Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 68 Spring Banquet

People in Daxing have a habit of wearing flowers.

In spring, flower girls would take flower baskets to the streets. Their baskets were full of flowers. Some rural girls would pick the prettiest wildflowers from the roadside, process and dry them to sell as dried flowers. Some maids from wealthy families would put the beautiful and delicate flowers they had pruned into baskets and take them to the streets to earn some extra money.

This year's Flower Banquet featured even more flowers. The recent shower of blossoms had swept across the entire city, and on the day of the banquet, everyone chose a flower they liked and pinned it to their clothes.

The traveling pilgrims who used to be bustling in the streets were now putting in even more effort, performing tricks and shows to earn applause and some money.

"So beautiful!"

The ginseng plant stood on Lin Jiang's left shoulder, while the luminous pearl stood on his right shoulder. The luminous pearl emitted a faint glow, enveloping the ginseng plant within it, so that passersby would not see it.

Lin Jiang originally intended to take Xiao Shanshen directly to Han Baicheng to obtain an identity, but upon hearing this, Prefect Liu Pang immediately patted his chest and declared:

"There's no need for you to go personally. I'll have my men go right away."

Not long after, a document bearing the official seal arrived in Lin Jiang's hands.

From then on, Xiaoshan Shen became a "waiter" in Daxing, a spirit recognized by Daxing.

Xiao Shanshen was happy, and Lin Jiang was happy too. Living in peace and contentment, it was good to be able to hold such a lively banquet.

After wandering around outside for a couple more times, Lin Jiang arrived at the sugar figurine stall.

The cow offal didn't come to the water today; the little girl still needs to rest for a while.

Lin Jiang bought two more sugar figurines, one for himself and the other for someone else.

He wanted to hand it to the luminous pearl, but the luminous pearl couldn't help but grumble, "Brother, do I look like I have a mouth?"

Little Ginseng, however, immediately raised his hand:

"I want to try it too! I've never tasted your food before!"

Lin Jiang glanced at the mouth drawn on Xiao Shanshen's face.

He thought about it and realized that Xiaoshan Shen really did seem to want to bite Gong Xuan back then; she might actually be able to eat a lot.

He simply handed the sugar figurine to Xiaoshan Shen.

Xiao Shanshen took the sugar figurine, looked it over from left to right, found a suitable angle, and took a bite, biting off the sugar figurine's head.

She chewed twice and said in a strong voice:
"I can't taste anything!"

Lin Jiang chuckled to himself.

After strolling around for a while, it was almost lunchtime, so Lin Jiang decided to head towards the Water Entrance Residence.

There are many guests in the house today: the two shopkeepers, the governor, local officials and constables, plus Old Man Zhao and the Zeng brothers. The shop needs to be set up very large, stretching from inside the courtyard to outside.

Since it was already set up like this, they simply set up a few more tables outside for a continuous feast, so that any passing guest who wanted to eat or drink could come and get a bowl.

When Lin Jiang returned to the outside of the Water Mart, the main banquet had not yet started, but there were already quite a few people at the banquet.

Everyone was enjoying their meal, so Lin Jiang simply walked around to the side.

When they returned home, they found the servants busy at work and the guards setting up tables and chairs. Most of the guests had already arrived, but Wen Xiangyi was still missing.

After asking a maid for directions, Lin Jiang went straight into the courtyard.

When they arrived at the quiet inner courtyard, they found Wen Xiangyi standing next to Lin Shengfeng.

Wen Xiangyi sat in a chair, while Lin Shengfeng chuckled foolishly as he tied flowers around her neck.

He chose a small white flower whose name he didn't know. It didn't look particularly elegant or beautiful, but Wen Xiangyi blushed and liked it very much.

Seeing her grandson arrive, Wen Xiangyi hurriedly pushed Lin Shengfeng away, leaving the latter slightly disappointed.

"Grandma, Grandpa, everyone at the banquet has arrived and is just waiting for you two."

Wen Xiangyi gave Lin Shengfeng a reproachful look, but Lin Shengfeng didn't understand what she meant and just chuckled foolishly.

Wen Xiangyi helped Lin Shengfeng up and led him toward the main courtyard.

Lin Jiang also helped Lin Shengfeng up from the side.

Wen Xiangyi looked at Lin Jiang through Lin Shengfeng:

"Grandson."

"Eh."

"You've acquired quite a few skills, haven't you?"

"Thanks to Grandma."

"...Actually, Grandma knows where the key is."

Lin Jiang was taken aback and immediately thought of the box he always carried with him.

“When your grandfather was young, he often went to Beijing. He had many friends there, and one of them, surnamed Sun, named Sun Zhong, was a close friend of your grandfather. The key is in his hands.”

"Beijing..."

Under the whole heaven, great prosperity is underway.

That was the most prosperous city, right under the emperor's nose. Lin Jiang's original self had never been to the capital, only heard that it was a place teeming with opportunities and overflowing with gold.

“But it’s been too long. Your grandfather hasn’t been in contact with Kyoto for over a decade. I’m not sure if Sun Zhong is still in Kyoto, or if he’s still someone your grandfather would entrust with his life. If you really go to Kyoto, don’t reveal the box until you’ve found out everything.”

"clear."

Lin Jiang nodded solemnly.

Although he was curious about what was inside the box, he prioritized his own safety.

In a power center like the capital, if you alert the enemy, it's not impossible for four or five spies to suddenly appear and gang up on you.

Lin Jiang has always firmly believed that such places, which resemble centers of power, are practically "scattered like stars on the ground."

"Then..."

Wen Xiangyi paused:

"Spend two more days with Grandma, let her see you again."

Lin Jiang nodded heavily.

They finally arrived at the main courtyard, where the guests were already seated. Upon seeing Wen Xiangyi come out, they gradually quieted down and waited for her to speak.

Wen Xiangyi helped Lin Shengfeng to his seat, composed herself, and raised a glass of wine:
"Fellow esteemed neighbors, sailors, and heroes, this humble cup of wine is offered to you all. Please drink it to the fullest—to celebrate our shared journey through adversity, and to express our joy at overcoming this calamity!"

He drank the wine.

In the distance, on the lake, the morning mist was swept away, and a warm light shone through the courtyard.

……

Old Zhao left the day after the Spring Festival banquet ended.

A troop of soldiers escorted him as they headed east.

Before leaving, Lin Jiang asked Old Zhao another question:
"Old Zhao, do you know a master of traditional Chinese painting? Someone with exceptional skill, perhaps even a star-level skill."

"A master painter who paints stars?" Old Zhao immediately noticed the little ginseng peeking out from Lin Jiang's sleeve. The face painted by the little ginseng already told Old Zhao why Lin Jiang was looking for this person.

"In the capital, there is a master of traditional Chinese painting, Liang Huashan, whose skill in painting stars is exceptional."

"man?"

The name sounds like a man's.

"Are you looking for a woman? I don't know. Go ask Liang Huashan. He said you're not allowed to know her."

"Thank you very much, Elder Zhao." Lin Jiang bowed and took his leave.

Old Zhao lowered the carriage curtain and called out:
"Let's go!"

The horses' hooves pounded, pulling the wheels forward slowly.

"Next time you visit me, don't forget to bring some good wine!"

Old Zhao called out from inside the carriage.

"Then I'll have to climb high mountains to find some fine wine brewed by monkeys and bring it to you."

"Stinky boy!"

Amidst loud laughter, the wind swirled petals as the carriage sped off into the distance.

Lin Jiang didn't ask Old Zhao what his identity was; if he had been interested, he could have guessed it.

Aside from the capital, the three major powers outside the capital are the Grand General, the Prime Minister, and the Grand Prince.

The current emperor's surname is Zhao, and so does the eldest prince's.

I'd heard he was a restless fellow who liked to wander around aimlessly. I wondered who he'd fought with before, and how he ended up with Sanxing.

The old man is gone, but he left behind quite a few people.

A centurion of iron cavalry was sent to Cangsong. Although he was only a centurion, his troops consisted of a whole cavalry unit and its support staff, and the number of troops was considerable.

When Governor Liu saw this, he could only offer vague and agreeable words.

This group disobeyed orders from local officials, their main objective being to protect Cangsong and Hanbai from the intruders.

However, this centurion listened to Lin Jiang and Wen Xiangyi.

This was what the old man told him before he left.

Lin Jiang didn't expect the centurion's soldiers to do anything; he simply instructed them to guard the city.

Another morning, I went to Niuxiashui's house outside the city, had a fish meal, comforted the little girl who hadn't recovered yet, and then went home.

I thought there was nothing else to do before I left, but unexpectedly, Mr. Qian came to my door in person.

"Young Master Lin, the treasure you requested is ready."

(End of this chapter)