Yun Ye looked at Zhangsun Chong with narrowed eyes and said, “You’re not satisfied?”

“Satisfied, how dare this old man not be satisfied? You’ve reached such heights as a powerful minister – who dares to be dissatisfied? Rather than saying Qing Que commands the Sixteen Guards, it’s more accurate to say you control them. With you squatting in that position, who dares to stroke the tiger’s whiskers!”

Yun Ye smiled and said, “Bear with it a bit longer. After the New Year, there will only be six years left. Don’t worry – after the ten-year agreement passes, I’ll definitely roll away on my own. You’ll still have several decades to show your power. When that time comes, even if you drive an ox cart to wander around my backyard, I can only glare helplessly.”

Zhangsun Chong growled in a low voice, “Do you know this old man has to get up three times a night now? Don’t you know that every time I urinate, I wet my shoes? Do you know that when the wind blows or rain falls, my joints ache terribly?”

“Six years? Do you think I have six years left? You, me, and Dugu Mou – among the three of us, my health is the worst. If anyone dies, I’ll probably be the first. That’s nothing, but what pains my heart is that the Zhangsun family no longer has any outstanding figures.”

“Your son is capable – Yun Shou and Li Rong’s talents are both exceptional choices. But what about my children? This year’s Ministry of Personnel evaluation rated them as mediocre. Even judging cases, they’re full of loopholes…”

Yun Ye quietly consoled Zhangsun Chong, “Actually, after the three of us are gone, none of our families will have particularly outstanding children. Yun Shou is indeed good, but his strength lies only in steadiness. As for the Dugu family’s children – are you certain they’re even his children?”

Zhangsun Chong’s throat made a gurgling sound as he asked Yun Ye in surprise, “Are you saying those rumors circulating in society are all true? Dugu Mou truly can’t perform his marital duties? Those children were all fathered by his cousin?”

Yun Ye chuckled darkly, “It’s a secret Zhou Xing revealed before he died. I also had people investigate for a long time before confirming it!”

Zhangsun Chong laughed craftily, “So you’re the one who spread those rumors? No wonder Dugu Mou hasn’t entered the capital in all these years.”

“Nonsense! The Yun family aims to pass down poetry and propriety through generations – how could the Yun family spread people’s private matters? Gentlemen don’t spread gossip. The Yun family’s household traditions are very strict. It was Qing Que who spread it. You know Qing Que – he’s just a big mouth.”

“Wasn’t it still you who told Qing Que? Today I’ve truly witnessed the Yun family that passes down poetry and propriety. Hmph, but this is actually good. Since our descendants aren’t capable, they can at least live peaceful lives – provided you don’t move against us with poison.”

Yun Ye looked at Zhangsun Chong seriously and said, “We’ve been together for so many years. Do you think I could move with poison against you and those descendants who call me uncle?”

Zhangsun Chong cupped his hands in salute and said, “Consider what I just said as me spouting nonsense! I’m not suited to be anyone’s friend, so I used a petty person’s heart to judge a gentleman’s intentions. However, you’re an unsuitable family head. You can’t achieve cold-blooded ruthlessness in this lifetime. Your Yun family definitely won’t become a thousand-year noble clan.”

Yun Ye chuckled, “Whether the Yun family can pass down for a thousand years – I’m far more confident about this than you. A thousand years from now, your Zhangsun family will have vanished like smoke, but my Lantian Yun family will definitely maintain its ancestral fires forever. Why do I say this? You also know I come from the mysterious White Jade Capital. There are always some methods to see certain strange things.”

“Do you know that Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng created a book called the ‘Tui Bei Tu’ (Push-Back Chart)? You don’t know? Find it and study it. Although they say that book has deviated from its original trajectory and become unclear, it’s still quite miraculous.”

Zhangsun Chong laughed heartily, “This old man doesn’t need to know the future. I live in the present. Zhangsun Chong has never regretted his actions. Even if the Zhangsun family vanishes like smoke in the future, that’s because the descendants weren’t capable. It has nothing to do with me, Zhangsun Chong.”

Yun Ye raised his thumb to praise Zhangsun Chong. The two then began discussing past interesting events. Yun Ye didn’t notice that the person leading the ox had changed to a eunuch, and the ox cart wasn’t going to the West Market where Yun Ye wanted to go, but was slowly circling around Chang’an City.

He and Zhangsun Chong laughed very happily. Zhangsun Chong ordered someone to fetch wine from the street side and place it on the small table in the ox cart. Yun Ye also had Liu Jinbao go to a roadside restaurant to get some seasonal small dishes for him and Zhangsun Chong to drink heartily.

Chang’an City was exceptionally quiet today. People throughout Chang’an stood by the roadside watching two old men sitting on an ox cart engaged in animated conversation, sometimes laughing heartily, sometimes weeping bitterly…

This noisy metropolis of Chang’an finally provided a setting for two brothers who had loved and fought each other to have a conversation.

The appearance of Yun Ye and Zhangsun Chong finally brought a brief pause to the busy Chang’an City. Workers in shops stopped their tasks and leaned on windowsills to look outside. Porters loading goods also set down their shoulder poles and stood leaning on them to watch. Those who were…

At this moment, many people watched their conversation, including Zhangsun and the Emperor in the palace. From the time Yun Ye prepared to enter Chang’an City, Zhangsun and the Emperor already knew his intentions.

“Grandmother, who is the General trying to intimidate with this outing?”

“He doesn’t intend to intimidate anyone. He just wants to demonstrate his existence. Like a tiger – if it hides in its den for too long, other foxes, wolves, and such beasts will think they can do as they please.”

“When people like them act, their every move now contains deep meaning. They don’t shoot without a target. Yun Ye must have discovered something improper and wants to give those people a warning. If those people still don’t heed it, he’ll take action.”

“Grandmother, who could it be? I don’t need the General to act – I can suppress the evil myself!”

Zhangsun laughed helplessly and tapped the Emperor with her palace fan, “If your Imperial Grandmother knew, she wouldn’t need Yun Ye’s help. Imperial Grandmother could support you until adulthood herself.”

“The General acts this way for his reasons. If you want to demonstrate your existence, send a eunuch to help the General lead the ox, making his inspection tour appear more legitimate and well-founded.”

The Emperor nodded and gave instructions to a eunuch beside him. Thus Yun Ye gained a eunuch to help drive his cart.

Yun Ye didn’t tell anyone that he actually prepared to enter Chang’an City because his wives were bothering him and he had nowhere else to go. He could think this way, but those officials and imperial family members with rich imaginations automatically found a perfect excuse for him.

He spent the entire day circling around Chang’an City with no time to go to the West Market. When Yun Ye returned home, apart from large baskets of fruit in the ox cart, there was nothing else. Of course, the Great Tang’s historians had already recorded all the General’s actions on this day, leaving many unsolved mysteries for historians of later generations. They argued for a thousand years about the true purpose of Duke Chu Yun Ye’s inspection tour without arriving at a complete answer.

When he returned home, Xinyue and Li Anlan greeted their husband as affectionately as close sisters, as if the two jealous wives who had quarreled so fiercely early that morning weren’t them at all.

“You two are not allowed to quarrel anymore. If you quarrel again, I’ll go to Chang’an City again and keep that city from being peaceful. Now that I’m old with high official rank, even if I go every day, no one dares to stop me.”

“You caused such a great commotion today because your concubines were quarreling?”

“What else did you think? What tiger emerging from its den? But reconciling with Zhangsun Chong today can be considered a great gain. We’re all people about to die – what can’t be let go?”

As Yun Ye spoke, while Xinyue and Li Anlan looked at each other in bewilderment, he slowly went to his study, where there was a very comfortable small bed that could give him the most complete rest…

The river of time flowed slowly on. Every day when he opened his eyes, it was a new day. Yun Ye had grown weary of opening his eyes again. The entire Yun household was now as quiet as a deep ancient tomb.

He didn’t understand why he had to live for such a long time. Yesterday he was still sitting on an ox cart engaged in animated conversation with Zhangsun Chong. Today was already the tenth anniversary of Zhangsun Chong’s death.

The Zhangsun family specially sent over a jar of wine, saying it had been buried near the cemetery on the day the old ancestor died according to his pre-death arrangements, with instructions to send it over for the old ancestor to enjoy once ten years had passed.

Xiao Miao filled her husband’s cup. The wine was good – excellent Lanling wine. He took a light sip. Very mellow. Yun Ye drank one cup then stopped drinking. He said to Xiao Miao, “Xinyue loves this kind of wine most. Give it to her to drink. Don’t give any to Na Rimu – she doesn’t like it, or she’ll get angry. Give Lingdang just a little – too much and she’ll get drunk. Anlan was taken away by Rong’er and isn’t here. What a pity – families should always be together. I don’t know why she had to be buried alone in Lingnan!”

Xiao Miao smiled and said, “Those sisters enjoyed blessings their whole lives and passed away without a single regret. I personally prepared the makeup for all the sisters. Each one always said they wanted to die before you. Now they’ve finally gotten their wish. Husband, if I also die tomorrow, I want the same as Sister Na Rimu – with a door opened in the coffin…”

Hearing the deafening roar of an airplane over the roof, Yun Ye frowned and asked Xiao Miao, “Why isn’t Li Tai dead yet? He said that as long as he’s alive, he’ll send a plane to fly over my roof every day. Listen – the plane’s coming again. Everyone else is dead, so why won’t he die? Fat as he is and still not dying soon!”

Yun Ye pushed open the door and looked up at the sky, just in time to see a plane flying toward Yushan. He shook his head and went to the garden to exercise his legs. Xinyue had told him not to go looking for her too early – wait until she’d dealt with Li Anlan first. That silly woman was still going on about this matter even on her deathbed.

The white-haired Yun Shou came to pay his respects to Yun Ye as usual. Watching him bend over with difficulty, Yun Ye frowned and said, “Move around more throughout the day. Nestling on a brocade couch all the time makes you gain weight easily. A seventy-year-old man doesn’t have as much energy as me.”

Yun Shou smiled, “At seventy years old, still receiving red envelopes from Father – that’s quite rare in this world. It’s all this son’s blessing. The young Emperor plans to hold a hundredth birthday celebration for you with universal celebration. I wonder what Father thinks?”

Yun Ye looked at his son strangely and said, “Am I a hundred years old? At most I’m not even ninety. Tell the Emperor not to make a fuss. His father’s mourning period isn’t even over yet – what’s all this commotion for?”

—

# Final Chapter: Amber

Flying clouds darkened, a mountain rain was approaching. Chang’an City lay shrouded beneath black clouds. Though it had just passed noon, the sky was as dim as dusk. A heavy rain was clearly about to arrive.

A petite woman wearing a black hood hurriedly slipped out from Yushan Palace. When she reached the outer gate, urgent and chaotic footsteps sounded behind her.

The hooded woman was startled and quickened her pace to leave the palace. The guards at the gate wanted to stop her, but the woman lifted her hood, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. The guards about to block her immediately stopped, but then heard someone shouting loudly from behind, “The Empress Dowager commands – Princess Qingcheng may not leave the palace!”

The guards hurriedly moved forward to block her again. The woman drew a brilliantly gleaming short sword from her waist and held it to her neck, saying, “If you dare to stop me, I’ll die right here!”

The guards immediately threw down their weapons and retreated. Princess Qingcheng was the late Emperor’s most beloved princess, the pearl in the palm of the Great Tang. The late Emperor didn’t even use her fief as her princess title, but unprecedentedly used the two characters “Qingcheng” (Toppling Cities) as Li Yuan’s title, showing her position in the late Emperor’s heart.

Qingcheng had just left the palace when a group of eunuchs hurried over. The lead eunuch with a sinister face called out loudly, “Princess Qingcheng, receive the decree – the Empress Dowager does not permit the Princess to step outside the palace!”

Qingcheng appeared even more flustered, anxiously looking around in all directions. Just then, a white stallion whinnied and reared up, emerging from the side path outside the Xuanwu Gate. When it reached Qingcheng’s side, it stood on its hind legs, kicked its hooves twice in the air, then immediately stopped – clearly an incomparably magnificent treasure horse. Qingcheng was overjoyed. Without regard for the shouting behind her, she grabbed the saddle and mounted the horse. Without needing a whip, the horse galloped along the side path toward the Vermillion Bird Gate.

The sinister-faced eunuch snorted coldly. The eunuchs behind him led out over a dozen imperial horses from the nearby Imperial Stables, leaped onto their backs, and chased in the direction Princess Qingcheng had fled.

Hoofbeats thundered like drums. Pedestrians on the main street hurriedly dodged. No one expected such an incident in Chang’an City. Street-side fruit stalls, porcelain stalls, snack stalls, fan stalls – all kinds of stalls immediately met with disaster. The white stallion charged wildly down the long street. Qingcheng, sitting on the horse, continuously shouted for people to move aside. Watching countless small stalls being overturned, Qingcheng had no choice but to pull out a handful of golden melon seeds from her sleeve and scatter them randomly as compensation.

She cared about human lives, but the eunuchs behind her showed no concern for the common people scrambling to pick up the golden melon seeds, brutally plowing through the middle. Over a dozen people were immediately knocked down by the warhorses with broken bones and tendons, wailing endlessly. The patrolling military guards immediately blew their bamboo whistles. Countless guards rushed toward Vermillion Bird Street, quickly forming a human wall and setting up wire nets, preparing to first capture these audacious people who dared to gallop horses wildly in Chang’an City.

Qingcheng’s white horse arrived in an instant. Facing Qingcheng’s shouts, those guards’ faces were cold, showing no intention of moving aside. Great Tang law stipulated that regardless of who they were, anyone galloping horses wildly in Chang’an City would receive thirty lashes and be exiled five hundred li. They’d never heard of this prohibition having exceptions for anyone. The last time such an incident occurred was ten years ago when Prince Huai’an, drunk, galloped his horse and was captured by Pavilion Elder Di. He was given thirty lashes in public, then wore a cangue and was exiled to Longyou for three years. After that, no one dared do such a thing. Who knew it would happen again today.

The white stallion was incomparably magnificent. It actually dodged left and right, avoiding the nets thrown by the guards, whinnied once, then leaped into the air over the standing guards and continued galloping wildly down the bluestone-paved street.

Before the pale-faced guards could react, over a dozen swift horses had already whirlwind past. From their momentum, they had no intention of stopping. The guard captain hurriedly ordered his subordinates to scatter to avoid being injured by the warhorses.

The riders on the dozen-plus warhorses all demonstrated exceptional horsemanship, controlling their reins and adjusting their horses’ steps, easily leaping over the wire nets. The entire process flowed smoothly without the slightest awkwardness.

In her haste, Qingcheng looked back at the pursuers behind her, growing even more anxious. She continuously stroked the white horse’s neck, hoping it could run faster. The white horse seemed to know Qingcheng was very anxious. Taking advantage of fewer people on the main street, it accelerated once again. Qingcheng felt only wild wind rushing at her face, with whooshing wind sounds filling her ears.

As the city gate was about to close, the white horse slipped through the gap and madly galloped toward Yushan.

The riders behind held up a golden tablet from a distance. The gate official was startled and hurriedly ordered his men to open the gate again. Such golden tablets were too rare – they must not be obstructed.

Seeing Qingcheng running toward Yushan, the sinister-faced eunuch grew extremely anxious and roared, “We absolutely cannot let the Princess enter the bamboo forest!” Before his words finished, a silver blade had viciously stabbed into the warhorse’s rear. The horse, in pain, shrieked wildly and began to accelerate desperately. Before long, it had caught up behind Qingcheng.

The gloomy sky finally began pouring rain after a thunderclap. The eunuch shrieked at Princess Qingcheng in the heavy rain, “Princess, stop! The Empress Dowager commands you to return to the palace!”

“I won’t go back, not even if I die! If someone must marry, let her marry herself! I’m a princess of the Great Tang – how can I marry a barbarian!”

“This is the Empress Dowager’s command – those who disobey will be executed!”

Qingcheng couldn’t worry about the rain stinging her face. Gritting her teeth, she desperately urged on the warhorse beneath her. The bamboo forest was in sight – once she entered it, naturally someone would stand up for her.

The white horse’s tail had already risen high – this was already its fastest speed.

Seeing Princess Qingcheng about to enter the bamboo forest, the sinister-faced eunuch gritted his teeth. Another small curved blade appeared in his palm. With a wave of his hand, he threw the blade, not seeking to harm Princess Qingcheng but only to kill that white horse. He was confident he could catch Qingcheng before she fell to the ground.

The blade had just been thrown when a bang sounded. The blade was struck by something and flew sideways. Looking with narrowed eyes, he discovered his warhorse had already entered the bamboo forest. His soul fled in terror. Raising the golden tablet high, he shrieked loudly, “This slave follows the Empress Dowager’s command to invite Princess Qingcheng back to the palace, with no intention of offending the Old Ancestor’s authority!”

Before his words finished, after a bang, a bloody hole appeared in the center of this eunuch’s forehead. His entire skull was blown off. The other eunuchs had long since stopped, wanting to turn their horses around, but it was already too late. Almost simultaneously, bangs sounded continuously. All thirteen riders fell from their warhorses, rolled a few times, then lay still and silent.

A very old man leaning on a cane slowly walked out from behind the bamboo forest, coughing as he walked, as if one more cough would kill him. Yet his footsteps were very steady. Beside him was a blue-robed boy helping him hold an umbrella.

The old man, showing his toothless mouth, looked at the corpses on the ground and said, “I’ve said long ago that outsiders aren’t permitted to enter the bamboo forest. The Old Ancestor also said he doesn’t want to hear the sound of horse hooves. Ever since Little Wang Cai also died, the Old Ancestor can’t stand to see horses. Your guts are really quite big.”

The blue-robed boy picked up the golden tablet from the ground and showed it to the old man, smiling, “Bao Ancestor, this is a golden tablet with a phoenix carved on it.”

The old man affectionately patted the boy’s head and said, “Since it’s gold, keep it safe. Don’t let others cheat you out of it. You can exchange it for lots of candy at Chang’an market. Hehe.”

While the old man and boy talked, a group of people emerged from the bamboo forest and quickly dragged away the corpses and warhorses. Taking advantage of the pouring rain, they cleaned the blood and brain matter from the stone slabs one by one. As the old man and boy slowly walked back, the entrance to the bamboo forest returned to its original quiet, as if nothing had ever happened…

Qingcheng rode her horse skillfully through the bamboo forest. When she reached a large boulder, she jumped down from the white horse and ran crying into the thatched cottage ahead.

“Old Ancestor, save Qingcheng, save Qingcheng…”

Yun Ye put down the large-print book in his hands and gently stroked Qingcheng’s wet little head buried in his lap, saying softly, “What’s wrong? Who bullied you? Tell Old Ancestor, and he’ll go break their legs!”

“It’s Mother Empress. She wants Qingcheng to marry someone. Old Ancestor, Qingcheng won’t marry – I’m willing to stay with Old Ancestor forever…”

Yun Ye took a handkerchief to help Qingcheng wipe the water from her face, but the more he wiped, the more there seemed to be. Smiling, he patted Qingcheng’s cheek and said, “Qingcheng is already a grown young lady. Young ladies naturally must marry. Even if Qingcheng doesn’t like this person, we’ll find another suitable person for you to marry. This is human ethics – not marrying won’t do.”

Qingcheng cried even louder, pleading incoherently, “If he were good, Qingcheng naturally wouldn’t refuse. But Mother Empress insists Qingcheng marry the big-bearded Arabian prince. They’re barbarians! Qingcheng doesn’t want to marry an Arabian. Qingcheng doesn’t want to! Mother Empress locked Qingcheng in Jade Tower. If my younger brother hadn’t helped me, Qingcheng would have had to marry the Arabian prince.”

Yun Ye was stunned. He had been away from the bamboo forest for so long that he knew nothing about this matter. He couldn’t help turning his head toward an elderly servant.

The servant bowed and said, “The Old Ancestor doesn’t know – Arabian Prince Ta Xi’er is the ninth son of the Abbasid Caliph of the Caliphate. It’s said he possessed wisdom from childhood. When he was born, a giant star appeared in broad daylight. He was hailed as the heir to the throne.”

“This person is truly extraordinary. According to rumors, he can speak eleven languages, including our Great Tang language. Three years ago, he came to the Great Tang to study, planning to enter Yushan Academy. He was refused by Dean Wu Mei, so he turned to Hongwen Hall to study Han classics. In last year’s grand examination, he ranked at the top!”

“The Empire now has enormous demand for fire oil, but the largest fire oil supplier is in Arabia, where the desert is full of oil springs. Seven years ago, the Empire’s Yunwei General and Minister of Rites Wang Fangyi led troops from Tuhuoluo to wage a distant campaign against Arabia. Along the way, he broke through passes and captured forts, invincible everywhere, but was severely damaged by a black sandstorm, forced to return to the capital. On the way back, he destroyed Tuhuoluo. This was our Great Tang’s greatest battle loss since Guo Xiaoke’s complete defeat. Therefore, the military leaders in the court believe distant campaigns shouldn’t be undertaken lightly.”

After hearing the servant’s words, Yun Ye lifted Qingcheng’s tear-stained face and smiled, “Looks like that young man truly is an outstanding figure. Aren’t you moved?”

Qingcheng stubbornly shook her head, “Not only does Qingcheng carry Emperor Taizong’s bloodline, but also Old Ancestor’s bloodline. How can I marry into a foreign land for a bit of fire oil!”

Yun Ye smiled, “Each generation truly is worse than the last. The Great Tang Empire has gotten used to taking things. Now it actually has to pay a price – this old man truly isn’t accustomed to it. With ironclad warships dominating the Red Sea, what reason do they have not to give us fire oil?”

“Yun San, go tell the Empress Dowager this marriage need never be mentioned again. Trading a daughter for fire oil – that she could think of it! Also go ask Cheng Shu of the Lingnan fleet if he can still fight!”

“This old man likes Muhammad’s Quran. He found me four copies, when you should know they only made seven total copies. One is kept in Medina, with the rest sent to Mecca, Damascus, Yemen, Behraini, Kufa, and Basra. Uthman ordered all other copies burned. These seven books are the definitive version. I told them the locations, and they only found four copies. Can’t even handle this small matter – what use are they?”

Hearing she didn’t have to marry that Ta Xi’er who reeked of strange odors, Qingcheng was overjoyed. Seeing the Old Ancestor discussing serious matters, she stood up and filled hot water into the Old Ancestor’s teapot before going to the back courtyard to find Xiao Miao Ancestor to change into dry clothes.

At this moment, in the Great Tang’s Liangyi Hall, Ta Xi’er habitually sat cross-legged on the carpet the Empress Dowager had specially prepared for him, smiling as he told the Empress Dowager about Arabian customs and culture, especially their prophet Muhammad.

“In the earliest times, human savagery had nearly lost all reason, no different from beasts. In those days, humans and beasts were hard to distinguish – humans were merely the incarnation of wild beasts. Muhammad’s arrival elevated them from base barbarism to become – true humans.”

“His great thoughts formed a sharp contrast with his simple life. He handled official business with approachability, without any ornate verbal decoration. Even when occupying the highest power position in the nation, he still repaired his own leather boots and rough woolen coat, milked sheep himself, cleaned rooms, and cooked meals. The most common food on his table was dates and water, with dairy products and honey as his luxuries. On long journeys, he shared dry rations with his subordinates. He counseled people to be merciful. The empty money purse he left behind at his death is the best evidence of his sincerity.”

“He was also a philosopher, orator, legislator, military commander, and liberator of thought. He established a great dynasty on earth and opened a spiritual sanctuary in heaven. Possessing all these virtues, if we place this prophet on humanity’s scales, who could be greater than him? Besides this perfect man, who else could reach such transcendent heights?”

The Empress Dowager Zhangsun smiled, “Such a figure is indeed worthy of respect. However, in our Great Tang, we also have such figures – in fact, two of them. The Great Tang’s current prosperity and peace owes much to two old ancestors – one is our Great Tang’s Prince Wei, and the other is the famous Duke of Chu.”

“Your saint has already passed away, but our saints still live – and there are two of them!”

While the two were talking, an old palace woman walked to the Empress Dowager’s side and whispered a few words. The Empress Dowager’s expression darkened. She said to Ta Xi’er, “Prince, I’m afraid I cannot agree to your marriage proposal.”

“Why is this? Is my bloodline not noble enough? Is my learning insufficient? Or can my martial skills not fully protect Princess Qingcheng’s safety?”

The Empress Dowager smiled and shook her head, “None of those. It’s because this Empire’s Old Ancestor has spoken – Great Tang princesses are not permitted to marry foreigners. This is an iron law. Therefore, Prince Ta Xiti, you should quickly return to your homeland to prepare for battle. The Old Ancestor does not permit us to obtain fire oil through marriage alliances. That leaves only one possibility – war!”

Ta Xiti abruptly stood up and looked at the Empress Dowager, “Any unjust war will inevitably be won by the side standing with truth. The black sandstorm seven years ago caused your nation heavy casualties. Today it can still make your nation pay a terrible price.”

The Empress Dowager wasn’t angered and smiled, “Our nation’s generals don’t see it that way!”

Ta Xiti, forcibly suppressing his anger, still very politely saluted the Empress Dowager before hurriedly departing.

As soon as Ta Xiti left, the Empress Dowager frowned, “The Old Ancestor hasn’t interfered in court politics for nearly thirty years. Why would he suddenly act today?”

The old palace woman said in a low voice, “Now the empresses are always chosen from among the three families. The previous empress came from the Yun family. Qingcheng is the daughter of the former empress. Your actions clearly aroused the old man’s displeasure. However, it doesn’t seem serious. The old man is just feeling sorry for Qingcheng.”

Only then did the Empress Dowager feel relieved. She sent her Emperor son to the bamboo forest to visit the Old Ancestor and bring Qingcheng back while he was at it.

When the thirteen-year-old Emperor arrived at the bamboo forest, he happened to see the two Old Ancestors circling around an elderly woman with chicken-skin wrinkles, saying things that were very crude and offensive. To avoid polluting his ears, he decisively went to the back to find his sister Qingcheng and retrieve his treasure horse while he was at it. Good things, once they reached his sister’s hands, often disappeared.

Li Tai struggled to lower his corpulent body into the rattan chair, panting heavily, “Your guts are quite big. If this old man weren’t so old, I would have stripped you naked and paraded you through the streets long ago.”

The old woman chuckled, “Prince Wei, we haven’t seen each other for many years, yet your tastes remain so unique. This old woman did have feelings for you as a young talent in her youth. Young Yang Zi was also a rare beauty. But when you saw Yang Zi back then, you fled in panic, breaking Yang Zi’s heart for a long time.”

When it came to crude talk, Li Tai was no match for Takayama Yoko at all. He could only shut his mouth and say nothing.

Yun Ye looked at the rainbow on the horizon and asked Takayama Yoko, “This grudge has lasted decades. Bringing it up now is actually quite boring. But why aren’t you properly being a pirate in the North Sea? What are you doing running back to the Great Tang?”

Takayama Yoko had shriveled to almost nothing, curled up in her brocade robe like a child. She sighed faintly, “You’ve always been robbing this old woman. Starting from robbing my gold in the East Sea, then taking away my husband’s dignity, then robbing my fruits in the South Sea, all the way to robbing my Red Sea, my canal…”

“Takayama Yoko’s entire life can be called a life of being robbed by you. Why didn’t you also rob Yang Zi’s chastity back then, leaving me to be endlessly tormented by Qiu Ran Ke…”

Yun Ye’s face was awkward. Li Tai’s gossip-loving heart surged. He specially put on his spectacles and looked at Yun Ye with a smile, “Actually, it’s not too late even now!”

Takayama Yoko sighed, “I’m on my deathbed. This trip to the Great Tang is to ask a favor from you two. I’m no longer managing the North Sea fleet. Whether they can escape the Great Tang fleet’s attack depends on their own abilities. I’ve lived long enough, already beyond the jurisdiction of Great Tang law. Now I just want to find a burial place on Honshu Island. I was born there, grew up there, and want to return. I hope you two can grant a lonely old woman’s final request.”

Hearing Takayama Yoko’s plea, neither Yun Ye nor Li Tai wanted to speak. The warm setting sun shone on the three old people. The bamboo forest after the rain appeared even more serene. The three people unconsciously stretched their bodies, lazily lying in their chairs, enjoying this rare tranquility.

Eastern Wa Island was now the Empire’s place for exiling criminals. To save expenses, the Secretariat loaded the most vicious criminals from the country onto ships and threw them on Eastern Wa, providing only the most basic living supplies. This had been going on for twenty years. People now called that place Demon Island because everyone on the island was the most vicious demon among humanity.

Yun Ye invited Takayama Yoko for a cup of tea and a bowl of noodles, then had the steward escort her out. Since she wanted to go to Wa Island, let her go. But Yun Ye gave an order to the Empire’s East Sea Navy – that island permits entry but not exit…

Li Tai smiled at Yun Ye, “Knowing full well that ghost woman has ill intentions, why did you still let her have her way?”

Yun Ye thought for a moment, “I admire someone who continues to struggle even at this point. Wa Island is full of the most vicious criminals. I don’t know if this greatest pirate leader can still regain her former power…”

Just a crazy old woman, just a pitiful old woman – not worth expending much energy on.

Li Tai said proudly to Yun Ye, “I haven’t wet the bed for three days now. Thanks to those two huge pieces of amber you sent. They truly can calm and focus the mind.”

“But why are there two strangely-shaped foreigners inside the amber? You and I both know that forming amber requires many, many years. According to your theory, amber and the dragon bones in the academy should be from the same era. Were there people in that era?”

Yun Ye looked at the distant mountains with sorrow, saying nothing. Some words couldn’t be spoken even unto death. Some words were only suitable for taking into the grave. Some matters could only leave traces like snow and mud for others. Once spoken, they became very boring. Evidence was actually unimportant – the most beautiful thing was speculation. Only magnificent and varied speculation could create a whole new world. Yun Ye didn’t plan to tell Li Tai that back then, it was precisely because of these two bastards that he had plunged headfirst into the Great Tang…