Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

Am I very old? For the first time, Lin Hanchuan began to doubt his age.

But as he looked at the young man in front of him, he helplessly realized that he could indeed be described as “very old.”

Gu Shi was just too young. Lin Hanchuan’s gaze shifted slightly.

“I’m waiting for you to come back so we can have dinner together.” Gu Shi attentively served a bowl of rice to Lin Hanchuan and said.

Being new to everything, Gu Shi was cautious in everything he did, even when trying to please Lin Hanchuan, he showed a timid and reserved demeanor. He rubbed his fingers together, anxiously watching Lin Hanchuan.

Lin Hanchuan couldn’t refuse; he sat down, saying, “Are you getting used to it here?”

Gu Shi, standing by the side, shook his head and after a few seconds of thinking, he nodded again.

After spending the afternoon resting on the soft bed, Gu Shi felt extremely content, and now the dinner was so sumptuous that he had never seen such delicacies before. Although it felt a little unfamiliar, Gu Shi believed he would soon get used to it!

“Do you want something?” Lin Hanchuan’s gaze fell on Gu Shi’s face, and he asked.

Gu Shi shook his head; he was already living a fairy-tale life, so he didn’t want anything more. The sudden appearance of his real father, taking him from the mud to the heavens, had already fulfilled his heart’s desire, and he had no other wishes.

If he had to mention one… Gu Shi sneakily glanced at Lin Hanchuan’s face but ultimately didn’t say anything.

Lin Hanchuan held Gu Shi’s wrist and had him sit down beside him, saying, “Then, let’s eat first.”

In just a few seconds of holding Gu Shi’s wrist, Lin Hanchuan clearly felt the protruding bones, and the youth’s body was quite delicate. Lin Hanchuan personally served a bowl of ginseng chicken soup and a few pieces of meat for him.

Gu Shi hesitated for a moment but then looked at Lin Hanchuan with his eyes slightly red.

As he returned to Tianmen Pass, Lin Hanchuan’s workload increased. He privately contacted his loyal subordinates and remained in the mansion for two months, recuperating from his injuries. Once his wounds were fully healed, the royal physician allowed him to leave the mansion and continue his journey.

Gu Shi didn’t know what Lin Hanchuan was busy with; he only knew that previously, Lin Hanchuan used to keep an eye on his studies, but now he seemed to be missing every few days.

“Young master, concentrate on your studies.” The tutor, specifically hired to teach Gu Shi reading and writing, knocked on the table with a book in hand, gently reminding him.

Gu Shi was startled and almost jumped up from the chair. When he saw it was his tutor, he breathed a sigh of relief and apologized, “I’m sorry, I was distracted.”

“No problem.” Su Congyu, the former renowned top scholar who was now the lord of the city, wasn’t angry. “Why were you so distracted today? Did something happen?”

In the face of Su Congyu’s concerned gaze, Gu Shi couldn’t hold back his thoughts and couldn’t help asking, “What is the regent… busy with these days?”

“Busy… perhaps he is busy usurping the throne,” Su Congyu hesitated and then said firmly.

“That’s a capital offense!” Gu Shi was shocked and accidentally revealed a few words through the gaps of his fingers. But no matter how surprised he was, he knew that this was a matter where one’s head could roll easily, so he quickly covered his mouth.

Su Congyu smiled and tapped the table with a rolled-up book. “He has his matters to attend to, but your current priority is to study diligently.”

Su Congyu had a hunch that the relationship between the regent and the young emperor had reached an irreparable point. If his prediction was correct, Gu Shi would be of great importance sooner or later.

If Gu Shi remained an illiterate rascal at that time, it would truly be laughable—an illiterate emperor in history.

“What is he so busy with that he can’t even spare a thought for me?” Gu Shi grumbled.

Su Congyu also found it strange. Although the regent didn’t inform Gu Shi of his true identity, how could Gu Shi be so attached to someone he had just met, like a little chick fixated on its mother?

Su Congyu didn’t stop this; he even mentioned the regent in front of Gu Shi, allowing the youth to develop stronger feelings for Lin Hanchuan.

… At least, please don’t end up with a tragic fate where the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked, or the bird hides when the bow is drawn1an idiom used to describe a situation where everyone involved is in grave danger, and there seems to be no way out. It suggests a dire and perilous situation where multiple parties are facing imminent harm or disaster.. Su Congyu sincerely prayed.

On the other side, Lin Hanchuan stood in the military camp wearing shiny silver armor. His hair was raised high and pinned on top, revealing a full forehead and sharp facial features.

“Your Highness, all thirty thousand elite soldiers of Tianmen Pass are here,” someone said to him.

Lin Hanchuan remained silent, looking at these young yet determined faces, suddenly feeling hesitant.

No one spoke; even though tens of thousands of people stood there, the scene was eerily silent. All eyes were fixed on Lin Hanchuan, waiting for his words.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Hanchuan raised his hand and said, “Valiant soldiers of Dasi.”

The soldiers, standing upright, roared deafeningly, “Yes, Your Highness!”

“This mission is extremely dangerous…” Lin Hanchuan managed to say eight words, but he couldn’t continue. He closed his eyes, suppressing his emotions, and when he opened his eyes again, he appeared calm. “If any of you do not wish to follow me, you can leave on your own. For those who choose to withdraw, I will give them five taels of silver. They won’t be considered deserters and can return home to live their lives.”

There was an uproar, and everyone was stunned.

“What’s going on?”

“Your Highness, don’t you want us anymore?”

“Your Highness, we are the Qi family’s people in life and death!”

“We will follow Your Highness!”

“Regardless of life or death, the Qi family’s Army will not fear!”

One after another, from whispered discussions to loud shouts, countless words converged into one phrase.

“Regardless of life or death, the Qi family’s Army will not fear!”

“Regardless of life or death, the Qi family’s Army will not fear!”

…

With tens of thousands of people present, not a single person left.

Lin Hanchuan felt indescribable emotions. Qi Changfeng had followed the late Emperor Zhao Jun into the battlefield when he was not even ten years old. At eleven, he killed his first enemy with his own hands, and for nearly twenty years since, he had fought life and death battles on the battlefield. He lived together with the soldiers, strategized like a god, and earned the title of the “Jade-Faced General,” creating the Sui Kingdom.

However, from start to finish, Qi Changfeng’s sword was pointed at foreign enemies, and he never turned his blade against his own people. But this time, he had to lead this group of home-protecting soldiers to battle against the people of the Sui Kingdom.

“Your Highness!” The person standing beside Lin Hanchuan knelt down on one knee. “For the sake of the Sui Kingdom and the Zhao family, you have guarded the border for so many years without starting your own family. Yet, the young emperor has burnt bridges after crossing the river. If you don’t resist now, not only you, but the entire Qi family’s Army will cease to exist!”

Given the young emperor’s methods, he would never allow a military force with such strong cohesion to remain under his command if it didn’t obey him.

Lin Hanchuan’s gaze turned cold. He walked to the side and picked up a bowl from the stacked wine bowls on the table, raising it high, “To battle!”

The wine bowl was passed down the line, each person taking a sip and passing it to the next, until the last person finished it and violently smashed the ceramic bowl on the ground. The clear sound of shattering filled the air, accompanied by the strong scent of alcohol.

Under the influence of the sound and aroma, all the soldiers were stirred with hot-blooded enthusiasm, shouting, “To battle!”

“To battle!”

“To battle!”

Lin Hanchuan led ten thousand lightly equipped soldiers to the front, while the remaining twenty thousand followed behind. It took them over a month from Tianmen Pass to reach the capital city, where Lin Hanchuan stood outside the city gates once again.

The military power of the Sui Kingdom was almost entirely controlled by the Regent. Without the Regent, these armies were fragile and not worth fighting. Lin Hanchuan easily pierced into the heart of the capital city.

Staring at the city gates, Lin Hanchuan’s expression was emotionless. He waved his hand backward, ordering the army to stop.

“Rest here!” As the order spread, the army began to set up camp.

Emperor Zhao Yuan tightly clenched the memorial in his hands, his fingers turning white from the force. He fixed his gaze on the memorial, fully engrossed in reading it. Several people knelt on the ground, including elderly courtiers with white hair and middle-aged officials with big bellies, all trembling on their knees.

There was one person who remained calm, also kneeling on the ground, but unlike the others, he didn’t dare to lower his head. Instead, he looked up and squinted, observing the Emperor’s expression.

With a snap, the thin memorial was fiercely thrown on the ground, and Zhao Yuan sneered with clenched teeth, “Impressive, Dan Guang, impressive, Qi Changfeng.”

The memorial slid to the person at the forefront. He calmly picked it up and held it in both hands, saying, “Your Majesty, calm down. The Regent wields power over the court, and Dan Guang was once his subordinate. It’s not surprising that Dan Guang opened the city gates for him.”

“Now he has arrived at the city’s doorstep. How do you expect us to respond?” The once fair skin of Zhao Yuan became paler with anger. Ever since he heard the news of the Regent’s return with troops, he hadn’t slept well. His eyes were now tinged with dark circles, looking more sinister. “Shall we just hand over the kingdom to him?”

“Your Majesty, please calm down!” The ministers shivered like sieves upon hearing this, all shouting together.

The person at the forefront remained calm and said, “Your Majesty, the situation has come to this point, and the capital city is already under his control. However, he hasn’t attacked yet; perhaps he still has reservations. We can try… peace talks.”

1an idiom used to describe a situation where everyone involved is in grave danger, and there seems to be no way out. It suggests a dire and perilous situation where multiple parties are facing imminent harm or disaster.