Chapter 1257: Upheaval at the Commandery Princess Manor

The hall beyond the Bridge of Naihe always carried a fragrance that lured wandering souls.

A bowl of Meng Po Soup to forget one's past and present lives.

That bowl of soup was incomparably delicious. In a mere instant, it washed away all memory; the mind would wander the heavens, left only to sigh at the sheer beauty of the world.

Such were the rumors, for the most part.

And the truth was much the same.

From the steps outside this hall, the sky-filling Sand Sea stretched out ahead in a haze of gloom. Yet it had its beautiful side; across that heavy, overcast sky, occasional flickers of fluorescence would reveal themselves, wonderfully beautiful.

Ping'an sat there, still waiting. It was very quiet here, yet profoundly unsettling.

A catcher from Mengpo Hall walked out the doors. Seeing Ping'an, he said, "You're still here."

Ping'an turned his head. This catcher was named Jiufu. He had always stayed by Meng Po's side to deal with troublemakers among the wandering souls. Over the years, many spirits had perished under his blade.

Jiufu sat down and asked, "Any luck? Did the person you're waiting for show up?"

Ping'an shook his head.

He said, "If you ask me, you should stop waiting. The Sand Sea is vast; it takes a good year or two just to walk here, to say nothing of the souls who get lost inside. Besides, you're waiting for someone from the living world. If you keep waiting like this, how long will it take?"

"Am I in the way?" Ping'an asked.

Jiufu pursed his lips at that, but shook his head.

He said, "Fine. You wandering souls never listen to reason. Enter Reincarnation early, and you'll have your next life sooner. Why waste time here? If you fail to meet them and lose yourself in the process, even Reincarnation won't take you when the time comes."

Ping'an said, "I will just wait a little longer. Just a little longer."

Jiufu fell silent, turned around, and returned to the hall.

Lately, Meng Po hadn't been very talkative, barely speaking two sentences a day. Naturally, some of her words had to be relayed by Jiufu, giving him even more work to do.

In the Underworld, one lost track of the passage of time.

Ping'an sat in front of the hall. He didn't know how much longer he waited, how much fluorescence he watched, or how much blowing sand he saw...

Until one day.

A woman walked out from the distant Sand Sea. She held a Sword in her hand. Though her face was aged, her martial presence remained undiminished. That imposing aura was such that even the wind and sand retreated before her.

Light returned to Ping'an's eyes.

The person he had been waiting for had arrived!

...

Ruyi had originally intended to be buried in Chunhui Prefecture.

But Dong Chiyu understood that she was simply afraid the journey back would be too difficult for her. Later, she went to plead with Madam Tong. With the aid of Divine Abilities, it took only half a day to bring Ruyi back to Qingshan City.

She picked a spot beside Ruyi's younger brother and laid her to rest.

Dong Chiyu cried until her eyes were red. Over three consecutive days, she fainted several times. Eventually, her eyes simply remained red, but no more tears fell.

Xuanji was still young, but she already understood life and death.

Learning of Big Sister's passing, she cried for a long time.

She was young and could still hold on, but it was different for her Second Mother.

Xuanji had no heart to wallow in her own grief. She could only pull herself together and begin comforting her Second Mother.

"Second Mother, please don't cry anymore. It will be terrible if you ruin your health from crying. Big Sister in heaven wouldn't want to see you like this either, Second Mother..."

Under Xuanji's comforting over the next few days, Dong Chiyu's condition finally improved a little.

Yet in Xuanji's eyes, her Second Mother's gaze was still filled entirely with sorrow. Every time she went up the mountain to visit Big Sister, she would return with red-rimmed eyes, and her health deteriorated by the day.

Xuanji saw it all, but didn't know what to do.

One day, she went outside the city alone and sought advice from the Priest at Qingxian Temple.

"Miss Wang, given your mother's condition, perhaps a change of scenery would do her some good. It would be best if she temporarily left this place."

Xuanji understood. Before long, she was whispering words of persuasion into her Second Mother's ear.

After much coaxing and pleading, her Second Mother finally agreed.

Xuanji then went to find the current shopkeeper of the Tang Family Trading Firm. Because of their ties to the Old Shopkeeper, the other party offered full support, preparing a horse carriage and servants.

"Second Mother, it's time to go..."

Dong Chiyu took one last look at this Green Mountain.

Perhaps it echoed that old saying.

I see Green Mountain in all its charm; I expect Green Mountain sees me the same way.

The person on that mountain, presumably, felt the same.

A single tear slid down her cheek, and Dong Chiyu withdrew her gaze.

"Let's go."

...

The feng shui in Shangjing City was far inferior to that of the Southern Region.

It was a bit colder here, and it was also Xuanji's first time visiting.

She had often heard Big Sister say that she was a commandery princess of Great Xiang. She had always thought she was bragging in the past, but now she believed it.

But before they could even enter the Commandery Princess Manor...

They saw the manor's steward come running out.

"Madam!! Madam, you've finally returned!"

Seeing the steward in such a panic, Dong Chiyu asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?"

The steward's eyes were red. "Madam, in the years since you and the Master have been away, outsiders spread rumors that the Master had passed on. We were useless. We failed to protect the properties Steward Bai left behind. Those people were complying in public while opposing in secret, showing zero regard for the law. They secretly colluded with many and forcibly seized every last one of the Master's estate properties. We are utterly useless..."

Dong Chiyu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. She demanded, "When did this happen?!"

"Half a year ago! Exactly half a year ago!"

Dong Chiyu asked, "Why didn't anyone write us a letter?"

"We couldn't send them out!" The steward looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears left. He said, "We couldn't send anything out, Madam."

Dong Chiyu's heart sank, and her expression instantly turned freezing cold.

Xuanji was startled. She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to speak.

Noticing that she had frightened her, Dong Chiyu immediately calmed down. She told the steward, "This is the Master's daughter. Have someone settle her in, then come with me."

"Yes, Madam."

Xuanji was led away by the servants to settle in.

She glanced back. Seeing the icy look that crossed her Second Mother's face the moment she dropped her facade, her heart trembled.

She had never seen her Second Mother like this.

"Tell me everything. Who is involved?!"

Though this Commandery Princess Manor was not large, it possessed quite a few properties. Initially, they were managed by Steward Bai; back then, the scale was small, nothing more than minor ventures. Later, Your Majesty rewarded them with servants. Furthermore, because Your Majesty and Ruyi inherently shared a deep bond, he had secretly gifted them many shops and fields. Over the years, the manor's properties had been managed by the steward and the servants. Thanks to their connection with Your Majesty, the manor's revenue was exceptionally substantial.

Even so, there were people who grew green with envy.

The steward said, "Madam, there are many. At first, Vice Minister Jian from the Ministry of Works claimed our shops violated regulations. Later, people from the Local Government came and sealed them off. We investigated for a long time before we learned that it was the current Cabinet Elder, Song Yuanzhi—Grand Secretary Song—pulling the strings from the shadows. Your Majesty has rarely attended court these past few years, so they have cast aside all scruples."

"Are you certain it is this person?"

"Yes!"

The steward knelt on the ground, saying, "We were incompetent and failed to guard the Master's family business. Please punish us, Madam."

Seeing this, Dong Chiyu let out a long sigh.

She walked into the adjacent room.

A moment later, she emerged carrying two items.

A Silver Spear! The weapon Ruyi used in her life!

A scroll of Imperial Decree! The one bestowed by the current Emperor!

Holding these two items, she turned and strode right out of the Commandery Princess Manor, heading straight for the Imperial Palace.