46 Prolonging life is the prerequisite for immortality
◎Liu Che: As expected of me!◎
Huo Yan broke away from Liu Che's sight and ran with his small bag to the remote palace room where he had agreed with the palace servants to wait for someone. As soon as he showed up, he was surrounded by the palace servants who were not on duty in Weiyang Palace.
He took out the small bag he had brought with him from his collar, opened the bag, and dropped the Huasheng, hairpin, and small wooden mechanism he made in front of people.
The things he brought were always in line with the status of the palace servants, simple, but unique and occasionally ingenious.
Huasheng and jade hairpins were no novelty to these young girls, accustomed to luxurious things. The younger ones, still in their budding stages, naturally preferred the pink peach-shaped velvet flowers in the center. Gold and jade were commonplace, and even the step-shaking ornaments, considered priceless by commoners, were not rare to them.
But this lifelike ornament is so captivating that it's impossible to take your eyes off it. The floral ornament is shaped like a blooming peach blossom, round and plump, with petals curling slightly at the tips, as if gently caressed by a breeze. The soft pink hue gradually fades from the base, spreading outwards. At first glance, it's as delicate and alluring as a real peach blossom.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the small flowers. Huo Yan didn't bother picking them up, but instead placed them one by one on a small bundle, letting the palace maids choose for themselves. "These are velvet flowers. That toy shop in Chang'an has just released a new crown made of these velvet flowers. These are leftovers from making them. I brought them here. If you want them, just ask Hua Sheng over there for the same price."
These small flowers were just a few left over after his craftsmen had made the nobles' wreaths, but they were also made of the most luxurious silk. These palace maids had sharp eyes and could naturally see that he sold them at such a low price just to help these lowly people.
Some palace servants were embarrassed and emptied their purses with gritted teeth, but when they handed the money to Huo Yan, the money was returned to them.
"It's not easy to save some money, so don't spend too much. An empty stomach is good for your heart and lungs. Drinking water in winter is too cold and it will freeze your heart and lungs."
Huo Yan chuckled, took two five-zhu coins from the palace maid and put them into his small purse, then blinked like he did when he was a child. However, this time, he did not attract the little girls to rub him. Instead, he made many palace maids blush. Those palace maids felt embarrassed and could only stamp their feet, shyly threw a few five-zhu coins to him, and ran away with their little sisters.
Most of the palace maids left, and the remaining palace maids did not stay any longer to select suitable ones. After thanking Huo Yan, they left together.
Although Huo Yan's things were swept away, he was reluctant to move. He squatted at the foot of the wall, holding his chin with both hands, touching his face constantly, as if he was in a dilemma.
The elders at home doted on him like a child, and since bronze mirrors were blurry, he was very clumsy and didn't like looking in the mirror. He still thought of himself as the little jade ball he used to be, and didn't even consider that he would embarrass others.
Little did people know that he is now over ten years old and his handsome eyes and eyebrows have already grown.
After ruffling his hair, Liu Che ingeniously tied it into a high ponytail. Although he had spent over a year on the other side of the Yellow River, and although he had become darker and thinner, the childishness on his face had been swept away. A red hairband draped down his cheeks. He raised his eyes and smiled softly. His jade-like face and red lips exuded a youthful aura. Add to that the gorgeous clothes and jade ornaments he had worn to meet Liu Che today, and this young man from a wealthy village naturally made the girl blush.
But he himself didn't know it, and was a little confused. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes seemed to be broken. He stared at the barrage for a long time, and finally said shyly, "I asked my uncle and brother to take a close look yesterday. They said I was as handsome as ever. Why did everyone get scared away by me today? Was I disfigured by the wind from the Yellow River?"
He felt a little uncomfortable, and kept touching his face and mumbling back and forth.
"Can you help me check if I fell in the mud last time and got scratched by something hard, causing my face to be disfigured?"
“I quite like my face.”
The commentators thought he was up to some bad idea again, but they didn't expect him to look anxious, and everyone burst into laughter.
[Ayanju likes this little face that looks so much like his uncles, brothers, aunts, mother, grandmother, and sisters.]
[I can tell at a glance that the purebred Wei family's little face is gone. What should I do, Xiaoyan?]
[Xiao Yanbao, has a scar on his face.]
[Bok choy, the ground is yellow~]
[Ayan is starting to feel anxious about his appearance.]
[Yanzi, your train of thought is quite unique. How did you come up with the idea that you scared someone?]
[Why don’t you scold me for being hypocritical this time?]
[Your smile is so beautiful that they are shy.]
[You don’t know what you look like, but you must have faith in your brother, my sick kid.]
[Sickly beautiful and radiant!]
[Just think about it, if your face got rotten, the first person to jump up would be your uncle who is obsessed with looks.]
He will perform a ritual that very night, asking the gods to restore your beauty.
[Baby, your bag is beautiful, I am now a fan of my mom,]
[A glimpse of her beauty disturbed my heart.]
[Yan, your perfection needs no further explanation.]
…
Huo Yan swallowed up the torrent of compliments, his face flushing. Although he tried his best to keep a straight face and walked slowly along the palace path, he accidentally arrived at the gate of the Pilan Palace.
He wanted to run away, not only because his aunt loved him so much, like a daughter made of water, and he would have to eat rice soaked with tears soon. But also because Liu Che would suddenly think about the source of the fake medicine and would definitely rush to Pilan Palace to see if he was there. It was really annoying.
But as soon as he turned around, he was seen by the servants of Pilan Palace.
He often came to the palace to pay a visit. The servants in Pilan Hall thought he was here to see Wei Zifu, so they quickly led him forward.
Unable to refuse the kind invitation, Huo Yan smiled helplessly and followed him in.
Good news, his aunt was busy telling Princess Pingyang about interesting things in the boudoir and was too lazy to pay attention to him.
Bad news, he scared the captain of the guards who was drinking with the palace ladies.
"Brother Ayan, you're back. Come and play with this princess. You'll be the grandfather, and I'll be the mother."
The captain of the guard was only five or six years old, and he was trying to hug Huo Yan with his baby steps.
Huo Yan also quickly reached out to take it.
Unexpectedly, the captain of the guards stopped in his tracks midway and slowly retreated, taking three steps at a time.
She blinked her big eyes and smiled ingratiatingly on her milky white face.
"Brother Qubing, just focus on your own things. I can play by myself."
Huo Qubing and Huo Yan look very similar, but one likes to laugh and the other doesn't, so people can tell them apart quickly. Now that Huo Yan has a stern face, the captain of the guard mistook Huo Yan for Huo Qubing.
Huo Qubing was usually very kind to her sisters and always thought of them. However, he was not as playful as her brother Ayan and always had a cold face, which always frightened her.
Huo Yan bowed, his tense expression suddenly melting away, the small red mole under his lip faintly visible. He handed the velvet flower he had saved for her to the maid beside him, then said with a playful smile, "So the famous Princess Wei Chang is so afraid of my brother!"
The captain of the guard recognized him and immediately ran over and threw himself into his arms.
"You're pretending to be Brother Qubing and scaring me. Shame on you!"
She stretched her neck and looked at the velvet flower in the maid's hand, her round almond-shaped eyes narrowed into slits due to her smile.
"That's pretty up there!"
Huo Yan nodded, and did not hold her hand as he did in the past, but just followed her closely.
He seems to have grown up and is no longer a child.
Thinking so, he joined the little Princess Wei Chang's house drinking game and was very honored to play the role of his old uncle.
The Guards' hostess was in Pilandian's own little room. The small fox fur blanket on the floor was strewn with small ceramic bowls and teapots, gifts from Huo Yan. A small table sat in the middle of the room, with a newly crawling Zhu Yi perched beside it.
Cao Xiang, who was visiting Lady Wei with his mother, was holding a tiger stuffed animal in his arms and holding Zhu Yi with one hand to prevent her from escaping. His face looked as dejected as his heart.
Taking care of children is crazy.
As soon as he saw Huo Yan come in, he felt as if he had been pardoned.
"Ayan is here, please sit anywhere."
Huo Yan reluctantly took Zhu Yi, who was eagerly held out, and placed the little cub in his arms. Zhu Yi was still little and always wanted to run around. But when she saw Huo Yan, she didn't want to run anymore. She clapped her tender little hands and giggled, "Uncle, you're beautiful!"
Huo Yan touched her small, fleshy hand and smiled gently. At first glance, he really looked a bit like Wei Qing.
"I'm not your uncle, but I'll bring Fat Tiger to you in a few days."
Cao Xiang was forced to eat the crumbs of snacks crushed by the chief guard himself. He smiled when he heard the words, but there was a worry in his eyes.
"The princess said you were handsome. At first glance, you do look like the Grand Doctor."
The corners of Huo Yan's lips, which he usually showed to others, curled up quite a bit, and he actually felt a little secretly delighted. It was obvious that Cao Xiang's unconscious praise touched his heart.
"Your Excellency, thank you. It is probably the case that the nephew resembles his uncle."
Cao Xiang's eyes were filled with sorrow when he was called "Your Majesty".
"I don't want you to call me that. Just call me Ah Xiang."
His father had just passed away, so he shouldn't have gone out, but his mother dragged him in because she saw that he was really depressed.
Huo Yan didn't know how to comfort him, so he just patted his hand lightly as a way of comforting him.
Cao Xiang chuckled and handed the snack crumbs handed to him by Wei Chang.
"Ayan, I heard from His Majesty that you went on a study tour. I wonder what new things you saw?"
Huo Yan shook his head and nodded, thinking it over, and finally said, "There's nothing new under the sun. It's just that I had a moment of leisure and took a look at what's going on under the sun, and then I realized how vast the world is."
He occasionally talked about some interesting things.
Cao Xiang's brow softened when he mentioned touching the loach, and after a long time, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Ayan, you've changed a lot."
Huo Yan was stunned for a moment, and finally nodded slowly.
"Perhaps it's because I've seen so many people cry that I remember not only my own suffering, but also theirs. So I not only want to relieve my own suffering, but also want to wipe away their tears."
The young man's ambition was expressed lightly by himself, and Cao Xiang felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.
At this moment, Huo Yan was very much like his brother who was always determined to do what he wanted.
Or perhaps, from the beginning to the end, the Huo twins were just the same kind of people.
They are brave, sincere, proud, and will not hesitate to pursue what they love, and their dedication will last for years.
[Son, as the eldest brother-in-law, aren't you always difficult to deal with?]
[Cao Xiang will chew your sister's treasure from now on.]
[He also died young, and Meibao was later married off by Zhuzhu to a liar named Luan Da.]
Luan Da was unable to communicate with the gods, and Zhu Zhu realized he had been deceived. He then had Luan Da beheaded and sentenced Luan Da's recommender, Lecheng Hou Dingyi, to the very severe punishment of being thrown into the open air.
Princess Wei Chang was not caught up in the Witchcraft and Poisoning Incident of the second year of the Zhenghe reign, nor was she beheaded. It is generally believed that Princess Wei Chang died before the Witchcraft and Poisoning Incident. Meibao may have died young.
…
Huo Yan's face turned bad. He put his arm around Shi Yi and pulled Wei Chang to his side, preventing her from feeding Cao Xiang anymore.
My sister is so young, an old cow is eating young grass, I didn’t expect you to be so shameless!
"Sister, you have to protect yourself."
Huo Yan placed the snacks that the guard had given to Cao Xiang in his own hands and said softly to the guard, "Sister, do you like the knife?"
The guard was a serious little girl. She thought he was asking a question, so she straightened her back and said in a baby voice, "I like it, but mother, please don't play with it."
Huo Yan touched her little head and shook his head. He looked around and finally took out the jade hairpin on his head and inserted it straight into the table with a force.
The Chief of Wei and Cao Xiang both widened their eyes, not knowing what he wanted to say.
Huo Yan glanced at Cao Xiang, making the hair on his back stand on end. Then he said quietly, "Look, a stab like this is no different from a knife."
Wei Chang thought of Wei Zifu's usual teachings and retorted, "I am a girl, I can't fight and kill. My mother will be sad."
Huo Yan smiled.
"But we only have a beautiful little hairpin. Doesn't mother allow us to tie our hair?"
The captain nodded.
She felt that what Brother Ayan said was right and that hairpins were very convenient.
Huo Yan smiled even more deeply, handed her his hairpin, and whispered something in her ear.
The chief guard was beaming with joy.
Cao Xiang didn't know why he felt a chill down his spine, perhaps because he was frightened by Huo Yan's change of expression.
He moved his butt further away from Huo Yan.
What a cruel educational method.
[Ayan sharpens his sword and rushes towards Cao Xiang.]
[This is a good idea, Ayan.]
[He loves his sister very much.]
[Actually, Ah Xiang was quite good, but he died early.]
[Is Ah Yan going to go crazy and make a hairpin that can kill people or slit their necks?]
[Women have less strength, so things like hairpins can hardly really hurt people unless they poke them.]
[What we can think of, Ah Yan can’t think of?]
[Ayan is laughing. I wonder if he's really going to make some poison or something.]
[Looking forward to Ayan’s actions.]
…
After Huo Yan finished this act, he continued playing house wine as if nothing had happened.
As soon as he looked away, Cao Xiang's feeling of being on edge disappeared, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He never expected that he would relax too early.
Because he has two older brothers-in-law, if they both cheat people in the future, he will feel like he is walking in a tiger's mouth, not just like a thorn in his back. Not to mention feeling relieved, even if he is still alive, they both feel that Cao Xiang is a hindrance.
Of course, this is all in the past.
But soon his other elder brother-in-law, Huo Qubing, appeared at the door accompanied by his uncle.
When Huo Yan saw Liu Che coming at him aggressively, he immediately slipped and tried to escape.
Unexpectedly, Liu Che was well prepared and with a wave of his hand he cut off Huo Yan's escape routes in all directions.
Huo Yan struggled desperately, twisting himself into a pretzel, but he could not escape the fate of being carried to Liu Che's side.
Liu Che smiled grimly, and Cao Xiang couldn't help but think of Huo Yan's smile to him after he poked the table. He took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and quietly moved to the corner. He didn't want innocent people to be affected by the fire at the city gate.
"Ah Yan, I just remembered that with your eagerness to make all the money in the world, it's impossible for you to make any fire-clearing pills. You can't even sell them, let alone make a lot of money."
Liu Che looked sarcastic and the muscles in his arms bulged.
"You're the one selling fake medicine, right?"
The veins on Wei Qing's forehead were throbbing with joy.
The one who sold fake medicine and nearly killed His Majesty was actually his Ah Yan!!!
Huo Yan lifted his legs off the ground, and seeing his expression, he struggled even more violently.
"Listen to my explanation! Uncle, it's not what you think!"
He held onto the corner of Wei Qing's clothes, sniffed, and looked pitiful.
"The pills I sell are all real medicine. Can you listen to my explanation?"
Wei Qing's heart softened suddenly.
"Then you speak, and uncle will listen."
Huo Yanyan then told the purpose of his doing this, and also made a special note that he did not sell fake medicine.
"My medicine is effective. Long-term use can prolong life. Isn't extending your life by twenty or thirty years the beginning of immortality?"
Wei Qing's forehead was throbbing with pain.
"Then Ah Yan can't lie. Look how you deceived His Majesty."
"He's blaming me. He's squandered all my money for the windmill and the money for building the clinic!"
Huo Yan sobbed, "I was just promoting it. I didn't sell his medicine. I didn't cheat him. Just like eating one bite at a time, you have to take the elixir of immortality step by step."
Liu Che sneered in anger and immediately ordered his men, "He's selling fake medicine, and he's still trying to argue here. Just take him away!"
Two guards stepped out, carried Huo Yan and walked out.
Huo Yan groaned and was dragged away like a noodle by two guards, looking aggrieved. He was about to cry.
“It’s unfair!”
He let go of the corner of Wei Qing's clothes, and when he was carried away, he did not forget to take out his little ginger bag from his arms, put it to his eyes, and two lines of tears rolled down.
"This is so unfair! Someone actually beat a ten-year-old child to death!"
Wei Qing's forehead was already numb and painful.
Liu Che touched his chin and smiled.
He didn't know that this kid had evolved since he went out for a stroll. He was smiling all day long and no longer stubborn. He would admit his mistakes, pretend to be wronged, and cry like a fool. But his heart would never change.
"If I don't beat you to death if you say that, I'll be sorry for you."
Huo Yan on the other side decisively shut up.
Huo Qubing held Wei Chang's hand. Wei Chang was a very righteous boy and wanted to plead for mercy, but was stopped by him.
The chief guard was confused.
It was rare for Huo Qubing to be speechless to Huo Yan. Finally, Wei Chang heard her brother Qubing's comments on the matter.
"Little bastards or old bastards understand."
Then Huo Qubing took the kick from Liu Che.
The old bastard was unreasonable and shot indiscriminately.
"Take this back too. Have Ah Yan make 200 of these pills, and add 20 more with aconite. Once he's done, you two can go out."
Huo Qubing had no expression on his face when he was dragged away, and his almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly when he finished speaking.
His uncle has evil intentions and is planning to break up his alliance with Ayan from within!
After dealing with the two rebellious sons, Liu Che laughed wildly.
"Little guy, I can't handle them!"
He achieved three goals in one go. He is worthy of his name.
The five-year-old Wei Chang saw her grandfather smiling, and suddenly understood what the old bastard meant. She sighed, put her hands behind her back, and her chubby little face showed an age that did not belong to her age.
Wei Qing glanced at his Majesty silently, and the more he looked, the more ferocious Liu Che's smile seemed to him.
Your Majesty is planning to sell the fake medicine yourself and is not planning to share the profits with Ayan.
He now thinks that Ayan and Qubing are good-looking. After staying with His Majesty for a long time, Ayan actually becomes a hot-tempered person.
【Author’s words】
Kill three birds with one stone. One is to get something for free. Two is to destroy the two rebellious sons internally. Three, well, sometimes there are always people who want to paralyze someone. After all, immortality is the goal.
I was really stupid. I didn't even know I had applied for the list. The list required 15,000 yuan, and I fainted because I had to attend classes for nine hours a day.
I'm busy with thesis proposal, exam supervision, and CET-6. I'm exhausted. (Woof~)
Dear ones, after I finish updating these 15,000 chapters, I may reduce the frequency of updates.
But December 17th will be fine. I will take the high-speed train home that day. There will be about 10,000 chapters + extra chapters.
You can tell me in the comment section what extra chapter you want to see, and the selected friends will receive red envelopes.
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