Chapter 1848: Chapter 1836: Letter Received

As for Wang Yongzhu, the guards gathered another fire for her behind a pile of stones not far away, avoiding the awkwardness of everyone being soaked and huddled together.

The group was well-prepared, especially knowing they had to dive to get here, they had already wrapped a set of dry clothes in oil paper and sheepskin bags.

Now, all they needed to do was change their clothes and dry them.

After changing, Wang Yongzhu listened to the commotion from the guards and decided to take a stroll around.

Just as Qin Laowu had said, this valley was indeed lush with trees and blooming flowers, resembling a fairyland.

These flowers and trees were slightly different from those outside; the flowers were bigger and more vibrant, and the trees were taller with thicker leaves.

It seemed these plants had undergone some mutations due to radiation.

Moreover, although they had been ashore for half a day, the light in the valley remained unchanged, as it was when they first entered.

Walking along the river, Wang Yongzhu began to connect with Chen Xing in her mind.

Fortunately, Chen Xing quickly made contact. After scanning the valley, it spoke: "Madam, there’s radiation detected here, but it won’t harm you due to your physique; however, it may harm the native residents of this time and space—"

Wang Yongzhu was shocked and quickly asked Chen Xing if the damage was serious and if it could be metabolized?

Chen Xing reassured that as long as the native residents leave the valley soon, the radiation will be metabolized in no time.

The radiation source was in the mountain’s interior, likely handled to prevent radiation, but over time, it had begun to leak; fortunately, the dosage wasn’t large.

The natives had reached their limit staying here and could not proceed further or linger in the valley.

Having understood, Wang Yongzhu immediately returned.

The guards had almost dried their clothes and were inspecting the surroundings. Seeing Wang Yongzhu return, they quickly approached her, but she gestured for them to stop.

She approached them and simply instructed, "All of you should immediately return to the previous cave and stay as far from the underground river as possible, just leave me some food."

The guards were unwilling, knowing they were there to protect Wang Yongzhu, and leaving her alone in this eerie valley was out of the question.

If anything happened to Wang Yongzhu, they would be beyond blame.

Thus, they almost jumped up to protest, firmly disagreeing.

However, Wang Yongzhu was adamant, stating that the valley contained poisonous toxins, and their presence would do more harm than good, and even she wouldn’t be able to save them if poisoned.

She could only ensure her own safety in the valley, avoiding the toxic gas.

If they stayed, they would only distract her.

After half a day of deadlock, both sides compromised.

The guards retreated from the valley, but would send one person daily to check on Wang Yongzhu’s safety.

Wang Yongzhu thought for a moment and agreed, with only one requirement: the person sent each day must rotate, with no one allowed to come twice in a row.

Though puzzled by her reasoning, the guards understood her goodwill, and reluctantly left most supplies before unwillingly retreating the way they came.

Once the guards had left, the entire valley fell silent, save for Wang Yongzhu’s breathing.

Someone with less courage would have been trembling.

Truthfully, Wang Yongzhu also felt uneasy, but having come this far, retreating wasn’t an option. Fortunately, Chen Xing repeatedly reassured her, stating that even if this time-space collapsed, it could protect Wang Yongzhu’s life.

With such assurances, Wang Yongzhu slowly calmed down and, following Chen Xing’s instructions, made her way toward the mountain.

It was then that Wang Yongzhu saw with her own eyes the symbols resembling characters on the drawings.

After studying them for quite some time, Wang Yongzhu couldn’t make sense of them, and Chen Xing remained silent in her mind.

Only after she beckoned for a long time did Chen Xing sigh softly, "It’s a miracle—"

The brief statement piqued Wang Yongzhu’s curiosity, but Chen Xing had no further words.

After a while, Chen Xing displayed a character in her mind, advising her to find it on the mountain wall.

Wang Yongzhu was grateful for her keen eyesight because she eventually found the character just before being overwhelmed.

It was hidden in a rather inconspicuous corner, half-covered by wild grasses, and without Wang Yongzhu’s careful attention, it might have been overlooked.

The character seemed familiar to Wang Yongzhu for some reason, initially thinking it a delusion or something seen earlier on paper printouts she brought back.

But after recalling, she found it wasn’t the case; instead, it resembled, yes, like a bird of prey such as a falcon.

While trying to remember, Chen Xing reminded, "Madam, in your space, there was a golden seal I helped examine last time—"

Wang Yongzhu stood abruptly, the realization hitting her. This character was strikingly similar to the golden seal left by Qi Huan.

What is the connection between the two?

Wang Yongzhu found her mind boggled.

Contemplating, she retrieved the golden seal from her space, comparing it to the character, confirming there was indeed a striking resemblance.

Instead of a character, it seemed more like a family emblem of some sort.

By then, Chen Xing had already cautioned, "Madam, please step aside—"

Wang Yongzhu backed away several steps, witnessing the entire mountain wall creak, causing stones and dust from the mountain’s roof to fall.

After a pause, the mountain wall silently slid open, revealing a vast interior chamber, bright as day, speck-free...

Not speaking of Wang Yongzhu’s fortuitous encounter, Song Chongjin quickly received an appointment from the Capital City, arriving along with it was the new Prefect of Chicheng County.

Song Chongjin readily handed over the various affairs of the County Yamen to the successor.

Having stepped down, he could no longer reside in the backyard of the County Yamen. Fortunately, he prepared in advance, purchasing a large estate in the county where Old Granny Zhang had already moved most of the servants and furniture.

Once the handover was complete, Song Chongjin quickly packed up, vacating the backyard for the incoming County Magistrate.

The incoming County Magistrate, surnamed Cui, was very tactful, aware that being assigned to Chicheng County was a family-earned opportunity to align himself with Song Chongjin, who he naturally viewed as a chief ally.

Fearing his family would pose a hindrance, he meticulously avoided bringing them along, instead only bringing Master Shi and a few Chief Attendants to demonstrate his stance.

He feared Song Chongjin might misunderstand him as being eager to take over.

Realizing Song Chongjin was so straightforward and well-prepared with arrangements, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The crucial task, upon County Magistrate Cui’s current appointment, was selecting a site for the Government Censor’s office since the newly appointed official would mostly reside nearby, supervising commerce, a matter not to be taken lightly.

Government Censor Cui was eager to leverage this opportunity to strengthen relations with Song Chongjin while constructing the office.

Meanwhile, Song Chongjin received another letter from Qi Le, the tone more affectionate than before. It began by congratulating his promotion and then expressing a request to see him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The letter mentioned that, with Song Chongjin now directing commercial affairs, she hoped to invite him to the Wang Capital under the guise of the Grasslands Dynasty, to reconnect personally.

Moreover, Qi Le relayed that she had officially put forth this request to the Emperor of Great Chu through diplomatic correspondences, anticipating no rejection, urging him to prepare for an early reunion.

Though the words conveyed familial sentiments, Song Chongjin sensed Qi Le’s urgency.

He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes, wondering what could make Qi Le so eager to meet him?