The Prince's Residence was not inside the imperial city, but had been built in the southern district. It took Han Li and the others about an hour to reach the entrance to the streets of the southern district.
The residences in the southern district were clearly different from those in the eastern district, where the Qin residence stood. Most were orderly, standardized buildings.
Anyone living here could have their official rank and social standing judged at a glance simply by looking at the size and style of their residence.
All the residences here had been built by the authorities and assigned to officials strictly according to rank and title. No one dared to expand or remodel them at will; otherwise, they would be guilty of violating the regulations.
As a member of the imperial family and a prince by title, Prince Xin naturally possessed one of the grandest residences in the southern district.
The grounds of his estate were nearly half again as large as the Qin residence's. It could truly be called a colossal mansion.
When the carriage stopped before Prince Xin's residence and Han Li saw the estate, he immediately sensed the grand air of supreme honor and power unique to the secular world.
The residence gate stood some fifty or sixty feet high and thirty or forty feet wide. It was entirely wrapped in thick brass plates, and dozens of enormous studs were set into its surface, making it incomparably stately and luxurious.
On either side of the steps, which rose nearly ten feet high, stood a ferocious bronze lion. Their entire bodies had been polished until they gleamed brilliantly, making them exceptionally eye-catching.
Yet what made Prince Xin's Residence feel most imposing were the sixteen fully armed imperial guards standing on the steps outside. Prince Xin had specifically borrowed these men from the imperial city's guard barracks, in case anything unexpected happened with so many people present.
The steward of Prince Xin's Residence was a thin, wiry old man. He was standing in place of his master, Prince Xin, on the steps, greeting every newly arrived guest with a broad smile. He did not dare slight a single visitor.
Several dozen carriages of all sizes were already parked before the residence, nearly filling the entire open space in front of it.
On the huge bluestone steps, five or six guests who had yet to enter were exchanging pleasantries. Each wore splendid clothes and moved with elegant poise. They were clearly people of considerable status.
Seeing this, Qin Yan straightened his clothes and climbed down from the carriage with calm dignity.
Han Li cautiously glanced around. After discovering that cultivators were present, he too got down without worry.
As for the several young masters and misses of the Qin family, they had already jumped down the moment the carriage stopped. They were now standing before the residence, excitedly discussing something.
Han Li looked at the guests still on the steps and discovered that, apart from the Qin family's juniors, nearly every other guest had brought young people with them—sons, nephews, or the like.
Could they all have been invited by that so-called young prince? Or had Prince Xin's Residence deliberately gathered these young people here under that pretext? Han Li pondered it, but could not make heads or tails of it, so he glanced at Qin Yan.
Qin Yan was frowning deeply as well. Clearly, he too found this unexpected.
“Grandfather, let’s go in! The young prince and the others are waiting for us!”
A Qin family youth of sixteen or seventeen saw that the old master had remained beside the carriage without moving. Urged on by his brothers and sisters, he boldly stepped forward and said this, all the while fearing that Qin Yan might sharply rebuke him.
“Mm. I know. Everyone, let’s go in.”
To the young man’s great surprise, Qin Yan merely nodded and agreed in a genial tone. The youth was so flattered that he hurried back to his peers, excitement written all over his face.
Before Qin Yan could lead the group over, the steward of the residence finished dealing with a guest and immediately spotted the Qin family. His face broke into a broad smile as he came forward to greet them. The moment he reached them, he said warmly,
“Old Master Qin, you’ve finally arrived! Our prince has been talking about you for several days now, wondering why you haven’t visited the residence in so long. Please, come inside at once! The prince will be overjoyed to see you!”
“Heh heh, it’s just that recently…”
The steward truly was an extraordinary smooth talker. With only a few words, he left everyone listening feeling as if a spring breeze had touched their faces, their hearts warmed through.
Qin Yan could not help laughing. He chatted with the steward for a few moments, his expression relaxed.
However, more guests were continuing to arrive at the residence, so the steward did not speak with Qin Yan for long. He ushered Qin Yan and the others inside, apologized briefly, then hurried back out to the front.
Han Li had remained silently at Qin Yan’s side the entire time. Now, as he watched the steward’s retreating back, a trace of doubt flashed across his face.
For some reason, Han Li had clearly sensed no spiritual power from the man. Yet when the steward approached, Han Li had suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as though some terrifying demon beast had drawn near. The sensation made him extremely uncomfortable.
Han Li did not know why he felt this way, but he had always trusted his own instincts. He immediately placed the steward on the list of people who required the utmost caution and suspicion.
“Come along, Nephew Han. I’ll introduce you to several of your uncles whom you haven’t met yet.” After the steward left, Qin Yan smiled at Han Li.
The other Qin family members standing on Qin Yan’s other side instantly felt sour inside. They thought the head of the family was being far too partial.
Han Li merely smiled inwardly. He knew Qin Yan was creating an opportunity for him to remain by his side, so he did not refuse and readily agreed.
Qin Yan then led him into the main reception hall of Prince Xin’s Residence.
There appeared to be more than a hundred people inside. Although that sounded like a large crowd, most had come in groups of only two or three. Only two or three families, including the Qin family, had brought seven or eight people at once.
Prince Xin had not yet appeared in the hall. It seemed he would not show himself until all the guests had arrived.
The moment Qin Yan appeared at the hall entrance, several old family friends warmly called out to him.
Qin Yan naturally clasped his fists and responded to each of them. After sweeping his eyes around the hall, he apologized to the others and walked toward an elderly man with a sickly look. A young man and woman were seated beside the old man.
The young man had thick brows and large eyes, with a steady, composed air about him. The young woman’s looks were merely ordinary, but her large eyes were fiery as they brazenly swept over the juniors behind Qin Yan several times. Han Li was naturally among those she examined.
“Brother Hua, I never expected to see you, the great physician, here as well! Given your temperament, I thought you would certainly decline an occasion like this.” Qin Yan sat down beside the old man without ceremony and teased him in a low voice.
“Ahem! I truly did not want to come at first. But the strange illness of the prince’s favorite concubine was actually cured by someone, which made me very curious. I wanted to see which expert possessed such miraculous healing skills.” The old man Qin Yan called Brother Hua did not stand on ceremony. He smiled faintly and spoke softly.
“Oh? So it’s true that Prince Xin once invited you to treat his concubine. Even with your medical skill, Brother Hua, you couldn’t cure that illness?”
Han Li saw how astonished Qin Yan was. The old man’s medical skill must be extremely famous in Yuejing.
“Heh heh, illnesses in this world come in all shapes and forms. For Hua to have gained the reputation he has with such modest medical knowledge is already pure good fortune. What is so strange about there being some rare and difficult ailments beyond my ability to treat?” The old man laughed unconcernedly, seemingly broad-minded to an unusual degree.
“But I still can’t believe there is a physician in Yuejing whose skill surpasses yours, Brother Hua.” Qin Yan shook his head, clearly placing tremendous faith in the old man’s abilities.
The old man surnamed Hua merely smiled and did not answer. Instead, he pointed at the young man and woman beside him.
“Those are Hua Nan and Hua Fang. You’ve met them before. Come over and pay your respects to Grandfather Qin.”
The old man Hua clearly commanded deep authority in the eyes of the two youths. At his words, they showed not the slightest hesitation and hurried over to bow to Qin Yan.
“Heh heh, I can’t believe these two grandchildren of yours have grown so much since I last saw them. I don’t have anything particularly good on me, but this pair of jade pendants set with emeralds can be your meeting gifts.” Qin Yan spoke kindly as he felt around his clothes and took out a pair of pure-white jade pendants inlaid with green jade. They were obviously worth a fortune.
The young man was relatively composed. A strange glint passed through his eyes, but vanished quickly. The young woman, however, was filled with delight, her gaze burning as she stared at the jade pendants.
“Have some backbone. If you want them, take them! Brother Qin and our family aren’t strangers.” Seeing this, the old man Hua could not help laughing as he scolded her.
Only after hearing this did the young pair dare accept the jade pendants from Qin Yan. The young woman looked utterly thrilled.
“I’ve met the other juniors behind you several times, but could this be your nephew who has just arrived in the capital?” The old man finally turned his attention to Han Li and examined him from head to toe with considerable interest.
“Yes, this is Han Li, the descendant of one of my elders.”
“Nephew Han, this is your Uncle Hua, one of Yuejing’s two great physicians. He is as famous as Doctor Ye, the imperial physician who specializes in treating the emperor.” Qin Yan finally remembered that he had yet to introduce Han Li to his old friend.
“Greetings, Uncle Hua,” Han Li said honestly.
“Mm, not bad, not bad!” The old man Hua had not detected anything exceptional about Han Li, so he offered the praise casually.
But then he recalled the rumors circulating recently about the young man. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached into his robe with a dry, withered hand, took out a small white bottle, and handed it to Han Li.
“This is a bottle of Heart-Protecting Pills I prepared with great care. I wouldn’t dare claim they can cure every illness, but ordinary minor ailments and injuries are nothing to them. Take it for protection, Nephew Han!”
The moment the old man finished speaking, Han Li immediately felt the envy and jealousy radiating from the Qin family’s young men and women behind him. Hua Nan and Hua Fang also revealed faintly astonished expressions. Clearly, the Heart-Protecting Pills were quite renowned.