything yet?¡± ¡°General Zhang is still reviewing. I just came back from outside the palace and bought some snacks for Baozi and Douzi on the way.¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t hide the matter of ¡°fishing¡± from Huo Yunkai. Knowing what yifu was planning to do, Huo Yunkai insisted on following. Huo Feng was originally from the military, and Yi Chongren also deliberately wanted to let the crown prince experience some ¡°dangerous¡± situations. He even planned to let the crown prince go to the border to learn for two years. Only by establishing enough prestige in the military could the crown prince not fear the authority of the military commanders in the future. Huo Yunkai understood yifu¡¯s painstaking efforts, so he had strict expectations for himself. Pouring a cup of tea for yifu, Huo Yunkai said: ¡°I just met Lord Ji on the way here. He said imperial father is flying into a rage in the imperial study and wanted me to tell you to persuade imperial father not to damage his body out of anger.¡± A cold light flashed in Yi Chongren¡¯s eyes, and he asked: ¡°Do you know why?¡± Huo Yunkai said with a look of annoyance: ¡°The minister of the Taichang temple, You Hong, told imperial father to hold a concubine selection again, even saying some unpleasant words. Lord Ji didn¡¯t mention the specifics, but it sounds like he insulted yifu. Imperial father was furious.¡± Yi Chongren narrowed his eyes and coldly said: ¡°You Hong? I have a bit of an impression. He¡¯s an unlikeable guy.¡± Huo Feng said with some worry: ¡°Yifu, no matter what those people say, don¡¯t let go of imperial father. Imperial father really cares about you.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart was moved, and he raised the corners of his lips: ¡°I promised to give your imperial father ten years. As long as he doesn¡¯t break his promise, I won¡¯t break the promise.¡± Seeing Huo Yunkai¡¯s smile, hearing Douzi and Baozi chattering outside, Yi Chongren didn¡¯t regret this promise of ten years at all. In the end, Huo Feng was the one losing out. ¡°If your imperial father comes, I¡¯ll persuade him. You also need to take care of your body, don¡¯t fight too hard.¡± It was rare for Yi Chongren to show such obvious concern, so Huo Yunkai was very happy, repeatedly nodding: ¡°I¡¯ll take care. Yifu also needs to take care of your body.¡± Yi Chongren laughed. As long as he and Huo Feng did it less, his body wouldn¡¯t have any problems. [1] Ì«³£ËÂÉÙÇä title for Northern way fourth grade officials who arranged sacrifices for the ancestral temple CH 28 August 6th, 2022 / After being angered by You Hong, Huo Feng left the imperial study and headed straight to Ningshen palace. You Hong even talked about Yi Chongren¡¯s identity, rudely saying that his majesty shouldn¡¯t mingle with a castrate all day as it was detrimental to the throne. Huo Feng tore off You Hong¡¯s black hat on the spot, bluntly saying that insulting Yi Chongren meant insulting the crown prince¡¯s yifu, insulting the two prince¡¯s father, so he wouldn¡¯t show mercy! Some people pleaded for leniency towards You Hong, but Huo Feng dismissed them from their offices, and the atmosphere in the palace instantly became tense. In response, none of the important ministers said a word, remaining silent, and those who still wanted to plead for You Hong finally chose to shut their mouths. Huo Feng was enraged as he went to Ningshen palace, but as soon as he stepped in the bedroom, he immediately restrained his anger. Walking to the bedside, he curiously asked his person: ¡°Where are Baozi and Douzi? Why don¡¯t I see them? Did you not let them rest this afternoon?¡± ¡°They were playing go this afternoon. Yunkai came and took them out to play. Are you staying here tonight?¡± Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t get up, half laying in bed. Once he thought of this, Huo Feng¡¯s anger rose once more and he repressed his bad temper to say: ¡°I¡¯ll stay here tonight. In the future, I¡¯ll always stay here. I¡¯ll let Lu Tao prepare a meal.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry.¡± Yi Chongren grabbed Huo Feng¡¯s hand, letting the man sit beside him, and lightly said: ¡°Wait for your anger to quell before eating.¡± Huo Feng froze. Yi Chongren lazily said: ¡°I already know about You Hong. You don¡¯t have to get angry with him. Leave it to me.¡± Huo Feng frowned: ¡°I should settle this matter. I¡¯m still the emperor, so I can¡¯t ask you to come forward for everything.¡± ¡°What you need to settle is the livelihoods of the people. Leave this unimportant trash to me. You¡¯ve also said before, I won¡¯t hide behind you just seeking comfort.¡± Seeing the confidence on Yi Chongren¡¯s face, the anger Huo Feng had been holding back instantly dissipated. How could he forget how amazing his Chongren was. Even he himself was no match for this person, not to mention You Hong. As long as this person wanted, even the world could fall in his hands. Huo Feng smiled: ¡°Then this husband will leave it to you.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart thudded. Husband? ¡°Chongren, I really want to seal you as the empress.¡± With regret and guilt, Huo Feng kissed Yi Chongren¡¯s still visible red and swollen lips. Yi Chongren was still a somewhat distracted, ¡°husband¡± ¡­¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Huo Feng, who was originally pretending to be so troubled by You Hong, moved into Ningshen palace without a word. For a few days, his expression remained dark and the atmosphere in court became particularly stifled. Those officials who previously petitioned his majesty to hold a concubine selection would receive his majesty¡¯s censure with any slight misstep. No matter how muddled a person could be, they could understand what his majesty meant. After You Hong was dismissed from his post, he threatened to die for his beliefs. If he hadn¡¯t agreed to leave the matter to Yi Chongren, Huo Feng would definitely have cut off You Hong¡¯s head. That day, Huo Feng discussed new legislation with the ministers until dark before returning to Ningshen palace. He had already eaten in the imperial study, but he privately wanted to hear Yi Chongren¡¯s advice regarding the promulgation of new legislation. Ever since Huo Feng moved to Ningshen palace, Baozi and Douzi stopped sleeping with daddy. The two moved to a room adjacent to daddy¡¯s. The candlelight in the two sons¡¯ room shone, and Huo Feng directly returned to his and Yi Chongren¡¯s room. Pushing open the bedroom door, a look of surprise appeared on Huo Feng¡¯s face. ¡°Chongren?¡± In front of the dressing table, clothed in his crimson official robes, Yi Chongren was facing the bronze mirror doing his makeup. He glanced at the person who just returned through the bronze mirror and continued to apply his powder. Huo Feng walked behind Yi Chongren with confusion, asking: ¡°Why are you putting on makeup? I thought you didn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Yi Chongren looked at his gradually whitening face in the mirror and coldly explained: ¡°I¡¯m going to go see people in a while, so I need to use this face.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Huo Feng had a guess. ¡°You Hong.¡± As expected! Huo Feng pulled a stool over to sit beside him and glanced at the rouge and gouache on the table, asking: ¡°Do you need my help?¡± ¡°You know how?¡± Yi Chongren side eyed him. Huo Feng revealed a reminiscent smile: ¡°No. But I want to try.¡± Saying this, he picked up the brush for drawing eyebrows on the table, ¡°You can teach me.¡± Yi Chongren looked at Huo Feng for a while, finished applying his white powder while facing the mirror, and then placed a few boxes of different colors in front of Huo Feng, telling him how to draw his eyebrows, eyes, and lips. Drawing eyebrows and lips¡­¡­only a husband would draw eyebrows and lips for his own wife¡­¡­ Huo Feng never thought of Yi Chongren as a woman, and although Yi Chongren had a beautiful appearance, he also never had these types of thoughts. At this moment, Huo Feng felt that he was a man drawing his wife¡¯s eyebrows. He wasn¡¯t very skilled, his hands were unsteady, but Yi Chongren calmly sat before him, letting him paint his face, and Huo Feng couldn¡¯t help but want to kiss the other party. When he finally finished, Huo Feng knitted his brows in dissatisfaction: ¡°It doesn¡¯t look as good as when you do it.¡± Yi Chongren turned to look in the bronze mirror and took the lip brush in Huo Feng¡¯s hand: ¡°Not fierce enough.¡± Yi Chongren retouched his face and the demonic appearance of the former Lord Qianhu of the Hu An guards gradually emerged. Huo Feng said with distaste: ¡°You still look better without makeup. I don¡¯t even know where to kiss you.¡± The corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s lips slightly raised and he stood: ¡°This originally wasn¡¯t meant for you to see. I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going by yourself?¡± Huo Feng held Yi Chongren¡¯s hand. Yi Chongren withdrew his hand and said: ¡°Your martial arts aren¡¯t good. I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± Saying this, he patted Huo Feng, not giving the other party the opportunity to oppose, and in a flash, he was gone. Huo Feng felt down, but there was nothing he could do about it. You Hong was in his study writing at a tremendous speed. He wanted to submit a joint petition with a few ministers from the previous reign to his majesty to expel Yi Chongren from the capital. Yi Chongren used his identity as a eunuch to charm his majesty, and he must be punished! You Hong went from simply wanting his majesty to hold a concubine selection to wanting to eliminate Yi Chongren. He was clear that if Yi Chongren didn¡¯t die, his majesty would not return to orthodoxy. That person was a scourge! During the previous reign, he and Noble Consort Ru had an ambiguous relationship; Now, he seduced the emperor. In You Hong¡¯s eyes, all of Yi Chongren¡¯s so called good deeds were done for his own benefit, to leave an escape route, having nothing to do with loyalty. A gust of wind blew in. You Hong raised his head, wondering how the window opened. He hurriedly used a paperweight to press down the randomly flying pieces of paper and stood to close the window. After he closed the window, You Hong turned. The next moment, he screamed ¡°Ah¡± as if he saw a ghost and fell to the ground. Then, he lost his head in panic and frantically tried to escape, pushing the door, only to realize it was actually locked from the outside! You Hong felt the blood drain from his face, and he pounded the door screaming: ¡°Someone come! Someone come! Help me! Help me ah!¡± With a ¡°whoosh¡±, something dropped from the sky, gazing You Hong¡¯s face as it flew by. ¡°Ding!¡± a dagger pierced into the door panel. You Hong felt his hairs stand on end, and a yellow stream of water flowed from his crotch. You Hong gradually looked down¡­¡­he, he peed. ¡°Lord You neglected sleep and forgot about food out of loyalty for the state, yet he can¡¯t even remember to go to the latrine.¡± Hearing the sneer behind him, You Hong was itching to dig a hole and bury himself inside. He was actually so scared of Yi Chongren that he wet his pants! ¡°Am I that scary? Or are there any treasures on that door?¡± You Hong gradually turned around with trembling legs and looked at Yi Chongren, that demonic face of Yi Chongren. No one who had contact with the Hu An guards wasn¡¯t afraid of that face. You Hong lost all the grandeur he had while remonstrating in the imperial study. He seemed to be back in the previous reign when at any moment, he could be thrown into the Hu An guard¡¯s prison and subjected to the cruelest of punishments. Yi Chongren slowly removed the paperweight and picked up the proposal that You Hong was in the midst of writing. You Hong was trembling in fright, not knowing if he could escape this time. Yi Chongren leisurely read it over and lightly said: ¡°It seems that your excellency is dissatisfied with me. Wu¡­¡­charmed his majesty¡­¡­should be punished¡­..these sins aren¡¯t light.¡± You Hong couldn¡¯t support himself anymore, and he thudded to his knees. He was frightened to the point that he couldn¡¯t even speak, not to mention beg for mercy. Yi Chongren hung a sneer on his lips, slowly ripping the proposal to pieces right in front of You Hong, throwing it to the ground. You Hong felt that his fate was just like that piece of paper, torn to shreds by that terrifying man in an instant. Yi Chongren stood up and You Hong desperately shrunk back, but his back hit the door, unable to escape. Yi Chongren gradually stepped towards You Hong, and You Hong bloodlessly tried to shrink into a ball. Once Yi Chongren walked right in front of him, he was so frightened he didn¡¯t dare to breathe. ¡°Lord You,¡± Yi Chongren looked down at You Hong with eyes like knives, ¡°You¡¯ve already been dismissed by his majesty, so you should kneel when you see me. But because you¡¯re loyal to his majesty, I won¡¯t make things too hard for you. But¡­¡­¡± He squatted down, and You Hong¡¯s teeth chattered. ¡°I, Yi Chongren, have never been a generous person. I won¡¯t let anyone who troubles me live a good life.¡± Yi Chongren lightly patted You Hong¡¯s trembling shoulders and coldly said: ¡°Do your best.¡± Standing, Yi Chongren kicked open the locked door and strode out. You Hong¡¯s entire residence was quiet, and everyone in the residence seemed to disappear at once, terribly quiet. After leaving the You residence, Yi Chongren ¡°visited¡± a few ministers that liked to worry about Huo Feng¡¯s ¡°bedroom matters¡±. Although these ministers weren¡¯t scared into peeing their pants like You Hong, they weren¡¯t far from it. When Yi Chongren returned to the palace, Huo Feng hadn¡¯t gone to rest yet, obviously waiting for him. As soon as he saw Yi Chongren¡¯s face, Huo Feng knew that everything went smoothly. Once he heard that You Hong was actually scared into peeing his pants, he immediately laughed uncontrollably. Hurrying Yi Chongren to wash off his makeup, because he hadn¡¯t touched Yi Chongren for many days to let him recuperate, Huo Feng hastily hugged Yi Chongren to bed and rolled in red waves[1]. A moment in spring is worth a thousand gold, it was still late at night. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C You Hong left the capital with his tail between his legs. He was seriously ill for over half a month, then gave the prime minister, Xie Ming, a ¡°letter of repentance¡± to give to his majesty, not telling a single person, and left the capital with his family. Supposedly, he left looking haggard, not looking like a person. In the letter of repentance, You Hong admitted feeling ashamed for being narrow-minded and betraying his majesty¡¯s trust, obstinately bent on trying to kill Yi Chongren¡¯s loyalty to the court. In the end, he realized his mistakes, no longer fit to face his majesty, and returned to his hometown. You Hong¡¯s departure didn¡¯t produce too big of a response in court. The crown prince clearly expressed his dislike for You Hong, and his majesty dismissed him from his post. He clearly never understood his own position. It was already fortunate that he could leave alive. No one else brought up concubine selection in front of his majesty. Huo Feng put all his energy in court politics, and Yue thrived. Those ministers that were initially against his majesty¡¯s favor for Yi Chongren began to reflect. Was it really wrong for his majesty not to register any concubines? After experiencing the corruption of the previous reign, the common people now lived and worked in happiness, so what was more important than having a competent ruler? After the promulgation of numerous new decrees, the number of ministers concerned about his majesty¡¯s household affairs gradually lessened. His majesty already had a crown prince to the rivers and mountains had a successor. If his majesty didn¡¯t want to marry, then he wouldn¡¯t marry. Firecrackers burst outside the palace, and in the blink of an eye, a year passed by. The night of New Year¡¯s Eve, Huo Feng, Yi Chongren, and the three children ate a festive new years dinner at Ningshen palace. After eating, they accompanied Douzi and Baozi to play with firecrackers. Huo Feng wanted Yi Chongren to accompany him for a walk around the palace. The two drank some wine, but they weren¡¯t drunk yet. Huo Yunkai proactively asked to go to the border to learn after the new year, and Huo Feng agreed. The two walked along the dimly lit palace road as snowflakes fluttered down from the sky. The imperial guards followed behind them far away, and Huo Feng nonchalantly held Yi Chongren¡¯s icy hand. ¡°When it¡¯s cold, your hands get even colder.¡± ¡°Your majesty¡¯s hands are always scorching.¡± ¡°Haha,¡± Huo Feng tightened his grip, ¡°Perfect for keeping you warm.¡± Yi Chongren hooked the corners of his lips. After walking a few steps, Huo Feng ruefully said: ¡°In the past, I never imagined there¡¯d be a day where I could walk with you like this. Sometimes, I think that change was not necessarily a bad thing. You, were buried too deep. If it weren¡¯t for those matters, I would have missed you. Every time I think of this, I feel so fortunate.¡± Yi Chongren lightly said: ¡°If you missed me, then you missed me. You resolved to raise the troops, so I didn¡¯t plan in vain.¡± Huo Feng shook his head, seriously saying: ¡°If I missed you, I¡¯d regret for a lifetime. At that time, you must have resented me for failing to meet expectations.¡± Yi Chongren glanced at Huo Feng with a look saying ¡°you¡¯re finally aware¡±. Huo Feng laughed and said: ¡°I just knew you were annoyed with me. Someone with control over seven hundred thousand soldiers could be so useless. At that time, even if you directly told me that imperial brother wanted my life, I probably still wouldn¡¯t raise troops. I¡¯d only think you were stirring up trouble.¡± ¡°So I forced you to see clearly.¡± Yi Chongren said with some self reproach: ¡°Too bad I couldn¡¯t save the two ladies.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it anymore. You already tried your best.¡± Huo Feng didn¡¯t say that if the two ladies survived, things probably wouldn¡¯t go so smoothly with this person. Everything was arranged by the heavens. ¡°Chongren, you knew that Xingtian would save me that time, so why did you secretly cut my ropes?¡± The atmosphere was both serene and warm, so Huo Feng asked out the doubts buried in his heart for so many years. Yi Chongren took a few steps forward and replied: ¡°I couldn¡¯t be sure that he wouldn¡¯t meet any changes before arriving. By cutting your ropes, even if there were changes, you could save yourself. If Ruan Xingtian¡¯s side made any careless mistakes, Huaiqiu and I could take you out. Of course, that was the worst case scenario.¡± Huo Feng subconsciously tightened his grip on Yi Chongren¡¯s hand and bitterly smiled: ¡°I really was a coward back then. But Chongren, you didn¡¯t hold back on those punches.¡± Yi Chongren in a matter of fact manner: ¡°I¡¯m a person who remembers grudges.¡± Huo Feng took the man in his arms and asked by his ear: ¡°Do you want to give me some more punches to vent? I was wrong.¡± Yi Chongren pushed Huo Feng away with laughter in his eyes: ¡°You¡¯re the emperor now. There¡¯s finally no more people messing with me, so how could I go looking for trouble?¡± ¡°Haha,¡± Huo Feng pulled the man back and lowered his head to passionately ask: ¡°Chongren, am I in your heart?¡± Yi Chongren didn¡¯t reply and opened his lips when Huo Feng kissed him. His heart pounded. Did it matter if it did or not? He wouldn¡¯t be with a second man. All the guards behind them turned around, looking away from the indecency. Under the dancing snow, two people stood on the palace road, forgetting themselves as they kissed. In the past, they stood on this palace road exchanging blows to hurt each other. No one expected that one day, they¡¯d stand here and embrace each other with mutual affection. The smothering kiss ended, and Huo Feng once again held Yi Chongren¡¯s hand: ¡°Let¡¯s go back, it¡¯s too cold outside.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Ther two walked back to Ningshen palace hand in hand, side by side. Snowflakes fell on Yi Chongren¡¯s shoulders, and Huo Feng helped him wipe them away. Yi Chongren lowered his head, looking at the road under his feet, a light smile on his lips. [1] ·­ºìÀË The red brocade quilt is piled on the bed like waves CH 29 Sitting on the bed, Yi Chongren massaged his sore waist. After bathing, he laid down, not wanting to move, too tired. As expected, he had to acquiesce to old age. Today was the crown prince¡¯s wedding day, and as the crown prince¡¯s yifu and the leader of the inner court, Yi Chongren started preparing for the crown prince¡¯s wedding a month ago. The inner palace didn¡¯t have a female master, so Yi Chongren, the actual master of the inner palace, had much to worry about. A certain emperor who was greatly stimulated by the crown prince¡¯s wedding became very consistent with bedroom matters, leaving Yi Chongren in today¡¯s tired state. Fortunately, the crown prince finally got married, so he could finally rest for a few days. Huo Feng had sat on the throne for eight years. The crown prince went to the border to gain experience for three years, leading his troops to victory in several battles. He wasn¡¯t afraid of hardship and slept and ate with the soldiers at the border, winning the admiration of the soldiers in the military. Afterwards, the crown prince went on an inspection tour in plain clothes for two years to understand the suffering of the common people. In the three years since he returned to the capital, the crown prince¡¯s performance greatly satisfied Yi Chongren. The court ministers were delighted to have such a brilliant crown prince, and worried that the crown prince still refused to get married as he got older. The emperor¡¯s harem was empty, and if the crown prince also didn¡¯t marry, wouldn¡¯t it be bad? Under the influence of imperial father and yifu, the crown prince also wanted to find a congenial woman as his wife. During the two years he was on inspection, the crown prince met a pair of sisters. The two sisters were from the jianghu, the elder sister was bold and earnest, and the younger sister was gentle and intelligent. The two sisters each had their charming points. The two originally didn¡¯t know about the crown prince¡¯s identity and they both fell for the crown prince as they got along, while the crown prince formed favorable impressions of these two sisters. Not knowing what to do at the time, the crown prince steeled his heart and left without saying goodbye, returning to the capital. The two sisters were deeply in love with the crown prince, so after the crown prince left, the two discussed for a night and finally decided to accept each other. The two women took their bags to the capital, but then realized that the man they loved was actually the crown prince of the dynasty. After Yi Chongren learned of this matter, he directly let the crown prince accept the two women as it wasn¡¯t impossible for two women to share a husband. With yifu¡¯s support, Huo Yunkai let go of the knots in his heart and took the sisters to the Eastern Palace. Huo Yunkai just returned to the capital so he didn¡¯t want to marry so early, delaying the marriage until now. Of the two sisters, the elder sister became crown prince consort, and the younger sister became concubine. After Huo Yunkai ascended the throne, one would become empress, and one would become noble consort, jointly in charge of the inner palace. The crown prince consort and concubine were both pregnant which was also the reason why Huo Yunkai decided to get married. Huo Feng was unable to give Yi Chongren status, and the crown prince didn¡¯t just get married, but married two at once, so Huo Feng was immediately stimulated by his son, which was also the reason why he was so sexually active during this period of time. Yi Chongren didn¡¯t care about status. Even without a title, he was already tired at this point, so if he did gain a title, it¡¯d be harder for him to disengage. Douzi and Baozi were already fourteen that year, and in a few months, they¡¯d leave the palace to build their own residences. The two children could now help their imperial father. The three sons were all very promising, so Huo Feng¡¯s burden became much lighter. Yi Chongren was very tired today, so after drinking some wine, he went back to Ningshen palace to bathe and rest. Huo Feng was still in the great hall drinking with the ministers. After drinking enough, Huo Feng called the crown prince to the imperial study alone to tell him some words from father to son. Nowadays Huo Yunkai was more prudent and self-reliant and had a restrained temperament. Huo Feng did not expend much mental and physical effort on this son, and it could be said that the crown prince was able to grow to this point entirely because of Yi Chongren. Even Douzi and Baozi were able to display such capability in court because of Yi Chongren¡¯s painstaking teachings. In this family that wasn¡¯t really a family in the imperial palace, Yi Chongren could be considered the true ¡°virtuous wife¡±. Huo Yunkai respectfully poured a cup of tea for his imperial father. As a father, he treated his bloodline, his responsibility with deep awareness. These eight years, many people still opposed imperial father exclusively favoring yifu, and every time, imperial father suppressed these opponents¡¯ voices and unconditionally loved yifu as always. And yifu, scrupulously controlled the inner court for imperial father, taught them three brothers for imperial father, and shared worries with imperial father when he was having trouble dealing with state affairs. In Huo Yunkai¡¯s heart, yifu was not only his other father, but his mother. But because of yifu¡¯s identity, imperial father could never give yifu a title. This was imperial father¡¯s greatest regret and also his greatest regret. Huo Feng drank the tea poured by the crown prince with gratification and ruefully said: ¡°In a blink of an eye, you¡¯re going to be a dad, and Douzi and Baozi are leaving the palace to build their own residences. Imperial father is getting old.¡± Huo Yunkai felt like he was going to cry and immediately said: ¡°Imperial father is still in the prime of life. It¡¯s still early to be talking about being old.¡± Huo Feng laughed and shook his head. He really was getting old, already losing his ambition, only wanting to grow old with another person. His eldest son had a similar appearance to himself, but his thoughtfulness was just like another person. ¡°Crown prince, do you still remember what imperial father told you eight years ago?¡± Huo Yunkai felt his heart tremble and he seriously nodded his head. Huo Feng said: ¡°The reason why imperial father sits in this position is half because I was forced and half because of your yifu. If it weren¡¯t for him, imperial father, you, and Douzi would have been reduced to a pile of bones long ago.¡± Huo Yunkai felt his emotions fluctuate. He often remembered when yifu took him out of the prince¡¯s manor. And it was also at this time that he learned that yifu was a good person, learned that yifu suffered all kinds of grievances. ¡°Crown prince, imperial father is passing this land to you. Protect it well.¡± Huo Yunkai gradually kneeled down and kowtowed: ¡°This son dare not disappoint.¡± Huo Feng walked to the crown prince and supported him up with both hands, eyes full of emotion: ¡°Thank you for succeeding imperial father.¡± Huo Yunkai was also emotional and said with reddening eyes: ¡°Imperial father, this son wants to drink a cup from your and yifu¡¯s wedding feast.¡± Huo Feng patted his son¡¯s shoulders and laughed: ¡°You will, definitely will!¡± By the time he returned to Ningshen palace, Yi Chongren was already asleep. Huo Feng knew he was exhausted and didn¡¯t bother him. After washing, he carefully got in bed and lay in the spot Yi Chongren left for him. The two always lived at Ningshen palace, and Huo Feng¡¯s bed chamber had long become a piece of decoration. Yi Chongren liked the peace of Ningshen palace, and Huo Feng followed him. After eight years, Huo Feng¡¯s sideburns were beginning to turn white, but Yi Chongren still maintained his appearance from eight years prior. Time didn¡¯t leave any traces on his face. Holding Yi Chongren¡¯s waist, Huo Feng closed his eyes. He and Yi Chongren had already been together for almost ten years. These eight years, his love for Yi Chongren only grew, yet this person never said a word of love to him. But Huo Feng knew that he was in Yi Chongren¡¯s heart. Perhaps he had a place in Yi Chongren¡¯s heart since long ago. It¡¯s just that neither of them knew. ¡°You¡¯re back¡­¡­?¡± Deeply asleep, Yi Chongren suddenly mumbled a phrase. Huo Feng tightened his embrace and pecked a kiss on his neck: ¡°En. I spoke with Yunkai for a bit. Go to sleep.¡± ¡°You go to sleep too.¡± patting Huo Feng¡¯s hand, Yi Chongren yawned, not making any more noise. Huo Feng closed his eyes, smelling Yi Chongren¡¯s scent, and soon fell asleep. Yi Chongren gradually awakened from his slumber in the late morning. Stretching, he got out of bed. Pushing open the window, the bright sun shined overhead, and he twisted his waist, walking out. Once the maidservants saw him get up, they immediately brought water for him to wash his face and a cup of mouthwash. Yi Chongren wiped his face and asked: ¡°Where¡¯s his majesty?¡± ¡°His majesty went to the imperial college and will have lunch with some scholars, so you don¡¯t have to wait for him.¡± ¡°En.¡± Yi Chongren frowned in his heart, that person seemed to return very late last night. Now he went to the imperial college so early in the morning. Did he think his body was made of steel? Ever since Huo Feng¡¯s sideburns began growing white, Yi Chongren became more concerned with bodily care. Huo Feng was eight years older than him, so he had to pay close attention. ¡°Your excellency, Lady Qin is here.¡± Yi Chongren quickly rinsed his mouth and strode out of the room. Seeing Xiaoqin carrying a child inside, Yi Chongren reached out to hold the child who had just turned two in Xiaoqin¡¯s arms, calling for her to come inside. Xiaoqin was once willing to be a saboteur by the Jiazheng emperor¡¯s side, and because she served the Jiazheng emperor, she didn¡¯t want to get married. Who knew that on her way back to the capital with Yi Chongren, she developed feelings for the unmarried Xu Baicai. Xu Baicai didn¡¯t care that Xiaoqin used to serve the Jiazheng emperor, instead thinking that Xiaoqin was very brave. The second year after they returned to the capital, Xu Baicai brought betrothal gifts to the Zhang residence to propose marriage. Zhang Deyuan and his wife were Xiaoqin¡¯s adopted father and mother, so when Xiaoqin found such an ideal husband, Xu Baicai was even a general, they were very happy and immediately agreed. Now, Xiaoqin was already the mother of three children. Entering the room, after the servants withdrew, Xiaoqin said: ¡°Dage, next month Baicai and I are returning to the border.¡± Yi Chongren raised his eyes: ¡°Why in such a hurry? Didn¡¯t you just go back last year?¡± Xiaoqin smiled and said: ¡°Baicai said it¡¯s too pitiful to separate Ruan dage and Huaiqiu ge. He wants to hurry and bring Ruan dage back to the capital. He said that of the four of them only Ruan dage is on the solitary path now. As brothers, they should help him.¡± Yi Chongren snorted: ¡°Then you can only blame his own incompetence.¡± Ruan Xingtian and Zhang Huaiqiu were often separated these few years because Ruan Xingtian was a general who had to return to the border. Zhang Huaiqiu wasn¡¯t willing to go to the border with Ruan Xingtian, so Ruan Xingtian could only suffer from the pain of being separated in two places. Zhang Huaiqiu never married and Xiaoqin gave her and Xu Baicai¡¯s second son to him. Zhang Deyuan and his wife weren¡¯t not disappointed that their son got together with Ruan Xingtian, but they also didn¡¯t make things difficult for them. But from beginning to end, Zhang Huaiqiu refused to give Ruan Xingtian status. The two lived and ate together in the capital, no different from a couple. Ruan Xingtian once had a wife, but she passed away from illness, only leaving him a daughter. Last year, Huo Feng granted her a marriage to the top scorer in the palace examination, and now she was almost a mother, living happily. With no other worries, Ruan Xingtian only hoped that he and Zhang Huaiqiu could rest and fly together. Huo Feng didn¡¯t return at noon, so Yi Chongren wanted Xiaoqin to stay for lunch. Baozi and Douzi were also coming at noon. The two children were moving out of the palace soon, so they, who had grown up by daddy¡¯s side, couldn¡¯t bear to part from him. But fortunately they could still enter the palace everyday and often dine with daddy. As the two people were chatting, a eunuch suddenly ran into Ningshen palace burning with anxiety and trepidation, yelling with panic: ¡°Your excellency! His majesty fainted!¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s expression became alarmed. He returned the child to Xiaoqin, and his figure abruptly disappeared from the room. Then his stern voice could be heard asking: ¡°Where is his majesty! Have you called the imperial doctor?!¡± ¡°His majesty suddenly fainted at the imperial college, people have already been sent to find an imperial doctor, Lord Zhang is sending his majesty back to the palace and ordered this servant to report to your excellency.¡± Yi Chongren only felt a ¡°buzz¡± in his head. Firmly biting the tip of his tongue to keep calm, he hurried towards the palace gates. That person was still fine yesterday, still holding him to sleep last night, how could he suddenly faint! He must be too tired, that must be it! Yi Chongren madly rushed towards the palace gates as leaves flew all around him. Reaching the entrance to the palace, he saw Zhang Huaiqiu driving a horse carriage over. Yi Chongren recognized Huo Feng¡¯s imperial carriage and rushed over. Without a word, he jumped on the imperial carriage, not even speaking to Zhang Huaiqiu, and Yi Chongren rushed into the carriage. That moment, his heart seemed to stop beating. ¡°Your majesty!¡± Throwing himself on Huo Feng¡¯s unconscious body, Yi Chongren¡¯s hands trembled. As soon as he grasped Huo Feng¡¯s hand, Yi Chongren turned his head to yell out: ¡°Huaiqiu! Hurry up! Let the imperial doctor go to Ningshen palace!¡± ¡°Jia!¡± Zhang Huaiqiu firmly smacked the horse¡¯s ass. Soon, the crown prince, the two princes, and the important court ministers all gathered at Ningshen palace. By the bed, Yi Chongren¡¯s face was pale as he sat there and the crown prince stood behind him. Baozi and Douzi¡¯s eyes reddened. Imperial father suddenly fainted so the two were extremely frightened. The imperial doctor already checked his majesty¡¯s pulse, and the medically skilled Ji Di pressed his fingers on his majesty¡¯s wrist to check again. After a while, he removed his hand, and Yi Chongren immediately asked: ¡°How is his majesty!¡± Ji Di frowned: ¡°Same result as the imperial doctor¡¯s pulse diagnosis, his majesty overworked and became ill. In addition, the internal injuries he sustained from his years leading troops never fully recovered, so illness adds to illness. His majesty definitely can¡¯t work too hard any more, he needs to recuperate.¡± Yi Chongren took a few deep breaths and nodded: ¡°I see.¡± The imperial doctor made a prescription, and after Ji Di saw that there weren¡¯t any problems, he gave the prescription to Lu Tao. Y Chongren glanced at Douzi and Baozi as the two children left with Lu Tao. At this time, Yi Chongren couldn¡¯t relax if other people simmered Huo Feng¡¯s medicine. ¡°Yifu, imperial father is going to be fine.¡± Huo Yunkai soothed. Yi Chongren gently wiped the sweat perspiring on Huo Feng¡¯s forehead and told himself, also telling everyone at the scene: ¡°His majesty will be fine.¡± Then, he stood and bowed to everyone in the room. Everyone was startled. ¡°Lord Yi!¡± Standing straight, Yi Chongren said: ¡°His majesty has fallen ill from overwork so he can no longer deal with state affairs. I hope that you all can assist the crown prince with all your heart so his majesty can recuperate at peace.¡± ¡°This is our duty. At this time, Lord Yi must take care. His majesty still needs your care.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s bow gave many people quite a shock, even startling Huo Yunkai. Yi Chongren turned towards Huo Yunkai and hoarsely said: ¡°Crown prince, from today onwards, you must lead the state until your imperial father is in good health.¡± ¡°This son is at your command.¡± No one was dissatisfied with Yi Chongren for going beyond his authority, and at this time, Yi Chongren¡¯s words were tantamount to his majesty¡¯s words. After he finished explaining, Yi Chongren sat by the bed and held Huo Feng¡¯s hand right in front of the crowd. Only he himself knew how agitated, how uneasy he was. Xie Ming motioned to the others, and they all quietly withdrew. Huo Yunkai deeply glanced at imperial father and yifu and also withdrew. Once the door closed, Yi Chongren hugged Huo Feng. The end of their promise of ten years hadn¡¯t arrived yet, hadn¡¯t arrived yet! ¡°Your majesty, there are still two years for our agreement, can you wait no longer?¡± Yi Chongren placed Huo Feng¡¯s not warm enough hand on his own face. He was never so scared of someone leaving him. Huo Feng¡¯s breathing worsened, and his eyelids moved, as if he was awakening. Yi Chongren hastily shouted softly: ¡°Your majesty! Your majesty!¡± After struggling for a long time, Huo Feng finally opened his eyes. Yi Chongren¡¯s hands trembled. Huo Feng¡¯s gaze gradually moved to Yi Chongren¡¯s face and he struggled to tighten his hold on Yi Chongren¡¯s hands. He opened his mouth with difficulty: ¡°Chong, ren¡­¡­¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s heart tightened, and his lips parted: ¡°Huo Feng¡­¡­¡± For so many years, he seldom called this person¡¯s name unless he was emotional. But at this moment, he didn¡¯t want to call this person ¡°your majesty¡±. Huo Feng was visibly happy to hear Yi Chongren call him so, slightly smiling. ¡°Sorry¡­¡­ scared you¡­¡­¡± ¡°You scared me.¡± Yi Chongren stabilized his mind, poured a cup of water, and helped Huo Feng drink it. Huo Feng drank weakly, and then tugged at Yi Chongren to say: ¡°I¡¯m, very tired, accompany me to sleep for a while.¡± Yi Chongren gradually laid Huo Feng down and said: ¡°Lu Tao is simmering your medicine. Drink your medicine before sleeping.¡± Huo Feng frowned: ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little tired, I¡¯ll be fine after sleeping.¡± His words weren¡¯t as weak as before. ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you after you drink your medicine. You fainted so you can¡¯t not drink medicine.¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s hands were still shaking. He twisted a damp cloth and carefully wiped Huo Feng¡¯s face and hands. Huo Feng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple moved several times and he deeply gazed at Yi Chongren as he took care of him. After Yi Chongren wiped him off, he hoarsely said: ¡°Chongren, if I abdicate, will you think I¡¯m a coward?¡± Yi Chongren¡¯s hand paused, and then grasped Huo Feng¡¯s hand, fastening their fingers: ¡°I was just thinking about how to persuade you to abdicate.¡± Huo Feng smiled. Yi Chongren lightly said: ¡°The land is at peace and the common people live in peace and work happily. Now could be considered ¡®the golden age of Kangzheng¡¯. These years, you worked assiduously for the country and the people. I saw this all.¡± Pausing, Yi Chongren grasped Huo Feng¡¯s other hand: ¡°In the past, I called you a coward because you held troops yet never made yourself emperor, letting an incapable ruler and corrupt ministers spread misery and suffering. As the emperor, you had a clear heart. Now, I¡¯d rather you be nothing than see you faint again.¡± Huo Feng was especially moved by Yi Chongren¡¯s words. He finally attained it? ¡°Chongren, am I in your heart?¡± Yi Chongren leaned forward and kissed Huo Feng lightly, not answering yet answering, and said: ¡°As long as you want me, I won¡¯t leave.¡± Enough, those words were enough. Huo Feng broke into a smile, joy filling his body. ¡°I¡¯m not the emperor anymore. Our promise needs to be changed.¡± The corners of Yi Chongren¡¯s mouth raised. Huo Feng laughed and said: ¡°Chongren, let¡¯s grow old together in conjugal bliss, alright?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡­¡± Huo Feng laughed heartily as if he obtained a treasure he had waited for so long, too long. The sound of laughter traveled out of the room, traveling out of Ningshen palace. Yi Chongren also laughed, because of Huo Feng¡¯s joy, because of a person¡¯s longing and happiness for him. No matter how much he suffered from an unfair fate in the past, at this moment, he thanked the heavens for giving him those hardships. Because of those hardships, he met this man who loved him so much. It¡¯d been eight years. There was no need to say more. He had long clearly understood this man¡¯s feelings for himself. Even if ten years passed, he believed that he and that person would have another ten years and another ten years. There were many people in Yi Chongren¡¯s heart, but there was one person who could never be replaced. Huo Feng, I, Yi Chongren, am yours. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- The eighth day of the first month of the ninth year of Kangzheng, Huo Feng, who was resting in Ningshen palace, issued an order passing the throne to the crown prince, and he became father of the reigning emperor. The second month of the same year, Yi Chongren retired from official duties, and the inner court¡¯s matters were passed to the empress and noble consort. The third month, crown prince Huo Yunkai officially ascended to the throne, changing the era name to ¡°Yonghui¡±. As soon as the new emperor ascended, he passed an order to seal his yifu, Yi Chongren, as ¡°Yide Wang[1]¡±, respectfully ¡°De fu[2]¡±, to enter the temple of the emperor. Once this imperial decree was passed, the world was in uproar. Huo Feng was unable to give Yi Chongren a title, but his son was able to accomplish it. And there was one thing Huo Feng only told his son, which was after he died, only Yi Chongren¡¯s coffin could be placed next to his coffin. The coffins of the empress and imperial noble consort who died long ago were put in another part of the imperial tomb. The fifth month of the first year of Yonghui, a group of people left the palace, left the capital, on a sunny day. In the carriage, Huo Feng and Yi Chongren, who had just become grandfathers for a month, leisurely looked at the streets of the capital. The two unburdened people were prepared to take a good look at the land of Yue and properly make up for all the time they had wasted in the past. But one person was still a bit dejected. ¡°Chongren, I¡¯m already fine, I don¡¯t need to eat this medicine.¡± ¡°This is the medicine the imperial doctor and Lord Ji prescribed to you to strengthen your body. Just pretend you¡¯re eating sweetened peas.¡± ¡°Sweetened peas? It¡¯s obviously bitter.¡± ¡°Good medicine tastes bitter.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Should he confess to Chongren? After thinking about it, a certain person still obediently ate the ¡°sweetened peas¡±. Forget it, between eating medicine and his life, his life was still more important. In the imperial palace, Ji Di whispered to an imperial doctor: ¡°You must never leak this matter! If Lord Yi finds out we tricked him, we¡¯ll die!¡± ¡°Yes yes yes, this official definitely doesn¡¯t dare to say anything.¡± ¡°En. Put more hawthorn in his majesty¡¯s medicine.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [1] ÒåµÂÍõ same yi as in yifu. Íõ means he basically a prince now [2] µÂ¸¸ fu as in father End of main story t/n: Thank you everyone who has read up until this point. All of your likes and comments make me very happy. There is an extra but I don¡¯t plan on translating it since I¡¯ve moved on from this novel for quite some time. It¡¯s quite cute so if any other translators want to work on the extras feel free to ask me for help. I¡¯ll be back next week with a new novel so stay on the lookout for that. It¡¯s BG but it¡¯s a mystery tragedy so I really like it. The novel I¡¯ll be working on after that will be BL. Hope you¡¯ll stick around