Chapter 297: Fellow Countrymen

Yan Liqiang’s dinner was Gan Province’s authentic whole lamb roast, served by a restaurant in the Gan Provincial Guild Hall.

In addition to Lu Peien and Manager You, the latter also invited three more people to dine with them. All of them hailed from Gan Province and were running small businesses in the Imperial Capital. One of them was a leather and fur dealer surnamed Wu. The other was a timber merchant surnamed Liu and a medicine dealer surnamed Wen. Leather, fur, medicine, and timber were things that could build a business reputation even outside of Gan Province. Apart from these, there were also quite a lot of products from Gan Province. Yet only a few of them could truly survive in the Imperial Capital market.

In this era, most people who were away from home tended to stick together. Those who were from the same sect, the same school, or the same town were the easiest to get along with, thus building a rich and complex social network. Yan Liqiang didn’t particularly dislike this idea. Most people couldn’t avoid this kind of thing unless they were gods who didn’t live in the mortal world.

After knowing Yan Liqiang’s identity, everyone around the dining table was more respectful toward Yan Liqiang. They even went out of their way to flatter Yan Liqiang a little. Even so, Yan Liqiang remained modest and humble, returning the same politeness and respect to his fellow countrymen from Gan Province without an ounce of arrogance. Thanks to Lu Peien and Manager You’s efforts in keeping the conversation going, the dinner was quite a pleasant one. At least Manager You and the others seemed to have a great time.

Yan Liqiang never really felt how special his status as the Yingyang Commandant in the Imperial Cavalry Unit was until he came into contact with these people. It was only after the dinner today that he realized his status was not only special in these people’s eyes, but super amazing to them.

According to Manager You’s explanation, there was only a total of three people from all of Gan Province who managed to get a job in the bureaucracy at the Imperial Capital before Yan Liqiang arrived. Among these three people, one of them was the director of the Bureau of Transportation under the Ministry of War with the military ranking of Rank Five Standard Class, surnamed Huang. The other was the ministerial vice director of the Palace Secretariat with the military ranking of Rank Six Standard Class, surnamed Cheng. The remaining one was the administrative assistant of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, similarly with the military ranking of Rank Six Standard Class surnamed Ma. These three individuals were pretty much the three representatives from Gan Province at the Imperial Capital’s bureaucracy. Their reputations were not only renowned in their respective hometowns, but also throughout Gan Province. Manager You would always seize the opportunity to visit their residences every year with local specialties from Gan Province as gifts during the new year or any festivals.

After these three people, Yan Liqiang was the fourth Gan Province native who managed to make it big at the Imperial Capital. The youngest among the first three was Assistant Ma who was in his forties. Therefore, Yan Liqiang would be the youngest out of all of them.

Since he was young, he had boundless prospects ahead of him.

Upon careful reflection, Yan Liqiang realized that if he hadn’t established a relationship with Sun Bingchen and made only a small contribution by luck without leaving much of an impression on their way to the Imperial Capital, then getting a job in the bureaucracy in a place like this as a newcomer would be as difficult as ascending the heavens. This was all dictated by everyone’s chances and luck. The capable ones might not even get to his position if they weren’t given the opportunity. If those with such opportunity weren’t capable enough, they would similarly miss the great opportunity in front of them. Yan Liqiang just happened to have the opportunity and was slightly capable, so he was able to establish himself in the Imperial Capital despite his young age, thus becoming the object of envy for many.

The dinner lasted late into the night. Only then did everyone leave in high spirits.

Since it was already dark, Manager You insisted on sending Yan Liqiang back to Deer Villa with the guild hall’s carriage. Yan Liqiang didn’t reject the offer either. When he was leaving, Manager You, Lu Peien, and the other shop owners who dined with him also came to see him off.

Yan Liqiang just got into the carriage when Manager You handed a package to him. “Brother Liqiang, this is a congratulatory gift from me and the other shop owners. Congratulations on your promotion to Commandant Yingyang of the Imperial Cavalry Unit! You are the pride of Gan Province. Once again, we wish you a bright future, Brother Liqiang. This is no more than a token of our friendship as fellow countrymen, please don’t decline it!”

Yan Liqiang couldn’t really feel the weight of the small package in his palms. It felt like it only weighed a few jin. As soon as Yan Liqiang tried to weigh it, he already knew the package probably consisted of silver promissory notes. Otherwise, this congratulatory gift from the shop owners would only amount to merely several dozen taels of silver. That would be a little too disgraceful and unbefitting of their statuses as shop owners who could take their business all the way to the Imperial Capital.

Lu Peien stood at the side, silently smiling.

“Liqiang will accept it gracefully since it is everyone’s goodwill!” Yan Liqiang accepted the package with a smile. “I usually stay in Deer Villa where I am expected to perform my duty. I don’t get that many chances to visit the Imperial Capital so I may not be well-informed. If there is anything at the Gan Provincial Guild Hall, just send someone with a letter to me at Deer Villa!”

A knowing smile appeared on Manager You and other shop owners’ faces when they heard Yan Liqiang. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they personally saw Yan Liqiang off at the Gan Provincial Guild Hall and watched his carriage leave.

…..

“Brother Lu, does Brother Liqiang have a wife back in Pingxi Prefecture?”

After the other shop owners left the Gan Provincial Guild Hall, Manager You pulled Lu Peien to the side and whispered the question to him.

This question was the biggest regret for the Lu Clan. When Lu Peien heard Manager You’s question, he sighed inwardly yet still retained the smile on his face. “You have a plan in mind, Manager You?”

Manager You laughed and shook his head. “I was merely curious because Brother Liqiang is a young and promising man. It’s still too early to be talking about plans for him. I’m sure Brother Lu is aware of the circumstances surrounding the Imperial Capital. With all that power struggle, who would dare to get involved? If Brother Liqiang isn’t posted in the Imperial Capital, he would indeed be a son-in-law who is hard to come by. But it is exactly because Brother Liqiang has boundless prospects ahead of him in the Imperial Capital that I dare not be too presumptuous…”

“I see!” Lu Peien nodded. “Brother Liqiang doesn’t have a wife yet back in Pingxi City, but…”

“But…?”

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“But Brother Liqiang is very enthralled by cultivation and is very enthusiastic about it. He once said to me that he wouldn’t marry anyone unless she is a peerless beauty who understands him!” Lu Peien replied with a deadpan expression.

…

Yan Liqiang sat in the carriage, observing the brightly lit street of the Imperial Capital and the bustling crowd in it through the window with an incomprehensible look.

Despite being cheerful and lively around Manager You and the rest at Gan Provincial Guild Hall earlier, Yan Liqiang couldn’t force himself to look happy and pretend he was at ease when he was truly alone. He simply couldn’t shake off the feeling that everyone and everything before his eyes were nothing more than colorful fragile bubbles which would suddenly burst at any moment…

The face of that mysterious Daoist priest by the name Fang Beidou, whom Yan Liqiang encountered today, loomed in his mind…

Unbeknownst to him, rising flames scorched the night sky to the north of the Imperial Capital and illuminated the entire sky. Groups of fire wardens blew their whistles while pushing the water carts and water hoses. They passed by Yan Liqiang’s carriage, rushing over to the place where the fire had broken out…

Yan Liqiang watched the scene from the carriage, not feeling particularly bothered. After all, fires were common in cities. Since the fire wardens were already making their way to the scene, there was nothing much to worry about.

When the carriage arrived outside the West Glorious Gate, Yan Liqiang realized that the number of soldiers stationed there had increased unknowingly. They were thoroughly checking all the people, steeds, and carriages that were exiting the city.

When the Gan Provincial Guild Hall’s carriage was exiting the city, the soldiers immediately opened the carriage door. They checked both the outside and inside, not leaving even the bottom of the carriage unchecked. After verifying that there was nothing suspicious, only then did they allow Yan Liqiang’s carriage to pass through the city gates.

Not long after they left the city gates, the approaching sounds of thundering iron hooves rang out behind them. It was closely followed by several tens of rhinodrake steeds zooming past Yan Liqiang’s carriage, rushing ahead of the road in front of them. The riders were all burly and energetic men dressed in combat clothes, carrying swords and sabers with them…

The carriage stopped right in front of Deer Villa’s entrance. Yan Liqiang got off and rewarded the coachman with a silver fragment he retrieved from his chest. He then walked toward the entrance of Deer Villa with the two small packages in his hands while the coachman showered him with gratitude.

“Ah, Commandant Yan is back! Hurry and open the door…!” A low ranking officer standing guard outside Deer Villa immediately broke into a smile at Yan Liqiang’s return, then opened the gates to let him in.

By now, everyone was aware that Yan Liqiang was highly regarded by Eunuch Liu. Who would dare be irreverent around him?

“Thank you for your hard work, brothers!” Yan Liqiang politely greeted the soldiers at the entrance.

“You are most welcome!” The low ranking officer who was guarding the entrance looked as though he was overwhelmed by Yan Liqiang’s words.

……

Returning to his small courtyard, Yan Liqiang started scanning the area as soon as he entered his house. He realized that some of the arrangements he had secretly set inside had been moved around. Someone had secretly intruded this place. In all of Deer Villa, even the two little eunuchs serving Eunuch Liu’s side wouldn’t dare to enter his house without his permission. Who was it that dared to come in?

While Yan Liqiang was thinking about this, the faint scent of blood wafted into his nose. He scanned the room again and immediately picked up a sword which was hanging on the wall before he went upstairs.

He found the intruder before he even had to search around.

The intruder was dressed in black and wearing a face veil, lying motionlessly on the ground of Yan Liqiang’s bedroom. Trails of blood which seemed to come from the person in black stained the bedroom floor.

Yan Liqiang didn’t approach the person directly in case it was a trap. He went over to the side of that person on the floor instead and lifted the veil with his sword first…

A breathtaking and exquisite face was then revealed before Yan Liqiang’s very eyes.

He was stunned upon seeing the face.

The person dressed in black turned out to be the Sword Fairy, Hua Ruxue…