In the autumn evening in Lan Town, the withered yellow leaves create a slightly desolate atmosphere.
A cool breeze blew into Qian Dayong, who shrank his neck and looked up at the house in front of him again.
The vermilion gate was tightly shut, not even a crack could be seen.
Qian Dayong even began to doubt whether he had actually seen the doorman.
With these doubts in mind, Qian Dayong rubbed his hands together and went up the steps to knock on the door again.
The door wasn't opened, only a small opening was visible. When the doorman saw it was him, he didn't even bother to smile.
"Young man, I troubled you to inform the governor earlier. I wonder if he is currently..."
Qian Dayong was tall, and he bent slightly over as he asked the gatekeeper in a polite tone.
"The master is busy, please wait a moment." Before Qian Dayong could finish speaking, the gatekeeper closed the small window.
Qian Dayong was met with a cold shoulder. "Little brat, what are you so arrogant about?"
"Wait until I gain the governor's favor, then you'll be sorry."
Although he was angry, he didn't dare say these things in front of the gatekeeper.
Qian Dayong knew that these gatekeepers were not to be underestimated; if he offended them, they might cause trouble.
But now he's in trouble. The gatekeeper keeps saying that the governor is busy, but he doesn't know if it's true or not.
Yesterday, the county magistrate hosted a banquet, and according to his official rank, he was among those invited.
But something went wrong, causing delays here and there, and by the time it was all resolved, the banquet was over.
So today, as soon as Qian Dayong finished his shift, he brought gifts to visit Song Kangcheng.
Thinking to myself, with so many people at yesterday's banquet, I wasn't even sure I'd get a proper conversation with the governor.
It should be much more convenient for him to come alone today.
Xu Yi is gaining more and more popularity among the guards, and he is becoming more adept at handling many things.
This made Qian Dayong even more apprehensive. If he didn't find a way to suppress Xu Yi, he feared his own future would be hopeless.
With that thought in mind, Qian Dayong walked down the steps again and began to pace back and forth.
After walking around twice, a carriage drove up, and Qian Dayong awkwardly hid the gifts in his hands behind his back.
The person inside came out quickly, and oh, it was an old acquaintance.
"Deputy Commander Qian?" Master Chu looked up and saw Qian Dayong.
"Master Chu, it's been a long time." Although the two were not close, they knew each other since they lived in the same town.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Master Chu's eyes darted around.
"Is Vice Commander Qian here to pay his respects to the Governor?"
Before the carriage even reached the gate of the Song residence, Master Chu had already spotted Qian Dayong.
"Hahaha."
"Yes, yes, Lord Song is our superior, so it is only right that we subordinates pay him a visit."
Qian Dayong chuckled and came up with a plausible excuse.
"Is Master Chu also here to visit Lord Song?" Qian Dayong looked behind Master Chu.
Two servants are carrying things out of the carriage.
"Although I am not Lord Song's subordinate, I have heard that Lord Song is fond of reading and has beautiful handwriting."
"I happen to have a batch of books at home, so I'm bringing them over for Lord Song to take a look at."
When talking about this, Master Chu looked quite proud. He was a businessman, eloquent, and naturally generous.
"I wonder what gift Vice Commander Qian brought for Lord Song?"
As he spoke, Master Chu looked around as if searching for the gift.
When Qian Dayong saw that big box, he suddenly felt that the small paper bag he was carrying was nothing.
“Master Chu is well aware that being an official also has its difficulties.”
"If I bring something with me, some people will surely say that I am bribing Lord Song."
"If word gets out, it won't be good for my reputation or for Lord Song's reputation."
"Unlike you, Master Chu, you don't hold office and don't have to think about those complicated matters."
Master Chu subtly mocked Qian Dayong for not bringing any gifts, but Qian Dayong was not one to be trifled with and used his official position to intimidate Master Chu.
Sure enough, Master Chu was speechless for a moment, and all he could do was laugh awkwardly, not knowing how to refute it.
He was even a little annoyed, because at the beginning of the day he had gone to visit the county magistrate's office.
But the county magistrate didn't even show his face; he simply had his servants send him away.
Master Chu guessed that Xu Genshan must have said something to the county magistrate.
Hmph, if Lan Town only had the county magistrate, he would have to think of ways to please him.
But now Lanzhen still has the governor, so currying favor with the governor is much more effective than currying favor with the county magistrate.
I never expected to run into Qian Dayong, that smiling tiger, here.
Look at his stingy, pretentious manner.
Master Chu rolled his eyes discreetly, then waved his hand, signaling his attendants to follow.
"Deputy Commander Qian, I'm going to pay a visit to Lord Song. See you later."
"Alright, see you later." Qian Dayong stared straight at Master Chu and the others. He wanted to see how these people could get in if he couldn't even get in himself.
Sure enough, Master Chu and his entourage were still standing at the door.
"No, young man, I know Lord Song is busy."
"I certainly won't bother Lord Song, but I've prepared some small gifts, and I would appreciate it if you could pass them on to me."
After several fruitless attempts to persuade him, Master Chu changed his strategy.
It doesn't matter if the person can't see me, as long as Lord Song can see my feelings.
The gatekeeper still refused, saying, "Please leave, our adults don't accept gifts."
He was about to close the small window when he said that.
Master Chu quickly put his hand down to stop him, saying, "Young man, young man, don't worry."
"It's not a gift, it's a book."
As he spoke, Master Chu gestured to his attendants to open the box.
Then, using one hand, I pried a slit in the top few books.
Beneath the book, neatly stacked stacks of silver were visible.
"Young man, these books are from my own study. They're free; I just wanted to amuse Lord Song."
"Just let me know when you've finished reading it, and I'll send someone to pick it up."
Master Chu was extremely proud of himself; he was a master at giving gifts.
In a few days, bring the box back, leave the silver at the Chu residence, and outsiders won't see anything amiss.
"Here, this is your errand fee, young man." Master Chu pulled a money bag from his waist and handed it to the gatekeeper with a solicitous expression.
The doorman's expression finally softened a bit, and he subtly squeezed the money pouch.
Good heavens, it's not broken silver, it's silver ingots.
"You're much more sensible than the one who just came." He had been a doorman for quite some time and was very satisfied with Master Chu's generosity.
Master Chu was a businessman, and he was very good at reading people's expressions. He took in the doorman's expression perfectly.
"Could you open the door, young man, and I'll have my servants carry the book inside?"
How could Qian Dayong, with his stingy ways, compare to me? Someone like him would probably only get rejected.
The doorman, clutching the money pouch, considered for a moment. "Wait a minute, I need to inform the steward about this."
He couldn't make that decision about accepting gifts.
"I will also report this to Lord Song on your behalf."
Master Chu was overjoyed to hear this. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you, young man. I will reward you handsomely once it’s done.”
The gatekeeper responded, closed the window, and left. Master Chu smacked his lips.
He muttered to himself, "Money really does make the devil turn the millstone."
The waiting time always seemed long, and Master Chu looked up and gazed around listlessly.
As they looked around, they saw another carriage leisurely approaching the Song residence.
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