Chapter 644: Arrival of Qian Shi
Chapter 644: Arrival of Qian Shi
Before the whole group of them left, Lin Xuan Qi went and looked for Xue Cong first.
"Get Auntie Sue to prepare for a banquet later." Lin Xuan Qi said and it got Xue Cong curious.
"Banquet? For all of them?" She asked, thinking that it was for Old Heng, young master Chew and their friends.
Lin Xuan Qi nodded his head and replied, "In a way, yes. There will be an important guest that is coming over."
Even though he hadn’t asked Qian Shi about coming over for a meal yet, he was confident that Qian Shi would be willing.
"I will get it done." Xue Cong nodded her head at him and said.
She personally went over to the kitchen to brief Auntie Sue on what was to be done.
Lin Xuan Qi did things for a reason, and the very least she could do was to make sure that it was executed perfectly.
After instructing Xue Cong to get ready for the important guest, Lin Xuan Qi joined in with Old Heng and the others at the gate.
"Sorry for the wait." He cupped his hands at them and said.
"It’s nothing. We better move out now." Old Heng and the others weren’t too bothered by it; they were already on their horse carriage, ready to move and eager to see Qian Shi.
Crack.
The whips of the coachmen cracked and the convoy of their horse carriages started to make their way to the gates.
The journey there didn’t take too long.
And by the time they arrived, there was already a huge crowd at the gates.
"Hey, I got here first."
"No, this place is mine, you better get to the back."
"Has the Duke of Mu arrived yet?"
Those who were in the crowd jostled and tried to get to the front to have a better glimpse at the Duke of Mu.
The house guards of Old Heng and the others did their job and they had occupied a location that had a clear sight of the Duke of Mu when his horse carriage went by.
Lin Xuan Qi was more than happy to be able to benefit from it.
He stood there with Old Heng and the others, waiting for Qian Shi to come by.
"Do you think that the Duke of Mu would be able to see us?"
"What do you mean by that? It’s enough that we get to see him up close."
"But you can never know. The fortunes of my family will be changed if I can do business with him."
"I heard that he is in charge of some of the procurement of the imperial palace."
Old Heng, young master Chew and their friends chattered about having the chance to get to know Qian Shi, and the chance of doing business with him, while they waited.
And in the meantime, Lin Xuan Qi stood there in silence, thinking about what he was going to brief Qian Shi on later.
Old Heng and the others thought that he might be overwhelmed with the prospect of seeing the Duke of Mu in person, so they let him be.
They knew that even though he had a few retail stores in Bian Jing, it was still rare for someone to be able to have an audience with the royal family, despite the closer proximity.
Finally, a huge commotion occurred not too far away from where they were.
A group of soldiers in full armor and gear marched in through the gates.
They stood at the side of the road and ushered the crowd to get further away from it.
All of the crowd knew what it meant but the menacing stares from the soldiers and the chills from their armor and swords were enough to make them take a few steps back.
Then, a horse carriage that was gold-plated and had decorations of dragons by the side appeared through the gates.
Eunuchs and servant girls lined by the sides of the horse carriage.
The appearance of Qian Shi’s horse carriage caused a stir and the crowd erupted in a frenzy.
"Your highness, Duke of Mu!"
"Long live the emperor!"
"Duke of Mu, please help the poor folks like us in Hong Feng City!"
Some of them pledged allegiance to the imperial family while some wanted to seek help for their sufferings.
After so many unfortunate events that had happened to Hong Feng City, they saw the Duke of Mu’s arrival as a sign that the emperor cared about them, and that he was their savior.
"Move back!"
"You, over there, what are you trying to do."
"I would stay put if I were you."
Despite their clamoring, the crowd was ushered to stay away while the horse carriage slowly made its way into the city.
The horse carriage got near to where Lin Xuan Qi was standing and even experienced businessmen like Old Heng and his friends couldn’t help it and they got excited too.
All of them lowered their heads, cupped their hands at the horse carriage that was passing by and said, "Long live the emperor! May the Da Qian Dynasty prosper!"
They gave out a silent sigh when they saw the wheels of the horse carriage moving further and further away from them.
Things happened so fast that all the planning on what they would do when the Duke of Mu arrived went up in smoke.
But then, something happened and all of them didn’t know what to do next.
Lin Xuan Qi waved his hands at the horse carriage and shouted, "Duke of Mu, I have something important to discuss with you."
The soldiers that were near them narrowed their eyes and stared at him.
Old Heng, young master Chew and their friends had their minds turned blank when they saw that, not knowing what to do next.
Then, the horse carriage stopped.
One of the eunuchs walked over to the horse carriage and whispered into it.
And after a few moments, the silk curtain that was covering the window of the horse carriage opened.
Qian Shi’s head popped out from the window and said, "Young master Lin, didn’t expect to see you here."