Chapter 380 Transaction

The back gate of the Xiao residence.

A figure wearing a bamboo hat and dressed in blue paused and glanced at the wall. Just as he was about to climb over the wall, he heard the footsteps of two women coming from the alley entrance.

Wei Qingqing's feet were aching from walking, and when she saw Xiao He beside her with no change in expression, she became angry: "It's all your fault! Why didn't you bring some extra silver?! You knew that money pouch was meant to bribe the people at the Grand Princess's residence, but now that we have no money, I'm forced to walk back on my own two legs!"

Xiao He explained, "Miss Wei, you keep your own money safe. I can't get the money without your permission..."

"You dare to talk back?!" Wei Qingqing's eyebrows shot up.

Xiao He shrank back slightly: "Miss Wei, please calm down, this servant knows she was wrong."

The two of them chatted back and forth until they finally reached the alley behind the Xiao family's house, and Wei Qingqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm exhausted..." She rubbed her lower back, and just by looking up, she saw the figure in blue clothes and a bamboo hat outside the Xiao family's wall.

The master and servant immediately fell silent, lowered their heads, and slowed their pace.

It's no wonder they were cautious; few people in the capital would dress like this when going out. Moreover, standing so furtively at the foot of the Xiao family's wall looked very strange!

As she got closer to the man in blue, Wei Qingqing's breathing became lighter.

She glanced casually at the person in the straw hat, and it turned out to be a woman with a scar on her face!

Xiao He had already knocked on the back door. The old woman inside yawned and looked at the two of them impatiently: "Why are you back so late?! Come in quickly!"

"Yes, yes!" Xiao He helped Wei Qingqing and was about to walk inside.

"Whoosh—" The woman in green suddenly reached out and blocked the two of them with an unyielding stance.

The old woman had only opened the door a crack and was yawning inside, so she didn't see the third person at all! The person in the blue robe and bamboo hat suddenly jumped out, startling her!

Just then, her hand was on the door, and she instinctively slammed it shut.

Wei Qingqing was dumbfounded. She didn't know this woman at all. Why was she stopping her for no reason?

It's impossible for someone to rob someone in broad daylight, in this very place!

She silently took a half step back, moving away from the thin arm with calluses on its palm, and swallowed hard. "Um, heroine, we don't think we've met before, have we? I'm going home now. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Wei Qingqing?" The other person's voice was hoarse, like a withered branch scraping on the ground, so harsh that Wei Qingqing's heart jumped instantly.

She didn't know the other person, but the other person knew her!

While she was pondering, the woman in green cut to the chase: "My master has a deal he would like to make with Miss Wei. I wonder if Miss Wei is interested?"

Although it was a question, the tone left no room for Wei Qingqing to refuse!

Wei Qingqing glanced nervously at Xiao He beside her before asking tremblingly, "...What kind of deal?"

The next day.

Before dawn, all the officials in the capital had already crawled out of their warm beds, dressed in their court robes, and set off from their homes to attend court.

This is the first grand court assembly of the year in its true sense. All officials serving in the capital, regardless of rank, must enter the palace to pay homage.

The only difference was that officials of the fifth rank and above could enter Hanyuan Hall, while those below could only stand in the open space outside, exposed to the cold wind all morning.

Fortunately, after the court assembly, the emperor would bestow hot soup and breakfast, which somewhat soothed the hearts of the lower officials.

There is another matter worth mentioning today. The envoy from Yue Kingdom who came to offer congratulations two days ago has arrived in the capital, and today is their formal audience.

Before the court session, Sun Miao repeatedly confirmed that the emperor's attire conformed to regulations, that every tassel on his crown was neat and tidy, and that there was not a single wrinkle on the hem of his robe. Only then did he respectfully invite the new emperor to the Hanyuan Hall.

Last night, Qi Jun spent almost the entire night reading in an effort to calm his mind. When he woke up this morning, the bloodshot eyes of his eyes terrified Sun Miao, who feared that His Majesty might be in a bad mood during his first proper court meeting and might dismiss a bunch of newly appointed officials.

Today, an envoy from the Yue Kingdom has entered the main hall to pay his respects. Your Majesty must remain calm and composed.

Hanyuan Hall.

The civil and military officials stood in two rows, heads slightly bowed, eyes downcast, awaiting the arrival of the new emperor from outside the palace.

Suddenly, a cold wind arose, and dark clouds shrouded the sky above the palace.

In the open space in front of the palace, the eight banners of the Qi Kingdom fluttered in the wind, and the minor officials were also blown about, so they could only shrink their necks and clench their hands into their sleeves to keep warm, but dared not move too much.

A flash of light tore through the dark clouds.

A few breaths later, a series of muffled thunderclaps erupted, and a torrential downpour began.

The entire capital of Qi was swallowed up.

Rain clouds loomed overhead, colliding in a series of attacks, thunder rumbled everywhere, and the gale-force winds turned the raindrops into silver knives, coldly attacking every minor official standing outside the palace.

The pattering rain drowned out the speaker's voice.

"This is the first day of the new emperor's ascension to the throne, how could there suddenly be lightning, thunder, and a violent storm?!"

"It's already the eighth day of the first lunar month, and it's still raining in the capital. Thunder and rain in winter, this is not a good omen!"

"The time is almost here, why hasn't His Majesty arrived yet? How much longer are we going to stand here in the rain?!"

"Did the Imperial Observatory fail to predict that it would rain today? They didn't even set up a rain shelter; this is utterly dereliction of duty..."

A series of complaints, whose origins were indistinguishable, clearly reached Xie Tingzhou's ears.

His fingers, tucked into his sleeves, twitched as he desperately suppressed the itch in his throat caused by the wind and rain.

Actually, his health has improved a lot in recent days, at least compared to two years ago, and he can get a little rainy without any problem.

But he didn't say anything; the abnormality in his body betrayed him.

A colleague nearby had already noticed that something was wrong with him, and disregarding any rules of conduct, asked loudly, "Xingzhi, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

This sound startled the palace servants and guards who were standing not far away.

The officials standing outside the palace were either of low rank or young, but in any case, they were the last remaining valuables after their families were confiscated and they were people approved by His Majesty. They had not prepared for the sudden rain today and were already trembling with fear. Now, seeing that the top scholar of this year's imperial examination, Lord Xie, had actually been caught in the rain, they were even more apprehensive.

So someone quickly grabbed a spare oil-paper umbrella from the side, ran forward, and held it up for Xie Tingzhou with concern.

The rain had stopped, but Xie Tingzhou's cotton-padded coat was already soaked through, and the wind still made him shiver with cold.

Suddenly, a resounding chorus rang out from the central gate:

"The imperial carriage departs—"

In an instant, the officials in charge of cultural relics raised their tablets and bowed slightly.