Chapter 91

It turned out that Empress Dowager Cixi, upon seeing Lin Yuan's remarkable abilities, became worried that he might try to seize the Qing Dynasty's rule. At this moment, Emperor Guangxu said, "Mother Empress, I believe Lin Yuan is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Why don't we grant him an official position, let him lead the troops out of the pass, and reclaim Manchuria?"

Empress Dowager Cixi smiled slightly and said, "Everything is up to the Emperor."

The two spoke in low voices, and Lin Yuan couldn't hear them. After a while, a eunuch with a beaming face walked over and said to Lin Yuan, "Congratulations, Sir Lin."

Lin Yuan was taken aback when he heard "Sir Lin." The eunuch said, "His Majesty and the Old Buddha are greatly pleased. Isn't it just a matter of time before you become 'Sir'?"

Lin Yuan smiled, and the eunuch added, "Go quickly, the Old Buddha wants to see you."

Lin Yuan thought, "I've forgotten all the etiquette. I'll get into trouble if I go up there." Just as he was about to decline, he heard the eunuch call out loudly, "Lin Yuan, you are summoned to the presence of the Empress Dowager."

Everyone present looked at him. Lin Yuan had no choice but to harden his heart and walk up. Before he could speak, Empress Dowager Cixi said, "I heard from Minister Weng that you are quick-witted, and from the Emperor that you are well-versed in Western learning. How old are you to have such accomplishments?"

Lin Yuan replied, "I am twenty-eight years old."

The people present were astonished to see that Lin Yuan did not kneel before Empress Dowager Cixi and even dared to refer to himself as "I" when speaking. Empress Dowager Cixi nodded and smiled, saying, "Good, young and capable!" She then asked, "Are you married?"

Lin Yuan replied, "No."

The people below were shocked again, and some even gasped. In that era, how could a man be unmarried at twenty-eight!

Empress Dowager Cixi smiled again and turned to Emperor Guangxu, saying, "Your Majesty, I should not interfere in military matters. It is entirely up to you."

Lin Yuan knew that the decision to send troops was made, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

Empress Dowager Cixi said to the eunuch, "Xiao Li, I am tired. Let's go back."

Lin Yuan was surprised to find out that the eunuch was none other than the famous Li Lianying!

Everyone waited for Empress Dowager Cixi to leave first before they started to depart. After returning to the Forbidden City, Emperor Guangxu asked Lin Yuan to wait in a palace while he went to discuss with the Grand Secretaries what position to grant him.

While waiting, Li Lianying walked in with a smile, saying, "Sir Lin, by the Empress Dowager's decree, you are granted a large mansion. Once the Emperor's decree is issued, I will take you to the mansion."

After a while, a eunuch came out and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Sir Lin. The Emperor has appointed you as the Grand General of the East, to command all the troops and choose a day to set out!"

The specific troop movements still needed to be arranged, so Lin Yuan had no choice but to follow Li Lianying to the mansion. The mansion was originally built by a prince but was left vacant for some reason. It was fully furnished, and even the servants were already arranged. Li Lianying smiled and said, "I'll leave you now. There will be more interesting things later."

When Lin Yuan tried to ask more, Li Lianying stopped talking and left with a smile. It was already late, and Lin Yuan informed Zhang Hua, Chen Fei, and the others about the situation before settling down.

When it was already dark, he heard someone knocking on the door. A soft and charming voice said, "Sir Lin, may I come in?"

Lin Yuan got up to open the door and saw a young girl standing there, her face flushed with shyness. She lowered her head and said, "The Old Buddha knows that Sir Lin is not married and has specially sent me to serve you."

Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat at her gentle appearance and said, "No need, you can go back."

The girl's eyes immediately filled with tears, like two plump purple grapes with dewdrops. She said in a tearful voice, "Does Sir Lin think I am ugly?"

Lin Yuan quickly said, "No, no, you are quite beautiful."

The girl lowered her head, held the door with her hand, and stood there, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Lin Yuan hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, come back tomorrow to serve me, okay?"

The girl nodded shyly and said, "The Old Buddha said I am now Sir Lin's person. You can do whatever you want with me. I will be in the next room. Just call me, and I will come." She then turned and left.

Lin Yuan watched her go, thinking, "After seeing me demonstrate the mountain blasting, Empress Dowager Cixi looked panicked. She must be afraid that I will try to seize the Qing Dynasty's rule. This girl is probably sent to monitor me."

Lin Yuan's guess was indeed correct; the girl was sent by Empress Dowager Cixi.

Lin Yuan lay in bed, thinking, "Although Emperor Guangxu has given me the authority to lead the troops, these soldiers are led by local officials. For example, Song Qing's Yijun, which is stationed in the capital, only listens to Song Qing. On the surface, Song Qing will follow my orders, but in secret, he can do many things to undermine me. I must have my own force. After arriving in the Northeast, I will bring over the troops trained in Ryukyu."

Lin Yuan thought further, "The number of those troops is still too small. I need to find a way to recruit more soldiers and build my own strength."

Lin Yuan fell asleep thinking about these things, and for some reason, he dreamed of Shen Wanqing.

When it was just dawn, Lin Yuan woke up. He wanted to go to the Ryukyu embassy to ask how much money Zhang Hua had obtained from the Chamber of Commerce. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the girl from last night standing in the courtyard. It was cold in the winter morning, and she was shivering, her face red from the cold, stomping her feet and rubbing her hands, blowing into her mouth to warm them.

Lin Yuan quickly asked, "Are you waiting for me?"

The girl said, "I have been waiting for a long time, wanting to knock on the door but not daring to."

Lin Yuan said, "Waiting for me? Is there something you need?"

The girl said, "I made breakfast for you with my own hands and wanted to let you try it."

Lin Yuan asked in surprise, "Just for that?"

The girl lowered her head and said timidly, "I can't do anything else for you."

Lin Yuan smiled awkwardly and said, "No need, I have something to do and need to go out." He then walked out.

The girl, seeing Lin Yuan walk away, quickly and quietly slipped into Lin Yuan's room, carefully searching for anything related to him. Unfortunately, she found nothing. She clenched her fists and silently thought about her next move.

The Ryukyu embassy was in a quiet location, and one had to pass through an empty area with few people. As Lin Yuan walked there, he saw two groups of people standing in the open area. It was more accurate to say that one person was facing a group of people.

That person had his arms crossed, with many large knives, spears, and long spears scattered behind him. The group in front of him had many people without weapons, clearly having had their weapons taken away by that person.

Lin Yuan took a closer look and found that the person was Chen Fei, who was saying to the group, "I'll say it again! You can't go to that place!"

(Next episode preview: Who is the group Chen Fei is facing? Where are they going? How will Lin Yuan develop his own strength? Stay tuned.)

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