Aside from the still-missing former Yao Prince’s grandson, everything else appeared fine. After all, sentiment was sentiment and nostalgia was nostalgia—the living still had to go on with their lives.
This hung like a faint shadow over Yinzi City.
On the third day of the first lunar month, at Shun Dongfeng Restaurant.
Yu Haizhen sat in a corner on the second floor, ordering an ancient-style stew. This corner received little attention from others, and outside the window was a large patch of winter plum blossoms to admire—tranquility amid the bustle.
But she was beautiful, and dining alone, so she still frequently received stares. Some men, after a few drinks, came over to strike up a conversation. Her temperament wasn’t particularly good; the first couple of times she politely waved them away, but later she simply ignored them altogether.
Most people had enough self-respect to leave after being rebuffed. However, some were more persistent, their competitive spirit aroused by her rejection. One sat down directly in the chair opposite her, grinning: “Why must the young lady keep people at a thousand li distance? Rather than seeking an arranged meeting, why not embrace this chance encounter and form a good connection?” As a waiter passed by, he casually beckoned, “Bring me another set of bowls and chopsticks.”
He was a young man in brocade robes, fair-skinned, and genuinely somewhat handsome, except his gaze was slightly frivolous. He probably wanted more than just a “good connection.”
By now the white broth in the pot was boiling, and Yu Haizhen was cooking lamb slices. Seeing this, her expression darkened.
A beauty’s slight anger only enhanced her appearance, leaving the man staring dumbfounded, his eyeballs seemingly frozen. Unfortunately for him, a hand reached out from behind and patted his shoulder: “Excuse me, you’re occupying my seat.”
The brocade-robed man turned back with displeasure, but after seeing who had arrived, he paused momentarily before quickly replacing his expression with a smile: “So it’s the Grand Judicial Inspector! My apologies, please sit, please sit!” He hurriedly stood up to yield the seat.
Yu Haizhen was also somewhat surprised—the newcomer was Chen Dachang.
Chen Dachang showed no expression as he nodded at the man: “Young Master Constant.”
So this Young Master Constant skulked back to a spot three zhang away, only occasionally daring to steal glances in their direction.
As soon as Chen Dachang sat down, Yu Haizhen let out a light snort: “If you had been two breaths later, his eyeballs wouldn’t have been safe.”
“I know,” Chen Dachang glanced at Young Master Constant, who quickly averted his gaze. “That’s why I drove him away. He’s the eldest son of the Court Gentleman. If you had gouged out his eyes in this marketplace, there would have been no small trouble afterward.” The situation in Yinzi City was already so tense; he didn’t want to offend local powers and add unnecessary variables.
He looked at Yu Haizhen before him. Her body had long since recovered, her pretty face with a hint of pink. Dressed in white gauze and a peach fairy skirt, she outshone the flowers, her complexion radiant—she was the most beautiful sight on the second floor.
No wonder half the men here had their gazes fixed on her.
But Chen Dachang couldn’t help recalling her appearance during those days of serious injury, and unconsciously, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
Wasn’t he here to chase away flies for her? Yu Haizhen pouted: “Isn’t the Grand Judicial Inspector busy capturing traitors? How do you have time to dine at Shun Dongfeng?”
“The Queen is merciful and specially permitted me today to—”
Before he could finish, Yu Haizhen waved her hand: “Alright, alright, I know the Queen let you out to eat, and you’re grateful. Horse-obsessed fool!”
Chen Dachang didn’t take offense: “Why is Madam Yu dining alone? Where’s Hu Tian?”
“It hasn’t had blood food for several days, so it’s gone hunting outside the city.” Hu Tian’s true form was a giant ape, not a pet; it remained a bloodthirsty demon. “Where I’m from, we have a custom of eating lamb for nourishment on the third day of the New Year.”
“What about the New Year’s feast?”
“Some of my people have arrived,” she said, so her New Year wasn’t particularly lonely.
At this moment, the waiter delivered bowls and chopsticks to the table. Yu Haizhen noticed that Chen Dachang didn’t touch his chopsticks. “What about you?”
Chen Dachang couldn’t help but sigh: “New Year’s Eve, great sacrifice outside the North Gate.” With the Queen busy, how could he have time to eat the New Year’s feast?
“You didn’t get to eat?”
“No.”
Yu Haizhen bit her chopstick and gave him a sympathetic look. More pitiful than being alone in a foreign land as a foreigner was not even getting to eat the New Year’s feast during the holiday. Then she heard him continue: “It doesn’t matter, I’m used to it.”
“What about your family?”
“They’re all gone,” Chen Dachang said calmly. “Only an aunt remains, not in New Xia. I’ve already requested leave from the Queen to visit her in a few months.”
In these chaotic times, many people had fates more tragic than his. Yu Haizhen shrugged: “Speaking of the stolen child, who do you guess is behind it?”
Chen Dachang didn’t even blink: “I can’t guess.”
This wasn’t within his jurisdiction; he didn’t need to worry about it.
“I seem to know a few people who could steal a child from the heavily guarded Yanhu Manor,” Yu Haizhen picked up a piece of green bamboo shoot and brought it to her lips, blowing on it. Her red lips puckered into an alluring shape. Chen Dachang looked once and dared not look again, quickly shifting his gaze.
“As it happens, one of them is currently in Yinzi City,” Yu Haizhen smiled. “Guess who?”
Without thinking, Chen Dachang replied: “You.”
Yu Haizhen raised her chopsticks, pointing straight at his vital point: “Hey, one can eat carelessly, but one cannot speak carelessly.”
Chen Dachang lowered his head to look: “Madam Yu knows well enough.”
So he understood who she was referring to? That’s right, this was a serious accusation against the Queen. Yu Haizhen slowly chewed the bamboo shoot, wondering if this was a chess move laid out by Feng Miaojun. “The matters here seem somewhat thorny. I suspect the Queen won’t be able to leave for quite some time?”
“We’ve encountered situations a hundred times more thorny than this,” she didn’t have a deep friendship with Feng Miaojun, but Chen Dachang knew his mistress’s capabilities. “Rest assured, she will certainly resolve it.” He hadn’t forgotten that this was Yu Haizhen’s evaluation period of New Xia, so naturally, he wanted to put in a few good words for Feng Miaojun.
Yu Haizhen shook her head and laughed lightly: “Do you truly not know or are you pretending not to know? Previously, no matter how chaotic things were, it was only New Xia’s internal trouble. But if the case of the missing Yao Prince’s grandson is handled improperly, not just Yao territory but even Wei Kingdom might be dragged into it.”
After the fall of the Yao Kingdom, Miao Hansheng, the Yao Prince’s grandson, became an important symbol. His existence gave solace to Yao people who couldn’t yet accept that their homeland had perished. Likewise, his disappearance would cause countless hearts to feel lost and uneasy as if they had lost their home.
Yao Kingdom had stood for over two hundred years, accumulating not just wealth but also a sense of national identity. Being incorporated into New Xia was forced by circumstances, not willingly accepted.
Of course, although the tense situation between Wei and Yan had increased the Yao people’s sense of security, for anti-Xia sentiment to run so deep after less than half a year was unreasonable.
Anyone with eyes could see that someone was fanning the flames behind public sentiment. Unfortunately, Feng Miaojun’s party had arrived in Yinzi City too late to catch the source.
Yao territory, like the former An Xia, was the most unstable factor and region in the Northern Continent. If not handled well, this wasn’t merely New Xia’s domestic affair but a trouble that could entangle the entire continent!