Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Summer of the 29th year of Chengtai.

The cicadas chirped hoarsely, their voices like broken gongs, while the scorching sun overhead baked the earth, causing cracks to appear on the bricks and stones of the streets.

This is the scene that Mu An saw when she walked out of Zuichunlou.

He covered his eyelids with his hand, gazing vaguely at the street ahead.

The passing wind stirred up waves of heat, bringing a scorching heat.

"Master Mu, Master Mu! Grab an umbrella before you go, it's too hot!"

From the building behind him, a woman dressed as a madam came running over and handed him an oil-paper umbrella.

Mu An took the umbrella, then looked at the empty street, feeling slightly annoyed.

"It's been this hot for at least half a month now."

Upon hearing the VIP customer in the building speak up, the madam immediately imitated him and joined in cursing the weather.

"Yes, I don't know what angered God. I've lived for over thirty years and have never seen such scorching heat."

Mu An nodded slightly, opened the umbrella, and stretched her feet out onto the sunlit bricks.

It's hot, around 80 degrees Celsius.

He frowned and looked towards the end of the street.

On a street corner, several vendors hid under a tree, fanning themselves incessantly.

Several rain-praying banners were hanging in front of the gate of a wealthy family not far away, and they were now rising and falling with the heat wave.

After watching for a while, Mu An glanced at the madam beside him and suddenly said something inexplicable.

"Things are going to get chaotic. This summer is going to be very long. Unless you urgently need money to save your life, you should take a break for a while."

The madam was initially confused, but being a shrewd person in the brothel business, she quickly realized the hidden meaning in his words after a little thought.

She opened her mouth, about to ask more questions, but then suddenly realized that some things shouldn't be asked carelessly, so she quickly lowered her head and bent her back slightly.

Everyone living in Qing'an County knew that as the eldest son of the Mu family rose in status in the imperial court and became a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Revenue of the third rank, the entire Qing'an County became the domain of the Mu family.

Putting aside everything else, just look at this inspector of the Anshan Patrol Office. His two hundred soldiers are all skilled in martial arts and each has a set of heavy armor. Their equipment is extremely sophisticated.

The entire Ansan Patrol Station has expanded its logistics staff to three hundred people.

I've heard that even the imperial guards of the court are no better equipped than this.

Even the old men in the county town knew that such a scale would inevitably violate the laws of the imperial court, but no one dared to protest.

The power and influence of the Mu family are evident.

It was only because this young inspector was a good-for-nothing playboy who liked to listen to music that she, a nobody, had the opportunity to come into contact with him.

The words of such a person are certainly not unfounded.

Ignoring the madam's complicated thoughts, Mu An looked at the blazing sun overhead and then at the few pedestrians on the street, before taking out a few pieces of silver from his pocket.

"Get some fruits and some cold water, and send them to the vendors over there. Tell them that I said it's forbidden to set up stalls in Qing'an County for the next few days."

The madam, who had her head bowed, was slightly taken aback, then nodded. She did not accept the silver coins Mu An offered, but simply bowed.

"Don't worry, Master Mu, I'll arrange for someone to do it right away."

After speaking, she slightly raised her eyes and secretly looked at Mu An's profile, feeling a pang of emotion.

"Although he's a spoiled brat, his personality is truly impeccable. He's kind and gentle to everyone. It's rare to find someone like that in a large family."

Seeing this, Mu An did not insist on paying. He held the loose silver in his hand, opened his umbrella, and walked toward the vendor's location.

"Why are you still selling candied hawthorns in this sweltering heat? The sugar coating must have melted by now!"

In the shade under the tree, Wang Lao Er, naked, stopped fanning himself and immediately recognized Mu An. He quickly bowed in greeting.

"Master Mu! Why are you outside in this sweltering heat?"

Mu An waved his hand without answering, and simply picked up a string of candied hawthorns and looked at them.

"It's all melted, there's no point in leaving it here, sell it to me cheaply."

Wang Lao Er paused for a moment, then hurriedly removed all the candied hawthorns, resulting in melted sugar syrup dripping all over the ground, making it sticky and unpleasant to look at.

He awkwardly scratched his head and kept apologizing to Mu An.

"I'm sorry you had to see this, these candied hawthorns..."

The man, his face soaked with sweat, opened his mouth as if to say, "This is for you," but then stopped himself halfway through.

Mu An looked at it, took out ten taels of silver from his pocket, and mixed it with the loose silver in his hand, placing it all in the small bowl in front of him.

"Little Ling'er likes your candied hawthorns. Consider this an advance order. When the weather gets cooler, make some more candied hawthorns and send them to my residence. Don't make too many, just four every seven days. It would be best if you could make something a little different."

After a pause, seeing a servant from Zuichunlou approaching with some teacups, Mu An added another sentence.

"Starting today, street vending is prohibited in the county town. If you're just looking for a cup of tea, go home first."

Staring at the silver in the bowl, Wang Lao Er opened his mouth wide and bent down to kowtow to Mu An.

Mu An didn't move, but simply raised his hand slightly, and Wang Lao Er's body was frozen in place, unable to kneel down no matter what.

He casually folded up the oil-paper umbrella, placed it in Old Wang's hand, and said in a joking tone.

"This umbrella is too effeminate, I don't like it, I'll give it to your daughter."

Without waiting for Wang Lao Er's response, he had already turned around and disappeared around the corner of the street.

At the same time, Wang Lao Er, who was unable to move, suddenly went limp and staggered slightly.

He looked at his legs, then at the empty street corner, and remained in a daze for a long, long time.

"immortal?"

It wasn't until the waiter from Zuichunlou brought the tea to him that Wang Lao Er came to his senses and kept thanking him.

He finished the herbal tea in one gulp, and under the servant's astonished gaze, he picked up the bowl of silver with both hands and ran towards Lin'an Hall.

"The child's mother is saved!"

……

"Qinzhou rebelled, Yingzhou rebelled, Penglai and three other prefectures rebelled, and nine prefectures in the southern border region rebelled. In just one month, fourteen prefectures have simultaneously rebelled. There must be something fishy going on!"

"Penglai is the territory of the Second Prince, the Seventh Prince once served as the Protector-General of the Southern Frontier, and the Ninth Prince is supported by the lineage of the Sage of Literature. Their current unusual movements are likely an attempt to seize the throne."

"Our lord was born to the late Empress and is the legitimate son. He should rightfully inherit the throne; how can we allow others to contend for it?"

"That being said, the princes all have the support of their maternal families, and their own power should not be underestimated, except for the third prince..."

"The late Empress's maternal clan once launched a rebellion. Although they were not completely wiped out, their power was greatly diminished. Now, I'm afraid..."

"So what? His Majesty is gravely ill; how can the struggle for the throne be escalated? No matter how powerful the forces are, they can't be summoned to the capital!"

"Indeed, with the Dark Feather Guard, the Celestial Surveillance Bureau, the Dragon Guard Court, and the Sky Patrol Bureau around, everyone has to operate within the rules!"

"That being said, Lingzhou is currently suffering from a drought and is too busy to take care of itself, so it will be difficult to mobilize many people."

In the ancestral home of the Mu family, Mu An sat in the middle, watching several clan elders arguing amongst themselves.

I find their chatter annoying; I'd rather stay home and play with the kids.

It wasn't that he didn't care about these things; it was simply because these old men had been arguing for ages without him knowing what they were arguing about.

Although Mu An had never met the Third Prince in the capital, he was certain that the so-called Third Prince was just an extra; whether things would work out depended on his angel investor.

What good would it do for the Mu family to move their influence to the capital?

If it really came down to a fight, he could wipe them all out by himself.

More importantly, is the emperor seriously ill?

real or fake?

The current emperor has changed the reign title once, but he is only seventy years old. He possesses martial arts techniques, and there are so many talented and extraordinary people in the world.

He doesn't look like he's going to die at this age.