Notes on Longevity

Chapter 95 The First Snow of Winter Falls, Yan Yu Returns on Horseback

In the fortieth year of Shangyuan, on the seventh day of the first month of winter.

Since the beginning of winter, the snow has always come so quickly, as if it were timed precisely, always starting to snow on the 5th or 7th of each month.

Fortunately, the snow wasn't too heavy; there was only a thin layer on the ground, about the thickness of a shoe sole. The adults in the city, seeing that the snow wasn't heavy, strolled alone or in pairs in the streets, enjoying the snow. The children, on the other hand, ran around in groups in the snow.

They would occasionally wander through the shops, begging for food here and there. Winter had arrived, which meant that the festive day was not far away, and the shopkeepers had prepared some food early, just waiting for the children to come.

Just as the shopkeeper was distributing things to the children in the shop, they heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from outside the city gate. The sound grew closer and louder until they saw a man and a horse galloping away into the distance, heading straight for the palace, as people admiring the snow on the road gave way.

"Wei Chen has met your Majesty."

Inside Tianyan Palace, all civil and military officials were gathered except for Zhang Jinggong. A young man knelt with his head bowed in the main hall, on the path separating the civil and military officials.

"Rise, Minister Yan." Emperor Shangyuan looked at Yan Yu calmly and said in a flat tone.

Upon hearing this, Yan Yu loudly replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Dressed entirely in black, he stood out from everyone else in the hall. He bowed deeply to the Emperor and said apologetically, "Your Majesty, I only arrived in the capital this morning and have not yet had time to change my clothes. Please forgive me."

His voice was deep and powerful, exuding masculinity, and his words startled at least half of the civil and military officials. Some glanced at him furtively; although he was middle-aged, he looked like a young man in his thirties. They felt strange and puzzled.

They secretly wondered, "Does this man never age? He hasn't changed at all." Not only did they think this, but the emperor did too. When Emperor Shangyuan saw him clearly, he was also surprised: "Yan Yu, I remember you looked just like this when I demoted you. How come you haven't changed at all after all these years?"

Yan Yu smiled and said, "This is all thanks to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor found it somewhat amusing and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"If His Majesty had not demoted me back then, I might be like you gentlemen today, with white hair and a weary appearance. In recent years, the Ministry of Rites in Qingzhou has been relatively quiet, so I have been able to relax and occasionally read books and practice Taoism. Without too many worries, I naturally appear younger."

Before Yan Yu could finish speaking, someone among the officials cast a different glance at him—that person was none other than Tang Wanchao, the Minister of Revenue. He thought to himself, "When did this man become like this?"

"Stop your nonsense," the Emperor Shangyuan gave him a cold look. "Now that you're back, the position of Minister of Rites will be temporarily handed over to you. The current Minister has been bedridden at home. Go and see him when you have time, and hand over all the necessary matters so that you can take over in the future."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Yan Yu bowed respectfully.

"Alright, let's disperse." With that, Emperor Shangyuan stood up and walked to one side.

Seeing this, the officials all left, but Yan Yu called out to Tang Wanchao.

"Lord Tang, Lord Wang, how have you been?"

Wang Quande stood behind Tang Wanchao, intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him. The moment Yan Yu stepped into the main hall and spoke, Wang Quande felt his heart pound with fear, for reasons unknown.

Tang Wanchao looked at Yan Yu somewhat guiltily and bowed to him, saying, "Congratulations, Lord Yan, on your return to the capital."

"I must also thank you both for seeing me out of the city. I am deeply grateful and need to go to Lord Zhang's residence first, so I will not keep you company any longer."

He smiled at the two of them, and then left.

"No, sir, what I'm getting at is hostile behavior. It seems like they're here to target us." Wang Quande stood nervously behind Tang Wanchao. "We're doomed." Tang Wanchao's heart pounded, and he unconsciously uttered this.

"What's over?" Wang Quande asked, somewhat confused.

-

"His Majesty."

Just as Yan Yu was about to leave the palace, he was stopped by a eunuch who said that His Majesty wanted to see him.

"Do you know why I summoned you this time?" Shangyuan Shangdi looked at Yan Yu with a smile, feigning mystery.

"I've figured it out." Yan Yu smiled. "His Majesty wanted me to return and take up the post of Minister of Revenue."

"You old fool, you used this to deceive my prince back then, didn't you?" Emperor Shangyuan smiled helplessly. "You people from the Observatory of Heaven are not honest at all. You drove away one of them, and now Xiang Bo has appeared. You never give me a moment's peace."

“However, Lord Zhang is also right. If things continue like this, the Great Yan's fate is not long.” Yan Yu shook his head, pondering something.
"Lord Zhang?" Emperor Shangyuan frowned as he looked at Yan Yu. "In my letter, I only said that I was asking you to return and temporarily assume the position of Minister of Rites. I didn't say anything else."

"I did calculate it. I calculated it," Yan Yu said, still smiling.

The Emperor Shangyuan snorted and said, "You are quite outspoken. Then tell me, what is the meaning of my Great Destiny General?"

"The country will perish." These words were spoken lightly by Yan Yu, but they caused the Emperor of Shangyuan to change his expression.

The Emperor Shangyuan frowned, turning sideways as he walked towards him, glancing back at the dragon bed behind him. Once he was beside Yan Yu, he pointed to the dragon bed and asked gravely, "Were you speaking to me just now?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Yan Yu replied softly, but it was a voice that deafened the Emperor Shangyuan.

Emperor Shangyuan lowered his hand, looked at Yan Yu, and asked him incredulously, "Are you sure what you're saying is true?"

Yan Yu said softly, "Yes."

The Emperor Shangyuan frowned deeply, but asked softly, "Did you also calculate this?"

"At most thirty years. Oh, Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Before Yan Yu could finish speaking, the emperor lost his footing and fell directly into Yan Yu's arms.

Yan Yu helped him up with force, only to see his lips twitching as he muttered something: "How could this happen? Is my Great Yan's thousand-year foundation really going to be destroyed in my hands?"

Yan Yu rolled his eyes upon hearing the Emperor's words. "No, Your Majesty, I haven't finished speaking yet."

"How could this be?" Emperor Shangyuan felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to hear Yan Yu's words.

Left with no other option, Yan Yu held the back of his head with four fingers and gently pressed his thumb on the Baihui point. A milky white halo emerged from Yan Yu's thumb and slowly entered his body.

"Are you feeling better, Your Majesty?" After the meeting, Yan Yu helped the emperor to lie down on the dragon bed.

"You're saying my Great Yan Kingdom is doomed?"

(End of this chapter)