Thief Emperor

Chapter 1161 Another Generation
The emperor had this feeling mainly because, as the years went by and the situation changed year by year, his emotions seemed to be becoming increasingly unstable.

In fact, if he hadn't reconciled with himself regarding the new policy, this one issue alone would have been enough to lead him into a dead end. If he had a bad thought, countless people would have died in his rage.

Now that the hurdle of the new policy has finally passed, Li Yun has convinced himself to try not to think about the future.

However, in recent years, some familiar faces have left him one after another, from his old friend Zhou Xu, to Zhou Liang who started a business with him and even watched him grow up.

Now, it's Su Sheng's turn again.

It is foreseeable that as long as Emperor Li lives long enough, the old members of the anti-theft team will gradually leave over the next ten or twenty years.

Li Yun didn't know if his mindset would change drastically if he were to become a truly lonely person one day.

There's also a nightmarish thought that sometimes pops into my head.

That is…

What if Du Qian leaves one day too?

He lost his partners, the people who could dissuade him, and the people who could stand on equal footing with him in terms of strategic opinions.

What will he become then?
Hard to say.

He himself couldn't see clearly what the future held.

Upon hearing Li Yun's words, General Su's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Li Yun and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty is virtuous and benevolent. As long as you maintain this benevolence, there will certainly be no major changes..."

Li Yun shook his head.

"Brother, if killing one person can save ten, is it more benevolent to kill that person or not to kill them?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "If I were a bad person, I would only be eating, drinking, and indulging in pleasure right now, living the life of a carefree emperor. Then I wouldn't have such thoughts."

"If I were truly as my brother says, possessing any benevolent heart or saintly virtues..."

He shook his head: "Who knows what might happen in the future."

As he spoke, he looked at Su Sheng and sighed, "Brother, I will have someone summon a renowned doctor to treat you. Don't refuse. Even if it's not for yourself or the Su family, it's for my sake."

He said quietly, "If my brother passes away, there will be very few people in the court who will call me Erlang. If my brother lives a few more years or even just to keep me company, it will make my reign as emperor much easier."

Su Sheng sighed and shook his head, saying, "I have two imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital in my family. They say I am like a candle in the wind or a lamp in the rain."

He looked at Li Yun and forced a smile: "But since Erlang has said so, I will try to hold on for as long as possible."

"It's definitely not going to work in a few years or a decade."

He coughed and said, "Let's see if I can live another year or two."

The emperor sighed and stood up, saying, "Brother, you're ill, so don't overexert yourself. I'll help you to rest. I'll say a few more words to the Su family and then return to the palace."

He helped Su Sheng up and said with emotion, "From now on, I don't know if we brothers will ever be able to have a drink together again."

Su Sheng was helped to his feet. He looked up at him and said with a smile, "If Your Majesty wishes to drink, I will gladly accompany you."

Li Yun shook his head and helped him back to his residence. By this time, the sons of the Su family had already gathered around. Li Yun called over several of Su Sheng's sons and instructed the eldest son, Su Shen, "Take good care of your father and make sure nothing happens to him. I will summon the best doctors in the country to come and treat him as soon as possible."

"If anything happens, report it to the palace immediately, and I will come right away."

Su Shen was already in his thirties or forties. Upon hearing this, he lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have remembered."

The emperor looked at everyone and said, "Su Zhan."

Su Zhan hurriedly stepped forward, bowed his head and greeted, "Father."

The emperor patted his shoulder and said quietly, "Your father and I have been fellow disciples for many years, like brothers. It's not convenient for me to stay in the Su family all the time, so you are my son-in-law."

"Come and see him more often for me."

Su Zhan quickly lowered his head: "This is my duty, Father. Rest assured, I will take good care of my father."

Li Yun hummed in agreement and sighed deeply: "I won't keep you any longer. You brothers, take good care of your father."

After saying that, he walked out with his hands behind his back, then waved to Su Zhan. Su Zhan quickly stepped forward and followed behind him, bowing slightly as he said, "Your Majesty."

As the emperor walked, he said, "When you have free time, come here more often. My senior brother no longer has the energy to manage the Su family. You should take over for him. If anything happens, you, as his fifth uncle, should step forward."

Su Zhan nodded quickly and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, although my elder brother is my elder brother, he is like a father to me. He has taken great care of me over the years, and I will take good care of the Gu family for him."

The emperor grunted and patted Su Zhan on the shoulder: "From now on, do your job well. Although it will be difficult for you to achieve any great merit and be granted the title of Duke, it will not be a big problem to grant you the title of Marquis in the future."

Su Zhan was indifferent to fame and titles. He smiled and said, "I am just a nobody official. I can manage my nephews. At worst, I'll get beaten up by them. If I get beaten up, I'll go to His Majesty to complain."

The emperor chuckled and strode away with his hands behind his back.

"Alright, you don't need to see me off anymore. I'm going back to the palace." He shook his head and sighed, "I have a lot to do."

After saying this, His Majesty the Emperor left the Su family, boarded his sedan chair, and quickly disappeared from Su Zhan's sight.

Su Zhan led the Su family in bowing and paying their respects, only raising their heads after His Majesty the Emperor's carriage had moved far away.

Su Zhan looked back at his brothers and nephews, then walked up to his eldest nephew, Su Shen, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Young man, I'll be staying at your house from time to time from now on. Do you have a place for your fifth uncle to stay?"

Su Shen quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

“There has always been a place for my fifth uncle to live in the family, and it has never been moved out.”

Su Zhan nodded first, then shook his head, turned his back, and his eyes reddened.

"A figure like the Great Brother Mountain..."

Su Zhan burst into tears: "How could it just collapse like that..."

…………

His Majesty the Emperor's personal visit, and his arrival with a retinue rather than incognito, is itself a political signal or statement.

The people in Luoyang were all shrewd and astute. With this hint, soon, wave after wave of people came to visit General Su's family.

These people were mostly nobles from Luoyang, and it was not appropriate to keep them outside the door. However, General Su was indeed not one to receive people, so Su Zhan took on the responsibility of entertaining these visiting nobles from Luoyang on behalf of his brother.

Although Su Zhan was not a high-ranking general, nor did he hold a particularly high official rank, the upper circles of Luoyang all knew that he had a close relationship with His Majesty the Emperor, and therefore treated him with great courtesy.

The following afternoon, Duke Xuan, Meng Qing, along with the fourth prince, Prince Su, Li Tong, arrived at the Su family to visit General Su.

It was Su Zhan again who greeted them at the door.

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Su, and greetings, General."

Prince Su quickly returned the greeting: "Fifth Uncle, there's no need for such formalities."

Su Zhan shook his head and said with a smile, "Your Highness, you can just call me Su Wu. I wouldn't dare to address you in any other way."

Duke Meng Qing of Xuanguo, who was standing to the side, shook his head and said, "Su Zhan is not a member of the imperial clan, so it is indeed inappropriate to call him Fifth Uncle. Back then, the Second Prince called him Little Fifth Uncle, so Your Highness should follow suit."

Prince Su quickly bowed his head and said, "Yes."

Su Zhan glanced at the two of them, then smiled at Meng Qing and said, "It seems Your Highness's good fortune is near."

It was common knowledge that the daughter of the Duke of Xuan was to marry the fourth prince, and judging from the current situation, the father-in-law and son-in-law were getting along quite well.

Meng Qing glanced at Su Zhan and shook his head, saying, "His Highness came to visit my residence today, and since I was also going to visit the General, I brought him along."

As he spoke, he looked at Su Zhan and asked, "How is the General?"

The two were old acquaintances, and their ages were not much different. Although their statuses were quite different now, Su Zhan was not too reserved. Upon hearing this, he simply sighed and said, "After His Majesty came yesterday, he felt a little better and ate something. But so far today, he has only drunk some water. The imperial physician prescribed some medicine."

"I don't know if the medicine has been administered."

The two walked side by side as they entered the Su family's gate. After a few steps, Su Zhan realized something was wrong and turned to Prince Su, saying, "Your Highness, please walk ahead."

Prince Su quickly waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "Fifth Uncle, I've come here only as a junior to visit an elder. You don't need to worry about my status."

Duke Xuan patted Su Zhan on the shoulder and said, "His Highness Prince Su has a very good personality, you don't need to worry about it."

Su Zhan nodded and continued leading the way.

Meng Qing asked, "Could I see the General?"

Su Zhan hesitated for a moment before saying, "It won't work for others, but since you've spoken up, there's naturally no problem."

"However, the time should not be too long. The imperial physician said that my elder brother needs to rest well."

Meng Qing nodded, then sighed and said to Su Zhan, "Time flies too fast."

"No."

Su Zhan turned to look at Prince Su and forced a smile.

"Back when you were following His Majesty, I bet you never imagined you'd one day be someone's father-in-law, did you?"

Meng Qing nodded, then sighed.

"Time is merciless; in another generation, it will be our turn."

(End of this chapter)