Wanshou Township was a fine place. Whitewater lay to the south, and the capital region connected it to the north. Aside from its convenient location, the people here all enjoyed extraordinarily long lives.
Some jested that even all the longevity stars in the two prefectures and twenty-four counties of Jinmen Prefecture combined could not outnumber those in Wanshou Township.
When the current emperor heard of this, he even made a special visit and stayed for half a month.
Before returning to the capital, Emperor Longping bestowed the name "Wanshou" upon the township.
It signified that this was a place favored by the Son of Heaven, and that the Son of Heaven ought to share in its blessings and extend his own longevity.
That day, a horse-drawn carriage creaked into Wanshou Township along a dirt road.
Around the countryside lay fields divided by crisscrossing paths, with the sounds of roosters and dogs carrying through the air. Xu Qing let out a long sigh, reined in the horses, and asked an old farmer working in the fields for directions.
After receiving confirmation, he reached out and patted the shrouded coffin lying inside the carriage.
It was as if he meant to wake the person sleeping within.
The carriage carrying the returning villager passed through the rural dirt roads. The distinctive thatched cottages and tiled houses of the village gradually emerged, their scenery clearly different from the unbroken streets and alleys of Linhe Fang.
Linhe Fang had the bustle unique to a town. Even in its poorest districts, it was difficult to find houses made of woven grass.
Yet Wanshou Township before him had not only thatched halls and grass huts, but also courtyards enclosed by fences of thorny branches.
It was the spring season, and the fruit trees planted before and behind