Chapter 146

Chapter 146

A cold glint briefly flashed in Bush Meihua's eyes, but he quickly smiled again: "Shouldn't Major General Kaiser be back with the Vanguard Legion by now?"

"I was on my way out when I heard the police chief was coming to search the Meihua residence," Kaiser reached out and grabbed the man's shoulder, his golden eyes lowering. "Chief Allen was concerned he might not handle this properly, so he came to me for help. As an imperial soldier, it's my duty to help, isn't it, Chief Allen?"

The man stammered, "Yes, yes... Thank you, Major General Kaiser, for going out of your way to join us."

Bush Meihua's expression darkened.

As if it were justified? Bush Meihua wasn't fooled; this report was likely Kaiser's doing.

Who would have thought that in five years, he'd actually developed some brains.

"Judge Ai Linya, once the guards are done searching and find nothing out of the ordinary, we'll leave right away. But if there's anything in the Meihua residence that doesn't belong..." Kaiser's grip on the chief's shoulder tightened, filled with menace, "I expect you to hand it over willingly."

"Everything in the Meihua residence, including its occupants, has a legitimate reason to be here," Ai Linya said calmly.

Kaiser: "..."

He released his grip, clearly displeased.

The chief's face contorted in pain, and the moment Kaiser let go, he grabbed his arm, gasping for air.

"But since the government has received a complaint, we can't just refuse," Ai Linya looked at the person beside him. "Let them search. What isn't theirs can't be taken, and what they can take isn't meant to stay. I hope you remember this principle."

Bush Meihua: "...Understood, Father."

He stepped aside, and the officers promptly began a thorough search of the first floor, but out of respect for the Sixth Chief Justice's residence, and with the Vanguard Legion's commander overseeing, they didn't dare overstep, making a show of thoroughness without actually digging too deep.

Soon, the hall, kitchen, and other rooms on the first floor were all searched, but no so-called dangerous items turned up. They regrouped in the hall, all eyes now fixed on the second floor.

Only the second floor remained unsearched.

But with the Meihua father and son watching—one the Chief Justice, the other the Warden, overseeing trials, interrogations, and executions—they didn't dare charge upstairs recklessly.

Seeing this, Kaiser's expression hardened, and he grabbed the chief by the collar, marching up the stairs with long strides.

He released him, hissing, "Search!"

The chief swallowed hard, glanced downstairs, then at the imposing major general beside him, and reluctantly headed for the room on the right.

The first room was a study, packed with books and nothing suspicious. He gave it a quick once-over, closed the door, and retreated, all while keeping an eye on the major general's expression. But oddly, Major General Kaiser didn't seem particularly invested in the search, giving the room a cursory glance, looking disappointed, and then gesturing toward the next room.

They moved to the second room, presumably a bedroom.

But just as the chief was about to open the door, a hand suddenly grabbed the doorknob before him!

Bush Meihua smiled, his expression chilling: "This room is off-limits, Chief Allen."

"Why is this room off-limits? Is the Warden preventing Chief Allen from searching?" Kaiser's expression suddenly hardened, standing straight.

Bush Meihua: "...Of course not, but as a matter of privacy, I don't want anyone entering my room," he smiled faintly. "I think Chief Allen wouldn't want to enter either, right?"

That smile was the most frightening.

The chief was drenched in sweat, his clothes sticking coldly to his back: "I, I also think..."

Kaiser sharply interrupted: "Chief Allen is performing his duty, doing what he should. How could he not want to?" He pressed on, "Bush Meihua, what are you hiding in there that you're so afraid to let people see?"

"..."

The fingers gripping the doorknob made a faint clicking sound from the force, the knuckles turning white.

Bush Meihua's eyes suddenly curved, but his lips showed no trace of a smile. "Are you sure you want to go in?"

"Yes."

He urged the police chief: "Open the door!"

"Think this through!" Bush Meihua tightened his grip on the doorknob, not moving, and emphasized each word. "If someone who has already disappeared reappears, what will he face? Will he be idolized or celebrated across the nation? No, you think too simply. He will also face slander and interrogation from certain people! Things are completely different now from back then. Are you confident you can manage this without a hitch?"

The police chief glanced around, utterly baffled. But he was shocked to see General Kaiser unusually silent.

Kaiser looked stunned: "Could it really be—"

"You've come this far; do you really need my confirmation?"

"..."

He suddenly turned around and shouted at the police chief: "The search is over. I will report the results to the government. Get everyone out of here!"

The police chief didn't know why the two of them had suddenly switched sides, but he didn't dare to ask, and immediately led his subordinates to quickly leave the Meihua residence. The crowd dispersed like water rushing away, and the quiet, oppressive hall was instantly left with only a few people.

Alynya looked up, saw the two young men on the second floor, sighed, and raised her hand to the butler: "Escort me out; leave them to it."

The butler bowed: "Yes, sir."

...

With the door shut, the villa's interior grew dim.

The door stood before him, yet Kaiser hesitated to touch it.

The sense of recognition upon seeing that photo was completely different from the anxiety he felt now, standing in front of the door about to confirm reality. He suddenly felt a huge stone blocking his chest, almost suffocating him, an inexplicable suffocation tightening every muscle, nearing the breaking point.

What does the youth look like now? Has he been well? Is he healthy or frail? Would he still remember him... A tangle of questions choked his throat, like roots with barbs, twisting and entwining, pulling and tearing at the mucous membrane of the esophagus, growing an indescribable stinging pain.

After a long pause, he forced out a hoarse question: "How has he been these years?"

"Do you expect me to say he's been fine?" Bush Meihua tilted his head. "Kaiser, neither of us has seen with our own eyes how he escaped death, nor have we seen his personal experiences over the past five years, so I can't answer whether he has been doing well or not. All I can say is, he's now... far weaker than you'd think. But," he paused, "he never lets his sorrow show. I think he probably doesn't want to see that expression on your face either."

"Of course I know." Kaiser closed his eyes. "I've known him far longer than you have."

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

As the creaking sound rang out, he heard Bush Meihua's whisper,

"You know I'd rather he didn't see you, right?"

Of course he knew.

Bush Meihua was a man who only knew how to feign emotions, but he had surprisingly placed his true feelings on Yi Ye. Such a person finding the youth and merely keeping him locked in the villa was already a great mercy.

If it were himself...

Kaiser wasn't sure what he would do.

But probably, it wouldn't be much different from Bush Meihua.

Creak—

The door slowly opened, a gentle breeze stirring the soft white curtains.

Kaiser walked in and soon came to a halt.

His gaze lingered on the figure by the window, then noticed the wheelchair the youth was sitting in. The suffocating feeling in his chest intensified, a burning flame that left his heart riddled with pain.

"Yi Ye," he called out the youth's name, his voice faint.

Five years of battlefield experience vanished in an instant, as if he had suddenly reverted to the reckless and clumsy guy he was five years ago.

But how wonderful it would be if that were truly the case? If there were no five-year gap between them, if he were still the arrogant Young Master, and Yi Ye were still the lazy, teasing student of the Imperial Honor Military Academy, able to run and jump, effortlessly standing out, rather than sitting in a wheelchair, quietly gazing at the clouds outside the window.

Such a poetic scene was so unlike him.

The youth heard his voice.

The figure paused, then turned around after a few seconds.

He adjusted the blanket over his legs, naturally feigning surprise: "Oh, isn't this Young Master Kaiser? I was wondering who was causing a ruckus outside, the voice sounded so familiar, and I guessed it was you."

"Long time no see, you probably still remember me... After five years, you're still as arrogant as ever? Aren't you afraid of offending Judge Ai Linya? Oh, right, the guy behind you has become the Warden. Watch out, or he might slap a charge on you and haul you in without a trial..." Yi Ye's expression faltered, growing uneasy, "You... why are you crying?"

He couldn't keep up the facade anymore, frantically reaching out to wipe the youth's tears, which were wet with tears, "Wait, why are you crying!"

It was bizarre.

Kaiser was the least likely person among them to cry, the ever-proud Young Master, yet he had started crying within seconds of seeing him.

"Why are you crying..." Yi Ye panicked, looking to Bush Meihua for help, but the latter stood motionless by the door. He had no choice but to grab the blanket from his lap and roughly wipe Kaiser's face. But the tears kept flowing, unstoppable.

"Stop, stop, stop!" he raised his voice, "Why are you crying? I'm not dead, so stop crying like I am!"

"..." Kaiser wiped his face fiercely, growling, "I'm not crying! My tear ducts are acting up, I was planning to go to the hospital to get them checked in a couple of days!"

"What nonsense!"

"Bush Meihua! Hand me a camera, I'm going to take a picture of his snotty, tear-streaked face and plaster it all over town."

"You dare!" Kaiser gritted his teeth, "You dare take one picture, and you'll see what happens!"

Yi Ye raised an eyebrow, "What are you going to do if I take one?"

"I'll... I'll..."

Kaiser's breathing trembled, desperately trying to appear calm and composed in front of Yi Ye, but his emotions were completely out of control.

Five years, he had thought of this person, searched for this person for five whole years. Every day and night, he wondered if dying in a dream would let him see Yi Ye forever. He started to crave dreaming, yet dreaded it, afraid that the dream wouldn't have him, afraid that waking up would mean not seeing him.

But he was actually alive, and back before his eyes, how could he possibly remain calm?

He suddenly lunged forward, pulling Yi Ye into a tight embrace.

All sound was abruptly drowned out, leaving only the muffled sobs escaping his throat,

"I'll cling to you for life, like a ghost bound by a death contract, you won't be able to shake me off!"

"Hey, isn't that a bit over the top, Young Master?"

"Since when have you known me to be reasonable?" Tears soaked the young man's collar as Kaiser clung to him tightly. "I don’t want to be reasonable anymore—being reasonable doesn’t make people stay."

Yi Ye was held so tightly he couldn’t move.

With a pained laugh, he struggled to free his hand and patted Kaiser's shaggy head, gently, again and again.

Like a big dog, indeed.

Outside the door.

Bush Meihua stood in silence, finally turning his gaze away after a long moment.

...

Half an hour later.

Yi Ye briefly explained how he had been taken by space pirates years ago, how his legs were crippled, and why the space pirates had held onto him during his five-year coma. Kaiser and Bush Meihua were stunned into silence for a long time after hearing this. Yi Ye thought it might be hard for them to accept, after all, he had done nothing during his five-year disappearance, instead just sleeping through it all. They probably found it hard to believe.

So he stayed quiet, resting his face in his hand, sighing with a troubled look.

After the eighteenth sigh, he finally couldn’t hold back anymore: "Can you say something? Stop staring at me, okay?"

"No way," Kaiser shot back, his gaze not moving an inch, like an eagle eyeing a chick about to be snatched away. "How did you get so skinny? Hasn’t anyone been feeding you these past few days?"

He glared furiously at Bush Meihua.

Bush Meihua, legs crossed and arms folded, smirked: "I’m not the one who walked past the door three times without coming in. You caught those space pirates yourself but didn’t notice. Shouldn’t you be blaming yourself for how skinny he’s become?"

"Because—"

Damn it! How was he supposed to know the pirate his subordinate mentioned was Yi Ye! Kaiser wished he could go back in time and slap himself for refusing to see him.

Every time these two got together, they’d start bickering and arguing. Yi Ye immediately raised his hand to intervene: "Stop!"

Kaiser/Bush: "..."

Kaiser got back on track: "Don’t worry about your legs—it’s just a biotech pod. I'll take you back to the Vanguard Legion, no application needed, you can use it directly."

The moment he finished, Bush Meihua snorted.

Kaiser, who’d been itching to hit him, leapt to his feet: "You bastard, come fight me directly!"

"Sit down," Yi Ye commanded.

Kaiser instantly sat back down.

Bush Meihua’s eyes gleamed with mockery as he drawled: "Making the trip to the Vanguard Legion is a waste of time, the biotech pods are available in both the Central Legion and the palace." Before Kaiser could speak, he continued, "But the Central Legion is not an option."

Kaiser frowned: "Going to the palace? How do we get in?"

"There’s a palace banquet in two days, and the guests will be a mixed bag—"

Kaiser instantly understood: "You want to sneak Yi Ye in during that time to treat his legs."

Bush Meihua nodded.

Yi Ye looked to the left, then to the right.

Wait, was he the only one lost here? What were these two even talking about? Why isn't the Central Legion an option? Is the biotech pod really such a big deal to get?

"You haven't told him yet?" Kaiser asked, seeing Yi Ye's confused expression.

"No," Bush Meihua replied. His original plan was to take Yi Ye away, so he hadn't informed him about the empire's current state. But now, he had no choice. "Yi Ye, in your memory, you've been asleep for five years, but in that time, the empire has changed drastically. The position of the Twelve Seats... someone has already taken it."

Yi Ye: "...I've been replaced?"

"You could put it that way. A year after you left, Duke Jedd had someone replace your position in the Twelve Seats. You know he's always wanted to consolidate power, so now his confidant sits in that seat. Your sudden return is, of course, good news for the empire, but Duke Jedd won't just let it slide. He'll only use your resurrection to stir up trouble. Back then, we sent a large number of people to Blue Flower Star to search for your body, but not only did we not find yours, we also didn't find that silver-white advanced Zerg. Now, everyone in the empire knows that advanced Zerg can disguise themselves as imperial people. Duke Jedd is likely to use this to slander you. Even though there are ways to prove the difference between imperial people and Zerg, there's no guarantee he won't think you're in cahoots with the Zerg."

Yi Ye: "...That old man really is capable of doing that."

Isn't that how Dr. Anderson died?

"And your legs aren't healed yet, so Duke Jedd will use that as an excuse to keep you from reclaiming your position in the Twelve Seats."

Kaiser: "So first, we need to heal your legs."

Bush Meihua took over: "And we need to set the stage."

Yi Ye: "How do we set the stage?"

The three of them fell silent, finding it hard to come up with a perfect plan.

After a moment, Bush Meihua's peripheral vision caught sight of the towering church in the distance outside the window.

"I have a way."

Yi Ye/Kaiser: "What way?"

"Do you remember how the Pope established himself in the empire?"

Kaiser scoffed: "Isn't it just faking his death and then coming back to life?"

"Idiot. It's all about public opinion. Yi Ye, do you know that after you left, a group called the 'Beta Freedom Society' popped up among the empire's people?"

Yi Ye: Wow... that name sounds familiar. Isn't that the guy who betrayed the organization in my Bai Chuan fan group back then!

"The founder of the Beta Freedom Society is a student of the Imperial Honor Military Academy. He graduated not long after you left and is now running a chain of restaurants on the main star. Under the cover of running the restaurants, he's been working hard to expand the Beta Freedom Society's membership. The numbers are now huge, you could say they're everywhere in the empire."

Yi Ye's expression was complicated: "...You're not thinking..."

"We need to use his power to let the entire empire hear your breath before you officially return."

...

It was two hours later when they finished discussing how to carry out the plan.

Yi Ye found it both amusing and frustrating that he suddenly had so many followers, but since it was just Bush Meihua and Kaiser describing it, it didn't feel real to him. In his heart, what to have for dinner was more pressing.

"One last thing."

After all that discussion, Kaiser took a sip of tea and looked at Yi Ye, "I'm taking Yi Ye back to the Audria residence."

"No," Bush Meihua immediately shot back.

"Who's asking for your permission? I'm asking Yi Ye."

Both of them turned their gaze to the man in between.

Yi Ye had just finished thinking about having egg fried rice for dinner when he noticed them staring at him strangely.

"...To be honest, can't I go see Bai Chuan? Can't he be involved in carrying out this plan?"

Kaiser hesitated, then stopped himself.

Bush Meihua also shook his head: "Actually, he's the last person who should know."

"Did something happen to him?" Yi Ye felt something was wrong, his tone quickening, "Where is he now!"

"He's fine." Bush Meihua gently pressed the back of his hand, "But, he is no longer the Bai Chuan you knew."

"The current him... cannot be trusted."

*

Inside the Imperial Church.

Two extremely wide stained glass windows were embedded within the walls, descending to the floor like two giant doors four to five meters high. The glass surfaces were painted with intricate, symmetrical patterns, making them look like a giant clock, symbolizing judgment.

Light projected through, falling on the seat at the high platform.

A youth sat there, chin propped on his hand, a thick book resting on his knees. The sound of pages turning was sharp, almost slicing through the air.

Not long after, the door was pushed open.

An acolyte quickly walked to the steps below, bowing in salute to the youth on the seat.

"Bishop, General Kaiser just took some government officers toward Mei Hua's place."

The youth gave a slight nod: "Keep an eye on them and report back immediately if they do anything."

"Yes, Bishop." The man held out the invitation with both hands, "In addition, the palace sent an invitation, hoping you’d attend the banquet in two days."

The youth raised his hand, and the man immediately respectfully presented it.

As he got closer, the acolyte couldn’t help but stare at the bishop’s golden hair, recalling the bishop who had suddenly disappeared a few years ago. But the next second, the youth's gaze met his, cold and lifeless, extremely oppressive, making him quickly lower his head.

"S-sorry, Bishop!"

"...Get out." The youth said coldly.

The man quickly stepped back, carefully closing the door as he left. As the door was about to shut, he saw the youth on the seat pick up the gilded invitation, his slender fingers pressing against the dark red paper.

His thin eyelids lifted, revealing eyes as deep and blue as the ocean.