On a restaurant near the city gate, Xu Hengyi and Xia Zeshi were having lunch. After leaving the Shun Tian Fu prison, they had rushed here to wait.
In the private room next to theirs were Ruan Ziji and a few others.
Both groups had come out of Shun Tian Fu together and arrived at the city gate one after another. However, with Xie Jiang absent, neither group thought much of the other and neither wanted to get along.
Fortunately, they had arrived early enough to each secure a private room facing the street.
Those who arrived later couldn't even find a seat in the main hall, let alone a private room on the second floor.
As the sun climbed higher, the flow of people at the city gate was many times greater than usual. Some idlers, like them, were clearly here to catch a glimpse of the envoys from Lan Yong.
Who wouldn't be interested in Lan Yong, behind whom stood the Marquis of Nanhai, Xie Jiang?
Before they had finished their meal, they heard a commotion outside.
Someone shouted excitedly, "They're here, they're here, the envoys from Lan Yong are here..."
Xu Hengyi dropped his chopsticks and ran to the window, poking his head out to look. He saw the crowd surging towards the city gate.
"They must be here, let's hurry over."
Officials from the Court of Diplomatic Relations had already gone out of the city to greet them. If they were merely here to watch the spectacle, then these private rooms facing the street were the most suitable, offering a clear view of the Lan Yong envoy's procession.
But sitting in a private room, they couldn't possibly strike up a conversation with the Lan Yong envoys.
Xu Hengyi was counting on the Lan Yong envoys to quickly get Xie Jiang out of prison.
He believed that although Xie Jiang claimed to be indifferent and didn't care when he got out of prison, who enjoyed being in jail? Wasn't Xie Jiang just being tough to avoid worrying them?
As Xie Jiang's good friend, how could he stand idly by?
"There are too many people watching outside, if we don't go out soon, we might not be able to squeeze in later."
Xia Zeshi wiped his mouth and stopped eating, walking out with Xu Hengyi.
They happened to run into Ruan Ziji and his six companions. They glanced at each other and then hurried out of the restaurant, pushing through the crowd towards the city gates.
By the time they finally managed to push through the throng, the officials from the Court of Diplomatic Relations had already finished their pleasantries with the Lan Yong envoys, and the envoys were preparing to board their carriages and enter the city.
Xia Zeshi, with his sharp ears, overheard an official from the Court of Diplomatic Relations politely addressing the distinguished middle-aged man in the foremost carriage as Mr. Xie.
"His surname is Xie? Could he be an elder of Xie Jiang?"
"It must be! The Xie clan has arrived! Xie Jiang is saved!"
Why was Xu Hengyi so sure? Besides the middle-aged man's surname being Xie, it was also due to the fleeting glimpse he caught when they were boarding.
That Mr. Xie looked to be in his forties or fifties, with quite a few wrinkles around his eyes, but his face and eyes were truly...
It would be a disservice not to call him Xie!
When people talked about other handsome middle-aged men, they would say how many women he must have charmed in his youth.
However, this middle-aged handsome uncle before them could continue to charm for another twenty years, not to mention his youth.
The onlookers on both sides of the road, whether they were young ladies, young wives, aunts, or grandmothers, couldn't bear to look away.
Even after the people had entered the carriages and were no longer visible, they still stood on tiptoe, gazing upwards, hoping for a gust of wind to blow the curtains aside and let them have another look.
The women were so captivated that they were lost in a daze, and the men beside them began to feel displeased.
What kind of blessed land was Lan Yong, that all its people were so good-looking?
Besides that Mr. Xie, whose elegance remained undiminished despite his age, there were two other striking figures in the Lan Yong envoy's procession.
A young man in plain green robes had already boarded the second carriage.
Xia Zeshi only caught a brief glimpse before sighing inwardly, acknowledging another person of extraordinary charm who made one feel inferior.
Compared to the reserved nature of the young man in green, the third was much more flamboyant.
Dressed in an extremely vibrant red brocade robe, he was an undeniable presence in the long procession of Lan Yong envoys.
But his appearance was even more striking than his attire. A natural wickedness in his eyes gave him a unique aura.
He sat high on his horse, looking impatient.
Amidst the crowded masses, Ruan Ziji's expression was rather unpleasant, his brows furrowed tightly.
He stared at the man in the ostentatious red robes on horseback, feeling an intense aversion from the bottom of his heart.
The man in red sensed a strong wave of hostility and turned his head to look in a certain direction within the crowd.
Their gazes met in mid-air, invisible sparks flying.
Xu Hengyi was negotiating with the soldiers holding long spears and blocking their path, trying to get them to let them through.
"This is the Fifth Prince, you know him, right? He's here to welcome the Lan Yong envoys..."
Xia Zeshi tugged at him, "We can go to the post station."
The Lan Yong envoy's procession had already begun to move, led by officials from the Court of Diplomatic Relations into the city. Running over to stop them now was clearly out of the question.
With the next step planned, Xu Hengyi was no longer in a hurry and stood by the roadside, watching the winding procession.
The Lan Yong envoy's procession was quite grand, with cart after cart carrying goods.
"How much stuff did they bring? Are they all offerings? Were there over twenty carts that just passed?"
The twenty-odd carts were not the end of it. Xu Hengyi craned his neck to look behind, feeling there were still another twenty carts.
The onlookers were discussing animatedly, wondering what was inside the boxes. They heard that gold and jewels were everywhere overseas, so were the boxes filled with treasures?
"Are what they're saying true? Is Lan Yong really rolling in wealth?"
Listening to the chatter of the crowd, Xu Hengyi recalled Xie Jiang's usual extravagant lifestyle and couldn't help but turn to Xia Zeshi and whisper.
Xia Zeshi found it too exaggerated. Where were places with gold and jewels everywhere? Where did so much gold and silver come from, falling from the sky like rain?
While everyone was still marveling, Xia Zeshi beckoned Xu Hengyi to enter the city.
The two of them struggled back into the restaurant, retrieved their horses, and rushed to the post station.
The road to the post station was so congested that they had to take a large detour.
Xia Zeshi revealed his identity, and together with Xu Hengyi, entered the post station.
The post station was large, but they didn't need anyone to guide them. They headed towards wherever the crowd was most lively.
Soon, they found the courtyard where the Lan Yong envoy delegation was staying, and they saw two familiar figures.
"Huh, aren't those Tian Kangtai and Nie Tong? They've come too."
The Vice Minister of the Court of Diplomatic Relations was the first to spot Xia Zeshi and Xu Hengyi, and quickly walked over to bow to Xia Zeshi, asking, "Your Highness the Fifth Prince and Young Master Xu San, is there something you need?"
Xia Zeshi signaled him to dispense with the formalities, "Since the Marquis of Nanhai is unable to appear, we, as his friends, have come on his behalf to welcome the envoy delegation from Lan Yong."
Nie Tong also saw the two of them, whispered something to Tian Kangtai and Mr. Xie, who were in conversation, and the three of them looked over.
The Vice Minister of the Court of Diplomatic Relations led the two over, first introducing them to Mr. Xie and the two young men, and explaining their purpose for coming to the post station.
Upon hearing that Xia Zeshi was the Fifth Prince, Mr. Xie and the two young men reacted calmly, offering polite greetings in a standard manner.
When they heard that Xu Hengyi was the Third Young Master of the Duke of Wei's mansion, Mr. Xie and the two young men's expressions changed slightly, though these subtle changes were not easily noticeable.
Xu Hengyi frowned. The man in red was clearly smiling at him, but for some reason, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.