As dusk approached, Qin Liuxi and his group finally reached Chonghua Gate outside Shengjing City, lining up at the end of the queue to enter the city.
The queue was a bit long, and the inspection of the related documents was somewhat slow. Xiong Er hopped off the carriage and came over to explain, "I’ve asked the driver; it’s because the Spring Imperial Examinations are about to announce results, so many people are coming into the capital. The scrutiny has also intensified. Additionally, I heard Jiuxuan Auction Hall is rumored to hold an auction after the exams, attracting many onlookers."
As he spoke, he looked eagerly at Qin Liuxi and his group, probing, "Earlier, Junior Temple Master, you mentioned staying at Jiuxuan Auction Hall?"
Feng Mu shot him a glance, "What, are you trying to fish for information?"
Xiong Er scratched his head with a sheepish grin, "Not really, but you know, auction house entry badges from Jiuxuan are quite rare. If you want to attend an auction, you need a badge, right? Just curious, the driver mentioned that this season’s auction is filled with rare treasures since it’s close to the Longevity Festival."
He was curious if they had connections at Jiuxuan since they were staying there.
Feng Mu curled his lips, "You, a solid Shengjing folk, don’t know that every year the Longevity Festival falls on that date and that Jiuxuan always holds an auction before it to make money?"
Yep, fleecing money during the big festival; no problem there.
Qin Liuxi turned to Xiong Er, "Want to go to the auction?"
Xiong Er’s eyes sparkled. Was there really a way in?
Rubbing his hands together, he said, "It would be terrific to experience it."
Qin Liuxi glanced at Feng Mu, "Take pity on this Shengjing kid. He’s never been to a Jiuxuan auction."
Alright, as the powerhouse behind Jiuxuan, it had to be him.
Feng Mu pulled out a bunch of red hair from his sleeve and handed it over, "With this, you can enter any auction."
Xiong Er stared at the tuft of red hair, a bit reluctant, but why did it feel a little sleazy?
"Take it or give it back!" Feng Mu glared at him.
Xiong Er immediately snatched it, and when he held it in his hand, the hair transformed into a shiny, fire-red fox token. It was beautiful and lifelike, with notably spirited and familiar eyes.
Looking at the fox token and then at Feng Mu, Xiong Er’s heart thumped wildly. Had he stumbled upon something remarkable?
Qin Liuxi reminded, "Don’t show this token to just anyone; treat it like an amulet."
Xiong Er swiftly tucked it away and bowed deeply to Feng Mu, "Thank you, Mr. Xiu."
Feng Mu felt like saying call me ’brother,’ but ’sir’ seemed much more impressive, so he didn’t correct him, "Check how much longer it’ll be. I’ve been in this carriage so long that my back is nearly broken."
"No rush," Qin Liuxi cast his eyes on an inconspicuous but spacious carriage surrounded by a number of guards making their way through. He nudged with his mouth, "Whose carriage is that?"
Xiong Er looked carefully. The guards cleared the way and everyone else, including the orderly queue of carriages, stepped aside, watching that entourage and the insignia on the leading carriage.
An orchid with characters, Lin.
Xiong Er marveled, "That’s from Lin Xiang Mansion. The carriage is so understated and simple. Considering it’s not bumpy when it moves, it must belong to a lady in transit."
The current era has three Prime Ministers: Lin Rufeng, Xie Zhengting, and Chen Lei.
Lin Xiang is the first among the three prime ministers, a scholar from a humble background, also selected as Top Scholar personally by the previous Emperor. He has always supported the new policies, and due to his upright reputation, he offended many, becoming public enemy number one for the traditional old clan families.
Because many of Lin Xiang’s policies directly impacted the clan families’ pockets, cutting down their power, out of the three Prime Ministers, Xie Xiang, who came from a clan, and Lin Xiang were the most pitted against each other whilst Chen Xiang maintained neutrality.
"What happened to that carriage?" Xiong Er’s heart was in his throat.
Qin Liuxi wasn’t someone who concerned himself with trivial matters; if he suddenly took interest in an inconspicuous carriage, there must be a reason.
And these people belonged to the Lin Family.
Observing the golden-red aura above the carriage being swiftly engulfed by a dark mist, Qin Liuxi said, "The person inside that carriage may be in danger. If they enter the city now, they might lose their life."
Xiong Er was startled.
Hearing Qin Liuxi’s words, Jing Xiaosi, who had stepped out of his carriage after a long wait without a response from Xiong Er, couldn’t help but look over and said, "This carriage should belong to Madam Lin."
"Do you know that?" Xiong Er asked in surprise.
Jing Xiaosi replied, "Look at the body of the carriage; there’s an immortal crane. That’s painted by Lin Zefang, the grandson of Lin Xiang. It is said that this carriage was a birthday present for his great-grandmother. Although the carriage looks modest, it’s extremely comfortable on the inside and has shock absorbers to prevent jolting. Moreover, a layer of fine iron has been reinforced on the body, making it impervious to sword and arrow. Therefore, when Madam Lin travels, she always uses this carriage."
Looking at the lifelike immortal crane, Xiong Er murmured, "This kid is overdoing it. The crane he painted on the carriage looks more realistic than the ducks I paint on paper."
Jing Xiaosi knocked on his head, "You fool, Lin Zefang was personally taught by Lin Xiang, and his painting skills were acquired from the landscape master Qian Yang. You can’t compare to him, what are you even saying?"
Xiong Er, slightly embarrassed, continued, "If it’s Madam Lin’s carriage, then the person inside... Junior Temple Master..." Google seaʀᴄh novel•fire.net
Both turned to look at Qin Liuxi.
She had said that entering the city could lead to death.
Qin Liuxi crossed her arms and said, "Leave it to fate."
Fate was something that could be collided into with Silver, wasn’t it?
Xiong Er pulled out a silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it in her hand, saying, "On behalf of the Old Lady, I’ll form a good connection; she is a kind-hearted person."
Qin Liuxi held the silver, the corners of her mouth curving slightly.
Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from the lined-up crowd.
For some unknown reason, the Lin Family’s carriage, which had been steadily moving, suddenly reared as the horses spooked, their hooves lifted high, and they let out piercing neighs.
This terrified the Lin Family guards; some leaped onto the horses to steady them, while others climbed on top of the carriage, pressing down on it to prevent it from tilting.
The horses were quickly brought under control in the blink of an eye—no runaway horses, no overturned carriage, as if the horses had merely twitched.
Qin Liuxi raised an eyebrow—it seemed like a good omen after all.
"Old Lady, is everything alright?" asked a guard who had jumped down from the carriage.
A crisp female voice rang out: "Grandmother is fine, let’s continue... Grandmother?"
The crisp voice turned sharp and panicked, clearly indicating some emergent incident had occurred inside the carriage.
The guard’s heart sank instantly. Barely uttering an apology, the carriage door swung open, and an old nanny urgently said, "The Old Lady seems unwell, get Xiu Gu here quickly, and rush back to the city to inform them, request the Imperial Physician to visit our residence."
The guard glanced inside the carriage and, seeing Old Lady’s face as pale as gold paper, felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Immediately, he gave a knowing look to the other guards: "Yingfeng, you personally take the reins back to the city."
A woman with her hair done up in a married woman’s bun hurriedly approached from another carriage in the rear.
Xiong Er had already run over, and hearing that they were about to leave, he hurriedly said, "You can’t enter the city, if you do, she won’t be saved."
Jing Xiaosi almost toppled over. This fool, does he not know how to speak?