The Crow County was a county city in the western part of the Seven Seas Province. The Crow County city was not very big and could only accommodate seventy to eighty thousand residents. Early in the morning, the county city was shrouded in mist, making it difficult for people to see things a few meters away. It had just rained in the winter, so the roads were wet and muddy. Passersby were in a hurry, and the sound of their footsteps on the muddy water and the clanking of metal tools in the distance merged into one.
The Harvest Smithy was one of the few smithy shops in the Crow County. The things they forged were nothing more than hoes, shovels, hunting knives, and other farming tools. Therefore, the name of the smithy was "Harvest", implying that farmers could have a bountiful harvest and hunters could return with a bountiful harvest.
In the smithy, an old blacksmith about sixty years old was smoking a pipe and taking puffs after puff. The wrinkles on his face overlapped like earthworms. His deep eyes were filled with helplessness and sighing as he looked at the young man who was hammering metal tools not far away. The young man was about twenty years old and was waving a heavy iron hammer with bare arms in the winter. Every strike was powerful, and those who were observant could see that his strong arms were surrounded by a thin layer of flame. At the same time, a small Fire Fox Martial Spirit appeared on his shoulder, faintly discernible.
"Zong 'er, is the hunting knife from the Liu family done?" the old man asked loudly.
"It's almost done, grandpa. Just give me another thirty minutes."
"Hurry, the Liu family will set off early in the morning. They need this knife."
"Yes, grandpa."
At this moment, the sound of hooves came from the mist. A group of people rushed through the mist and slowly rode their horses over. Among them, there were two people in luxurious armor, a man and a woman. The man had a calm gaze and the woman had a gentle expression. They both wore the emblem of the Empire's Purple Yinhua on their shoulders, and it was a golden Purple Yinhua. It was obvious that they were nobles.
"Excuse me, is this Blacksmith Zhang's house?" the female general asked softly.
The old man immediately stood up and walked forward to bow respectfully. "Sir … sir, I am Blacksmith Zhang. What can I do for you?"
The female general hurriedly helped the old man up and smiled. "Old man, you don't have to be so polite. I come from Lanyan City's Ze Tian Palace. My name is Su Yu."
"Ah?"
Although the old man lived in the remote Crow County, he still knew the names of the Three Princes, Four Dukes, and Five Marquises. This beautiful middle-aged woman in front of him was the legendary Marquis Xining, Su Yu!
"This commoner … this commoner pays his respects to Marquis Xining!" The old man hurriedly knelt down again.
Su Yu smiled faintly: "Old man, you really don't have to bow. This person beside me is Prince Zhong, Qin Yan."
"Qin … Qin Yan …"
The old man was about to go into shock. So this youth was from the Qin Family. Now, there were not many people who had the orthodox Qin Family's bloodline. This youth looked peaceful and without any arrogance. He was actually one of the three kings, Qin Yan!
"Zong 'er, silly boy, what are you still standing there for? Quickly kneel down and pay your respects to His Highness Prince Zhong!" The old man loudly berated.
The youth called Zong 'er hurriedly wiped his hands and kneeled in the mud. "This commoner Zhang Zong pays his respects to His Highness Prince Zhong and Lord Marquis Xining!"
Qin Yan had already lifted Zhang Zong up through the air with a gentle force, saying, "No need to stand on ceremony."
The old man looked at the group of Royal Guards that Qin Yan and Su Yu had brought and could not help but feel a little timid in his heart. He asked, "Your Highness and the Marquis have come to find us? I wonder what's the matter … "
"Elderly, you're scary." Su Yu smiled warmly and said, "We just want to know, Zhang Zong... who is his father?"
"Zong 'er's father..." A venomous look flashed across the old man's eyes as he said, "That heartless person never returned after staying at my house for a night. It was a pity that my daughter was always depressed after giving birth to Zong' er. She died of illness three years ago."
Qin Yan was taken aback and said, "Elderly, is that heartless person a member of the Tang Family?"
"This..
. "The old man hesitated for a moment.
"Elderly, don't be afraid. We'll take care of everything for you. You just have to tell the truth," Su Yu consoled.
The old man nodded, not concealing the disgust in his eyes in the slightest as he said, "Later on, I found out that that person was a member of the Seven Seas Tang Sect. He was the Seven Seas King Tang Lan's second son, Tang Jin. Humph... He died of illness seventeen years ago. It's really retribution!"
Qin Yan said, "Elderly, are you really sure that person is Tang Jin?"
"Absolutely. He left behind a piece of jade for my daughter. I took that jade to the Tang Family's servants to see. It's precisely the Tang Family's item."
"Where's the jade?"
"Ten years ago, during the chaos of Lanyan City, the Nation of Yihe attacked Ze Tian Hall. Seven Seas City conscripted soldiers and levied taxes without restraint. I sold the jade. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for us grandfather and grandson to continue living."
"I see …" Qin Yan muttered to himself.
At this moment, a trace of panic flashed across the old man's eyes. He took a few steps back, hugged his grandson's arm, and said, "Your Highness Prince Zhong, I heard... I heard that the Tang Family rebelled. Tang Lan committed suicide. The entire Seven Seas Tang Sect has already fallen apart. You … you're not here to find trouble with Zong 'er, are you? He's still young and doesn't know anything. He's just a little blacksmith … "
Qin Yan couldn't help but be taken aback. Beside him, Su Yu said with a serious expression, "Elderly, the Seven Seas Tang Sect did not rebel. His Highness the Seven Seas King, Tang Lan, even fought a bloody battle against the Nation of Yihe's rebel army in Hundred Ridge City. In the end, he died for his country. This time, we're here to search for the Tang Family's bloodline. This Tang Zong possesses the Fire Fox Martial Spirit. He's undoubtedly a member of the Tang Family."
The old man was taken aback. "Lord Marquis, could it be that you're taking Zong 'er away? He … he's this old man's only support …"
Su 'Er giggled. "Don't worry, elderly. I've discussed it with His Highness Prince Zhong. We plan to have Tang Zong inherit the Seven Seas King Tang Lan's former title and confer him the title of Duke of Zhenbei. If Tang Zong is the Duke of Zhenbei, and you're his grandfather, you'll naturally return to Seven Seas City to enjoy your life!"
"This …" The old man couldn't react for a moment. He didn't even know what Duke of Zhenbei meant. A duke meant that Tang Zong would become the ruler of the entire Seven Seas City. He'd stand on equal footing with Zeng Yifan and govern the enormous Seven Seas Province.
"Then …"
The old man was taken aback for a moment. He hurriedly patted Tang Zong's shoulder and said, "Silly boy, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and pack up, then leave with His Highness …"
"There's no need to pack."
Qin Yan smiled slightly. "Elderly, Seven Seas City has everything. Don't worry. You can just board our carriage. We'll reach Seven Seas City in three days."
"Thank you, Your Highness …"
Qin Yan took a deep look at Tang Zong and said, "Tang Zong, do you know your identity now?"
Tang Zong lowered his head and was silent for a few seconds. He raised his head to look at Qin Yan's eyes and said, "Your Highness, I know. I'm Tang Jin's illegitimate son, the only bloodline of the Tang family. "
"No, you're wrong."
There was some disappointment in Qin Yan's eyes as he said, "Your true identity is Tang Xiaoxi's younger cousin. If not for Tang Xiaoxi, the Tang family would have long been annihilated six years ago. You wouldn't have been spared either!"
As he spoke, Qin Yan fished out an imperial edict from his bosom and tossed it to him, saying, "Look carefully. This is the imperial edict conferring you the title of Duke of Zhenbei. It was personally written by Empress Qin Yin six years ago."
"Her Highness Qin Yin?" Tang Zong was stunned for a moment. Ever since he found out about his identity, he kept on understanding the upper echelons of the empire. Naturally, he knew the stakes of Qin Yin's handwritten edict. In that case, could it be that Qin Yin already knew of his existence six years ago?
"Let's go …"
Qin Yan seemed to be somewhat tired. His brows were tightly knit as he pulled on the reins and turned around, walking shoulder to shoulder with Su Yu. Meanwhile, Tang Zong and his grandfather boarded the carriage of Ze Tian Palace.
…
In the dense fog, the Crow Region became increasingly peaceful. There was only the sound of hooves and the clashing of swords and armor. Qin Yan and Su Yu walked at the front of the crowd, entering the dense fog outside the city.
"Ah Yan."
Su'Er's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she said, "Will the world know of Xiao Yin's painstaking efforts back then?"
"I don't know if the world will understand, but I do."
Qin Yan clenched his fists, a cold light shooting out of his eyes as he said, "Tang Lan and Tang Lu colluded with the demon race and gathered an army of three hundred thousand with the intention of taking advantage of the situation to invade and occupy Lanyan City. This crime is enough for them to die ten thousand times. However, Cousin did not use weapons or poison Tang Lan to death because she did not want the Tang family to carry an irrecoverable crime of treason. Cousin is grateful for Tang Xiaoxi's kindness, but in the end … in the end, in exchange for such an outcome …"
"Will you blame Xiao Xi?" Su'Er asked.
Qin Yan's gaze was deep. "Xiao Xi has sacrificed so much for the Empire. She is so loyal and true. Who can blame her?"
Su'Er said, "Yes, no one is wrong. Then who is wrong? Is the world in the wrong? "
Qin Yan laughed bitterly. "What is wrong is the choice. Princess Xi could only choose between Cousin and Tang Lan. Tang Lan rebelled with the intention of mobilizing troops and causing trouble. Cousin had no choice. If Tang Lan was spared, millions of innocent civilians would die. She could only use Tang Lan's life to exchange for the lives of millions of civilians. Xiao Xi similarly had no choice. She is a member of the Tang family and has already done everything she can for Cousin. It's just … it's just that I don't understand why she must kill Cousin. It's not that Xiao Xi doesn't understand the Tang family's rebellious intentions."
"Perhaps there are other reasons …" Su'Er let out a sigh of relief and said, "All right and wrong will come to light one day. Xiao Xi has protected Lanyan City many times because of her sisterhood towards Xiao Yin. Xiao Yin has painstakingly done so much because she does not want to let down the world and Xiao Xi. This is the only path she can choose. As long as the two of them still have this friendship, there will come a day when the clouds clear and the sun rises."
"Let's hope so."
Qin Yan held onto the reins and suddenly shivered. He tugged at his furry cloak and said, "This year's winter is really unusually cold. Seems like it's going to be another cold winter. The documents from the various regions should be sent out as well. Every half a month, the granaries will be opened to help the commoners. We must get someone to supervise this."
"Mmm, got it. I'll do it personally."
"Thank you, Aunt'Er."
Qin Yan puffed on his palm, lifted his head, and looked at the sky, saying, "The world is cold. I wonder how Eldest Brother and Prince Xin are doing …"
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