The carriage gradually came to a stop in front of a house. Xi Xizhi was the first to lift the carriage curtain, jump out of the carriage, and land steadily on the ground.
Located in the heart of the capital, this place was reserved for either wealthy individuals or high-ranking officials.
Xi Xizhi peeked out and looked around.
Above the plaque of the mansion, the three characters "Han Wang Mansion" are carved in gilded characters in a vigorous and elegant style.
Xi Xizhi blinked her clear, watery eyes. "Prince Han?"
That's right, An Honghan's name does contain the character 'Han'.
He never mentioned the title of king he had once been granted.
Seeing that Xi Xizhi's expression was too surprised, An Honghan took her hand and took two steps forward, signaling Lin En to knock on the door quickly so as not to waste time.
"What's so strange about that? Every prince with any ability, after reaching adulthood, acquires the status of a prince and then owns a residence outside the palace."
Lynn hadn't been here in a long time, and seeing the mansion's gate tightly closed, a wave of nostalgia washed over her.
A series of thumping sounds rang out.
Xi Xizhi and An Honghan stood side by side, staring at the gate.
After a long while, the door creaked open from the inside.
The person who opened the door was a simply dressed elderly man, about fifty years old, with many wrinkles around his eyes.
Perhaps due to old age, the old man's eyesight was failing. He rubbed his eyes and said, "Why are you knocking? The owner isn't home."
Anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that the master of the Han Prince's Mansion is the ruler of a country.
So even though this old man is dressed simply, no one in this area dares to give him a hard time.
Many years ago, after An Honghan moved into the palace, this house was left vacant, with only a few servants left to guard it.
"Butler Zhu." A flat, monotone voice came from afar.
Even though he hadn't heard that voice for many years, the old man recognized it instantly. He looked at the source of the voice in disbelief, and his knees buckled in fright. He bent down to pay his respects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty..."
"No need for formalities outside. Hurry up and open the gate so we can come in," An Honghan said without further ado, striding into the house.
Xi Xizhi followed closely behind, jogging to keep up with An Honghan's pace.
The gate closed again. After making sure no one was around, Steward Zhu finally mustered up his courage and asked, "Your Majesty, may I ask what brings you back to the manor?"
Steward Zhu had been waiting here for many years, thinking that he would never see His Majesty again in his lifetime, but unexpectedly His Majesty suddenly visited today.
"What? Does Steward Zhu not welcome me? This house belongs to me. Is it wrong for me to come back and take a look?" An Honghan walked towards the main hall of the house. He was very familiar with the layout of the house. Although many years had passed, his memory was still there.
Xi Xizhi seemed quite curious, looking around ever since she entered the room.
Although few outsiders visit the mansion, it is kept very clean, and the flower bushes along the path are trimmed very neatly, which shows that the servants in the mansion have not been lazy.
"No...that's not what I meant." Steward Zhu was so afraid of An Honghan's anger that he immediately knelt down.
Although he hadn't served An Honghan for many years, Butler Zhu was still very clear about his personality. Generally speaking, An Honghan wouldn't interfere in affairs unless provoked, but once angered, death was inevitable.
In the past, every servant and maid who worked in the Prince Han's mansion lived in constant fear.
“Not the best.” An Honghan gave him a cold look, then asked, “Is that person still around?”
The so-called "person" aroused Xi Xizhi's suspicions.
Why would someone who exorcises demons live here? Is there some hidden story?
Xi Xizhi, who was lost in thought, was patted on the shoulder by the person next to her.
"What are you thinking? You'll know when it's your time. Now, follow me." With his arm around the child's shoulder, An Honghan gestured for Steward Zhu to lead the way.
Steward Zhu couldn't help but glance at Xi Xizhi a few more times. It was the first time he had seen someone get so close to His Majesty.
Judging from the interaction between the two, it's clear that this behavior has been going on for more than just a day or two.
Thinking of the Miss Xi who had been the subject of much discussion recently, Butler Zhu had a pretty good idea of who it was.
No wonder His Majesty adores this child so much; just look at his eyebrows and eyes, how could he not be charming?
After passing through a secluded path, An Honghan and his group stopped in front of a small wooden house.
The log cabin has stood for many years, and the surrounding wood has turned a yellowish-brown color. Combined with the dense forest around it, it creates a harmonious and beautiful scene, like a paradise on earth.
Xi Xizhi gazed longingly at the wooden house, her mind filled with thoughts of the reclusive master An Honghan had mentioned.
As soon as she got close, she felt a surge of spiritual energy.
Clearly, someone has set up an array here to gather all the surrounding spiritual energy in one place.
The fact that they have the ability to set up a spirit-gathering array shows that the people in the wooden house are worthy of special attention.
Back when Xi Xizhi was still living deep in the mountains, her master used the same trick to change the feng shui of their dwelling, causing many demons who wanted to cultivate to keep sneaking into their place.
However, these lesser demons could only bask in the spiritual energy on the outside; none of them were able to successfully enter their barrier. This was because her master had not only set up an array to gather spiritual energy but also a maze, causing the demons to become disoriented before they even got close.
"Am I not even qualified to have Master Feng come out to greet me, even though I have arrived?" An Honghan stood calmly and composed in front of the wooden house, his words carrying an icy chill.
Xi Xizhi felt something was off about that tone.
Since An Honghan wanted to subdue the fox demon, he would definitely seek help from this Master Feng. However, his attitude towards Master Feng was not very good.
Every day, Steward Zhu followed An Honghan's instructions and delivered meals to the people in the house.
But to this day, no one inside has ever been seen coming out.
Every time he delivered food to the door, he would shout first, then put down the food and leave.
One time, out of curiosity, he deliberately hid behind a large tree not far away after putting down the food, wanting to catch a glimpse of who the person in the wooden house was.
But after waiting for a long time, the people inside seemed to know he was there and deliberately did not appear.
Afterwards, Butler Zhu tried many times, but each time he failed.
If he hadn't seen that every last bit of food was eaten when he came to collect the dishes, he would never have believed that anyone actually lived there.
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