This was the fifth year of Gu Qingyan's reign, and also the year that the world was destined to be unified.

The letters of submission from the Qin and Sun families were delivered to the capital of Dayu by fast horse and placed on Gu Qingyan's desk. Gu Qingyan stared at the two letters for a long time.

Why isn't it open?

A familiar voice rang out, but Gu Qingyan pouted somewhat aggrievedly, "These are things you should have done, but now I feel an immense burden on my shoulders."

"A teenage emperor who unified the world."

Gu Lin's voice carried a slight sigh, "Ayan, thousands of years from now, history books will use countless words to describe you, and the name of the Great Yu Kingdom will continue uninterrupted."

"Then why doesn't Father Emperor want to unify the world?"

Gu Qingyan finally asked the question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time. In the past few years, he had learned all about the ways of the emperor and knew how many royal fathers and sons had turned against each other throughout the ages. But such a situation would never happen between him and his father.

The reason for this is that the emperor had no interest in the throne.

He didn't understand.

“I only ever wished I had the ability to unify the world for a period of time, but I didn’t have it then.” Gu Lin’s eyes were clouded. “So now I don’t have that obsession anymore.”

Back when he most wanted to protect Ayu and the child, he could only be suppressed by Gu Heng. Now that he can protect Ayu and the child, unifying the world is no longer so important to him.

“Ayan, you are still young, and you have a long road ahead of you.”

At this point, the two were no longer the retired emperor and the emperor, but a father and son, with the father earnestly instructing his child.

"Father..."

"Unifying the world is your achievement, and no one can refute that. However, you must not become arrogant and complacent because of such a great achievement. You must finish what you started and hand over the Great Yu to your children properly."

"I know that I will ensure that all the people of Dayu have food to eat and clothes to wear, that no man or woman will be bullied, that everyone has the opportunity to study, that all children born in Dayu can grow up safely, and that the elderly will be cared for."

"Okay, I believe Ayan."

Gu Lin smiled. The bright-eyed boy in front of him was his and A Yu's eldest son. For a moment, he felt his eyes welling up with tears.

Gu Qingyan also looked at Gu Lin. To be fair, after sitting on the dragon throne for five years, he might have felt some resistance at first, but now he had long since put Dayu in his heart, and he was truly willing to be the emperor.

“What I just said was absolutely not empty talk.”

Gu Qingyan continued, "I will repair granaries everywhere, reduce taxes, enforce strict discipline, severely punish corrupt officials, and ensure that the people have money in their pockets."

“I will also build more schools, and in the future there will be a second and a third Lingyun Garden for girls to study.”

"There are also medical clinics. I will use the national treasury to train doctors. I have already made plans for that."

Hearing Gu Qingyan's words, Gu Lin took a step forward, wanting to reach out and rub Gu Qingyan's head, but found that Gu Qingyan was now as tall as him, no longer the little guy who only reached his waist back then.

Seeing this, Gu Qingyan paused for a moment, then bent down, his head resting right on Gu Lin's chest. Gu Lin smiled and ruffled Gu Qingyan's hair, "Good lad, after I pass away, I can walk with my head held high when I visit your imperial grandfather and grandmother!"

"Go look at the documents."

As soon as he received news that the Qin and Sun families' letters of surrender had arrived in the capital, he immediately rushed back to the palace from the military camp. He knew his child well.

This is a crucial moment for Ayan.

Just then, Yingzhi's voice came from outside.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Emperor Emeritus, Eunuch Wanji from the Empress Dowager's side has arrived."

"Please come in quickly." Gu Qingyan had just picked up the document and hadn't even opened it when Wanji walked in with a smile. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Emperor Emeritus, the Empress Dowager has heard the news and specially invited you to Zhaoning Palace to read the letter!"

"The Empress Dowager said she should have come, but it was quite inconvenient during her postpartum period. Coincidentally, Prince Chen also woke up at this time and said that they should witness the moment when the Emperor unifies the world together."

"This servant would like to offer my congratulations to Your Majesty in advance."

"You're quite clever, here's a reward!" Gu Qingyan's eyes sparkled like a happy puppy as he picked up two documents and looked at Gu Lin. "Father, let's go to Zhaoning Palace."

It turns out that his father and mother were both thinking about him and wanted to witness such an important moment for him!

......

The worry and anxiety he felt upon seeing the document were instantly dispelled. As soon as Gu Qingyan entered Jiang Yu's room, he casually tossed the document aside and headed towards Gu Qingchen.

"Ah Chen, your brother has come to see you!"

Now Gu Qingchen has started to widen his eyes and observe his surroundings. Strangely enough, every time he sees Gu Qingyan, Gu Qingchen's little mouth will open into a grin, a treatment that even his father, Gu Lin, doesn't receive.

“Ah Chen smiled again.”

Gu Qingyan was overjoyed, completely different from his confident demeanor in front of Gu Lin just now.

"Quickly open the document," Jiang Yu said with a smile. "Why don't you read the document aloud, Ayan? So that Achen can also hear how amazing his older brother is."

One sentence made Gu Qingyan's ears turn red.

Hesitantly opened the letter, and when he saw that both the Qin and Sun families had chosen to submit, Gu Qingyan's heart still trembled uncontrollably.

"Both the Qin and Sun families chose to submit, and from then on, the Great Yu was unified."

Gu Qingchen's babbling voice rang out, and Jiang Yu and Gu Lin both showed happy smiles.

"Congratulations."

"Congratulations."

Two congratulatory messages from his father and mother made Gu Qingyan wipe away his tears somewhat awkwardly. "I'm just happy that the soldiers don't have to go to war."

"Yes, we don't need to fight anymore."

Jiang Yu also sighed sincerely, "Does Ayan have any ideas on how to deal with the Qin and Sun families?"

"The two family heads are granted the title of King, and Qin Zheng and Sun Cai are granted the title of Heir Apparent, while Qin Ke'er and Sun Shu are granted the title of Princess."

Gu Qingyan had obviously thought it through beforehand, and it was almost a blurt out.

Gu Lin nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this. The most important thing was to secure the positions of Qin Zheng and Sun Cai as heirs. Both of them were currently in Dayu. If the Qin family or the Sun family produced another heir, the situation would change.

“Ayan has thought things through thoroughly, and your father and I can finally rest assured.”

Jiang Yu stretched and said, "On the day the decree is issued, remember to send Yingzhi to the prison to tell Pei Jian the same thing."

"I almost forgot about that old scoundrel Pei Jian!"

Gu Qingyan's smile immediately vanished, and he said through gritted teeth, "I will personally go to the imperial prison to tell Pei Jian this good news."