good season

Yang Shengqiu had a dream in which he married Feng Ke's daughter, Feng Yalan, and became the son-in-law of the Grand Secretary.

Feng Yalan was beautiful and composed, but she was born out of wedlock, which made him, her son-in-law, inferior to others in the Feng family.

In particular, the Feng family also has a distinguished son-in-law, the Third Prince.

During festivals and family banquets at the Feng family mansion, even though they were both sons-in-law, he didn't even have the right to sit at the same table as the Third Prince.

He returned from the Feng family looking depressed. Feng Yalan felt sorry for him and gently advised him not to take it to heart. After all, that person was not only a prince but also the emperor's favorite son. They were first and foremost ruler and subject, and only then relatives.

He understood and comprehended Feng Yalan's words, but he was still unwilling to accept it.

If it weren't for the Great Yong Dynasty, and if it were still the previous dynasty, he would also be a member of the imperial family, though not as high as the crown prince, but not much different.

But now, he has to change his name and be extremely cautious. He doesn't even dare to show his talent in the imperial examinations. He has put a lot of effort into keeping his ranking in a position that doesn't attract attention.

Not long after, Tongzhou was flooded, and the Fifth Prince received an imperial order to go to Tongzhou to provide disaster relief.

His unapproachable brother-in-law, the third prince, suddenly summoned him to his residence and looked down at him, saying, "Work for me, and I will give you a chance to rise to the top."

He agreed.

Because he had no other choice.

As an official of the Ministry of Works, he accompanied the Fifth Prince to Tongzhou. While in Tongzhou, he secretly won over the officials traveling with him. In accordance with the Third Prince's plan, he sidelined the ambitious Fifth Prince, bribed people around the Fifth Prince, stole his seal, resold grain, and embezzled disaster relief funds, all without the Fifth Prince's knowledge.

The disaster victims were not properly resettled, and their grievances grew louder, eventually escalating into a riot. Qin Meng, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, lost his two daughters and his mother-in-law, Madam Hao, in the riot. It is said that the bodies of the two young girls were in a gruesome state.

Before the Fifth Prince had even left Tongzhou, a memorial impeaching him had already been submitted to the Emperor. Imperial Censor Qin burst into tears and fainted in front of the Emperor!
Emperor Yongjia was furious. The Fifth Prince was still on his way back to the capital when the Imperial Guards arrived to arrest him.

But he escaped unscathed!

He died in the line of duty, perishing in the flood.

In reality, he was taken to Dalu by the fairy Cao who came to fetch him.

In Dalu, he met the strategist Wang Yin and became the spiritual leader of the gyrfalcon.

His arrival also caught the attention of the Dalu King.

He faced a choice once again, and between the strategist and the King of Dalu, he chose the King of Dalu.

He took advantage of the strategist's trust in him, killed the strategist, and became the de facto ruler of the gyrfalcon.

He was overjoyed; he was no longer a puppet at the mercy of his strategist. He had taken command of the gyrfalcon and become a guest of honor of the Dalu King.

The King of Dalu valued him highly, and he reciprocated in kind.

He had lived in the capital and was familiar with the city and its officials. Therefore, he sent assassins to kill Han Tai, the heir of Northern Yan, who was being held hostage in the capital!

The Northern Yan had no heir, but the King of Northern Yan wanted to make his 12-year-old fifth son the heir. He was entrusted with this mission in a time of crisis, and sent men to kill the fifth son and cripple the King of Northern Yan.

The King of Northern Yan, now a cripple, had no choice but to write a memorial appointing his third son, Han Song, as the new heir apparent.

Not long after, an imperial edict arrived from the capital, making Han Song the new heir apparent of Northern Yan.

During this time, he sent someone back to the capital and took his son away right under Feng Yalan's nose.

With a son, the Dalu king could no longer use the excuse of continuing the family line to force him to marry a Dalu woman.

He was a descendant of Emperor Ai, possessing noble blood. He did not want to marry a lowly Dalu woman, nor did he want to have a son with Dalu blood.

He was overjoyed when his son was brought to his side and took great care in raising him. His son was very intelligent and showed great talent at a young age. If he were in Dayong, his son would definitely be a top scholar!

Many years passed like this; his son grew up, and he himself reached middle age.

At this moment, news came from Dayong that Emperor Yongjia had died suddenly!

Hai Dongqing quickly discovered the cause of Emperor Yongjia's death: he had died suddenly after taking an elixir concocted by the retired emperor. After learning that he had mistakenly killed his beloved son, the retired emperor swallowed the remaining elixir and also passed away.

Of course, this is only the apparent cause of death.

The person who actually poisoned Emperor Yongjia was the Third Prince. He bribed people around the Retired Emperor to replace the elixir, killed Emperor Yongjia, framed the Retired Emperor, and ultimately poisoned the Retired Emperor as well.

After Emperor Yongjia died, the third prince became the new emperor.

Not long after he ascended the throne, he confiscated and exterminated the Feng family, who had supported him all the way to the throne, along with several senior officials in the court.

The deaths of Emperor Yongjia and the retired emperor were already shrouded in mystery, and the fact that the new emperor executed veteran officials before even consolidating his throne chilled the hearts of the people.

The court of Dayong was facing its greatest upheaval in decades. King Dalu felt the time was right and sent him to Northern Yan to negotiate with Han Song, the crown prince of Northern Yan.

Ultimately, Han Song agreed to a series of conditions and agreed to let the Dalu enter the pass.

Not long after, Han Song submitted a memorial in the name of the King of Northern Yan, requesting the new emperor to allow Northern Yan to send an additional 100,000 troops.

The new emperor refused, believing that Northern Yan harbored rebellious intentions, and sent assassins to Northern Yan to kill the King of Northern Yan.

Han Song preemptively murdered his father and set a trap, with the help of Hai Dongqing, to capture the assassins sent by the new emperor.

Afterwards, Han Song issued a proclamation, announcing to the world that the new emperor was immoral and had murdered the King of Northern Yan.

Han Song raised the banner of avenging his father and allowed the Dalu army to enter the pass.

The Dalu army advanced triumphantly, capturing the capital. The new emperor had already fled, and the Dalu people burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities in the capital.

He also returned to the capital with his son and the army. He wanted to stay in the capital, but in the end, the Dalu King ordered him to return to Dalu with his son.

He never expected that he and his son would lose their freedom as soon as they returned to Dalu.

The one who subdued the father and son was none other than his trusted right-hand man.

They told him, “You are different from us. We are Han Chinese, but we are also Dalu people. You are just Han Chinese. You are not worthy to command the gyrfalcons. You and the strategist are only fit to be dogs for the Dalu warriors.”

They killed his son right in front of him, and then it was his turn. He woke up from his dream the moment the knife was brought to his neck!

Yang Shengqiu gasped for breath. Thank goodness, it was just a dream. This dream was truly terrifying.

After a while, Yang Shengqiu gradually calmed down. He looked around at the unfamiliar room and the unfamiliar bed. Just then, he heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice: "You're awake? Has your fever gone down?"

Yang Shengqiu remembered, it was Jin Shier!
He was led by Jin Shier all the way north, enduring wind and rain along the way, and he fell ill.

"Where is this place?" He remembered that before he fell ill, they had lived in a dilapidated temple.

“This is Northern Yan. Now that you’re awake, let’s leave the pass tonight,” Jin Shier said.

Yang Shengqiu paused, recalling the dream: "Leaving the pass? To the Dalu?"

Jin Shier frowned: "Have you lost your mind? We came to Northern Yan precisely to go to the Dalu, didn't we?"

Recalling his tragic end in his dream, Yang Shengqiu subconsciously said, "No, I won't go. I want to go back to the capital. I am an official of the imperial court. I want to go back to the capital!"

A hint of disdain flashed in Jin Shier's eyes. This is the person the strategist has his eye on?
What a piece of trash!
"You want to go back to the capital? Dream on. We lost thirty or forty men trying to get you. You just casually say you want to go back to the capital, and all of us died for nothing. You'd better be smart and shut your mouth. Come back to Dalu with me obediently. Otherwise, I'll kill you with one stroke. At worst, I'll just tell the strategist that you died on the way."

Yang Shengqiu felt a chill run down his spine, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

He didn't want to know anything about the gyrfalcon, and he certainly didn't want to join.

The Dalu King did not trust the Han people at all. He could kill the strategist, and he could kill him too. As long as they were Han people, the Dalu King would squeeze out their last bit of value and then kill them all!
However, he had witnessed Jin Shier's martial prowess. Although he also possessed martial arts skills, they were nothing but empty gestures in front of Jin Shier. He was no match for such a professional assassin, and he could not escape Jin Shier's grasp.

Yang Shengqiu's mind raced. He knew he couldn't force the issue, so he could only pretend to be pragmatic and apologize to Jin Shier.

"I'm sorry, I had a brain overheating, that's why I was talking nonsense. It was my fault."

Jin Shier snorted coldly and ignored him. Although the strategist said this person was very important, Jin Shier didn't take him seriously at all; he was just a pretty boy with no backbone.

Jin Shier left Yang Shengqiu in the house while he went out to contact his contact, as they were to cross the border that night.

Seeing that he had left, Yang Shengqiu breathed a sigh of relief. He pushed the door, but it wouldn't open; the door was locked from the outside.

Fortunately, there was a window. Yang Shengqiu jumped out of the window, but he didn't dare to run away immediately. Instead, he hid nearby.

An hour later, Jin Shier returned, accompanied by a soldier from Northern Yan.

Jin Shier was carrying a bundle containing two sets of Northern Yan military uniforms. Tonight, he and Yang Shengqiu would disguise themselves as Northern Yan soldiers and leave the pass. After they left, someone would meet them.

Yang Shengqiu calculated the time and realized that the King of Northern Yan was still alive and well, and Han Song was just an ordinary son among the many sons of the King of Northern Yan.

The Fifth Prince was born to the most beloved woman of the King of Northern Yan, and the King of Northern Yan would take him with him wherever he went.

Even if Crown Prince Han Tae dies, the position of Crown Prince will not go to Han Song, whose mother died young.

Therefore, although Han Song has been secretly communicating with the Dalu, the Dalu people still need to disguise themselves to enter and exit the pass.

Yang Shengqiu didn't want to get involved in this mess. Before anyone knew about his relationship with Hai Dongqing, he wanted to return to the capital and say that he had been kidnapped by thieves and escaped with his life on the line.

He wanted to bring up his marriage proposal to Feng Yalan again with the Feng family. Feng Yalan's reputation was ruined, and she could not marry a husband with better conditions. Marrying him would be a step up for her.

However, Feng Yalan was well-educated, reasonable, generous and proper. More importantly, only by marrying Feng Yalan could one give birth to the son from the previous life. If it were any other woman, even if a son was born, he would not be the smart and outstanding son in the dream.

Furthermore, if the dream was his past life, then in that past life, Feng Yalan was a widow for him, and lived a lonely and regretful life until her death.

She is a good woman.

In this life, he wants to marry her and have her bear him many children.

Now that he's become the Feng family's son-in-law, he'll make Feng Ke see the Third Prince's ugly face, and he'll also let Feng Ke know that he, Yang Shengqiu, is the Feng family's most anticipated son-in-law.

With Feng Ke's support, he will be able to gain the emperor's favor. At that time, he will be able to find ways to expose the Third Prince's conspiracy. The Third Prince should have died long ago. Such a person should be torn to pieces.

And that's how he was able to rise so quickly in his career.

With the Third Prince fallen, which prince should be supported instead?
Yang Shengqiu considered all the princes, and finally settled on the seventh prince.

The emperor is in his prime and can sit on the dragon throne for at least another ten years.

The seventh prince was just the right age; seven years later, he would be eighteen!
Furthermore, the Seventh Prince has no birth mother, and judging from the Emperor's attitude towards the Wei family, he dislikes maternal relatives. Therefore, without the support of his maternal family, the Seventh Prince fully meets the requirements to become the Crown Prince.

Yang Shengqiu was overjoyed by his discovery. He was indeed born to become a high-ranking official, and his vision far surpassed that of Feng Ke!
It must be said that Yang Shengqiu's judgment was very accurate. Emperor Yongjia did indeed take a liking to the Seventh Prince, but he was still young, and the Seventh Prince was still young, so he was not in a hurry.

Besides, the Seventh Prince isn't the only prince; he has at least ten years to carefully select from among his several sons.

Yang Shengqiu was lost in his own daydreams and didn't notice that Jin Shier was looking for him.

Jin Shier is no ordinary person. He is the twelfth ranked assassin of the Hai Dongqing. The ranking of assassins is not only based on their martial arts skills, but also on their wisdom and experience.

Although Yang Shengqiu was highly talented, his experience as an assassin was something that couldn't be found in books. When he sensed danger approaching, Jin Shier's dagger was already pressed against his chest.

"You've got some nerve, trying to run away. You probably don't know, but to this day, no one has ever escaped alive from my clutches."

Yang Shengqiu thought this hiding place was quite well hidden, but he didn't expect Jin Shier to find him so quickly.

He tried to admit his mistake again, but this time, Jin Shier no longer believed him and struck him on the back of the neck, causing Yang Shengqiu to lose consciousness.

When he woke up again, he was already in Daru.

Jin Shier reported his attempt to escape to the strategist without missing a single detail, and told the strategist that this man was extremely cunning and that the strategist should not trust him.

Upon waking up, Yang Shengqiu did not want to repeat the mistakes of his previous life, so he took the initiative to negotiate with the strategist.

"Since you come from a prestigious sect, you must know about the Imperial Seal of the State, right?"

The strategist knew, of course, that when Emperor Ai handed over the Imperial Seal along with the young prince to the guards, the Imperial Seal was passed down from generation to generation by the young prince's descendants. However, it was always kept by the eldest son's family. After the eldest son's family was wiped out, the Imperial Seal disappeared.

"Do you know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal of the State?" the strategist asked.

Yang Shengqiu nodded: "My mother knew where the Imperial Seal of the State was hidden. Before she passed away, she told me this secret."

The strategist looked at him for a long time before finally choosing to believe him.

After all, Yang Shengqiu was the last remaining bloodline of the eldest son's family. If he didn't know, then no one else in the world would know.

"With the Imperial Seal, you can also command the gyrfalcons. Moreover, as far as I know, Emperor Ai was a womanizer by nature. He did quite a few things while secretly visiting the common people. Perhaps some of his bloodline has been lost among the people. If you look carefully, you will definitely be able to find them."

These words were practically telling the strategist directly, "Just find any child and say this is Emperor Ai's orphan. If I don't say anything and you don't say anything, no one in the world will know."

With the Imperial Seal of the State in your hands, you can easily set up a puppet ruler and still plot great things.

The strategist agreed to send Yang Shengqiu back to Dayong, on the condition that Yang Shengqiu hand over the treasure map after being sent to Dayong.

Yang Shengqiu's wish came true; he was finally able to return to Dayong. After returning to Dayong, he had many things to do, and he had already made plans.

However, walls have ears, and King Dalu had already placed people around his strategist. His conversation with the strategist was relayed to King Dalu's ears verbatim.

"The imperial seal?"

Although the King of Dalu was far away beyond the Great Wall, he had heard of the Imperial Seal of the State.

Which emperor wouldn't want to possess the Imperial Seal of the State, let alone the ambitious Dalu King?

Before Yang Shengqiu could even set off, he was invited to the palace by the Dalu King.

Helpless, Yang Shengqiu had no choice but to negotiate with Dalu Wang again. However, Dalu Wang was not a strategist; he wanted the Imperial Seal of the State and the top scholar of the Dayong Dynasty.

"The King of Northern Yan is a stubborn and unyielding man. I am sending you to Northern Yan to find a way to win him over. He can do far more than Han Song. As long as you hand over the Imperial Seal and persuade the King of Northern Yan to surrender, I will send you back to the capital of Dayong!"

Yang Shengqiu readily agreed.

He was all too familiar with the process of his past life.

They killed Han Tai, the crown prince of Northern Yan, used Han Song, then killed the fifth prince, and then crippled the King of Northern Yan. They held evidence of Han Song's patricide and fratricide, and made Han Song completely work for the Dalu.

Unfortunately, Yang Shengqiu arrived at the wrong time. He came to Northern Yan and met Han Song.

Following his instructions, Han Song delivered one of Hai Dongqing's female assassins to the King of Northern Yan.

Unfortunately, at this very moment, Yan Xia arrived in Northern Yan.

Yan Xia set a trap, forcing the female assassin into the game, and only then did the King of Northern Yan believe that his son harbored evil intentions.

In a fit of rage, the King of Northern Yan killed Han Song and the Prince of Hejin.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Xia, together with the King of Northern Yan, launched a large-scale search for Dalu spies in Northern Yan. The people brought by Yang Shengqiu were captured and revealed Yang Shengqiu's hiding place. When the King of Northern Yan found him, he said that he was a Han Chinese who had been captured by the Dalu people and that he was a top scholar.

Unfortunately, it was not the Yan Knight who captured Yang Shengqiu, but the King of Northern Yan.

The King of Northern Yan was enraged by the schemes of his own son. He had not been to the capital for many years and did not know Yang Shengqiu at all, let alone heard of him. More importantly, Han Song's men could testify that Yang Shengqiu was the envoy sent by the King of Dalu to contact Han Song.

With witnesses present, the King of Northern Yan gave Yang Shengqiu no chance to prove his innocence and killed him with a single blow.

Before Yang Shengqiu could even react, the knife had already pierced his chest.

Yang Shengqiu's body, along with the bodies of other Dalu spies, was thrown out of the pass. The King of Northern Yan climbed the city gate tower and shouted to the Dalu people outside the pass, "Tell the Dalu King that these corpses are gifts from me, and ask him to accept them!" (End of this chapter)