My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

Upon hearing this, Li Ming looked serious and said, "Brother Qi, don't underestimate yourself. You are no ordinary person, having defeated the three Grand Secretaries and uttered those famous lines today."

Qi Yu looked at Li Ming and knew that this guy was determined to drag him into the revolution, which made him somewhat annoyed.

"Your Highness, let me be frank! You are too weak. I don't think you can succeed in starting a rebellion. I don't want to gamble my life and fortune on a game I can't win."

The current Great Yun Dynasty is controlled by powerful families, and the emperor is just a figurehead with no real power.

Li Ming is currently spending a lot of time and effort running around trying to win over allies and recruit talent, but it doesn't really make much sense.

The best option for the Li family now is to abdicate, relinquish the throne, and preserve their bloodline.

Furthermore, given that they were former members of the royal family and had voluntarily abdicated, the new emperor wouldn't dare to do anything to the Li family.

On the contrary, the new emperor even wanted to bestow titles upon the Li family, ensuring their continued wealth and prosperity.

What Li Ming is doing now is like an ant trying to shake a tree—overestimating his own abilities.

The Li family's power is gone!

In this situation, why would I want to get on your pirate ship? To participate in a revolution that is doomed to failure and certain death?

Brother, are you kidding me?!

Qi Yu didn't quite understand. Was the throne really more important than his own life?

"Brother Qi, do you know what I want to do most right now?" Li Ming asked.

Qi Yu looked at Li Ming with a puzzled expression, wondering why the topic had been changed.

"To take back power?" Qi Yu asked.

Li Ming shook his head and said, "What I want to do is to ensure that the people of my Great Yun Dynasty have enough to eat and wear, and that everyone can eat their fill and stay warm. I am willing to give everything for this, even if it means my Li family's empire changes hands."

"As long as what I do makes the people of the Great Yun Dynasty live well, I don't care who sits on the throne."

"But you've seen the Great Yun Dynasty now. Those powerful families treat the common people like fish on a table, letting them eat whatever they want."

"I do not want to, and cannot, hand over the Great Cloud established by my ancestors to such villains who feed on the people."

"So even if the hope is slim, I will give it a try."

As he spoke, Li Ming looked at Qi Yu, his eyes filled with determination.

Qi Yu looked at Li Ming expressionlessly, and after a long while, he sneered.

In the end, isn't it just that you, Old Li, can't bear to part with your empire?

No amount of flowery language can conceal the truth of the matter.

"Your Highness, I have a question, and I hope you can answer it!" Qi Yu asked.

“Go ahead and ask!” Li Ming said.

"What would you do if I kept refusing to help you?" Qi Yu asked.

Li Ming thought for a moment and said, "I'll probably give up. After all, everyone has their own ambitions. If you're not willing to pledge allegiance to me, I can't force you, can I?"

“If you are not helping me willingly, then your help is meaningless.”

Qi Yu glanced outside the courtyard and said sideways, "I thought you were going to kill me!"

Li Ming frowned and asked, "Brother Qi, what makes you say that?"

Qi Yu didn't say anything, but looked out of the courtyard.

Li Ming also looked out of the courtyard, frowning.

"If there's nothing else, Your Highness, please return."

Qi Yu said this with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

This is really going to kill me!

Qi Yu gave the order to leave, and Li Ming naturally wouldn't stay any longer, so he left with his guard, Li Minghai.

Qi Yu saw the carriage to the door, then watched it leave, finally looking out into the night.

Regardless of whether he had already sided with Li Ming or not, people were already starting to pay attention to him.

I felt something was off when I went out this morning, and now I see what happened.

After the Crown Prince left, Su Yue came out of the inner room and looked at Qi Yu with a strange gaze.

"My lord, why is His Highness the Crown Prince so concerned about you? He even comes to see you late at night. Have you done something?" Su Yue asked.

Qi Yu sighed helplessly and said, "Wife, we may have to move!"

Su Yue raised an eyebrow. Moving house?

This is the Qi family's old house!

"Has the situation become that serious?" Su Yue asked.

Qi Yu nodded, looked at the night sky, and said, "A storm is brewing, we need to make plans in advance. I will resign from the government office tomorrow."

"With the thousand taels of gold given by the Crown Prince, let's leave Jiangzhou City and settle down in Tongyun City."

Tongyun City is the city where Su Chengying lives, and Su Yue also grew up there.

As he spoke, Qi Yu turned his head to look at Su Yue, feeling somewhat sorry for her.

"I'm sorry, my wife. I'm so useless. I couldn't give you a stable life. Instead, you had to wander with me and go to a faraway place."

Su Yue smiled and shook her head, saying, "As long as my husband is here, it doesn't matter where we are!"

Qi Yu smiled and nodded, then looked at the few spies in the darkness.

Su Yue also glanced into the night, her eyes slightly narrowed, though not very noticeably.

……

Early the next morning, Qi Yu did not wear his yamen runner's uniform. He had come to resign and hand over his clothes.

Wang Defa walked over with a meat bun in his mouth. He was surprised to see Qi Yu standing in a daze at the entrance of the government office, not even wearing a yamen runner's uniform.

"What are you doing here? And you're here way too early, aren't you? You're not even wearing your yamen runner's uniform yet?" Wang Defa asked in surprise.

Qi Yu looked at Wang Defa. After a month, the two had become quite familiar with each other. To be honest, Qi Yu was really reluctant to part ways with him.

However, the matter of the Crown Prince no longer allows him to have a happy daily life.

The powerful families have already noticed the Crown Prince's high regard for them and have begun to plant spies in advance.

Now, the area around my home is full of those undercover agents.

Let's leave before things get too complicated.

And the sooner the better!

"Old Wang, I'm here today to resign. I'm leaving Jiangzhou City," Qi Yu said.

Wang Defa was startled, casually tossed aside the steamed bun in his hand, and then looked at Qi Yu with surprise.

"You were doing a great job, why are you leaving?"

------------

Chapter Thirty-Three: Farewell

"You were doing so well, why are you leaving?" Wang Defa asked in surprise.

Qi Yu smiled and said, "My father-in-law has set up a cloth shop for me in Tongyun City and wants me to go there and take over the business!"

Wang Defa frowned and said, "You want to become a businessman?"

Among the social classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants held the lowest social status. Therefore, many people looked down on those who were out in the public eye and considered it shameful to be a merchant.

Although yamen runners have no official rank, they are still officials, considered half-scholars. Qi Yu's decision to go into business would lower his social standing.

Qi Yu nodded and said, "I've made up my mind!"

Without saying anything more to Wang Defa, Qi Yu walked into the government office and went directly to the registrar's office.

The registrar was initially just as surprised as Wang Defa. After trying to persuade him to no avail, the registrar had no choice but to agree to Qi Yu's resignation.

Now all that's needed is for the prefect to approve it before Qi Yu can leave.

After waiting for half an hour, the prefect finally arrived, and the registrar handed over Qi Yu's letter of resignation.

The prefect glanced at it, then tossed the resignation letter aside and waved to the registrar.

Soon, the result of Qi Yu's resignation came out, and Qi Yu's resignation was approved.

And today happens to be the day the stipends are distributed.

Qi Yu's monthly salary is six taels of silver!

Qi Yu's resignation caused a stir in the government office.

Although Qi Yu had only been there for a month, he had a good relationship with them, and some of them were even comrades-in-arms who had worked together in brothels and carried guns.

Although they were shocked, surprised, and confused, the die was cast, and all they could do was bid Qi Yu a tearful farewell.

"Qi Yu, here is the two taels of silver you lent me. Thanks to you that day, my child was able to receive timely treatment. Thank you."

A middle-aged constable took out two taels of silver at the entrance of the government office and stuffed it into Qi Yu's hand.

Qi Yu looked at him, smiled, and put the silver away.

"Okay, I'll take it!"

As he spoke, Qi Yu looked at his colleagues who had come to see him off, then bowed and said goodbye.

"May the green hills remain unchanged and the clear waters flow forever. Take care, everyone, until we meet again!"

Without lingering any longer, Qi Yu turned and left.

Looking at Qi Yu's retreating figure, Song Yuntao said, "Only now do I realize that Qi Yu really is a scholar!"

Wang Defa glanced at Song Yuntao and said, "He was a scholar before, you know! Otherwise, do you think just anyone can become a clerk?"

Song Yuntao shrugged and said, "When he was with us, I didn't think he was a scholar. But just now, when he bowed so solemnly and said such refined words, I realized that he is a scholar after all."

Wang Defa nodded and said, "Indeed!"

Qi Yu acted very casually when he was with them, eating, drinking, and having fun with them, behaving very easily and even casually.

He didn't have the melancholy and pedantic air of today's intellectuals, nor did he have the arrogance of most intellectuals.