Opening the gift box, Kong Wuying finds brilliant, beautiful colours of the Snow and Ice Jewel. Its rarity is no less than that of Night Shadow Stone.
However, it is unique to Yeying. Once transported to Mingguang, it will gradually degrade in the bright sunlight and disintegrate.
Kongbao, using who knows what method, actually fully saved this jewel, and even let it shine in Mingguang, in the palm of Kong Wuying’s hand.
With a smile, Kong Wuying tucks the jewel away again. He makes no mention of his birthday actually being next month. "Let's eat."
"Yes." Kongbao responds obediently, and blossoms inwardly.
Kongbao knows it’s not his master’s birthday this month. How can he not know? Everything about the master is clearly recorded in his mind. The problem is... there is so much trouble ahead, Kongbao can't wait until next month.
Kongbao feels lucky that Kong Wuying seems to have forgotten. He luckily cheated the master.
...
In the Alchemy Association, someone is very unhappy.
"Qin!” the Alchemy Association president cries. “Is your head hollow?! I’ve practised this pill recipe for two months! When you burst in like that, of course it’s ruined! How can you pay for my time - for the death of the person I’m trying to cure!?"
"What? Do you think I don't know you ran off to cure that disease just now?" Qin asks in confusion.
"What disease? I haven't left the alchemy room for the last half a month at all!"
Pill Master Qin pauses for a moment. "Who... made the cure then?"
"I don't know. I don’t care either! Clearly you got scammed - guh! Qin, let me go, how can you just grab my collar like that?! Can you ever be polite?"
"Shut up, we’re going to solve the mystery!"
“The mystery is how you live without a brain!”
...
In the cottage where Jing Tian lives with his wife, there’s a thunderous knock on the door.
Jing Tian opens the door quickly. "Lao Qin, can you find President Wang? I haven't thanked him for curing Xiuer. Wait, who is this bearded old man?"
Mr Qin pulls up the reluctant President Wang. "This is the President of the Alchemy Association, don't you know him?"
Jing Tian frowns. "This... how is that possible?" The real President Wang is much younger and better looking.
Pill Master Qin ponders for a while. "How do you know that he is President Wang? He said it himself?"
"Yeah. Ah... no, but he didn't deny it." Jing Tian remembers the mysterious young man, and his heart is full of doubts.
Kong Wuying frowns. Although the death of a prince in Daqing has become common these years, Princess Ru Yao is not a princess of Daqing. She died on Daqing's land. This is now a diplomatic incident.
Kong Wuying is in no mood to eat now. "Go out first."
After the attendant is ordered to go out, Kongbao happily continues eating. "Master, please go, I'll wait for you here."
Is that woman dead? Oops, how sad... but he's so happy.
"Why are you so happy? Could it be that you..."
Kongbao’s face is innocent. "What do you think of me as, master? Although I’m not happy about the woman, I still know what can and can't be done.”
For the sake of Kongbao’s recent good performance, Kong Wuying doesn’t push. He hurriedly says, "You wait here obediently, I'll come back after."
Kong Wuying changes clothes quickly and leaves. He takes a few steps out and then backs up into the room again. “I’m letting you wait for me here, but I’m not letting you wait for me in bed!"
Kongbao blinks. Oh, the master really knows him. Sure enough, master still likes Kongbao, or else he won't remember what Kongbao likes (since Kong Wuying has such a bad memory, he tends to forget people very quickly).
The poor Kongbao can’t be narcissistic when the ruthless master is here to remind Kongbao how insignificant he really is.
...
Kong Wuying arrives to see the princess. Because the princess resembles his mother, his mood is quite complicated. "Is it clear who did it?" he asks Xuan Wang beside him.
Xuan Wang shakes his head, his face heavy. "The cook has taken the same poison to kill himself, and other clues have been destroyed through the hustle of the dining rush. But there are only a few that can do this kind of thing; it’s either the Jingshan Empire, or the Nanhai Empire. It may even be the remnant of our Daqing."
Xuan Wang killed the past emperor and completely wiped out the rest of the party, but there are always so many fish that missed the net. However... he had anticipated that someone would start working on Princess Ru Yao and took protective measures. Those people... how well trained are they that Xuan Wang couldn’t grab even a hint of them?
Xuan Wang sighs again. "Anyway, she still died here. We’ll still need to explain to the Nanhai Empire.”
Xuan Wang just hopes that the old man in Nanhai will still be rational, but Princess Ru Yao is the most beloved daughter of the old emperor...
Because of the seriousness of the matter, the long-awaited upturn was gone. The Daqing princes also saw the rumored little emperor for the first time since the ceremony.
Kong Wuying listens silently to the ministers quarreling below. It’s nothing more than discussing how to apologize to the Nanhai Empire.
"We must give an explanation to Nanhai. It would be nice if we could catch the real murderer, but we have to continue regardless. The temperament of the old Nanhai Emperor means he might start a war!"
"It's better to let His Majesty personally apologize to the Nanhai Empire to show our sincerity,” someone in the crowd suggests.
There’s a sudden quiet.
At this time, a thick voice growls, "Never! His Majesty is our God, how can we go to Nanhai just to bow out heads! I would rather go to war than let His Majesty be humiliated!"
The man who shouted angrily is a strong man with a beard. Kong Wuying looks blankly at the man.
A dead mother before... and now Kong Wuying has found his dead father.