Chapter 289: Gifts

An Wang heard this and hurriedly bowed with a salute to express his thanks: "Many thanks to Imperial Elder Brother for your great grace!" Afterwards he respectfully withdrew. After An Wang left, he secretly pondered in his heart.

An Wang knew well that the Emperor's punishment this time was merely for show; after all, that paltry half-year's salary was not even comparable to the monthly income of one of his shops! Thus it was clear that this so-called punishment was actually quite light.

At the same time, An Wang did not fully believe what that assassin had said. On the way home, he sat in the sedan chair, lost in thought all the way, repeatedly pondering the truth that might be hidden behind the whole matter.

That very afternoon, just as Ai Jiao had promised, he generously invited the two to share a sumptuous dinner. After the meal, Ai Jiao and Yan Wang mounted their horses together, preparing to set off on the road back to camp.

By the time the morning court session ended the next day, sunlight shone just right on the streets and alleys of Jingcheng. At this moment, an exquisitely decorated carriage came slowly along and finally stopped steadily before the Gate of An Wang Fu.

The stewards waiting at the Gate saw this, hurriedly stepped forward, lifted the carriage curtain to glance inside, then turned and ran inside to report to An Wangfei.

It turned out that the one riding in this carriage was Luo Minghui, and this time he had specially brought his young son, coming specifically to thank Qianqian for her help yesterday.

Upon hearing this news, An Wangfei did not dare to be slow; she immediately ordered the servants beside her to lead the distinguished guests to the Front Hall to be served tea. At the same time, she sent another group of servants to quickly find An Wang, so that he could come as soon as possible to meet the guests.

When Luo Minghui and his son hurried to the Front Hall, they saw An Wangfei smiling as she came forward to welcome them, and warmly urged them to take their seats. Then she quickly turned to instruct the servant waiting Beside: "Quickly, serve good tea to Luo Adult and Luo Young Master!"

In a short while, the servants nimbly placed the steaming hot tea on the table. Just as everyone was preparing to rest a moment, a steady and slow footstep sound came from far to near—it turned out that An Wang had arrived.

Seeing this, Luo Minghui and Luo Chen hurriedly stood up and performed a great salute to An Wang with utmost respect.

Seeing this, An Wang waved his hand slightly and said in a gentle tone: "You two need not be so polite, please take your seats quickly." After receiving permission, the two then sat down again.

After everything was settled, Luo Minghui took the lead in breaking the silence. He cleared his throat and spoke solemnly: "This old subject has come specially today to thank the Princess in person for the great kindness of saving my son's life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out his hand and carefully extended the exquisite small box he was holding tightly toward An Wang. Immediately afterward, he added: "Inside is this old subject's humble heartfelt intention; please, An Wang Your Highness, must accept it with a smile."

After speaking, he lightly lifted the box lid, and in an instant, a thick stack of banknotes appeared before everyone's eyes.

It turned out that Luo Minghui had previously heard that An Wang had recently been reprimanded by the Sage and had a large portion of his salary confiscated.

Thus, he had the thought to take this opportunity to present this money to express his concern. However, facing this heavy gift before him, An Wang did not reach out to take it, but politely refused: "Luo Adult, you are truly too courteous! Yesterday's matter, after all, was caused by this King's own momentary negligence, allowing that hateful assassin to mix into the hunting grounds. Fortunately, your son is safe and sound; otherwise this King would truly be hard-pressed to escape blame! This gift, this King absolutely cannot accept."

Luo Minghui slightly parted his lips and said: "Although Fan'er unfortunately suffered the black hand of that black-clothed person this time, a loss may turn out to be a gain! Precisely because of this accident, Fan'er was fortunate enough to obtain the precious Fuyuan Pill bestowed by the Sage.

Now Fan'er has already awakened and heard of this matter. This child immediately decided to take this Fuyuan Pill right after his body recovers; presumably by then his martial arts will surely improve by leaps and bounds! So please, An Wang, you must accept this gift."

However, An Wang waved his hands repeatedly to decline: "Luo Adult, this absolutely cannot be done! Even as you say, your son has turned misfortune into blessing, but this King truly feels unworthy to accept it. If Luo Adult thinks this matter can offset merits and faults, that would be best! Please take this treasure back."

Seeing An Wang's firm attitude, Luo Minghui knew further words would be useless, so he no longer insisted, merely saying in a calm voice: "Since it is so, this old subject will not insist on demanding it. However, Fan'er has one more matter to entrust me to convey to An Wang. He said that after his injuries and illness are cured, he hopes to invite the Princess to dine together; I wonder if you would agree?"

Hearing these words, An Wang smiled slightly and replied: "That is naturally no problem; Luo Adult can rest assured."

Luo Minghui hurriedly clasped his hands in thanks: "That is wonderful! Since the message has been delivered, this old subject will not further disturb you today. An Wang, you go about your business first; we shall meet another day."

An Wangfei said with a smile: "Why not stay for lunch before leaving? I have already sent word to Qianqian, but this child just finished practicing martial arts and is bathing now; I estimate it will be a while before she can come over."

Hearing this, Luo Minghui hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed: "Little Princess is truly diligent and hardworking! But there is no need for lunch; thank you for your kindness, An Wangfei. This old man has other matters to attend to and cannot stay long, so I take my leave." After speaking, he bowed again to An Wangfei.

Seeing this, An Wang nodded and said: "Since that is the case, this King will not keep you. Yue Yi, you go see the guests off on this King's behalf."

Yue Yi responded and stepped forward quickly, respectfully making a gesture of invitation, leading Luo Minghui and Luo Chen father and son toward the Gate. Along the way, Yue Yi chatted with them, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Not long after, the group arrived at the Gate. Luo Minghui stopped, turned to Yue Yi and thanked him: "Thank you for your trouble, Commander Yue Yi, seeing us off to here is enough; we two will leave on our own."

Yue Yi hurriedly responded: "Where, where; you two take care on the road, walk slowly, and pay attention to safety."

Luo Minghui nodded slightly to indicate he understood, then took his son Luo Chen onto the carriage that had long been waiting here. The coachman cracked the whip, and the carriage sped away like an arrow leaving the bow, soon disappearing at the end of the road.

Not long after Luo Minghui and his son were sent off, the Wangfu Gate became lively again, as new guests had arrived.

After all, after what happened yesterday, some people's hearts had already begun to stir restlessly! Indeed, today someone could not wait to send a matchmaker, specially coming to arrange a marriage between their own son and Yan Shuang'er.