As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 266 No one will disobey me anymore

Night fell, and the beach was deserted.

A bright, full moon rises over the sea, its reflection shimmering on the water. The waves ripple gently in the breeze, reflecting the moonlight with a silvery glow.

The beach was eerily quiet, with only the constant crashing of waves and the white noise of seagulls circling overhead.

Suddenly, a figure swayed and strolled over.

I sat quietly on the beach, watching the sea shrouded in night.

Mingchen.

This is where he met Hong Ling Shuang for the third time. Here, he sailed the sea with that woman and listened to her talk about her ambitions.

More than a month later, he returned here.

He didn't want to go directly to Hong Ling Shuang's residence, so he came here under the cover of night to try his luck.

Chaos broke out in the city, and many people lost their lives, but the sea remained unchanged, with its waves surging ever higher.

Mingchen didn't bring anyone with him this time; he came alone.

"How did you know I was here?"

Suddenly, a head emerged from the surging sea.

The beauty's face was obscured by the darkness, her long, wet hair cascading down.

The scene wasn't beautiful; in fact, it was rather terrifying.

In the darkness, a pair of eyes shone brightly, precisely targeting Mingchen, who had just sat down on the beach.

Mingchen smiled and said, "It's a feeling."

"So if I'm not here, you'll just stay here and enjoy the sea breeze all night?"

The beautiful woman emerged from the sea, dripping wet, dressed in rather sexy clothes, and sat down next to Mingchen without any hesitation.

Does this person have some kind of telepathic connection with her? How can they be so in sync and so understanding?

Having heard the news that Mingchen had barged in, Hong Ling Shuang came here tonight, sensing that Mingchen would come.

Sure enough, they met.

"It's not cold, so what's wrong with enjoying the sea breeze?"

Mingchen shrugged and said nonchalantly, "It's good to come out for a stroll and see the scenery. Ji Qu can't see the sea."

Hong Ling Shuang looked into his eyes and said softly, "You are the one who is truly free."

Unrestrained and fearless.

She has always been chasing freedom, but now it seems that she herself is also trapped in her own dream.

Hong Ling Shuang paused for a moment and then said, "You know about what happened in the city?"

Upon hearing this, Mingchen didn't offer any pleasantries or words of comfort, but simply smiled at her and said, "What a pity, you didn't give me a chance to be a hero and save the damsel in distress~"

The world doesn't stop turning just because someone is gone. And Mingchen doesn't need to run around putting out fires every day.

Hong Ling Shuang's greatest strength lies in her own abilities.

Life will strive to find a way to survive.

Her journey has been far from peaceful; she has faced far more perilous situations than this rebellion. As a competent monarch, she possesses the ability to handle danger. She is not the type to sit idly by and wait for others to come to her aid.

She can handle everything without Mingchen.

Hong Ling Shuang rolled her eyes at him: "Do you think you can help me just by being here?"

"That's natural!"

Hong Ling Shuang touched her cheek: "I'm not a beauty, and you're not a hero."

"Isn't this beautiful!"

"I am not a hero, but you are a beauty."

Hong Ling Shuang forced a smile, then turned to look at him: "Are you here to comfort me?"

Before leaving, the man reminded her not to dance on the edge of a knife.

I don't know if this person was a prophet, but something bad happened not long after he left.

In fact, it is indeed related to him.

Zhu You wanted to get rid of Ming Chen, but Hong Ling Shuang refused. Zhu You acted on her own, however. Because of Ming Chen, Hong Ling Shuang realized that Zhu You, like a dog, had her own ideas and was starting to disobey.

They prepared to get rid of him.

But unexpectedly, due to a moment of carelessness, he not only failed to kill the snake but also got bitten.

Hong Ling Shuang once used Zhu Youbang to deal with a disobedient high-ranking official, who was a close friend of the warlord Xi Licheng.

Zhu You used this matter to persuade Xi Licheng. Zhu You did this secretly and personally, without even informing her confidants or leaking any information.

Hong Ling Shuang is intelligent, but not omniscient or omnipotent.

Zhu You's alliance with Xi Licheng to rebel was indeed beyond her expectations, which subsequently triggered a series of chaotic events.

"Let me give you some chicken soup for the soul."

Having arrived in Bailing City, regardless of the situation, a meeting was inevitable. With the matter now resolved, it seemed all Mingchen could do was offer words of encouragement.

"Chicken soup?"

Hong Ling Shuang turned her head and looked at him with some confusion.

This person returned just when she was at her most vulnerable.

"Are you here to laugh at me?"

Mingchen smiled but did not explain. He simply said, "The great alliance leader survived a desperate situation and miraculously escaped the pursuit of the rebels. He used himself as bait to lure the rebel forces to emerge and finally uprooted them."

"Unparalleled in martial prowess, rarely seen in ancient times."

"As for those rumors, they are purely slanders against the leader by rebels. How can the words of traitors be believed?"

This is something Hong Ling Shuang needs to publicize next.

Whether the facts are true or false is not important.

What matters is what the people believe to be true and what they believe to be false.

It had nothing to do with her biting Zhu You to death.

Otherwise, keeping such a vicious dog would be a huge blow to her prestige. Neither the common people nor her subordinates would want such a leader.

With Zhu You dead, there is no way to verify the truth.

Let the victors write the rest of the story.

When Ling Yu killed the Qu family father and son, Ming Chen handled it in the same way.

The current situation involving Hong Ling Shuang is actually quite similar.

Hong Ling Shuang smiled upon hearing this and quietly gazed at the shimmering sea.

She has experienced far worse situations than this, and she is not lacking in courage to withstand setbacks, nor will she give up easily.

She has already won; she doesn't really care about those rumors.

What she cared about was the price she paid for this miscalculation.

"Mingchen, do you know Chen Jun?"

As night falls, the surroundings become incredibly quiet, and people seem to become more sentimental.

She had been feeling very depressed these past few days. Mingchen's visit at this time, while making fun of her, was undoubtedly a good person to confide in.

"Mr. Chen? Lord Chen?"

To plot against the world, one must at least have some understanding of the top two leaders of various factions.

Hong Ling Shuang is the leader of the Jing Lan Alliance, ranking first, while this Lord Chen is ranked second.

The alliance leader, Hong Ling Shuang, was lazy and only concerned with making decisions; most of the practical matters were handled by this Lord Chen.

He was said to be a robust old man, but Mingchen had never seen him before.

"Correct."

Hong Ling Shuang nodded and quietly looked at the sea: "He was put into the sea and eaten by fish yesterday."

The islands have different cultural customs than those on the mainland. They revere sea burial, believing that the body is fed to fish and will receive eternal life in the blessing of the sea.

Hong Ling Shuang gently bit her lower lip, and said stubbornly, "He's a pedantic old man, I don't like him!"

"That old man is rigid, stubborn, and inflexible. He always contradicts me. When I decided to leave the archipelago for the mainland, he was the first to disagree with me, spouting nonsense about a thousand-year promise and going on and on until he was completely fed up. He's utterly foolish..."

Chen Jun was a veteran official of two dynasties. The previous leader was a troublesome leader, arrogant, extravagant, incompetent, and muddleheaded, who plunged the entire archipelago into chaos, with powerful clans rising up and constant disorder. He wouldn't listen to Chen Jun's advice, and Chen Jun's official position wasn't high either.

Taking advantage of the situation, Hong Ling Shuang unified the archipelago, and this old minister of the former dynasty was also brought under her command. She rose through the ranks to her current position.

Hong Ling Shuang disliked dealing with trivial matters and delegated many tasks to Chen Jun. Chen Jun, in turn, was a loyal subject who diligently performed his duties.

Hong Ling Shuang grumbled to Ming Chen about her deceased subordinate. She was flamboyant, unrestrained, and free-spirited, acting without regard for rules. Chen Jun, on the other hand, was a completely different old man, methodical, diligent, and meticulous in his work. The two, ruler and subject, never saw eye to eye. It was likely that if the old man were told about the Yang Zhu You Gang, he wouldn't allow it.

"Hmph, he should have died long ago!"

"Zhu You took him with her before she left, which put my mind at ease."

"I deliberately let these traitors kill these people, so they wouldn't keep saying this and that and hindering my decision-making."

She raised her head.

His tone was utterly cold, as if he could easily discard these loyal subjects like worn-out shoes.

However, when Mingchen turned his head to look at the beautiful woman's delicate profile, he couldn't tell if it was from the still-wet seawater or something else, but tears welled up in her eyes.

Mingchen didn't speak, but listened quietly.

A wild horse always needs a rein; otherwise, if she runs recklessly to the edge of a cliff, who will rein her in?

"That's good, he's dead."

"No one is going to keep nagging me with objections anymore."

"There's no one left..."

The Alliance Leader, disregarding the difference between men and women, boldly lay down on Mingchen's lap and murmured softly.

Anyway, I've done this before when I was drunk, so it doesn't really matter.

She bit her lower lip lightly, but her cold words changed the subject: "Mingchen, since I took over, I have entrusted him with many things and given him a lot of power. It can be said that his position is second only to mine. He has made great contributions to the development of the Jinglan Alliance to this point."

"Over the years, he has worked diligently. Although he always disagrees with me, he has never had any disloyal intentions. He is wholeheartedly devoted to me and the alliance. He never forms cliques for personal gain, and he never embezzles or abuses his power... Sometimes he makes me so angry that I can't even find fault with him!"

"He stopped me from going to the mainland. I never imagined he would die here. How could he die? I was the one taking the risk, so why is he the one who died..."

Death means that the person has left forever and will never come back.

Hong Ling Shuang has witnessed a lot of death along the way, and has become somewhat numb to it.

However, she was not a cold, emotionless robot. This incident seemed to have finally helped this adventurous leader grow, but she hadn't expected the price of this adventure to be so unbearable.

"Mingchen, no one will dare to disobey me anymore."

No one had ever seen the leader of the alliance look like this before.

Her eyes were filled with tears, growing increasingly blurry. Gazing at the sea, she looked like a wounded tiger, pressing her head against Mingchen's lap. Her hands gripped the fine sand on the beach tightly, and her voice trembled slightly, revealing a hint of sadness and despair: "My arm is broken. I have no loyal subjects left."

For her, Mingchen, a like-minded and highly compatible person, was a confidant, and being with him was both joyful and liberating.

Although Chen Jun and his family often couldn't understand each other, and they always argued and disagreed on political views, they were family members who had supported each other all the way.

Even monarchs are not invincible.

The beach was quiet and peaceful, with waves lapping against the sand in concentric circles, and the woman's soft sobs were drowned out by the darkness.

This girl is full of contradictions.

She is the ruthless and cold-blooded leader who schemes against the world.

She was a sentimental woman, quietly sobbing on this deserted beach, grieving for the deceased.

She's adventurous, and she's also incredibly meticulous...

She is also a very difficult person to understand.

I don’t know how much time passed.

"Mingchen, aren't you going to say something?"

The Alliance Leader seemed to have composed himself. Recalling what he had just done, he felt somewhat embarrassed and awkwardly asked Mingchen a question.

This guy, who usually had a flippant and playful demeanor, spoke with unusual gentleness: "What should I say? What does Ling Shuang want me to say?"

Saying things like, "The dead cannot be brought back to life, and the living should live well in accordance with their will"?
Hong Lingshuang doesn't need that kind of comfort.

All she really needed was for Mingchen to listen to her.

After tonight, she will compose herself and return to being the same confident and assertive leader. All her sadness and regrets will be swept away by the ocean waves.

Hong Ling Shuang rolled her eyes: "Don't you know how to comfort people?!"

She said, her eyes sparkling with sunlight, "I have no loyal subjects left. Why don't you come to the Jinglan Alliance and assist me?"

Mingchen shook his head, completely oblivious to romance: "That won't do!"

The answer was perfectly reasonable, and Hong Ling Shuang wasn't annoyed, only muttering under her breath, "Heartless!"

She raised her head, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and glared fiercely at Mingchen: "I've used this much of my self-inflicted suffering, and you still won't go along with me..."

A smart woman always knows that Mingchen won't stay here.

The point of saying this is simply the phrase "a self-inflicted injury." She just wanted to show that her earlier out-of-control and pathetic appearance was merely a ruse, a ploy to persuade Mingchen to join her.

As for whether Chen believes it or not, that's hard to say.

Mingchen just chuckled and said, "Ling Shuang's self-inflicted injury was truly brilliant, so convincing that most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference!"

"Humph!"

Hong Ling Shuang rolled her eyes at him.

It's good to have someone to listen to her.

At this moment, she seemed to relax a bit, and her mind became serene.

The old man is dead after all, dead in this foreign land by the sea. Let's give him a proper send-off.

She took out an exquisite jade flute and placed it to her lips. Mingchen recognized the jade flute; it was a gift he had given to Hong Ling Shuang, and it had cost him quite a bit of money.

A quiet beach, with seagulls circling overhead.

A few water droplets still clung to the beauty's eyelashes, and her cherry lips parted slightly as she played a song that Mingchen had never heard before.

The jade flute played a melodious tune, initially low and lingering like a clear spring murmuring under the moon, then suddenly rising to a few syllables, as if a spring oriole had just started to sing, trembling a few times on a branch.

An invisible energy spread out little by little as Hong Ling Shuang played the melody. The waves of the vast ocean ahead seemed to surge towards the shore in waves, in rhythm with the music. Fish, seemingly alive, swam and rippled in the sea, forming spirals. Seabirds in the sky also danced gracefully to the rhythm.

Mingchen was stunned for a moment, looking somewhat dazed at the beautiful woman playing the flute beside him.

This performance was even more perfect than the previous performance of "Floating Boat" at Dengxiantai.

She was a born musician; her ambition, her sorrow, her regret, her longing... all could be expressed through music without words.

Listening to the melodious flute music, Mingchen was momentarily dazed, as if he had entered a dream, transforming into a fish swimming freely in the deep sea, where many bubbles were deep in the ocean.

Within the bubble, I glimpsed many wonderful things: a unified world, names etched in history, wielding high power, surrounded by beauties. I sat high in the sky, becoming an all-knowing and all-powerful deity.

Like a dream, the most beautiful things kept echoing in my mind.

He shook his head, his consciousness returning.

I felt a sense of clarity and spiritual well-being, and my whole being seemed to relax. I felt light and blissful, it was simply wonderful.

The beautiful woman beside him was playing celestial music. Mingchen seemed to sense something and looked towards the distant sea.

Waves surged toward the beach, as if something was about to burst forth from the sea.

Hong Ling Shuang held the jade flute in her hand, tilted her head slightly, and gradually raised her voice.

next moment,
Boom boom boom.

Under the full moon's glow, the waves surged even more violently, and a gigantic figure emerged from the rolling waves.

I don't know if it's real or an illusion.

The enormous, azure whale raised its tail, splashing water droplets.

The ethereal chirping, accompanied by Hong Ling Shuang's flute music, gradually spread outwards.

For a moment, everyone in the entire city of Bailing was startled. As if sensing something, they looked towards the sea and unconsciously touched their cheeks.

For some reason, I feel inexplicably sad.

Time passed slowly, and the jade flute's melody came to an end.

As the music ended, the entire world seemed to linger on the melody, and the beach fell into an eerie silence.

The seabirds were silent, the fish were not leaping, and even the sound of the waves seemed fainter.

The enormous, azure whale vanished, turning into specks of fluorescent light.

The moonlight spilled down, falling on the beauty as if draping her in a white veil, making her appear ethereal and like a fairy. Mingchen asked, "What tune is this?"

Hong Ling Shuang simply glanced down at the jade flute in her hand and said, "I don't know."

This is a piece she played freely, completely following her heart. It is a piece she composed herself, a melody in her pursuit of self.

Mingchen stood beside her and asked softly, "Aren't you going to take one?"

Having heard this leader's rather shocking performance up close, it was definitely worth it to be her dumping ground this time.

Upon hearing this, Hong Ling Shuang lowered her head to look at the jade flute in her hand, and gently shook her head: "No, thank you."

It doesn't need a name, and it may be difficult to perform it a second time.

(End of this chapter)