“So soon?”
Tiechui was slightly surprised.
The Duke of Qing was a high-ranking court official with countless public and private matters every day, it was impossible to see just anyone who wanted an audience.
The calling card was similar to making an appointment phone call in Jin Feng’s previous life, send the card first, and if the Duke was willing to meet, he would have someone arrange a time.
Unless it was someone particularly close or friendly, submitting the card one day usually meant the earliest reply would come the next day.
Although Tiechui had bathed and changed clothes, and brought Luo Lan and Han Feng, he did not expect the Duke to see them today, it was merely for propriety.
Tiechui truly had not expected the Duke to send someone immediately.
But after a brief pause, he regained his composure, cupped his hands to the doorkeeper and said, “Thank you for the trouble, brother!”
Even a seventh-rank official before the prime minister’s gate held weight, when Tiechui had gone to submit the card earlier, the doorkeeper’s attitude had not been overbearing, but certainly arrogant, barely glancing at the three of them.
Yet now he smiled obsequiously and said, “I have brought carriages, honoured guests, please board.”
As soon as he spoke, two carriages indeed emerged from the street corner behind.
The doorkeeper reverted to his arrogant demeanour, shouting orders to turn the carriages around.
Luo Lan and Tiechui exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of surprise and excitement in each other’s eyes.
“Brother Tiechui, is there some significance to this?”
Han Feng, having travelled with them the whole way and grown familiar, noticed something odd in their expressions and asked curiously.
Though quick-witted, he had previously been a hunter in the mountains and had seen little of the world, so he did not understand why the two were excited.
“Every day, no fewer than eighty or a hundred people seek audience with the Duke, he cannot possibly see everyone, even if he does, the earliest would be tomorrow or the day after, but not only is the Duke seeing us right now, he even sent carriages, this shows he attaches great importance to us.”
Tiechui explained.
“It’s not us he values, it’s our master!” Luo Lan corrected, “We submitted the master’s calling card.”
“Yes, yes, it’s our master he values.”
Tiechui nodded with a smile, “The carriages are here, no more talking…”
At this point, his expression suddenly changed, “Oh no, we didn’t bring the gifts!”
He had not expected to see the Duke today, so the three had come empty-handed, the gifts prepared for the Duke were still at the inn.
“The inn is not far ahead, you take the carriages to see the Duke first, I’ll go back to the inn to fetch them!” Han Feng turned and ran.
“Why did that honoured guest leave?”
The doorkeeper approached with the carriages just in time to see Han Feng sprinting away.
“The master and Miss Mulan asked us to bring gifts for the Duke and the ladies, they are still at the inn, Old Han went back to get them.”
Tiechui explained.
“But the Duke is still waiting for you all…”
The doorkeeper looked troubled.
Before leaving, the steward had instructed him to bring the people back as soon as he caught up, if Tiechui waited here, he would have a hard time reporting back.
“We dare not keep the Duke waiting, we will go pay our respects first, he will follow later.”
Tiechui said, “We will trouble you again then, brother.”
“Of course, of course.”
Only then did the doorkeeper relax, a flash of disdain in his eyes.
The grand Duke’s mansion, would it lack a few gifts from country folk?
Men and women kept separate, Tiechui and Luo Lan each boarded a carriage and returned to the Duke’s mansion.
In the past, Tiechui had always entered through the side gate, but this time the main gates stood wide open, the carriages drove straight into the grounds.
The steward was already waiting, as soon as Tiechui and Luo Lan alighted, he immediately led them to the study.
The Duke of Qing stood before the desk, wielding brush and ink with bold strokes, two women at his side, one grinding ink, the other holding down the edges of the paper.
Tiechui had seen the Duke before, and had seen Qing Huai’s mother, Lady Qing Zhong, the other woman he had not met, but anyone standing by the desk to hold the painting paper for the Duke needed no introduction.
“This humble one pays respects to the lord, and to the two ladies!”
Following military custom, Tiechui knelt on one knee and saluted the three with clasped fists.
“This humble woman Luo Lan pays respects to the lord, and to the two ladies!”
Luo Lan followed with a woman’s curtsey.
“Rise.”
The Duke set down his brush and looked at Tiechui, “I have seen you in the mansion before, you used to follow the third son, correct?”
“The lord truly has an excellent memory, this humble one is Tiechui, formerly the Marquis’s personal guard, later my mother fell gravely ill with no one to care for her, so I retired to the countryside, the Marquis pitied my hardship and wrote to Master Jin to find me a livelihood.”
Tiechui replied.
“The third son did well in this, a qualified general should love his soldiers like sons, not only in camp, but also care for them after retirement.”
The Duke asked, “I hear many veterans from the Tielin Army now follow Master Jin, how are you faring? Does Master Jin treat you harshly?”
“Master Jin is kind-hearted by nature, and entrusted by the Marquis, he treats us very well, never harshly, not only paying full wages, but building brick houses for us, finding spinning and weaving work for our women, and our children can study free at the master’s school.”
Tiechui answered.
“Good,” the Duke nodded slightly, “What does Master Jin usually have you do?”
“Previously, protect the village textile factory and escort its caravans to the county and prefectural seats.”
“Now the master has established an escort agency, we all work as escorts there.”
Tiechui replied, “The master said Jinchuan is the Marquis’s fief, bandits run rampant, always a threat to the people, so he led us to wipe out all bandits within Jinchuan.”
“Master Jin has done very well, the third son’s fief is now peaceful, we must thank this Master Jin properly.”
The Duke had long known what Jin Feng was doing in Jinchuan, questioning Tiechui was merely to show his approachability.
He nodded slightly and asked, “By the way, the calling card said there were three of you, why only two, where is the other?”
“This humble one did not expect the lord to see us so soon, the gifts from the master and Miss Mulan are still at the inn, Old Han went back to fetch them…” Tiechui scratched his head in embarrassment.
Tiechui’s honest face, combined with his current embarrassment, immediately amused all three.
“You have brought Master Jin and Mulan’s regards, that is enough, gifts are not important.”
The Duke waved with a smile.
“My lord, how can they not be important, that girl Lanlan is so carefree, it’s rare for her to send me a gift, I was looking forward to it.”
Qing Huai’s mother, Lady Qing Zhong, had always felt grateful to Jin Feng, seeing Tiechui and Luo Lan embarrassed, she quickly smiled to smooth things over.
“Sister is right, that girl Lanlan has been like a boy since young, fond of swords and spears, now even more so, she went to Master Jin and formed a female soldier unit, Lady Xinyao wrote to me a while back, saying she worried Mulan would never marry.”
The first lady also laughed, “Now this girl has finally come to her senses, I too want to see what she will send, hopefully not a battle sword.”
In truth, both were just making polite conversation to ease the atmosphere, but after the first lady spoke, she noticed Tiechui and Luo Lan looked even more embarrassed.
