Chapter Sixty-Two: The Fall of Han

Outside Xinzheng

When Tide Moon stepped down from the carriage and saw Li Yu before her, she leaped into his arms without hesitation.

“Yu Lang~ I’ll never leave you again~”

Li Yu embraced the fragrant, soft Tide Moon, inhaling the familiar scent of roses. Enchanted, he pressed a kiss to her silken hair. “Yue’er, we’ll never be apart again~ For all time, for all eternity~”

“From now on, there will be no more Lady Mingzhu in this world, only my Tide Moon~”

“Yu Lang, where are we going now? To Qin?”

Li Yu gazed toward Xinzheng. “Once this matter is wrapped up perfectly, it won’t be long~ Then we’ll go home~”

“Alright!~” At this moment, all Tide Moon wanted was to cling to Li Yu, to quietly hold him close. Never in her life had she cared so deeply for anyone.

“Let’s go to Blood-clad Fortress first. I have a surprise for you~” With a sweep, Li Yu lifted Tide Moon into his arms and carried her onto the carriage.

Blood-clad Fortress

When Tide Moon arrived and saw a hundred or more women laughing and weaving among each other, she was stunned on the spot.

With a flutter of her beautiful eyes, Tide Moon glanced at Li Yu. “Yu Lang! Is this the surprise you promised me?”

Li Yu understood her thoughts. “Yue’er, all these are girls from the Violet Orchid Pavilion, staying here temporarily~”

Then, holding her soft hand, he pointed in a certain direction. “Yue’er, look—who’s that?”

“Hm?” Following his gaze, Tide Moon’s eyes widened. “Aunt? You’re alive?”

Tide Moon dragged Li Yu straight to Bai Yan’s side, sizing her up. “Aunt, you haven’t changed a bit after all these years—still so beautiful~”

Li Yu took Bai Yan’s elegant hand. “Yan’er, this is Tide Moon, your niece. She’s grown up now, and she’s my woman~”

Tide Moon stared in disbelief at Li Yu holding her aunt’s hand. “You two?~”

With both arms, Li Yu pulled them into his embrace with a roguish grin. “You’re both my women~ My favorites~”

Bai Yan, face to face with her niece, showed no sign of embarrassment. “Yue’er, it’s been over a decade, hasn’t it? You’ve grown so beautiful—no wonder my husband is always talking about you~”

Li Yu’s heart swelled with emotion. “From now on, we’ll be a family, never separated~ And have a house full of healthy sons~”

“Pfft! Who wants to have children with you~ With so many women, let them do it~” Tide Moon cast a jealous glance at her once-unreachable aunt, now nestled in her man’s arms like a gentle kitten.

Li Yu smiled awkwardly. “Really, none of these have anything to do with me. Their madam is my woman—she’s dignified and gracious~”

Tide Moon pinched his waist. “So you’re saying I’m petty, not generous?”

Li Yu kissed her lips and laughed. “I just love how you care about me, how you look at me with those eyes~”

Bai Yan interjected, “Don’t bully your own husband. A woman shouldn’t be too domineering~”

Tide Moon: “……” Who could be more domineering than you! She wondered what spell Yu Lang had cast to make the greatest lady marquis of Han, once as lofty as a celestial, now so gentle and docile.

But as she watched a woman in palace dress, adorned with a golden sun motif, approach, she realized there really were women even more formidable than her aunt.

Princess Yan came forward, her concern evident. “So my husband went to bring back this younger sister! The world outside is in chaos, and when I offered to accompany him, he hesitated—no wonder, with such a beautiful sister~”

Li Yu was beginning to wish he could split himself into several bodies, one for each woman. Otherwise, he wouldn’t survive this battlefield of love.

……

After Tide Moon finished greeting her aunt, a slim figure in pink caught her eye—someone very familiar.

“What’s she doing here?” Curious, Tide Moon walked over for a closer look.

“There you are, sister. The king searched high and low for you~” Years in the Han royal palace had made Tide Moon well acquainted with this fox.

Beauty Hu Shuangxue, seeing Lady Mingzhu, tried to avoid her, but Tide Moon recognized her immediately.

“My niece is Yu—Li Yu’s wife. I came along to take refuge~” Years of psychological trauma made Hu Shuangxue feel a head shorter in Lady Mingzhu’s presence.

Tide Moon looked at the bevy of beauties, each with her own charm, and had a thought.

She took Hu Shuangxue’s hand. “We were sisters once, and we’ll remain sisters. We must look after each other from now on~”

As for this talk of seeking refuge—Tide Moon wasn’t fooled in the least.

“Ah? Yes—Elder sister, let’s visit more often~” Hu Shuangxue just wanted to escape the pressure of Tide Moon’s presence.

But Tide Moon had no intention of letting this little fox go. She pointed to the only exception in the crowd: “Is that one of Yu Lang’s wives as well? She looks about to give birth~” She was referring to Jingni.

“I’m not sure. I think they’ve known each other since Xianyang—like Princess Yan, she’s one of Yu Lang’s earliest companions~” No sooner had Hu spoken than she realized her mistake and slapped her own mouth.

Tide Moon smiled at her, her lips curling in a subtle, enigmatic smile.

“Introduce me to this niece of yours. After all, we’re all former subjects of Han and ought to have a special bond~” Tide Moon was already planning her future.

……

Compared to the blissful time Li Yu was having, the skies above Xinzheng were ablaze with turmoil.

Then, to everyone’s shock, cannons appeared.

When these new weapons first demonstrated their power, they struck such terror into Han Yu in the royal palace that he nearly wet himself.

Staring at the crater barely a hundred paces away, Han Yu was shaken from his imperial dream.

“Where is Ji Wuye? Ji Wuye!” Han Yu shouted incoherently.

“Where is the Qin envoy? Bring him quickly~”

When he next saw Li Si, scepter in hand, Han Yu was no longer the proud prince. He stepped down from the throne and grabbed Li Si’s hand.

“Sir, I accept all your conditions. When will the Qin army arrive at Han’s borders?”

Li Si looked at this prince of Han with a sense of irony, recalling the days at the Young Sages’ Manor with Han Fei. Han Fei, born a noble, had always been surrounded by like-minded scions, living a life of ease. As for Li Si, who came from humble origins, he had to work a hundred times harder to catch up.

Now, as the representative of the mightiest nation, all those once-arrogant nobles had to look to him.

At last, his years of toil had borne fruit.

Li Si composed himself, eyes narrowing slightly. “May I ask, Prince—how is the princess’s official document coming along?”

“As long as Qin agrees to send troops, I’ll have it drafted immediately.” Han Yu summoned someone to prepare brush, ink, and silk.

Li Si watched as the Han royal seal was pressed onto the document, then said unhurriedly, “In five days, the Qin army will be at Xinzheng’s gates.”

With that, he took the document and left the palace.

As for the two hundred thousand taels of bride price, both sides chose to forget about it.

“Five days?” Han Yu, staring at the raging battle outside, felt only confusion and despair.

Han Fei’s Residence

An unexpected visitor appeared before Han Fei.

“Brother Wei Zhuang, how have you been?” Han Fei raised a cup of wine to the man at the door and drank it down with relish.

“The Han state is about to fall, and you still have the mood for this?” Wei Zhuang looked at Han Fei in puzzlement.

“Li Yu has been laying his plans for half a year just for this day. I was caught unprepared—what could I do?” Han Fei smiled wryly at Wei Zhuang.

“Our horizons were too narrow. Who knew war between nations could be waged like this?”

Han Fei rarely admired anyone, especially someone who had quietly stolen his sister’s heart.

A double victory—love and career!

“Brother Wei Zhuang, could I ask a favor?” A cold gleam flashed in Han Fei’s eyes.

“You want me to kill Han Yu?” Wei Zhuang guessed immediately.

Han Fei, curious, asked, “Why not Li Yu?”

Wei Zhuang answered, “Li Yu does what he must for his lord, but Han Yu is a traitor—for him, it’s personal. If you want Li Yu dead, it would have to be on the battlefield, fair and square~”

Han Fei looked out into the night. “Brother Wei Zhuang, give my regards to my fourth brother—and then have Li Yu come see me~”

Spring, usually a season for easy sleep, was full of restless nights for many.

Han Yu lay on the bed that once belonged to his father—the place he had dreamed of a thousand times. Yet, now he felt no satisfaction or excitement, only confusion and exhaustion.

He didn’t even notice when a white-haired figure entered the room.

“Who’s there?” Han Yu finally reacted—the temperature in the room had plummeted.

Not the natural chill, but a blade of killing intent.

“Han Fei sends his regards—wishing you a good journey~” Wei Zhuang looked on coldly at the haggard prince.

No more words—a flash of cold light.

The once-proud prince’s life ended there.

The next morning

As usual, Han Qiansheng knocked on the door to wake his foster father.

Inside, the air was deathly still and thick with the smell of blood.

Forcing the door open, Han Qiansheng found his foster father’s corpse, limbs stiff and body blue and purple.

“Who did this—” His anguished cry echoed through the entire palace.

……

When Wei Zhuang found Li Yu, the latter was comforting the despairing Bai Yifei.

“My son, I did it for your own good! That cultivation technique isn’t meant for men. If you force it, you’ll defy the heavens and be struck by lightning! Look at you now, all yin energy—no trace of manliness. You’ll end up childless, and you’re wasting so many lovely maidens—how could I, as your father, watch you ruin yourself? You hate me now, but when you have children and grandchildren, you’ll thank me~”

When Li Yu saw Wei Zhuang, his sorrowful face broke into a brilliant smile. “Dear brother-in-law! You went to the palace?”

Wei Zhuang’s lips twitched. “Han Fei wants to see you~”

Li Yu dusted himself off and stood. “He had you kill Han Yu, didn’t he? He couldn’t do it himself and had you wield the blade. I don’t even know what to say!”

Wei Zhuang was amazed by Li Yu’s perceptiveness.

“In three days. Wait until the Qin army arrives—I’m quite afraid of dying, you know.” Li Yu shamelessly eyed the perpetual snows on the distant mountains.

It was as if the people of Xinzheng had been pacified. The attacks stopped.

The Five Peaks Temple opened a soup kitchen, serving free porridge to anyone in need, with some mysterious shredded meat mixed in.

“I’ve heard that in Qin, if you join the army, your children can attend school for free.”

“Yes! If only our country did that~”

“They say the Qin army is almost here~”

“Will there still be fighting?”

“Apparently, that scoundrel Han Yu died suddenly. Justice at last!”

“But what about our property? We can’t always rely on the temple. I’m already embarrassed to go so many times~”

“Let’s wait for the Ninth Prince’s word~”

“Yes, we still have the Ninth Prince~”

“I heard Qin is sending a big shot this time—wonder who it is?”

“Surely not the king’s brother? They treasure him too much!”

“What do you think would happen if we merged with Qin?”

“Don’t talk nonsense~ We’ve been Han people for centuries—how could we join another country?”

“But Han used to be Jin, and before that, Zhou’s land. If you think about it, we’re really Zhou people. I’ve heard there were dynasties before that, but does it matter to us common folk?”

“When you put it that way, it makes sense~”

“And Han’s lands used to be three times larger; now Qin owns them. The people in those regions seem to live well enough—better than us, at least~”

“That’s true~”

The people fell into thoughtful silence.

When Li Yu next arrived at the Han palace, he gazed at the battered city walls, as if seeing another world.

The palace gates opened.

Han Fei stood in front of the officials, awaiting Li Yu’s arrival.

“It’s you?” Many officials, still confused, stared at Li Yu in astonishment.

“Fang Yu, Han has treated you well, and you defected to Qin as their lackey~ I must have been blind~”

Seeing the angry ministers behind Han Fei, Li Yu flung his sleeve and laughed. “Brother-in-law, tell them—who am I?”

Han Fei sighed. “He is the only adopted prince of Qin—Li Yu. Fang Yu was just an alias.”

Except for a few like Zhang Kaidi, the ministers were incredulous, thinking it nonsense.

Ji Wuye, too, was stunned. The man he’d thought an ant turned out to be the era’s most prominent rising power.

Ji Wuye had a sense that his good days were numbered.

As Qin’s forces quickly took the palace, Li Yu followed Meng Wu into the Qin palace, accompanied by Princess Yan.

Li Yu strode into the great hall and seated himself on the throne without hesitation.

“Brother-in-law, let’s discuss how to bring this to a close!” he said to Han Fei below.

“You liar! I’ll kill you~” came a clear, melodious voice from behind the curtain.

Li Yu turned to see Little Peach Blossom baring her tiny fangs at him, glaring past the Qin soldiers.

“Let her through~” Li Yu waved to the soldiers.

The little darling flashed her tiger teeth and pounced on Li Yu, while Princess Yan turned her head away.

“Ow! Princess! I’m your husband—assaulting your own husband in public~” Li Yu, seated on the throne, roughhoused with Hong Lian.

Han Fei covered his face. “Hong Lian, come down~”

Li Yu lovingly let Hong Lian nibble his arm and waved at Han Fei, holding his gently sobbing wife as he continued, “Let’s go on. Brother Han, what do you think of ‘one country, two systems’?”

Han Fei frowned. “What does that mean?”

Li Yu explained, “Apart from military power, you’ll have certain rights of election and governance. The leaders here will be chosen and managed by you, except for the top official who will be appointed from Xianyang. All other officials will be locals, and in the future, people here who wish to enlist will enjoy the same free education as in Qin. What do you think?”

He comforted his wife as he discussed future plans with the officials.

For the ministers, this was good news—their powers would remain much the same, except for a change in title.

But Ji Wuye was frustrated. Others would keep their authority, but Li Yu would never relinquish military control. Perhaps he’d have to try working back channels.

Han Fei narrowed his eyes, considering how to secure the greatest benefit for Han’s land.

When the first shell fell on the Han palace, Han Fei knew the state of Han was finished. This kind of transition was just to preserve a shred of dignity.

Li Yu’s approach made the reason clear.

Qin’s ambitions went far beyond Han—this was a message for the remaining five states.

Far-sighted indeed!

No wonder Hong Lian had fallen for him.

He looked at his sister, held in Li Yu’s arms, and saw the genuine affection in Li Yu’s eyes.

Gritting his teeth, Han Fei presented the jade seal of supreme authority.

……

A carriage rumbled down the official road of Zhao.

Li Yu lifted the curtain, looking out at the spring scenery. According to the address Zhao Gao had given, he was almost there.

He felt a surge of anticipation.

“The power of the state is truly vast—he even managed to find her~”

Driving the plot of “The Legend of Qin”—Gongsun Liji.

Let’s see how I’ll keep you out of the story~

……

Notting Academy

Little Pink Bunny watched her teacher busy with something in the field.

Curious, she bounced over and peeked at what Li Yu was doing.

“Teacher, what are you planting?”

Without looking up, Li Yu could already smell Xiao Wu’s unique scent from ten paces away. As he worked the soil, he replied, “Carrots. Xiao Wu likes carrots, so I thought I’d grow some myself to show my sincerity~”

Though Xiao Wu had lived for ten thousand years, as a soul beast, her mind was like that of a girl of eleven or twelve.

Watching Li Yu’s earnestness, something in her heart was moved.

Li Yu had studied the situation.

Xiao Wu and Tang San hadn’t developed feelings yet, largely because Yu Xiaogang always had Tang San training alone, spending less time with Xiao Wu than even their other roommates. Tang San and Xiao Wu only became official after graduation, when Tang San took her home.

So Li Yu seized the chance to make a move.

Wooing a girl didn’t always require luxury—sometimes a heartfelt carrot could work wonders.

Looking at the blushing little bunny before him, Li Yu smiled gently. “Tonight, I’ll make you a clear carrot soup. Don’t underestimate it—it takes a lot of time~”

From childhood, aside from her mother, no one had ever treated Xiao Wu so kindly.

She was moved, but mostly curious. “Teacher, why are you so good to me?”

Hearing this, Li Yu looked up at the sky. “Because, like you, I’m an orphan too. Seeing you makes me feel close, as if you’re someone very important to me—as dear as family~”

As he spoke, he even forced out a few tears.

Moved, Xiao Wu’s eyes grew misty.

Li Yu took her small hand. “We’re not so different. How about you call me brother from now on? I’d like you as my sister~”

Seeing his sincerity, Xiao Wu blurted out, “Brother~”

Li Yu gazed at her with affection. “Sister~”

If Li Yu could see himself now, he’d be shocked—he’d sacrificed all pride for the sake of wooing a girl.

Night fell.

Li Yu and Xiao Wu strolled through the streets of Notting.

“How was tonight’s carrot soup?” Li Yu looked at her dotingly.

“Brother, it was the best carrot soup I’ve ever had! How did you make it? I want to learn~” Xiao Wu was still savoring the taste.

“It’s simple, I’ll teach you when there’s time~” Li Yu agreed cheerfully.

“Brother, what’s that place?” Xiao Wu pointed at a lively crowd.

“Let’s go take a look~” Li Yu said, naturally taking her hand and heading into the crowd.