Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 385 Emperor's Tears (6,000 words)

The wind blows.

Cool.

The atmosphere was somewhat depressing.

Song Yan, Wei Liang, and Emperor Ninghe all remained silent.

Although birth, aging, sickness and death are the norm, and although we are well prepared to face life and death, how many people can remain calm when they are sentenced to death?

It is quite remarkable for someone like Emperor Ninghe to achieve this.

Suddenly, Emperor Ninghe burst into laughter, raised his hand and slapped Song Yan hard on the back twice: "You brat, it's me who has a terminal illness, not you, why are you making that face?"

"Besides, although I will die if it is incurable, it is not an immediate death. Doctor Sun said that I have three to five years to live with this illness."

"In total, I have been on the throne for twenty years. If I live for another three to five years, that will be twenty-five years."

"Throughout history, there have been very few emperors who reigned longer than me."

"The only pity is that after twenty years in power, he still couldn't completely bring down the Yang family and Bailu Academy. In the end, he was somewhat useless."

Song Yan remained silent.

Look at the environment when Emperor Ninghe ascended the throne.

Powerful families and scholar-officials controlled the imperial court.

The imperial court, the palace, the harem, the military camps—the enemy's spies were everywhere… The Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Medical Academy were all bribed, and poison was added to their food and medicine.

During the Little Ice Age, natural disasters were frequent and peasant uprisings were rampant.

The first two emperors died mysteriously.

The emperors before them were so foolish that they even abolished commercial taxes.

Externally, the Jurchens, Xiongnu, Chu, and Zhao were also eyeing them covetously.

Song Yan suddenly felt that even if the mess Chongzhen inherited was better than that of Emperor Ninghe, at least Chongzhen still had real power when he ascended the throne; at least during Chongzhen's reign, there were still a few upright and incorruptible ministers and a few generals who were good at fighting battles... If Chongzhen had done fewer outrageous things, even if he had stayed in the harem playing with wood all day like his brother, the Ming Dynasty might have lasted a few more years.

Yet, this Ning Kingdom, which was rotten to the core, actually managed to hold on for twenty years under Emperor Ninghe, and even managed to salvage some of its fortunes. In Song Yan's eyes, he was already an extremely remarkable emperor.

“Ningguo, from the founding of the country by Emperor Taizu to the present day…” Song Yan slowly raised his head and looked directly at Emperor Ninghe: “Aside from Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, you… can be ranked third.”

The eleven emperors of Ningguo, after Taizu and Taizong, were the third.

Emperor Ninghe, who was patting Song Yan's back, suddenly paused, stunned, and stared at Song Yan silently. He seemed surprised that Song Yan would give him such high praise. As he looked at him, he suddenly felt a lump in his throat and his eyes well up with tears.

Despite having been emperor for so many years, at this moment, Emperor Ninghe couldn't control his emotions and his nose twitched.

He roughly understood what kind of feeling that was.

It's a feeling of being wronged.

It is also a form of recognition.

Look at the situation in Ningguo now.

Territory was ceded, indemnities were paid, tributes were made, foreign invasions occurred, and the people suffered greatly.

Emperor Ninghe knew without a doubt how he was regarded by the people.

He is undoubtedly incompetent and foolish.

He was always worried about how he would face his ancestors after his death if he were to pass away one day.

But who knows what kind of pressure he is carrying on his shoulders?

Who can understand how exhausted his body and mind are after supporting him for so many years?
He also wanted peace and prosperity for the country, and tranquility for the people, but he inherited a mess. Who could tell him what to do?
Deceit, intrigue, and countless brushes with death—he's truly exhausted to have endured this long.

He envied Prince Fu, who traveled around, sought immortality, and pursued enlightenment. Whether he succeeded or not, he was at least carefree and at ease.

He also envied the Prince of Jin, who at least stayed away from the court and could do what he liked.

He envied Yuheng even more. Although her reputation for being shrewish wasn't very good, at least few people dared to provoke her. She had people by her side, and now she even had a wonderful son-in-law.

But he was different.

He is the emperor.

In the imperial harem, beauties abound, but how many truly understand and resonate with one another? All the heartache, grievances, and infamy must be borne alone.

At this moment, Song Yan's approval was like tearing a crack in the pretense that Emperor Ninghe had been putting on all along, and his grievances and heartache poured out like bitter water.

Her eyes were a little wet.

A tear rolled slowly down her dry face.

Ninghe Emperor took a deep sniff, shook his head, and casually flicked his sleeve to wipe away the tear stains.

He is the emperor, a man, and cannot show such an appearance.

On the other hand, Wei Liang's cloudy old eyes were already bloodshot.

Emperor Ninghe glared at him with an unfriendly expression: "You old codger, what are you crying for? It's not too late to cry when I die." His mood had calmed down a bit, and he looked at Song Yan: "You kid... no wonder Yuheng likes you so much, you know how to sweet-talk people."

Song Yan smiled and said, "I'm not trying to fool you. To be fair, if it weren't for that damned Emperor Renzong, you could have done even better. I've studied the history of Ningguo. The political situation and national conditions in Ningguo had always been quite stable until the time of Emperor Renzong. They lost commercial taxes, the monopoly on salt, iron, tea and horses, and high walls were built between the inner and outer cities of Dongling. The situation deteriorated, and it was from Emperor Renzong onwards that it reached its peak. None of the three emperors who succeeded him could turn it around. Emperor Longtai and Emperor Yuanjing even lost their lives because of this."

Emperor Ninghe's expression froze; he was at a loss for words.

Emperor Renzong was, after all, his great-grandfather. How could he possibly speak ill of his great-grandfather?
He touched his nose, looking embarrassed: "He's an ancestor, after all. Don't speak so harshly. At least save some face for him."

In the imperial family, insulting one's ancestors would be intolerable to any emperor, and would likely result in the execution of nine generations of the family. However, Emperor Ninghe only asked Song Yan to restrain himself, which shows that Emperor Ninghe harbored some dissatisfaction with Emperor Renzong.

Song Yan pursed his lips, ultimately too embarrassed to continue criticizing his great-grandfather in front of Emperor Ninghe: "Emperor Taizu had the merit of establishing the country, and Emperor Taizong had the merit of pioneering. You cannot compare to them in these two aspects. However, even if you replaced them with them in your time, they might not be much better than you."

"Third, it is well-deserved."

Emperor Ninghe smiled, a smile tinged with bitterness and a hint of triumph.

"So, I'm not a tyrant?"

"No."

"Am I a wise ruler?"

"A wise ruler".

His smile deepened: "That's good, that's good. With your evaluation, even in death, I won't have to worry about how to face the ancestors of the Luo family."

"That's good..."

Emperor Ninghe repeated it in a low voice, over and over again.

It seemed that at this moment, he was truly at peace.

With his head bowed, no one knew what Emperor Ninghe was thinking. After a long while, he finally raised his head and said, "I will try to hold out here for a while longer, maybe two years, maybe one year."

"The troops in Pingyang are still too few."

“It will take a long time to train the newly recruited soldiers into a force that dares to charge and fight.”

"When you go to Pingyang, you should pass through Liutang, where there is a fellow named Li Er."

“There are many rebels in Ningguo. Li Er of Liutang is not the most numerous, nor does he have the largest territory, but he is definitely the most troublesome and difficult to deal with. Tens of thousands of soldiers from the three surrounding prefectures have been besieging and suppressing him, but they have no way to deal with him.”

"Let's think of a way to recruit these people."

"After so many years of rebellion, the rebels under my command still have some fighting ability, which is better than retraining them. Of course, after recruiting them, we must find a way to gradually disperse them and not let them continue to gather together, otherwise they will surely become a disaster in the future."

Emperor Ninghe patiently gave his instructions.

Song Yan knew that he was passing on his experience.

"The Fang family can be relied upon, but they should never be depended on."

“This is a fox even more cunning than the Yang family. If you were in trouble, they would definitely be the first to abandon you. If I hadn’t orchestrated things to make Fang Hai and the Yang family mortal enemies, Fang De probably wouldn’t have continued to support me, the emperor.”

Song Yan nodded again.

"Once we arrive in Pingyang, we should focus our attention on the foreign tribes."

"Although the four kingdoms in the Central Plains are constantly at war, they are all Han people in the end. If they fight each other to the death behind closed doors, that is an internal matter. We cannot allow outsiders to bully us."

"You must learn how to use people."

"Don't do everything yourself."

"this is not good."

"Your previous act of marching into the royal court was a great thing, but you shouldn't have personally led the troops into battle. You need to understand that you are the backbone of Pingyang now. Pingyang can exist without anyone else, but it can't do without you."

"If you are able to conquer even larger territories in the future, you should remember the principles of employing people even more."

"In addition, you must learn to maintain a balance... You must never allow any one person to become too powerful under your command."

Emperor Ninghe kept talking, and Song Yan listened quietly.

He talked a lot, as if he wanted to impart all his life experience to Song Yan. Before he knew it, he was talking about military strategy and tactics, and Emperor Ninghe finally shut his mouth.

After all, when it comes to scheming and plotting against court officials, ten Song Yans tied together wouldn't be a match for him. Song Yan probably only knows one trick: dragging your whole family to hell. Of course, this trick is very effective. When it comes to military campaigns, even ten Ninghe Emperors tied together wouldn't be a match for Song Yan.

Since the time of Master Mei Wu, Ningguo has never produced such a valiant general.

Emperor Ninghe pursed his lips, and the topic became a little lighter: "You must have received quite a few congratulatory gifts for moving to your new home, right?"

“There are quite a few.” Song Yan nodded. “The gifts from the Fang family are the most elegant. It is said to be an original poem by Sima something from the Han Dynasty, worth a fortune. In addition, there are two large cartloads of rare Yun brocade, Shu brocade, Jun porcelain, and Dongzhu pearls.”

"The gifts sent by the Yang family were the most substantial, two cartloads of silver."

"The Left Censor-in-Chief spared no expense, somehow acquiring a red coral, which is quite valuable." Song Yan said with some pride, and after calculating the total, he said, "There are too many others to remember clearly, but it should be around a million."

Emperor Ninghe's eyes showed a hint of envy. Look, making money is just too easy.

A million dollars!
He's not afraid of biting his tongue.

You know, not long ago, a million taels of silver would have worried him so much that his hair would have turned completely white. But this kid, he just moved house and he has it. If he moves several times a year, wouldn't he have several million? "All the civil and military officials should be here by now, right?" As he said this, Emperor Ninghe felt a little sad. He was the emperor, but it seemed that all the civil and military officials were more afraid of this kid.

Song Yan shook his head: "No, that's not the case. Liang Ju, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Li Weicheng, the Grand Counselor of the Left, Mao Rui, the Attendant-in-Ordinary, and Zhang Xing'an, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, did not come."

Emperor Ninghe was taken aback, then chuckled: "You rascal, you can't remember who gave you gifts, but you remember clearly who didn't."

After a pause, Emperor Ninghe spoke again: "That little girl in red just now, is that Fang Wanlin, the youngest daughter of the Fang family? I saw her once when I was little, and she often stayed at the Taoist temple after that. I didn't expect her to have grown up so much."

"Although I tricked that old bastard Fang De before, I wouldn't have survived all these years without his help. Consider this my compensation to that old bastard. Take good care of Fang Wanlin."

Song Yan nodded, but couldn't help but think to himself, "Why does this feel like entrusting someone's orphan to another family?"

"Of course, I'll take care of you, but if you cause Tianxuan or Tianyi any grievances because of Fang Wanlin, see how I deal with you." Ninghe Emperor's eyes turned somewhat fierce.

Tianyi has a cold personality.

Tianxuan is too gentle, even a bit weak.

Fang Wanlin, on the other hand, had a graceful figure, was no less beautiful than Tianxuan or Tianyi, and had a generous and easygoing personality.

Most importantly, he is four years older than Qi Songyan, which is exactly what this brat likes.

Emperor Ninghe was genuinely worried that Song Yan's heart might be stolen by Fang Wanlin.

Song Yan looked puzzled, thinking to himself, "What's going on here?" Although he had a good relationship with Fang De, Fang Hai, and Fang Shan, and helping to take care of Fang Wanlin was nothing, he wasn't the kind of fool who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. How could he do something that would make his own woman suffer for the sake of other women?

Furthermore, why include the Heavenly Garment?
Could it be that my father-in-law already knows about my affair with Tianyi?

No way.

Despite her own thoughts wandering, Song Yan nodded honestly: "Of course not."

Emperor Ninghe was very satisfied with this answer. He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was already slightly off-center, and it was almost noon.

It's time for him to go back.

The palace was large.

Although luxurious.

It was like a huge cage, always suffocating him.

Every opportunity to sneak out was precious to Emperor Ninghe, and he was always somewhat reluctant to return.

"I will now..."

"Wait a moment."

Just then, Song Yan suddenly called out to Emperor Ninghe. After a brief hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out several boxes of temozolomide capsules. Most anti-tumor drugs are targeted therapies, radiotherapy drugs, or injectable drugs. There are not many that can be taken orally, and Song Yan only had this one.

“Take a few pills before each meal, don’t chew them, just swallow them directly.” Song Yan sighed, “This should slow down the growth of the brain tumor a little.” There was no other way, Song Yan didn’t know what kind of brain tumor Emperor Ninghe had, and in this situation, it was purely a last resort.

"This medicine is harmful to the body."

"Remember to take the medicine for five days, then stop for twenty-three days, otherwise your body won't be able to handle it."

Most anti-tumor drugs have extremely serious side effects. This has led to the common saying among the public that "the more cancer or tumors you treat, the faster you die."

Emperor Ninghe subconsciously ignored the last two sentences; only a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. The old eunuch Wei Liang was even more moved to tears, thinking to himself that finding the imperial son-in-law was indeed the right decision.

Helpless, Song Yan could only speak again: "Let's make it clear beforehand, this medicine may not be of any use."

“There are many types of brain tumors. If the diagnosis is correct, it may be of some use. If it is not correct, there is nothing I can do.”

Emperor Ninghe then came to his senses, took a deep breath, and suppressed the agitation in his heart: "How do we determine which type of brain tumor it is?"

"Unless you crack open their brains."

Emperor Ninghe's expression froze for a moment: "Then forget it."

Song Yan carefully instructed him on how to use the medicine, as the side effects were too severe and he had to be extremely careful.

"In addition, find some white vine, Ganoderma lucidum, and yew, boil them in water and drink the water. It may provide some psychological comfort. Yew is poisonous, so the dosage should be carefully controlled."

"Silkworm, centipede, earthworm, and gastrodia can relieve headaches and numbness in the limbs. Hedyotis diffusa, Scutellaria barbata, and Semiaquilegia adoxoides can also inhibit inflammation and complications caused by tumors. Prepared Arisaema heterophyllum, Prunella vulgaris, and Fritillaria cirrhosa can shrink tumors. Salvia miltiorrhiza, Ligusticum chuanxiong, safflower, and Panax notoginseng can reduce edema caused by tumors and restore blood circulation in the brain. Of course, so many medicines cannot be used at the same time, but it never hurts to have more on hand."

"I will prepare a few prescriptions later."

"During the period of drug withdrawal, patients can be rotated."

Wei Liang's old face flushed red. He pulled out some Xuan paper and charcoal pencil from somewhere and carefully wrote down everything Song Yan had told him, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

"Also, these are painkillers." Song Yan took out a few more boxes of ibuprofen.

There are quite a few of these drugs.

"I'm telling you in advance so you can be mentally prepared."

"Brain tumors are incurable with current technology. All I can do is try to delay and reduce the various symptoms caused by brain tumors."

"The worst reaction to a brain tumor is pain. At first, it's just a headache, but as the tumor grows bigger, the pain will spread throughout the body. At that point, the pain can be so intense that you feel like you want to kill yourself. If you are in a lot of pain, take a painkiller, which will relieve the pain somewhat."

At first, ibuprofen was somewhat effective.

Later on, stronger painkillers will be needed.

Wei Liang frowned, his face full of worry, while Emperor Ninghe's reaction was much calmer; he simply nodded upon hearing this. To him, living one more day was a bonus, and he wouldn't ask for anything more.

"I'm already doing very well."

"If I could live a few more months, I would be very satisfied, and I would have more time to pave the way for you." Emperor Ninghe smiled, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if he wanted to see the magnificent landscape of Ning Kingdom. Such a land was truly captivating.

"Remember my words, take good care of Yuheng. I owe this younger sister a great debt." After a long while, Emperor Ninghe slowly withdrew his gaze. He knew he would probably never have the chance to see Yuheng again in this lifetime.

"Also, take good care of Tianxuan and Tianyi."

"I also entrust the two little girls, Qingyi and Caiyi, to you. Please find them good husbands in the future and don't let them be bullied."

"Tian Shu, Tian Quan, Tian Yang... well, let's just leave it to their own fate."

It's truly remarkable that someone finally remembered Luo Tianyang.

Song Yan sighed, and after a brief hesitation, waved towards the distance.

Luo Tianyi had been watching this side. When she saw Song Yan waving, she instinctively wanted to pretend she hadn't seen him, but she pursed her lips and walked over anyway.

When Luo Tianyi arrived, Song Yan couldn't help but call out softly again, "Tianxuan?"

The next second, a voice came from not far behind the big tree: "Husband, are you calling me?"

Turning around, I saw a figure in a plain white dress walking gracefully towards me.

It was Luo Tianxuan.

After the matter was completed, although Luo Tianxuan did not make a public appearance, she kept a close eye on Song Yan at all times, and was always able to appear immediately when Song Yan called out.

The two sisters stood side by side.

When the two faces are put together, they look even more alike.

Upon suddenly seeing Luo Tianxuan and Luo Tianyi, even Emperor Ninghe couldn't control himself. His body trembled slightly, and his vision even became blurry.

He wanted to laugh, but his eyes were extremely sore.

He wanted to cry, but a smile curved his lips.

This is his daughter.

Since the two babies were taken out of the palace, he has seen his two daughters very rarely. Even when he sneaks to Yuheng's house, he can only catch a glimpse of them from afar and is content with that. He doesn't dare to have any intimate contact with them at all.

His body was trembling, and he raised his right hand.

It seemed as if he wanted to pat his daughter's head and face.

The arm that could be raised eventually fell limply to the ground.

No matter how much I longed for it, I still managed to control myself.

Song Yan felt a pang of pity for Emperor Ninghe. He had been hiding his true feelings for the safety of his children, but why should he care about such things now?
Song Yan glanced at Wei Liang, who then went to the other side. Together with Zi Yu, they each guarded a different direction, ensuring that the commotion on this side wouldn't get out.

"Tianxuan, Tianyi..."

The two women were somewhat confused and flustered by Emperor Ninghe's trembling eyes. Upon hearing Song Yan's words, they turned their gazes towards him, their eyes full of questions, as if they wanted to find out what was going on.

Song Yan sighed: "Call me 'Dad'."

Luo Tianxuan and Luo Tianyi both trembled violently.

Her beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

Neither Luo Tianxuan nor Luo Tianyi had a father figure in their lives from childhood to adulthood.

For them, the word "father" was completely foreign. Now, suddenly being told that the man in front of them was their father, the first thought that came to mind was not joy, but rather...

resist.

And rejection.

Moreover, Luo Tianxuan's father had already been beheaded by Emperor Ninghe.

Such a look could not escape Emperor Ninghe's notice, and the initial excitement in his eyes gradually dimmed.

He was clearly an emperor.

The supreme ruler.

But at this moment, he was like an old farmer, extremely restrained, his body subconsciously hunched over, at a loss, not knowing where to put his hands. He even had a fawning smile on his face: "No...it's okay, Song Yan, you don't need to bother anymore, it's fine as it is now."

At this point, he was not an emperor at all, but just an old father who was afraid of not getting his daughter's forgiveness.

(End of this chapter)