Chapter 228 The Thirtieth Day of Entering a Rebirth Novel (Extra 1)

Chapter 228 The Thirtieth Day of Transmigrating into a Rebirth Novel (Side Story 1)

Huo Huai rode his horse through the night wind, speeding all the way back to the Marquis Zhongyong's mansion.

He was in an excellent mood, feeling as if he were walking on clouds.

"Plenty of time ahead..." His heart surged with excitement, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably.

The moment he stepped through the mansion's main gate, Huo Hong, who had been waiting anxiously and pacing like a cat on a hot tin roof, was immediately informed and rushed to the front courtyard like a gust of wind.

"Nineteen!" Huo Hong's voice preceded his arrival.

Huo Huai stopped and looked at his father approaching briskly, his dazzlingly foolish smile still unrestrained, and the joyful aura around him, as if steeped in honey, was completely unrestrained, washing over everyone.

Huo Hong rushed before his son and, under the light of the lanterns hanging by the corridor, gave him a thorough once-over. His heart immediately skipped a beat!

He saw that his always emotionally restrained son was now brimming with spring-like pride and joy in his brows and eyes, even his gait carrying a spirited lightness.

What could make him so... No, it can't be...?

Huo Hong had a vague guess in his mind.

He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed the storm in his heart, blocked Huo Huai's path, and put on a stern face, trying to assume a fatherly authority.

Huo Huai was in a good mood at the moment. Seeing his father, despite the latter's grim expression, he took the initiative, even with some excitement, to greet him: "Dad!"

His voice was lighter than usual.

Huo Hong looked at him, his mouth twitching, his suspicions growing stronger.

He waved his hand, signaling all the prying servants nearby to withdraw.

When the front courtyard was left with only the father and son, in the surrounding silence, Huo Hong lowered his voice and asked: "Where did you go last night?"

He already knew the answer, but still wanted confirmation.

Huo Huai did not hide anything, and said frankly: "At my master's place."

At the words "my master," his eyes unconsciously softened, even flickering with barely concealed sweetness and reminiscence.

Huo Hong caught every subtle change in his expression, his heart pounding violently, and his voice even carried a tremor: "You... and the State Preceptor... you...?"

He couldn't finish the rest, but the meaning was all too clear.

Huo Huai looked at his father's shocked, almost twisted expression, and instead of being nervous, he smiled.

He nodded firmly: "Yes, Dad, I am now the State Preceptor's man."

I am now the State Preceptor's man...

Huo Hong's eyes widened, his mouth agape.

He looked his son up and down, over and over, as if seeing him for the first time.

A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind—the State Preceptor, a figure like an immortal; the means to reduce the barbarian envoy to ashes with a wave; his son's previous desperate unrequited love; and now this fait accompli...

After a brief shock, a wild joy—"My son's got some serious balls!"—surged from the depths of Huo Hong's heart!

He reached out and slapped Huo Huai heavily on the shoulder, with such force that Huo Huai staggered a little, and then he gave Huo Huai a big thumbs-up!

"Huo Nineteen!" Huo Hong's voice rose with excitement, with incredulous admiration: "Good lad! You're a real man! You've made your father proud!!"

He slapped Huo Huai's shoulder vigorously, laughing heartily.

So what if his son and the State Preceptor were both men? What did it matter?! That was the State Preceptor! A true living immortal!

For his son to win his favor—this was nothing short of smoke rising from the Huo family's ancestral graves (a sign of extreme good fortune)! No, it was on fire! It was burning up!!

He was so excited he became incoherent; all previous worries, fears, and objections vanished in an instant.

What obsession with men, what worldly eyes—compared to the State Preceptor's heaven-reaching abilities, they were nothing but crap!

The more Huo Hong thought, the more agitated he became. Rubbing his hands, he paced back and forth in the courtyard twice, then abruptly stopped, faced Huo Huai, and said with utter seriousness: "Good! Since things have come to this, we can't be remiss in etiquette!"

"Although this matter isn't for public fanfare, we can't skimp on the proper courtesy! Your father will go prepare for you... prepare..."

He stammered, searching for the right word, and finally waved his hand with heroic boldness: "Prepare the dowry! That's right, the dowry! It must be splendid... uh, respectable!"

Having said that, he didn't wait for Huo Huai's reaction. He himself was already thrilled at the prospect of "marrying off his son." Humming a little off-key tune, hands behind his back, he walked away with a light step.

Huo Huai was left alone. After a moment of stunned silence, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, and then burst into joyful laughter.

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Time flew like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

The once-turbulent imperial court had long since undergone a transformation.

The Crown Prince, Qi Haocang, had been stripped of his title a year ago and confined to the Clan Court. This was due to multiple proven crimes: forming cliques for private gain, embezzling military funds, and secretly practicing sorcery to curse the emperor. He would never again have a chance at the supreme throne.

His followers were either purged or scattered, like rats leaving a sinking ship. The once-mighty East Palace faction disintegrated completely.

And the Seventh Prince, Qi Haowen—once scorned by the world as an idiot and useless—with the assistance of his consort, Ran Zhuyu, and his own hidden schemes, underwent a transformation, "regaining" his wits as if reborn.

He showed himself to be steady and reserved, achieving many accomplishments in governance and public welfare, gradually gaining recognition from court officials.

Everyone marveled that the Ran family's daughter had the "lucky wife" touch, even making an idiot prince smart.

One fine day, the sky was clear, the breeze gentle and warm.

In the study of the State Preceptor's private villa, An Yi was lounging comfortably on a soft couch by the window, browsing a few letters that had arrived from afar.

Huo Huai walked in and then, as naturally as could be, sat on the footstool by the couch, at just the right height to rest his head on An Yi's knee.

An Yi shifted his leg a little, and Huo Huai turned around and kissed his thigh.

An Yi smiled and gave his ear a gentle pinch.

These letters were from the students he had taken on four years ago.

The thirty or so disciples of diverse backgrounds and ages, after receiving An Yi's teachings, had gradually dispersed far and wide.

That formerly illiterate young man was now a county magistrate in a northern county. In his letter, he reported in detail how he had helped local farmers improve an irrigation water channeling tool. Though it was only a small change, it had increased the yield of barren land by nearly twenty percent.

Another disciple from a humble family was stationed at a northern border garrison. In his letter, he excitedly described how he had improved the gunpowder formula and storage method, making it more powerful while also more stable and safe.

There was also a female disciple. She had not chosen to become an official but stayed in the capital. She had compiled certain basic physics and chemistry knowledge imparted by An Yi into easy-to-understand pamphlets, shared them outside the court, and quietly shifted some people's ingrained perceptions of women.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

They had already understood that what An Yi taught them was not a kind of miraculous magic that could make people vanish with a snap of the fingers, but a fundamental truth.

And that was fine too; they could use their own strength to change this world.