The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 70 Aren't you afraid of death?

Chu Xun naturally understood Zhang Anxiu's feelings; the older they got, the shorter the days they could spend together.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?

Supporting Zhang Anxiu, they walked slowly home.

As they passed by Shi Tou's house, Qiao Hua, who was drying fish, looked up and saw them, and quickly greeted them: "Village Chief, Auntie."

Chu Xun and Zhang Anxiu came over and chatted for a few minutes, while Liao Licheng was still studying his essays inside and did not come out.

Qiaohua hopes her son can be like Huan'er, studying hard and becoming successful, instead of fighting on the battlefield like Shitou.

However, Liao Licheng was not academically inclined; his handwriting was terrible, and he couldn't learn no matter how much he was taught.

On the contrary, the six-style sword technique taught to him by Shi Tou a few years ago was wielded with great skill and proficiency.

Unfortunately, Qiaohua wouldn't let him join the army, so his swordsmanship was useless.

After chatting for a while, Chu Xun continued to help Zhang Anxiu walk home.

Watching their retreating figures, Qiaohua couldn't help but sigh, "The village chief and auntie have really gotten old..."

At the same time, I envy them greatly, that they can stay together forever and grow old together.

That pair of figures supporting each other is something many people can only envy.

Like her, even though her husband is still alive, she acts like a widow.

Qiaohua sighed heavily, turned around and emptied the dried fish from the basket.

One by one, they cut open the belly of the fish, pulled out the intestines and gills, and then laid them out on the stone slab in the yard to dry.

Each fish's mouth faces east.

From large to small, from long to short, neatly arranged.

Having raised her child alone for so many years, she developed this habit.

If it's not neat, it feels like ants are crawling all over my body.

The sound of books slamming shut came from inside the room, followed by sighs from a young man.

"Studying is so hard!!"

In the following days, Chu Xun bought a lot of expensive medicinal herbs to replenish qi and blood.

Along with the old ginseng, cut off a small piece each day and have Zhang Anxiu brew it as tea.

Such a precious treasure, capable of keeping others hanging on their toes, how could Zhang Anxiu not know its value?

But she didn't hesitate at all, nor did she feel sorry for herself; she diligently brewed ginseng tea every day.

It's clear that she really wants to get her health back.

A month later, just as Chu Xun had predicted.

Of the thirteen princes, the sixth prince ultimately prevailed and ascended the throne as emperor.

The reign title was Chongming.

Rumors circulated that of the thirteen princes, six had died and five were imprisoned.

Only the youngest prince, the thirteenth prince, was spared because he shared the same mother as the sixth prince.

With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, decrees from the six ministries flew out of the capital like snowflakes.

However, the month-long hiatus resulted in local military and political power being firmly in their grasp, and imperial edicts were no longer as intimidating as before.

General Han Shizhong, who had promised to return after receiving the emperor's decree, still entrenched himself in the southwest under the pretext of eliminating the remnants of the barbarian tribes.

After more than a decade of recuperation, the Ma tribe is now beginning to tentatively encroach on the border.

Beset by internal and external troubles, Emperor Chongming had no time to deal with Han Shizhong for the time being.

He ordered the reorganization of a group of spies and their placement in prefectures and counties throughout the country to find incriminating evidence of corruption and abuse of power.

If anyone disobeyed, the censor would be sent to impeach them.

Considering the complex and intertwined power among the court officials, and in order to prevent the news from leaking out.

The person in charge of assembling this group, and secretly directing them, was Zhang Li, a eunuch who had grown up with Emperor Chongming.

He was a tall, thin eunuch who always kept his hands tucked into his sleeves and never looked people in the eye.

Rumor has it that the brothel Hongxiufang, known for having the most beautiful and skilled girls in Kyoto, was run by this man.

After suppressing a group of disobedient officials, Emperor Chongming promoted and won over another group of people.

Among them were Tang Shijun and Huan'er, one of whom was promoted to Minister of Revenue and the other to Prefect of Long'an Prefecture.

At the same time, many young officials were promoted to prefect, almost all of whom were lower-ranking officials, holding the fifth rank.

Therefore, even with Tang Shijun, a second-rank official, as the Minister, the other ministers did not pay much attention.

A minister and a dozen or so prefects are nothing special.

As for the impeachment by the censors, it was even less important.

The court was rife with factions that formed alliances with each other. Impeachments could be brought up again the next day under some pretext.

This exacerbated Emperor Chongming's paranoia.

They harbored even greater hatred for aristocratic and noble families.

In the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

A violent coughing sound came from inside the room.

Chu Xun held the medicine bowl, scooped up the dark brown medicine, blew on it to cool it slightly, and then brought it to Zhang Anxiu's lips.

Zhang Anxiu's face was a little pale. Although the medicine was very bitter, she still opened her mouth and drank it.

Her health has been poor ever since she caught a cold three years ago.

After consulting a renowned doctor, it was determined that the meridians were blocked.

It is suspected that this was caused by the fact that he always worked barefoot on the farm when he was young.

It was thanks to those three fruits, plus the old ginseng to replenish his strength, otherwise he would have been unable to get up long ago.

After all, Zhang Anxiu was fifty-three years old, and many ordinary people had already died at that age.

After feeding Chu Xun a bowl of medicine, Chu Xun was about to get up when Zhang Anxiu grabbed him.

Looking at her with her full head of white hair, her eyes still filled with a pitiful look, Chu Xun gently patted the back of her hand: "Huan'er is still waiting outside. I'll go say a few words and come back. You rest for a while."

Several weasels jumped up from the bedside, sniffed Zhang Anxiu's face, and stuck out their soft tongues to lick the bitter medicine from the corner of her mouth.

This generation of weasels doesn't smell bad anymore.

The corners of your mouth that have been licked by them won't taste too bitter.

The little weasel nestled obediently near Zhang Anxiu's ear, as if trying to use its body heat to help her recover faster.

Zhang Anxiu then released his grip, and Chu Xun got up and walked out.

A man with a neatly trimmed mustache and a composed demeanor stood at the doorway. Upon seeing him emerge, he immediately asked, "Uncle, how is Aunt?"

"I just took my medicine, I'm fine," Chu Xun said.

Huan'er is thirty-four years old this year and is no longer the little child she used to be.

Many people who know him say that he looks more like Chu Xun's child.

Even the two tufts of mustache around his mouth are similar to those of Chu Xun in his middle age.

The sound of flapping wings came from the air. The two looked up and saw dozens of huge crows flying in from a distance.

They soon flew into the yard, and most of them landed on the eaves.

Only one old crow landed in front of Chu Xun and cawed a few times.

Even Huan'er could hear the urgency in their cries and couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, what's wrong with them?"

"It's nothing. I sent them to help me find something, but it seems they didn't find it," Chu Xun said.

Huan'er was a little puzzled. What could possibly need a crow to find?

Chu Xun didn't explain, but only asked, "How is your father now?"

Zhang Sanchun is two years older than Chu Xun; he is already fifty-seven years old this year.

He was usually in good health, but a few days ago it suddenly rained and he was in a hurry to bring the roasted nuts and seeds from the outdoor noodle stall back in when he slipped and fell.

Chu Xun has already visited him. The injury is neither minor nor serious; he will probably need to stay in bed for a few months to recover.

"It's alright, but I wanted to take him to Long'an Mansion, but he refused, saying he was worried about his aunt."

Huan'er sighed and said, "I always felt that my father had lived his whole life for others and never thought about having a few days of happiness for himself."

"Everyone has their own way of living. You're not him, so how would you know if he's happy or not?" Chu Xun said.

"On the contrary, you've made a special trip back. Is there something you want to say?"

Huan'er nodded. He had indeed come back for something very important.

He should have gone directly to his teacher, Tang Shijun, but then he thought he should go home first to visit his parents and relatives, and then ask Chu Xun for his opinion.

Of all the people Huan'er admires most, besides Tang Shijun, it is her uncle Chu Xun.

"This is the national policy I wrote. Uncle, please take a look and see if there are any problems," Huan'er said, handing over a few sheets of parchment.

This type of paper is not afraid of water, and to a certain extent it is also not afraid of scratches, so it can be preserved for a long time.

However, it is not easy to make and is expensive, so most people are unwilling to write anything on it.

Chu Xun took it and glanced at it. After a moment of silence, he looked up at Huan'er.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"