Chapter 322: Past and Present Lives
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The gatekeeper stood there, utterly bewildered.
“Honored guests have arrived… Should this humble servant report to the Eldest Young Master?” he asked, unable to discern their true intentions.
Ming Lang waved his hand dismissively. “No need, no need. It’s merely a wine jar; we won’t disturb Lord Lu.”
“We will retrieve it ourselves.”
The gatekeeper, unable to make a decision, sent someone to inform Deng Zhi.
Deng Zhi was on night duty that day. Hearing the news, she chose not to disturb her mistress and hurried to the entrance.
Upon seeing the Southern Kingdom’s envoys, her expression turned cold.
She was well aware of Madam Xu’s status and naturally disliked the idea of her dealing with the envoys from the Southern Kingdom.
She smiled faintly and said, “If the envoys favor the wine jar, they may take it. It is nothing valuable.”
The wine jar was casually placed in a corner of the outer courtyard. Upon seeing the massive jar, both Ming Lang and Nan Mu Bai felt their eyelids twitch wildly.
“Is this the wine used during today’s banquet?” Ming Lang inquired.
Deng Zhi yawned. “Yes. I heard it’s fruit wine.”
“It was served at noon to entertain the esteemed guests, yet the guests did not find it to their liking.” Deng Zhi maintained a polite smile, but her words carried an unmistakable sting.
Ming Lang’s expression turned slightly awkward.
Nan Mu Bai, however, had a sharp tongue that often landed him in trouble.
Tonight, their true purpose was not merely to retrieve a wine jar but to uncover the secret behind the Immortal Peach Wine.
The torment of curiosity had kept them sleepless through the night.
“We have always heard of Madam Xu’s great fortune, but we never expected that even the fruit wine brewed in her residence would be so exceptional. It bears some resemblance to our Southern Kingdom’s Spiritual Wine,” Ming Lang flattered with a smile.
Deng Zhi’s drowsiness vanished, her gaze sharpening.
“This isn’t something our household brewed. The ingredients alone are beyond our reach.”
“When Princess Zhao Yang ventured to the Desolate City, a sandstorm unearthed an underground palace. This wine came from that very palace,” Deng Zhi explained earnestly, a small smile gracing her lips.
Ming Lang and Nan Mu Bai exchanged glances, nodding in understanding.
“No wonder. This is not something of Northern Zhao,” Nan Mu Bai murmured, finally feeling reassured.
Deng Zhi scoffed internally. The way he spoke made it sound as if Northern Zhao was unworthy.
“Does the underground palace still exist in the Desolate City?” Nan Mu Bai’s eyes gleamed with excitement. It had to be an immortal’s abode!
Deng Zhi shook her head. “The palace was destroyed by commoners, swallowed once more by the earth. No trace of it remains.”
Nan Mu Bai’s disappointment was evident.
“So, do you still want this wine jar?” Deng Zhi asked, shivering slightly in the night’s chill.
“Yes!”
“Move it!” Nan Mu Bai ordered, eyeing the bottom of the jar. Under the moonlight, a crystalline sheen coated its surface.
At the very least, there was still a full pot of wine left!
His Imperial Grandfather adored fine wine. A brew made from Immortal Peaches would surely bring him great joy.
Nan Mu Bai’s heart surged with excitement.
At the same time, he lamented the waste. Such a fine wine had been served to mere mortals! What a tragedy!
“Be careful not to break the jar,” he instructed the servants.
Thus, in the dead of night, the Southern Kingdom’s envoys carried a massive wine jar back from the Lu residence.
Standing at the gate, Deng Zhi watched them leave, muttering to herself, “The Southerners must be insane. They refused to drink it during the day but stole the whole jar at night. Utter madness…”
Back at the embassy, Nan Mu Bai tilted the jar slightly, pouring the remaining wine into a flask.
Only two mouthfuls remained at the bottom.
He and Ming Lang each took a cup, sipping lightly. The moment the Immortal Peach Wine touched their tongues, their spiritual energy surged wildly, filling them with bliss.
Nan Mu Bai glanced at the jar.
No more wine dripped from its depths, yet the jar exuded a shimmering essence, its interior brimming with an intoxicating aroma.
He had the sudden urge to rinse it with clean water…
But as an imperial grandson, he would not stoop to such disgraceful behavior.
“This wine was made with Spirit Rice at least three centuries old, with Immortal Peaches as a secondary ingredient. Every drop is worth its weight in gold,” Ming Lang sighed in awe.
The Southern Kingdom’s Spiritual Wine was already rare, crafted with century-old spirit rice. But this single flask of Immortal Peach Wine… it could incite a war among the Southern Kingdom’s nobles!
And then, there were the Longevity Talismans, which everyone possessed one of!
“Northern Zhao feasts too well!” Ming Lang couldn’t hide his envy.
“What is there to envy? In the hands of mere mortals, they cannot even appreciate its value. They give it away freely, wasting it!” Nan Mu Bai grumbled, refusing to admit his jealousy.
It never occurred to them that this belonged solely to Lu Chao Chao.
“By the way, let me rinse the jar with some water later. Since Your Highness finds the act distasteful, allow this humble minister to do it,” Ming Lang said with a satisfied look.
Nan Mu Bai stiffened. “Shameless.”
“Your Highness has seen many rare treasures in the palace. I have not.”
“No, I must get an invitation for the wedding in two days,” Ming Lang muttered to himself.
After three years of stagnation, his cultivation realm was finally showing signs of breaking through.
Nan Mu Bai watched, exasperated, as Ming Lang rinsed the jar clean and drank the diluted remnants with relish.
Frustration boiled in his chest.
“Get me an invitation too, if only to give General Rong some face,” he grumbled, wiping his lips.
Such waste! So much Immortal Peach Wine, squandered on mere mortals!
In the Southern Kingdom, it was a priceless treasure.
The next morning, Madam Xu and Lu Chao Chao were enjoying breakfast when Deng Zhi reported, “Last night, the Southern Kingdom’s envoys knocked on our doors and took away the wine jar.”
“They didn’t wish to disturb the mistress, so this servant let them be.”
Madam Xu was surprised. “The wine jar? What do they want with that?”
Deng Zhi chuckled. “They were slapping their own faces. They weren’t after the jar—they wanted the wine inside!”
She scoffed. “They scorned our wine at the banquet, yet stole it under the cover of darkness. Truly ridiculous.”
“They looked heartbroken, as if it pained them to see us using the wine for hospitality…”
“Could it be that this wine is truly precious?” Madam Xu wondered. Even the Emperor had packed some to take home!
Yet, with two whole jars left carelessly in the courtyard, Deng Zhi failed to see its value.
Madam Xu turned to Lu Chao Chao.
Lu Chao Chao looked confused. “Precious?” She shook her head vigorously.
How was it precious?
“Also, this morning, the embassy sent someone requesting two invitations. They wish to attend the wedding.”
Madam Xu, ever generous, said, “Send them two invitations.”
General Rong’s wedding had captivated the entire capital.
Meanwhile, at the Stabilizing Duke’s Manor, the celebration had started three days early.
At the city gates, a tent had been erected where congee, sweets, and red envelopes were distributed freely.
Anyone who spoke words of blessing could receive them.
Drunk and disheveled, Lu Yuan Ze staggered forward, reeking of alcohol.
Once a refined gentleman, he was now unkempt and destitute.
“Get lost, you wretched beggar!” someone scolded, shoving him aside.
Unable to steady himself, he fell onto shards of broken porcelain, his face smeared with blood.
The crowd surged forward, eager to claim sweets and red envelopes.
He was trampled, unable to rise.
“Blessings to General Rong and Madam Xu—may they be joined in eternal harmony…”
“May they have a blissful marriage and many heirs…”
“Blessings to General Rong…”
“Wonderful! Wonderful!”
Lu Yuan Ze, wracked with pain, crawled back to his residence in a daze.
All he could see was a city painted in red.
The Rong Family had adorned the entire capital with lanterns and double happiness symbols.
The scene felt both familiar and foreign.
He collapsed in his courtyard, memories flashing before his eyes.
Was it a dream?
Or was it reality?