Chapter 216: The Mermaid’s Tear

Chapter 216: Mermaid's Tears

Everything must wait until Mei Wangshu wakes up.

Until he speaks, the events in the palace, his escape from the capital, and his future plans remain a mystery.

Fortunately, Mei Wangshu did not sleep for too long. The habits ingrained from years as a guard couldn’t just vanish overnight. In less than an hour, Bing Qi came to inform Qiu Huanian that Mei Wangshu had woken up.

The doctor’s visit wasn’t wasted. Qiu Huanian dared not let the doctor see Mei Wangshu, but luckily, Wei Li was clever. He mimicked Mei Wangshu’s symptoms and had the doctor examine him in his place. Using the pretext of avoiding suspicion, he skipped the pulse reading and was prescribed some mild tonics.

Qiu Huanian had a long talk with his uncle. Mei Wangshu remained tight-lipped, revealing little and skimming over anything confidential. However, it was enough for Qiu Huanian to piece together the general sequence of events.

Before leaving the capital, Qiu Huanian, aided by Azure Phoenix Lord, snuck into the palace to see Mei Wangshu. To reassure Qiu Huanian and stop him from acting impulsively and endangering himself, Mei Wangshu, after much hesitation, promised that he would go to Tianjin to find him.

After that, Mei Wangshu began biding his time, waiting for the right moment to leave the palace. Having been Emperor Zhaoxin’s most trusted enforcer for twenty years, he knew the palace’s secrets inside out. As long as he paid attention, no movement could escape his notice.

When he discovered rebel remnants operating covertly in the palace, he stepped in, helping to conceal their movements. As they acted, he used the chaos to torch the Jinshen Hall, facilitating his own fake death and escape while also exposing the rebels, preventing any negative impact.

As for how he silently left the palace and the capital, it was thanks to a secret drug.

In his position, Mei Wangshu had seen and could obtain a variety of secret drugs, perhaps more than a child has eaten salt.

The secret drug he used, 'Mermaid’s Tears,' was something he’d retrieved from the Chi Clan’s secret vault during a mission to Jiangnan. Because he had just returned to the capital when the accident occurred, he had no time to register it, and very few people knew about it.

The drug’s name was poetic, and its effects were nothing short of miraculous. After taking it, the user’s body temperature would drop, and their oxygen needs would plummet, putting them in a rest-like state. A well-trained individual could hold their breath for fifteen minutes, enabling them to move effortlessly underwater.

Mei Wangshu used this drug to escape the palace through the complex and ever-changing waterways, avoiding the scrutiny of the city gates, and silently left the capital.

Every coin has two sides. While the drug’s effects were extraordinary, its side effects were equally severe. Reducing oxygen needs without impairing physical activity came at the cost of potential, which had to be replenished afterward. After an hour, the user would slowly lose consciousness and needed the antidote and rest to recover.

Mei Wangshu had meticulously planned his stamina, but fate wasn’t on his side. A downpour struck, and the chilly autumn rain sapped his already low body heat, thwarting his plan to reach the safe transfer point.

Fortunately, he had already left the capital by then. With his last ounce of strength, he made it to Qiu Huanian’s nearby estate and collapsed in Bing Qi and Bing Ba’s courtyard.

After recounting the events, Mei Wangshu fell silent. He leaned against the bed, pale-faced, his body still reeling from the drug’s effects.

As he lost consciousness, he likely thought of death, involuntarily replaying his short life and subconsciously uncovering buried thoughts. That’s why, when he first regained consciousness, his emotions were unusually raw, even sparking a need to confide.

But now, sitting quietly in the room, listening to the rain outside, he retreated back into himself.

Qiu Huanian sighed, knowing that this was not a problem that could be solved in a few days or with a few words.

Even after enduring immense hardship, Mei Wangshu faked his death and left the palace for his family’s safety, yet he still didn’t see himself as a 'person' or think to lean on his relatives. Had he made even the smallest misstep, he would have left this world, but his relatives would have been unharmed. In the end, he simply didn’t care about his own safety or life. The only change was that he once risked his life for "His Highness," and now he risked it for his relatives.

But at least, he left the palace, stepping out of one shadow after another. In this vast world, there is always a piece of soil where he can grow. Crops need sunlight to bloom and bear fruit.

Qiu Huanian did not mention Emperor Zhaoxin’s madness, nor did he say that Mei Wangshu’s method was too reckless. He simply gently embraced the person before him and spoke in a casual tone.

"The autumn harvest is almost over, and there's not much to do at the estate. I've asked both uncles to move to Tianjin."

"Even if the outside world is in chaos, no one dares to investigate the Tianjin Prefect's official residence. Uncle, rest here and recover. I'll make you new clothes and delicious food."

"Gu Gu and Yang Yang can already stand with support and imitate adults speaking, though not clearly. Later, Uncle can teach them to call you 'Granduncle.'"

"In a little over three months, it will be the children's first birthday. It's time for the grab-zhou ceremony. I wonder what they will pick. I don't expect them to pick books or swords; I hope they pick something interesting."

Mei Wangshu listened quietly to Qiu Huanian's words. After hesitating for a long time, his fingers lightly touched his wrist, paused for a few moments, and then inadvertently rested on his abdomen.

These movements were very subtle, with long intervals in between, almost like unconscious actions. Qiu Huanian didn't notice.

The next day, Bing Ba, frantic with worry, also arrived in Tianjin. The last remaining family members finally revealed their identities and met in a safe place, and everyone was deeply emotional.

When Mei Wangshu sent Bing Qi and Bing Ba out of the palace, he deliberately erased their origins and backgrounds. He leveraged the influence of the then Crown Prince Zhaoxin to do this, so even if the emperor wanted to investigate, he could not find any traces. This is akin to the saying that a physician cannot heal himself.

However, this meant that Bing Qi and Bing Ba could not reclaim their original identities and clear their names. If they were exposed, Qiu Huanian's background would be questioned, which would then lead to the revelation of Mei Wangshu's fake death.

Mei Wangshu felt somewhat troubled by this, but Bing Qi and Bing Ba took a more philosophical view. Having experienced countless life-and-death separations, they believed that nothing was more important than having their loved ones alive.

"Death is like a lamp going out; those things are just empty titles in the end. Our grandfather and uncles, watching from above, would surely prefer to see us living together in harmony rather than having us burn incense for their memorial tablets in a temple."

Bing Qi, being the eldest in both seniority and age, spoke with the authority of an elder: "As for bringing glory to our ancestors, our Huanian is a county magistrate, and his son-in-law is a high-ranking official who achieved the rare feat of passing six imperial examinations in a row. Those on earth may not know, but those in the underworld are well aware. Who knows how many spirits envy our elder sister and our family!"

"With Huanian's support, even without reclaiming our identities, we can still live comfortably, enjoying good food and drink. It really doesn't make much difference."

After Bing Qi finished speaking, everyone's spirits were lifted, and they temporarily set aside these concerns.

However, everyone understood that if there were a way to have the best of both worlds, they would naturally want to stand under the sun with their own names and surnames, letting everyone know their origins, who their fathers were, and what their family heritage and achievements were.

Unfortunately, this wish is likely very hard to fulfill.