He Shu lay reclined upon the flying cloud, gazing up at the star-filled sky, her heart full of emotion.
She extended a hand and blocked off half her field of vision.
The stars of the night sky have existed since the primordial era, unchanging through the ages.
Rare leisure had come, and He Shu’s mood was pleasant.
Eighteen years of undercover life.
She, He Shu, had walked as if upon thin ice, and at last a full stop had been drawn.
This time returning to the country, I still do not know how Mother will reward this child-subject.
He Shu was an undercover agent, directly under the Son of Heaven, and not within the systems of the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries.
Even if He Xiu wished to reward her, she would not do so openly.
With He Shu’s merits over eighteen years, plus her outward identity as imperial clan kin, enfeoffment as a marquis was inevitable, and enfeoffment as a duke of the state was not impossible either.
Restoring princess status or being enfeoffed as a duke of the state is not to be hoped for~
Being able to serve as a carefree marquis would be rather nice as well.
When the time comes I will have little Mu acknowledge me as godmother, and in the future she will be able to inherit the marquisate, hehe.
He Shu thought in sweet satisfaction.
A marquis’s rank could be inherited through the generations.
How many people dreamed of it, yet what He Shu cared about was not this point.
The lowest marquis is still an inspector, qualified to attend court, and since ancient times marquis manors have all been built in the capital.
So long as I am enfeoffed as a marquis, I will be able to see Mother every day.
He Shu fantasized about the scene of returning to the country in the future and facing Mother.
……
Upon the court hall, civil and military officials stood arrayed on two sides.
The seal-holding eunuch held the imperial edict and proclaimed in a high voice:
“It is heard that those of high merit are rewarded and those of thick virtue are honored. He Shu has returned in accomplishment, has rendered service to the altars of state, is an unparalleled talent of the nation and a pillar of the country. Our heart is greatly comforted. Today We specially enfeoff you as Marquis of Eternal Peace, with a fief of a thousand households; bestow a marquis seal, enjoy lifelong stipend, hereditary without replacement; reward 1,000,000 spirit stones and one Soul Transformation treasure from the national treasury of your choosing; and additionally bestow a residence located in the capital, so as to express extraordinary merit.”
Her own two hands trembled as she received the marquis seal.
At this moment Mother also walked down from the dragon throne, her gaze kindly, and extended a hand to stroke her head.
“The Marquis of Eternal Peace’s merit shall last a thousand autumns, shall leave a name in the green histories, and shall be a model for all under heaven. In days to come you must all the more not fail Our thick hopes.”
Mother’s hand was extremely warm, as if injecting a current of warmth into her body.
……
He Shu lay upon the flying cloud, her breathing steady.
She had already fallen asleep, with only a shallow smile still hanging at the corners of her mouth.
Mu Xinlian did not disturb He Shu and only quietly watched He Shu’s sleeping face.
There was not much color of blood upon the young woman’s face.
The moonlight was gentle and hazy, making the young woman appear all the more fragile.
Miss is clearly not yet 30, yet has borne so much that she ought not have borne……
Even if Miss is only of a collateral branch, and both parents died early, she still bears the surname He.
That Southwind monarch truly has a ruthless heart.
Mu Xinlian did not understand too much of He Shu’s life history, yet even so it already made her feel heartache and helplessness.
Pushed forward to serve as an undercover agent at 11 years old, and doing it straight through for eighteen years.
The bitterness and exhaustion along the way were difficult to express in words.
Mu Xinlian bit her lower lip.
Compared with He Shu, her own childhood had been far happier.
With such an experience, no wonder she was able to harvest the support of popular will during her time in office.
……
They had hurried along the road for five days in a row.
Under Mei Hua’s lead, the several of them had circled around a number of places occupied by Nascent Soul demon beasts and arrived, with alarm but without danger, at Jade Gate Pass.
Jade Gate Pass was not a true pass.
It was formed of stretching great mountains, like a barrier dividing two lands.
“Once we pass Jade Gate Pass, it will be the Azure Parasol Immortal Kingdom.”
He Shu’s tone was complex.
From the day she was captured until now, a full two months had passed.
She had at last fled to the border, yet the other side of the frontier pass was not the Southwind Immortal Kingdom.
The several of them did not reduce their speed.
Just as they were about to cross Jade Gate Pass, Mei Hua came to a stop.
Seeing this, the several of them turned back one after another and stared fixedly at Mei Hua.
“Why have you stopped walking? Ahead is the Azure Parasol Immortal Kingdom.”
Bai Liuli scratched her head, not understanding why.
Mei Hua’s pair of fox ears twitched faintly, and threads of reluctance flowed in her pair of red eyes.
“Several of you, this humble one has after all lived in the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom for so long. Now that I am about to leave, my heart is always somewhat unused to it.”
She turned and looked in the direction of the Empty Rain Mountain Range, her tone somewhat desolate.
A pair of hands suddenly settled upon her shoulders.
It was Bai Liuli.
“Fox girl, do not be sad. I am also a person of the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom. As a person, one still has to look at things more openly.”
Mei Hua nodded.
She said nothing about Bai Liuli calling her “fox girl.”
“All right, all right, continue walking. The world is so large that there will always be a place for us to shelter. We are all mixing with Little Sister He. Once we return to the Southwind Immortal Kingdom there will be inexhaustible glory, splendor, wealth, and honor.”
After this small interlude, the several of them continued to set foot upon the journey.
The Azure Parasol Immortal Kingdom was unlike Southwind and Jade Water, those super immortal kingdoms whose inheritances spanned several hundred thousand years.
It was only a mid-sized immortal kingdom, established for less than 20,000 years, and with the current monarch’s lifespan approaching its end, its days could be called walking upon thin ice.
“The former emperor of the Azure Parasol Immortal Kingdom is aged and about to pass away. The transfer of power is imminent, yet internally struggles continue without cease. It can be called undercurrents surging. Toward this, Shen Qingci, what is your view?”
He Shu drew very close to Shen Qingci, less than ten steps apart.
“The Azure Parasol monarch will pass away by the end of this year at latest. Crown Prince Hu Chi’s mind is simple and pure. In the future he can only be an Emperor Wen and will be unable to suppress the hundred officials.”
Shen Qingci shook his head and continued to set forth his view.
With the intelligence capabilities of the Southwind Immortal Kingdom, inquiring into these matters was not a difficult thing.
“Crown Prince Hu Chi cannot bear great responsibility. The second son, Hu Jian, only wishes to be a carefree prince and has no heart to intervene in government affairs. In my view, only the third son, Hu Liu, is the most suitable. Regrettably, since ancient times one establishes the legitimate heir, not the worthy.”