The world is still waiting for me.
The neighboring countries suffered locust plagues and snowstorms that had plagued them for half a year. The crops in the fields were eaten away, leaving only white roots, and even the wild grass was chewed clean by the locusts.
The snow piled up under the eaves collapsed half of the mud house, and the disaster victims huddled in the dilapidated temple.
Holding a child who was too hungry to cry in his arms, he gnawed on tree bark and clay, his eyes shining like a hungry wolf, still waiting for Zhaoning's relief grain.
The dikes that were destroyed by the flood still had water plants and gravel stuck in the cracks, and the villages along the river would be flooded when the flood season arrived.
We waited for the craftsmen to bring the blueprints of the "River Defense Records" to make repairs.
I cannot let the breath she gave her life for end; to let it end would be a disservice to the image of her turned into a blood mist.
But then that unfamiliar voice rang in my mind—"Heaven's justice has been restored, and all people are at peace."
The dam that had been painstakingly built with the words "Don't panic" collapsed with a deafening roar.
Yes, the world is saved.
The locust nymphs in the neighboring country's fields died out overnight, leaving not even any eggs.
The snow on the mountains had melted just in time, soaking the parched soil, and even the wild grasses sprouted green shoots.
Those people who were starving to death were finally able to dig up some wild vegetables to cook and eat.
But the one who can bring peace is my regent.
She will never come back, and she will never again be in the imperial study, pointing at the "aid to neighboring countries' grain quantities" column and laughing at me.
"Your Highness has taken a risky move. Giving an extra five thousand shi of grain would be a losing proposition. You are destined to be a wise and benevolent ruler for all time, how can you do a losing business?"
Never again will she quietly push the heater next to me late at night when she's reading maps with me, the heater so hot that it warms my frozen fingertips.
He said, "It's getting cold, don't let your hands get cold holding the pen. You have to go to court early tomorrow. The Grand Tutor will test you on the 'Great Way prevails' from the Book of Rites. Don't get the next line after 'the old have a place to end their days' wrong again."
They will never again watch me practice spear in the training ground. After I finish performing a set of "Returning Wind Spear" techniques, they will hand me a handkerchief to wipe my sweat, their fingertips brushing against the thin layer of sweat on my forehead.
He said, "There has been progress, but the force of the last shot was released too early. If it had been a little heavier, it would have been more stable, just like how you used to chase after me and try to snatch the malt candy from my hand."
She will never again pluck a branch of apricot blossoms and hand it to me when they bloom, her hair streaked with pink and white petals, her eyes filled with the tenderness of looking at a younger generation.
He said, “Your Highness, look, the apricot blossoms are more vibrant this year than last year. It’s a pity that next year… I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you pick them. You’ll have to learn to tell which one is sweeter yourself.”
I took a deep breath and swallowed the sweet and pungent taste that rose to my throat. The sweet and pungent taste was stuck in my throat, like swallowing a piece of bloody dried apricot.
Her fingernails dug into her palm, leaving several bloody marks. Blood beads seeped out and stained the bright yellow cuffs of her dragon robe, much like the blood mist that appeared when she exploded, spreading out in a small patch of dark red.
As I turned around, my fingertips had already clenched the hem of the dragon robe into deep wrinkles, and the gold-embroidered dragon scales were crumpled and deformed, just like my heart, which was twisted into a knot at this moment.
"Issue my decree," the voice was hoarse as if it had been sanded, every word was filled with pain, yet he dared not tremble even slightly, for fear that a tremor would deflate his spirit.
"The Ministry of Revenue shall immediately allocate the grain reserved by the Regent, and the Ministry of Works shall dispatch fifty water conservancy craftsmen, carrying a complete set of blueprints and tools for the 'River Defense Records,' as well as some medicine for injuries, and to be careful of bumpy roads."
"Proceed exactly as the Regent's 'Ten Policies for Aiding Neighbors' were prepared before his death, without altering a single word. Anyone who dares to make any changes will be considered to have defied the imperial decree, and their entire family will be implicated!"
I have no time for sentimentality.
The Regent wants to protect the "peace of all people," and I must safeguard it for her; she is always concerned about the "stability of the country," and I must bear the burden for her.
I had to copy every circle she drew on the memorial, every annotation she wrote, and even the ink smears she made on the paper when she drew them.
Only when the night was deep and quiet, the candle in the imperial study was left with only one candle, the wick was a little long, and the flame flickered.
Only when the light shines on the round little iron-eating beast on the table can a touch of warmth seep into one's heart.
This is "Haoyue," a little creature conjured by the system. It is covered in snow-like downy fur and has light pink claws.
It looked just like the apricot petals she used to pick for me in the Imperial Garden. Even the little teeth she showed when she yawned revealed a touch of her charming naivety when she picked apricots.
It was the only thing that remained with me after that catastrophe.
I often murmur to it, my fingertips gently tracing its back, like touching the malt candy she used to give me, a warmth that makes my heart tremble.
Today, the Grand Tutor was flipping through the disaster relief memorials I had reviewed and pointed to the line "To investigate corruption, we must first lock down the grain supply lines."
Stroking his beard, he said, "You have the same steadiness as the Regent back then. I didn't teach you to follow the clues when investigating cases, from the grain dealer to the county magistrate."
"The new neighboring agreement proposed by Prime Minister Pei has secured the mining rights to three iron mines in the east."
As he closed the memorial, he sighed and said, "If it were the Regent, he would probably ask for the mining rights for another year."
They also need their cotton seeds, saying they want to weave warmer cloth for the people of Zhaoning.”
"The commander of the secret guard battalion came to pay his respects and said that the new batch of secret guards are all capable of handling things on their own. Last month, they even arrested two spies who were traitors."
Finally, the voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the night dew that had condensed outside the palace, and the fingertips touched the downy feathers of the bright moon.
"Your Highness, the apricot blossoms in the Imperial Garden have bloomed today. I picked a branch and placed it where you usually sit. Two petals have fallen. Have you come to see it too?"
I still miss you so much, I miss the malt candy you gave me, I miss the way you taught me to hold a gun, I miss you…
The Kingdom of Zhaoning was relatively stable, as the natural disasters had not affected its territory. However, assisting neighboring countries in their reconstruction efforts was a delicate matter, with each step feeling like walking on a knife's edge.
When the newly appointed Left Chancellor entered, his brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito, and his fingers tapped the vermilion annotations on the ledger pages with a strained voice.
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