The birds chirped in the trees.
Tweet, tweet, tweet.
When Princess Caiyi brought her two children into the palace, it became extraordinarily lively.
Places with children always feel more vibrant and bustling.
It's as if the air flows faster.
Where children are present, even the particles floating in the air seem to dance more cheerfully.
The whole family sat down for a reunion dinner.
Jiang Feng was married, Jiang Yu had found a husband, and they both had children. Qin Luoxia and Jiang Changtian were only around forty, yet they had become grandparents. They had already lived longer than the average life expectancy of their time.
In this era, being unmarried at thirty was equivalent to being single at sixty in modern times.
Jiang Changtian and Qin Luoxia were quite pleased with their son-in-law and daughter-in-law.
They both appeared to be honest people.
The son-in-law was steady and kind-hearted, but not foolishly so. They knew this from their first meeting - even when he saved someone, he had his good friend He Chen look after the rescued girl. He had boundaries and principles.
The daughter-in-law seemed carefree but wasn't foolish; she was actually smarter than their own Yu.
This was quite satisfactory.
Their Yu, despite her big heart, was well-treated by the Meng family who were extremely good to her. Even after marriage, she hadn't grown much shrewder, which showed she was living an easy life.
If a girl who was once carefree becomes calculating and worldly after marriage, it usually means her married life is worse than her maiden days, forcing her to become shrewd and materialistic to avoid being taken advantage of.
They had initially worried about Feng being too emotionally distant. Although in his youth he would politely address even the brothel girls as "sister," he showed no mercy when wielding his sword, regardless of gender. Feng appeared friendly with everyone but never truly let anyone into his heart.
Qin Luoxia had worried that Feng wouldn't find a partner, especially since his sister was already married with two children while he showed no signs of settling down.
Now everything was fine. Feng was married, and although his wife came from a noble family, she didn't have that typical aristocratic aloofness. As a mother-in-law, Qin Luoxia couldn't stand that type of girl - beautiful but always looking miserable, constantly needing comfort, always creating drama. If Feng had fallen for such a girl, she would have considered severing ties with her son, mainly because she couldn't bear to watch him constantly humbling himself without end.
Dong E was wonderful - cheerful and bright, a joy to behold, and completely devoted to Feng. She always held his hand while walking, and Feng would smile, appearing more lively than usual.
Jiang Changtian was also very happy today.
Starting a family meant truly growing up.
He didn't even give Feng a wedding leave, sending him straight to work at the magistrate's office.
A few more years of experience, and he could retire early.
Plus, he had the task of raising children. He felt that due to being too busy in recent years, he had neglected Cotton's education and should spend more time with her.
The Empress Dowager and Princess Huiyun also attended the family feast. To be honest, Princess Huiyun felt somewhat uncomfortable with such an informal family gathering.
It was too intimate, too casual, too natural - she really wasn't used to it.
She was more accustomed to feeling superior, treating everyone present as beneath her.
However, now among those present, her son was the Emperor, quite fierce despite his smiling facade.
Her daughter-in-law was the Empress, decisive and extremely fierce.
Her younger granddaughter was always smiling, not someone to offend, and still wanted to hear her stories.
Her elder granddaughter was pregnant again and needed special attention.
Her elder granddaughter's husband had just returned from the battlefield; though appearing docile, it was said he needed to kill hundreds of enemies during a meal to work up an appetite...
Her grandson looked somewhat like her son - though his smile was gentle, he seemed somewhat fierce underneath.
At least her grandson's wife appeared to be the kind of noble lady Princess Huiyun was familiar with from the capital, but listening to her speak and watching her movements, she couldn't maintain that image for even one meal - she was very much like the Jiang family...
Actually, Princess Huiyun felt somewhat awkward. She had seen how her father and brother ruled as emperors, and it wasn't like this. She wondered if she should teach her son.
But it seemed her brother and father hadn't been very successful as emperors either.
Moreover, she wasn't even sure she knew how an emperor should rule.
She had lived most of her life, and had survived this long by not meddling in affairs. Now in her old age, should she start teaching her son how to handle matters? How to be an emperor? Princess Huiyun felt she wasn't capable of that and decided to let it be.
Children and grandchildren have their own fortune; she hadn't taught anyone when they were young, it was too late to start teaching now.
The whole family gathered together to eat and drink at this very private family feast, with few guests invited.
Her godfather, Eunuch Yan, was present.
Eunuch Yan had always maintained clear hierarchical boundaries in the palace, but this time he was seated at the table.
Because after attending Feng's wedding, he was preparing to lead a sea expedition.
It's worth noting that he had become the most powerful eunuch in history - while other eunuchs also had adopted sons and daughters who would abuse their power, his adopted children were actual princes and princesses, allowing him to potentially abuse power through them...
The Vice Minister of the Imperial Household, Gong Qichi, was also invited as family.
Gong Qichi maintained his usual dignified demeanor, neither humble nor proud.
That day, Eunuch Yan drank alcohol, and though the Emperor didn't drink, he kept Eunuch Yan company.
After the feast, when night had fallen.
In a dark corner of the Imperial Garden, without any chance encounters with concubines, the Emperor pulled Eunuch Yan aside for a heart-to-heart conversation.
No one knows what they discussed.
All that's known is that Eunuch Yan was appointed as Chief Eunuch of the Internal Affairs Office and Chief Envoy, leading a group of eunuchs on a grand sea expedition, disappearing from everyone's sight.
Some said Eunuch Yan was sent by the Emperor to search for an elixir of longevity.
However, two days after Eunuch Yan's departure, a major case occurred in the capital.
Princess Huiyun's former prince consort was found stabbed to death in his home, in a horrific state with his body riddled with holes like a sieve, and his testicles cut off.
It was considered a major case.
After all, the former prince consort was a member of the imperial clan, and in the capital with such good security, he was murdered in his own home.
The Ministry of Justice investigated but couldn't solve the case.
Some suspected the new Emperor, but the former Crown Prince Han's family was safe and sound - if the Emperor was responsible, there would be no reason to spare the Crown Prince Han.
Moreover, the new Emperor appeared to be an upright, rigid scholar who did things by the book and required his officials to be practical and straightforward. He didn't like people guessing - when the former prince consort's incident was reported, the Emperor was discussing taxation with his officials and appeared genuinely surprised, which couldn't have been fake.
Others said it was done by Chief Eunuch Yan, claiming there were witnesses, but the Nine Thousand Years had no grudge against the former prince consort and had a promising future ahead. Having already sailed away on his ocean voyage, there seemed no reason for him to make a detour to kill the former prince consort.
Thus, the former prince consort's death became an unsolved case.
From Jin City by ship, with grand flags flying high in the wind.
Yan Jiexi, wearing red robes, sat on the large ship holding the telescope gifted by the little princess.
He could see a white bird flying over the blue sea, soaring with wings spread wide against the wind and waves.
He could see small islands.
Looking back, he could faintly see the buildings on shore, growing more and more distant.
Before leaving the capital, this group led by Eunuch Yan had done one big thing together, as Eunuch Yan's proof of loyalty.
They had killed someone together, each person striking one blow.
Their blades went in white and came out red, blood spraying.
Eunuch Yan said this was their pre-departure ritual.
Though they had no testicles, they had courage. From now on, as they sailed the seas, they would be people of valor, fighting enemies when encountered, facing life and death, returning alive to bring glory to their ancestors and enter the history books.
That year.
On the seventh day of the seventh month of the first year of New Chu, Chief Envoy Eunuch Yan Jiexi, appointed by Emperor Changtian, led the fleet on an overseas mission.
Their first stop was the Xi Kingdom, which was in the midst of civil war. Eunuch Yan's team helped the royalist faction achieve victory, gaining substantial resources and manpower. They continued westward by sea, discovering a small nation across the ocean with brown-haired, blue-eyed people. The land was rich in resources, where one could survive by simply picking fruit from trees. Though initially unable to communicate, Eunuch Yan and his people stayed for two years before continuing their journey...
In the second year after the new Emperor of Chu ascended to the throne, natural disasters struck and continued for three years, but the continuous supply of resources from overseas greatly alleviated Chu's internal and external troubles.
(Originally, when the Seventh Prince ascended the throne, three years of natural disasters followed. The new Emperor declared that Heaven wanted to destroy Chu, implementing brutal governance that left corpses piling in the streets. As Chu teetered on the brink of destruction, Crown Prince Chu Xi took charge in the crisis. The Emperor committed suicide, and Chu Xi ascended to the throne...)
The ocean, seagulls, and a red flag.
A corpse.
Yan Jiexi killed a bandit who tried to board the ship. Blood splattered onto his face, and he tasted it - the flavor of rust, salty and fishy, yet it only excited him more.
"Men, charge and kill!"
The birthmark on his knee had become distorted, now marked with several new scars.
On an uninhabited island stood a red flag with the character "Chu" written on it.
The blue ocean, green islands, red blood, and a red flag.
...
