Chapter 304 The Illusion of Dreams
"Get up, everyone."
The emperor's voice carried a hint of weakness and exhaustion from his illness.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Meng Yushan and Qin Daolin stood up, but remained bowed, not daring to raise their heads.
Inside the hall, a deathly silence fell.
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke, his voice ethereal, as if it came from a distant place.
"I... had a dream."
Meng Yushan and Qin Daolin exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.
"I dreamt that this once mighty empire would eventually perish."
The emperor's voice was soft, yet it resounded like a thunderclap in their ears.
"In my dream, the Ule became the greatest enemy of my dynasty, their iron hooves trampling across the north."
"The Chi Rong in the west also took advantage of the chaos, tearing apart my Dasheng's mountains and rivers."
"And I..."
He laughed self-deprecatingly, a laugh filled with desolation and regret.
"In my dream, I am a foolish and incompetent emperor who knows nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun."
"In the end, he will not be able to save his wife and children, nor will he be able to save the foundation laid by his ancestors."
With a "plop".
Meng Yushan and Qin Daolin knelt down again in fear, their foreheads pressed tightly against the cold gold bricks.
"His Majesty!"
"Dreams are nothing but illusions! Your Majesty, please do not worry!"
Qin Daolin's voice trembled slightly.
"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been diligent and conscientious in governing the country, implementing new laws, reforming the bureaucracy, curbing land annexation, and conducting a thorough investigation of households throughout the land, resulting in a full national treasury and peaceful lives for the people. This is an unprecedented achievement! How can you say he is incompetent!"
Meng Yushan echoed this sentiment.
"Your Majesty, this old minister has joined forces with Princess Uleyalan, and soon we will be able to help her son reclaim the Khanate. At that time, the unrest can be quelled, and our Great Sheng's northern border will be secure for a hundred years!"
Hearing the words of his two trusted ministers, a hint of comfort flashed in the emperor's eyes.
yes.
Everything is different from his previous life.
Since waking up from the day he drowned and was given a second chance at life, he has never dared to relax for a moment.
His memories of his past life are his greatest secret and his heaviest shackle.
I dare not speak to anyone, I dare not tell anyone.
He could only transform all his fear and resentment into the motivation to work diligently.
Under immense pressure, he reinstated Qin Daolin, who had been suppressed to death by the Empress Dowager's faction in his previous life.
Despite opposition, he promoted Meng Yushan, who was ostracized by powerful families but possessed extraordinary talent.
He knew this was the only chance God had given him.
He cannot, and dares not, repeat the same mistake.
Fortunately...
He looked at the two elderly ministers kneeling below.
All of this is about to come true.
The emperor slowly let out a sigh of relief, as if the pent-up frustration in his chest had dissipated somewhat.
"I fear I will never have any more children in my lifetime."
He calmly stated a fact, which made Meng Yushan and Qin Daolin's hearts jump to their throats again.
"I still have two younger brothers."
“Xiao Shu is ambitious. I have already exhausted my energy by eliminating the maternal relatives, implementing new laws, and reforming the military system. I really have no energy left to deal with him. You must remember this scourge.”
"another……"
The emperor paused, a hint of warmth appearing in his voice.
"Seventh Brother Xiao Lin, although born to the Empress Dowager, is still young, kind-hearted, and capable of shouldering great responsibilities."
Having said all that, how could Meng Yushan and Qin Daolin not understand?
They looked up in shock, their eyes filled with disbelief.
The emperor then took out two pieces of brocade from a hidden compartment in the dragon desk.
"This secret decree is divided into two parts."
"Today, I will entrust them to the two of you respectively."
His gaze was calm and solemn, carrying the unquestionable majesty of an emperor.
"If one day, I... pass away."
"Then the two of you shall jointly proclaim this to the world."
"The throne is passed to my seventh brother, Xiao Lin."
Meng Yushan and Qin Daolin's minds went blank.
His Majesty is entrusting his son to someone else!
They stared blankly at the emperor, at the two thin, yet weightier secret edicts.
My hands and feet were ice cold.
In the seventh year of the Tianning era, spring turned to summer.
Finally, they brought back news of victory.
In April, Zhou Congxian led three thousand elite cavalrymen with lightning speed, striking out from behind the Nada Alliance Banner like a sharp knife, precisely piercing the heart of the unsuspecting rebel army.
Princess Yalan, accompanied by the young prince and escorted by a dozen allied banners and the Great Sheng Iron Cavalry, returned to the royal city.
The young prince ascended the throne amidst the fervor of the masses.
In May, when the news reached the front lines, the already exhausted forces, like a trapped beast enraged, frantically rushed back to defend, wanting to make a final stand.
Zhou Congxian had already laid a trap.
At the same time, He Xun, the general guarding Yumen, led a large army out of the pass to pursue them.
Besieged on both sides, morale plummeted.
A bloody battle that lasted three months.
The dust has finally settled.
More than half of the Ule soldiers surrendered, but were caught off guard in the chaos and captured alive.
The Northern War lasted for several years.
This concludes the discussion.
September is a month of clear skies and crisp air.
Triumphant return, a glorious homecoming.
In October, good news kept pouring in.
The iron mine overseen by Meng Xingjiang in Ding County has completed the first batch of ore mining and smelting.
The newly refined iron was continuously sent to the Imperial Arsenal in the capital.
The swords, spears, and halberds of the Great Sheng Dynasty will henceforth be even sharper, and their armor even more robust.
The nation's strength is steadily increasing.
Zhou Congxian, accompanied only by a few trusted guards, changed into casual clothes and rode into the capital in the golden afterglow of the setting sun.
Zhuque Avenue remains bustling with traffic and noise.
He traversed the market, bypassed the crowds, and finally reined in his horse in front of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
It casts a long shadow in the setting sun.
He dismounted, his body covered in dust that obscured the original color of his clothes.
The leaves of the crabapple tree in the courtyard have turned a pale yellow with the autumn frost.
Under the tree, beside the stone table.
A graceful figure was intently doing needlework.
Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to her, leaving few traces on her, only adding a touch of serenity and gentleness.
"Sister! You're cheating! This osmanthus candy is clearly mine!"
The innocent yet pouty voice of a child broke the tranquility.
"Half for each of us! You've already eaten!"
Another clear voice retorted without backing down.
Zhou Congxian stopped in his tracks.
On the other side of the stone table, two exquisitely carved little figures were arguing heatedly over the last piece of pastry on a plate.
The little girl wore her hair in two buns, and her eyebrows and eyes resembled her mother's, only with a touch more liveliness and naivety.
The little boy beside her had his cheeks puffed out and his big, dark eyes fixed on the piece of candy.
His wife and children were what he longed for day and night.
Hearing her children's commotion, Meng Shilan looked up helplessly, about to say something.
Her voice, however, was stuck in her throat.
The two little ones, who had been arguing incessantly, seemed to sense something and stopped arguing at the same time.
Three pairs of eyes, six gazes, all turned to the man standing under the crabapple tree.
Covered in dust and grime, he seemed out of place in this neat and elegant courtyard.
His chin was covered with short stubble, making him look somewhat unkempt, even... weathered.
In order to keep up with the journey, the dark robe he was wearing probably hadn't been washed for ten days or half a month, and it was no longer recognizable as it originally was.
Little Fatty stared wide-eyed with curiosity, secretly moving the piece of candy closer to himself.
The air seemed to freeze.
Only the wind rustled softly through the treetops of the crabapple trees.
"Father!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com