Chapter 46 of Part One

  In the second month of the 58th year of the Han Dynasty, the dragon raised its head, and the south was about to enter the plum rain season. The gloomy weather had no impact on the mood of the imperial citizens, as the festive atmosphere of the New Year, the continuous arrival of good news, and the news of Zhu Xiao's recovery all brought joy to the entire Chinese Empire. Merchants came and went on the streets, seeking knowledge, doing business, and looking for opportunities. People from all over the country were busy with their new year's work, as it was proven that hard work would bring good results.

  In a humble wine house in Changsha, to be precise, it should be called a noodle shop. The name of the noodle shop is Yang Yu Xing Noodle Shop, named after the owner himself. Chen Jin Nan sat inside the noodle shop drinking, his beard had not been shaved for many days. His entire face was almost covered by his beard. There were no words or expressions. Only cup after cup of wine poured into his body through his mouth.

  The tables were filled with customers eating noodles, and everyone was discussing the current situation. The imperial system of free speech allowed the Chinese people's love of gossip to be fully displayed. An old man had a crowd of onlookers around him, and he picked up his teacup, cleared his throat, and said, "Today, I'll continue with the latest news." He pulled out a copy of the Imperial Daily from his pocket and read aloud: "According to reports from our correspondent at the Beijing front line, the Imperial First, Second, and Third Armies have formed a complete encirclement around Beijing. The intention behind this siege is very clear, and corresponding measures have been taken. All civilians in Beijing, regardless of ethnicity, are allowed to leave the city but not re-enter it." According to our reporter's interview with the commander-in-chief of this operation, Director Zhou Lun of the Imperial Army's Political Department, "In order to protect the imperial heritage of Beijing from destruction and to safeguard the citizens from the impact of war, we have taken corresponding measures. As for where the civilians who leave the city will go, Zhou Lun clearly stated that they will be uniformly managed and released after the war ends."

  The old man looked at the crowd with a satisfied expression and continued, "According to the Imperial Department's announcement yesterday, Qing Dynasty's Shunzhi Emperor was killed on the spot by our People's Army in the Baoding siege battle two days ago." At this time, the people around him all exclaimed. Shunzhi was the spiritual pillar of the Qing Dynasty, and now that he had been killed, it was as if the Qing Dynasty was finished. The people were already discussing it. At this time, the old man tapped on the table and said, "Hey, hey, do you want to hear more? There's still good news coming up." The citizens around him all gathered closer, and the old man was very satisfied with this effect, saying, "The last piece of news is that the Imperial Crown Prince has already awakened from his coma last month and is expected to meet with the people in the near future." Upon hearing this news, everyone applauded in their hearts. There was no other news that could make people more encouraged than this. Especially since Zhu Xiao had shown no pretentiousness, he had won over the people's hearts and gained their support.

  Chen Jinnan also stood up shakily and said to the boss, "Boss, it's time to settle the bill."

  As I walked on the streets of Changsha, my thoughts seemed to have returned to the time when Zhu Xiang was assassinated. Zhu Xiang said to me in the General Command Center, "Old Chen, you don't need to send any soldiers from the guard battalion to follow me. This is not outside, after all, Changsha is temporarily the capital of the Empire. The security should be fine. And I think it's not easy for assassins to sneak in either. Now that it's Chinese New Year, I think you can let the soldiers of the guard battalion take a break and go home to reunite with their families and have a good year. Alas, all these years of fighting battles north and south, everyone has been following me without having a good year. This year, those who can return should all return."

  Chen Jinnan looked at Zhu with a difficult expression and said, "Commander-in-Chief, this isn't good. I'll arrange for the soldiers who can return home to celebrate the New Year to go back, and for those who can't, I'll assign a few to stay here and protect you. The Qing army is now hiding in that place, they are at their wit's end, and it's inevitable that they will do something. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to bear the responsibility."

  Zhu Xiao smiled and said, "Old Chen, you really don't understand me. Just do as I say, what else could go wrong? You can rest assured."

  Things in Chen Jinnan's mind reappeared like a movie scene. Chen Jinnan walked into his residence in confusion, fell onto the bed and entered a dazed sleep.

  Zhu Xiao can now slowly get up by himself. Walking through the bedroom, he goes to his own room, where a lot of documents have accumulated on the desk. Although after waking up, all the documents were dictated by him and written by Li Min, but what he misses is being able to sit in front of the desk and write a few words personally.

  She slowly moved to the window of the house, pushed open the colored glass window inlaid with Changsha glass factory, and a fresh air came in with a hint of moisture. Zhu Xiao took a deep breath, and the files on the table were blown away by the wind. Zhu Xiao didn't care about this. Her gaze passed through the fake mountain in front of her to the corridor far away, where Li Min was sitting, accompanied by a maid. The maid's new-style dress had a white edge and a blue bottom, standing there also showed a bit of elegance. Li Min sat on the corridor, holding some fish food in her hand, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning. Wearing a white long-sleeved dress, with a fold at the cuff and hem, her long hair fluttered down, looking so elegant and refreshing, paired with perfect facial features, Zhu Xiao couldn't help but stare blankly.

  Zhu Ao pushed open the door and walked in, looking at Zhu Xiao who was already infatuated, chuckled and said "Ah Xiao, you've been staring for so long but still can't get enough of it. Still doting on it."

  Zhu Xiao's face turned red and she quickly changed the subject, saying "Grandfather, why have you come? Is there something going on?"

  Zhu Ao shook his head and said, "I don't have anything to do with it. The person who has something to do is outside and hasn't come in." After finishing speaking, he said to the people outside, "If you have something to do, come in yourself and talk to the prince."

  Song Yingxing walked in from outside the door and said, "Your servant pays respects to Your Highness, may you live for a thousand years, a thousand years, and a thousand more." After finishing speaking, he bowed deeply to Zhu.

  Zhu Xiao looked at the stubborn Song Yingxing and frowned, saying "Song Lao, I've told you many times already, I don't like such formalities. Just stop performing these monarch-subject rituals with me."

  Song Yingxing showed a difficult expression and said "This."

  Zhu Ao smiled and said, "Old Song, don't be polite. You are also a great contributor to the empire, Ah Xiao respecting you is only right."

  Song Yingxing heard that Zhu Ao also said so, and he also showed a responsive expression, saying: "Your Highness, I came to see you today, but I'm really ashamed. It's about family matters that I want to discuss with Your Highness. I hope Your Highness can help me solve it."

  Zhu Xiao looked at Song Yingxiong with a surprised expression and said, "Song Lao, if you have something to say, just say it directly."

  Song Yingxing seemed to have organized his thoughts in his heart and slowly said, "I don't know if Your Highness remembers that Ming Feng started out looking like a girl. In fact, it was my daughter Sun Miao Feng who began dressing up her brother Ming Feng."

  Zhu Xiao suddenly realized today, "So that's how it is. No wonder when I first saw Ming Feng, she seemed like a woman, but later on didn't have the aura of one. It turns out she was indeed a woman, but later switched to being someone else."

  Song Yingxing continued to say hesitantly, "Xiang Feng, my granddaughter, has been thinking of Your Highness ever since she saw you. I didn't know her true feelings until recently when Your Highness was stabbed. Now my granddaughter is getting thinner and paler every day, I beg of you to go see her. I dare not ask for anything else."

  Zhu Xiao's head was already big at this time. The pleading gaze shot towards Zhu Ao. Zhu Ao made a helpless gesture behind, shook his head and walked away. Zhu Xiao looked at Song Yingxing's pleading expression in front of him, sighed and said "Alright, I'll go to your mansion with Minmin."

  All the way, Li Min had already lost count of how many times she pinched Zhu Xiao's arm. Sitting in the main hall of Song Mansion, Zhu Xiao absent-mindedly drank the tea brought by the servant, thinking about how to deal with that little maid from the Song family.

  Zhu Xiao looked around the girl's boudoir, the decoration in the house was simple, and a painting hung at the door. A faint fragrance floated out of the room. Song Mingfeng walked out from the inner room, saw Zhu Xiao here and was surprised, saying "Your Highness, how did you come to my room?"

  Zhū Xiào tidied up his thoughts and said, "Míng Fèng, I should call you that. I came today because there are some things I want to talk to you about. You know that I'm already engaged to Mǐn Mǐn."

  Song Mingfeng nodded and said softly, "I know." Then he raised his head and said, "Your Highness, are you afraid that I will bother you? If so, Your Highness can leave now." His face was filled with a sorrowful expression.

  "Phoenix, I think you've misunderstood. My intention wasn't like that. I just hope you can... stand up again from a new start. I'm not suitable for you, or rather, I'm not good enough for you. Honestly, everything I said was true. I only wish you could find someone better than me, who can bring you more happiness. My life is destined to be dedicated to the country." She let out a sigh and continued, "Alas, Phoenix, do you understand what I mean?"

  Song Mingfeng sank into thought for a moment, then seriously said to Zhu Xiao, "Your Highness, Mingfeng understands. Mingfeng had no illusions about Your Highness in the past and will not have any now. Your Highness is so concerned about Mingfeng, Mingfeng is truly grateful. Mingfeng will definitely not disappoint Your Highness." After finishing speaking, she walked into her own room.

  As she walked out of the Song residence, Zhu Xiao glanced at Li Min beside her and felt a heavy burden lift off her shoulders. She said softly, "Min Min, do you regret following me? I'm destined not to belong to just one person. My life, my youth can only be dedicated to this country."

  Li Min looked at Zhu Xiao with deep affection and said, "Xiao Ge, I'm not unaware of this fact, but I've already fallen in love with this country, and even more so with you. Can I still have a choice?" She then playfully stuck out her tongue.

  Dear readers, I apologize for the delay in updating this chapter. It was supposed to be released yesterday afternoon at 6 pm, but due to a sudden power outage, I had to re-write it from memory this morning. To be honest, I'm not feeling too great about the overall quality of this chapter. I hope you can provide me with more suggestions and opinions on how to proceed with the plot. I usually write one chapter at a time, and I don't have any stockpiled chapters, so if there's another power outage, I'll be in trouble. Additionally, I plan to reinstall my system today, so there will be another update tonight, but I'm not sure what time it will be ready. Please forgive me for the delay. With Chinese New Year approaching, have you all finished buying your new year goods? If you have any opinions or suggestions, please add me on QQ: 25383897. Wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Red envelopes are welcome!