She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 604 - 603: She is Cong Ze’s mother, the eldest Miss of the Yan Family
"When can the envoy give me the antidote?" the Idle King asked, unable to contain himself.
The poison within him made rest and meals unsettling.
"This poison requires an antidote every three days. I feel sick every time I see Qin Zhen’s face. You must help me, Envoy. Whatever tasks you mentioned, I can complete them," the Idle King assured repeatedly, hoping Song Huaxu would help him detoxify soon.
Song Huaxu thought for a moment—the poison was indeed trivial to him, but he needed to wait until his martial strength was restored.
"Seven days from now. The time will pass quickly, and it’s the perfect opportunity for the Idle King to lay the groundwork for our plans," Song Huaxu said.
"Another seven days..." the Idle King almost wished Song Huaxu would detoxify him right then.
He was somewhat discontent, but when he caught Song Huaxu’s gaze, he changed his tune, "It’s not impossible, the Envoy makes a good point."
This seemingly kind and benevolent old man should be easy to talk to.
Yet for some reason, every time the Idle King locked eyes with him, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Sometimes, he dared not speak the words on the tip of his tongue.
Even facing Qin Wu, he had never felt this way, but in front of this elder, he couldn’t help but feel daunted.
Song Huaxu nodded at the Idle King, "The gift, I quite like it, the Idle King is considerate."
The Idle King chuckled awkwardly, "I’m glad the Envoy likes it." These were the finest treasures from his storeroom, which he wouldn’t have offered if not for his own life being at stake.
Noticing Song Huaxu’s intent to see him out, the Idle King’s gaze fell upon the Oiran’s visage on the ground.
His eyes lit up, "Is this the dancer from today’s banquet?"
Song Huaxu didn’t lift his eyelids, his attention fixed on the Glow Stone inside the Brocade Box, and he hummed nonchalantly.
"Why has she fainted on the floor? It’s quite cold down there." The Idle King stepped forward to help her sit up, "Such a beautiful lady. The Envoy seems a bit unaware of how to cherish the fairer sex."
Yet he muttered to himself internally.
Isn’t this Lu Yanluo from Red Flower Alley? He spent a fortune but barely saw her a few times. He didn’t expect Qin Wu to be so lavish as to arrange for such beauty to serve the old man, which truly seemed wasteful.
Song Huaxu responded with a smirk, deepening his smile, "It seems His Highness the Idle King is a man who appreciates beauty. I truly don’t understand such pleasures, so why don’t I leave this beautiful lady to you today?"
Upon hearing this, the Idle King was overjoyed, "Really?" Such good fortune?!
He immediately forgot his frustration of having given away such a valuable gift and yet having the poison unresolved. He carried Lu Yanluo by the waist to the couch. After placing her down, he went to draw the curtains.
After the curtains were set, he turned around to exchange pleasantries with Song Huaxu, only to find himself facing empty air. He shook his head and chuckled.
"That old man is quite something."
As soon as Song Huaxu left the lodging, he avoided the Qin State’s hidden guards and sprinted to the outskirts. He found a cave and began to meditate.
The Glow Stone, shining with a pink glow, gently rose in his palm, hovered in mid-air, and emitted circles of light, each brighter than the last. Seated cross-legged on the rock, Song Huaxu closed his eyes. Under the brilliance of the Glow Stone, his originally aged face visibly smoothed out inch by inch...
By the break of dawn, Song Huaxu had rejuvenated by over five years.
He put away the Glow Stone in the sunlight.
"Worthy of being a holy relic, it’s truly extraordinary. The Glow Stone of legends, capable of bringing the dead back to life, she would never have imagined it would end up in my hands one day," Song Huaxu mused as he seemed to drift into memories, speaking softly.
...
The Yan Family.
Yan Congze had not seen Yan Wanqing for two days.
He was in tears.
Seated at the door of Yan Wanqing’s room, mouth agape so much that one could see his tonsils, he wept bitterly.
A child’s cries are piercing, and no matter how endearing, a prolonged wailing always sets one’s nerves on edge.
"Mommy, mommy, wuuu wuuu wuuu..." He kept crying, and the nanny kept comforting him. Getting comforted just made Yan Congze cry even harder, trapping them in a vicious cycle. It stressed the nanny out to the point of under-eye bags and restless sleep, and everyone in the household felt the fatigue.
Most annoyingly, having feasted in the womb on all sorts of rare treasures, Yan Congze had an astonishing amount of energy and could cry nonstop for hours.
"Little ancestor, don’t cry anymore, don’t ruin your eyes," the nanny pleaded with a heartache, watching Yan Congze sit and weep continuously from morning till now.
Yan Congze alternated between sobbing and incessantly calling for his mommy, expressing his yearning for her.
The nanny was at a loss and didn’t dare leave him alone, so she could only hold little Congze, her own eyes red with pity.
She couldn’t help but feel slightly resentful towards the young mistress for leaving without notice.
"Cong Ze, come here to your grandmother," a gentle voice called from the entrance of the courtyard.
The nanny looked up and saw Sun Qinglian, her heart skipping a beat.
"Madam," the nanny realized, the young master’s crying had become so unbearable that it even disturbed the old lady, who usually remained within her Buddhist hall.
The moment Yan Congze saw Sun Qinglian, his lips quivered and tears fell from his eyes in an instant, crying even louder.
"Oh dear, you’re shedding golden beans," Sun Qinglian hurried over, scooping her grandson into her arms and holding him close: "Are you missing your mommy?"
Upon hearing the word "mommy," Yan Congze immediately nodded.
"Then stop crying now, and grandmother will have your mom come back tonight, alright?"
"Really?" Yan Congze’s eyes widened.
"When has grandmother ever lied to you?" Sun Qinglian took out a handkerchief to dab away the tears at the corner of Yan Congze’s eyes, kissing his little forehead and sighing as she smelled the milky scent on him: "Don’t cry anymore, it breaks grandmother’s heart."
If it weren’t for the servants telling her that little Congze missed his mother and was crying constantly, she, as a grandmother, would have had no idea.
"Where did the young mistress go? It’s been two days and two nights with no word, and the little master has been so anxious," the nanny couldn’t help but complain.
Sun Qinglian knew the nanny doted on little Congze like the apple of her eye, so she didn’t take the complaint to heart.
"She’s involved in very important matters," Sun Qinglian said, "Since ancient times, it’s been hard to balance loyalty and filial piety. She is Cong Ze’s mother and the young mistress of the Yan Family. When things come up, she naturally has to step forward..."
These thoughts weighed heavily on Sun Qinglian’s heart.
If only her husband and Wanqing’s brothers were still alive, if there were men in the house, they wouldn’t need her to always take the lead.
The nanny, hearing the old lady’s words, silently lowered her head.
Every family has its own difficulties to bear, and she had heard of the young mistress’s issues. The young mistress was indeed one of the prominent figures in the world today.
But little Cong Ze was truly pitiable.
Separated from his mother since birth, and now unable to find her with the young mistress being so busy—the child was ultimately innocent.
Yan Congze’s eyes, still wet from recent crying, looked all the more pitiable as he leaned in Sun Qinglian’s embrace, unable to hold back his sobs.
"Grandmother, I won’t cry anymore, you promised that mom would come back tonight," Yan Congze reminded her several more times, not forgetting his plea.
Sun Qinglian patiently nodded: "Grandmother promises you."
She held Yan Congze and spoke word by word: "Your mother is the most remarkable woman in this world, with a heart full of righteousness, who has endured the world’s suffering. Cong Ze, you must never blame her in your heart. Which mother wouldn’t want to be by her child’s side forever? In these chaotic times, she can only be at the forefront to protect our country, protect us, protect you, her dearest love..."
Yan Congze, only three years old, scarcely grasped the meaning.
But as he listened to his grandmother’s words, he felt an uneasy ache in his heart and couldn’t help bursting into tears again.
This left Sun Qinglian at a loss for how to console him.
"What’s wrong, dear, why the tears again?"
Yan Congze covered his eyes with his hands, sobbing continuously: "Cong Ze doesn’t want mommy to live so painfully, Cong Ze will grow up and protect mommy!"
"Cong Ze doesn’t want mommy to live so painfully, Cong Ze will grow up and protect mommy!"
At those words, a tear fell from the corner of Sun Qinglian’s eyes.
She hugged Yan Congze tighter: "If your mother hears these words, she would be so happy."
The nanny and the maids standing nearby also had tears in their eyes at the sound of it.
Such a pure and earnest heart in a child, the young mistress would surely be deeply moved.
