Chapter 28 (Combined Chapter 28) How did Marshal Si change...?

"Captain Heng, does the spaceship have a recorder? I want to retrieve the video and send it anonymously to the Imperial Security Department," Yu Nianqing said, looking at Heng Xing. "I didn't expect there would still be some spies who slipped through the net back then."

Hengxing cut out the video footage from the discovery of the insectoid beasts to the planet's explosion and sent it to him, saying, "They might not have been discovered back then; they could have been newly discovered."

Yu Nianqing looked at her in surprise upon hearing this, "Why?"

Heng Xing accelerated, piloting the spaceship away from the area. "I guessed it, but it feels a bit strange. When we wiped out the invading Zerg, the planets around here must have been thoroughly examined. In addition, the Zerg's technology index is almost zero, so the possibility of them being able to hide under the Empire's high-tech detection is extremely small."

"But that has nothing to do with us; these are things the emperor should consider."

Yu Nianqing said softly, "That's true."

He suddenly connected this with the news he had seen before, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. "Captain Heng, do you think Marshal Siyun's sudden deletion of his resignation letter is related to this?"

"Possibly," Heng Xing replied, then realized something was amiss.

Um,

Isn't she the one behind the name "Marshal Siyun"?

Hengxing, who rarely checks Xingwang, was confused: "Siyun deleted his resignation letter from his personal account?"

“Yes, let me think. It was the day we discovered the spaceship parts were broken that Si Yun deleted the resignation letter she had sent a month earlier. And her current terminal location is on Wanshuang Star, where the main force of the Wanshuang Army is located. Perhaps those adults already know that the Zerg are not yet finished and have made arrangements for the future.” Yu Nianqing said, finally feeling relieved. She pulled out a chair and sat down next to her.

Si Yun's abilities are evident to all in the Empire; you can rest assured.

Wasn't that terminal thrown into the mining planet?

This means that someone logged into her account.

Heng Xing recalled the blank space on the terminal six months prior. Was it because the terminal itself didn't store any data, or because it was deleted?

Did she delete it herself, or did someone else delete it on purpose?

Was her amnesia really just a coincidence?

The identity of "Si Yun" still has many doubts. The simplest way to solve these problems is to recover the lost memories of the past ten years. Heng Xing is determined to go to Professor Wen to have his brain checked.

Yu Nianqing didn't notice anything unusual about her, since she was still maintaining a posture of listening attentively.

He continued, "So that's how it is. I was wondering before that Si Yun didn't seem like someone who would be attached to worldly pleasures."

He was reinstated to his original position to protect the people of the empire; he was judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.

"Mr. Yu, how did you tell that she doesn't like extravagance?" Hengxing asked him.

Mr. Yu had a strange familiarity with Si Yun, unlike what one might only know from a one-sided understanding found online.

“I’ve met her a few times.” Yu Nianqing didn’t hide anything and told her directly that in his heart, the two of them were already close enough.

"You've seen her!"

Heng Xing's heart skipped a beat. He immediately switched the spaceship to autopilot and turned to listen attentively to what he was saying.

She quickly reflected on her behavior and concluded that the person probably wouldn't recognize her.

Of course, she wouldn't recognize it; Yu Nianqing had never even considered that possibility.

He rested his chin on his hand and recalled earnestly, "Yes, I've met her a few times."

Hengxing: "Where did you two meet?"

Yu Nianqing: "Usually at banquets."

Heng Xing: "A lot of people?"

Captain Heng seemed very curious about Marshal Si; perhaps she was also a fan of the Marshal, which Yu Nianqing didn't find strange.

I heard that the eldest prince in the palace is also a fan of Marshal Si. The eldest prince's dream is to become Si Yun's deputy general so that he can fight insect beasts with her.

Yu Nianqing: "There are many people, but normally we'll spend some time alone."

Hengxing: ?!

"Are you friends?"

"no."

Yu Nianqing slightly glossed over her actions, saying, "The head of the Yu family hopes we can be together."

Actually, Yu Yi hoped that he could latch onto Si Yun's coattails, since there weren't many promising young talents like her who were still single.

But that was really too awful to hear, and he was afraid that Captain Heng would think he was lowly and contemptible after hearing it.

"So, he kidnapped you to give you to Si Yun as his wife?" Heng Xing pieced together what she knew.

Seeing the curiosity on her face, and not a hint of contempt in her eyes, Yu Nianqing breathed a sigh of relief. "No, Si Yun had already resigned by then, so I was no longer of any use..."

"What kind of person do you think Si Yun is?" Heng Xing asked the question he was most curious about.

What kind of person is she, carrying all her memories?

“Si Yun doesn’t like coffee or tea. She probably doesn’t like bitter things.” Yu Nianqing thought for a moment. “Captain Heng, that’s quite similar to you.”

Heng Xing felt a chill run down her spine and awkwardly laughed, "Does she like cake too?"

"I don't know that, I've never seen her eat it."

“Yes, I remember she doesn’t like socializing. No matter if it’s a simple compliment or a warm conversation, Si Yun always just nods to indicate that she understands,” Yu Nianqing said. “But I don’t think she doesn’t like to talk. Last time when we were discussing the TV series, she was very talkative.”

At that time, he was confused as he watched Si Yun's cold and aloof marshal persona gradually crumble.

"Si Yun really likes watching TV dramas. Which TV drama?" Heng Xing asked in surprise.

She actually likes watching TV dramas.

"It's that Dr. Chen story I told you about last time. I can't believe she actually guessed the murderer." Yu Nianqing sighed. "The Marshal is different; he's incredibly perceptive."

Heng Xing listened and found the name "Si Yun" that Yu Nianqing mentioned to be very unfamiliar.

Hengxing doesn't dislike socializing; on the contrary, she really enjoyed the student banquets she attended in middle school. During these banquets, she would bring hundreds of bottles of heart-shaped cookies from her own shop and try to sell them to everyone.

When faced with Alphas and Betas, she would claim to be an experienced person and tell them nonsense such as "Omegas just like cute and pretty things," "Be careful your partner might dump you if you go on holiday empty-handed," and "My partner loves these cookies, your partner will definitely like them too," persuading them to buy them for their partners.

When facing an Omega, she would flaunt her beauty, smile at them, and say playful things like, "You're as sweet as a strawberry cookie today," "You look so pretty today," and "If you buy cookies, you can come to my dad's shop to play with me," trying to persuade them to buy them as gifts for her.

Moreover, she not only sells them, but she also sells them at a higher price.

In one night, she could earn enough to cover half a month's rent for the father and daughter.

So she really likes banquets, but she doesn't like having one every month, because then it would be harder to fool people—no, it would be harder to sell cookies.

When she has free time, she'll go to the flower market in advance to buy dozens of roses wholesale, and give them away with the purchase of cookies. This greatly improves cookie sales.

Of course, the money for the roses had already been secretly added to the cookies.

She never does business at a loss.

But Hengxing doesn't like watching TV dramas, just like she doesn't like playing games.

That's so fake.

That's what they said, but that night, with nothing else to do, Hengxing still turned on the first episode of "Dr. Chen".

*

Evening Frost Star.

"Mom, I won't be going to the palace banquet tonight," Si Hua said to the beautiful woman who was choosing a dress. "I'm not feeling well."

Mrs. Si glanced at him, nodded in agreement, and then continued to discuss the evening dress and matching jewelry with the designer.

Si Hua had grown accustomed to her indifference. As a child, she felt lonely and lacked love, but after growing up and becoming completely disappointed in her, she only felt free and would not feel sad about leaving.

He had already prepared everything, and was just waiting for the whole family to attend the royal banquet that evening so he could take the opportunity to leave and go find his sister.

As I passed the study, I heard loud arguing coming from inside.

He gave a sarcastic, indifferent smile.

Of course, not this older sister.

Let that family go to the banquet tonight.

In the study,

The driver entered the study and found the female Alpha sitting comfortably in her chair, playing cards.

A long-dormant anger welled up inside him. "Didn't I tell you to watch videos to learn?"

Si Yun put down the terminal. "Don't worry, I've checked everything."

Then she muttered a complaint under her breath, "I'm too lazy to learn a copy."

Hearing this, Si Cheng was so angry that every wrinkle on his face trembled. After a while, he held back the scolding that was about to come out and sighed, "Si Yun, you are already thirty-six years old this year. Can you stop acting like a child? When your mother and I die, there will be no one to clean up your mess."

"Go back to your room and get dressed. We'll be heading to the Central Star in a few hours. Remember to pin the medal the Emperor gave you to the top. I'll check it again when we board the spaceship."

Watching her walk away with a nonchalant gait, the driver locked the door and sat wearily in his chair.

He originally wanted everything to have a transition, for Hengxing to gradually step down and for Siyun to gradually take over, so that everything could return to its normal place peacefully.

Who knew that Hengxing would suddenly disappear, and the terminal positioning would even go to the mining planet.

He checked the time; it had been over a month since Hengxing left, and he still hadn't heard a single word from him.

Something's not right.

He opened his terminal, found the friend whose name in the contact list was marked with gibberish, and chose to call in private mode so that neither of them could know the other's appearance or voice.

Hello.

"When I got my medication from you last time, you told me that there would be a severe rebound if I stopped taking it for a month." Si Cheng rubbed his temples and got straight to the point. "But it didn't happen. Are you sure your medication is safe?"

A hoarse voice came from the terminal, "How could that be? I tested this medicine on hundreds of people. It worked very well on every single one of them, including those with insomnia, headaches, and emotional instability. When they had an attack, I tied their hands and feet to an iron plate, and nearly three-quarters of them were in so much pain that they bit off their tongues. My medicine is definitely not the problem."

"If you are sure the dosage is correct, it's probably because the other person has a high tolerance."

“Sir, we’ve been partners for over thirty years, so there’s no need for me to lie to you. Don’t you know my capabilities?”

The other party said, "Wait a little longer, maybe he'll crawl back and kowtow in a few days."

"It would be best if it were as you said."

The driver hung up the call and looked at the sunlight streaming into the study. Luckily, he was sitting in a corner where the sunlight wouldn't hurt his eyes.

Two hours later,

"Where's Ahua?" the driver asked.

Mrs. Si took her daughter's arm and walked onto the spaceship. "He said he wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be going."

Si Yun sat down and snorted coldly, "If he doesn't want to go, then he can go. He's just an Omega. The older he gets, the more temperamental he becomes. Once he gets married, no one will be able to coax him."

The driver thought about sending someone to call his son, but after thinking about it, he sat down and decided not to go.

A small spaceship took off from the courtyard.

After confirming that the spaceship had completely disappeared from the sky, Si Hua boarded his own spaceship with the space button full of supplies and set his destination as "Mining Planet".

He had intended to leave a note in the room, but then thought better of it.

Anyway, nobody cares about him.

*

Only the older ministers knew that the royal banquet, now held in mid-January, used to be held at the end of June.

Twenty years ago, at the royal banquet on New Year's Eve, the fourth princess, who was the least favored at the time, led the Red Jing Army, the border troops, to surround the Central Star. She led the vanguard to storm into the palace and threw the crown prince's head onto the late emperor's steak plate.

The late emperor and his beloved child stared at each other, unable to tell whether the blood on his face was human or from steak. The late emperor stood up angrily, but before he could resist, the fourth princess beheaded him.

A week later, the fourth princess appeared at the parliament with the fresh heads of her father and brother, officially announcing the change of dynasty.

After the Fourth Princess, who is now Her Majesty, ascended the throne, the Red Jing Army replaced the Wen Shui Army and was stationed on the Central Star, becoming the Central Guard Army, which is still directly managed by the Emperor to this day.

The Wenshui Army underwent a major reshuffle and remains in a slump.

The Si family's Frost Army, the only neutral faction among the three armies, was assigned to guard the edge of the planet. Therefore, the sudden insectoid invasion ten years ago was handled by the Frost Army.

In the royal banquet hall, two palace ministers stood at the entrance to greet guests.

Upon seeing the Si family, he first bowed to Si Yun, saying, "Marshal Si."

He then nodded and greeted the driver and his wife.

Si Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the emperor had not revoked Si Yun's marshal status, which was good.

Si Yun, mimicking the mannerisms in the video, greeted the two palace ministers.

After parting ways, the three followed the robot to their designated seats and sat down. They were instructed not to talk unless necessary, and to speak as quietly as possible if they wanted to. The banquet hall was so quiet that only the clatter of boots could be heard.

The first half of the palace banquet was held in the banquet hall, and the second half was held in the ballroom. Any conversations could take place in the ballroom.

At 7:00 sharp, the emperor sat down, and the palace banquet officially began.

This wasn't Si Yun's first time attending a palace banquet, but it was her first time sitting in the seat of honor of her father, which made her feel a bit excited. She turned her head to look at the emperor on the main seat.

The emperor is very well-preserved and has hardly changed compared to more than ten years ago. He still looks like a young man in his early twenties.

Just like she remembered from over a decade ago, the Emperor's consort sat to her left, and a black leopard to her right. Below her to the left sat the eldest prince, and below her to the right sat the second princess.

The old leopard was still alive.

Si Yun found it strange, but couldn't tell anything from the leopard.

Unlike what I remembered, a tall little seat was added next to the Imperial Consort, placed between him and the Emperor, and a little girl of three or four years old sat on it.

The little girl squirmed in the chair, unable to sit still. She opened her arms to the emperor, saying, "Daddy, hug me."

The only sound in the quiet banquet hall was the sweet voice of a little girl, while the ministers' eyes were all focused on the head of the table.

"Never mind, hug me if you want, it's alright," the emperor said to his consort, patting her head.

The imperial consort glanced helplessly at the emperor and took the child into his arms.

But the child still wouldn't calm down; she turned and reached out to the eldest prince beside her, saying, "Brother, hug me."

After receiving his mother's permission, the eldest prince happily took his younger sister from his father's arms and placed her on his lap.

Seeing that his daughter had finally calmed down, the emperor began to read his annual New Year's address, nothing more than polite phrases like "bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new" and "looking forward to the future." After she finished reading, the banquet began, and the robots started serving the dishes.

A small incident occurred during this year's dinner.

Chief Minister of the Ministry of Security, Setsuke Otsuki, accidentally spilled a glass of red wine on the table, the dark red liquid staining the white tablecloth.

He immediately stood up, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry, I..."

The emperor smiled and waved his hand at him, "It's alright, just let them change. Do you need to change your clothes?"

The robot stepped forward to clean the tablecloth.

Yi Xiujie stood up and went to the rest room to change his clothes. After everyone watched him leave, they continued to eat with their heads down.

The chief steward, who had been waiting outside the banquet hall, nodded to the Alpha who was running towards him. "What is it, Mr. Yi?"

Yi Xiujie pulled her into a separate room, saying, "Please help me convey this message to His Majesty."

After a while, Yi Xiu returned to his seat to continue eating. The driver's gaze swept over him, then over the emperor, before returning to the plate of steak in front of him.

He specifically chose a well-done steak.

As the emperor grew older, his arrogant sharpness gradually faded, leaving only the increasing pressure in his eyes.

She rarely got angry, and the ministers didn't know where her bottom line was, so of course no one dared to test it.

That Congress twenty years ago left an unforgettable impression on everyone.

Watching Si Yun on his left savor his rare steak, a silver knife sawed through the meat, and bright red blood flowed out.

He suddenly felt a little nauseous and glanced at the steaks on the other old buddies' tables.

Sure enough, everyone ate the fully cooked t.

Then, he suddenly realized what was happening, frowned, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you eating a rare steak!"

"In the video, she always eats it medium-rare."

Si Yun said nonchalantly, "Isn't it normal for tastes to change?"

The driver and passenger comforted themselves, saying that it's normal for tastes to change.

Since we'd already eaten it, there was nothing we could do but pray that the emperor hadn't seen it.

After the meal, everyone moved to the ballroom, where the younger people went to dance, while the older people sat on the sidelines chatting with their colleagues.

"Why are you all staring at my sister like that!" Qin Yong'an said protectively, holding the little girl sitting on his arm.

His friends lowered their heads in embarrassment.

“You’re too old for me and my sister,” he said, grabbing a small cake from the cake tray and handing it to the child.

The child's eyes sparkled as he looked at the small cake that had suddenly appeared in his hand.

The friend said sincerely, "It's not because of that, Yong'an. Don't you think your sister looks a lot like His Majesty the Emperor?"

"Nonsense, of course my sister is my father and mother's biological daughter." Qin Yong'an thought he had some hidden meaning.

The other person patted their forehead wearily. "What I mean is, the princess and the emperor look too alike. It scares me when I see them."

Last month, the emperor came to inspect the military academy and happened to witness the combat students engaging in one-on-one unarmed combat. Feeling itchy to fight, he personally joined in and single-handedly defeated more than a dozen young and strong military academy students.

Even though his injuries had healed, seeing the little princess who looked remarkably like the emperor still made him feel a dull ache in his lower back from the kick.

"You guys are really terrible," Qin Yong'an mocked, then turned around and saw Si Yun passing by the dance floor. "I'm going to say a few words to Marshal Si."

"Go ahead, go ahead." Everyone knows he's a huge fan of Marshal Si, and he personally goes to wish her a Happy New Year every year.

Qin Yong'an found Qin Yongyi while carrying her younger sister who was still eating cake. She was walking side by side with the son of the Minister of Finance, chatting and laughing as they came out of the dance floor.

He stepped forward and handed the child to her, saying, "Xiao Yi, please watch over your sister for me. I'm going to talk to Marshal Si for a bit."

Qin Yongyi took the child and looked to the side, "Where is Marshal Si? I can't see him."

“There, there,” he pointed to her.

"Is that Si Yun?"

Qin Yongyi squinted in the direction he was pointing, one arm around the child, the other hand holding his arm, "Brother."

Qin Yong'an: "Huh?"

"Don't you think Marshal Si has gained a little weight?"

"Oh, right, he's a bit short."

Author's Note: A year has passed, and everyone has grown a year older. Here's a simple age statistic:

Captain Heng: 29 (19)

Yu Nianqing: 24

Si Yun: 36 (29 is a lie about his age)

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-01-14 20:15:46 and 2023-01-16 17:42:24!

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