Chapter 0673: Favors, Favors Everywhere!
Golden Dragon Bank
Yu Hongxi brought Lu Qing'er along to receive Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e.
"House Luolan has changed irreversibly. I believe no other factions will blindly target you, and so, congratulations. You've overcome your trial successfully," Yu Hongxi said as she looked at the pair. She did not hold back on her praise as she knew that even with Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan's projections, the situation would not have stabilized without the efforts of this duo.
House Luolan had been crumbling apart for these last two years, but Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e had managed to reverse the situation and were critical in the grand scheme of things.
"The Housemeet only turned out this way thanks to your a.s.sistance, Aunt Yu," Li Luo stated sincerely.
At the end of the day, no one from the Golden Dragon Bank had turned up to interfere. It was likely that there were people who wanted to fish in muddied waters, but Yu Hongxi had restrained them.
Otherwise, if the situation had deteriorated further, even the intervention of Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan would not have changed things.
"I was merely maintaining the rules of the Golden Dragon Bank. Doing business is our motto. Harmony breeds wealth, and we have no intention of being implicated in someone else's fight." Yu Hongxi smiled slightly.
"Aunt Yu, your favor will be deeply etched into my heart," Li Luo honestly replied.
Yu Hongxi gave a smile that was not a smile. "You already owe many favors."
At the same time, she seemingly glanced at Jiang Qing'e before continuing, "You have to know that personal favors are the hardest to repay."
"No matter. Even if I can't repay it now, once I become a Duke or a King, my favor will be worth something then. If you require anything of me, I will be more than happy to oblige at that time," Li Luo proudly stated as he patted his chest.
Yu Hongxi rolled her eyes. "You're a confident one, maybe even arrogant. Do you think the Duke and King Stages are so easily attained? Words are cheap!"
Li Luo pouted with a slight grin before casually replying, "Aunt Yu, even the Regent ended up showing himself. That fellow is very ambitious, so the Golden Dragon Bank should pay more attention to him in the future. I feel like he's narcissistic, ambitious, and ruthless. There's even a chance that he might covet the Golden Dragon Bank one day! After all, you guys are as rich as a nation, and if one wants to compare backgrounds, you probably have a deeper foundation than the royal court!"
Yu Hongxi raised a single brow curiously. "Li Luo, your provocative words are simply too direct."
"I'm just speaking the truth! The Regent definitely has some grand plan in the works if he wanted to seize the divine matter of my house!" Li Luo defended himself.
"The Xia Kingdom's coronation ceremony will take place in two days' time. When the Little Emperor ascends to the throne, the important ministers of the royal court will beseech the Regent to hand over his authority. If he does so, his influence and power will be continuously leached away by the First Princess and the Little Emperor. Thus, if he has ulterior motives, it will likely be targeted towards them," Yu Hongxi nonchalantly explained.
"And more importantly, House Luolan has already been tied to the First Princess' s.h.i.+p."
She had her own sources of intel and had long known that the First Princess had deployed a Duke to a.s.sist House Luolan. Unfortunately, it was a pity that another Duke had restrained this helper.
Thus, the First Princess' a.s.sistance and grace towards House Luolan could not be doubted. If House Luolan were to not a.s.sist her during the coronation ceremony, it would be unjustifiable, considering what the Regent had tried to do to them.
Jiang Qing'e spoke up at this point. "President Yu, the Regent is no saint. If he has a scheme for the coronation ceremony in the works and he usurps the ceremony and becomes the Emperor, I feel that it won't be good news for the Golden Dragon Bank either."
Yu Hongxi gave an insipid smile. "You two little brats. I can't believe you're trying to drag the Golden Dragon Bank into these muddied waters."
She waved her hand. "The Golden Dragon Bank will not change its stance. Thus, we are not concerned about whether the Little Emperor or the Regent ascends to the throne. We will not interfere. If the Regent has the b.a.l.l.s to covet the Golden Dragon Bank, we will watch him try."
Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e glanced at each other, knowing that their attempts to persuade Yu Hongxi had failed. Still, this was expected as the Golden Dragon Bank was a neutral party much like the Astral Sage College. So long as the Regent did not make any overt moves towards them, there was no reason for the bank to take action.
Thus, Li Luo gave up on this plan, continuing to exchange pleasantries with Yu Hongxi for a while before taking his leave.
Yu Hongxi then informed Lu Qing'er to send them off.
The three left the bank together. At the entrance, Lu Qing'er grabbed Li Luo all of a sudden and curiously asked, "Do you want to know what happened to Mentor Chi Chan?"
Li Luo nodded with a complicated expression. "I have no idea how I can ever repay Mentor Chi Chan's grace."
He had long heard the news around his mentor, and it had shocked him. He had never expected that she would choose to resign and solitarily confront House Lanling, completely holding down all of House Lanling's a.s.sa.s.sins, House Lord included.
This was a ma.s.sive debt he had incurred.
Yu Hongxi had merely issued the command for all within the bank to stand still, intimidating the plotting rats within the bank. On the other hand, Chi Chan had paid a significant price, abandoning her position within the college. He would remember it forever.
"Do you know where she has gone?" Li Luo asked.
Lu Qing'er shook her head. "After leaving House Lanling, she did not resurface ever again."
Li Luo sighed. "Qing'er, could I kindly trouble you to mobilize the Golden Dragon Bank's information channels to locate Mentor Chi Chan? Now that she has left the college, she must definitely have found a new place to go to."
"You can rest a.s.sured that once I hear anything about this, I'll let you know," Lu Qing'er very quickly replied.
He nodded, and after catching up with Lu Qing'er, he left with Jiang Qing'e. Their destination was the royal palace. They had to pay a visit to the First Princess.
……
Royal Palace, Side Chamber
The First Princess happily received the guests and warmly entertained them.
As she chatted with Jiang Qing'e, Li Luo made his way to the Little Emperor's chambers to administer his healing and purge the poison.
Atop the bed, the Little Emperor had taken off his robes, revealing his pale and frail frame. The black lotus was once again imprinted before Li Luo's eyes, but something strange had happened. Some of the black petals had turned white and the colors had alternated. A bizarre sight.
The Little Emperor turned his head and asked, "Li Luo, is my poison about to be cured? I can feel that my body is feeling much lighter nowadays."
Li Luo smiled and nodded, looking at the Little Emperor's face. The brat's face was becoming more and more handsome as he recovered. His crystal-like eyes paired with his slender eyebrows gave off a very innocent appeal. However, this thought also caused Li Luo to shudder slightly. How could he fall for the Little Emperor?! Preposterous! In any case, he began to focus himself, placing his palm onto the Little Emperor's back. He then started circulating his resonant power, beginning the treatment.