It was only when the palanquin was nearing the palace that the old marshal's ragged breathing finally calmed down a little.
"Child, I'm asking you one last time. Is this true? " Qiu Jianhan looked at Yun Yang seriously. "We haven't entered the palace yet, there's still time. There's still room for negotiation. But once you enter the Imperial Palace, if you make any careless mistakes … your little life will be gone no matter what! "
"This nephew is a popinjay, but this is a serious matter that concerns the fate of the nation. How can I lie? This is absolutely true," Yun Yang said righteously.
"Don't mention popinjays …" Qiu Jianhan looked like he was in a pinch.
Whenever something happened, this fellow would pin the word popinjay on himself first, as if it was the best thing he could rely on.
That was enough!
Is being a popinjay so useful?
Do you think this old man can't tell that you're pretending to be a popinjay?
He kicked Yun Yang's butt with a loud thud. "Cut the nonsense! Follow your father in! "
With the old marshal's status, his journey to meet the emperor was unimpeded.
After reporting, both of them arrived at the royal study without a hitch.
His Majesty's yellow silhouette was standing in front of the Empire of Yutang's territory map, a memorial in his hand. His brows were tightly furrowed and the atmosphere was heavy.
"Old Qiu, you're here." Seeing Qiu Jianhan enter, His Majesty did not put on airs as usual. He sighed and began to complain, "The flood of East River is wreaking havoc, millions of people have lost their homes. Old Qiu, it looks like … the situation …"
As he spoke, he saw that Yun Yang had entered as well. He could not help being surprised and said, "You're here too."
Yun Yang pretended to be shocked when he heard the old marshal and put on an extremely surprised expression. "This … Uncle Yu? Uh … Your Majesty … this … "
The old marshal slapped the back of his head and said angrily, "Still pretending! Speak properly! Speak properly! "
His Majesty guffawed and waved his hand, saying, "We're not strangers, let's talk about family matters. Someone, give us a seat."
Seeing the two of them sitting down, His Majesty the Emperor stood up and frowned. "This flood from the east of the river … It was really unexpected. It was too sudden. There was no way to deal with it!"
"The sudden flooding of the Old Dragon River is most likely related to the series of torrential rains that occurred some time ago. The water level rose again and again until it finally caused the dam to burst. Thirty-six districts on the other side were affected. It is truly a natural disaster …" The old marshal sighed. "However, to the Empire, this natural disaster is like adding snow to snow. What did the Empire's Ministry of Revenue say? Did they give any corresponding regulations?"
"What rules can there be? It's just saying that the national treasury is empty, and even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice! "
His Majesty rubbed the space between his eyebrows and sighed deeply. "There are only three million taels of silver left in the national treasury, but this was originally intended to be used as a reward for the soldiers of the Eastern Frontier … This also includes a lot of military pay. Just the reward alone is far from enough, not to mention anything else. "
"The Ministry of Revenue proposed that if we want to quickly quell the flood and stabilize the people's hearts, we need to first use this portion of silver for disaster relief. We won't reward the army for now … we should first help the millions of victims. Even so, it's still a drop in the bucket, far from enough … "
The old marshal's straight brows creased into a frown. He could not help saying, "Your Majesty, this can't be done. The soldiers are fighting and bleeding at the frontlines, fighting for the country, dying a hundred lives. If there isn't even basic compensation and compensation, or even insufficient military pay, wouldn't it disappoint the soldiers? Who would be willing to give their all on the battlefield then? Who would be willing to risk their lives? Your Majesty, please reconsider. "
His Majesty rubbed the space between his eyebrows again and said, "Of course I know this, but the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice now. Not only did the Ministry of Revenue say so, I can only say so as well …"
Qiu Jianhan's frown deepened. Looking at the emperor, he felt that something was amiss.
His Majesty had always acted with an iron fist, swift and decisive. In the past, when faced with such matters, his solution was swift and decisive; he always had a way to make the entire imperial court submit.
However, why was the response so weak this time?
It was as if he was powerless and could only sigh helplessly.
"I know that such a forceful recruitment will disappoint the soldiers, but this is an urgent matter. It's urgent to solve the flood problem … Perhaps, it's not difficult to think of a way to solve it." His Majesty rubbed the space between his brows, visibly troubled. "However, I really don't want to do this … it's too troublesome …"
The old marshal and His Majesty were talking.
Yun Yang, on the other hand, had been observing the royal study from the moment he entered the room.
As a place where His Majesty read through memorials and even gathered his close officials to discuss matters, the royal study was too ordinary.
There were almost no decorations.
Hence, Yun Yang had only seen two paintings when he first entered the room.
One of them was on the wall to the left of His Majesty's chair. It was a scene of wind, cloud, thunder, lightning, water, and fire surging, and the earth churning. It looked like the atmosphere was strange, as if the heaven and earth had appeared at the same time, like the end of the world.
However, Yun Yang knew that this painting represented the Nine Supremes. Its true meaning was nothing more than the Nine Supremes descending into the world and gathering in Yutang.
His Majesty had actually placed a painting of the Nine Supremes here!
Yun Yang could not help but feel a jolt in his heart.
As for the other painting, it was behind His Majesty's chair. This painting made Yun Yang stare at it for a long time, almost unwilling to move his eyes away.
The scene in the painting was obviously in the royal study. A young man stood tall with his hands behind his back, his head slightly raised as his eyes stared into the distance.
This person was dressed in a bright yellow robe, embroidered with a few golden dragons baring their fangs and claws.
This caused the young man in the image to exude an air of nobility.
The young man's face was gentle yet strong; his gaze was deep and brooding, as if he had seen the suffering of the people in the world. There was a clear sense of pity in his eyes.
The bright yellow robe with the golden dragon's claws – this was the crown prince's uniform!
Was the person in the painting the current crown prince?
However, the person in the painting was clearly not the crown prince. He had seen the crown prince before, but Yun Yang was certain that he had never seen this person before!
However, for some reason, Yun Yang, who had never seen this person before, felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with him. It was as if the person had melded into his bloodline.
Especially that pair of eyes.
It was as if they had seen into his heart.
Yun Yang felt his heartbeat quicken as he stared at the painting. His vision blurred as a sense of dizziness rose within him.
A bolt of lightning flashed through his mind.
Yun Yang suddenly recalled that day when he was on the brink of death.
While he was unconscious, he seemed to have seen a few brothers on the road.
The one leading them was the eldest, Supreme Earth.
He had not worn a mask then.
He had just looked at him, his gaze filled with love and compassion, as well as the doting trust he had for his brothers. Then, he had kicked Yun Yang and scolded, "Go back! Don't ever come back again! "
His face, his aura, his gaze, and his expression were exactly the same as the person in the painting!
"Eldest?" Yun Yang's heart was in turmoil as the two words popped up in his mind.
He felt a sharp pain in his heart. Suddenly, there was a sweet taste in his throat as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The old marshal and His Majesty the emperor were discussing matters with a frown when they heard the sound beside them. Looking towards the source of the sound, it was Yun Yang spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Both of them were shocked. Upon closer inspection, they saw that Yun Yang's face was as white as a sheet of paper and his body was swaying.
The old marshal was quick to catch him. His Majesty the emperor was shocked as well, asking, "What's wrong with this child?"
Qiu Jianhan sighed. "This little fellow … I don't know why, but he went berserk in his cultivation a few days ago. He almost fainted and laid unconscious on the bed for a few days. He's only been able to move for a few days now. I guess his old ailment has been triggered before he could recover."
His Majesty the emperor asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Yun Yang caught his breath and chuckled humorlessly. After cultivating to recover, he said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. It's just that my meridians were out of balance and triggered the blood clots accumulated in my body. I couldn't hold it in and dirtied Your Majesty's study. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"Sigh, there's nothing wrong with being injured." His Majesty the emperor waved his hand nonchalantly. "But you're really something. Why are you running around instead of resting at home when you're so severely injured? I'll summon the imperial physician to take a closer look at you later. Don't leave any lingering ailments! "
Yun Yang grinned. "I just can't sit still, haha …"
Yun Yang's churning Qi and blood had been suppressed and color had returned to his pale face. Only the waves of shock in his heart had yet to calm down.
It was his eldest brother's portrait!
It was Supreme Earth's portrait!
However, why would Supreme Earth's portrait be hung here? Furthermore, why was his eldest brother wearing the crown prince's robe?
Yun Yang felt like the universe had exploded in his mind. He could vaguely guess what was going on, but he could not put his finger on it.
Looking at His Majesty's face that was eighty percent similar to the one in the portrait …
Yun Yang's heart was surging with emotions, unable to calm down.
The old marshal glanced at Yun Yang curiously and could not help coughing when he saw that Yun Yang seemed to be in a daze.
He had entered the palace today because of the information provided by this fellow. He was counting on him to speak and solve the mystery himself, but he had actually become mute at the crucial moment of entering the palace.
Your father has spent so much effort to bring you into the palace, I've even taken off my pants and you're only letting your father see this?
Yun Yang coughed and forced himself to retract his thoughts. He glanced at Qiu Jianhan and signaled with his eyes.
Qiu Jianhan felt like his stomach was about to explode from the old marshal's glance.
Did this bastard not hear a single word that he had said earlier?
This old man has been wrangling here for so long and all I've done is waste a few mouthfuls of saliva!
If they were not in the royal study, Old Marshal Qiu felt that he would definitely press this child down, pull down his pants and spank his bottom! If his bottom was not broken, he would never be able to vent his anger.
…
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