47: Chapter 47 Everyone knows Prime Minister Zhuge, but no one knows the Imperial Advisor Su.

"The Nourishing Sanctuary was founded by you single-handedly. Back then, when you bestowed the surname zhuge upon those children, it caused quite a stir in the imperial court."

"The Jinchen Ward was named by you personally, with the hope that the civil and military officials of Daqian would be like stars, guarding the capital, Jinguan City."

"As for the earthquake... it was you who spared no cost to your cultivation, unleashing great divine powers to protect the capital!"

"Throughout the court and the wild, who does not cherish your kindness?"

"There is no such person as Imperial Preceptor Su Chen. Prime Minister, you must be too tired..."

"Bestowed the surname zhuge? Wasn't it that girls were given the surname zhuge, and boys were given the surname Su?"

Zhuge Jinyu caught the key information in Huang Ying's words, and her heart sank involuntarily.

"No... it is the surname zhuge, to inherit your grace."

Huang Ying's words were exceptionally firm.

The other party had already sworn a poisonous oath to her; there was no possibility, nor any need, for her to lie.

Zhuge Jinyu suddenly felt her body go weak.

She took a step back and slumped onto the bed.

She understood.

Not only had her teacher vanished.

Even the evidence of his existence, the past events he had participated in, had all been quietly altered and overwritten by some invisible and powerful force.

In everyone's memory and perception.

Only she existed—the Prime Minister of Daqian, Zhuge Jinyu.

And only she.

Still remembered him, remembered his appearance.

Remembered the sound of his voice and his smiles.

Remembered his attentive teachings.

Remembered how he protected her with his life.

Remembered his words:

"In the next life, I will be your husband."

Zhuge Jinyu felt that some non-existent force was slowly pulling her away from the entire world.

She had won the war, killed the strong enemy with her own hands, broken through her cultivation realm, repaired her heart meridians, and won worldwide praise.

Yet she had lost the only meaning for which she had strived.

Teacher...

You are too cruel.

You have even deprived me of the chance to clear your name, to write your biography, and to carve your achievements into the history books.

Have you stripped me of all that?

You just left so cleanly.

Leaving all the glory and all the honor.

To me alone.

"Hehe... hehe."

Zhuge Jinyu suddenly lowered her head and began to laugh softly.

The laughter sounded desolate and hollow, echoing back and forth inside the commander's tent.

"Prime Minister..."

Huang Ying and the others stepped forward with slight concern, but were stopped by Zhuge Jinyu.

She abruptly stopped laughing.

In those alluring fox-like eyes, all the fragility, collapse, and madness were forcibly suppressed in a very short time.

Replaced by a deathly, colorless.

Calm.

"I am fine."

Zhuge Jinyu's voice remained as cold and clear as always.

"Pass down the order: reorganize the army, pursue the remaining enemies, and recover all lost territory."

"Additionally."

She paused for a moment and continued.

"On every inch of Daqian territory recovered, search for a person named Su Chen."

"Do not fail!"

"Understood!"

Although they still felt the Prime Minister's state was worrying, seeing her return to her normal self.

Huang Ying and the others breathed a sigh of relief and left to carry out the orders.

The tent returned to silence.

...

The following days felt as if an acceleration button had been pressed.

Under Zhuge Jinyu's command, the Daqian army advanced like a hot knife through butter, reclaiming city after city that originally belonged to Daqian from the Dawei army.

With their commander-in-chief Sima Yi dead and their elite forces wiped out, the Dawei Dynasty could no longer organize any effective resistance.

The rout was like an avalanche; city after city surrendered at the mere sight of them.

Zhuge Jinyu seemed like an indefatigable war machine.

She remained the Prime Minister who calculated every move with absolute precision and commanded troops like a god, decisive in her decisions and clear in her rewards and punishments.

Only, that aura of vitality that once existed because of Su Chen, which she occasionally revealed, had completely disappeared.

Now, she was more like a flawless, yet lifeless, jade carving.

In her fox-like eyes, there was not a trace of radiance.

In the dead of night, she remained as she always had.

Habitually pressing the broken mirror against her heart and closing her eyes.

Hoping that after she opened her eyes, that face she dreamed of would reappear before her.

The following spring.

The Daqian army recovered Jinguan City, restoring the old territory.

One could see the empty city walls of the capital.

One, two, three, countless flags were raised.

In just the blink of an eye, the city walls were filled with people.

Along the way, the common people brought food and drink to welcome the Royal Army, their cheers shaking the heavens and the earth.

They shouted "Long live Prime Minister Zhuge," grateful that she had turned the tide and saved Daqian from peril.

Yet, not a single person called out the name of Su Chen.

The Daqian army, surrounded by the common people, passed through the streets that were beginning to be rebuilt amidst the ruins of war.

Watching the streets emptied as everyone came out, flags waving, and cheers like a tsunami.

Zhuge Jinyu rode the Snow Dragon Steeds, wearing black-based, gold-patterned military armor, her white hair tied up, her face cold, clear, and stunningly beautiful, accepting the worship of the masses.

Her gaze swept across the cheering crowd, across the familiar street scenes.

Her gaze turned toward the Jinchen Ward and the Nourishing Sanctuary, which had not collapsed even after experiencing war and earthquakes.

With a stir in her heart, she rode slowly toward it.

The entrance of the ward was still as lively as ever.

Shops lined the street, and the flow of people was like a weave.

Children were running and playing on the smooth bluestone road.

When her procession passed by, the common people knelt and bowed, their eyes filled with heartfelt gratitude.

After all, it was Zhuge Jinyu who had given them a home back then.

And now, it was Zhuge Jinyu who had saved them from the hands of the enemy country.

Zhuge Jinyu's gaze fell on the tallest building in the ward—the Nourishing Sanctuary.

She dismounted and walked in slowly.

The children in the courtyard were wearing uniform clothes, reading poetry and books under the guidance of a teacher.

Seeing her enter, the nanny in charge hurried to bring the children to kneel and salute.

"Greetings, Prime Minister!"

The children's voices were crisp and tender, filled with awe and curiosity.

Zhuge Jinyu's gaze swept over the faces of those children one by one.

She remembered that back then, right here, her teacher had smiled and said he would give her a group of children.

She remembered that she had pushed aside all dissenting opinions, bestowing the surname "Su" on the boys and "zhuge" on the girls.

Although she had already received the answer she did not want to know from Huang Ying.

Zhuge Jinyu still intended to verify it herself.

"You."

She pointed to a boy who looked clever and intelligent, her voice as gentle as possible.

"What is your name?"

The boy looked up, blinked his big eyes, and answered loudly.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, my name is zhuge Ming! Ming as in bright!"

Zhuge Jinyu's heart contracted sharply.

She was unwilling to give up and pointed to another boy.

"And you?"

"Prime Minister, my name is zhuge Yuan!"

"My name is zhuge Yuanzhi!"

"My name is zhuge Qing."

She asked several boys in a row, and the answers were without exception.

Their surnames were all "zhuge."

There was no Su.

Not a single one.

It was as if the surname "Su" had never been bestowed, and had never existed in these children's names.