The celestial god's avatar that descended through Nian Songyu had also been after the Dafang Pot. It was a treasure coveted by celestial gods, so what was strange about Nailuotian wanting it as well?
Viewed this way, though, Nailuotian had laid out plans stretching very far into the past.
He Chunhua still remembered that after Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu died, the black flood dragon in the Panlong illusion had told them that the Dafang Pot had long since merged into one with Panlong Ancient City, and therefore no one could take it away.
Nailuotian had also asked about that adventure; He Chunhua had answered truthfully, and Nailuotian said nothing more at the time.
Had the black flood dragon in the illusion lied, or had something new changed in the situation?
There had been far too many variables over the past few months. Nian Zanli had somehow become a prisoner in Lingxu City with his life and death uncertain, and the greatest threat to Xiazhou had abruptly vanished. In the capital of Beijia, an empire formidable and seemingly invincible, a volcano suddenly erupted, throwing the city into chaos, and demon immortals were said to have emerged flaunting their might.
Beijia was a realm favored by celestial gods, and Lingxu City in particular had enjoyed peace ever since the nation's founding. Could this unprecedented upheaval mean that something had gone awry in the divine realm first, spilling over into the mortal world?
Was that why Nailuotian was making moves?
To the east, the Mou Kingdom was still at war with Beijia...
Could the tumultuous shifts of recent months foreshadow an impending era of great chaos?
He Chunhua inhaled deeply without thinking, only to be seized by a coughing fit from the thick smoke.
Madam Ying happened to knock on the door just then. As soon as He Chunhua pushed it open, she took two steps back with an exclamation:
"With so much smoke in here, why didn't you open a window?"
***
He Lingchuan woke from his sleep to the sweet chirping of a pair of orioles. Outside, peach blossoms bloomed in brilliant clusters, draped across the wall in vibrant pink.
The weather was about to turn hot, making this likely the blossoms' final burst of stubborn splendor.
After wandering for over half a year, he was back in the He household. How wonderful it would be if the world outside were just as tranquil and peaceful.
He had just tied up his hair and finished washing when a servant arrived to report that Madam Zhu had come to visit the special envoy.
"Madam Zhu?" Who was that? He had no recollection of such a person.
Yet as soon as he walked into the front hall and saw her, it clicked at once: "Sister Xiu'er!"
The very first guest to call upon him after his return to the kingdom was actually Zhu Xiu'er!
Years ago, she had been abducted and sold into Xianling Village. It was the He family who rescued her and escorted her all the way back to her grandfather in Shihuan City.
Now, more than a year later, Zhu Xiu'er wore her hair piled high with jeweled hairpins and was clad in fine spring robes jingling with pendants, radiating nobility and elegance. Her skin was sleek and smooth, her posture straight and slender—not a single trace remained of the coarse village woman she had once been.
This was how a twenty-year-old woman ought to look, full of vitality.
Two maidservants followed behind her.
Holding a food box with her own hands, Zhu Xiu'er set it on the table the moment she saw He Lingchuan, then gathered her skirts to curtsy. He Lingchuan reached out in an airy gesture of support, and an invisible surge of energy gently lifted her up.
"What brings you here?"
"Grandfather told me you had returned, and as the special envoy of Mount Rong, no less!" Zhu Xiu'er's eyes sparkled, her joy plain to see.
"Elder Zhu's sources are as sharp as ever." He Lingchuan chuckled. The higher the aristocratic clan, the faster insider information traveled.
"Come, serve tea." He instructed the servants to bring fresh tea, asking, "Have you been well since we parted, Sister Xiu'er?"
After exchanging a few words, he learned that Zhu Xiu'er had already married; her husband's family were rising figures in Shihuan City.
Given Elder Zhu's affection for this granddaughter, had the abduction never occurred, Zhu Xiu'er would likely have wed into a first-rate aristocratic house.
Yet Zhu Xiu'er was thoroughly content, for her husband treated her wonderfully.
He Lingchuan offered his sincere congratulations: "Congratulations. You have finally found happiness and fulfillment."
If her days continued as smoothly as this, the shadows of the past would fade away in time.
Zhu Xiu'er smiled pursing her lips. "You were the one who pulled me out of the abyss. Otherwise, I would have died long ago—how could I have today?"
With that, she opened the food box on the table, and a puff of cool air drifted out. "There's a two-hundred-year-old peach tree in my courtyard, far older than the ones at your home. The peaches it bears are presented to the palace every year. These are peaches I picked and preserved myself—please have a taste."
He Lingchuan looked inside: two plump, pink peaches rested within, each resembling a baby's cheek, fair with a rosy blush.
The bottom compartment was lined with crushed ice to keep them chilled.
"Chilled peaches?" Why were they moist?
"Preserved in salt water and sour plum juice."
The peaches seemed to have been steeped for a long time; the fuzz on their skin was rubbed completely smooth, rendering them faintly translucent with a jade-like texture.
He Lingchuan grabbed a peach and took a crisp bite.
Mmm! Salty, sweet, juicy, and delightfully crunchy, with a subtle tang that elevated the flavor just right, driving away the slightest hint of astringency typical of spring peaches.
Seeing him eat without any reservation, Zhu Xiu'er grew even happier. "I had a few boxes sent to Madam Ying and Little Brother Yue as well. If you like the taste, I'll bring some over often."
"I love it!" With his mouth full of peach flesh, He Lingchuan spoke indistinctly. "Send me a box every day!"
Seeing him treat her so familiarly, Zhu Xiu'er's eyes crinkled into crescents with delight.
After chatting about mundane matters a bit longer, she leaned forward, her voice suddenly dropping. "Actually, I rushed over today because I have something to tell you."
Having said this, she glanced to her left and right.
He Lingchuan understood. "Our garden is quite lovely. How about I show you around?"
Zhu Xiu'er nodded readily, turning to the maids behind her. "Wait for me here. No need to follow."
The two walked out along the covered corridor and strolled into the garden.
At the turn of late spring and early summer, the garden was alive with lush greenery and vivid blossoms. Even without rare or exotic flora, even the wild chrysanthemums bloomed with exceptional brilliance.
Seeing that no one was around, Zhu Xiu'er finally brought up the real matter:
"Did you used to have someone working under you named Sun Hongye?"
Sun Hongye?
He Lingchuan's expression shifted slightly. He had never expected her to mention that name.
"Yes. I heard he left a few days ago and just happened to miss me. Why?"
"Sun Hongye had some dealings with me, and his departure seemed a bit fishy. I came to let you know."
"Fishy?" He Lingchuan asked curiously. "How could he have crossed paths with you?"
"It's like this: when I was abducted as a child, it was an inside job by someone in our household." Zhu Xiu'er's face paled slightly as she recalled that nightmare of a past. "I've already found out who did it, and Grandfather knows too. But the evidence was destroyed long ago, so I can't turn her over to the authorities. And... and with an unsavory internal scandal like this, the Zhu clan didn't want outsiders to find out."
Family scandals were not to be aired in public. A prominent lineage like the Zhu clan naturally had to preserve its reputation.
"Your family did nothing at all?"
"They sent the couple away," Zhu Xiu'er said coldly. "But how could that dispel the hatred in my heart?"
"Just a dozen or so days ago, Sun Hongye came to see me. He said he was willing to plot on my behalf to avenge me against my enemies."
A dozen days ago? That was probably right after He Chunhua moved the entire household to the Yuan capital, and Sun Hongye had accompanied them as an aide.
As for Sun Hongye's departure, He Lingchuan had felt it odd all along. It had already been a year since he fell into the water; the lad had stayed in remote Xiazhou for nearly a full year. If he wanted to leave, why hadn't he done so earlier or later, but waited until arriving in the kingdom's capital—a place every Yuan subject dreamed of—before tendering his resignation?
Chapter 782