New and dark light years

Chapter 514 Whether you come or not
Tens of thousands of rebels fled the capital in a state of utter despair, finally giving the city, which had been plundered twice, a much-needed respite.

The people cleaned up the mess, tidying up their chaotic homes with sorrowful hearts, and washing away the bloodstains in front of their doors and on the streets.

In a world teeming with strange creatures, people seem to have become accustomed to tragedy and separation.

When they are hurt, they feel pain and cry.

But they will also get back into their lives as quickly as possible.

Less than three hours after the rebels fled the capital, many shops on the streets actually opened for business.

The shopkeepers wiped away their tears and forced smiles as they greeted the customers.

At the same time, some people actually came to the street to shop and buy things.

After all, even funerals require paper money and candles.

Some of the lucky taverns that weren't looted have already opened their doors to customers, and there are actually a few guests inside.

No matter the era, there are always some lucky families and some carefree people.

It's these kinds of people who gather together at times like this to chat.

"Ah, first the Di people, then the rebels, and I heard there's a fierce general surnamed Li eyeing us from the south. When did we, the people under the emperor's nose, become so miserable?"

"Isn't it the Qin family causing trouble in the south? And where did this Li family come from?"

"That's the one who beheaded the Crown Prince...."

"Oh...him? Isn't he stationed in the south?"

"I heard they came too, and they're watching the show a little to the south."

"After the rebellion, he'll probably come back and loot again."

"I doubt it. After all, it's an official position conferred by the imperial court. They should have some dignity to maintain."

"Heh, the more influential an official is, the less ethical they are when they do things behind the scenes."

"No matter what, don't come. My family is lucky; we've escaped two major calamities, but we might not be able to escape a third."

Upon hearing this, everyone around fell silent.

Who wouldn't be afraid of something like this?

But at that moment, a noisy commotion came from outside.

Then more and more appeared, seemingly turning into cheers.

The diners rushed to the door, and then someone shouted:
"Good news, good news... Li Lin, the military governor of Cangwu Road, has ambushed the Di people at the three passes of Fengqiu, Yanming and Rilan, cutting off their escape route and almost annihilating the invading Di people."

After shouting, the man ran forward again, continuing to shout as he went, running and shouting even when he was hoarse.

His words, however, were like a tinderbox falling into oil, instantly igniting a huge pool of fire, and the flames were spreading rapidly outwards.

"Really? The Di people were all killed?"

"What happened to our daughter who was taken from us...?"

"The money that was stolen from us..."

"Don't think about money right now. Go out and see if we can find our daughter-in-law. She's carrying our child!"

At that moment, a large group of people ran outside.

And the news continues to spread.

Aside from those ordinary people who were worried about their families, many others felt a sense of satisfaction at having their revenge fulfilled.

After watching the noisy and excited scene outside for a while, the diners of the tavern went back inside and sat down.

"I never expected that someone would actually go against the Di people under these circumstances. Is he a fool?"

"I thought this military governor would also try to compete... but I didn't expect him to actually cut off the Di people's retreat."

"He also cut off the rebels' route south. This military governor seems to have come specifically to kill the enemy and quell the rebellion."

"Are there still such pure military officers in this world?"

"Regardless of his purpose, I admire him for killing all the Di people. Even if he does something later... I won't utter a single curse word against him."

The people around nodded slightly.

……

In the palace, Zhu Jing emerged from the secret passage with a pale face.

To be precise, he was helped out by his aunt.

At this moment, he was so weak that he was almost about to die.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and his companion immediately brought him warm water and some health-boosting pills.

Zhu Jing quickly took it, and after a while, he finally regained his strength and said weakly, "One more pill."

"Your Majesty, all elixirs contain some poison."

"It's better than being listless and powerless."

Having no other choice, Da Ban brought out another strengthening pill and gave it to Zhu Jing.

After taking two pills, Zhu Jing's complexion finally regained some color, unlike the pale ashen one before.

He sighed and said, "Otomo, go to the city wall and ring the bell to summon all the ministers who are not injured or can still move to court."

"Yes."

Da Ban lowered his head and hurried away.

Before long, the bells of the palace rang throughout the capital.

About half an hour later, Zhu Jing sat on the dragon throne, looking at a battle report.

The number of court officials below was about one-third less than a few days ago.

After reading the battle report, Zhu Jing looked at the officials below and said, "Those who didn't come may never come again."

The ministers all felt helpless.

They actually all had their own private armies, which were barely enough to deal with the Di people.

After all, the Di people were few in number, and once they entered the capital, they scattered and looted. Families with some resources could find ways to deal with them or simply prevent them from entering.

But the rebel army of Da Shun was different; they came in groups of tens of thousands, organized and large in scale.

No matter how powerful the offerings are, even if there are a dozen or twenty people, they can't possibly defeat an army of several hundred.

"I have just received a battle report that Li Lin, the military governor of Cangwu, has defeated the Di people."

The court officials immediately began to discuss it excitedly.

They actually knew about this, but they weren't entirely sure. But now that the government has 'endorsed' it, it must be true.

After all, many concubines or illegitimate daughters of high-ranking officials had been arrested.

If we can find them, that would be a good thing.

As for money, it doesn't matter.

The amount of money they lost wasn't enough to cripple them.

Zhu Jing looked around at the assembled officials and said, "Furthermore... Governor Li still has troops stationed at the three southern passes, and the rebel army is now trapped near the capital."

The ministers were overjoyed.

But a military officer suddenly said, "Isn't Li Jiedu's approach turning the entire capital into a cage?"

The officials were then in an uproar.

Anyone with a basic understanding of geography knows that Li Lin has completely blocked the north and south roads.

The only way to leave now is by taking a boat down the river.

But they believed that Li Lin would definitely find a way to control the ferry crossing.

Just as they expected, Li Lin even sent people to garrison near the ferry, intending to prevent any Di people from escaping.

But in the eyes of those with ulterior motives, this conveys the message: you are all under my control.

"Governor Li has traveled a thousand miles to relieve the capital; his loyalty is evident. Do any of you ministers have anything to say? How should I reward him?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Their minds raced, trying to decipher the meaning behind the Emperor's words.

Then they understood.

The government intends to... govern people with virtue.

If rewards are given to Li Lin before he truly raises the banner of rebellion, then from a moral standpoint, it is highly likely that the other party's thoughts of rebellion will be suppressed.

Of course, it's only a possibility.

Everyone whispered.

Everyone thought this delaying tactic was indeed feasible, but the question was, what kind of reward should be given to Li Lin?

The military governors of the three prefectures already wielded immense power.

The only better option would be the Privy Councilor, who oversees military officers, but he doesn't have much power to mobilize troops, and the other side probably wouldn't even consider him.

Then the only option is to grant him a noble title.

However, granting titles of nobility also has its drawbacks.

Just as the whispers grew louder, Zhu Jing suddenly said, "I intend to bestow upon him the title of 'King of One Character,' so that he may share the empire with me. What do you all think, my beloved ministers?"

This was as if something had been detonated, and the courtiers cried out in alarm.

Zhu Jing was very satisfied with these people's reactions; this was the correct response, instead of just discussing things below as they had done before.

An old minister stepped forward and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, this is not right. There can be no two suns in the sky, nor two masters. Please think it over."

Zhu Jing smiled and said, "Then we won't bestow this title upon him, but if you're going to reward him, you'll have to come up with some plan."

The ministers immediately began to clamor and shout.

……

On the other side, Li Lin got out of bed feeling refreshed.

On the bed, two women were lying.

One would naturally be Consort Rong, or Zi Feng would also be suitable.

The other one is Xiaojuan.

She was dragged into it, but she didn't refuse; instead, she looked piously satisfied.

Li Lin straightened up and felt that the spiritual energy in his body had increased.

It must be said that the so-called furnace and cauldron have truly amazing effects.

The effect of one night of dual cultivation with Zi Feng is equivalent to that of four of my mothers-in-law for a month.

However, he also realized that the effect of Zi Feng, which could make people's strength improve by leaps and bounds, had its limitations.

Within her soul, there exists a peculiar yin energy. This yin energy can be transformed into any kind of energy during dual cultivation and replenish the man's body.

In other words, Li Lin suddenly gained a large amount of spiritual energy.

Sensing the movement, Zi Feng woke up.

She looked at Li Lin and said weakly, "Kid, I underestimated you. You're a man."

He used all his strength when he pedaled his bicycle last night.

In the past, when I practiced dual cultivation with four wives, I never went this crazy; I was always extremely gentle.

Li Lin smiled and asked, "Purple Phoenix Lady, how often do you demonstrate the benefits of helping others cultivate?"

"You only saw that I could help you cultivate?" Zi Feng snorted, looking at him with dissatisfaction. "Didn't you think of anything else?"

"What else?" Li Lin asked, puzzled.

"Xiao Rong'er's body is that of the most beautiful woman in the world, don't you have any thoughts about it?"

The spirit of Consort Rong appeared, and she smiled shyly.

Li Lin pondered for a moment and said, "If she's willing to come with me, no problem. I'll give her the status of a concubine."

"Is this your sincerity?" Zi Feng said with great dissatisfaction. "You should divorce your first wife and then marry..."

Li Lin interrupted Zi Feng, saying, "My mistress is ostensibly Huang Qing, but in reality, she is the Tree Fairy Goddess, also known as Liu Zhe. I remember you said, Lady Zi Feng, that you know her. So, you still want... me to divorce her?"

"You're kidding me! You may have Liu Zhe's scent, but it's not that kind of scent. Do you think I can't tell the difference?" Zi Feng said angrily.

Li Lin said, "That's our business, it has nothing to do with you, but I dare to say it here, Liu Zhe is my future wife."

Zi Feng pursed her lips and sighed, "Alright, compared to Liu Zhe, Xiao Rong'er is indeed not qualified. Let's go then."

"Where are you planning to go?" Li Lin asked.

"If you don't intend to marry her, why are you still bothering her?"

“You Rong, the Noble Consort, can leave, but you can’t.” Li Lin laughed, “Do you think I’d let a furnace like you leave?”

Although it takes about a month to have such a breakthrough, it is still very impressive. If he can keep Zi Feng by his side, his spiritual energy growth rate will be twice as fast.

"Don't think that just because I slept with you once, you're my man."

"More than once, at least ten times, I thought of your Lord, and each time you were very satisfied."

Zi Feng retorted angrily, "So what if I'm satisfied? Even if I am, I can choose not to admit it."

Li Lin frowned and raised his eyebrows.

At this moment, Consort Rong's consciousness suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, I want to hear Li Lin's opinion."

"You...they don't want you, why bother rushing over there and getting rejected?"

“He didn’t say he didn’t want me, it’s just that I can’t be his legal wife,” Yang Yourong said with a smile. “Anyway, I’m used to it.”

Zi Feng was speechless.

After all, the title of 'Imperial Concubine' sounds impressive, but in reality, it was just a type of concubine.

Her status was simply higher than that of a real concubine.

"It's settled then. From now on, you two will stay by my side," Li Lin said, looking at Zi Feng.

Zi Feng didn't speak, seemingly still sulking.

Consort Yourong nodded: "Yes, I will listen to you from now on."

Li Lin turned to look at the side: "Xiao Juan, what are your thoughts?"

Xiao Juan was pretending to be asleep, but both Li Lin and Zi Feng were 'experts', so how could they not know her condition?

Xiaojuan covered herself with the blanket, sat up, and said shyly, "Xiaojuan will treat this as a beautiful dream."

Li Lin sighed, "You should have been able to return to the Fang family."

“I was sent away by my husband… no, I should say by my second son-in-law. He doesn’t want me anymore. If I go back to the Fang family, he will kick me out again.” Xiaojuan shook her head: “I plan to go to the Huang family… to see if I can find some odd jobs.”

At this moment, Zi Feng looked at her and said, "You'd better not think like that. This kid's dual cultivation technique has already given you some initial spiritual energy. You are more beautiful than before. Wherever you go, without the protection of a powerful person, you will only encounter trouble."

Xiaojuan was somewhat surprised. Then she felt her body and found that there seemed to be something extra in her meridians.

She had never practiced martial arts, yet she could now feel her meridians, a testament to the wonders of dual cultivation and spiritual energy.

Zi Feng looked at Li Lin: "Why don't we just keep this little girl by my side? Both I and Xiao Rong'er are used to being served. It would be best if someone sensible could accompany us."

Li Lin looked at Xiao Juan: "What do you think?"

"Thank you for taking me in, Your Highness." Xiao Juan stood up, very happy.

"So, Lady Zifeng, what are your plans next?"

"I want to go back to the Yang residence. Don't worry, I will come to find you once I have gathered enough Yin energy."

Li Lin said with some concern, "It's not a good idea to stay in the capital any longer."

"I can't leave the capital right now; there's a problem with the sealing array." Zi Feng looked at Li Lin and said in a provocative tone, "Besides, I'll use my body and yin energy to please you, and you'll be responsible for my safety. Isn't that a reasonable deal?"

"That's reasonable, but can I only see you once a month? Is it okay if I can do it two or three more times occasionally?"

Consort You Rong was a little shy, but she looked at Li Lin openly and smiled without saying a word.

Zi Feng snorted and said, "Come if you want, don't come if you don't want to."

(End of this chapter)