Everyone expressed their opposition to the emperor's expedition plan in horror.

——The empire is initially set, and a bunch of problems in the nine star cities have not been resolved, and the space bandits are still eyeing.Internal and external troubles, how can there be spare energy for an expedition?

Jiang Jianming heard the news that evening.

Unlike more people, the commander did not show any surprise or panic expression, as if he had already guessed it.

He just looked at the golden rose outside the window and remained silent for a long time without speaking.

The next day, after a long absence, he put on the full marshal uniform and snow-white gloves, and went to the Council Hall of the White Emerald Palace.

When stepping into the hall, the atmosphere inside was already heavy enough to make people sweat.

Lai An stood at the highest place sullenly, with one hand clasped on the throne, and anger was faintly visible on his face.Several generals headed by Chen Hanke came out and stood below, and the two sides were at loggerheads.

And Jiang Jianming just walked in with such an indifferent expression, and when the guards saw the commander's uniform, no one dared to stop him.

He was able to walk in front of the officials and His Excellencies with an almost arrogant posture, stroked his chest and said, "See Your Majesty."

It had been a long time since everyone had seen Commander Aslan up close, and they were all shocked by his sober appearance.

Chen Hanke was stunned, and quickly saluted: "Your Excellency, Commander."

"——what are you doing here?"

But Lai An suddenly changed his face, and stepped down from the high place where the emperor's seat was, "Who gave you permission to come here. It's none of your business here, go back."

Jiang Jianming didn't change his face, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, please take back your order."

Everyone's scalps were numb.Lin Song took two steps forward, winked at him anxiously, and whispered, "Dawn, don't..."

Lai An got a headache when he heard him call himself "Chen", and sighed deeply.

...Jiang Jianming's illness requires rest.In fact, the commander-in-chief had long since stopped participating in public discussions, and only talked with the emperor about some important policy-making policies in private.

So today, when Lai An saw that this person came to the council hall without saying a word, he was already screaming in his heart, knowing that he probably couldn't be kind.

He simply lifted his robe and sat back on the emperor's seat, propping his temple with one hand, staring at the commander in hatred and not speaking.It's completely like "I'll see what you want to do with me".

Surprisingly, it was what the commander said next.

"Your Majesty, the minister's opinion may be somewhat different from that of your Excellencies."

Jiang Jianming looked straight up, "Your Majesty knows that His Majesty is by no means a militaristic monarch. The interstellar expedition plan has His Majesty's good intentions."

He said seriously: "Now there is a shortage of real crystal mines in the empire. In the long run, not only the supply of medicines and energy is insufficient, but the social conflicts caused by this will inevitably become more acute. It is very difficult to internally coordinate. The development of the distant interstellar is the solution to the problem."most effective way."

"People cannibalize people in famine years, and I have... seen it with my own eyes."

"Civilization and morality have always been sung in the prosperous age, not in the down and out years when it was difficult to survive. If the expedition is successful and the resources are rich, many of the problems we are facing now can be solved."

There was a little discussion behind him, but Jiang Jianming didn't look back.

He saw Lai An's expression changed, his eyes widened slightly in surprise, like a child who was stubbornly waiting to be beaten, and was suddenly patted and praised.

Lai An sat up straight, the corners of her lips twitched, and a little light appeared in her eyes looking at this side: "Then you..."

"No."

Jiang Jianming said: "I still oppose this expedition."

"Interstellar expedition is imperative, but not now."

Jiang Jianming said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, you are too anxious."

He took a step forward and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, there are too many loopholes inside and outside the empire. The problem is not the expedition itself, but other hidden dangers that may erupt during the expedition."

"Please be patient for at least another three years."

Lai An's complexion darkened a little bit.

"...Three years." He sneered, "During these three years, what do the patients who died of crystal disorder due to lack of sedatives count in the commander's mind?"

Jiang Jianming bowed his head deeply: "The fortune is bad, there is nothing to do."

boom!Lai An punched the armrest of the throne.

He squeezed out three words between his teeth: "Get out, get out, get out."

Jiang Jianming didn't roll away.From that day on, he began to run to the Council Hall of Emerald Palace every day, debating with the emperor countless times.

But Lai An did not back down, and the emperor quickly began preparations with vigorous means, determined to launch an expedition to the distant stars.

Historians of later generations once evaluated the first holy battle as "going against the sky".

In Jiang Jianming's eyes, this is indeed the case.

Lai An is like a ferocious beast, the heavy reality has dropped barbed chains for him.And he went against that force, screaming and tugging at the iron chain, trying to drag the entire empire forward.

But the harder you use it, the more embedded the iron chain becomes.

The flesh was torn apart, and hot blood gushed out.

No one dared to approach him, and the evil beast showed its sharp teeth to all those who advised him with red eyes.

Only Jiang Jianming tried his best to stop him, tried his best to pull him back, and told him that your Majesty, please slow down, slow down, the road ahead is dangerous.

They are all in a hurry, but they will quarrel every day again.After arguing in the government hall during the day, they went back to the residence of the palace to continue arguing at night. Lin Ge and Sylph couldn't persuade them no matter how hard they tried.

How could Jiang Jianming's body bear such a toss, and it became half dead within a few days.Sylph warned him that something bad would happen in a few months, and he wiped the blood he coughed up and whispered sorry.

At night, thunderstorms.

Jiang Jianming woke up in the treatment cabin, and saw a figure standing beside him with a blurred vision.

Standing in the darkness, Lai An looked stern but haggard, and hadn't had a good night's sleep for some days.

"You can faint in each other's arms after arguing, and you still want to stop me like this?"

He bent forward and pressed his right hand hard on the glass cover of the treatment cabin, "Why do you have to do this..."

A paranoid fire flashed in Lai An's eyes, "It's not that there is no chance of winning. You also know that as long as the expedition can reap results, we don't have to give up anything."

Jiang Jianming panted lightly and shook his head.

"You are in such a hurry because of me...I can't let you go to this state, ahem...go to the distant interstellar."

One of them was lying down, the other was standing bent over, looking at each other through the glass.

White electricity flashed outside the window, brightening the room.Lai An's shadow was cast on Jiang Jianming's face, his eyes were filled with coldness, "This time it's not your decision."

"You don't have to love me, and you don't have to let me love you. But you can't leave me."

Jiang Jianming quietly pressed Lai An's right hand with his left hand.Pale and thin fingers, slender wrists.

He sighed, "Can't you do without me?"

"Yes, no." Lai An said immediately.

"If you leave, I won't be the same person I am now. I will be the same as when I didn't meet you. I will turn back into that monster."

On a thunderstorm night, the young emperor was condescending, he stroked the glass cover of the treatment cabin:

"You are the only person in this world who can control monsters, you are not allowed to die."

The disabled human being inside the glass showed a sad look and shook his head.After a long time, he might be tired, so he turned his face and closed his eyes.

...

The dispute between the two dragged the emperor's expedition plan from spring to summer, and the political disagreement between His Majesty and the commander-in-chief became well known.

"You're not normal." Lin Song told Jiang Jianming privately.

"It wasn't like this when you quarreled with Kaios before."

She analyzed seriously: "When you disagree, most of the time he will listen to you; but if he doesn't listen to you, you will always listen to him."

Jiang Jianming: "That is often when deciding on some strategic guidelines."

Lin Song: "That's right, so today you're going to have a stalemate with him, it's not at all, or it's not just a question of whether to go on an expedition or not. What exactly do you want to do?"

Jiang Jianming stopped talking.Just when Lin Song thought he was about to use silence to express his refusal to speak, he suddenly attacked the case——

Jiang Jianming sternly said, "It's him who is abnormal!"

Lin Song was shocked, she had never seen Jiang Jianming have such intense emotions, and she froze in place for a moment.

But immediately after, the patient groaned in pain, and pressed his trembling hands to his heart, as if the pain was excruciating.

"Dawn!" Lin Song hurriedly supported him.Jiang Jianming grabbed her arm with his backhand, his eyes straightened, and he gasped, "I can't stay by his side forever, even if I survive this year, what about next year or the year after, ten or twenty years!?"

"you……"

"He can love me." Jiang Jianming trembled, "I can love him too."

Lin Song was stunned for a moment, then turned pale with shock: "What, wait, what are you talking about—"

"But he can't love me that much, and he can't leave me." Jiang Jianming said, "If he can't lose me, he won't know who he is. I will never allow him to do this."

"If I can't teach him this time, maybe never can."

By the time he finished speaking, Jiang Jianming's face had lost a trace of blood.But he gritted his teeth and stood firm, walked forward and passed Lin Song.

Midsummer is when they quarrel most violently.

In the government hall in June, in front of several important ministers of the empire, the furious Emperor Kaios threw the crown ritual vessel used for coronation on the ground.

"Are you the emperor or I am the emperor!?"

The atmosphere was so heavy that the others in the council hall were sweating on their noses and didn't dare to wipe it off, wishing they could dig a hole and escape.

The commander bent over and picked up the sacrificial vessel.

He said: "If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight."

Emperor Keos stood in front of the emperor's throne, his eyes looked like he wanted to kill someone.

Commander Aslan gripped the emperor's crown tightly. He was so hard that the metal edges pierced his palm, and blood snaked down along the crown.

Tick tock, falling on the red carpet on the floor of the council hall.Tick, tick.

He took a step forward, holding the crown high in his hand.

The commander said, "Your Majesty, please bow your head and wear the crown."

Bow your head to the invincible reality, bow your head to the world that doesn't do what you want.

The emperor's cheek muscles twitched.Suddenly a faint luster flashed, and the red gold crystal bone on his wrist moved, lighting up and going out.

"Commander!" Someone in the council hall was so frightened that he knelt down, "How can you be so disrespectful to His Majesty!"

"shut up!!"

Unexpectedly, the emperor was furious and caught his breath, "This is a matter between me and the commander-in-chief, you are worthy of talking about him!?"

Jiang Jianming still didn't take a step back.Blood gushed out from the wound, polluting the otherwise clean crown.

The stalemate lasted a minute.Suddenly at a certain moment, it seemed that some magic spell took away the emperor's strength.

Kaios staggered back a step, lowered his head and supported the throne.

The commander stepped forward expressionlessly, put on the luxurious crown for the emperor, and then stepped back to stroke his chest.

All the ministers are heartbroken.

The commander-in-chief actually wears a crown for His Majesty... You must know that since the old empire until now, only the previous emperor, or the ceremonial officials who acted on behalf of the previous emperor, had the power to crown the emperor.

You, a marshal, wear a crown for the emperor, what position do you want to put yourself in?

Aslan is really desperate, everyone thinks.Although this is not the first time people think so.

His Majesty lowered his eyes and didn't respond to such rebellious actions.

He just waved his hands wearily: "Except for Aslan, step back."

Those in the council hall felt relieved and fled out one after another.

The snow-colored dawn shot in from the gate of the council hall, passed over the commander's shoulders, and illuminated the highest throne.

The commander stood against the backlight, his face was covered by shadows, and his expression could not be seen clearly.

The young emperor sat there exhaustedly, with his eyes closed and his forehead resting on one hand, as if he was about to fall asleep.

He wears a bloody crown on his head.Two or three drops of blood even fell on the emperor's platinum hair. This scene was like a magnificent classical oil painting.

After an unknown amount of time, the emperor's hoarse voice sounded in the council hall.

"Look, you are still crowning me after all."

"What I want, no one can get it."

The ending sounds with a smile, but it looks sad.

"What you originally wanted was for me to crown you under the banner of the empire at the grand ceremony."

Jiang Jianming's voice became softer, "Everyone has something they can't get, it's just a matter of how much. You have to accept this, otherwise, I will die with regret."

He can't die with peace in his eyes, but he actually used such sharp words.Lai An laughed miserably, and said softly, "Do you know why I bowed my head?"

Suddenly, the emperor opened his eyes, stood up and shouted angrily: "Do you know why!!"

"I know."

Jiang Jianming looked at his right hand and narrowed his eyes.

He was actually a little dizzy.I just had an emergency operation the day before yesterday, the incision was hurting, and felt weak all over.

Now when the glare of the sun shines, the eyes turn black, and the chest and stomach twitch with nausea at the same time, almost unable to stand up.

Jiang Jianming pressed the opening on his right hand with his sleeve, and the dark red blood immediately stained the white military uniform and spread rapidly.

He said with difficulty: "Your Majesty bowed his head...not because of the crown, but because I am bleeding."

"But what will you do when I'm gone?"

The author has something to say:

The source of the tragedy of the emperor's collapse——

Lai: I love you/I can't do without you/I'm a monster...

Jiang: (with a pale face) Did I give this child to PUA?