Tian Kangtai paid his respects to the two men, then smilingly introduced the Lan Yong envoy delegation, primarily the three people before them.
"This is Lord Xie Taihong, father of the Xie family head, and also our young master's father..."
Tian Kangtai paused before the word "father," unaware that Xie Taihong's heart skipped a beat.
Which family wouldn't wish for a son like Xie Jiang? Xie Taihong certainly wanted one, but a good son like Xie Jiang wasn't something everyone could afford.
Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi were instantly shocked. They hadn't expected to meet Xie Jiang's father so soon. So this was what Xie Jiang's father looked like?
It seemed normal enough. What else would Xie Jiang's father look like?
The two couldn't help but scrutinize Xie Taihong more intently. His features bore no resemblance to Xie Jiang's, yet Xie Taihong's appearance was so convincing that no one would doubt his relationship with Xie Jiang.
Xu Hengyi exclaimed excitedly, "So it's Uncle Xie! I didn't expect you to personally come to Dayu. Xie Jiang would be extremely happy if he knew you were here too. We are good friends with Xie Jiang!"
Xie Taihong, with an appearance like an immortal descended from the heavens, was not reclusive or arrogant. He looked at the two with a smile and spoke kindly, "I am grateful to you two for taking care of and supporting Xiao Jiang during his time in Dayu."
"Uncle, you are too kind. We are Xie Jiang's friends, so it is only right that we take care of him. However, Xie Jiang spent little time in the capital, so we didn't really take care of him much..."
Tian Kangtai continued to introduce the other two youths, starting with the young man in green closest to Xie Taihong, in order of proximity. "This is Young Master He Zhifei of the He family in Lan Yong."
Then, the young man in red, who was standing outside the shade, looking increasingly impatient, unfazed by the sun. "This is Young Master Su Yang of the Su family in Jinyi."
The four southern continents were dominated by Lan Yong, with Lüni, Jinyi, and Changjia all being its dependencies.
"Young Master He and Young Master Su are both of our Xie clan..."
Before Tian Kangtai could finish speaking, Su Yang interjected, "I am Young Master Xie's favored minister."
Su Yang spoke with an air as if being Xie Jiang's favored minister was a matter of great honor.
"Favored... favored minister?" What was that? Xu Hengyi stammered.
Xia Zeshi's pupils widened in shock. What was he saying?
Even the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial showed a moment of stunned silence.
He Zhifei seemed accustomed to it. No matter what nonsense Su Yang said, his handsome face remained unperturbed. He exchanged greetings with Xia Zeshi and stood there silently.
He Zhifei's etiquette was impeccable, indicating he was a noble scion from a prominent family. He also possessed an indescribable aura of detachment and transcendence from the world.
Xu Hengyi questioned Xia Zeshi with his eyes, did "favored minister" mean Xie Jiang trusted this Su Yang more?
Xia Zeshi felt that explanation was perhaps too innocent.
Xu Hengyi's eyes widened in shock. What did "too innocent" mean? Did it imply that Xie Jiang and Su Yang were... not innocent?
How could Su Yang be so eager to publicly declare his status as a favored minister and still be considered innocent?
Xu Hengyi looked up at Xie Taihong and Tian Kangtai, trying to discern something from their expressions. To his surprise, they showed no reaction to Su Yang's words.
So, was he and the Fifth Prince overthinking things?
Xia Zeshi asked Tian Kangtai, "Steward Tian, have you informed Master Xie about Young Master Xie's situation?"
Tian Kangtai replied, "I just arrived and haven't had a chance to say anything yet."
He had just exchanged pleasantries with Xie Taihong, asking if they wanted to move to the Southern Sea Marquis's mansion. The Southern Sea Marquis's mansion was much more spacious than the posthouse, and their small group could easily fit.
"What about my Xiao Jiang?" Xie Taihong entered the conversation.
"What happened to my young master?" Su Yang was very concerned about anything related to Xie Jiang.
Even He Zhifei, who appeared aloof and indifferent to most things, looked towards them.
Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi both looked at Tian Kangtai, feeling that since Tian Kangtai was present, it would be best for him to explain.
Tian Kangtai concisely explained, "A few days ago, the young master beat up a family. Several members of that family were officials of the Dayu court, and the young master was arrested and taken to the Shun Tian Prefecture, where he has been held in prison for the past few days."
"What?!"
Xie Taihong and Su Yang exclaimed in unison. Xie Taihong had initially thought that Xie Jiang's absence today meant he didn't care about their arrival, and wondered how important they were to warrant Xie Jiang's personal greeting.
He never expected there to be such a reason!
Xie Taihong was stunned by the news and couldn't react for a long time. Their all-capable young master had come to Dayu only to fall to such a state?
"The young master was imprisoned? Is he still in prison?"
Su Yang couldn't believe his ears. Did this damned, unappreciative Dayu think that because they were separated by the vast ocean, they couldn't flatten Dayu!
His feelings of disappointment and awkwardness were somewhat diluted by this.
The young master was imprisoned and unable to act freely, which was why he hadn't shown up, not because he didn't want to see him.
Su Yang had intended to surprise Xie Jiang. When he set out, he had specifically instructed his subordinates not to reveal his travel plans to Xie Jiang.
Later, for reasons unclear, he wrote Xie Jiang a personal letter.
He just wanted to see Xie Jiang's reaction.
For example, would he suddenly appear at some posthouse in the early morning or late at night?
For example, would he come out of the city to greet them upon their arrival in the capital?
To ensure Xie Jiang would see him at first glance, he had specifically dressed up halfway and worn a red outfit that no one could ignore.
As they got closer to the capital, Xie Jiang remained unresponsive. Even when they were at the city gate, he didn't see Xie Jiang's figure, and he felt a gnawing unease in his heart...
Who knew that Xie Jiang was actually in prison!
After a brief moment of self-comfort, Su Yang still couldn't suppress the rage surging to his head and angrily cursed Tian Kangtai and Nie Tong.
"Are you all dead? How could you let Dayu bully the young master like this! If the young master loses even a single hair, I'll have all of you fed to the dogs!"
Xie Taihong, recovering from his shock, said, "How could you not inform us of such a major incident?"
Tian Kangtai quickly explained and appeased them, "The young master said he would only be in the Shun Tian Prefecture prison for a few days and instructed us to carry on with our tasks. Master and Young Master Su need not worry, the young master is fine."
"Uncle Xie, you don't need to worry. Xie Jiang is fine in prison, eating well and sleeping well. The people at Shun Tian Prefecture treat her like a bodhisattva and would never dare to harm a single hair on her head."
Seeing Xie Taihong and the others react too intensely, Xu Hengyi quickly explained to them, fearing unnecessary misunderstandings.
"This incident caused quite a stir, and it would be inappropriate not to impose some punishment. But rest assured, they are only letting Xie Jiang reflect in prison; they haven't done anything to her."
"Oh."
Xie Taihong seemed to understand what was going on. He thought to himself, who could possibly deal with Xie Jiang? So it turned out Xie Jiang willingly went in.
Then everything was fine.
Xie Taihong patted his chest to calm himself.
Su Yang couldn't be as calm as Xie Taihong. "The young master told you not to bother with her, and you truly didn't? The Shun Tian Prefecture prison, what kind of place is that? Is it a place for the young master to be!"
"A bunch of useless fools!"