Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 278 Guests
The Northern Prince's Mansion was not located next to Qingniwa, nor were there any bustling cities nearby.

Or one could say that the entire palace was a majestic city.

It is adjacent to Huku Mountain, guarding the mountain pass that stretches for hundreds of miles. It connects to Qingniwa in the east and Zixuan City in the west. Behind the pass stands the royal palace, and scattered around the royal palace are numerous villages and towns.

The village is surrounded by vast farmlands, where hunters gather to hunt, and there are also villages of artisans skilled in forging.

The settlements were interconnected, some forming towns, while a few scattered households constituted villages. These settlements, linked together like chains, guarded the northern border, preventing the southward advance of the steppe cavalry.

The character "府" (fu, meaning mansion) hangs high above the northern border. Its backyard contains no exotic flowers or rare stones, only a vast training ground paved with bluestone. Standing on that majestic tea platform, one can gaze upon the layered mountain passes—in case of unforeseen events, the mansion would be the first line of defense.

On the high tea table, Old Zhao leaned back in his chair, one leg casually crossed, pouring wine from the teapot in a thin stream, then tilting his head back to drink it. A snow-white fur coat was half-draped over his shoulder, the thin undershirt beneath making it impossible to tell whether he was warm or cold.

Across from him sat a middle-aged man with his hair tied back and bright eyes, a smile playing on his lips as he held a white jade cup, examining the fine wine within: "The grassland milk wine certainly has a unique flavor; though not strong, it is mellow and rich, just what I like."

"If you enjoy drinking, then lead your troops deep into the grasslands," Lord Zhao said, wiping away the wine stains. "Take as many bandit heads as possible, and the fine wine will naturally be yours."

So unrestrained and unconventional, she took a couple of sips before glancing at the man before her:
"Instead of coming here to mooch drinks."

“If it weren’t for my uncle’s love for me, I wouldn’t dare to come here.”

"I love you?" This made Master Zhao laugh in anger.
“I did dote on you when you were little. Whatever you wanted to eat or play with, I would always find a way to get it for you. Now it seems like I spoiled you rotten. I really want to know where you got the nerve to come to my door? Aren't you afraid I'll detain you?”

"You won't."

"I won't?"

"Yes." The middle-aged man nodded respectfully. "You love your family the most."

Old Zhao spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the floor beside him.

The person in front of me also has the surname Zhao.

He is the eldest prince.

Zhao Hongxuan.

The last character of the original name should have been Xuan, but divination showed that the person's destiny lacked water and fire, so a character was added to the name.

Furthermore, the names of the royal family need to be more complex so that ordinary people would find them difficult to pronounce and understand.

Since they couldn't understand it, the royal family naturally seemed superior.

"Uncle, you were attacked by thieves a while ago and were injured. I was too busy at the time to visit you. I wonder how your injury is now?"

The eldest prince, Zhao Hongxuan, respectfully poured another cup of wine for Master Zhao, speaking humbly as if a junior were serving an elder.

"Thanks to you, I only lost some treasures, but I didn't die." Master Zhao glanced at the other party coldly, narrowing his eyes: "When I was injured, I encountered someone skilled in medicine and healing. She ambushed me and caused me to suffer from chronic illness for a long time. After I returned, I investigated and found that the person was actually a subordinate of the General's Mansion."

"The General's Mansion, aren't those people under your command? Heh."

Zhao Ye's words were laced with a strong threat, yet Zhao Hongxuan remained calm and composed, only showing a hint of sadness on his face.
"This is due to my failure to discipline her properly; that woman is now dead. I hope my uncle will forgive me."

Master Zhao remained silent. With the northern army currently at its peak, he was too preoccupied to investigate the General's Mansion, nor did he know the fate of the attacker. However, based on his familiarity with his nephew, he was fairly certain the woman was dead, but most likely not to atone for her sins, but rather from some other accident.

Master Zhao focused his mind, raising an eyebrow: "What is the purpose of your visit today? Now that the Great General is about to head south, why don't you go and find him instead of coming to me?"

“Alas, Uncle, you are mistaken. I really need your protection.” The eldest prince sighed. “The general is cunning and has been missing for a long time. I don’t know what kind of evil magic he used to forcibly summon so many stars. This time he has attracted the Imperial Advisor. I think the South is not a place to live, so I have come to seek refuge with you.”

Master Zhao stopped what he was doing, gently put down his wine glass, and stared at Zhao Hongxuan expressionlessly.

Zhao Hongxuan still had that gentle smile on his face.

"I think you, Mr. Zhao, would agree."

Master Zhao remained silent.

Logically speaking, it is reasonable for his nephew to do this. Now, everyone in Daxing who knows the inside story is optimistic about the decline of the general.

Everyone knew that once the Imperial Advisor arrived in the south, the General would surely meet his doom.

But hearing these words from his nephew made Zhao feel uneasy.

Giving up the General's Mansion is tantamount to completely giving up the throne. He has been fighting openly and covertly with the Third Prince for many years. If he really lets go, he may not be able to protect himself.

But as for what his nephew was plotting, Master Zhao really couldn't figure it out.

He brought only a small troop to the Northern Prince's residence, and had nothing else with him, which was unusual for someone of his status.

Moreover, Zhao Hongxuan's cultivation is far inferior to that of their exceptionally talented father. He might be able to forcefully break through to the Star Point Realm with external help in the future, but certainly not now.

With his mere presence in the Northern Prince's residence, there was absolutely no way he could cause any trouble.

After much deliberation, Master Zhao finally shook his head slowly:
"You should look for somewhere else."

Master Zhao always felt that his nephew had no good intentions and absolutely could not allow him to remain in the northern border. Moreover,
It just doesn't seem right for someone of his status to bring so few people.

"Alas, even my poor uncle is unwilling to take me in."

Zhao Hongxuan closed his eyes, as if he were truly grieving.

"Drink this cup of wine, then you may leave on your own. Your uncle won't see you off."

"My uncle is truly heartless."

"hehe."

Old Zhao had long since ignored the brat's shameless words.

Zhao Hongxuan finally raised his cup and drank it all. He then stood up, bowed respectfully to his uncle, and turned to leave.

He scaled the high wall and came down to the drill ground. He whispered a few words to the guards he had brought with him, and they rode off in a cloud of dust.

Old Zhao slowly rose, walked to the edge of the city wall, and pressed his strong hand against the cold battlements. The biting wind swept across his heavy coat, making the wide sleeves flutter loudly.

As the cavalry snaked away into the distance, disappearing into the thick dust, Old Zhao lowered his voice and whispered an order to his side:

“Keep an eye on my good nephew, watch him closely, and see what he really intends to do, and what he's up to.”

A soft laugh suddenly rose from the empty space behind Old Zhao, the sound carried away by the wind and disappearing into the distance as the departing caravan sped away.

It's hard to guess what this kid is up to.

After seeing the other party off completely, Old Zhao sat back down at his desk, raised his cup to drink the cold wine alone, and silently faced the biting cold wind on the high platform.

"Old man."

Suddenly, a call came from behind him. He turned his head and saw that Zeng Mu had quietly returned.

Old Zhao poured a full cup and pushed it towards Zeng Mu. Zeng Mu took it, took a small sip, and nodded repeatedly.

"The milk wine of the grassland barbarians is really not burning the throat, and it's too greasy, so it's not good to drink."

"As your subordinate, you should at least offer a perfunctory reply."

"I thought you disliked flattery. Rather than engaging in empty pleasantries, I'd rather tell you directly."

"You rascal," Old Zhao said, still feeling closer to the soldiers he had trained. "Any unusual activity in the new village?"

Upon hearing this, Zeng Mu chuckled:
"You would never guess who built that town."

"Are you asking for a beating? You know I hate this kind of beating around the bush, yet you insist on saying these things here."

Old Zhao raised his hand, as if to strike, but the latter smiled and retreated, avoiding Old Zhao's hand.

He stopped joking and told Old Zhao everything about his encounter with Lin Jiang in the town.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao's eyes lit up with excitement:

"I never expected it to be this kid! Ha! I'll prepare some cattle and sheep in a couple of days and bring him over directly."

"Yes."

……

"Your Highness, where are we going?"

On the vast plain, several of Zhao Hongxuan's personal guards asked in hushed voices.

They were clearly a bit confused as well.

The eldest prince of our family is always "deep" in his work, and his thoughts are like a bottomless abyss, difficult to fathom.

Although they were assigned to protect His Highness's personal guards, it did not mean that they knew the prince's every move.

Zhao Hongxuan laughed:
"If the Prince's Mansion won't keep us, then let's go to Qingniwa."

"But Qingniwa is probably on the same side as the Prince's Mansion. It's fine if you stay there for a few days, but if you stay there for too long, I'm afraid the Lü family will start passing the buck."

“It’s alright.” Zhao Hongxuan shook his head: “If Qingniwa won’t keep me, I’ll go to Beizhen. If Beizhen isn’t an option, there are other places.”

As he said this, a smile curved upwards at the corners of his mouth:
"And I've heard that there's a newly built village with a very interesting person there. I think I might go there and see if he'll take me in. If he's willing to let me stay, then I'll stay there."

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

I don't know who the prince is referring to.

　I'm almost at 800,000 words, it's been tough!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)