Chapter 367

Saying this, Su Qiao picked up the box lid and simply closed it.

Then he pulled it over to his side.

He turned his head and shouted outside, "Someone come! Serve tea!"

Cui Linyu's mouth corner twitched slightly.

From the moment he arrived until now, nearly two quarters of an hour had passed.

For such a long time, not a drop of tea had been served.

Only now, after a three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng was delivered, did he finally ask for tea to be served.

Was this really so snobbish?

But Su Qiao paid no heed to his reaction; after the servant served the tea and left, Su Qiao finally asked about his purpose.

"Deputy Envoy Cui, surely you did not come today merely to give me a gift? If there is anything, just speak freely!"

Su Qiao lifted the tea cup, took a light sip, and said.

"Young Master Su, I truly have a matter to inquire about. Today, several members of our delegation went out to stroll, but for some reason, they were detained by the Great Ming Guanfuya Sect. They were told no one was allowed to release them and that they must obey Young Master Su's orders. I wonder what is going on?"

After Cui Linyu had laid such a long foundation, he finally got the question out.

He stared unblinkingly at Su Qiao's eyes, as if trying to read something from them!

Su Qiao was not very good at acting; fearing he might expose himself, he simply decided to act naturally.

"Deputy Envoy Cui, the information you inquired about is quite accurate. This morning, while walking on the street, I happened to meet Pu Qi'en of your delegation in front of Yi Hong Lou. He was deliberately causing trouble and disturbing the order there. I merely advised him twice, and he should have stopped, but who knew he insisted on not changing his ways, claiming he was an envoy of the Korean King's tribute mission and that no one dared arrest him, and so on, with a very arrogant tone. The result was..."

Su Qiao did not finish the rest of his words, but Cui Linyu knew Pu Qi'en had been taken away and imprisoned.

"Then the other two..."

"The other two were also causing trouble on the street. I do not know what the situation is like in your Korea; can you simply curse and block roads on the street without any consequence?"

Su Qiao deliberately provoked Cui Linyu.

Hearing this, Cui Linyu immediately changed his expression to a serious one and denied, "Of course not in our country; they... they were merely exceptions."

"Oh, so in that case, Deputy Envoy Cui also believes they indeed committed an offense?"

Su Qiao suddenly asked.

This left Cui Linyu stunned for a moment.

He had not expected Su Qiao to dig a trap for him right there.

He originally thought that since Su Qiao had already accepted the heavy gift, it meant Su Qiao had softened his stance.

As long as he made a request, Su Qiao would satisfy him.

Who knew he would suddenly speak like this.

Was this a refusal?

Cui Linyu felt completely dazed.

His mind raced rapidly, considering how to respond to Su Qiao.

Or rather, he was considering Su Qiao's intentions.

"Young Master Su, they certainly committed an offense; it is impossible for the Great Ming Guanfuya Sect to arrest people arbitrarily. However, I feel these are all minor matters; a small punishment and a stern warning would suffice, so there is no need to make a big deal out of it, right?"

Cui Linyu tentatively said to Su Qiao.

Su Qiao looked at him, shook his head, and said, "If I had met Deputy Envoy Cui on the street earlier, before sending them to the Wucheng Cavalry Office, and if you had spoken up, I would certainly have given Deputy Envoy Cui some face."

"But now I have already made my statement public, and Deputy Envoy Cui now wants me to take it back; is that not inappropriate?"

As Su Qiao spoke, he also glanced at the ginseng placed on the table.

Cui Linyu: "..."

He pondered for a long time, and finally helplessly opened his mouth to ask tentatively, "Then according to Young Master Su's meaning..."

"If you want to get them out, it is possible, but the stakes... must be raised!" He tapped his index finger on the ginseng gift box.

Cui Linyu suddenly realized!

In his heart, he cursed Su Qiao thoroughly.

A three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng! Its value was worth far more than a thousand taels.

And the result? It was not a big deal at all; just one sentence, and now he had to add more to it.

When Li Kangcheng sent Cui Linyu and others to Great Ming, he had indeed prepared a generous fund of activity for them...

This money was specifically for them to bribe and cultivate relationships.

Every single coin, he had calculated meticulously.

The reality was that their country, compared to Great Ming, was not wealthy at all; it simply could not compare!

Their money was also limited!

Naturally, they needed to save.

But now, not giving it was impossible; Su Qiao was clearly demanding a gift, and a heavy one at that.

Cui Linyu calculated rapidly in his heart.

Although Su Qiao looked young, his status and position seemed quite high; if he could really win Su Qiao over, it would seem far more worthwhile than winning over two or three ministers.

In just a few dozen breaths, Cui Linyu had thought all this in his mind!

He suddenly widened his eyes and gazed intensely at Su Qiao, "Young Master Su, money is not a problem; to show sincerity, I can add another ten thousand taels!"

Saying this, Cui Linyu took out a silver note for ten thousand taels from his robe.

Su Qiao's eyes instantly lit up.

Alas, I should have asked for more.

Those Gao Li bastards last year really had money.

I was thinking asking for another thousand taels would be enough, but I did not expect they would directly increase it tenfold.

What a good man, a little money boy.

Whoosh!

Su Qiao's hands were incomparably fast—in the blink of an eye he had snatched the banknotes away.

"Deputy Commissioner Cui is far too kind. Don't worry, I guarantee they'll be able to go back tonight."

Take the money and get the job done—Su Qiao decisively agreed.

Although Cui Linyu felt a twinge of heartache, Su Qiao had finally agreed to it after all.

He also breathed a sigh of relief inside.

"By the way, Young Master Su, I noticed your residence actually has quite a few Embroidered Uniform Guards. What's going on?"

Cui Linyu suddenly remembered the flying-fish robes he had glimpsed when he first entered Su Fu, and couldn't help asking out of curiosity.

Su Qiao explained: "Oh, that. The residence was attacked by some petty thieves before, and afterward, worried about safety, we had the Embroidered Uniform Guards transferred over to help keep an eye on the gate."

Su Qiao deliberately did not mention that it was Zhu Youjian who had ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guards transferred to protect him.

If he said it was His Majesty who dispatched them, Cui Linyu—who harbored guilty schemes—would very likely be scared off and slink back.

It had taken a lot of effort to lure him out; if he let him slink back now, wouldn't all the previous work be wasted?

221, this official wants to sit and have a look!

Cui Linyu really was taken in by Su Qiao's words.

He believed his story.

In his heart, he raised Su Qiao's standing a few notches higher.

"So that's how it is."

The gifts had been given, and the earlier awkwardness seemed to have vanished as well.

The two sides chatted and seemed to hit it off very well.

After a full hour of idle talk, Cui Linyu finally took his leave with his subordinates.

After the servants saw Cui Linyu off, Su Qiao stretched his back, and the fake smile on his face could no longer be held in place.

"Oh my, honestly—I'm clearly not an actor, yet I still have to put on a show."

With no guests around, he no longer had to sit ramrod-straight and tense like he had just now.

Arms and legs splayed wide open, he was practically lying on the chair.

Liu Rushi came out from the rear hall, heard Su Qiao's clowning words, and laughed softly.

"If you want to rest, you can go rest in the back courtyard. If you're tired, this concubine can give you a rub-down in a bit."

"Great!"

Ever since Liu Rushi had her household registration removed, her whole person had become much gentler and more serene.