Chapter 302 Tell Me...Where Are You?

Outside the hall, the ceremonial guards had already been lined up:

Three hundred Yu Lin soldiers stood with swords in hand, their golden axes gleaming in the morning light.

Twenty-four eunuchs followed closely behind, holding nine tripods and eight treasures in their hands.

Sixty-four eunuchs held up flags with the patterns of dragon, phoenix, sun and moon, and the golden threads on the flags flowed in the wind.

Xiao Nanyue held Helian Ji's hand and walked over the ninety-nine white jade steps. Each step was placed in the center of the dragon pattern on the Danbi stone. The chime bells and Shao music in the hall rang out loudly.

All the civil and military officials in the court knelt down to welcome the new emperor.

After Helian Ji trembled and sat on the dragon throne, Xiao Nanyan turned to face the officials, and his voice was heard from far away through the gilded palace ceiling:

"In the past, Taizu founded the country, expanded the territory, and ruled the world with benevolence and filial piety. Our ancestors inherited the great tradition, ruled with ease, and benefited the people. Up to the time of the late emperor, he worked hard to govern the country, and brought peace to the world, hoping to enjoy a long and prosperous reign and achieve the best governance.

Who would have thought that God would not grant him long enough, and the whole world would mourn for him even though he was presented with a dragon robe and a distinguished guest.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a day.

"My sixth son, Helian Ji, is the son of the late Emperor's Consort Li. He was intelligent from a young age, emulating the principles of nature and his ancestors, and possessing the bearing of a gentleman. Now, in compliance with the late Emperor's will, along with the joint urgings of the royal family, nobles, and officials, I have chosen an auspicious day to respectfully ascend the throne and rule the world."

The new emperor ascended the throne at a young age and ordered the Regent Xiao Nanyan, a loyal minister who assisted in the administration, to be public-spirited and to supervise the government. All military and state affairs, finances, criminal justice, and the promotion and demotion of officials had to be reported to the Regent's office and then to the emperor.

You, the ministers, should all be loyal and sincere and assist the new emperor together to fulfill the heavy trust entrusted by the late emperor and to comfort the people's expectations.

Announce it to the world and let everyone know.

So ordered! "

After Xiao Nanyan finished speaking, all the officials knelt down again according to their ranks, performed the ritual of three bows and nine kowtows, and shouted:

"Long live our emperor!"

"Long live the Regent!"

Amidst the thunderous cheers of congratulations, Xiao Nanyue stood on the right side of the dragon throne, his dark figure forming a glaring contrast with the bright yellow throne.

The sun was shining brightly outside the hall, stretching his shadow on the gold bricks very long, like an insurmountable chasm of power.

…

It was three o'clock in the night.

After a busy day of state affairs, Xiao Nanyue returned to the Regent's Palace.

He took off his court robes, and the scent of sandalwood from the heavenly offering ceremony still lingered on his black undergarment.

After taking a shower and changing his clothes, he dismissed his attendants and walked into Xiyan's bedroom alone.

In the incense burner, he ordered people to burn goose pear incense continuously for twelve hours. The green smoke curled up, but it could not cover up the emptiness in the room.

On the rosewood dressing table, there were still a few pieces of jewelry that she wore daily.

The ink in the inkstone had long since dried up, just like his withered heart at the moment.

Her fingertips brushed across the cold dressing table and stopped in front of the diamond-shaped mirror.

The figure reflected in the mirror looked lonely, with dark circles under his eyes, no longer as sharp as he had been a dozen days ago.

But everything in this house remained the same as when she left.

His eyes suddenly fell on a piece of rice paper pressed under the dressing box.

Xiao Nanyue subconsciously reached out and pulled out the yellowed paper, slowly opened it, and when he took a look, his heart sank.

It was a portrait of a young boy, meticulously drawn:

He had an upright figure, black clothes, black hair, and a silver crown on his head. His brows were filled with heroic spirit, especially his eyes, which were painted by the painter to be as deep as the abyss.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be his appearance when he was fourteen years old.

The brushstrokes were so delicate that one could clearly see the dark patterns on the hem of the garment. It was obvious that it had taken countless days and nights to create.

“Yan Yan…”

His fingertips trembled as they brushed across the boy's eyebrows in the painting, and a fishy and sweet taste suddenly rose in his throat again.

It turned out that he had already entered her heart, but unfortunately, he lost her.

The tenderness that he had deliberately ignored now came flooding back like a tide... The pain that had been suppressed for several days suddenly burst out, and he could no longer hold it back and choked on a mouthful of blood.

His body swayed, and he held on to the back of the chair for a long time to calm down.

After a while, he carefully folded the portrait and put it back in its place.

At this moment, Fu Yunqing suddenly pushed the door open and walked in:

"Nan Yan, I've been looking for you for a long time, and now you're here."

Xiao Nanyan wiped the blood from his lips with his sleeve, turned around and glanced at Fu Yunqing:

"Didn't you find Manluo either?"

Fu Yunqing shook his head:

"I've searched for dozens of miles along the river, but haven't seen a single person, not even a scrap of clothing. How bizarre!"

Xiao Nanyan stroked the back of the chair, his knuckles turning white but his voice was calm:

"Perhaps, no news is good news."

Fu Yunqing's gaze fell on Xiao Nanyan's sunken eye sockets and gray jaw.

In just half a month, the regent, who was always cold and hard as iron, looked much more haggard and thinner.

He stepped forward and patted Xiao Nanyan on the shoulder:

"Think positively. Xiyan is a clever girl, and Manluo is skilled in poison techniques. Who knows, they might be hiding somewhere and just refusing to see us. As long as they're still around, we can always find them."

Xiao Nanyan's Adam's apple moved slightly, and his expression suddenly became stern:

"That day, how did you know about the skylight in the dark room of Feiyun Temple?"

Fu Yunqing scratched his head:

"It's strange, it was a masked man in black who led me there. If it weren't for him, you would have been roasted alive by Xiao Beicheng."

Xiao Nanyan narrowed his eyes slightly, and a chill seeped into his voice:

"It seems to be a friend, not an enemy. We must find out their origins."

Fu Yunqing looked annoyed:

"It's a shame that Helian Feng was also released. However, the new emperor's foundation is not stable, and Helian Feng has occupied the natural barrier of Chiyu Peak. Even if we mobilize 100,000 elite troops to attack, I'm afraid it will be difficult to chew this tough bone. Why not first..."

"First find an excuse to deal with Su Lantian."

Fu Yunqing raised his eyebrows: "He is your uncle."

Xiao Nanyan snorted, with a dark fire in his eyes:

"Even though he's been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, he's still been colluding with court officials and conspiring with Su Qinyao. Now that my mother is dead, let's get rid of him first and then find an opportunity to get rid of Su Qinyao."

Fu Yunqing looked at his friend's suddenly gloomy face. He knew that except when Xiao Nanyue lost control in front of Xiyan, he was still the cold and sinister regent at other times.

"Yunqing, thank you for your hard work these days."

Xiao Nanyan suddenly turned around, and his hard brows softened slightly:

"Lucky to know you, lucky to have you."

Fu Yunqing was so shocked by this sudden warmth that he was at a loss for words and almost dropped his folding fan.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We used to play in the mud together when we were wearing open-crotch pants. You're talking about this now, it makes you feel distant. Come on, good buddy, let's hug."

Then, he also wanted to stir up some emotions, and opened his arms as if to hug her, but he saw Xiao Nanyan dodged to the side, and uttered a word lightly with his thin lips:

"roll."

"Stingy guy, will a hug cost you a piece of flesh?"

Fu Yunqing pretended to be angry and walked out the door, waving his folding fan. However, the moment he stepped over the threshold, the corners of his mouth could not help but rise -

That familiar cold-faced King of Hell still has some human touch.

The moonlight outside the window was like water, shining through the carved window lattice onto Xiao Nanyue's body, making his figure look even thinner and longer.

He walked to the window and looked at the lonely moon in the sky, as if he wanted to find the familiar white figure in the bright light.

“Yan Yan…”

His voice was shattered in the wind, choked with sobs that he himself was unaware of.

"Tell me... where are you?"