"I am no longer fit to fight."
When he said this, Zhong Yi exuded a deathly aura. "Back when I met Your Majesty, I could ride a horse from Daning to Daqing, but now I can't even move."
"My lord, please don't say such things. You haven't seen me unify the world yet, I haven't even come of age..."
"Everyone in the world knows that Your Majesty is a wise and enlightened ruler. Before the New Year, you gained the upper hand in the battle against Dayu. This old minister is very pleased." Zhong Yi looked at Gu Qingyan with a meaningful gaze. "Your Majesty, rest assured, this old body of mine can still hold up."
"Please take good care of yourself. I will come to see you another day."
When leaving the Marquis's residence, Gu Qingyan stumbled and almost fell to the ground, which startled Yingzhi, who was standing next to him, so much so that his heart almost jumped out of his throat.
"Your Majesty, please be careful."
"I am unharmed."
Gu Qingyan sat in the carriage returning to the palace, but his mind was filled with the image of Zhong Yi from earlier.
Back at the palace, Yingzhi whispered, "Your Majesty, should we proceed directly to Zhaoning Palace or...?"
"Let's go to Zhaoning Palace."
Hearing Gu Qingyan say this, Yingzhi breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. Only the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager could persuade the Emperor in his current state.
Zhaoning Palace.
"I heard that Marquis Yongyi was seriously ill and you went to see him. Ah Yan, how did he do?" Jiang Yu asked as soon as she saw Gu Qingyan. Even Gu Lin, who was reading a book, put down his book.
"The situation is not good; he is sometimes lucid and sometimes not."
Gu Qingyan was clearly somewhat downcast. "When I first arrived, he still called me Your Highness."
"I'll go visit Marquis Yongyi tomorrow." Gu Lin was also getting restless. Zhong Yi was one of the men who fought alongside him to conquer the Great Ning Kingdom. Zhong Yi's son and grandson all sacrificed their lives on the battlefield.
"Mother, why do people grow old?" Gu Qingyan asked this question for the first time. "The old Marquis was very good to me. During my time in Da Ning, he seemed to care little about me, but in fact he took good care of me."
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural course of life."
Jiang Yu patted Gu Qingyan on the shoulder, "The old Marquis is now all white-haired, Ayan, that day will come eventually."
Mei Chu said that the biggest taboo for older people is falling, and perhaps...
"The old Marquis has no heirs, and his only wish is for Dayu to unify the world. Ayan, if it really is..." Jiang Yu seemed to have a little trouble continuing, "Let the old Marquis rest assured."
Gu Qingyan opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say those words.
That night, Gu Qingyan was almost constantly awake and asleep.
"Eunuch Yingzhi, His Majesty didn't sleep well tonight." The young eunuch who was keeping watch with Yingzhi couldn't help but glance at the door. "Is it because of the old Marquis...?"
“Dayu currently has three marquises. The first is the Marquis of Dingyuan, the emperor’s maternal uncle. The second is the Marquis of Boyuan, the father of the Marquis of Dingyuan’s wife and the father-in-law of the Marquis of Dingyuan. The last one is the Marquis of Yongyi. Look at who has dared to provoke the Marquis of Yongyi in recent years. He is an old general who fought alongside the retired emperor.”
"Not to mention that when the Emperor went to Daning as a hostage, he followed the old Marquis for several months. Their relationship was naturally extraordinary."
After saying this, Yingzhi glanced at the little eunuch and said, "Be careful in your duties these days, and don't displease the Emperor."
"Thank you for the reminder, Master."
......
The next day.
When Mei Chu looked up and saw Gu Lin's signature white hair, she immediately perked up and exclaimed, "My lord!"
"I have come to see Zhong Yi."
“Marquis Yongyi is asleep now, Your Majesty, why don’t you go at another time…” Before Mei Chu could finish speaking, Gu Lin waved his hand, “It’s alright, I’ll go in and see him.”
Mei Chu was taken aback. Fine, if the master wanted to go in, he could still stop him.
"Hurry up and prepare the medicine."
Inside the room, Gu Lin sat on the edge of the bed, quietly looking at Zhong Yi's face. He had seen Zhong Yi very few times in the past four years.
Zhong Yi also knew that he had been searching for A Yu, so he stayed quietly in the mansion. But how could he have aged so obviously in just four or five years?
"The retired emperor?"
As soon as Zhong Yi opened his eyes, he saw Gu Lin. He tried to struggle to get up, but fell back down heavily.
"No need for formalities. I heard you were not feeling well, so I came to check on you."
"His Majesty came yesterday, and the Emperor Emeritus has come today. I am deeply grateful." Zhong Yi was much more composed when facing Gu Lin. "I also know that my days are numbered."
"I promised Zhongli that I would take good care of you."
Gu Lin thought of the young man who died on the battlefield before he could marry and have children. "I have broken my promise."
“Your Majesty, I have lived well all these years.” Zhong Yi’s expression was also somewhat moved when he mentioned his grandson. “I have not been able to lead troops into battle all these years, but Your Majesty and the Emperor have still treated me well and granted me the title of Marquis. I am already content.”
"When I learned that the Third Prince of Daqing in my residence was actually the young prince, I was truly happy." Recalling that time, Zhong Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that in the near future, the world will belong to Dayu."
"Your Majesty, I have only one request."
“If I really can’t get over this, bury me and my wife together.” Zhong Yi looked outside. “This old woman died young. When her son died, she couldn’t bear the blow and went with him.”
"Alright, I agree."
"I really miss the days when I fought alongside the Emperor Emeritus, taking cities one by one and supporting you to ascend the throne."
"When the Great Yu unifies the world, I will build a shrine to the meritorious officials." Gu Lin looked steadily at Zhong Yi, "At that time, there will surely be a Marquis of Bravery, Zhong Yi."
"really?"
Zhong Yi trembled all over, "Your subject... has no regrets in dying."
Two days after Gu left, Zhong Yi developed a high fever and his periods of lucidity became shorter and shorter. Gu Qingyan went to the Yongyi Marquis's residence again to check on him, but to no avail.
The Marquis of Yongyi's residence has begun preparing white cloth, and the court has been filled with a suffocating atmosphere these past few days.
Finally, the news that Gu Qingyan was unwilling to accept arrived. Yingzhi's lips trembled as she said, "Doctor Mei sent someone to tell the Emperor that Marquis Yongyi has experienced a brief resurgence of lucidity before his death."
"What?"
Gu Qingyan threw down the memorial he was reading and rode his horse all the way to the Marquis of Yongyi's residence.
A sobbing sound rang in his ears, and Gu Qingyan clenched his fists tightly. "Old Marquis."
"The Emperor has arrived."
Zhong Yi smiled when he saw Gu Qingyan, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"I am still useless; I will not live to see the day when Your Majesty's great cause is accomplished."
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