Below the Yongle Imperial Palace, the soldiers of the rebel army were all radiant, using crystal bones to smash the statue of the tyrant Odin.
Let what should decay, decay. Let what should collapse, collapse.
How fortunate they were to end a dark old era with their own hands, and how fortunate they were to witness a bright new world with their own eyes.
Suddenly, a soldier happened to look up, and his eyes immediately lit up.
“Look, it’s His Majesty!”
The evening breeze blew at dusk, and two figures stood at the top of the palace.
They nestled together intimately, seemingly whispering for a while, and soon the taller one grasped the wrist of the other, and they walked down side by side step by step.
In the blink of an eye, the originally disciplined soldiers couldn’t work anymore, and they all stretched their necks to look up with flushed faces.
“The Great Emperor has arrived!”
“The one beside His Majesty is…”
“Are you stupid? That’s Commander Aslan!”
“It really is the Commander! How long has it been since we’ve seen the Commander appear?”
“Is the Commander still in good health?”
Of course they were excited, for those were His Majesty and the Commander, and it was rare to see the two standing together so intimately!
In this grand founding war, this pair of monarch and subject was like rising twin stars.
Emperor Kaios had iron-fisted power beyond human limits, while Commander Aslan had unparalleled strategic wisdom; His Majesty was arrogant and daring, while the Commander was cautious and meticulous; His Majesty was ruthless in his early years, while the Commander seemed indifferent but had a somewhat merciful nature, just right to keep His Majesty in check.
These two people each had a once-in-a-millennium brilliance. Yet they were so complementary, the closer they got, the more they reflected each other’s radiance.
The crowd chattered.
“So you see, the Emperor and the Commander still have a good relationship.”
“Exactly, there’s no discord between the Emperor and Commander. I think it’s just a bunch of people with too much free time spreading rumors. Even the best of friends have friction, and married couples argue at the head of the bed and make up at the foot!”
“Brother, that’s true, but isn’t your analogy a bit off?”
“Never mind if it’s right or wrong, look, look, the Commander just leaned his head towards His Majesty and smiled! What are they saying…”
On the open staircase of the palace, Ryann squeezed Jiang Jianming’s wrist.
“Look at them, they’re more excited to see the Commander than to see Zhen.”
Jiang Jianming smiled. “My fault, I indeed haven’t made public appearances for too long.”
He then raised his hand, gesturing to the agitated soldiers in the distance, then made a slight downward pressing motion. Soon the commotion subsided.
Ryann raised an eyebrow. The Commander was indeed the Commander, even though he hadn’t been on the front lines for years, his authority in the military was still absolute.
He asked. “Are you tired? Can you still walk?”
Jiang Jianming of course said he was fine, and Ryann didn’t say anything, just slowed his pace a bit more.
When they reached a place where no one was around, His Majesty simply extended his arms and scooped up his Commander into an embrace.
Jiang Jianming was shocked. “You…!”
Ryann squinted. “Shh, Zhen is happy today. Be good and let Zhen carry you for a few steps.”
Jiang Jianming was both amused and exasperated, unceremoniously tugging at the falling platinum hair. “Does Your Majesty still know he’s His Majesty?”
“Zhen is no ordinary emperor. Does the Commander know what he’s leaning against?”
Ryann snorted. “Zhen is a creation of the Gray Owl Laboratory, a synthetic monster of humans and crystal particles. Aren’t you afraid Zhen will eat you in one bite?”
Jiang Jianming didn’t respond to this, closing his eyes and resting on Ryann’s shoulder, his long legs swaying slightly.
Ryann had always been perceptive. When they were on top of the palace, his mood was off, and it must have been noticed.
Not to mention, he rarely made real-time communication calls for non-official matters, which was unusual in itself.
But in the end, he didn’t do anything, so Ryann couldn’t do much either, at most just give him a hug.
A hug is fine, Jiang Jianming thought to himself, then suddenly asked. “About appointing the heir, has Your Majesty spoken with Lin Ge?”
“I have. She was devastated, but her protests were ineffective,” Ryann laughed, “Look at you, you’ve picked out two emperors.”
Jiang Jianming smiled helplessly. Ryann’s ascension to the throne and appointing Lin Ge as the heir was something they had agreed upon long ago.
One reason was the need for an “heir of humble origins” to balance the old nobility.
Moreover, Lin Ge had been among the poorest, had been a wild area lord, and had fought alongside the emperor and commander to conquer the world. She had actually experienced quite a lot and was completely worthy of being groomed as a successor.
“Yongle Garden isn’t suitable as the new capital. Does Your Majesty have any thoughts?”
Ryann pondered for two seconds and said, “Let’s return to Woll.”
Jiang Jianming: “Hmm, that’s the best choice.”
They had started their rebellion from Blue Mother Star, which was once the mother planet of humans and also carried the memories of their meeting, understanding, and companionship.
If possible, of course they hoped to return.
But considering the practical issues, given Blue Mother Star’s current situation, it would be too much to ask to rebuild it to a prosperity level comparable to the emerging star cities. It really wasn’t suitable as an imperial capital.
Woll Star City was the best choice at present.
“In the future…”
Ryann bounced the person in his arms slightly, bumping his forehead against Jiang Jianming’s.
His eyes were filled with a smile, “Zhen will build a palace full of golden roses and lock you inside.”
Unfortunately, this warm atmosphere didn’t even last a whole night.
That night, for the matter of the coronation ceremony, the emperor and commander began their usual argument.
Ryann wanted Jiang Jianming to crown him and share power equally, which was naturally rejected outright by the commander.
“Your Majesty, please think calmly. This will be broadcast live across the star city and recorded. Billions of people will be watching,” Jiang Jianming said helplessly, “Although I tried to conceal my race when I was in the wild area of Blue Mother Star, there’s no guarantee that a few people don’t remember there was such a disabled human. What if something goes wrong?”
The empire was newly established with everything waiting to be done. There was no need to leave such a hidden danger. According to his idea, he didn’t even want to stand there, a hologram would suffice.
As for sharing power equally, that was even more absurd. He was a disabled human who had deceived the entire empire from top to bottom for over a decade. He should keep a low profile and just get through this life.
On such matters, the two could never reach an agreement.
Jiang Jianming thought Ryann was simply being unreasonable, acting like a stubborn child even as an emperor. While Ryann felt his negativity was beyond comprehension and that he should see a psychologist.
The two were lovey-dovey yesterday, but today they were having a huge fight. Lin Ge and Sylph outside the room were too scared to do anything.
They didn’t dare to go in rashly, nor did they dare to leave. They both huddled at the door, anxiously listening to the commotion inside.
“Your Majesty, please let me have some peace,” inside the room, Jiang Jianming’s face was pale, “Since you say I have a part in the new empire, can’t I protect this hard-earned peace?”
“Peace!?” Ryann spoke harshly, “If we were content with peace, would we have today?”
He cornered the disabled human against the wall, glaring fiercely, “Zhen has said the road ahead is still long. Don’t we need to reform those old nobles? Don’t we need to improve the status of disabled humans? These are things that must be done eventually, what are you afraid of!”
“…..!”
Jiang Jianming looked up, a flash of struggle passing across his face.
After ten years of war, they had finally achieved victory, and he was exhausted. He could feel that the rebel army was also tired, and the people who had suffered through the war were weary.
Everyone was thinking, let’s rest for a while, even if we’ve just pulled our feet out of the swamp, still covered in filth and stench.
Only Kaios refused to stop. He seemed to have endless energy. After defeating one enemy, he would face the next. He was like a born fighter, a tireless conqueror, but…
Jiang Jianming felt a dull pain in his chest, thinking silently: I know you want to keep moving forward, but can others keep up with you?
If this world can’t keep up with you…
Where will you go alone, in your solitude?
“It’s just a position at the coronation ceremony, why can’t I even give you this much!!”
“Stop saying you’re a disabled human, you’re Zhen’s commander and a founding hero!! Who dares to question you?”
The young new emperor spoke fiercely, ice flashing in his eyes, “—Whoever dares to question, Zhen will kill them.”
Jiang Jianming said sternly. “Your Majesty!”
“Why… do you always have to compromise, always walking on thin ice.”
Ryann said almost obsessively. “Look, this empire is ours now, and I am yours too, what are you still afraid of!?”
“You’re just afraid of people from Blue Mother Star revealing your race, right? Whoever dares to speak, Zhen will silence them one by one…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Jianming grabbed the water glass from the table, splash!
Cold water was thrown in His Majesty’s face.
The next moment, Lin Ge and Sylph outside the door heard the violent sound of glass shattering. Sylph closed her eyes and screamed in fright, Lin Ge cursed under her breath and kicked the door open.
The room was a mess, with shards of porcelain and glass all over the floor.
Ryann was breathing heavily with red eyes, the crystal bones released from his right wrist slowly retracting, water still dripping from his hair.
Jiang Jianming stood a few steps away, his gaze calm. A red line slowly appeared on his cheek, tiny beads of blood only now beginning to roll out.
Flying glass had grazed him. The cut wasn’t big, but with all his illnesses and weakened blood clotting function, it would be troublesome to treat later.
“I know Your Majesty spoke in anger.”
The commander said calmly, “But you are the emperor now, you can’t be so impulsive. Please be cautious with your words.”
Lin Ge and Sylph were both in a cold sweat, hurriedly stepping between them.
Ryann glared at Jiang Jianming as if he wanted to kill him, saying bitterly. “This is all you’re capable of, taking advantage of the fact that Zhen can’t bear to hurt you.”
With that, he gritted his teeth, turned around, and left directly.
The room returned to silence.
Jiang Jianming shook his head and sighed, waving his hand at the two saying it was nothing. Then he bent down to turn on the cleaning robot.
Sylph’s face had turned pale, tugging at Lin Ge’s sleeve and asking, “Has His Majesty… and the Commander… always been like this?”
Lin Ge, with a dark face, said, “They’ve been getting more dramatic these past two years, but don’t worry, usually they can reconcile on their own after arguing.”
……..
This winter, the history of the Holy Human Empire came to an end, and the first year of the new empire began.
Just three days after the Yongle Garden Palace changed hands and the unrest in the star city had barely settled, Emperor Kaios held his coronation ceremony here.
The vigorous new emperor ascended the throne stepping on the blood of his enemies, personally announcing the fall of the old empire and the establishment of the new human interstellar empire.
The masses cheered in unison, breaking the long night. Below the Yongle Garden Palace, countless raised hands seemed to want to lift this dawn.
“Long live Emperor Kaios!!”
“Long live the new empire, long live His Majesty the Emperor!!”
They already knew that the old emperor Odin had nearly dragged the entire Yongle Garden Star City to its doom; they also knew what the new emperor had once said: he did not desire more corpses.
Who doesn’t want to live well?
Who doesn’t want to follow a benevolent ruler?
Countless people, following old customs, knelt down to kowtow and cheer for the new emperor, only to be persuaded to stand up one by one by the soldiers of the new empire. Those who couldn’t be persuaded were helped up.
“Come on, get up, all of you get up,” the soldiers encouraged, their faces unable to hide their excitement and pride, “Our emperor doesn’t order kneeling, the era of the old empire is over!”
The poor on Blue Mother Star and Maz Star gathered in crowds in front of huge projection screens, tears in their eyes.
“That’s our little highness!” someone cried out.
“You know? When the little highness first came to Blue Mother Star, he was only in his teens…”
“In the first battle of the rebellion, I contributed. I’m not boasting, I secretly helped transport mecha parts for the rebel army! Haha…”
Someone else said, “Where’s Commander Aslan? Half of this world was conquered by the Commander, why doesn’t he show his face?”
At the top of the palace, a long wind blew. A moment later, Sylph Song walked out gracefully.
Kaios publicly named her as empress, and the new empress announced on behalf of the emperor: the Glorious Dominion would be renamed the Glorious Autonomous Dominion, under the jurisdiction of the empire, enjoying the right of star city autonomy.
Immediately after, Kaios summoned General Lin Ge forward and appointed her as the heir apparent on the spot.
As for how many people were shocked by this, that was their own business.
What made people wonder was that at the coronation ceremony, all the meritorious officials of the new empire appeared, except for one.
Even the representative of the surrendered old empire nobility – that young man called Gerhard Laurent – was allowed to be present. But at the top of the palace, there was no sign of Commander Aslan.
Indeed, Ryann was still angry and simply put Jiang Jianming under house arrest, not even allowing him to appear as a hologram.
Amidst their excitement, the people of the major star cities couldn’t help but privately raise a question mark.
However, they had lived under high-pressure rule for too long and didn’t dare to speculate about the emperor’s affairs.
Only the military officers and soldiers from the founding of the new empire still dared to grumble privately with worried faces.
“Have you heard? The second night after Yongle Garden fell, His Majesty came out of the Commander’s room soaking wet.”
“Oh no, how did they argue again? Damn, my stomach hurts.”
“But this is the coronation ceremony! If it’s really His Majesty punishing the Commander by not allowing him to come, that’s really harsh.”
“…Cough, is there a possibility that the Commander is not giving His Majesty face, refusing to come out of anger…”
Just then, the whispering soldiers heard a voice from the Yongle Garden Palace.
“Finally, Zhen announces.”
Looking from afar, they saw their Emperor, cold in demeanor, wearing a crown, with a heavy crimson imperial robe trailing behind him.
In the winter wind, his right hand holding the scepter showed clear knuckles, seemingly tightening unintentionally as he spoke.
“The capital of the new empire will be: the old Woll Star City. From today, it will be renamed—”
“Aslan.”
