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xp and Little Black rushed over without caring whether this was Severe Winter's territory. Soon, screams echoed, and within a minute, Little Black and xp returned to Liu Guanfeng's side.
In the hall, aside from the trembling Shopkeeper, all the guards were down on the ground, including the waiter who had been making things difficult for Liu Guanfeng. The entire hall was filled with cries and wails.
The Shopkeeper pointed at Liu Guanfeng and said, "What do you want to do? Don't you know this is His Majesty's property? You dare to cause trouble here."
"Shopkeeper, when did I cause trouble? If your people hadn't come to attack me, I wouldn't have needed to fight back."
At that moment, a pair of Patrol Soldiers passed by outside. The Shopkeeper seemed to see a savior and shouted to them, "Captain Wang, there's someone causing trouble here! Come help me!"
Hearing the shout, the leading Captain Wang glanced inside and entered with his men. Initially, he didn't know there was trouble because no one ever dared to cause a scene at the Royal Hotel. Even officials like Cui Wenwu from the court wouldn't dare act recklessly here because it was Severe Winter's property. However, since Severe Winter couldn't manage the hotel personally, he entrusted its operations to Zhu Xiao.
The Shopkeeper was also a nephew of Zhu Xiao, and all the guards in the hotel were members of Zhu Xiao's personal guard.
When he heard the Shopkeeper's cries for help, he realized something was wrong inside. He quickly brought his men to the front of the hotel, where over thirty beggars had gathered. Just as he was about to drive them away, Liu Guanfeng spoke up. He clasped his hands together and addressed the beggars: "Everyone, I invited you here to eat, but this Shopkeeper wouldn't allow it. How about this: each of you take two gold coins and find somewhere else to eat."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Guanfeng took out a handful of gold coins from his Cosmic Bag and tossed them into the air. The coins fell like rain, with each of the thirty beggars receiving two gold coins in their broken bowls.
The Shopkeeper, seeing this, was taken aback. He never expected that this seemingly not very wealthy person would be so generous as to give two gold coins to each beggar. With over thirty beggars at the entrance, that amounted to nearly seventy gold coins thrown away. Yet, the other party didn't even furrow his brow.
The beggars looked at their bowls in disbelief; they realized they had come to the right place today. They bowed deeply to Liu Guanfeng, repeatedly saying, "Thank you."
Then Liu Guanfeng said, "You can go now."
All the beggars dispersed except for one young boy who remained standing and continued looking at Liu Guanfeng. Smiling at him, Liu Guanfeng said, "Why aren't you leaving? The guards are here; if you don't go now, you'll get caught."
The young boy turned to a small beggar who had just walked away a short distance and said, "Xiaoguang, take the gold coins home to help our mother with her illness."
"Brother, what will you do?" asked the young beggar named Xiaoguang, looking up at his slightly taller companion.
"With these Four Gold Coins, I believe my mother's illness will be cured. From now on, take good care of her. I am here to repay the Benefactor, and remember to take good care of my mother."
"Brother, let me stay here with you."
"What about mother? If I let you go, just tell her that I went to another city. Hurry up, or you won't be able to leave." The beggar pushed his younger brother aside.
The beggar named Xiaoguang glanced at his brother, gritted his teeth, and left the crowd in tears.
However, Liu Guanfeng witnessed everything. He secretly nodded and thought: I didn't expect that rewarding money could lead to such a righteous person. He saw the beggar holding a Dog-Beating Stick in one hand and a broken bowl in the other, turning around to stand in front of Liu Guanfeng.
With his back to Liu Guanfeng, the beggar said, "I thank the Benefactor for your great kindness. I will hold them off for a while; you find a chance to escape. This is the emperor's territory and managed by the Grand Marshal; you should save yourself."
At this moment, Captain Wang had already brought the Patrol Soldiers to block Liu Guanfeng at the entrance of the tavern. Liu Guanfeng slowly walked down the stairs, patted the beggar on the shoulder, and smiled as he asked, "What is your name, brother?"
"Benefactor, my name is Chai Liang."
"You are good; follow me from now on. Nothing will happen here."
At this time, xp and Little Black had slowly approached Liu Guanfeng and Chai Liang. All the Patrol Soldiers had their own Mounts, but they were of lower ranks. Except for the Squad Leader who had a Fourth Rank beast, all other soldiers' Mounts were either Second or Third Rank beasts.
As xp and Little Black stood in front of Liu Guanfeng, they slightly released their aura. The Mounts of those Patrol Soldiers instinctively began to retreat, even ignoring their master's commands.
Chai Liang watched in wide-eyed amazement as chaos unfolded in front of the Royal Hotel. Just then, a commotion arose from outside the crowd.
Soon, the crowd parted, and Liu Guanfeng focused his gaze on someone he recognized—none other than Zhu Xiao, the Grand Marshal of Luo Heng Island, along with Cai Sidong from the Military Supply Office.
Originally, Cai Sidong had gone to Severe Winter to resign. After Severe Winter summoned Fan Yitian and learned about the entire situation—with Zhu Xiao helping to explain—Severe Winter finally said to Cai Sidong:
"This time your mistake will be noted down for now. You have an opportunity to redeem yourself; isn't the President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce still in the capital? You should personally go negotiate with him. No matter what, you must settle this matter. As for equipment issues, if it can't be done this year, we can push it to next year. As long as we can equip ourselves with their Merchant Guild's armor and weapons, we will eventually incorporate Said Island into our country's territory."
Hearing Severe Winter speak, Cai Sidong was very pleased, and there was another person who was also very excited, that was Grand Marshal Zhu Xiao. So the two of them quickly bid farewell to Severe Winter, saying they were going out to look for Liu Guanfeng. They inquired along the way and arrived at the Royal Hotel, where a large crowd had gathered in front.
Zhu Xiao was quite displeased, not expecting anyone to dare cause trouble in the property under his command. He immediately ordered people to disperse the crowd. Once he entered, he realized that the troublemaker was none other than the President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, whom he urgently needed to find.
Upon seeing Zhu Xiao, the Shopkeeper quickly walked up to him and clasped his fists, saying, "Uncle, you have arrived."
Zhu Xiao said sternly, "What exactly happened?"
Seeing his uncle had arrived, the Shopkeeper straightened up and recounted what the waiter had told him to Zhu Xiao. Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiao looked up at Liu Guanfeng: "Is what he said true, Liu President?"
Liu Guanfeng smiled slightly: "Zhu Yuan Shuai, I came here today just to have a meal. The waiter started mocking me as soon as I entered, saying I couldn't afford to spend money. So I called over a beggar, intending to spend my own money here. However, this Shopkeeper accused me of causing trouble and even sent his guards to beat me up without any regard for my situation. That’s why my Mount injured them."
Zhu Yuan Shuai looked at his nephew: "Is what he said true?"
"Well... um..." The Shopkeeper was momentarily at a loss for words.
Zhu Xiao raised his hand and slapped the Shopkeeper: "How many times have I told you not to bully others with your power? Looks like you've hit a wall today. Do you know who he is? He is the President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He can't afford it? Can you?"
Inside, Zhu Xiao was furious. Did he not know that our military still relies on equipment from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce? He originally wanted to find Liu Guanfeng to bring him here for a meal and discuss equipment matters. But now that the person had come himself, instead of treating him well, they were trying to harm him.
Then Cai Sidong said, "Zhu Yuan Shuai, please calm down. It seems this is a misunderstanding. Let's talk inside; it doesn't look good standing out here."
Zhu Xiao glanced at his nephew and kicked him: "What are you looking at? Hurry up and apologize to Liu President!"
The Shopkeeper, feeling wronged, thought: What is this all about? Not only did I get beaten up, but I also thought my uncle would support me when he arrived. Instead, without saying a word, he hit me twice. It seems today is just not my day; I should consult someone before going out next time.
The Shopkeeper, steeling himself, approached Liu Guanfeng, bowed deeply: "Liu President, please forgive me. It was my fault for not recognizing your status; I hope you won't take it to heart."
From his pocket, Liu Guanfeng took out a small pouch and said to the Shopkeeper: "Here are one hundred gold coins; this should cover your losses. The rest can be used for your guards' medical expenses." He placed the pouch in the Shopkeeper's hands and then stepped forward to face Zhu Yuan Shuai: "Zhu Yuan Shuai, I also acted improperly in this matter; I hope the Grand Marshal can forgive me. I will take my leave now."
As Liu Guanfeng was preparing to leave with Chai Liang, he was suddenly grabbed by Zhu Xiao, who said, "President Liu, take care."
"What else can I do for you?"
"Since you're here, why not come inside and have a meal with us? We still have matters to discuss with you, President Liu."
"Zhu Yuan Shuai, I really have something to attend to. How about this: you and Cai Daren wait for me at the restaurant for a while. My subordinate's mother is seriously ill, and I want to check on her first. I'll return as soon as I arrange everything. Would that be acceptable?"
Zhu Xiao glanced at Chai Liang beside him and nodded, saying, "In that case, we'll wait for you at the restaurant."
"Rest assured, I'll come back as soon as I've taken care of everything."
With a wave of his hand, Zhu Xiao signaled his guards to clear a path for Liu Guanfeng. Liu Guanfeng mounted Little Black, while Chai Liang was lifted onto the horse. Liu Guanfeng said to Chai Liang, "Take me to your home."
Seeing how Liu Guanfeng treated him—refusing even the Grand Marshal's invitation—Chai Liang felt overwhelmed with emotion. Despite facing the officials and soldiers without changing his expression, he was now on the verge of tears. He grasped the fur of Little Black and turned to direct it toward his home, discreetly wiping his eyes in the process.
After Liu Guanfeng left, Zhu Xiao and Cai Sidong stepped into the restaurant. Under the shopkeeper's guidance, they went directly to a private room on the fourth floor. Access to the fourth floor of the restaurant wasn't granted just because one had money; there were various private rooms upstairs, each representing a high-ranking minister of the court.
The room they entered was specifically prepared for Zhu Xiao. Inside the room, Zhu Xiao scolded his nephew harshly, almost resorting to physical punishment. After giving him a lesson, he kicked him out. When he reached downstairs, he tossed three gold coins to a waiter and told him, "This is for your injuries. Starting today, don't work here anymore." With that, he expelled the waiter from the Royal Hotel.
Meanwhile, Liu Guanfeng, guided by Chai Liang, arrived at a poor residential area in Spring City. They stopped in front of a dilapidated house just as Chai Liang's brother, Chai Guang, was arriving home.
Just as Chai Liang hesitated about whether to invite Liu Guanfeng inside, Liu Guanfeng jumped down from Little Black without hesitation and swiftly entered Chai Liang's room.
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