Chapter 441 Grand Finale: Part One
Flames crept inward.
Chu Hongyu heard Yun Chu calling from behind, urging him to escape quickly.
But there were nearly a thousand children still inside the Orphanage, the youngest less than a month old.
"Your Majesty, run!"
Lin Dongdong grabbed Chu Hongyu's arm, trying to drag him outside, but couldn't move him.
As the smell of gunpowder spread, all the children locked in the rooms came running out.
Though these children didn't recognize what the substance was, humans possess an instinctive awareness of danger - they immediately started fleeing.
The oldest children here were just over ten years old, the younger ones four or five, with nearly a hundred infants who couldn't walk yet. Complete chaos erupted.
Meng Shen and Yun Zhenjiang flanked Chu Hongyu, supporting him from both sides: "Your Majesty, you must leave now!"
They had just discovered that the Orphanage was surrounded by gunpowder. If the flames reached it, the entire orphanage would be blown to pieces.
The Cloud Family Shadow Guard and orphanage adults each carried an infant in one arm or dragged an older child as they rushed toward the exit.
The scene was utter pandemonium.
"Everyone stop!" Chu Hongyu shouted. "You can't outrun this! Even if you make it outside, you'll still be blown up! This is certain death! Everyone, stand where you are!"
Lin Dongdong was nearly in tears: "Your Majesty, their lives don't matter, but you cannot die! If you die, the Great Jin will fall into chaos..."
Chu Hongyu's eyes remained fixed on the advancing flames.
There must be a way!
He refused to believe he couldn't think of a solution!
They needed to extinguish the flames quickly, but the lake was too far away, and there were too many fuses. Going back and forth would take too long!
Though countless thoughts raced through his mind, this all happened in the blink of an eye.
Yun Chu had already rushed in from outside and scooped Chu Hongyu up into her arms.
The boy was over eight years old now, making him somewhat heavy to carry, but fortunately she had martial arts training. She hoisted him onto her shoulder and began rushing out.
At this moment, she wasn't the Empress Dowager of Great Jin - just an ordinary mother.
Faced with choosing between so many children and her own son, she selfishly chose her son.
"Mother, let me go!" Chu Hongyu struggled. "I've thought of a way! Mother, put me down!"
Yun Chu asked: "Really?"
"Absolutely!"
Chu Hongyu was immediately set down.
He shouted loudly: "All boys, drop your pants and pee!"
Lin Dongdong instantly understood: "Quick, do what I do!"
He walked up to one fuse, dropped his trousers, and urinated on the flame. With a sizzle, the fire went out.
Other children followed his example. At least a dozen boys gathered around each fuse line, and after several rounds of urination, all the creeping flames were extinguished.
"Your Majesty is amazing!" Lin Dongdong's eyes shone. "So much gunpowder, and you solved it with one sentence!"
Chu Hongyu's mouth twitched: "Could you put your pants on before speaking?"
"Hehe!" Lin Dongdong pulled up his trousers. "I was just too excited!"
Countless children gathered around.
"So you're the newly crowned young emperor."
"The Emperor is actually younger than me."
"But the Emperor is smarter than you!"
Many children examined Chu Hongyu with curiosity.
A smile spread across Chu Hongyu's face: "What are the common people saying about me? Tell me.""Everyone says the Emperor is brilliant, having developed some kind of ship that crushed the Eastern Tomb Kingdom."
"They say the Emperor is only eight years old yet so capable—he'll surely achieve great things in the future."
"Your Majesty, several older brothers at our Orphanage excel in studies, but their orphan status prevents them from taking the imperial exams. Is there any solution?"
In the Great Jin Dynasty, most orphans had unclear origins, placing them beneath commoners in social status. To participate in imperial examinations, they first needed adoption to change their household registration before being eligible.
However, several academically gifted orphans were already too old for adoption. No matter how well they studied, it held little meaning.
Chu Hongyu spoke up: "I will personally handle this matter. Rest assured."
At that moment, Yun Chu arrived before the Orphanage.
She looked up to see Chu Rui being held by two shadow guards, his face pale as paper with blood trickling from his lips.
"Yun Chu... cough..."
His words triggered coughing fits, bringing up more blood, leaving him extremely feeble.
Yun Chu drew a short sword from her sleeve, wiping the blade with her sleeve as she spoke coldly: "Any last words before you die?"
"Nothing... to say." Chu Rui closed his eyes. "Do it."
Yun Chu tossed the short sword to Fan Ming: "Finish him."
Without hesitation, Fan Ming pierced Chu Rui's chest with the sword.
Chu Rui spat a mouthful of hot blood before slowly collapsing to the ground.
Lin Qiang knelt on one knee, pleading: "Empress Dowager, please grant me permission to give him a proper burial."
Yun Chu nodded.
After Chu Rui's burial, Lin Qiang voluntarily resigned from office, while Fan Ming resumed his position as Commander of the Imperial Guards.
Yun Chu dismissed all officials from the Lin and Feng families in court, along with every minister who had followed Chu Rui's lead, stripping them of their positions one by one.
The Great Jin court finally settled into peace.
It was at this time that Yun Chu fully delegated authority. Though she continued overseeing governance behind the screen, she rarely intervened in political discussions, returning most governing power to the young Emperor.
The Censorate had been preparing to impeach the Empress Dowager for excessive power, but before they could speak, she had already relinquished control.
"Great victory! Great victory!"
An urgent eight-hundred-li dispatch brought glorious news.
"Our Great Jin, allied with the Dayuan Kingdom, has completely conquered the Eastern Tomb Kingdom! Now Great Jin and Dayuan jointly administer Eastern Tomb, with all territories east of Eastern Tomb incorporated into our Great Jin's domain!"
This news set the court abuzz with excitement.
"Empress Dowager, here is a secret letter from the Valiant General!"
A guard presented the letter.
Yun Chu took it and opened it—it was handwritten by the Valiant General: "Your Highness, after Eastern Tomb's defeat, the Second Prince of Dayuan secretly proposed that we join forces to destroy Dayuan from within. I believe this is a trap, but the Second Prince sent this item as proof..."
A token accompanied the letter. Yun Chu poured it out.
When she saw the exquisite green jade pendant, she froze—this was the love token between her and Chu Yi!
Chu Yi wasn't dead!
He truly wasn't dead!
"The Second Prince of Dayuan stated in his letter that showing this to you would secure your cooperation. Awaiting your instructions!"
After reading the letter, Yun Chu exhaled deeply.
She lowered her gaze in contemplation.
Chu Yi was alive, having become the Second Prince of Dayuan, yet he hadn't written to her—clear evidence of his difficult circumstances.
Though uncertain how he became another kingdom's prince, one thing was definite: Dayuan had not treated him well, otherwise he would never seek its destruction.She wrote a secret letter and had it delivered eight hundred li post-haste to the Valiant General.
Just as she finished handling political affairs, Chu Changsheng rushed in, her face covered in tears, and said, "Mother, I heard from brother that Father isn't dead. Is it true?"
A smile touched Yun Chu's lips. "Yes, your father is alive and well. He should be returning soon."
"That's wonderful, that's wonderful!" Chu Changsheng sobbed, throwing herself into Yun Chu's embrace. "Father isn't dead, yet he never came back. I hate him, I really hate him..."
"If your father heard you say that, he would be very sad," Yun Chu said, stroking her daughter's hair. "Your father contributed greatly to our Great Jin's successful alliance with the Dayuan Kingdom to conquer the Eastern Tomb Kingdom. Now, under his planning, the southern territories of the Eastern Tomb Kingdom and the Dayuan Kingdom will all be incorporated into Great Jin's domain. Though your father has not formally ascended the throne, he will leave a remarkable legacy in Great Jin's historical records."
After the founding emperor established Great Jin, the subsequent emperors were rather mediocre, leading to the loss of national territory. It was the emperor before last who launched full-scale campaigns and reclaimed the lands Great Jin had lost.
If the emperor before last restored Great Jin's dignity,
then Chu Yi demonstrated Great Jin's majestic national prestige, expanded its territory, and extended Great Jin's domain overseas.
His identity compelled him to accomplish all this.
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