Chapter 193

Hu Xiaotian's true concern was still that IOU; to think that when he wrote the IOU he didn't mention it, and he even stamped it with his own official seal. Looking back now, his actions back then were truly lacking consideration—he only wanted to get out of trouble quickly and retrieve his luggage, and only now does he realize what a major hidden danger he left behind. Ultimately, it was his own negligence; during this time in Azure Cloud he had been living leisurely and carefree, actually forgetting about the debt altogether. He should have sent someone early to repay the money and retrieve the IOU.

Before Hu Xiaotian even reached the door, he saw Xiang Qin and her party walk in. Hu Xiaotian put on a beaming smile and said, "Sister Qin, what wind blew you here?" As he spoke, his gaze slipped to the beauty behind Xiang Qin, and Hu Xiaotian felt his breath catch; the beauty's peerless looks truly stunned him. Of course, it wasn't just him who was stunned—the entire grand hall fell silent in an instant, only the heavy breathing could be heard, occasionally mixed with the sound of someone gulping saliva.

Both dressed in male attire, Murong Feiyan wore hers with a heroic and spirited bearing, while the girl before him appeared even more alluring and captivating. Her lovely eyes, intentionally or not, swept across the grand hall, and almost every man thought to himself, She looked at me! She's looking at me! Because the girl's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, he felt overjoyed.

Hu Xiaotian realized that the girl's potential to bring disaster to the nation and the people was absolutely on par with Le Yao's, except she possessed even greater composure and calm; the gaze emanating from her lovely eyes carried an aloof pride and a disdain for everything. As for women, beauty is the capital of pride.

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said, "Miss, it seems this is our first meeting; I don't know how to address you."

The red-clad girl replied simply and clearly: "Creditor!"

Hu Xiaotian immediately recalled that IOU; the creditor was called Xi Yan, and obviously that was the girl before him. He quickly had Shopkeeper Song arrange seats for them, then slipped over to Xiang Qin's side and whispered, "Sister Qin, I'll have someone repay you the money later." Times have changed; in the past, the debtor would be the elder gentleman, and Hu Xiaotian wouldn't fear a creditor showing up at his door. But today is different—with so many important figures present, if he were to be dunning for payment on the spot, his dignity would surely not survive.

Xiang Qin laughed gleefully and said, "Brother Xiaotian, what's money or no money between us? Bringing up money only hurts feelings." She was born with a loud voice, and as she spoke, everyone in the grand hall heard her. Xiang Qin wore heavy makeup; her every move exuded an air of the demimonde. Even though she hadn't revealed her identity, the crowd still contained many regulars of pleasure quarters, and these folks could guess her identity at a glance to about seventy or eighty percent. However, the red-clad girl and her four maids showed not a trace of that demimonde air, especially the red-clad girl, whose beauty was so striking that one dared not stare directly.

Hu Xiaotian had originally intended to return to Prince Long Yefang's side, but Xiang Qin grabbed him with one hand. Don't look at Hu Xiaotian training every day and having considerable strength—he still couldn't match Xiang Qin's innate divine strength. Having her grip his wrist felt like an iron hoop clamped around his arm; he felt that if she exerted even a little force, his arm would break. Xiang Qin said, "Don't rush off."

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile and said, "Sister Qin, I still need to attend to the other guests; let's talk later."

Xi Yan gave a glance, and Xiang Qin finally released Hu Xiaotian's arm, freeing him. He hurried back to Prince Long Yefang's side, and Xu Qinglian and Liu Baoju also took the opportunity to slip in unnoticed. The two exchanged a look; in fact, neither had ever seen Prince Long Yefang before, but seeing the young man in a bright yellow robe, full of nobility, like stars surrounding the moon, they were certain it was Long Yefang. Although their official ranks were not high, they had been mingling in official circles for many years, so they still had this keen sense.

The two rushed forward, thudding as they knelt one after the other. Since Liu Baoju was somewhat younger, his movements were more agile than Xu Qinglian's; although Xu Qinglian's kneeling speed couldn't match Liu Baoju's, he managed to speak before Liu Baoju, saying respectfully, "Your humble servant Xu Qinglian pays his respects to Prince Long Yefang, Thousand Years, myriad myriad years…"

Liu Baoju, fearful of falling behind, said, "Your humble servant Liu Baoju pays his respects to Prince Long Yefang, Thousand Years."

After they finished speaking, the smile on Prince Long Yefang's face suddenly vanished; he coldly stared at the two, and the wine cup in his hand came down heavily on the table.

Neither realized what had offended Prince Long Yefang; combined, their official careers had never once brought them into contact with imperial relatives, and seeing one for the first time, they naturally wanted to curry favor with this seventeenth prince, never expecting that a single sentence would offend the prince—they should not have referred to themselves as "subjects."

In Dakang, strict regulations govern rank: when officials meet a prince, they may refer to themselves as "old man" or "your humble servant," but they may not call themselves "subject." Even the crown prince allows only his close attendants, in private, to humbly call themselves "subject"; in public they dare not touch this taboo, for if word reached the emperor's ears, it would surely arouse suspicion.

Prince Long Yefang paid no heed to the two, naturally not letting them rise. Since the prince remained silent, those two fellows could only kneel obediently. Having previously met Zhang Ziqian, they gazed hopefully at the Prefect of Xizhou, wishing he would speak a word on their behalf.

Zhang Ziqian pretended not to have seen them, smiling at Hu Xiaotian and saying, "Sir Hu, when will tonight's charity auction begin?"

Hu Xiaotian glanced around the grand hall and said, "The guests have pretty much all arrived; we can start now." He rose and walked toward the makeshift stage. At this moment, Hu Xiaotian's mind had swept away the earlier gloom; having seen the deserted gate and sparse carriages, he had thought tonight would surely end in dismal failure, but he never expected developments to twist and turn, with notable figures appearing one after another in full regalia—even Dakang's seventeenth prince had come to show his support. To say tonight's events are somewhat uncanny—could it be that all these people had arranged this in advance?

Hu Xiaotian mounted the stage with ambitious vigor, for in this era there were no microphones, so he had to rely on his loud voice. He cleared his throat and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, good evening!"

The venue fell silent, and after a full five seconds of stunned quiet, faint applause began to rise—of course, the applause was kicked off by Shopkeeper Song directing his assistants to start clapping, and it quickly spread throughout the audience. This manner of greeting was indeed rather novel, so it failed to fully rouse the crowd's enthusiasm.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "Tonight's distinguished guests have gathered, and the Hongyan Lodge shines forth. First, I wish to thank our handsome, elegant, graceful, and approachable Prince Long Yefang for gracing the event with his presence and supporting our charitable cause—please give him your applause."

Wow! The applause was obviously much louder than when Hu Xiaotian first appeared on stage; he silently cursed, "Yeah! People are so realistic—even applause depends on status."

Prince Long Yefang rose, smiled, and gestured to the crowd; he truly bore little of the aristocratic airs of royalty, his every move refined and courteous, his manner approachable—except toward Xu Qinglian and Liu Baoju. Those two clueless fellows had lost their heads, actually addressing him as "subject," which was nothing but misplaced flattery.

Hu Xiaotian added, "We should also give our applause to my ageless friend, the vigorous and steadfast Prefect of Xizhou, Sir Zhang!" Since you already call me Brother Hu, I certainly won't stand on ceremony with you, and Hu Xiaotian understands that Zhang Ziqian's courtesy toward him isn't merely out of respect for his future father-in-law.

The crowd immediately responded; Zhang Ziqian could only offer a wry smile as he rose and cupped his fists toward the audience—this fellow was clearly mocking him. The applause was somewhat less than that given to Prince Long Yefang earlier, but still louder than that for Hu Xiaotian, showing that everyone is adept at gauging the proper measure, effectively controlling the volume of applause and cheers according to official rank and status.

Hu Xiaotian turned his gaze to the Black Miao Tribe's section and said, "Let us welcome the brothers and sisters of the Black Miao Tribe from Black Stone Stronghold. Though we belong to different ethnicities, we all live in the same great family of Dakang; we are all like brothers. Thank you, Chief Teng, thank you for his lovely daughter, and thank you, brothers and sisters of the Black Miao Tribe, for your deep affection toward me…"

Led by Chief Teng Tianqi, the Black Miao Tribe members rose simultaneously, clenched their right fists against their chests, and performed a salute; the venue erupted with enthusiastic cheers.

Xu Qinglian and Liu Baoju were now utterly dumbfounded—Hu Xiaotian's capabilities were simply too great; from what they saw before them, it could truly be said he could reach heaven with hand and eye. Recalling their past encounters where they had been everywhere opposed to Hu Xiaotian, a chill ran through them; they were truly like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimating themselves. Had they known earlier of Hu Xiaotian's background, they would have rushed to curry favor, let alone dare to oppose him.

Hu Xiaotian skipped over introducing Red Willow Manor and Ring Color Pavilion; Xiao Tianmu is low-key by nature and not a socialite, so there was no need to introduce him. As for Ring Color Pavilion, Hu Xiaotian felt embarrassed to speak of it—he could not say that these ladies were all from the famed pleasure house Ring Color Pavilion in Xiezhou and even Xichuan—so he simply lumped them together under an ellipsis. Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "There are many guests, so please excuse me from introducing each one individually. However, everyone who is able to come here tonight, I will keep in my heart; thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this charity auction banquet and contribute your love for the people of Azure Cloud. Here, I wish to especially thank one person." He paused, then waved toward Song Shaofu below the stage, signaling him to come up.

Song Shaofu feigned reluctance twice, but still walked onto the stage. Hu Xiaotian solemnly introduced him, saying, "The one I wish to thank is none other than the proprietor of Hongyan Lodge, Shopkeeper Song; this charity banquet was made possible by his financial support. Thank you, Boss Song, and all the staff, for providing such an elegant setting and a delicious feast, and for your hard work and service." He led the applause.

Song Shaofu had never experienced such glory in his life; he cupped his hands and performed a four-fold bow, his face beaming, stammering as he repeatedly said, "It ought to be done, it ought to be done; as a member of Azure Cloud, I ought to…… contribute my share of strength to Azure Cloud's charitable cause……" This speech had also been discussed beforehand by Hu Xiaotian.

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