Lin Ge was right.
Arguments, making up automatically after arguing, then arguing again, and making up again… This fixed cycle of patterns filled the time Jiang Jianming and Ryann spent together.
Take the naming of the new imperial capital for example. The Commander-in-Chief had no prior knowledge of it, and when the news reached him, it almost made him ill with anger—
Nonsense, Woll was the capital of the new empire, how could the capital be named after a subject instead of the founding emperor? It was utterly ridiculous!
Whose empire had this become!?
Jiang Jianming felt both heartbroken and furious, so he simply gave His Majesty the cold shoulder for three days. Ryann was also sulking, not even coming to see him once, acting as if he didn’t know this person at all.
On the evening of the fourth day, they both sighed simultaneously—forget it, it’s not like we can separate anyway.
They both prepared to humble themselves and go comfort the other, but happened to run into each other halfway.
The evening breeze was gentle, and their surprised gazes met. With just one look, no words were needed.
So the Emperor and the Commander walked back shoulder to shoulder, sat in the Commander’s room eating some late-night snacks, and casually chatted about whether they should reorganize the military.
—This scene left Sylph, who came to perform a routine check-up on the Commander, utterly baffled.
After discussing official matters, Jiang Jianming leaned back in the lounge chair, somehow already covered with His Majesty’s coat.
He was a bit tired, and his voice became lazy and soft, “Alright… I won’t fuss about the naming of the imperial capital anymore. Can you not be angry too?”
“I’m not angry, but you dared to splash water on Zhen, which is treasonous.”
Ryann’s expression was stern as he patted Jiang Jianming’s hand, “Domestic violence only happens zero times or countless times.”
“…”
Jiang Jianming was speechless and could only say, “Then you can hit me back, splash me back.”
Ryann narrowed his eyes and hummed, not seeming to be threatening, but rather like he was pouting.
Sure enough, within a few minutes, His Majesty the Emperor reached out and pulled the drowsy Commander into his arms, looking satisfied.
…Indeed, a full three days of cold war had been quite difficult to endure.
Meanwhile, Sylph bewilderedly opened her communication device and sent a snapshot of this scene to Lin Ge.
She asked: So, have His Majesty and the Commander always been like this?
Lin Ge quickly replied: Ah yes, yes, yes. You’ll get used to it.
A month later, they returned to Woll, now named Aslan, the imperial capital star city, amidst the welcoming crowds lining the streets.
After the establishment of the new imperial capital, the former secondary star system of the old empire was renamed the First Star System, including the four major star cities of Aslan, Albourne, Watson, and Eden; the main star system was renamed the Second Star System, including the three major star cities of Yongle Garden, Purple Silk, and the Glorious Autonomous Dominion; the old solar system became the Third Star System, including the two major star cities of Blue Mother Star and Maz.
In total, there were three star systems and nine star cities.
By now, the alien creatures in the Aslan star domain had been completely eradicated, and people’s living standards had more than doubled. The new imperial palace—the White Jade Palace—stood in the center of the star city, built with elegance and grandeur, with dazzling golden roses blooming endlessly in the sky.
Needless to say, His Majesty Kaios, Sylph as the Empress, and Lin Ge as the Crown Prince, all had to move into the imperial palace.
As for Jiang Jianming, although his status was that of a subject, no one felt comfortable letting such a sickly person live alone outside. Thus, Commander Aslan nominally received a mansion as his residence, but in reality, he stayed in the imperial palace every day.
And so, amusing situations arose.
In this seemingly magnificent White Jade Palace lived a frail, disabled human Commander, and an Emperor who “longed for but could not have” the Commander.
It also housed an Empress who, instead of romancing with His Majesty, spent her days engrossed in scientific research and medicine, as well as a Crown Prince who routinely cursed at His Majesty—
“Damn it, so why the hell, why does this old lady have to be Kaios’s daughter just to be a backup emperor!?”
One afternoon, Lin Ge finally broke down, pointing at Ryann with tears in her eyes. “Clearly this old lady is older than him!!”
The Commander calmly sipped his medicine from a bowl. “What’s the big deal? When I first picked you up, I treated you half as a sister and half as a daughter too.”
—Such scenes were truly embarrassing to show outsiders.
The snow was about to melt, and spring was coming to Aslan Star City. Outside, birds were chirping.
Ryann sat by the sunlit window reviewing state affairs. Hearing this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly turned his head. “So? Lin Ge is the Commander’s daughter, and also Zhen’s daughter. If the Commander thinks this is no big deal, then what should your relationship with Zhen be?”
Jiang Jianming: “…”
Not good, he had given them ammunition now.
On the other side, Sylph clapped her hands. “Oh, so I’m nominally Kaios’ wife, and Lin Ge is nominally His Majesty’s daughter, so Lin Ge should call me mom…?”
“Little girl, you’re asking for it, aren’t you!?”
Lin Ge pounced on her with claws out, tickling Sylph until she giggled, then slipped behind Jiang Jianming, “Commander, please control Lin Ge, she’s bullying me!”
Jiang Jianming shook his head helplessly. Ryann strode over and picked up the silver-haired girl. “Tsk, go play by yourselves, and be careful not to bump into him.”
The shadows of the four people danced on the warm, golden floor, like free birds.
Due to various unspeakable secrets, there were no attendants or servants deep in the vast palace. All serving work was done by intelligent machines, allowing them to laugh and play freely without disturbance.
Time was rarely so gentle at this moment.
That afternoon, Ryann seemed to have a sudden idea and pointed to the golden rose garden outside, saying, let’s take a photo.
So they each changed into formal attire and went to the brightly lit imperial garden behind the palace.
The four of them stood in position.
—Click.
“Very good.”
The machine quickly developed a copy of the photo, and Ryann nodded with satisfaction, “We can fold it like this, put it in a frame, and use it as the official photo of the Emperor and Empress.”
Sylph clung to Ryann’s arm, standing on tiptoe to look. “It’s true, saves us from having to take another one.”
Lin Ge leaned on Jiang Jianming’s shoulder and complained. “Oh, why are you dodging the camera? Should we retake it?”
Jiang Jianming smiled bitterly, first saying it was too imprudent to keep such things, then after a while said, “Never mind, give me a copy too.”
…Later, they would recall this moment countless times, this seemingly ordinary afternoon.
The horizon in the distance was still shifting, the universe repeating its cycle of birth and destruction as it had for billions of years, but the weather in Aslan Star City was beautiful. In the garden behind the palace, the snow was about to melt, and spring was coming.
Although they knew the road ahead would be difficult, at least at this moment, everyone had the illusion that: the long night had passed, fatigue and pain could all be healed, and everything from now on would only get better.
—If only.
Even when spring comes, there’s still something called a cold snap.
Looking back from the future, the early days of the empire were undoubtedly a difficult period, though not the same kind of difficulty as starting from scratch to conquer the world.
The real problems of the nine star cities lay before them, with old systems and customs clinging to the pioneers’ feet like rotten, stinking roots.
The hatred between the Blue Mother Star people and the Yongle Garden people, the gulf between commoners and nobles, and the most thorny issue of all—the race problem.
The newly revised imperial code indirectly led to thirteen disabled humans being burned alive in Albourne Star City—some radical new humans couldn’t accept that these inferior people without crystal bones would enjoy equal human rights.
[Whether it was eradicating alien creatures or fighting against the dark old empire, wasn’t it us new humans who did it?]
[The disabled humans enjoy the fruits of our labor in the rear, protected day and night by new humans. Why should they have the same social status as us!?]
[For hundreds of years since the Black Wave Radiation outbreak, there has never been such a precedent!]
Such voices were rampant.
Ryann had to work tirelessly day and night. Whenever a guard passed by the Emperor’s office, they could always see the light on inside.
Meanwhile, the Empire began to face a severe shortage of real crystal ore resources.
“Your Majesty, based on our current real crystal ore income and expenditure projections, by the end of this year at the latest, we won’t be able to supply tranquilizers and crystal disorder treatment medications to all citizens,” Sylph said softly in the nighttime office. She was now secretly participating in the new Empire’s crystal particle research project under a false identity.
“By next year, even producing medicines might be difficult. Research on upgrading tranquilizers… will be even more impossible to conduct.”
Ryann stood nearby with a gloomy expression, watching Sylph list out the data item by item.
He flipped through the documents, “There are still many alien creatures within the Empire’s borders. Zhen will send the imperial army to regularly eradicate them and collect real crystal ores from their bodies… Research cannot stop.”
Sylph shook her head in distress, “I’ve calculated it. The alien creatures within the Empire are scattered and hidden. The efficiency of eradication is very low. Even in the most optimistic scenario, it’s… it’s not enough.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
Sylph was silent for two seconds, then said softly, “From the perspective of a crystal particle scholar and medical practitioner, I would suggest…”
“The Empire should implement euthanasia for patients with late-stage chronic crystal disorder. Don’t let the patients suffer too much.”
Crack! The crystal bones on Ryann’s wrist suddenly burst out, crushing a corner of the desk.
He slowly raised his head, glaring at Sylph with bloodshot eyes, and said through gritted teeth, “The Commander is already in the late stage.”
“You want Zhen to order his death?”
“…!” Sylph’s lips tightened, tears glimmering in her eyes.
She wanted to say that the Commander was already suffering greatly, that the secret treatments he was undergoing were torturous, but he never let her tell His Majesty.
She couldn’t say it.
Sylph had seen too many patients with late-stage chronic crystal disorder. The vast majority of them had been defeated by the disease, drooling, incontinent, talking nonsense, self-harming or hurting others.
In the end, they all went mad or became idiots, turning into living corpses that could only lie paralyzed in bed and rot. What was the point?
By then, the soul in the shell had withered, and death was not a punishment for them and their loved ones, but a release.
But Commander Aslan was different.
He always maintained his sense of self. Enduring pain consciously, living through day after night consciously.
Occasionally, when he felt better, he would lean on a lounge chair or bed and read a book. Or he would seriously plan the empire with His Majesty, or smile as he watched her and Lin Ge play, his eyes shining with clarity, just like an ordinary patient.
Seeing him like this, anyone would feel their heart being cut by a knife and think: How could someone who can still talk and laugh be given up on?
Although crystal disorder was still an incurable disease now, what if there were better tranquilizers? What if there were new treatment methods?
“Or,” Sylph said with a trembling voice, “we could stop the free distribution of tranquilizers to all citizens. This way, we can save some real crystal ores. But…”
The reasoning was simple. By stopping the free distribution of drugs and raising the prices for sale, a large number of poor people would give up buying or simply be unable to afford tranquilizers, and that portion of resources could be saved.
This seemed unobjectionable, as there was no restriction on purchasing. If you couldn’t afford it, who could you blame?
But if they did this, would the new empire still truly be the new empire they hoped for?
“Always coming up with bad ideas,” Ryann said coldly, turning away. “He won’t agree to it.”
Sylph first felt relieved, then felt her heart sink even more.
Ryann said, “How many real crystal ores are needed to continue the tranquilizer research? Give me a number, and I’ll find a way.”
……
That night, Sylph walked out of the emperor’s room in a daze.
The silver-haired girl walked back along the corridor overgrown with golden roses. She listened to her own footsteps, watched her shadow in the moonlight, her mind foggy.
She should do something.
This was why she had come to the empire.
Suddenly, Sylph looked up as if sensing something, and saw a figure leaning against a snow-white carved pillar.
Jiang Jianming turned his head and gently beckoned, “Did His Majesty scold you?”
“No…!”
Sylph lifted her skirt and took a few small running steps. “Why did the Commander come out? It’s very cold at night.”
Jiang Jianming shook his head and smiled, “I was worried he might bully you, so I came to check.”
“His Majesty tends to lose his temper when he’s in a hurry, but don’t be afraid. He doesn’t lay hands on people anymore. It’s just his imposing manner that’s frightening.”
Sylph couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears fell as she choked, “No… His Majesty is very good…”
Jiang Jianming stroked the girl’s hair. He seemed to know everything.
“Didn’t His Majesty put you in charge of a research base? You can’t cry so easily like this. You won’t have any authority.”
As he spoke, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed twice.
“Look at these flowers in the palace, how beautifully they bloom.”
“They’re all in full bloom.”
Sylph dazedly responded with a sound of agreement. Jiang Jianming’s eyes were deep as he gazed at the golden roses in the night. Suddenly, he reached out and caught a small robot flying in midair.
“But where did the withered roses go?”
Sylph shuddered, her back turning cold.
She saw Jiang Jianming open the robot’s belly, which was full of pruned golden roses.
In the thick darkness, the withered flowers were crammed together – the corpses of ugly roses.
Jiang Jianming calmly said, “Withered flowers should be pruned early, so as not to damage the dignity of this palace, nor their own pride.”
Sylph trembled with fear: “Commander!!”
“—Though I know this, I still cannot leave.”
Jiang Jianming turned back. In the moonlight, his pale face was divided by shadows, appearing cold and oppressive. “I worry about His Majesty.”
Sylph held her breath.
She heard her own heartbeat accelerate uncontrollably.
“When I first met His Majesty,” Jiang Jianming said, “he was still a child, with no concept of good and evil in human society, acting solely on his mood and preferences.”
“Over the years, I taught him to be the lord of a star city, taught him to be the leader of a rebel army, taught him to be an emperor.”
“I taught him to respect the weak, to protect the citizens, to recognize and employ talent, to be prudent in thought and action.”
“By rights, today he is already the great emperor who created a new world. There’s nothing left for me to guide him on.”
“Except for one last thing. I know my time is running short, and I don’t know if I’ll have time to teach him…”
Jiang Jianming looked up, his expression wistful.
He sighed softly, a faint white mist dispersing from his mouth.
“To lose me.”
……
That night, Jiang Jianming and Sylph talked until dawn, while Emperor Kaios’s office lights remained on all night.
The next day, the emperor expressed his intention for interstellar expedition in the council hall.
Far interstellar space… still had large numbers of alien life forms.
If the expedition succeeded, a small victory could solve the pressing crisis, while a great victory might open up stable interstellar channels, continuously obtaining real crystal ores.
This way, countless chronic crystal disorder patients in the empire would have hope.
