I changed the world.

As one of the earliest port cities in modern times where the Great Zhao Dynasty began maritime trade, Jin'an City, the capital of Jian'an Province, has always been one of the most important economic centers in the south of the empire.

A medium-sized passenger plane was landing at that moment. Soon, it came to a stop on the runway, the gangway was pulled down, and some passengers began to disembark and board the airport shuttle bus not far away.

An Huiling was among the disembarking crowd, and not far behind her was a female bodyguard in a uniform.

Not far from here, on the airport tarmac, two black sedans were parked, one of which was a customized "Hercules" model.

A refined-looking elderly man standing beside the car smiled when he saw An Huiling descending the gangway, and then walked forward...

An Huiling, who had just stepped off the gangway, immediately saw the car parked not far away. A somewhat helpless expression appeared on her face before she turned and walked over.

"Uncle Yu".

"Young Miss, it's been a long time." The old man bowed slightly in greeting.

"Mom is really something, she told me I came back on my own."

"Madam must be missing you a little, because she got up this morning to prepare your favorite dishes..." The old man smiled kindly, looked An Huiling up and down, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Miss, you look very well today. Master and Madam will be very pleased to see you."

In truth, in the old man's mind, An Huiling's complexion was more than just good; it was as if she had undergone a complete transformation—anyone who wasn't blind could see it. However, as the old servant who had watched An Huiling grow up, the old man was truly gratified by this.

"Haha, really? My classmates all say so too..." An Huiling said somewhat awkwardly, then stopped talking about the topic, handed her plane ticket to the old man, and walked towards the "family" not far away.

The old man smiled slightly, handed the plane ticket to the attendant beside him, and turned to follow. The attendant would catch up after dealing with the luggage and other personal belongings that An Huiling had brought back.

After the car smoothly drove out of the airport, it did not head towards the city center, but instead traveled south along the road leading to the suburbs. About twenty minutes later, the car drove along the wide road into a manor with its gates wide open. The manor was extremely spacious, with lush trees along the way, a typical southern scene. Occasionally, gardeners and cleaners could be seen tending to the manor's scenery.

The vehicle drove for about five more minutes on the roads inside the manor before stopping in front of a cluster of tall white buildings. The driver quickly got out of the car, opened the back door, and then reached out to cover the top of the door frame. An Huiling then got out of the back seat.

A maid was sweeping in front of the mansion. When she saw An Huiling coming over, she quickly put away her broom, bowed and greeted her, "Young Miss".

She smiled and nodded at her, then walked forward with practiced ease.

This building complex covers a vast area and consists of five buildings, one large and four small, with a unique architectural style that blends Chinese and Western elements. An Huiling was walking towards the largest building, which was her home.

Chapter 214 An Zhengquan

A handsome young man with a refined appearance came out to greet them. He wore a jade crown and a straight-hemmed robe, and had a gentle smile on his face. This was Xu Hanzhang, An Huiling's cousin, whose courtesy name was Guanyun.

"My cousin is back! The journey must have been tough," Xu Hanzhang greeted An Huiling with a cupped-fist salute.

"Cousin Guanyun, it's been a long time. How have you been?" An Huiling had already taken off her sunglasses and curtsied.

"My cousin looks really good; I almost didn't recognize her."

"Cousin is joking."

"I just returned from Rune not long ago and brought back some local trinkets. I'll have someone send them to you later."

"Then thank you very much, Cousin Guanyun. It just so happens that I also brought you a New Year's gift..."

The two exchanged a few more words, and Xu Hanzhang gestured towards the house, saying, "My aunt is busy in the kitchen, saying she's going to cook two dishes for my cousin herself..."

........................

"Lingling's back! Let Mom see her, but she's gotten even thinner..." Upon hearing of her daughter's return, An Xuqing (a woman in the Great Zhao Dynasty takes her husband's surname after marriage, similar to the custom in Hong Kong) hurried out from the inner courtyard. She was a rather elegant woman, wearing a traditional brocade vest with a string of beads around her neck. Her features resembled An Huiling's. As she walked, her brows were slightly furrowed, as if a lingering sorrow always lingered. Only upon seeing her daughter did she break into a smile. She took a few quick steps to take her daughter's hand, her face full of pity, and she kept scolding, "I told you to bring more servants with you, but you wouldn't listen. You never have anyone to serve you, how are you going to..."

However, before she could finish speaking, An Xuqing suddenly stopped talking, staring blankly at her daughter. Then, a look of obvious surprise appeared on her face: "Oh my, Lingling looks great! Come, let Mom take a good look at her..."

An Huiling felt a little shy and helpless at her mother's overflowing excitement. However, despite her helplessness, she let her mother pull her over and look her up and down.

It has to be said that anyone who isn't blind could see the changes in An Huiling, let alone her mother, her closest relative. She had spent countless sleepless nights tossing and turning, weeping constantly, all because of her daughter's condition, yet she had to force herself to endure it. Now, seeing that her daughter's health seemed to be improving, she was overjoyed and almost lost her composure.

"Oh my... your complexion has improved so much, and look, your body has become stronger too..."

With men present, An Huiling was incredibly embarrassed by the comments about her body: "It's not as exaggerated as you make it out to be..."

“My cousin looks great, congratulations! I was just saying that too,” Xu Hanzhang said with a smile.

"Look, even your cousin says so... Did Lingling meet some famous doctor in Jiangling?" As she spoke, Mother An looked at her daughter with some anticipation.

“No, it’s just that… my daughter has recently become a devout follower of the Supreme Celestial Venerable, and perhaps it’s his blessing…” An Huiling quickly brought out the reason she had prepared beforehand, and then added somewhat hesitantly, “Also, my daughter has been exercising regularly, which may also be of some help.”

An Xuqing didn't listen to any of the claims that exercise could cure leukemia. After all, she knew very well that her daughter's leukemia was caused by a genetic defect, which could not be changed by exercise.

However, the reason of "divine protection" truly resonated with her. An Xuqing naturally knew about what An Huiling had encountered in Linzhou, and that her daughter was suspected of being saved by an immortal, which even led her to sincerely donate a large sum of money to the local Qinghe Palace.

Therefore, what seemed like a rather "mystical" reason to ordinary people was, in An's mother's eyes, a reasonable deduction.

Could it be that the Heavenly Venerable truly took pity on his daughter?

Thinking of this, Mother An's eyes brightened even more. She took a deep breath and composed herself, instructing the steward, Uncle Yu, who had come in with her daughter, "Uncle Yu, go to Qinghe Palace this afternoon and donate another 500,000 in Lingling's name. Also, please ask Abbot Chen to come over in person and select a suitable plot of land in the estate. I want to build a family temple to worship the Heavenly Venerable. Please have Abbot Chen make a list of everything we need, and we must purchase only the best."

As she spoke, Mother An subconsciously grasped the tassel hanging around her neck. It had been personally blessed by the abbot of Qinghe Palace not long ago. She silently recited the holy name of the Heavenly Venerable a few times and immediately felt much more at ease.

“Yes, madam, I understand.” Uncle Yu replied from the side.

“This matter must be handled urgently.” Mother An reminded her again, “Abbot Chen of Qinghe Palace is a highly accomplished cultivator; we cannot neglect him.”

A hint of disdain flashed in Xu Hanzhang's eyes. He didn't understand why his aunt's family, who used to visit Buddhist temples to burn incense at the end of the year, had suddenly turned to Taoism. However, he didn't believe that those clay and wooden sculptures really had any effect. Nevertheless, this thought only passed through his mind briefly, and he said aloud, "I know a few highly skilled Taoist masters; I can introduce them to my aunt and cousin later."

"Guanyun is so thoughtful," Mother An said with a smile, clearly quite interested.

"Oh, right, Mom, I brought New Year's gifts for you, Dad, and Auntie. When your luggage arrives, I'll have someone take them to you."

“We’re going home, why do we need to buy anything…” Mother An said, but her smile grew even brighter.

"Where's Dad?"

"Your dad is on the phone upstairs; it looks like he should be done soon."

"Oh, by the way, your two concubines are also helping out in the kitchen..." Mother An added, then said to the maid beside her, "Go and call the two concubines."

"Let's prepare dinner first..." Mother An then said to another maid, "Go upstairs and see if the master has finished his work."

..............................

"Lingling is back..." Just as the maids were flitting about in the living room setting out dishes and bowls, a deep baritone voice rang out from upstairs, followed by a middle-aged man in a bathrobe walking down the stairs with a smile.

This was an extremely charismatic man, with a broad, flat forehead, broad shoulders, a well-groomed short beard, and a steady gaze. Even when he smiled, his lips were tightly pursed. This was An Huiling's father, An Zhengquan.

As the head of one of the most prominent conglomerates in Dazhao, An Zhengquan, who built his empire from scratch, is a legend in Dazhao's business history. Although his rise to power is inevitably accompanied by various rumors and complex entanglements with different forces, which have led to constant praise and criticism, there is no denying that he is a man who cannot be underestimated.

Based solely on the fact that he built such a large business empire from the perspective of a son of a fallen noble family, he deserves the title of "business genius".

"Dad." An Huiling first bowed obediently, then ran happily to her father's side and took his arm.

An Zhengquan smiled and looked his daughter up and down, his eyes naturally revealing a similar expression to his mother's. However, being the composed man he was, he didn't show much surprise at this moment. He simply reached out and patted his daughter's arm: "It's been quite a while since we, father and daughter, have talked. After dinner, come sit in Dad's study and tell me about your school..."

He then stopped talking about the topic and simply smiled and called to his wife and nephew, "Come on, sit down and eat."

At this moment, An Zhengquan's two concubines also came out of the kitchen. Unlike ordinary large families, An Huiling had a pretty good relationship with these two concubines, and they exchanged pleasantries for a while.

In the Great Zhao Dynasty, men who had the means were allowed to take concubines in addition to their wives; this has remained unchanged since ancient times, and it is still the case in the present dynasty. However, relatively speaking, in the present Great Zhao Dynasty, thanks to the introduction of certain modern ideas and the official and popular advocacy of equal rights for wives and concubines, the status of concubines has been greatly improved compared to ancient times. However, the inertia of the past is still unavoidable, and the status of concubines in large families is still lower than that of wives.

An Zhengquan's two concubines were married after he became wealthy. They were much younger than An Xuqing and had a good relationship with An Huiling. However, neither of them had given birth to any children.