Chapter 296: Gan Provincial Guild Hall

The carriage door swung open. Lu Peien hurriedly alighted from the carriage when he saw Yan Liqiang. Another middle-aged man in his forties got off along with Lu Peien. Donned in a long, sapphire blue silk gown and a jade thumb ring, he was a stout man with a pair of extremely lively eyes.

“Liqiang, I didn’t expect to see you today! Fancy running into you as soon as I arrived here…!” Lu Peien walked over with a smile on his face.

“Important people like Sixth Brother is always busy. I was initially planning to wait until night time in the guild hall if Sixth Brother was not around, so you can treat me to dinner…” Yan Liqiang chuckled.

“Hahaha, I’m not that important! I’m merely someone with the fate of an errand boy!” Lu Peien laughed heartily. He then dragged Yan Liqiang toward the middle-aged man in the sapphire blue gown at the side for an introduction. “Liqiang, I would like to introduce you to Manager You. Just like us, he also hails from Gan Province. Not only is he the hall master of the Gan Provincial Guild Hall, but he is also the president of Gan Province’s Chamber of Commerce. I went out for lunch with Manager You before unexpectedly running into you when we came back!”

“Brother Liu, is this Liqiang the very same talented young man from Pingxi City that you told me about before? The one who Lord Sun appointed despite his young age, moved from Gan Province to the Imperial Capital, and is currently the Yingyang Commandant of the Imperial Cavalry Unit?”

“Yes.” Lu Peien nodded.

Manager You was indeed a smooth talker. He was discreetly questioning Lu Peien all that while making it seem like he was showering Yan Liqiang with compliments.

The way Manager You carried himself reminded Yan Liqiang of those big shots he was acquainted with in his previous life. The moment Yan Liqiang laid eyes on Manager You, he knew he was a distinguished man. People like him were usually extremely capable and highly successful individuals, no matter where they went.

“You’re flattering me, Manager You. I am merely fortunate enough to have been taken up by Lord Sun. I still have much to learn from you, Manager You!” Yan Liqiang replied humbly.

Seeing how humble Yan Liqiang was despite his age, Manager You’s opinion of him immediately went up a notch. There were plenty of youths in the Imperial Capital who enjoyed their success at a young age and Manager You even knew a few of them. However, all of them were from prestigious clans without an exception. This was Manager You’s first time meeting someone like Yan Liqiang who was so mature for his age.

Manager You scanned Yan Liqiang once again as the smile on his face grew wider. “I am around the same age as Brother Lu. Since we are all from Gan Province and fate has brought us together in the Imperial Capital, Liqiang may call me Brother You if you don’t mind! Do not hesitate to come to me if you require any assistance in the Imperial Capital next time!” he said generously.

“Thank you, Brother You!” Yan Liqiang replied promptly.

“Oh right. Why are you here and not inside, Brother Liqiang?” Manager You inquired.

The facial expressions of the guards who stopped Yan Liqiang immediately expressed nervousness as soon as they heard Manager You’s question. How could they possibly expect the fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth before them to be someone so important, that the hall master would politely address him as ‘brother’ during their first meeting?

Yan Liqiang merely joked to them about being mistaken as a child selling flowers, causing both Lu Peien and Manager You to roar with laughter.

“Please forgive them, Brother Liqiang. These guards at the entrance of the Gan Provincial Guild Hall made a mistake like this after meeting you for the first time because they have never seen you before!” Manager You coughed twice and looked at those guards with a straight face on purpose as he reprimanded them. “Look at yourselves! Is something wrong with your eyes that you don’t know how to look at people? You guys think Brother Liqiang is here to sell flowers at the guild hall just because he was holding flowers? If I come with a horse one day, would you all think that I am here to sell horses too?”

The guards hurriedly apologized to Yan Liqiang.

“Don’t worry about it…” Yan Liqiang waved his hand with a smile. “Please don’t be too harsh on them, Brother You. These guards are merely performing their duties. It is all thanks to them that the Gan Provincial Guild Hall is kept safe!”

“Hahaha, Brother Liqiang sure is good with words!”

……

The trio exchanged some pleasantries at the entrance before they went into the guild hall together. Manager You cordially invited Yan Liqiang and Lu Peien to stay for dinner at the guild hall. Seeing that Lu Peien didn’t refuse the offer, Yan Liqiang accepted the invitation too.

Knowing that Yan Liqiang was here to find Lu Peien, Manager You kept the conversation short and left after informing them that he was taking his leave to make arrangements with the kitchen for a Gan Provincial whole lamb banquet.

Yan Liqiang followed Lu Peien back to the room he was staying at in the guild hall.

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The room he’d been staying in was one of the most spacious suites in the guild hall. His two bodyguards and attendants lived right next door.

It so happened that there was a flower vase by the entrance to Lu Peien’s room, so Yan Liqiang put the marigolds he’d been holding in it.

“Hahaha, you even brought flowers for me today, Liqiang…” Lu Peien laughed.

“Sixth Brother, just what kind of person is this Manager You for him to actually be the manager of the Gan Provincial Guild Hall and the president of the Gan Province’s Chamber of Commerce in a place like the Imperial Capital?” Yan Liqiang couldn’t hold back his question any longer after settling the flowers.

“Liqiang, have you heard of the Datong Monetary House?” In the drawing room, Lu Peien gestured to Yan Liqiang to take a seat in one of the two chairs.

“Datong Monetary House. Yes, of course I have. It is the most well-known monetary house in the northwestern part of Gan Province and other provinces like the Lan, Qing, Yun and Ding Provinces. Isn’t it owned by a certain Zhong Clan in Lan Province? What has it got anything to do with Manager You?”

It went without saying that Yan Liqiang knew about the Datong Monetary House. The silver promissory notes among the windfall he discovered from the Shatu people in Pingxi City back then were from the Datong Monetary House.

“The You Clan is also an influential clan in Kangcheng Prefecture of Gan Province. They own many properties and are also related to the Zhong Clan from Lan Province by marriage. With the Zhong Clan’s support, of course no one can vie against Manager You for being in charge of the Gan Provincial Guild Hall and the Gan Province’s Chamber of Commerce!”

“Oh, I see!” Yan Liqiang finally understood. Among the wealthy influential clans in the northwestern provinces, if the Zhong Clan from Lan Province claimed that they ranked second, no one would probably dare to claim that they are ranked at the top. With the support from the Zhong Clan, everything would naturally be a cinch for him.

Lu Peien smiled. “Although Manager You has the support from the Zhong Clan, he is still a very capable man with rich social networks and opportunities. Therefore, many matters can be settled a lot easier with Manager You’s assistance!”

“Are you planning to involve the You Clan, Sixth Brother?” Yan Liqiang asked him directly.

Lu Peien narrowed his eyes. “The water in the Imperial Capital runs deep. The moment the lotus root briquette is promoted, it will stir up interests from all parties. With someone who knows the Imperial Capital well in our group, the success rate of this business will increase. Getting Manager You onboard is the same as having half the Zhong Clan with us. Although this will make it seem like our benefits will be diluted, we will definitely get more in return compared to doing a one-man show as long as we can make it big…”

“I’m guessing that this is going to happen by the looks of it, Sixth Brother!”

“It’s still a little too early to say that, but at least we are starting to see something…”

“Then I’ll have to congratulate you in advance, Sixth Brother!”

“Perhaps I may even settle down in the Imperial Capital and move my home here!”

“Ah, don’t…” Yan Liqiang’s heart tightened the instant he heard Lu Peien’s plan of possibly moving to the Imperial Capital, and he subconsciously opened his mouth to stop him.

“What are you trying to say, Liqiang?” Lu Peien stared at Yan Liqiang an odd look in his eyes.

Yan Liqiang calmed down. A thought flashed across his mind as his face broke into a smile. “I meant to tell you that you shouldn’t make such a hasty decision, Sixth Brother. There are too many internal strifes in the Imperial Capital. It’s better to be more careful!”

“Of course!” Lu Peien nodded. “If this really happens, I’m afraid that only I can watch over this business in the Imperial Capital as I will act as an advance party for my clan. If the children of the Lu Clan are to train in the Soul Mountain Sect’s Imperial Capital Branch in the future, we will definitely need a place to stay here too. Wait here for a moment, I will go retrieve the things from your father…”

While speaking, Lu Peien got up and went over to the next room. After a short while, he re-emerged with a parcel for Yan Liqiang.

Yan Liqiang opened the parcel, revealing two sheets of silver promissory notes from the Datong Monetary House, each worth a hundred taels. Apart from that, there were also two winter protective clothes and a tightly-sealed can…

“Your father worries about your well-being in the Imperial Capital. He wonders if you have enough money to use, or if you have been eating well and keeping yourself warm enough. He told me that you love salted apricots that are sold in your hometown and specifically asked me to bring some for you in case you get homesick in the Imperial Capital. They’re tightly sealed in the can, so you can store them for a long time without worrying about them going bad.”

Looking at the things Lu Peien had brought all the way here and imaging his father’s deeply concerned face, Yan Liqiang immediately felt a little teary…