The Prince of Xin’s Mansion was not located within the imperial city but was built in the southern district. Han Li and the others traveled by carriage for an hour before arriving at the entrance of the southern district.
The architectural style of the southern district was distinctly different from that of the eastern district, where the Qin Residence was situated. Most of the buildings here followed strict, standardized designs.
The size and status of the residents could be easily discerned just by looking at the size and style of their homes.
All the residences in this area were constructed by the government and allocated strictly according to official rank and nobility status. No one dared to expand or modify their homes arbitrarily, as doing so would violate regulations and incur severe penalties.
As a royal relative and a prince, the Prince of Xin naturally owned one of the most impressive mansions in the southern district.
His estate was even larger than the Qin Residence by a small margin, making it a colossal structure.
When the carriage stopped in front of the Prince of Xin’s Mansion, Han Li immediately sensed the aura of extreme wealth and prestige unique to the mortal world.
The mansion’s gate stood about five or six zhang tall and three to four zhang wide, entirely clad in thick brass plates. Dozens of large nail studs adorned its surface, lending it an air of grandeur and solemnity.
On either side of the nearly one-zhang-high steps stood two fierce-looking bronze lion statues, polished to a gleaming shine, making them highly conspicuous.
However, what truly emphasized the majesty of the Prince of Xin’s Mansion were the sixteen fully armored imperial guards standing on the steps outside the gate. These guards had been specially borrowed by the prince from the imperial guard camp to prevent any unforeseen incidents amidst the crowd.
The mansion’s steward was a lean, elderly man who stood on the steps, smiling warmly and greeting each new guest on behalf of the Prince of Xin, ensuring no one was neglected.
Dozens of carriages of various sizes were already parked in front of the mansion, nearly occupying the entire open space.
On the large bluestone steps, five or six guests who had yet to enter were engaged in casual conversation. All were elegantly dressed and carried themselves with grace, clearly people of considerable status.
Observing this, Qin Yan adjusted his robes and stepped out of the carriage with measured composure.
Han Li cautiously scanned his surroundings and, detecting no presence of cultivators, relaxed and followed suit.
As for the young masters and misses of the Qin family, they had alighted from the carriage the moment it stopped and were now standing in front of the mansion, excitedly discussing something.
Han Li glanced at the guests still on the steps and noticed that, aside from the Qin family’s younger generation, other guests had also brought along their children, nephews, or other young relatives.
“Were they all invited by the so-called young prince, or is the Prince of Xin’s Mansion using this as a pretext to gather these young people here?” Han Li pondered briefly but found no clear answer. He then glanced at Qin Yan, who was also frowning, evidently surprised by this.
“Grandfather, let’s go inside! The young prince and the others are waiting for us!”
A Qin family youth, about sixteen or seventeen years old, encouraged by his siblings, mustered the courage to approach Qin Yan and say this, fearing he might be scolded.
“Mm, understood. Let’s all go in,” Qin Yan replied unexpectedly gently, nodding casually. The young man, pleasantly surprised, hurried back to his peers.
Before Qin Yan could lead the group forward, the mansion steward, having just attended to another guest, noticed the Qin family and immediately approached with a beaming smile.
“Master Qin, you’ve finally arrived! His Highness has been mentioning you for days, wondering why you haven’t visited. Please, come inside quickly! His Highness will be overjoyed to see you!”
The steward was exceptionally eloquent, and with just a few words, he made Qin Yan feel warmly welcomed.
Qin Yan chuckled and exchanged a few casual words with the steward.
However, as more guests continued to arrive, the steward could only briefly chat with Qin Yan before ushering him and his group inside. Apologizing, he hurried back outside.
Although Han Li had remained silent beside Qin Yan, he watched the steward’s retreating figure with a hint of suspicion.
For some reason, even though he sensed no spiritual energy from the steward, Han Li felt an inexplicable chill when the man approached, as if a fearsome beast were nearby. This discomfort unsettled him.
Though unsure of the cause, Han Li trusted his instincts and immediately added the steward to his list of individuals requiring caution and suspicion.
“Nephew Han, come. Let me introduce you to some esteemed elders you haven’t met yet,” Qin Yan said with a smile after the steward left.
This caused the other Qin family members standing beside him to feel a twinge of jealousy, thinking the family head was showing undue favoritism.
Han Li, however, understood that Qin Yan was creating an opportunity for them to stay together and readily agreed.
Qin Yan then led him into the mansion’s main hall for receiving guests.
The hall housed about a hundred people. Though it seemed crowded, most had arrived in groups of two or three. Only two or three families, including the Qin family, had brought seven or eight members.
The Prince of Xin had not yet appeared, likely waiting for all guests to arrive before making an entrance.
As soon as Qin Yan appeared at the hall entrance, several close friends warmly greeted him.
Qin Yan acknowledged them with clasped fists, scanned the room, and then excused himself to approach an elderly man with a sickly complexion. Seated beside him were a young man and woman.
The young man had thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding stability. The young woman, though average in appearance, had fiery eyes that boldly scanned the Qin family’s younger generation, including Han Li.
“Brother Hua, I never expected to see you here! I thought someone of your temperament would avoid such occasions,” Qin Yan said teasingly as he sat down beside the elderly man.
“Cough! I originally had no intention of coming,” the man referred to as Brother Hua replied with a faint smile. “But I heard the prince’s beloved concubine’s strange illness was cured. I was curious to see which expert possessed such miraculous healing skills.”
“Oh? So the rumors that the prince sought your help for his concubine’s illness were true? Even someone of your medical prowess couldn’t cure it?” Qin Yan exclaimed in surprise, indicating the old man’s renowned medical skills in the capital.
“Heh, the world is full of strange ailments. I’ve been fortunate to earn my reputation, but it’s no surprise that some rare diseases remain beyond my ability to treat,” the old man replied magnanimously.
“I still find it hard to believe that there’s a physician in Yuejing more skilled than you,” Qin Yan shook his head, expressing full confidence in the old man’s abilities.
The old man merely smiled without responding and instead gestured to the young man and woman beside him. “Hua Nan, Hua Fang, you’ve met Master Qin before. Come and pay your respects.”
The two immediately obeyed without hesitation, stepping forward to greet Qin Yan respectfully.
“My, how your grandchildren have grown in just a few years! I don’t have anything special on me, but please accept these jade pendants as tokens of my regard,” Qin Yan said kindly, producing a pair of exquisite white jade pendants inlaid with green emeralds—clearly valuable items.
The young man’s eyes flickered with surprise but quickly returned to normal, while the young woman gazed at the pendants with undisguised delight.
“Shameless! If you want them, take them. Master Qin is like family,” the old man scolded lightly.
Hearing this, the two gratefully accepted the pendants, the young woman visibly thrilled.
“I’ve met the other juniors behind you before, but this one… is he the nephew who recently arrived in the capital?” The old man finally turned his attention to Han Li, examining him with interest.
“Yes, this is Han Li, the descendant of an elder of mine.”
“Nephew Han, this is Uncle Hua, one of Yuejing’s two great physicians. His reputation rivals that of Imperial Physician Ye, who attends to the emperor himself!” Qin Yan introduced.
“Greetings, Uncle Hua,” Han Li said respectfully.
“Mm, not bad, not bad,” the old man murmured, though he saw nothing particularly remarkable about Han Li. However, recalling the recent rumors surrounding the young man, he hesitated for a moment before pulling a small white bottle from his robe.
“This is a bottle of ‘Heart-Protecting Pills’ that I formulated. While they can’t cure all ailments, they are effective against minor illnesses and injuries. Consider it a gift for your protection.”
As soon as he said this, Han Li felt the envy and jealousy emanating from the Qin family’s younger generation behind him. Even Hua Nan and Hua Fang looked surprised, indicating the pills’ renowned value.
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