The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1668 Reunion

But they clearly didn't expect that someone, unbeknownst to them, was trying every possible means to kill them. And Wang Yan, known for treating his own people well, actually gave them military power directly, letting them do as they pleased.

Furthermore, is Wang Yan really such a kind person? Does he truly have no designs on the royal family and no interest in treasure?
Seeing the silent Prince Gong and Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Xianfeng waved his hand: "Forget it, you can all escape. I believe you have made your own arrangements. I won't live much longer, so I'll buy you some time."

"Emperor~"

Both men were deeply moved as they looked at Emperor Xianfeng.

As the news spread within the inner circle, even more people were moved. One by one, they came to the carriage to speak with Emperor Xianfeng, though they all spoke very quickly. But their sincere emotions swept away any unpleasantness. The constant coming and going of people cooled the carriage, making it feel like winter was approaching instead of spring.

Emperor Xianfeng, fiddling with his opium pipe, pulled the quilt tighter around him...

It is absolutely impossible for a force that has already reached its absolute end and has no chance of turning things around to win people's hearts, unite, or overcome difficulties together.

These princes and ministers of the Qing Dynasty all had their own power base, and of course they all had their own places to go. In fact, even the royal family had been scattered. Some followed this group and fled, while others, like everyone else, scattered and fled, changing their names and disappearing into the crowd.

However, while royalty can run away, the emperor cannot.

His profile was too broad; hiding him was virtually impossible. Absolute secrecy was out of the question, and true secrecy was impossible. He had no choice but to flee openly with his men.

Of course, the more important reason was that Emperor Xianfeng was a deposed emperor who was terminally ill and nearing death, so he didn't care about anything else and that's why he didn't go overseas.

How could one possibly risk their life to gamble on the king's supposed benevolence...?

So Emperor Xianfeng is now using his own life to attract attention; it's the last thing he can do. As for what will happen to the rest of them... only heaven knows...

So, unaware of what was happening below, the massive escape team continued at its original pace, though people gradually left, heading in different directions.

Unfortunately, those who left were all top-level key figures, and they left quietly. By the time others discovered it, it was too late. Because the gates had been tightened, those who tried to escape were caught and killed.

Even if escape is inevitable, it's crucial to maintain stability before being captured. If large numbers of people flee, panic will spread. At that point, one or two mounted officers won't be able to intimidate dozens or even hundreds of men.

This situation obviously couldn't last long, but we weren't expecting it to last much longer; we were just trying to drag it out as long as possible...

Su Zixuan spurred his horse forward, braving the wind and snow to personally lead his troops in pursuit. They rode at breakneck speed all the way until they finally caught up with the fleeing caravan that stretched for several miles.

It wasn't as difficult as expected; after a burst of gunfire, the troops within a few miles scattered.

Hiding in the ranks, Su Zixuan even vaguely saw many people running away laughing, while others knelt down crying in surrender. The weather in Northeast China was too cold, the snow too heavy, and the emperor they were loyal to was too ruthless. None of them had any will to fight, nor any intention to protect the emperor.

However, as the saying goes, even a broken ship has three nails, and the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China for more than two hundred years, certainly had its loyal people.

Just as they were about to catch up with Emperor Xianfeng's carriage, his guards displayed extraordinary speed and combat prowess, suddenly increasing their escape speed and the intensity of their resistance, demonstrating remarkable fighting spirit.

However, all of this came to an end after being bombarded by dozens of mortars.

Accompanied by his deputy, Su Zixuan arrived at Emperor Xianfeng's carriage.

"Madam, the Qing emperor and empress are right here. They are still alive, but they are ill and cannot move around."

Not only were the people alive, but everything inside the car was thoroughly checked to prevent any accidents. The deputy general, who had come out with Su Zixuan, was extremely cautious.

Su Zixuan glanced at the eunuchs and palace maids kneeling on the ground, then cracked his riding whip and said, "He's a king of a fallen kingdom, yet he still puts on airs and waits for us to pay our respects? Get him ready and bring him down."

Two guards came out from behind and grabbed the eunuchs and maids, pulling them into the carriage...

"Where are the others?" Su Zixuan asked.

An officer, his clothes stained with blood and steaming, approached: "Reporting to Madam, they've all fled ahead of time. Some went to the estuary to catch ships overseas, others went north—perhaps to hide, or perhaps headed for Russia. They've been gone for two or three days, traveling light. If we try to catch them, it might be..."

The lieutenant glared at him: "I didn't tell you to say 'maybe'."

"Why are you glaring at me?" Su Zixuan said. "He's telling the truth, it's his judgment as the commander. But considering how pampered they are, their bodies can't withstand this kind of exertion, they probably can't run very fast. Let's send out men to chase after them and see what happens, we're sure we can catch some of them."

Furthermore, our main force cannot stop. Let's head towards the estuary and see if we can catch their warships. Didn't Pang Qingyun sink one in the south earlier? Maybe we'll get lucky and take one down too. Hurry up!"

The officer responded and turned to leave without hesitation. In a short while, he dispatched a large contingent to continue the pursuit...

After those people left on horseback, Emperor Xianfeng and Empress Dowager Ci'an were helped off the carriage by eunuchs and palace maids.

Su Zixuan silently stared at the man before her, who could barely stand, his face pale and his appearance emaciated. His foul odor was clearly noticeable even in the cold wind. If it weren't for the fact that this man was dressed in a respectable dragon robe, he would hardly resemble an emperor.

Seeing the wide-eyed expressions of Emperor Xianfeng and Empress Dowager Cixi, Su Zixuan took a step back, fanned her nose in disgust, but still smiled and said, "I didn't expect the emperor to let a woman like me command the army?"

“Wang Yan has great spirit.” Emperor Xianfeng expressed his approval, and then said, “I know you. Your name is Su Zixuan. You used to be a member of the Heavenly Kingdom, and later you followed Wang Yan.”

"I didn't expect you to still remember me even in this state. I admire you."

Emperor Xianfeng, of course, sensed the resentment in Su Zixuan's words. He frowned and asked, "Do you have a grudge against me?"

"I have a grudge against you!"

Su Zixuan wanted to let the dead know the truth, so she thoughtfully explained the reason.

Emperor Xianfeng sighed with regret: "I understand now. It's all because of you. Otherwise, Wang Yan might really not have been willing to put in any more effort on us..."

"What are you dreaming about? You've read so many history books, but have you ever seen a dynasty's last emperor run away?" Su Zixuan was surprised by Xianfeng's lack of understanding. "I think you've really ruined your brain by smoking opium. Do you think Wang Yan didn't send troops to hunt you down earlier? Do you really think he's some kind of benevolent person?"
"Let me tell you, all of you are hiding everywhere, in a chain of connections. Many others are courting death by following you, and everyone's watching. Wang Yan knows you won't live long, that you're no threat, so he's too lazy to bother with you; he's looking for those who pose a greater threat. If you were to gather your forces and fight him for ten days or half a month, you'd be dead. Although it's true that I, being a woman who holds grudges and is spoiled, begged him to let me lead troops to find you, I don't know if he planned this beforehand or if it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision."

"He's a terrifying man; it's hard to believe he's not even thirty."

Su Zixuan sneered, "Alright, that's enough. You've died knowing why. I've prepared a pot of poisoned wine for you two. Now, you may depart. I'll see you off."

Of course, no one wants to die, but when people know they have no choice but to die, they all have a bit of courage. Especially since these were the emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty; their deaths were not glorious, but they still wanted to save face.

So, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two men trembled as they picked up their glasses, downed them in one gulp, and then died a painful death in front of everyone.

Su Zixuan watched them suppress their pain, lying on the ground struggling as if they were dying, until they breathed their last.

“I think this mountain is fine. They started their family business here, it’s their ancestral land.” Su Zixuan waved his hand. “Let’s dig a hole and bury them.”

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, a group of soldiers came out, dragged the body, carried shovels, and buried it directly in the mountains.

Su Zixuan was quite considerate; he at least gave the person some dignity, left them with a complete body, and even provided them with a home in the end. It's really commendable that he went to such lengths.

Not everyone can or wants to control hatred. The most famous example is Wu Zixu's desecration of a corpse…

Su Zixuan didn't linger there for long before continuing her journey. She genuinely didn't want those people to run away and live a better life. She even planned to wait until later to expose the remnants of the Qing dynasty and kill all those who secretly enjoyed wealth, lived in peace, and used the past as a source of gossip. No one should be allowed to escape!
So she really led her troops to pursue and kill them, and captured quite a few people. It was equivalent to half of the royal family's main force following the emperor, and they were basically all wiped out. She didn't want any survivors.

However, in the end, some people still left on warships, just as Emperor Xianfeng said, to go overseas and live like monkeys.

Furthermore, Su Zixuan's operation this time resulted in no losses. After all, just raiding Xianfeng's team yielded a wealth of treasures, including gold, jewelry, rare stones, antiques, and many other items. Capturing others would also yield many treasures, since only the wealthy need to hide...

The capital city, the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

This place has now undergone some simple renovations and become Wang Yan's office. It also serves as the venue for daily policy meetings, accommodating expanded meetings of about 100 people and conveying directives.

Wang Yan originally wanted to go to the West Garden, but it was still under renovation. The palace was in a terrible state, poorly maintained, and not at all presentable.

There has been constant warfare and exploitation in recent years. First came the Opium War, then the Taiping Rebellion, and then Wang Yan seized power, with money being spent everywhere. Although the royal family didn't pay for it, the expenses were still too high, affecting revenue, so life in the palace was certainly not easy.

Worse still, he received only an empty shell; he didn't actually acquire much wealth or treasure. In fact, he had very little money. To be honest, he couldn't even afford to live in the palace, let alone support so many people under his command.

However, he doesn't need money, because he prints it himself; it's fiat currency issued directly without any other equivalent. He can print as much as he wants.

So recently, even in winter, the capital has been bustling with activity. All sorts of projects have been planned, such as the renovation of the city's drainage system, the renovation of old houses, road construction, city wall repair, palace construction, urban expansion, industrial development, the creation of wonders, and a whole host of other projects waiting to be built.

This is just in Beijing; there are also construction plans across the country, as well as other agricultural, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery industries...

Despite numerous internal conflicts and persistent external threats to our survival, Wang Yan has already embarked on an era of massive construction, possessing wealth, manpower, and unparalleled power!

Meanwhile, in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, Su Zixuan, holding her child, spoke happily: "They were basically all captured and killed, except for the child born to Empress Dowager Cixi. According to the people who served her, he may be hiding in the city under an assumed name."

"It's just an immature child, it doesn't matter."

"Aren't you afraid that one day these people will infiltrate our ranks and try to overthrow us?"

"There's no need for 'later,' there's already a ton of stuff. No matter how disruptive it is, he still has to do things. If he does things right, they'll be good; if he does things wrong, he can't get away with it no matter what."

Wang Yan doesn't care much about what happens after he's gone. He usually just tries his best to live his life and the rest is none of his business.

"You've finally gotten your revenge, and you can finally rest easy."

Sunlight streamed in, and he unfurled a painting to admire it. On the floor, in a jar, lay a large pile of scrolls. On the shelves, various porcelain pieces, rare stones, jewelry, and other artifacts were displayed.

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Su Zixuan said, "I also want to investigate them in the future. Those who have run away will not be allowed to live in peace."

"It's entirely up to you, as long as you don't find it tiring."

"Who would complain about having too much power? If you can't tolerate people, then I definitely won't cause you any trouble."

“Power comes with responsibility. Many people have misunderstood this. They only want power and don’t want to bear the responsibility.” Wang Yan waved his hand. “I’ll have the person in charge of the investigation report to you later.”

"It seems you really like these antiques. Why haven't I seen you express any interest before?"

“I didn’t dislike it before, and although I do now, I don’t particularly like it. I just appreciate the skills and learn from them. The Heavenly King gave me a batch, you gave me another batch, the city raided another batch, and Li Wantang helped me get another batch. There’s so much stuff that I don’t even have room to put it. In my spare time, I have something to do and I can improve a bit.”

"Big brother! Congratulations!"

With a loud shout, Zhao Erhu walked in laughing and opened his arms to hug Wang Yan. "I've been waiting for so long, and I can finally say congratulations to you. Back then, you told me and Lao San that as long as we dared to fight, we could live a good life. But we haven't even fought hard enough, and our life is already over."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Your good days have only just begun. Your time is up, but mine is far from over. I think you're just waiting for me to die so you can inherit my throne."

"I just sat down in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and it was uncomfortable. Being the emperor is a lot of work, and managing logistics these past few years has really taken a toll on me. Brother, I'm two years younger than you, and look at all this white hair. I don't want to go out anymore; I just want to enjoy a few more years of peace and quiet."

　I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!

　　(End of this chapter)