“The Duan Kingdom is just a small country hidden in deep mountains and valleys. Witchcraft and medical skills were rampant in the country, and the people in the country, regardless of gender, have the symbol of Lindens on their arms. Due to our unique physique, men of the Duan Kingdom do not have an advantage in physical endurance compared to men of other ethnic groups, which has led to the country always facing a situation of weak generals and soldiers. There are nearly a hundred medicinal valleys of different sizes in the Duan Kingdom, full of rare herbs. The unique resources of Tilia wood and black iron in the mountains of the Duan Kingdom were excellent materials for forging chariots and various weapons. There were also many masters skilled in weapon casting in the Duan Kingdom. Since childhood, I have been learning the skill of forging weapons. These unique treasures not only bring supreme wealth to the Duan Kingdom but also attract countless wolves to covet them.”
“Having a treasure but being unable to protect it is the original sin.”
“Finally, this batch of treasures has been coveted by the new Emperor of the Jiang Empire. The new Emperor is ambitious and wants to expand his territory, taking possession of the wealth of the country. The new Emperor of the Jiang Empire was approaching the city, and I’m leading the army to confront him.”
At this point, Marquis Duan paused for a moment.
To this day, after so many years, he can’t forget the situation when he first met that person. He can’t forget the way that person looked at him and the undisguised crazy possessiveness in his eyes.
“There’s something Your Highness doesn’t know, and neither does Yun Er.”
Marquis Duan calmly spoke again.
“I and the current Emperor of Jiang, Jiang Zhaoliu, were once fellow brothers who studied zither together.”
Upon hearing this, Sui Heng was indeed surprised. Not only did he not know about it, but also Jiang Yun. He feared that only a few people in the world knew about it. Moreover, he had never heard of Emperor Jiang being skilled at playing the zither.
Marquis Duan said, “Perhaps this is fate.”
“My master’s name is Ji Heng, who is an extraordinary cultivator. He is not only skilled in playing the zither but also in military and astrological divination. It is said that his elderly family once helped the people of a village predict the disaster of an earthquake in advance, allowing the villagers in that village to escape in time and survive. When the village was besieged by bandits, my master skillfully led the villagers to use chess formation and led over 300 elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people in the village to repel nearly a thousand fierce mountain bandits. Those mountain bandits were afraid of my master’s skills and dared not invade the village below the mountain anymore. Jiang Zhaoliu was the new emperor of the Jiang Empire at that time, and he ascended the throne with great ambition. He couldn’t wait to expand his territory and govern the Jiangnan region. I heard about this from somewhere, he changed his name to “Zhao Ye” and became a disciple of my master, learning military tactics from him.”
“At that time, there were a total of three fellow disciples who were studying the zither. The master’s brother, Gu Yu, was skilled in the zither and was kind and considerate. I was closer to my senior brother on weekdays and often studied the zither with him, and together we made the ‘Feng Qiu Huang’.”
“Afterwards, my father, the king, sent an urgent letter informing me that a foreign tribe had invaded the Duan Kingdom. He ordered me to quickly return to my home country and take charge of military affairs. I left my school overnight, and this time it took several years. During this time, my senior brother wrote a letter saying that Zhao Ye had also left the school not long after I left and never returned. The three of us brothers separated like this. I thought we would never have any interaction again in our lifetime. It wasn’t until that time, when I caught off guard and met in battle.”
“We all learned the same skills and tactics from the same master, and we were too familiar with each other’s tactics. We faced each other for three days and three nights in the Fallen Moon City, but there was no clear winner. After a ceasefire, he proposed to meet with me alone. I think, after all, we were once brothers from the same sect, and perhaps he would consider old friendship and be willing to stop fighting. After all, in terms of national power at the time, the Duan Kingdom was far from being a match for the mighty Jiang. I agreed to his request, and three days later, I only brought a team of personal guards to meet him in the army tent of Jiang.
“I didn’t expect that as soon as we met, he would ask me who was ‘Feng Qiu Huang’ written for. I don’t understand why he insisted on bringing up such an old story, I casually said it was just a portrayal of the scenery. He then asked me if he was happy with Gu Yu. I felt inexplicable and felt that he had desecrated my feelings for my senior brother, so I wanted to get off the topic and get to the point. Instead, he proceeded to have people serve drinks and said we would talk afterward.”
“At that time, I was determined to cease hostilities with him, so I could only drink the wine he handed me. I never expected that he would drugged the wine. When I woke up again, we had already had a relationship. He hugged me, expressing his longing for me and jealousy towards Gu Yu. He even said he would marry me into the palace and make me the Empress. I was filled with grief and anger, unable to bear such a shameful and humiliating situation, and sternly refused his request.”
“You should also be able to guess what happened afterwards. This marquis’s actions completely angered him. He concentrated his heavy army, attacked the Duan Kingdom, and forced my father to hand me over. My father naturally refused to agree to his request and ordered me to fight with all my might. I led three thousand dead soldiers to fight against him in front of the city of Fallen Moon. At that time, I thought that if I really couldn’t defend this city, I would cut my own throat with my sword and thank him for my death, so that he would spare the civilians of the Duan Kingdom. I held on bitterly for two months, during which time I realized that I had bone and blood with him. I was responsible for guarding the city at that time, and if I forcibly removed the fetus, it would endanger my life.”
“But he didn’t even give me the right to die. After the city was destroyed, he deposed my martial arts skills and imprisoned me in the Guanghan Palace. In order to force me to comply, he even threatened me with my senior brother’s life. In a mix of sadness and anger, I wrote the second half of ‘Feng Qiu Huang’ to express my feelings. He knew that I was pregnant and was ecstatic. He came to the Guanghan Palace every day, forcing me to play the first half of ‘Feng Qiu Huang’ because every time Yun Er heard the melody in my belly, there was a fetal reaction. He fabricated the identity of a witch saint for me. Despite the opposition of the court officials, he appointed me as the Empress, even before Yun Er was born, he made Yun Er the Crown Prince. He hoped that I could reconcile with him for Yun Er’s sake and forgive his various mistakes. Later, when Yun Er was born, he often carried him to the outside of the Guanghan Palace and told me about Yun Er’s affairs, how many meals he ate each time, how similar his eyes were to mine, and that he would giggle when he heard the music I played. He also said that he could already babble to call him Emperor Father, trying to soften my heart. But I was experiencing the pain of the destruction of my country, and in any case, it was impossible for me to develop a love for him.”
“Later, with the help of the former tribe, I used the methods of self immolation and explosion to escape from the palace. At that time, I was devastated. I was so depressed and fell ill. On the way to escape, Zhao Zhong brought me the last strand of blood left by my twin king brother. Looking at that young child still in swaddling clothes, I suddenly thought of another child who was still staying in the palace and always looked at me with lacquered eyes. I named his baby Ziqi, hoping that it could bring new hope to the people of the Duan Kingdom. I’ve already failed the Duan Kingdom, my father and brother. I can’t let the Duan Kingdom’s last bloodline down again.”
“At that time, almost all of the land in Jiangnan was under the jurisdiction of the Jiang Empire. In order to escape from the pursuers, I had to flee in the Jiangbei direction. After crossing the Yellow River, I happened to encounter the army of the King of Qi halfway through. At that time, the King of Qi went out to hunt and was trapped in the mountains. I saw this as an opportunity to use formations to help the King of Qi out of trouble. Later, I was indeed appreciated by the King of Qi and entered the Qi Kingdom to serve. I spent several years using my weapon forging skills to help the King of Qi consolidate his city defense, and step by step, I became neutral and stable in the court. Although the King of Qi coveted me, it was probably because of the initial kindness in the mountains. He has always respected me.”
“At first, after gaining power in the Qi Kingdom, it’s not that I never thought of seeking revenge because of the deep-rooted national and family grudges, which tormented me every day. When the King of Qi learned about my background, he even promised me that he would send troops to the Jiang Empire to avenge me. My former followers even planned several assassinations within the territory of Jiang, but they all ended in failure. I knew that revenge could not be completed overnight, it would only bring more bloodshed and slaughter, so I ordered my people to stop their actions.”
“But I still couldn’t let go easily, so when the Qi Kingdom wanted to form an alliance with Sui, I didn’t try my best to stop it. Later, the King of Qi was dissatisfied with me because I secretly investigated the Qingque incident and wanted to send troops to help the Sui Empire attack Jiang to test my bottom line. I didn’t try to stop him in order to protect my tribe. I just demanded that he not harm the Crown Prince of Jiang.”
“This shameless past should not have been mentioned to you as a younger generation, but I can only say these words to Your Highness.”
Marquis Duan took out the military symbols of Bo and Yan cities from his arms and placed them on the table.
He said, “Currently, within the territory of Qi, there are more than 500 members of the Yin tribe. Over the years, they have all been diligent and honest in their lives. This marquis hopes that Your Highness can provide them with a place to rest and let them live in peace. As for this marquis, for my own selfish interests, this marquis helped and committed evil and turned a blind eye to the crimes of the King of Qi and the Qingque. In the end, this marquis has suffered the consequences of my own wrongdoing. Although this marquis has implemented the Order of Balance and gained several false reputations, this marquis knows that this marquis has no face to face with the people of Qi. This marquis is willing to serve as a sinner in the extremely cold land of the north to redeem himself until these sins are cleansed.”
Sui Heng listened in silence.
“The sin of Qingque lies with the King of Qi, with the nobles of Qi, not with this marquis alone.” He said.
Marquis Duan said, “It is a fact that this marquis assisted in his tyranny.”
Sui Heng raised his eyes and asked, “The Marquis has organized everything properly, but have you considered Rongyu?”
Marquis Duan was stunned.
Tears flickered in his eyes, and he said, “He’s luckier than me. With Your Highness here, he’ll be happy, safe, and sound for a lifetime. I… have nothing to worry about.”
Sui Heng shook his head. “Those are two different things.”
“Being kind to him is Gu’s matter, but what about the Marquis? He’s been alone in that throne room for nineteen years and has never forgotten the Marquis. Even if he passes by the Qi capital while running for his life, he still risks listening to Marquis playing a piece of music under the city tower. He had remembered the short sentence the Marquis had said to him when he was a child, when he was ill for nineteen whole years. Does the Marquis hope that he will still spend the remaining long years alone?”
“Perhaps he no longer needs these compensations, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need his parents’ love.”
Sui Heng returned to the room, and Jiang Yun was sitting on a small table by the window, wearing a long green robe, supporting his cheek with slightly curved eyes, and smiling at him. The morning light was shining brightly, enveloping him, and his black hair was like a waterfall, shining brilliantly and moving.
Sui Heng’s heart pounded, feeling as if he had been bewitched again.
For a moment, he thought to himself, How could there be such a beautiful person in the world? Even after watching many, many times, he still couldn’t control his heart pounding. Sui Heng couldn’t help but smile. He walked over and sat on the couch, directly holding the person to his body. He asked, “Your fever hasn’t completely subsided yet, why did you get up?”
Jiang Yun lay on his shoulder and said, “I didn’t see Your Highness when I opened my eyes. I miss Your Highness. I was bored for a moment, so I just sat here waiting.”
His tone was soft, like that of a coquettish kitten.
Sui Heng’s heart softened once again, and he said, “After we go back, we’ll get married. This way, every day when you open your eyes, you can see Gu, is that alright?”
Jiang Yun asked, “Then is Your Highness’s dowry ready?”
Sui Heng proudly said, “It’s almost done. Gu can give it to you in at most three days.”
“Gu assured you, whether your advisors, generals, or your mentally ill father can find a single flaw.”
Jiang Yun narrowed his eyes contentedly, paused for a moment, and then asked, “How was your chatting?”
Sui Heng was taken aback.
“You already know.”
“En.”
Jiang Yun nodded. “I knew since when he came in.”
Sui Heng recounted the conversation between the two without missing a word.
Jiang Yun also learned about these old stories in the Duan Kingdom for the first time. He had always understood his suffering and helplessness, and after listening, he remained silent for a long time.
Sui Heng said, “Gu can see, it’s not that he doesn’t have any feelings for you, he’s just constrained by national hatred and doesn’t dare to face that past.”
Jiang Yun asked, “Has Your Highness figured out how to solve the situation after the Qi Kingdom?”
Sui Heng didn’t immediately say, but asked, “Do you have any ideas?”
Jiang Yun nodded. “Qi is not an ordinary small country. The aristocratic forces are intertwined, and the situation in the country is complex. Currently, the unification of the north and south has not been completed, and neither Sui nor Jiang can allocate enough manpower to manage such a large country. After Your Highness captured Qi, the best way to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible is to choose someone who understands this country to replace Your Highness in carrying out political orders.”
Sui Heng naturally understood Jiang Yun’s meaning.
“Are you referring to Marquis Duan?”
“En, in recent years, Marquis Duan has carried out the decree of equity in the Qi capital to restrict the power of the nobility, which has won the hearts of the people. I have carefully studied the content of the decree of equity, and a series of decrees and laws formulated in it are really good measures for careful consideration and benefiting the country and the people. It is a pity to give up halfway, if he continue to carry it out, it will greatly change the people’s livelihoods in the whole Qi. The disaster of the Qingque, in the final analysis, is that the nobility has too much power, indulges in excessive lust, and treats the common people as worthless, so the whole Qi is rot and decay from the root. Only by thoroughly removing these rotten roots can the Qi capital become better, and people in the Qi capital can live a real life of peace. Moreover, some of the decrees in the order of equity also apply to the Sui and Jiang Empires, so they could be selected as the best and widely promoted in Jiangnan and Jiangbei.”
“Moreover, he has talent, ambition, and a kindheartedness towards people. He should have a world where he can vigorously showcase his talents.”
Sui Heng watched as he chatted confidently, admiring the beauty and unparalleled demeanor of the beauty. He couldn’t help but say, “Look at you. In Gu’s opinion, His Highness Rongyu’s one mouth was worth more than Gu’s 300,000 troops.”
Sui Heng even thought that such an astonishingly talented treasure, as radiant as a beautiful jade, he still had to thank God’s favor, which made him lucky enough to fall to the bottom of that cliff and pick him up.
If not, he doesn’t know which bastard will be able to take advantage.
He doesn’t believe that there is a better lover than him in this world.
Jiang Yun kisses him once.
“Your Highness’s 300,000 Qinglang Battalion cavalry crisscrossed the north of the Yangtze River, invincible. Even the beacon tower that I had worked hard to build for a year and a half was razed to the ground by Your Highness. How dare I compare myself to Your Highness?”
Sui Heng always felt that this despicable little lover was mocking him.
He lowered his face and whispered a few words in his ears.
Jiang Yun’s ears turned red.
Sui Heng liked to tease him and said, “Once we get married, Gu will do it immediately.”
