Finest Servant

Chapter 321

Chapter 321 Sudden Anger

"Who... who summoned me?" Lin Wanrong could hardly believe his own ears and asked again with wide eyes.

"The Emperor, the Emperor has summoned you," said Xu Wei, trailing behind a carriage. The elder Xu grabbed his hand and hurriedly led him toward the carriage, "This is a great honour, young man. You should come with me."

The Emperor's summons? A mixture of surprise and delight rose within Lin Wanrong. He had just been contemplating how to curry favor with Xu Wei, hoping that he might recommend him to meet the Emperor. But now, the Emperor had taken the initiative to summon him to the palace. The situation made him feel rather hesitant.

"Master Xu, does the Emperor know me? Do you know why he is summoning me?" Lin Wanrong asked cautiously.

"We will discuss this on the way," Xu Wei responded. He signaled to the coachman, and the two of them pulled Lin San onto the carriage. The elder Xu climbed in after him. The carriage was spacious and well-lit, with a table and a bed adorned with a silver-threaded jade quilt. There was also a teapot and teacups on the table, all exquisite to the sight, making it clear they were no ordinary items.

"Set off, quickly!" Xu Wei seemed to fear that Lin San would change his mind and hastily ordered the coachman. The horse hooves clattered as the carriage began to roll towards the city.

Seeing that everything was settled, Xu Wei finally let out a long sigh of relief. He sat down on the seat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and laughed, "Good. I have fulfilled my duty. I have brought you to the palace."

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Mr. Xu, you exaggerate. Do I really have such influence? One word from you, and here I am."

Xu Wei had previously invited him to join in suppressing the White Lotus in Jinling, an invitation he had tactfully declined. Not too long ago, Li Tai had invited him to join the army, but he had bluntly refused, irritating Li Tai and giving him a clearer understanding of Lin Wanrong's unconventional nature. Lin San had once expressed his intention to explore the palace, but who knew if he had changed his mind after so many days. Seeing him willingly get onto the carriage, Xu Wei finally felt at ease and laughed, "Little brother Lin, do you remember what I said to you a few days ago? If you were to enter the palace on your own, you would be risking your head. But now, the Emperor himself has summoned you, that's a different matter."

Indeed. If he had known that the old Emperor wanted to see him, he wouldn't have wasted his money buying that "Ghost Drawing Charm". Even though he feared neither heaven nor earth, the Emperor was the ruler of the nation. He knew nothing about the palace, which naturally made him a bit hesitant. Now that he had this old fox Xu Wei here, he was definitely going to make good use of him.

"Mr. Xu, now that you have tricked me onto this carriage, you should stop hiding things. Please tell me, why is the Emperor summoning me? He's not inviting me for dinner, is he? We are not even acquainted!" Lin Wanrong said.

Xu Wei burst into laughter, "Listening to you, young man, I feel like I could live a few more decades. The Emperor's intentions are inscrutable. As a minister, how dare I make wild guesses? But you demonstrated remarkable courage at yesterday's martial arts exhibition and were instrumental in crushing the White Lotus. I believe the Emperor won't mistreat you."

Lin Wanrong nodded. ‘That makes sense,’ he conceded. ‘Let's set aside the fact that the Emperor might very well be my father-in-law. Considering that I helped him suppress the White Lotus rebellion, he ought to reward me with a mountain of gold.’

Xu Wei lifted the carriage curtain, cautiously glanced around, and then spoke in a mysterious tone. "Little brother, right now it's just the two of us. Be honest with this old man, do you recognize—" He halted abruptly. Lin Wanrong, noticing that Xu Wei had stopped mid-sentence, couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Xu, recognize who? Hurry up and finish your sentence!"

"Do you recognize the Second Princess?" Xu Wei asked gently, a smile flickering across his face.

"The Second Princess?" Lin Wanrong's heart pounded. Could he be talking about Qingxuan? Damn it, hadn't he previously claimed he didn't know Qingxuan? Had this old man been deceiving him?

Seeing Lin San's discomfort, Xu Wei, presuming his hesitation to speak, responded with a slight smile, "Little brother, there's no need to be shy. The Emperor has already told me."

"The Emperor told you—what did he say?" Lin Wanrong asked, surprised. Had Qingxuan told her father about their relationship? Did this mean he was on the verge of becoming a prince consort? His heart pounded in anticipation as he looked expectantly at the elder Xu.

Xu Wei chuckled, "Little brother, you've kept this old man in the dark. No wonder you flatly rejected my recommendation to the Emperor. So it seems the Little Princess has taken a liking to you—"

"Oh, come on, Mr. Xu, stop being so cryptic. Just tell me what's going on!" Lin Wanrong grew anxious, staring at Xu Wei, who was playing coy. He felt like prying open the old man's mouth to dig out the truth.

Xu Wei stroked his beard and chuckled, "Yesterday, the Emperor summoned me to the palace. The original purpose was to discuss official matters, but towards the end, he revealed to me some great news." He wiped away a spit fleck from the corner of his mouth, "The Emperor said, the Little Princess, after years of wandering outside, has recently returned to the palace. Isn't this wonderful news?"

She's back at the palace? Lin Wanrong, feeling a rush of excitement, quickly retrieved a portrait of Qingxuan from his pocket and thrust it into Xu Wei's hands, "Brother Xu, quickly tell me, what does the Little Princess look like? Is she, is she the woman in this painting?"

Xu Wei glanced at the portrait and gave a bitter smile, "Little brother, I only learned this news yesterday and haven't met the Little Princess myself, so how could I recognize her? But I am certain that the Little Princess knows you—"

"Knows me? Mr. Xu, how would you know that?" Lin Wanrong asked, shocked, as he gazed at the portrait of Qingxuan.

"The Emperor mentioned yesterday that upon the Little Princess's return, she had recommended you in his presence. Yesterday, he personally saw your gallant demeanor, which has added to his favorable impression of you. Combined with my timely advice, this delighted the Emperor, and hence he urgently summoned you to the palace. Little brother, even the princess is speaking up for you, your good days—are here!" Xu Wei winked at him, flashing a knowing smile that any man would understand. Damn it, this old lecher, he must have assumed everyone was like him—Su Qinglian, the famous courtesan of the West Lake, must have known many tricks to have kept him in such a state of debauchery.

“Qingxuan, it must be Qingxuan—” Lin San stood up abruptly, his face marked by intense emotion. The compartment barely cleared his height and his head nearly pierced the roof. Xu Wei laughed and pulled him back down, his expression growing ever more secretive: "Whether she's the Miss Qingxuan you speak of, I cannot confirm. However, today you're to enter the palace. If you please the Emperor sufficiently, you may well be granted an audience with the Princess. It's not impossible."

Seeing the crafty grin on his face, Lin Wanrong became somewhat more collected. Something wasn't right about this. The hour was still early. Judging by the time, the morning court session should've just concluded. Even if the Emperor was eager, Lin San was not some grand hero of the nation and people for him to rush Lin San into the palace so urgently.

Old Xu had a track record of trickery. Lin Wanrong mulled it over carefully in his mind before he grinned, "Minister Xu, is there anything more to this summoning by the Emperor? If not, let's take our time. The carriage can move at a leisurely pace; we have plenty of time."

Xu Wei quickly said, "That won't do. The Emperor summons us, as his subjects, we cannot show such neglect." Seeing Lin San's half-smiling expression, he chuckled, "Little brother Lin is indeed clever, I won't hide anything from you. What I said earlier was all true, I did not deceive you, but not all the news is good."

"So, there is bad news?" Lin Wanrong raised an eyebrow, his voice casual. He'd known from the start that this old man wasn't that easy to deal with. The Emperor's chief counselor wouldn't personally undertake a small errand like fetching him. Even considering Qingxuan's identity, Xu Wei, the Minister of Revenue, wouldn't need to curry favor with him to this extent. There must be more to this.

"Bad news? Yes, a few pieces, and they all concern you," Xu Wei said with an awkward smile.

Something to do with him? Could there be a problem with Ning Yuxi's side? He felt a surge of doubt but heard Xu Wei continue: "Little brother Lin, it's the start of spring, a time when our tributary states traditionally come to offer their respects. This year is no exception."

What Xu Wei said seemed unrelated to Fairy Ning's matter, but rather something about tributary states offering respects. How was that bad news, and what did it have to do with him? Could it be some princess from a small country took a liking to him and wanted to force him into marriage? He let out a wry smile, pretending to be shocked: "Tributes from tributary states? That's good news! Accepting annual tributes and displaying our grandeur, how could this be seen as bad news, Minister Xu!"

Xu Wei glanced outside the carriage. The rumbling noise indicated the carriage was speeding along. He pulled down the curtain, sighed lightly, and said: "Little brother Lin, not being in the court, you're naturally unaware of these matters. Our great nation is vast and populous, the leading state among our neighboring countries. In our glorious past, we had over a hundred tributary states, each paying respect and tribute annually. It was an impressive sight."

"Oh, is this year different?" Lin Wanrong asked.

Xu Wei shook his head, "To be exact, things haven't been the same for many years. In recent years, our Great Hua has been fighting non-stop against the nomadic tribes, dealing with the White Lotus rebellion, and grappling with traitors within the court who are determined to wreak havoc. We have been fighting on multiple fronts, both domestically and internationally. Our national strength is no longer what it used to be. As for our tributary states, each has its own agenda. They show fealty on the surface, but they all harbor malicious intentions. Their tributes have been decreasing year after year, with recent years merely going through the motions."

Lin Wanrong nodded. It was only natural. There were no friends between nations, only interests. If the Great Hua was in decline, it would be strange if anyone still paid attention.

"Look, Mr. Xu, I'm clueless about state affairs. You're playing the lute to a cow by talking to me about this." Lin Wanrong chuckled. "Just tell me, what does this have to do with me?"

Xu Wei said, "You'll know if it concerns you or not once I finish. In the past few years, the tributary states have come to pay homage at different times. The tribute, while not abundant, was at least passable. But this year is truly odd! The countries of Dongyin [Japan], Goryeo [Korea], and other tributaries, it's as if they've agreed beforehand, arrived almost simultaneously, with only a few days apart."

"Isn't it better if everyone comes together to celebrate the new year? It saves several meals!" Lin Wanrong joked. "Our Great Hua is like the leading gangster of the underworld, and the others are our underlings. It's understandable for the underlings to visit their boss together."

Seeing his attitude, Xu Wei didn't know what he was thinking. He forced a laugh and said, "Littler brother Lin, your analogy is quite unique. If it was just them coming together, it wouldn't matter. But the strange thing is that they seem to have agreed this year to reduce their tribute by more than half compared to previous years. Not only that, but the northern nomads also sent envoys, precisely at this time. Currently, the capital is filled with representatives from all these countries. Brother Lin, do you think there's no connection here?"

The northern nomads were here too? This matter wasn't simple. Lin Wanrong furrowed his brows. He knew better than anyone what kind of characters the people of Goryeo and Dongyin were, typically the types to bully the weak and fear the strong. The other tributaries were likely the same. They all coincidentally arrived with the northern nomads; could they all have sided with the northern nomads?

He had thoughts in his mind, but his face revealed nothing. This Xu Wei was an old fox. Speaking about these matters to him was no accident; he surely had a motive. He wasn't asking him to deal with them, was he?

"Oh, they all came to our capital for a meeting. That's quite good! Everyone can sit down, have tea, chat, and foster friendship." Lin Wanrong played dumb, "But, this still seems to have nothing to do with me!"

Xu Wei was not irritated. He lightly smiled and said, "If they were only coming together and reducing the annual tribute, that would be tolerable. But there is something even more infuriating. These small tributary states, I don't know how they found out about the return of our little princess. Those toads want to eat swan meat and have actually proposed-"

"Proposed what?" Lin Wanrong interrupted angrily.

"Dongyin and Goryeo have simultaneously proposed marriage to the Emperor, requesting that the little princess, who is most beloved by the Emperor of our Great Hua, be wed to their respective princes-"

With a crash, the teapot was shattered by Lin San. Lin Wanrong clenched his fist and roared, "Damn those Koreans and Japanese, they dare to covet my wife! I'll annihilate them."

Xu Wei sighed, "Not only that, but the northern nomads are even more arrogant. As conditions for a ceasefire, in addition to demanding our Great Hua to cede territory and pay reparations, they even insulted the little princess. They want her to travel thousands of miles to become the wife of the Khan. Brother Lin, this is a blatant insult to our Great Hua-" As Xu Wei continued to fan the flames, he surreptitiously studied Lin San's expression. Seeing Lin San's clenched teeth and his face as dark as coal, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn it!" Lin Wanrong clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Mr. Xu, there's no need to intentionally provoke me. Don't worry, I, Lin San, won't neglect anything that needs to be done. If anyone dares to covet my wife, I'll make sure they won't know how they died!"

It had taken Xu Wei half a day of persuasion, and these were precisely the words he'd been waiting for. Overjoyed, he seized Lin Wanrong's hand and said, "Little brother Lin, my visit today hasn't been in vain. The Emperor is currently in the palace receiving envoys from various countries. We should hurry over now. Let's rush to the palace as quickly as possible."

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