promise

Zhao Xiyao was also stunned by Gao Yuan's words. She looked at the man with an inquiring gaze, wanting to see if he was joking or if he truly thought that way.

Gao Yuan saw her confusion and continued.

"I have always been a man without great ambitions. All I've done now is just so our family can live peacefully and stably. Otherwise, I would rather be the Third Young Master of the Grand General's Residence in Luoyang, idling my days away eating and waiting to die."

Zhao Xiyao suddenly thought of something.

"So that's why you had me become the provincial inspector of Nanzhou and handed all the political affairs over to me, right?"

Since they were speaking openly, Gao Yuan didn't hide anything anymore.

"If Great Qian does not fall into chaos and doesn't lose its grip on the world, then I will protect you as you rule this region as a queen, and we will raise our children here. If Great Qian truly loses its empire, I will lead the army to fight back and support you to become the Emperor—the first Empress Regnant."

Understanding her husband's intentions, Zhao Xiyao stopped speaking and left with a heavy heart. The meal ended just like that.

That night, after their intimate moments, Zheng Wan leaned against Gao Yuan's chest.

"Husband, do you really not want to be the Emperor?"

"Of course. What's so good about being the Emperor? You wake up earlier than a rooster, sleep later than a dog, and work harder than an ox. Every day as soon as you open your eyes, you have to worry about famines here and rebellions there, and you have to be on guard all day against people trying to usurp the throne;"

"If you do well, you get the title of a wise ruler. If you do poorly, future generations will point at your back and call you a faint-hearted ruler or a tyrant."

"Pfft..."

The woman couldn't help but laugh out loud, lightly punching her husband's chest.

"That is the Emperor, the Supreme of Nine-Five. How can it be as terrible as you say?"

With a soft moan, the woman adjusted herself into a more comfortable position.

"But this is also quite good. We can live our lives peacefully and watch our children grow up."

Gao Yuan tightened his hold on her body, kissed her smooth forehead, and drifted off to sleep.

The peaceful days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the thirtieth day of the twelfth month—the last day of the year, New Year's Eve.

This was a rare opportunity for Gao Yuan to spend the New Year at home. In previous years, the New Year was always spent during military campaigns. This was unavoidable, as the tropical weather meant only autumn and winter were suitable for marching and fighting.

If it hadn't been for such a great opportunity this year, he wouldn't have exhausted his troops on a distant expedition in the scorching summer. One must know that tropical summers are not only hot but also prone to outbreaks of disease.

In this era of scarce medicine, a single, not-too-serious epidemic could cause a country to collapse.

For today's reunion dinner, Gao Yuan also invited Chu Xi, General Yang Zhan, and Princess Consort Huang Yueying to participate. This decision successfully earned him eye-rolls from the women.

Before dinner, Chu Xi found Gao Yuan with a solemn expression.

"I've decided!"

"Decided what?"

"I've decided that from now on, I'll be called Yang Xin. Since I've taken over this body, I will live well in this world in her place."

Gao Yuan wasn't surprised and smiled as he rubbed the girl's head.

"That's good. Then from now on, I'll call you Little Girl Yang."

The girl's delicate nose wrinkled, and she tilted her proud, swan-like neck.

"I don't want that. 'Little Girl Yang' sounds like a cartoon character; it's hideous. From now on, this lady is the head of the Yang Family, the Family Head Yang."

"Alright, alright, alright. Then in the future, I shall rely on Family Head Yang to contribute to my cause."

The woman was clearly very pleased and headed to the kitchen to help with a triumphant air.

It turns out that the heavens are very fair; while they open a window for you, they will surely close a door.

The door to the kitchen for Yang Xin was closed by the heavens, and even nailed shut.

The former elite female executive of a foreign company in her past life, and the current power holder of the Bo Prefecture Yang Family and boss of the Yang Family Trading House in this life, was absolutely disastrous at cooking.

Within just fifteen minutes of entering the kitchen, she had broken three pottery jars, nearly cut her finger while chopping vegetables, and couldn't even tell the difference between sugar and salt. Eventually, she was asked to leave the kitchen by Zhao Xiyao on the grounds that "you are a guest."

Looking at the dejected girl, Gao Yuan couldn't hold it in and burst into wanton laughter.

"Hahaha! I say, how did you live before you crossed over? You didn't eat takeout every day, did you?"

To his surprise, the girl didn't snap back angrily. Instead, she lowered her head somewhat despondently.

"At... at home, my mom always cooked. I... I miss my mom and dad."

Seeing that the girl's 'little pearls' were about to fall, Gao Yuan gave his own foul mouth a slap and immediately stepped forward to comfort her.

"Don't cry, don't cry. It's bad luck to cry during the New Year. It's all my fault, all my fault."

The girl looked up, her large eyes filled with tears as she stared at Gao Yuan.

"Gao Yuan, do you think we can ever go back? Do you miss your parents?"

Gao Yuan shook his head, then paused to think and shook it again.

"I don't know. Probably... we can't go back. And... and I've never seen my parents."

Yang Xin blanked for a moment, then reached out to touch Gao Yuan's face, saying softly,

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine. Right, I heard you and Yueying have been tinkering with something new. Come, take me to see it!"

A moment later, Gao Yuan excitedly hugged Yang Xin and gave her a hard kiss on the cheek.

"Hahaha, I really love you to death! I didn't expect you to actually make this thing."

Gao Yuan saw a crossbow, a crossbow with a peculiar design. Although he had never seen it before, Gao Yuan was certain this was the legendary Repeating Crossbow.

Yang Xin pushed away the ecstatic Gao Yuan and said with a serious expression,

"Don't be happy too soon. This crossbow isn't perfect yet; it still has many flaws."

"Like what?"

Yang Xin held up three fingers.

"First, the production of this crossbow is very complex. The one in front of you was handcrafted by Yueying and took nearly ten days. Mass production will be very difficult;"

"Second, this crossbow requires many precise mechanisms. The cost is high, at five strings of cash per unit;"

"Third, the range of this crossbow is very short. Beyond fifty paces, it can't even pierce pigskin."

After hearing this, Gao Yuan fell silent. Even with Yang Xin's support and Princess Consort Huang Yueying's personal craftsmanship, the range was only fifty paces. If they switched to inferior materials, wouldn't the range be even worse?

After a long while, he snapped out of it and placed his hands heavily on Yang Xin's shoulders.

"Fellow traveler, I'll leave the work of improving the Repeating Crossbow to you, alright?"

Yang Xin's small head shook like a rattle.

"No way, absolutely not. Don't even think about it. I'm already as tired as a dog being the bank president, and you want me to help you improve the Repeating Crossbow? Do you want to work me to death?"

Gao Yuan guessed she would refuse and immediately threw out a bait.

"You'll just be there in name; Yueying will do the main work. When I unify the world and the system gives out rewards, how about I discuss it with it and send you back?"

Yang Xin fell into deep thought. Although she knew Gao Yuan was giving her an empty promise—setting aside whether he could unify the world, even if he did, could the system really give that reward?

But looking at Gao Yuan's determined eyes, she really wanted to believe him.

"Could it be that he has already asked the system? Those systems in novels are all-powerful; maybe it really is possible. Should I give it a try?"

After struggling for a good while, Yang Xin finally nodded.

"Fine, I promise to help you. But you must promise me, if there really is a chance, you must send me back."

Gao Yuan held up three fingers and swore solemnly.

"A gentleman's word is his bond. I am, after all, a man of my word, the Duke of Xicheng Commandery of Great Qian, the Consort of the Grand Princess, and General of Huaihua. I will definitely not break my promise!"

Two palms, one large and one small, struck each other under the setting sun, making a solemn promise.