Chapter 1298: Doubts

"Yes. But for the exact data on the crops, you'll have to ask my younger brother; I can't remember." Dou Dou Wuxing was the agricultural expert. "By the way, those were gifts brought by foreign envoys. At the time, chili peppers were also introduced along with them." "In other words, three hundred years ago, there were no dates in the Shahe River Basin?" He He Lingchuan mused.

"That's right. From the successful introduction to large-scale cultivation, it seems to have taken another fifty-plus years."

"Since you're here, I'll ask you one more thing." He He Lingchuan picked up a date and ate it. "The imperial surname of the Mou Kingdom seems to have originated in the Shahe River Basin, right?"

"Correct. The founding Gao Zu of the Mou Kingdom was surnamed Xin, and he came from our Shahe River Basin. They are known as the Shahe Xin Clan!"

Dou Dou Wenguan added, "To this day, a branch of the Xin Clan still remains in Shahe. Being both descendants of immortals and the imperial family of the Mou Kingdom, their status is at its peak. I have entered their mansion; the residence covers a vast area, stretching on endlessly, as spectacular as a palace. Whenever there is a major local event, the Prefect must first consult the Xin Clan before making a decision."

He coughed lightly, "My elder brother and I left Lingxu City to return home and seek employment, which is how we found work under the Xin Clan."

His previous job had been working for the Xin Clan.

He He Lingchuan nodded, "The Mou Kingdom has existed for one hundred and fifty years, right? How much do you know about this founding Gao Zu?"

"The founding Gao Zu, Xin Haiping, started his uprising one hundred and fifty-four years ago and took only three years to wipe out all other opponents and establish the Mou Kingdom." Dou Dou Wenguan continued, "It is said that when he was born, a hundred birds circled the residence. The Shahe River had been overcast for a hundred days, but the moment he was born, the clouds broke, the sun emerged, and golden light was scattered everywhere."

He He Lingchuan smiled, "Is this true, or is it just a forced association?"

In this world, auspicious omens from heaven were not rare.

Dou Dou Wenguan scratched his head, "These are local legends; I haven't verified their authenticity."

He had already told everything he knew. Events from over a hundred years ago had turned into legends by now; where could one go to verify them? "How many brothers did this founding Gao Zu have? What were their names?"

"Uh, this..." The Young Master's questions today were quite strange. Dou Dou Wenguan could only say, "Shall I send a message back to ask?"

"Do that." He He Lingchuan asked another strange question, "Does the Shahe Xin Clan have any portraits of the founding Gao Zu?"

Dou Dou Wenguan racked his brains to recall, and finally remembered, "Oh, yes. The Xin Clan keeps a portrait of the Gao Zu in their ancestral hall. I remember this Gao Zu had a square face and large ears, with a solemn and graceful expression."

"Square face and large ears?" He He Lingchuan frowned.

"Elders who have been to the Mou capital told me that the portrait kept in the Xin ancestral hall is very different from the one in the Mou imperial capital. Because this founding emperor left home when he was young and only returned to pay respects to his ancestors in his old age, the portrait left in the ancestral hall depicts his appearance in his later years."

"I see." It sounded like that portrait wasn't worth looking at either.

He He Lingchuan also knew that descendants had a tendency to beautify their ancestors. After being repainted by several generations, Xin Haiping's portrait was likely no longer accurate.

The leader finished his questioning, and just as Dou Dou Wenguan was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back, "By the way, a few days ago I received a letter from Du Shan. He has set off from the North Sea, traveling by both water and land. If everything goes smoothly, he should arrive in Yangshan in seven or eight months."

That was truly a long journey. He He Lingchuan nodded, "Understood."

Dou Dou Wenguan then took his leave.

He He Lingchuan grabbed a rattan chair, sat down on the long corridor, and closed his eyes to rest.

One hundred and fifty-one years ago, the Xin Clan established the Mou Kingdom.

One hundred and fifty-one years ago—others might hear this number and feel nothing, but He He Lingchuan cared very much.

Because, Panlongcheng fell one hundred and fifty-two years ago!

The year after Panlongcheng was destroyed, the Mou Kingdom was established—one right after the other, separated by only a year. Was there some significance to this? The Xin Clan were descendants of immortals; the establishment of the Mou Kingdom was likely related to the support of Lingshan.

He He Lingchuan recalled the replica Thunder-Response Spear that appeared at the Platinum Island auction. It had once been General Hong's personal weapon, but later became the founding emperor's sidearm.

In the Panlong world, Xin Yi, who served as the Lingshan special envoy, was also surnamed Xin and came from the Shahe River Basin.

What was the relationship between this person and the later founding Mou Emperor, Xin Haiping?

The Shahe Xin Clan, hmm, worth investigating.

Fortunately, the Shahe River Basin was not too far from Does Bailie. He had to write to Ding Ding Zuodong and send people there to collect some intelligence.

A light rain began to fall again, pattering on the roof tiles and the ground like a quiet lullaby.

He He Lingchuan thought about many, many things, until Dong Rui arrived wearing a straw raincoat.

After returning to Ju City, Dong Rui continued to live a reclusive life, coming over every few days to ask for materials, and turning to leave as soon as he got them.

Having obtained so many treasures from the Juyu Underground Palace, he was like a child receiving new toys for the New Year, his heart and mind entirely buried in them, not even willing to spare an extra glance for He He Lingchuan.

"Hey." He He Lingchuan laughed and scolded, "Is this the attitude you have toward your financier?"

He provided him with food, drink, and the means to conduct experiments; piles of silver taels were like being thrown into a bottomless pit, without even a splash. Now, this fellow surnamed Dong dared to treat his financier father like this? Dong Rui finally looked up and glanced at him, rubbing his eyelids, "I'm busy, speak if you have something to say!"

Juyu was also an experimental fanatic. Although he had destroyed all his research data before he died, what kind of person was Dong Rui? He could always grasp something from the few words left behind, and by finding clues in the burial grounds of the underground palace, he had gained quite a bit of inspiration.

With inspiration, wasn't he busy now?

There were no outsiders nearby, so He He Lingchuan asked him, "Do you have a clue about the things Juyu created?"

"How could it be that fast?" Dong Rui sighed, "He went much further than I did, much further."

Not to mention anything else, Juyu's understanding of Heavenly Demons was far superior to his. That person had personally killed them, dissected them, and perhaps even personally modified them. The value of live research was too great. Unlike him, who could only tinker with corpses and bones.

He He Lingchuan said sternly, "I'll warn you first: do not even touch the direction he was researching!"

"Why..." Dong Rui was startled, but immediately reacted, "Oh, understood."

Juyu's research had attracted Heavenly Demons, which showed its great value; he, Dong Rui, was just an unranked wanted criminal. If he followed in Juyu's footsteps and was discovered by a Heavenly Demon, wouldn't the Yangshan Archipelago face a catastrophe?

He He Lingchuan knew this guy's temperament best, so he had to make him give up that idea, "If you dare to touch it, there will be no more funding from now on, and I will also take back Alfalfa Island."

"Rest assured, rest assured, I won't research in that direction anymore." Dong Rui waved his hand impatiently, "I have always kept my word; can't you trust me?"

"You must remember, if there is any slip-up, I won't be able to protect you!"

Dong Rui was sullen, "I know, do you even need to say it?"

He He Lingchuan pondered for a moment before saying, "In your opinion, what method will the Heavenly Demons use to return to the human world?"

Thanks to Mu Dai 999 for the check-in thread reward; we have another big fan~

Thanks to the student Li Ci Dian Liu for the reward~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1299 =====