Chapter 481: The Crimson Emperor

Chen Qingyan had originally thought the Great Emperor of Zhongzhou intended to take the girl away to Zhongzhou as a noble concubine; her brows lifted slightly, and her hand already rested on the hilt of the long sword at her waist.

Chen Chengbi rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.

Fight!

Let's fight!

His fists were clenched tight, yet he never expected such an outcome.

Even Xue Shuangtao was stunned; after several breaths, she finally replied with thanks, though still deeply puzzled: "This humble disciple has long resided in Chen State and never had the honor to pay respects to Your Majesty. What virtue or merit could I possibly possess to merit such a reward?"

"You undervalue yourself, Princess."

Prince Ji Yanzhong spoke, then smiled faintly as he handed the imperial edict to Xue Shuangtao, followed by taking out a box, gently stroking it before offering it to her.

"This is the Zhongzhou Crimson Emperor's Ninefold Return-to-Origin Pill."

"It nourishes the body and restores primordial qi."

"The Qin Wang heard that the Princess's health is frail; he personally led over a hundred horsemen, galloping thousands of li to Zhongzhou, and begged Your Majesty for this pill, wishing the Princess good health and boundless fortune."

Chen Qingyan and Chen Chengbi froze.

Chen Chengbi was stunned.

Huh?? Who??

Li Guanyi?! That kid??

No, how could that kid possibly do something like this?

Chen Qingyan's expression softened, but after a long while of stunned silence, Chen Chengbi instead felt a pang of regret, letting out a long sigh.

Boring.

I want to fight!

With bloody heads and rivers of blood!

Xue Shuangtao fell silent for a long while, her cheeks faintly flushed.

A quiet spark of delight glimmered in her eyes.

She gazed at the box for a long time, then gently tucked it away.

"Thank you, Elder."

……………………

In the imperial palace of Zhongzhou.

Emperor Ji Zichang watched silently as snow fell from the sky, blanketing the palace filled with petty scheming; his daughter had only just been born, yet she could already play in the snow in this weather.

"Yi yi ya ya!!!"

Her body was robust, brimming with vital energy.

After consulting the Purple Yang True Man of the Academic Palace's Daoist sect, he said the child's vitality was sustained by a primordial qi maintained by a peerless Grand Master's supreme divine art — this primordial qi would ensure the child remained healthy throughout life.

Ji Zichang knew Li Guanyi had done it.

Consort Wen stepped beside him, watching the emperor gaze at the falling snow; she said, "Your Majesty." Ji Zichang turned his head and replied, "Your body hasn't fully recovered; it's bitterly cold today — why did you come out?"

Consort Wen replied gently, "Where you are, I must be." Ji Zichang said nothing, simply spread his cloak to envelop her, using his Wu Gong to shield her from the cold.

Consort Wen stood quietly beside Ji Zichang, savoring the rare peace in this turbulent age, chatting about family matters: "You sent the Crimson Dragon Imperial Guards to Chen State?"

Ji Zichang said, "Yes."

"I'm going to acknowledge a younger sister."

Consort Wen paused in confusion, then suddenly understood, saying:

"The granddaughter of the current Marquis of Xue?"

"Mm."

Ji Zichang smiled faintly: "The Physician doesn't care what the world thinks, but I understand better than he does just how powerful the voice of the masses truly is; I also understand better than he does… that while he doesn't care, others cannot afford to ignore."

"Not everyone is the Qin Wang."

Ji Zichang thought of his childhood friend who had "died" of illness; his voice halted, and even after nearly twenty years, a wordless ache still pierced his heart.

But looking back now, hadn't he sensed something was wrong?

He had.

Though young, Ji Zichang had been sharp — he sensed something, sensed the dissatisfaction of the noble clans, the imperial kin, his uncles and dukes toward his choice.

Yet he regarded such dissatisfaction with nothing but contempt.

What can you possibly do if you're dissatisfied?

Back then, he was imperial blood, the Crown Prince; he knew he would one day be the most exalted man alive, brimming with confidence, certain no conspiracy could harm him — yet he never anticipated that while they couldn't harm him, they could harm others.

"The Physician is brilliant, bold, and upright; he doesn't think things through completely. Those who stride forward fearlessly sometimes unconsciously assume others are just as strong, just as unafraid."

"But the murmurs of the world can melt gold."

"Such confidence, if someone insists on following in his footsteps, will bring them suffering."

Ji Zichang embraced Consort Wen and smiled lightly:

"Let me be the one to make up for this final thing for him."

"The Crimson Emperor's reputation is already running thin."

"Every little bit helps."

"Helping him is better than letting it rot in my hands, better than letting the entire court of ministers and generals waste it."

Ji Zichang recalled the few words he planned to have Ji Yanzhong say, and grinned:

"Ha, that Physician kid is obsessed with the world — he cares deeply for others, yet he doesn't know how to say pretty words. He still needs his older brother to help him."

"Hahaha, on the day they wed, if I don't sit at the table, no one dares lift their chopsticks."

Consort Wen smiled and said, "You are the Emperor — sovereign of all under heaven."

When the Qin Wang married, you did not come—so the officials of all under heaven naturally could not pick up their chopsticks; it would violate propriety.

Ji Zichang murmured to himself: "Sovereign of All Under Heaven."

He laughed bitterly and said: "Someone like me—the territory of Zhongzhou is barely a thousand li across; toss a stone and you'll knock down several nobles, my lord; my troops wear fine armor, yet cannot campaign beyond our borders."

"The bloodlines of civil and military officials, noble families, and imperial clans are entangled through marriage, bound together in this way into a dense, impenetrable net that blankets all of Zhongzhou."

"Pull one hair, and the whole body moves."

"Not a single strand can be moved."

"Though I have mustered the will to act, I am powerless. At forty, I am beyond confusion, yet I am merely clinging to my ancestors' shadow, barely holding onto the role of a wealthy puppet."

"How could such a man be called Sovereign of All Under Heaven?!"

"Isn't that laughable?"

Lady Wen could not help but grow anxious, wanting to comfort Ji Zichang.

But she did not know what to say.

The Wen family was also a part of this vast network.

Ji Zichang gently pressed his hand over Lady Wen's, fell silent for a long while, then said: "The chaos of all under heaven now has a chance to be quelled. When peace is restored, if—I—if I am no longer Emperor—will you come with me?"

Lady Wen's heart trembled; she opened her mouth, tears nearly falling.

After finally steadying her emotions, she whispered:

"Your humble concubine… agrees."

Ji Zichang looked at her, smiled softly, and drew her into his arms.

His chin rested on Lady Wen's forehead; he whispered:

"Good."

"Then, we will go together across all under heaven, leave this cramped Zhongzhou, see Jiangnan's waters, the northern steppes, the western deserts where smoke rises over the setting sun, and the most boundless starry river."

"When we step beyond, I will walk with you through ten thousand rivers and mountains, all the scenery of the world—until we grow old, then find a quiet place in this peaceful age, watching sunrises and sunsets, witnessing all things bloom."

"I have no other wish."

Lady Wen's nose grew sharp with ache; she nodded fiercely—back then, when that youthful lad, full of spirit, walked behind her to meet his childhood sweetheart, there had been another girl, slightly younger, who had always watched his back.

But back then, he never turned around.

Now, at last, he turned.

Ji Zichang's brow was calm, bearing a resolve and openness no last monarch could ever possess.

"Then, when the Qin Wang has secured the rightful mandate of all under heaven."

"I, the Emperor, will."

The Red Emperor said:

"Abdicate to him!"

……………………

In the Western Regions, winter was bitterly cold.

The jingling of camel bells drifted far on the north wind—a caravan from the Central Plains; since the Qin Wang had taken control of this land, trade once scarce had begun to flourish.

Such caravans had become a common sight.

The desert bandits who once threatened ordinary caravans had gradually vanished, for the Qin Wang's Anxi Protectorate had a peculiar habit of hunting down bandits—the bandits themselves found these regular troops even more brutal.

Robbery?

Robbery, what?

Where did this strange habit come from, some poor, vicious man?

Damn it, they even attack desert robbers—do they still believe in Wang Fa?

The caravan stopped at a water source ahead to replenish supplies.

By the Qin Wang's order, all water sources along the trade routes of the Western Regions were controlled by the Anxi Protectorate, garrisoned by armored soldiers, and managed by merchant guilds; travelers could choose to trade here, selling goods to the state at slightly below market price, saving much effort.

They could also rest, eat, and resupply here.

Naturally, nobles from the small and great city-states of the Western Regions sought to meddle in this inevitably profitable business.

But the Anxi Protectorate's blades were no tofu.

Secretly, they slaughtered until their blades ran red, finally quelling these men's greed—this was only possible because of the Qin Wang's authority and the Tian Kehan's renown; without such prestige, this trade would have sparked war between city-states.

Wind and sand blew past; the girl seated on the camel had bright eyes.

Sa Atandi had taken a Central Plains name—Zhao—and had studied history and writing, recording the Western Regions' oral legends in text; the scholars in the Imperial Academy were astonished, once writing: "Only virtue endures forever; though the body perishes, the name remains."

The history students, amazed by her talent, gradually rose to prominence.

Now nearly seventeen, she had spent over half a year with the Tiance Prefecture in Jiangnan and wished to return to Anxi City to see her original tribe; she was bright-eyed and full of vitality.

Central Plains scholars rarely saw such a vibrant foreign girl; many were stirred.

But one day, when they saw this young Shi Guan leave the academy,

On her left stood Master Yan Daiqing, arms crossed, gentle as jade.

On her right stood Mr. Wen Qingyu, courteous and mild.

Both lazily trailed behind Miss Zhao, mocking each other as they walked.

The Central Plains' romantic scholars immediately cowered.

"Tian格尔, Tian格尔, look—how prosperous it has become! When we first met, the water here was nearly dry; we still had such primitive customs."

Sa Atandi called out to those behind in the caravan.

On a camel-drawn cart, a young man around twenty lay with his arms behind his head, a straw hat covering his face to block the sun; he lifted it and said: "Yes, it's been a long time."

He sat up, gazing across the vast Western Regions—every direction stretched magnificently; his chest opened wide, he drew a deep breath and let out a long, piercing cry that halted the drifting clouds—utterly exhilarating.

Early March, Tianqi Year 15.

The Qin Wang, escorted by the Nine-Colored Divine Deer, arrived in the Western Regions and entered under the guise of a traveling merchant, accompanied by Sa Atandi, who intended to visit relatives in Anxi and aid in spreading Central Plains language throughout the Western Regions, and Mr. Pojun.

Mr. Pojun crossed his arms; at thirty-three, his lips had curled upward since arrival and never dropped.

Heh, hehe, hehehehe!

No, no!

No that white-haired brat!

Ahahahahaha, no, no!

Mr. Pojun pressed his face, barely holding back laughter.

"Five years! Five years!"

"Finally won! I knew it—I'm the strongest! Yao Guang, you lost! Do you admit it? Do you admit it?!"

This journey, Pojun was here for the matter of the Turkic Seven Kings, Ashina, while Li Guanyi sought to retrieve the Lifespan Parasite; across the boundless grasslands still roamed the Second Divine General of the age, the Turkic Grand Khan.

Li Guanyi did not wish to clash with him, yet he feared no battle.

Though Yao Guang excelled in arcane arts, divine generals and monarchs, in struggles of destiny, strongly restrained the methods of Shiwaisan Sect; Li Guanyi had not brought the silver-haired girl, and Mr. Pojun's lips never dropped.

The Whale Fisher also exhibited the same symptoms.

Until that moment, the silver-haired girl embraced Li Guanyi.

She plopped her face into his chest.

Mr. Pojun's and the Whale Fisher's smiles instantly dropped with a *pam* sound.

Laugh, laugh……

Couldn't laugh anymore.

"Please return safely."

The silver-haired girl released Li Guanyi, her voice calm, saying:

"I shall pray for you to the stars above."

Li Guanyi came to his senses, looked at the talisman Yao Guang had given him, tucked it into his robe, and in the distance, the majestic Anxi City came into view; the Qin Wang had arrived in person but kept it quiet, merely delivering Sa Atandi to the Anxi Protectorate.

Mr. Pojun then took his leave, and only then did Li Guanyi turn toward Xiyicheng.

He had already informed Changsun Wuchou in advance.

When Li Guanyi arrived in Xiyicheng, Li Zhaowen waited on a mountain thirty li away; Li Guanyi saw Li Zhaowen radiant, the lingering gloom in her brow now gone, and he rejoiced for her.

After their meeting, they drank together—no need to detail it.

As for others like Li Shude and Li Jianwen, Li Guanyi did not visit them; the two drank alone in the current Xiyicheng Governor's Mansion, Li Zhaowen dressed simply, tall and elegant, laughing as she feigned anger:

"I sent you a letter, yet you waited months."

"The Qin Wang truly has grand airs."

Li Guanyi sighed and said: "The world is in turmoil everywhere; to arrive here at this time is already fast—how can you call it slow?"

Li Zhaowen gazed deeply at Li Guanyi, bumped his shoulder, and laughed:

"All these grand principles—you're fined for drinking!"

"Fined for drinking!"

She sat beside him, the western wind having stripped her boots; she wore only silk socks, barefoot on the ground, like a martial hero—left leg crossed, right foot planted, right arm resting on her right knee, hand grasping a silver-silk wine jug, pouring wine for the Qin Wang.

Li Guanyi sat calmly, tilted his head, and drained the cup.

The two drank merrily, while Changsun Wuchou squatted outside the great hall, face twisted in doubt.

Is this situation good—or bad?

Will I be thrown out for spying?

After much hesitation, he merely sighed deeply; unlike two years ago, now it was the Qin Wang of the world and the Marquis of Xiyicheng—he did not know their relationship, nor could he ponder it, only sighed.

After drinking, Li Zhaowen discussed with Li Guanyi the strategic importance of Xiyicheng.

To hold this place grants the first advantage in the coming war for unification.

With this, advance or retreat, the fate of the world and the chance of unification lie in our hands.

Li Zhaowen spoke with enthusiasm; Li Guanyi merely said: "Too bad—we must now rest and recover; years of war have exhausted the people." Li Zhaowen raised an eyebrow: "True—but this place—"

She extended a finger and drew a circle on the map.

She circled all around Xiyicheng.

Paused, then expanded the circle further.

It now encompassed the Turkic lands, Chen State, and Ying State.

Li Guanyi couldn't help laughing aloud:

"You—you, your ambition is even greater than mine?!"

Li Zhaowen did not retreat, only smiled:

"If my ambition isn't as great as the Qin Wang's, how can I stand shoulder to shoulder with him in this world?"

Xiyicheng was the power established by young Jiang Wanxiang to enter the Western Regions—but conversely, it could also serve as the Qin Wang's springboard into the Central Plains.

Li Zhaowen held her wine cup, tilted her head to drink, casually picked up a white go stone, and placed it near Xiyicheng, studying this perfect 【First Advantage】, yet her eyes betrayed clear regret:

"Too bad—Xiyicheng is too vital; even if we seize it, attacking Chen State will draw the Turkic and Ying States to strike here."

Li Guanyi pondered long, left hand pinching a black go stone, right hand holding his wine cup:

"When I was enfeoffed, Jiang Wanxiang sent an envoy, proposing an alliance to jointly strike Chen State; if he honors that pact, we can crush Chen first."

Li Guanyi's finger pressed on Chen State, staring at Guan Yicheng's position.

He stared deeply there.

Li Zhaowen watched him, unsure what the young Qin Wang saw in his eyes.

Yet she felt a stubborn sense of defiance rise within her—she didn't even know why.

Li Guanyi was looking on.

At his ear came the cry of a phoenix; the hand that could draw a bow and grip a spear reached out, caught Qin Wang by the collar, and with a gentle tug drew him over. Li Guanyi turned his head, and Xiyicheng's Duke, smiling, tilted his head and said with a laugh:

"Qin Wang, Qin Wang—since you've come here."

"How can you still be thinking of someone else?"

"When conversing, one looks the other person in the eye, not elsewhere—that is etiquette. Here… you ought not be looking anywhere else."

Li Zhaowen smiled, took up a wine cup, and as she extended her arm it was as if she thrust out a sword.

Her fair fingers pinched a white-jade wine cup—one could not tell which was fairer, the woman or the jade.

The rim of the cup pressed against Li Guanyi's lips and tilted slightly.

She fed him the wine herself.

Fine grape wine in cups that glow at night, heroes on the battlefield, cavalry, life and death, the world.

As she fed him the wine, the little finger of her hand brushed past beneath Qin Wang's lips—warmer than a man's, a woman's gentler warmth; the calluses left by gripping weapons, a touch both delicate and distinct.

A cup of wine going down his throat like flame. Li Zhaowen gave the cup in her fingers a slight turn, leaned forward. She was the tallest woman Li Guanyi had ever seen—even by the reckoning of his previous life, at least a hundred and seventy centimeters—yet she wore a battle robe and jade hairpin, and carried an air of fierce nobility.

Fingers pinching the wine cup, she casually tossed it aside.

Then the very hand that had fed him the wine she unhurriedly, with an air of ease, placed behind her back.

A composed smile:

"Look at me."

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