Shannchyuan was trying to turn the wheels in his wheelchair. But he had trouble getting the wheelchair to move forward. The person with him then pushed the wheelchair into the room.
Unlike the room Shannchyuan was in earlier, in that room there were two beds. But there was only one bed occupied. The person who escorted Shannchyuan pushed the wheelchair until it was right next to the bed filled with patients. The patient lying on the bed was surprised to see Shannchyuan.
"In ten minutes I will bring Your Majesty back to the room," said the person who escorted Shannchyuan.
Shannchyuan nodded. The person then speedily left the room.
The person lying on the bed looked at Shannchyuan with a confused look. He was a young man of about thirty years of age.
"Do you know who I am?" asked Shannchyuan.
The young man lying on the bed nodded. "Your Majesty is Tianmuh Shannchyuan. This Great Emperor of our New World."
Shannchyuan was again shocked. In fact, he could already guess. The address "Your Majesty" was indeed meant for the Great Emperor. But the affirmation that the young man uttered still surprised him.
"Has Your Majesty forgotten again?" asked the person.
"Have we met before?"
"I started being here about a month before Your Majesty was transferred here. So I have met your highness many times. Since being here, Your Majesty had lost consciousness several times. After Your Majesty regained consciousness, usually Your Majesty experienced amnesia. It was about a week after you regained consciousness that Your Majesty was able to recall things that had happened in the past."
"So we do know each other."
"There's not much we can do here. So we often play chess to pass the time."
"Okay! You are right. Right now, I don't remember much. Can you now tell me a little why I got here?"
"In another week, Your Majesty will remember these things."
"One week is too long. I want to know now."
"Where should I start from?"
"You can start by telling me why I became emperor. There are so many people in the Tianmuh and Duanmuh families. Why did they choose me?"
The person started to stare. His eyes stared blankly ahead. "All of this started one day about ten years ago."
"Wait a minute," said Shannchyuan. "What's your name?"
"My name is Linqhwu Jiannjyh."
"Linqhwu?"
"That's right, Your Majesty. Your Majesty knows my father, Linqhwu Ueideng."
"Oh!"
That name sounds familiar. But Shannchyuan couldn't remember the figure of that person yet.
"And the person who brought you in here earlier was Chioulin Yeujow. Your Majesty also knows his father."
"Before you start telling me, I have something to ask you. I'm curious, why did the doctor and the two nurses enter this room for just an instant? As soon as they entered the room, they immediately came out."
"They want to check the person next to me," Linqhwu Jiannjyh pointed at the empty bed next to him. "But after coming into this room, they found out that the other doctors and nurses had taken the patient away to the laboratory about half an hour ago."
Shannchyuan nodded. "Okay, now tell me briefly about what happened. I do not have much time."
"So, ten years ago, there was a rebellion. The emperor who reigned in Tianjing was killed. The rebels massacred countless members of the imperial family. Many people from the Tianmuh Family died in the first three months after the rebellion. The surviving members of the Tianmuh family chose to change their names and go into hiding."
"So that's why the imperial supporters chose the new Emperor, who is from the Duanmuh family?" Shannchyuan said.
"That's right Your Majesty! The Tianmuh Family is a branch of the Duanmuh Family. So one could say the Duanmuh Family was the parent of the Tianmuh Family. Moreover, in fact, before the Tianmuh Family was formed, power in this new world was in the hands of the Duanmuh Family."
"But there are so many people in the Duanmuh Family. Why should I? Even I never had an intense relationship with the Duanmuh family. I was raised as a commoner."
"Your Majesty isn't the only member of the Duanmuh Family to become emperor. During the first five years after the rebellion, there were countless Duanmuh families who ascended the throne to become emperors. Immediately after ascending to the throne, usually the rebels could trace their whereabouts. The rebels always caught and killed them. And so on. Almost every four or five months, there was a new emperor."
"Is it that easy to catch the emperor?"
"The rebel side has a lot of spies. They infiltrated among the people loyal to the empire. They regularly report to the rebels. So it's not difficult for the rebels to capture the people who dare to become the emperor."
"The rebels have succeeded in coming to power. Did they not make an emperor out of their own ranks?" Asked Shannchyuan.
"The rebels believe that supreme power should not be left to one person. And the rulers should not pass that power on to their descendants. According to them, power should not be inherited."
"That is an interesting concept. In a different time and place, I might very well have endorsed that concept."
Linqhwu Jiannjyh laughed at Shannchyuan's words. Shannchyuan also laughed after seeing the young man laugh.
"Yeah, it sounds hilarious if it turns out that the reigning emperor doesn't even support the imperial institutions."
Linqhwu Jiannjyh nodded in approval of Shannchyuan's words.
"So instead of installing an emperor, the rebels set up a collective leadership. This leadership group comprised 73 people. Although in reality there were only 72 people sitting on the committee. One person had refused from the start. He absolutely did not want to be involved in the activities of the rebels."
"Are they not willing to replace that one person who refused with someone else who is willing to cooperate?" Asked Shannchyuan.
"The one person who rejected it was the person who wrote the manifesto for the rebels. So we can say that the person is the leader of the rebels. But it seemed he didn't expect that their later movement of rebellion actually succeeded in overthrowing the empire. So after their struggle succeeded, that person actually withdrew."
"Sometimes we do hesitate just as we are stepping through the door," said Shannchyuan. "I can understand how he felt."
"So officially, he is the number one person in that ruling committee. Even though he blatantly didn't want to interfere, his name was still listed as the leader of the committee."
"Then who took over his position on the committee?"
"The deputy committee chairman who is said to be that person's apprentice, then took over the position of the number one person on the committee. But formally, he remained a deputy chairman. He didn't want to depose his mentor at all."
"I guess we could call him a devoted disciple." Shannchyuan laughed. "I am a teacher. In dozens of years of teaching, there are always one or two students who think like that."
Suddenly Shannchyuan remembered an episode in his life. He was a teacher. Or at least been a teacher for years. He also suddenly remembered some things related to that. It turned out that conversing with other people like that really could stimulate the return of his memory.
"Five years ago, when Tianmuh Jinqkang was killed, no one from the Duanmuh family dared to declare themselves emperor. It was then that a group of people kidnapped Your Majesty and then crowned Your Majesty as emperor."
"Tianmuh Jinqkang? This name feels very familiar. Maybe later I can remember clearly."
"Before ascending to the throne, people knew him as Duanmuh Jinqkang. He was a very famous businessman. He was one of Your Majesty's supporters. According to some analysts, he deliberately sacrificed himself by becoming emperor so that Your Majesty would be willing to step forward after he died."
"That's a very stupid thing," said Shannchyuan.
"The line between stupidity and loyalty is sometimes too thin, Your Majesty."
"You are right! Then why after that I was not killed? Did the rebels' spy network suddenly become dysfunctional?"
"I don't know for sure. But what is clear is that Your Majesty has always managed to escape the ambush of the special forces sent by the rebels."
"But in the end they caught me too?"
"One year ago, finally, they captured Your Majesty. I don't know where they had detained Your Majesty, but three months after the arrest, they transferred Your Majesty to this place."
"So for this one year, they have put me under house arrest. It's very interesting."
"That's right, Your Majesty."
"Then why did they arrest you too?" Shannchyuan looked at the young man in surprise.
Linqhwu Jiannjyh laughed. "Because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A year and a half ago, when the rebel special forces raided a place that was used as a secret meeting place for supporters of the Duanmuh family, I happened to be in the vicinity."
"You're not coming to the meeting?"
"No, Your Majesty. I just happened to be there."
"Then why didn't they let you go?"
"Because they later realized that I was the son of Linqhwu Ueideng, a supporter of the empire. Over the past few years, my father has indeed been a fugitive."
"Then where did they imprison you?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty. But I suspect they imprisoned me in the city where they arrested me. Ten months ago, they transferred me here. They said I was sick, so I had to be treated in this underground hospital. I don't know what is my illness. I feel myself fine."
"You said that the rebels always executed those who ascended the throne to become emperor. Then why am I still alive until now?"
"The Deputy Chief of the New World Rescue Committee, as they call the committee they created, insists on not executing Your Majesty."
The bedroom door opened. Chioulin Yeujow appeared from behind the door.
"Ten minutes have passed, Your Majesty. I really want to give Your Majesty some more time. But if I do that, there will be consequences that I have to accept."
Shannchyuan nodded. "I understand. Alright, I'll head back to my room now."
Chioulin Yeujow came into the room and moved to the back of the wheelchair. He then pushed the wheelchair toward the bedroom door.
"What is the name of that Vice Committee Chairman who decided not to sentence me to death?" Shannchyuan asked when his wheelchair reached the bedroom door.
"In the past, many many years ago, he was one of the Young Masters of a growing conglomerate network. His name is Mingju Tsaehorng," replied Linqhwu Jiannjyh.
Shannchyuan was trying to turn the wheels in his wheelchair. But he had trouble getting the wheelchair to move forward. The person with him then pushed the wheelchair into the room.
Unlike the room Shannchyuan was in earlier, in that room there were two beds. But there was only one bed occupied. The person who escorted Shannchyuan pushed the wheelchair until it was right next to the bed filled with patients. The patient lying on the bed was surprised to see Shannchyuan.
"In ten minutes I will bring Your Majesty back to the room," said the person who escorted Shannchyuan.
Shannchyuan nodded. The person then speedily left the room.
The person lying on the bed looked at Shannchyuan with a confused look. He was a young man of about thirty years of age.
"Do you know who I am?" asked Shannchyuan.
The young man lying on the bed nodded. "Your Majesty is Tianmuh Shannchyuan. This Great Emperor of our New World."
Shannchyuan was again shocked. In fact, he could already guess. The address "Your Majesty" was indeed meant for the Great Emperor. But the affirmation that the young man uttered still surprised him.
"Has Your Majesty forgotten again?" asked the person.
"Have we met before?"
"I started being here about a month before Your Majesty was transferred here. So I have met your highness many times. Since being here, Your Majesty had lost consciousness several times. After Your Majesty regained consciousness, usually Your Majesty experienced amnesia. It was about a week after you regained consciousness that Your Majesty was able to recall things that had happened in the past."
"So we do know each other."
"There's not much we can do here. So we often play chess to pass the time."
"Okay! You are right. Right now, I don't remember much. Can you now tell me a little why I got here?"
"In another week, Your Majesty will remember these things."
"One week is too long. I want to know now."
"Where should I start from?"
"You can start by telling me why I became emperor. There are so many people in the Tianmuh and Duanmuh families. Why did they choose me?"
The person started to stare. His eyes stared blankly ahead. "All of this started one day about ten years ago."
"Wait a minute," said Shannchyuan. "What's your name?"
"My name is Linqhwu Jiannjyh."
"Linqhwu?"
"That's right, Your Majesty. Your Majesty knows my father, Linqhwu Ueideng."
"Oh!"
That name sounds familiar. But Shannchyuan couldn't remember the figure of that person yet.
"And the person who brought you in here earlier was Chioulin Yeujow. Your Majesty also knows his father."
"Before you start telling me, I have something to ask you. I'm curious, why did the doctor and the two nurses enter this room for just an instant? As soon as they entered the room, they immediately came out."
"They want to check the person next to me," Linqhwu Jiannjyh pointed at the empty bed next to him. "But after coming into this room, they found out that the other doctors and nurses had taken the patient away to the laboratory about half an hour ago."
Shannchyuan nodded. "Okay, now tell me briefly about what happened. I do not have much time."
"So, ten years ago, there was a rebellion. The emperor who reigned in Tianjing was killed. The rebels massacred countless members of the imperial family. Many people from the Tianmuh Family died in the first three months after the rebellion. The surviving members of the Tianmuh family chose to change their names and go into hiding."
"So that's why the imperial supporters chose the new Emperor, who is from the Duanmuh family?" Shannchyuan said.
"That's right Your Majesty! The Tianmuh Family is a branch of the Duanmuh Family. So one could say the Duanmuh Family was the parent of the Tianmuh Family. Moreover, in fact, before the Tianmuh Family was formed, power in this new world was in the hands of the Duanmuh Family."
"But there are so many people in the Duanmuh Family. Why should I? Even I never had an intense relationship with the Duanmuh family. I was raised as a commoner."
"Your Majesty isn't the only member of the Duanmuh Family to become emperor. During the first five years after the rebellion, there were countless Duanmuh families who ascended the throne to become emperors. Immediately after ascending to the throne, usually the rebels could trace their whereabouts. The rebels always caught and killed them. And so on. Almost every four or five months, there was a new emperor."
"Is it that easy to catch the emperor?"
"The rebel side has a lot of spies. They infiltrated among the people loyal to the empire. They regularly report to the rebels. So it's not difficult for the rebels to capture the people who dare to become the emperor."
"The rebels have succeeded in coming to power. Did they not make an emperor out of their own ranks?" Asked Shannchyuan.
"The rebels believe that supreme power should not be left to one person. And the rulers should not pass that power on to their descendants. According to them, power should not be inherited."
"That is an interesting concept. In a different time and place, I might very well have endorsed that concept."
Linqhwu Jiannjyh laughed at Shannchyuan's words. Shannchyuan also laughed after seeing the young man laugh.
"Yeah, it sounds hilarious if it turns out that the reigning emperor doesn't even support the imperial institutions."
Linqhwu Jiannjyh nodded in approval of Shannchyuan's words.
"So instead of installing an emperor, the rebels set up a collective leadership. This leadership group comprised 73 people. Although in reality there were only 72 people sitting on the committee. One person had refused from the start. He absolutely did not want to be involved in the activities of the rebels."
"Are they not willing to replace that one person who refused with someone else who is willing to cooperate?" Asked Shannchyuan.
"The one person who rejected it was the person who wrote the manifesto for the rebels. So we can say that the person is the leader of the rebels. But it seemed he didn't expect that their later movement of rebellion actually succeeded in overthrowing the empire. So after their struggle succeeded, that person actually withdrew."
"Sometimes we do hesitate just as we are stepping through the door," said Shannchyuan. "I can understand how he felt."
"So officially, he is the number one person in that ruling committee. Even though he blatantly didn't want to interfere, his name was still listed as the leader of the committee."
"Then who took over his position on the committee?"
"The deputy committee chairman who is said to be that person's apprentice, then took over the position of the number one person on the committee. But formally, he remained a deputy chairman. He didn't want to depose his mentor at all."
"I guess we could call him a devoted disciple." Shannchyuan laughed. "I am a teacher. In dozens of years of teaching, there are always one or two students who think like that."
Suddenly Shannchyuan remembered an episode in his life. He was a teacher. Or at least been a teacher for years. He also suddenly remembered some things related to that. It turned out that conversing with other people like that really could stimulate the return of his memory.
"Five years ago, when Tianmuh Jinqkang was killed, no one from the Duanmuh family dared to declare themselves emperor. It was then that a group of people kidnapped Your Majesty and then crowned Your Majesty as emperor."
"Tianmuh Jinqkang? This name feels very familiar. Maybe later I can remember clearly."
"Before ascending to the throne, people knew him as Duanmuh Jinqkang. He was a very famous businessman. He was one of Your Majesty's supporters. According to some analysts, he deliberately sacrificed himself by becoming emperor so that Your Majesty would be willing to step forward after he died."
"That's a very stupid thing," said Shannchyuan.
"The line between stupidity and loyalty is sometimes too thin, Your Majesty."
"You are right! Then why after that I was not killed? Did the rebels' spy network suddenly become dysfunctional?"
"I don't know for sure. But what is clear is that Your Majesty has always managed to escape the ambush of the special forces sent by the rebels."
"But in the end they caught me too?"
"One year ago, finally, they captured Your Majesty. I don't know where they had detained Your Majesty, but three months after the arrest, they transferred Your Majesty to this place."
"So for this one year, they have put me under house arrest. It's very interesting."
"That's right, Your Majesty."
"Then why did they arrest you too?" Shannchyuan looked at the young man in surprise.
Linqhwu Jiannjyh laughed. "Because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A year and a half ago, when the rebel special forces raided a place that was used as a secret meeting place for supporters of the Duanmuh family, I happened to be in the vicinity."
"You're not coming to the meeting?"
"No, Your Majesty. I just happened to be there."
"Then why didn't they let you go?"
"Because they later realized that I was the son of Linqhwu Ueideng, a supporter of the empire. Over the past few years, my father has indeed been a fugitive."
"Then where did they imprison you?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty. But I suspect they imprisoned me in the city where they arrested me. Ten months ago, they transferred me here. They said I was sick, so I had to be treated in this underground hospital. I don't know what is my illness. I feel myself fine."
"You said that the rebels always executed those who ascended the throne to become emperor. Then why am I still alive until now?"
"The Deputy Chief of the New World Rescue Committee, as they call the committee they created, insists on not executing Your Majesty."
The bedroom door opened. Chioulin Yeujow appeared from behind the door.
"Ten minutes have passed, Your Majesty. I really want to give Your Majesty some more time. But if I do that, there will be consequences that I have to accept."
Shannchyuan nodded. "I understand. Alright, I'll head back to my room now."
Chioulin Yeujow came into the room and moved to the back of the wheelchair. He then pushed the wheelchair toward the bedroom door.
"What is the name of that Vice Committee Chairman who decided not to sentence me to death?" Shannchyuan asked when his wheelchair reached the bedroom door.
"In the past, many many years ago, he was one of the Young Masters of a growing conglomerate network. His name is Mingju Tsaehorng," replied Linqhwu Jiannjyh.
