Volume 1: The Imprisoned Volume Chapter 1: The Death Imperial Edict (Part 1)
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: We hereby appoint Yang Shuangfeng as the 14th Lord of Lixiang Prefecture in Nanhai Region of Zichuan Dao and confer upon him the rank of Rear Admiral, hereditary and irrevocable. We have long known you to be steadfast, calm, brave, and decisive, enjoying the deep trust of the people, which fills Us with great joy. As you possess heavenly gifts, you will surely achieve greatness in the future. In this tumultuous autumn, We entrust you with a heavy responsibility, and you must share the country's worries, not disappointing Our expectations. You must resolutely defend the territory, resist rebellious subjects, and maintain peace and order. Those who abandon their posts shall be punished by national law; beware of this! Within the Minis region, you are authorized to exercise military and administrative powers at your discretion, with caution."
Yang Shuangfen listened quietly, as if in a trance, with only her eyelids lightly twitching.
Since the day a gunshot rang out, he thought it was all over and that he would forever fall into darkness. He never could have imagined that his soul would appear in another world, not only seeing the light again but also occupying someone else's body, allowing him to continue living with another person's identity. He had never believed in reincarnation after death, but at this moment, he had no choice but to believe it. He witnessed his own death in another world and rebirth in this one, and the strange feeling of memory fragmentation made him feel both terrified and ecstatic. However, after a year of adaptation, he gradually got used to everything in this world, and his thoughts calmed down. The Earth had slowly faded from his mind.
His current status is no longer that of a death row inmate, but it's almost the same. After his rebirth, he found himself still in prison. Of course, not because he committed a crime and was imprisoned, but as the hostage of the Yang family, the lord of the southern sea area of Lirikawa, he has been confined to a small courtyard with an area of no more than 300 square meters in the southwest of Nilogem, the capital of the Tangchuan Empire. He spends his days in solitude, living a life that is no different from that of a prisoner. All he can see every day is that incomplete gray sky, and everything that happens outside has been cut off from him. It wasn't until a year later, at this moment, that an imperial edict from the emperor lifted his hostage status, restoring his freedom.
The eunuch's weak voice, as he read out the imperial edict, echoed softly in the vast and empty hall, as if it might disappear at any moment. Yet, in that deathly silence, this faint voice somehow managed to penetrate clearly into every person's ears.
This is a very high and magnificent hall, decorated with luxury and elegance. Eight pillars wrapped in rose-patterned marble tiles support the high roof, which is divided into four layers of circles embedded with many rubies that shine brightly even during the day. The walls on all sides are inlaid with light yellow matte marble tiles, and the soft glow emitted by the rubies on the roof reflects off these marble tiles, instantly dispersing the light and making it seem mysterious and otherworldly. The large windows are lined up with small, round, and smooth Venus statues, and the marble floor is polished to a high shine, almost able to reflect people's shadows. The air still retains the faint scent of new construction, slowly seeping into Yang Shuang's heart, causing his eyes to gradually emit a pale purple glow.
This is the Huaying Hall of the Tangchuan Empire, a place that Yang Suofeng is most familiar with. Exactly one year ago, during the great earthquake, on that night when the earth shook and thunder roared, this magnificent building was destroyed in an instant, countless people died under the rubble, and he himself had struggled painfully under the ruins for three hours, curled up in the damp and stinky mud, barely breathing. If it weren't for a sharp lightning bolt striking his side, shattering the granite statue that pressed on him, he would have been dead long ago. And because of that lightning bolt, he also gained another soul, a redeeming soul from the depths of the distant universe.
The Huiying Palace, the building he vowed to destroy, this magnificent yet dark and sinister edifice, was gone from the face of the earth. The ruins seemed to foretell a bleak future for the empire. But with the emperor's full support, the Huiying Palace was quickly rebuilt, and it became even more resplendent than before, adorned with more rubies and marbles brought from the region of Meini, where the radiant jade and diamond as large as fingers could only be found.
Perhaps to add unprecedented brilliance to the empire's nearly rotten coffin, there is an outside rumor that the empire even embezzled part of the military expenses as the cost of rebuilding the Huiying Temple. In order to adorn enough jade and diamonds on it, the dying former emperor allocated a large amount of pearls, jade and diamonds from the internal affairs warehouse, all of which were transported back from the Minis area in the past few decades, and only a small part was used, already making the Huiying Temple emit an enchanting charm that makes people feel like they are in a dream.
Mynis, it's simply an inexhaustible treasure trove.
The spacious and empty hall was not crowded, the atmosphere was solemn. On both sides of the hall, two rows of guards wearing red ceremonial uniforms stood at attention, each row consisting of twelve men holding the latest model of Minsk rifles with bayonets that occasionally flashed a chilling glint. In the center of the hall, only one long table and four chairs were placed. The table was covered with golden velvet, and the chairs were also draped in golden chair covers. The golden chair covers reflected the light of the rubies, emitting a soft glow that naturally evoked a sense of solemnity and dignity.
There were four chairs, but only three people sat down. The one on the far right was a frail and feeble eunuch who stood up to read out the imperial edict. In the middle was an old man wearing a brocade robe with a pale face and sleepy eyes. On the far left was a young general with a straight figure and piercing eyes. Among these three people, it was undoubtedly the young general who attracted the most attention. He was so handsome and majestic, with an extraordinary demeanor, his straight body and orange-red general's uniform were extremely eye-catching, and compared to the two lifeless old men beside him, he stood out like a crane among chickens. The purple sword hanging from his waist had three small golden stars carved on it, openly displaying his noble status.
In front of the long table, there was only one person, Yang Shuangfeng.
To outsiders, Yang Suofeng was a very ordinary young man. He looked like he was only in his early twenties, with a somewhat immature expression and pale complexion, seemingly due to lack of sunlight and poor nutrition, but this did not hinder his normal movements. Like that general, his posture was also straight as a pen. What was slightly strange was that he seemed bewildered by everything in front of him.
"Thank you for the imperial grace!" Yang Suofeng bowed slightly and said respectfully. Before leaving the small courtyard that had imprisoned him for nine years, he had already made preparations to leave the world behind, but now the situation suddenly changed, not only was he not secretly killed, but the emperor's edict also explicitly mentioned appointing himself as the 14th lord of Lizhixian, Nanhai area, and promoting himself to Imperial Navy Major General.
This huge contrast was what made his heart even more stubborn, and for a moment, he couldn't bear it. At that instant, he felt his whole body surge with blood, and his consciousness momentarily fell into a state of chaos, to the point where he didn't know what he was thinking about. However, he quickly lifted his head up again, bravely facing everything in front of him. In his mind, only one thought kept echoing:
Mynis, I'm back!
The young general's eyes flickered involuntarily, for he suddenly discovered that in Yang Suofeng's eyes, although there was still a hint of confusion, there was more eagerness, a kind of eagerness to break free from the cage. His face slowly underwent a change, his gaze deeply falling on Yang Suofeng's body, as if he had discovered something.
Yang Shuangfeng recognized the three people in front of him, which was the result of two memories intersecting and blending together.
That old eunuch was the red man in front of His Majesty the Emperor, and his real name was almost unknown to anyone, because except for His Majesty the Emperor, everyone called him Lord Zhou. His public position was the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, but in reality he was the Emperor's spokesperson and incarnation. When the current Emperor was still a common prince, he had fallen into difficulties many times, with a miserable situation that was unbearable to look at, and only he alone stood guard by the prince's side. In order to prevent the poor prince from starving, he even secretly cut off the flesh of his thigh to feed the prince, and thus the two men were together for eleven years. Later, the prince who was on the verge of death suddenly rose to power and occupied the position of honor, and naturally followed him to rise to prominence, dominating the world. It is said that any order issued by His Majesty the Emperor basically had to go through his hands, and he was a real person who could control the clouds and rain.
That frail and sickly old man was also a red person in front of the emperor, Minister Tang Jing of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He is said to be 76 years old this year and is the emperor's uncle. However, he still oversees the internal affairs and intelligence work of the entire Tangchuan Empire. The emperor is also very fond of him, and even visits him in person at midnight. This cannot help but lead to some unseemly speculation among the people, with the most outrageous being that Tang Jing is the emperor's biological father. Although the imperial court has repeatedly issued gag orders and taken severe measures against such rumors, they have only spread further, to the point where they are unstoppable. After all, the chaos in the harem and the emperor's private life have always been the most interesting topics of conversation among the common people after dinner. Who can say that this is absolutely impossible, given Tang Jing's past elegance and charm?
As for that general, he is a well-known figure, the Imperial Guard General, Bai Yulou, Tangchuan Empire's most handsome man. Outside, people say he is the dream idol of girls all over the country. However, in legend, his most captivating aspect is not his good looks, but his long sword. In the past, Lihua Gongzi single-handedly charged into Niluo Shenjing, grasping the eighteen top masters of the Imperial Guard with one hand. His sword energy shattered the Taihe Temple, and his sword light pierced through the clouds outside Jiuzhouyun, leaving people shocked and trembling. Throughout the imperial city, only Bai Yulou could withstand Lihua Gongzi's one sword, causing the proud and arrogant Lihua Gongzi to leave in a huff. From then on, Bai Yulou became famous throughout the land. However, Lihua Gongzi's sword was not so easily withstood after all. As a result, Bai Yulou spent two years bedridden, also leaving behind an incurable internal injury, which can be seen from his faintly pale complexion now.
"Yang Songfen, did you understand?" Old eunuch Zhou Gonggong coughed weakly and said, slowly sitting back in his own seat. He picked up his glass cup inlaid with pearls and diamonds, savoring a sip carefully, hot air rising from the cup, and the air was suddenly filled with the faint scent of Huangshan Maofeng tea.
"I understand." Yang Shuangfeng replied briefly, but in fact, his mind was still muddled at this moment.
"Alright, take the imperial edict back and keep it safe. Also, sign your name here. From now on, you are the legitimate ruler of the South Sea region, no need to hide like your dead father. You don't have to stay here anymore. You must hurry back to Menis region as soon as possible, fulfill your duties and mission, do not disappoint His Majesty the Emperor." The old eunuch said expressionlessly, one hand stretched out alone, two bony fingers pinched the imperial edict held in mid-air.
Yang Shuangfeng took two steps forward, bowed his head and hands to receive the imperial edict, retreated two steps back, unfolded the imperial edict, looked down at it for a moment, and couldn't help but feel stunned. It was not the familiar handwriting of the Emperor himself, but rather a printed imperial edict mass-produced by the Imperial Secretariat Bureau. Even his own name was not filled in, but had been pre-printed. Every word was clear, yet looked somewhat strange, despite the seal of the Heirloom Jade being so vivid.
