MCUS Chapter 76

On that day, several important notice boards in the capital were plastered with imperial edicts. Simultaneously, several fast horses raced out of the city, covering eight hundred miles in urgent haste. Carrier pigeons filled the sky, carrying the emperor’s decrees to the outside world.

“A big event! A big event!” A young master rushed into Liuxian Pavilion, gasping for breath, and collapsed onto the nearest table, exhausted to the point of sticking out his tongue. “Ha…ha…”

“Young Master Zhou, what is this momentous event?” Manager Yuan approached in a few steps. The boss had instructed him to collect all sorts of potentially useful information.

“Im…perial edict… The… owner of the First Company…”

“What? The owner of the First Company is listed on the imperial edict?” Someone quickly reacted.

“He…he…”

“Could it be that he is wanted?” someone asked, their face filled with astonishment.

Manager Yuan glared at him fiercely.

“No…that’s not it…”

“Then he must have received a reward from the emperor?”

“No…that’s not it…”

“Will you hurry up and tell us?”

At this moment, another person rushed in. This person was more agile and shouted, “The owner of the First Company is An imperial consort,” before collapsing on the ground, gasping for air.

Manager Yuan’s mouth went wide in disbelief, and he called over a waiter to go and see what the imperial edict was all about. The waiter threw aside the cloth and rushed out.

Almost everyone in Liuxian Pavilion ran over, surrounding the person sitting on the ground, bombarding them with questions:

“What? Am I hearing correctly? The owner of the First Company is an imperial consort?”

“Impossible! How could the emperor allow his consort to come out and reveal himself?”

“But he is quite approachable. I’ve never heard of him abusing his power.”

The first person to arrive finally caught their breath, but there was no one around them, causing them to roll their eyes in disbelief.

At the bulletin board near the city gate, once the yellow imperial edict was posted, the common people swarmed around, layer after layer. Although most of the common people were illiterate, they knew the significance of this color—it was an imperial edict.

“May I ask, young master, what does it say?” Since there were few literate people among the commoners, one of the soldiers stationed by the imperial edict was specifically tasked with reading it aloud. “The owner of the First Company, Young Master Qin, is actually an imperial consort. He has now been ennobled as Yan Guiren. The First Company will henceforth become the Imperial Merchant. Furthermore, the emperor has specially invented a new character for him, ‘male consort,’ which is read as ‘fei”.

“Ah? So you mean to say that the fountain pens we use were invented by the imperial consort?”

“And the toothbrushes and toothpaste too?”

The entire capital was in an uproar. People joyfully beat drums, set off firecrackers. Even the illiterate peasants who had never been to school knew that with such talented individuals in the dynasty, the Great Han Kingdom would become even stronger.

“Fellow countrymen, the toothbrushes and toothpaste we use, the fountain pens our children use, and the intellectual toys, they were all invented by Yan Guiren. Having such an imperial consort in the Great Han Kingdom is truly a blessing! The grace of the emperor is boundless!”

When Bai Jushen and Wen Xian received the news, they were busy in Linlang Pavilion and the amusement park respectively.

Bai Jushen accidentally scalded his foot with hot tea, while Wen Xian was inspecting an elevator and clumsily fell to the ground.

Bai Residence

Bai Juyao muttered in disbelief, “What did you say? Young Master Qin’s real name is Yan Ge, and his true identity is the imperial consort? And now he has been ennobled by the emperor?”

“Yes, Young Master Bai.”

Bai Shuli remorsefully pounded his thigh and pointed at him, “It’s all because of you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have severed ties with your brother! If we could have even the slightest relationship with Yan Guiren, our Bai family—ahh!”

Bai Juyao mouth was wide open in surprise, “This… I didn’t expect…”

Yongyi Palace

The Empress leaned softly against the back of the chair and sighed bitterly. “It’s over, it’s over…”

Chunfeng Palace

Song Ruhao casually picked up a vase and slammed it heavily on the ground.

Tenglong Palace

Huangfu Yuchen approached Yan Ge, wanting to get intimate with him, but was pushed away ruthlessly, his face held back. “Behave. Today’s events in the capital will surely cause a sensation. I have to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune, lest it disrespects my status.”

Huangfu Yuchen looked at him speechlessly as he rummaged through a stack of papers, not knowing what he was looking for. Unable to bear it any longer, he lifted him up and threw him onto the dragon bed…

The next day

“Greetings to Yan Guiren.”

“Everyone, no need for formalities.” Yan Ge said as he stepped down from the carriage. However, he had only gone a few hundred meters to a snack shop to buy breakfast when he was greeted by eight or nine people happily bowing to him, their faces almost frozen with smiles.

“Yan Guiren, these are fresh vegetables grown in our village. Now the son of a commoner writes with a pen, which saves a lot more money than before.”

“Yan Guiren, these are eggs laid by our own chickens. It’s a small token of our appreciation.”

“Yan Guiren…”

…..

Yan Ge was surrounded by vegetables, fruits, and eggs, and his mouth twitched. Being too amiable and affable wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

He had his servant accept the gifts and struggled to maintain his usual pace as he walked towards the carriage. Inside the carriage, he immediately instructed someone to summon Gao Feng.

“Gao Feng, go back to the palace and have Yuchen issue a decree. From now on, the common people don’t need to kneel and bow when they meet me. They don’t need to be too… enthusiastic. Let them act like before.”

Gao Feng held back his laughter. “Yes.”

Yan Ge breathed a sigh of relief and said to Xiao Chuanzi, “Take me directly to the company. You go buy breakfast.”

“Yes, Master.”

In less than a quarter of an hour, a fast horse ran into the city, and four new imperial decrees were posted at the city gates.

“What does it say on there?”

“The Emperor said that from now on, there is no need to kneel and bow when meeting Yan Guiren.”

“Ah, Yan Guiren is truly close to the people.”

“Yes, indeed.”

……

Yan Ge’s carriage arrived at Yan Mansion with a clattering sound.

The gate of Yan Mansion was tightly closed, which startled Yan Ge. Could something major have happened at Yan Mansion? After knocking on the door, the joyful expression of the gatekeeper reassured him. As soon as he entered, the gatekeeper swiftly closed the door and secured it with a bolt.

“What’s going on?” Yan Ge asked.

The gatekeeper smiled and replied, “Young Master Yan is now honored as Yan Guiren, and many people came to congratulate us. The master and madam have been receiving guests since early morning, causing a lot of trouble, so I was instructed to lock the main gate.”

Yan Ge forced a smile and said, “That’s the right thing to do.”

Entering the main hall, Madam Yan was engaged in conversation with Yan Su. Behind Madam Yan, the Yan family’s eldest daughter-in-law stood obediently, gently massaging her shoulders.

Yan Xiaojing held a teacup in his hand, lost in thought and contemplating something.

As Yan Ge approached the entrance of the main hall, his steps paused almost imperceptibly. In the past, when he presented the myriad of recipes from Liuxian Residence, Yan Xiaojing might have assumed they came from the palace, and he wouldn’t have harbored suspicions. However, the current Yan Ge was vastly different from the previous one. He brought so many novel things that couldn’t be solely explained by his connections in the palace. If Yan Xiaojing didn’t have doubts, then Yan Ge would be surprised.

“Father, mother, elder brother, elder sister-in-law.”

Since Yan Ge entered alone, and Yan Xiaojing and the others knew he disliked excessive formality within the family, no one paid any ceremonial greetings. They interacted normally.

“You’re back.”

“Mother, I will accompany you later. I have something to discuss with father and elder brother.”

“Alright, your important matters take priority.” Madam Yan smiled.

In the study, Yan Ge went straight to the point and said, “Father, there is something I’ve been keeping from you, mother, and elder brother because I didn’t want you to worry.”

Yan Xiaojing remained composed and asked, “Is it related to the things you have learned?”

Yan Su’s expression remained unchanged.

Yan Ge nodded, “Yes.”

“What exactly is going on?” Yan Xiaojing asked with a serious expression. He had harbored this curiosity for a long time. However, due to Yan Ge’s rising status and the increasing attention on the Yan family, he didn’t dare to act recklessly, fearing it might endanger Yan Ge. Now that Yan Ge took the initiative to mention it, he wanted to get a clear answer.

Yan Ge said, “Father and elder brother probably haven’t forgotten that I lost my memory after jumping into the lake.”

Yan Xiaojing and Yan Su both nodded, showing concern on their faces.

“Is your health okay now?”

Yan Ge replied, “Yes. Actually, when I was in unconscious, I dreamt of a wise man with white hair and beard. He was a hermit living deep in the mountains, always seeking a disciple to inherit his legacy. He was proficient in divination and felt that I had a destined connection with him. That’s why he found me and imparted various skills to me in my dreams. However, because he was in a hurry to leave on his travels, he inadvertently transferred too much knowledge into my mind, which clashed with my original memories, leading to my amnesia. That’s the whole story. Firstly, this matter is too incredible, and secondly, I was afraid of worrying all of you, so I never dared to tell you. Father, elder brother, I hope you can forgive me.” Yan Ge knew that once the Yan family learned that their son had died, they would be devastated, so he decided to keep the secret of his rebirth buried in his heart.

Yan Su looked shocked.

Yan Xiaojing nodded after a moment and said, “So that’s how it is. It explains why you know so many extraordinary things. This master of yours is truly extraordinary. When I was young, I heard many legends and stories from the elders, including mythical figures who could fly through the heavens and travel between the heavenly realm and the mortal world… This old man must indeed have an extraordinary background.”

Yan Ge felt relieved as his doubts were dispelled. Once he convinced Yan Xiaojing, it would be equivalent to convincing Madam Yan. As for Yan Su, he wouldn’t suspect him based on his words.

With a weight off his mind, Yan Ge returned to the company with ease. Deng Ma, Zhao Cheng, and the others stood neatly in two rows, ready to kneel when they saw him.

“Stop,” Yan Ge halted them, “If you kneel, it’s considered defying an imperial decree!”

The group exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

Yan Ge smiled and said, “You should know what kind of person I am, don’t you? From now on, you can call me Boss Yan or Yan Guiren, and as for the rest, it should remain the same as before.”

Everyone joyfully responded, “Yes.”

– End of Volume One –

Volume Two: Journey to The South in Disguise

Hey guys, we have come to the end of Volume 1🎉🎉.

I’ll continue with the next volume using mtl. It’s 80% readable but not edited so terms like “gongzi” instead of “young master” among other stuff will appear🙈.

Okay, I decided to just do the whole book😅