Immortal Travel of Longevity

Once his subordinates had left, Yan Ruchu finally spoke. "My condition is worsening by the day. In my early years, I often wondered how I would die, but I never expected to be tortured like this. I cannot eat, I cannot sleep, and I am plagued by sudden chills and fevers. It is truly a fate worse than death."

Chen Changsheng said, "The cycle of cause and effect has always been like this. The more transgressions you commit, the harder the aftermath is to endure."

He could not help but think of Mister Zhulan, who had lost all five senses and suffered through sleepless nights—his end had been just as horrific.

Yan Ruchu nodded in agreement. "My claim to this throne lacks substance. You could say I picked up the title of emperor for nothing."

Chen Changsheng smiled and asked, "Are you regretting it now?"

Yan Ruchu nodded without hesitation. "I regret it. If I were not the emperor, I wouldn't have to live such an exhausting life. But more often than not, I feel that I must sit on this throne—and not just sit on it, but sit on it well! Because I carry Great Jing on my shoulders. If I were alone in this world, I would never have taken the crown."

"Besides, look back at the countless monarchs before me. In the end, how many of them didn't harbor regrets? By the time death comes, they all regret it."

Yan Ruchu paused. "Am I rambling too much?"

Chen Changsheng nodded. "A little."

Chen Changsheng turned to look at him. "You sound like you are giving your last words."

"I might as well be."

Yan Ruchu waved a hand. "My life has not been long, nor has it been particularly short. But stopping right in the middle like this is what makes it so frustrating. You want to reach forward just a little further, only to fall short at the very end. You want to step back, but there is nowhere left to retreat."

He felt a chill, likely because his illness had worsened again, and tucked his hands into his sleeves.

At this moment, what difference was there between him and an ordinary man warming himself by the roadside in winter?

Or perhaps, he had always been ordinary.

Perhaps the path of a monarch was always like this—rising from the ordinary to the extraordinary, only to return to the sea of humanity in the end, drowning within it.

"I am just not resigned to this."

Yan Ruchu sighed. "If I were not dying, I might have had the chance to wipe out the rebellion in the Northwest entirely. Zhao Zhen defeated the Northern Desert, but he never truly broke their spirit. They will remain a lingering threat."

"As for the children beneath me, every single one of them is a bit too soft. Cough, cough..."

"I looked at all of them, only to realize that not a single one is fit. I am lost. I do not know how much longer this dynasty will survive in the history books. There is still so much I have not done. Great Xiang has not yet been renamed to Great Jing. That was why I begged you for those three hundred years that day. I just hoped that one day, my descendants could accomplish all of this in my stead."

Chen Changsheng looked at him. "Haven't you already paved the way?"

"I suppose I have..."

Yan Ruchu said, "But those taking that path are either crawling or moving far too slowly. They see a horse by the roadside but lack the courage to step forward and tame it. I do not wish for that to happen."

Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen cannot help you with something like that."

Yan Ruchu replied, "I am not asking you to intervene. It is just that there are certain things I must inform you about in advance."

"Speak."

"I suppose I am still not ruthless enough."

After remaining calm for so long, a sudden surge of emotion finally broke through. The hands tucked into his sleeves shifted as he spoke. "These descendants of mine need to see blood. They must be tempered through hardship before they are truly qualified to take the throne. A monarch must not only be ruthless, cunning, and shameless, but also merciful and magnanimous. That takes a long time to learn. But I am afraid the world cannot afford to wait for them to grow at such a leisurely pace. Therefore, the only way to achieve my goal is to use the fastest and most brutal method."

Chen Changsheng paused in surprise and turned to look at him.

Yan Ruchu's eyes burned like torches. "Because of that, I left only eight characters in my Posthumous Edict."

"—the victor becomes king, the loser becomes bandit; let each rely on their own ability."

Chen Changsheng tapped his fingers against the table, remaining silent for a long time.

Yan Ruchu remained silent as well, waiting to see how Mister Chen would react.

A long moment passed.

Chen Changsheng finally broke the silence. "When Zhao Zhen unified the realm, the Human Dao flourished. Although the lands have been at peace for several years, if you leave behind such a will and reignite the chaos, I am afraid the entire nation will be destabilized."

Yan Ruchu said, "I have already prepared contingencies."

Chen Changsheng looked at him. "Are you really that confident?"

"Of course."

Yan Ruchu raised his head. "I have been the sovereign for over a decade. In this vast Imperial Court, there is nothing I cannot outscheme."

Chen Changsheng said, "If that is the case, This Chen cannot guarantee those three hundred years of protection."

It was far too troublesome.

A hole would be torn right through the realm.

Yan Ruchu said, "I am not asking you to protect Great Xiang for three hundred years. I mean what comes after..."

Chen Changsheng frowned at him.

Yan Ruchu explained, "The Great Jing that will follow."

He continued.

"From the day I ascended the throne, I have been thinking about how to let the Jing people restore Great Jing. I began my preparations right then and there. I gradually purged the Xiang People from the Imperial Court, replacing them with Jing people. Over the past decade or so, I have mostly finished the task."

"But what I never anticipated was just how vicious the Xiang People's counterattack would be."

"The moment they caught wind of it, I noticed the armies in the encampments outside the city suddenly began drilling for no apparent reason."

Yan Ruchu sighed. "Zhao Zhen truly left a profound legacy on Great Xiang. The backbone of the Xiang People is incredibly difficult to break."

"I recognized this problem and pondered over it for a long time before I came up with a single solution."

He paused. "And that is to risk universal condemnation!"

"To tear the nation apart and let warlords divide the realm!"

"At the same time, I will pull strings from the shadows, ensuring that a Jing person rightfully claims the throne. Great Xiang will fade into history. The nation will be named Jing, and the imperial surname will be Yan. Only then will Great Jing truly be restored!"

Chen Changsheng sat up straight and stared at him. "Are you mad?"

Yan Ruchu simply shook his head with absolute calm. "I am not mad!"

"This is the only way!"

Chen Changsheng said, "What if things do not go according to your plan after you die? If something goes wrong and the one who takes the throne does not bear the surname Yan, what will you do? What if the nation fractures and the Northern Desert seizes the opportunity to invade while the realm is weak?"

"Qingshan City holds a scroll of calligraphy, and the Northwest has a general guarding the state. That is enough."

"Is that what you are relying on?"

"There is far more than just that!"

Chen Changsheng opened his mouth to speak before finally asking, "Is the name of the dynasty truly that important?"

"It is."

Yan Ruchu met his gaze. "I took this throne for that single, ultimate purpose!"

Chen Changsheng muttered, "Warlords dividing the realm... Once the great chaos begins, the lives of the people will be plunged into misery. You single-handedly forged this prosperous era after taking the throne, yet now you are going to destroy it with your own two hands."

Yan Ruchu remained silent for a long time before murmuring a single sentence.

"I have no other choice!"

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