Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 377 Tianyi, Marry Me (Not Clickbait)
A cold wind, carrying snowflakes, swept towards my face.

Emperor Ninghe took a deep breath, finally feeling a little more awake. His head still throbbed with pain, but it was much better than before. Even the energy in his eyes was much stronger than before, as if he had returned to being the emperor who fought against powerful clans and civil officials, never admitting defeat, and full of vigor.

He was well aware of his current situation.

Perhaps, in just two or three years, his health will completely collapse.

But it absolutely cannot be now.

Both the Prince of Jin and Song Yan are currently too weak. They possess some power, but in a truly chaotic world, this power is far from sufficient, and they could be swallowed up at any moment by other, more ferocious behemoths. Therefore, he must continue to hold out for a while, at least until they have both grown stronger.

By then, there really won't be anything to worry about.

Then he can finally unload his burdens and get a good night's sleep.

Seeing Emperor Ninghe's condition, Wei Liang felt a pang of heartache: "Your Majesty, your health... why don't you ask the Imperial Son-in-Law for help? He's a renowned physician; he'll surely be able to cure you."

Emperor Ninghe smiled and shook his head: "My illness is incurable... Sun Shuji said that there is something growing in my head, and the only way to cure it is to break open my skull and take it out."

"Isn't this ridiculous? If someone's head is split open, how can they survive?"

Wei Liang's wrinkled old face showed some sadness.

"This is an incurable disease, unlike tuberculosis." Emperor Ninghe moved his arms slightly and rubbed his temples. He had been having headaches on and off lately, probably because of that thing growing in his head. "Don't let this get out."

“It’s useless except to cause unnecessary worry. Besides, Sun Shuji also said that even if I get sick, I can still live for another three to five years without any problem.”

With a slight smile, Emperor Ninghe said nothing more and walked towards his bedchamber.

He still intended to make good use of this illness, and naturally couldn't let it go wrong.

As he walked, the smile on his face gradually faded, and his expression became gloomy and conflicted. He had given Song Yan a chance to rewrite his own destiny, but in some ways, he might have also pushed Song Yan into a vortex of suffering.

Save Ningguo.

It turned the sky upside down.

This is his responsibility.

Even if things go wrong, it's still the responsibility of Prince Jin, Prince Fu, Tian Shu, and Tian Quan.

Even Luo Yuheng was barely qualified to shoulder this responsibility.

After all, Ningguo was the domain of the Luo family.

This was a supreme position, a power that could overturn the world, but in Emperor Ninghe's eyes, it was a deadly curse.

Emperor Longtai, Emperor Yuanjing, and now Emperor Ninghe...

In the more than one hundred years of Ningguo's history, there were only a few emperors, and how many of them died suddenly and mysteriously?
It wasn't until he sat on the throne that Emperor Ninghe realized how dangerous the throne was. He had lost count of how many assassination attempts he had survived, how many times he had almost lost his life due to minor illnesses, and how many times he had been poisoned.

All he knew was that Ningguo was already mired in a deep-seated problem, and it was impossible for him to completely overthrow the Yang family and Bailu Academy within his limited time. Whether it was Tian Shu or Tian Quan, or even the Prince of Fu and the Prince of Jin, they would all face the same dangers and torments after taking the throne.

His body was completely drained of oil.

Mentally, I am exhausted.

That feeling was more like the cruelest torture in the world, with almost every breath causing unbearable pain.

Compared to the throne, Emperor Ninghe would much rather that Tian Shu and Tian Quan could stay away from all this, even if it meant living in anonymity in the deep mountains and forests for the rest of their lives, rather than living in constant fear for their lives.

The act of lifting the curtain on this day planted a seed in Song Yan's heart under Emperor Ninghe's influence. As for what this seed would ultimately grow into, even Emperor Ninghe didn't know. With Song Yan's medical skills, even in a world in chaos, he would likely be safe. A divine physician can thrive in any era, even in a cannibalistic world. However, his words might stir up some inappropriate thoughts within Song Yan's heart.

Given Song Yan's talent in training troops, troop deployment, and the study of things, he might actually have a slight chance of ruling the Nine Provinces. Although this chance is extremely slim, almost non-existent, if he succeeds, Tianxuan will become the empress. Although Ningguo will no longer be surnamed Luo, the future emperors will still have a portion of the Luo family's bloodline.

Song Yan is a very sentimental person, so he probably wouldn't treat Tian Shu, Tian Quan, Tian Yi, and Yu Heng poorly.

In this way, he can rest assured.

If it fails...

Thinking of the consequences of failure, Emperor Ninghe felt a pang of guilt.

In the end, he outsmarted Song Yan.

Thinking of Song Yan standing on the palace walls, acting as an executioner in front of him, completely disregarding offending civil and military officials, crushing one head after another, all to win over the hearts of the people. Even when confiscating property, the distribution of gold beans was done in the name of the emperor to win over the army.

Even the money earned from doing business was sent to Dongling.

What a wonderful son-in-law!

Emperor Ninghe felt even more guilty.

Wei Liang followed behind, watching Emperor Ninghe's retreating figure with a touch of sadness... Sun Shuji had said that living another three to five years wouldn't be a problem, but that was only if His Majesty was willing to put aside all his affairs, relax, and recuperate properly. Now, working day and night on state affairs, he feared that within a year or two, he would be exhausted and dying.

Wei Liang gritted his teeth, knowing he would have to mention it to the Prince Consort when he had the chance. Although the Prince Consort's reputation wasn't as great as Sun Shuji's, Wei Liang always felt that the Prince Consort's medical skills were probably even better than Sun Shuji's.

"Tomorrow, I will no longer let Yan'er confiscate the property. The Marquis of Champion's mansion is almost fully repaired. Isn't it time to move in?" Emperor Ninghe suddenly said.

"It was fine yesterday, and we checked it again today. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Then let's ask the Imperial Observatory to calculate an auspicious day and move there. What's the point of my son-in-law always living in that old geezer Fang De's house?" Emperor Ninghe pursed his lips: "I remember that according to the customs of Ning Kingdom, ancestral tablets should be invited before moving into such a proper mansion."

"Generally speaking, it's the head of the family and his wife together. Since Tianxuan isn't in Dongling, Tianyi will take her place."

Wei Liang simply nodded silently.

Is His Majesty planning to have the Prince Consort marry Princess Tianyi as well?
"When the time comes, issue another imperial decree to bestow upon Tianyi a proper title of princess. We can't treat her poorly."

"Furthermore, take a group of people from the Imperial City Guard to the Ministry of Justice and inform the families of those convicted officials that if they cooperate honestly and reveal the location of their hidden money, one male member of their family can be spared death, so that their lineage will not be cut off. Confiscate all the remaining official residences as soon as possible." Emperor Ninghe was rambling on and on about the arrangements. Given Emperor Ninghe's personality, he naturally wished he could kill all these convicted officials and their families, but at the moment, making money was more important.

“Each soldier of the Imperial Guard will be paid ten taels of silver. I estimate that these official residences will be worth at least thirty million taels of silver… Leave enough for the expenses of the court’s operation. Arrange for someone to secretly transport a batch to Prince Jin, and another batch to Yuheng.”

"Recruiting soldiers always costs money."

……

In the palace.

Song Yan walked alone on the imperial road.

With each step, I could clearly feel my body sinking.

On either side of the imperial road stood the palace guards, their bodies ramrod straight, the torchlight reflecting off their faces, making them appear as if they had been carved by a knife and axe.

Song Yan was unaware of Emperor Ninghe's thoughts; he was simply shocked by what Emperor Ninghe had said.

Has the sky been turned upside down?
What exactly does this mean?
Could it be that Emperor Ninghe wants him to rebel?

This thought startled Song Yan.

However, he gradually calmed down.

He knew that Emperor Ninghe was not as shrewd as Li Shimin, nor as ruthless and decisive as Zhu Yuanzhang, but Emperor Ninghe was still a capable and meticulous emperor.

He made many preparations.

The reason for demoting Luo Yuheng from Dongling City to Ningping on the coast was to protect Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan so that the two could grow up safely.

The purpose of transferring the King of Jin to the border of Zhao was to give him some military power.

He himself remained in Dongling, attempting to reverse the corruption of the court. If he failed one day, the world would descend into chaos, and Prince Jin, Tian Shu, and Tian Quan might lead their armies to sweep across the land and reclaim the Luo family's empire. If he succeeded, he could thoroughly clean up the court, and the next emperor would never have to face the same predicament as him.

Of course, this is a last resort.

Once war breaks out, the land of Ningguo will be devastated, with countless lives lost. Even the final victory will leave behind only ruins. Therefore, despite his exhaustion, Emperor Ninghe continues to struggle desperately in the court. However, the Ghost Cave incident dealt Emperor Ninghe a heavy blow. He probably never imagined that the officials who had been promoted from the lowest rungs of society would, in just a few years, become the ugliest of people.

They are even more cruel than others.

This also made Emperor Ninghe realize that his efforts to change the Ningguo court had failed.

In this situation, Emperor Ninghe chose the last, most insane, and most cruel path:

Reshape the world.

In the time to come, Emperor Ninghe will likely no longer concern himself with the corruption in the court; everything he does will be transformed into paving the way for reshaping the world.

However, Luo Yuheng could have simply explained this to the Prince of Jin, so why did he say such a thing to him?
Could it be that he wants to make himself emperor?

Are you crazy?

Unable to ascertain Emperor Ninghe's true thoughts, Song Yan felt somewhat depressed and stifled.

As they walked, they unknowingly arrived outside the palace.

A slender, graceful woman, holding a long sword, leaned quietly against the wall, her eyes slightly narrowed, as if she had fallen asleep.

Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes.

The moment his dark eyes saw Song Yan, a hint of joy seemed to appear on his face.

"Brother-in-law."

"Hmm, you've been waiting a long time, haven't you?" Song Yan smiled, suppressing the slight frustration in his heart, and stepped forward. He noticed that there were still some snowflakes on Luo Tianyi's head, so he raised his hand and brushed them away.

A slight blush rose on her fair cheeks, and Luo Tianyi shook her head: "It hasn't been long."

"Let's go, go back."

"Ah."

As usual, he didn't say much.

It's simple, yet it exudes the warmth of an old married couple.

As if it had become second nature, the two walked side by side, and before they knew it, Luo Tianyi's little hand had slipped into Song Yan's palm.

My fingers were icy and cool.

This made Song Yan feel a little sorry for her.

Remembering what Zhao Gaizhi had said before, he felt that the current ambiguous relationship between the two of them was not appropriate. As a man, he should naturally take the initiative in such matters.

Song Yan was the type to act on her thoughts immediately. She pursed her lips and finally spoke slowly, "Tianyi..."

Luo Tianyi raised her head with some suspicion. She could sense the change in Song Yan; his palms were even beaded with sweat. "Is something wrong?"

For some reason, the moment Song Yan met Luo Tianyi's clear eyes, he actually felt a little nervous. He had never felt this kind of nervousness before, when he led the Japanese pirates to fight against them and when he led the black-armored soldiers to trample the royal court.

Some things are actually not fair.

Song Yan has many women around him.

The mysterious woman in white in the cave—he was forced into it.

Gu Banxia was a maidservant who shared a room with the emperor; that was the custom of the time.

Luo Tianxuan was brought in as a bride to ward off bad luck; he wanted to use this opportunity to escape from that hellish place.

Yang Siyao is an example of an exchange of interests.

Hua Lianyue is the antidote.

As they spent more and more time together, feelings naturally developed.

Now they are lovers, and even more so, family.

Ke Luotianyi is different. This girl who has always been by his side is the first one that Song Yan fell in love with and wanted to marry.

He wanted to spend his whole life with Luo Tianyi.

He liked the current ambiguity, but it wasn't enough; he wanted more... much more.

Luo Tianyi is already nineteen years old, long past the age of marriage in this era. Just thinking about Luo Tianyi possibly marrying another man and being with another man makes Song Yan feel anxious and depressed. So he must have really fallen in love with Luo Tianyi.

That's probably what he felt.

Now that he has clearly understood his feelings, Song Yan will no longer hesitate or dawdle like a man.

Although this place isn't really suitable now, there's only wind and snow, no flowers or moon, and it's also chilly.

For some reason, Song Yan's slightly burning gaze made Luo Tianyi a little scared, and she subconsciously glanced to the side: "W-what's wrong?" Song Yan was planning to compose a few love poems, which wouldn't be difficult for him given his knowledge, but considering Luo Tianyi's level in this area, he was afraid she wouldn't understand, so he took a deep breath and got straight to the point:
"Heavenly Garment".

I think I've fallen for you.

"will you marry me?"

hum.

Upon hearing this, Luo Tianyi's bright eyes suddenly narrowed.

I've fallen for you, I've fallen for you, I've fallen for you...

Will you marry me? Will you marry me? Will you marry me?

Luo Tianyi's body suddenly froze on the spot, her wide eyes filled with shock, joy, disbelief, and a trace of guilt.

A blush quickly spread from her neck to her entire cheek.

Snowflakes landed on my face and melted instantly.

She felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her mind buzzing, with only the cold wind howling and blowing, carrying snowflakes and ruffling Luo Tianyi's long hair, which swayed in the wind and snow.

But Song Yan's voice, like a demonic sound, kept echoing in his mind.

For a moment, her heart seemed to beat several times faster than before, her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, and her mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something, but her mind was in turmoil and she had no idea how to start.

"I..." Luo Tianyi finally made a soft sound as her red lips parted slightly, like a mosquito's buzz. If the two of them hadn't been so close, they probably wouldn't have heard a thing.

Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the side.

"The Marquis of Champion is here! I've been searching for him for ages..."

The previously ambiguous and romantic atmosphere was instantly and completely destroyed.

Song Yan's face instantly fell.

Hey!
Why did they have to come now of all times?

Are you fucking asking for it?
(End of this chapter)