Chapter 32

Wu Fan's mood was still quite good, at least until he ran into Qian Rui at the gate of the Chengxi Office. The events of last night had firmly established his absolute authority and status as the head of the household, and he was even more delighted to have gained a nephew, Tong Wei, who had the potential to become a great general. This morning, he had instructed Tong Rui to help Tong Jian move to a new house, a new courtyard, and a new environment. Everything was developing in a positive direction, until...

As soon as he stepped through the gate of the Chengxi Office, Wu Fan's eyes fell on Qian Rui. Or rather, on the grayish-white brocade robe with black eagles embroidered on it that Qian Rui was wearing. It was also a flying eagle uniform, but the colors were the opposite of Wu Fan's black brocade robe with grayish-white eagles. However, it represented status, the status of a hundred-household leader.

Wu Fan looked at Qian Rui with some surprise.

Qian Rui also noticed Wu Fan's arrival, and the joy on his face instantly vanished, leaving only... awkwardness? Embarrassment? Guilt? Fear?

Wu Fan was surprised because he never expected the new hundred-household leader to be Qian Rui. Wu Fan's methods had been quite sharp lately, taking down three superiors in a row, including a high-level expert like Zhong Xiu. Originally, Wu Fan thought that Wu Yuanhao would at least send someone even more formidable than Zhong Xiu. But he never expected that Wu Yuanhao would promote such a straightforward person as Qian Rui. Moreover, Wu Fan was also surprised that Wu Yuanhao had determined that Zhong Xiu would never return after just one day of his disappearance and promptly promoted a new hundred-household leader. Wu Fan was self-aware enough to know that Wu Yuanhao would never promote him, a traitor, so his surprise did not include the thought of "Why wasn't I the new hundred-household leader?"

Qian Rui's awkwardness and embarrassment stemmed from his lack of confidence. In the Chengxi Office, the only other person with a chance of being promoted was Wu Fan. Wu Fan had been performing exceptionally well recently, with multiple battle achievements, and Qian Rui felt he couldn't match up. Yet, he had taken the position of hundred-household leader, which couldn't help but make him feel awkward and embarrassed. Furthermore, Wu Fan was already known as a "superior killer" and a "hundred-household leader maniac." Now, Qian Rui was Wu Fan's superior, the hundred-household leader of the Chengxi Office. How could he not feel guilty and afraid?

Their eyes met, and they stared at each other for a long time.

"Ha ha ha...!"

Wu Fan suddenly burst into laughter, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Greetings, Hundred-Household Leader! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Seeing Wu Fan's sincerity, Qian Rui's heart, which had been in his throat, almost burst out. He coughed for a long time, then nervously pulled Wu Fan's arm and led him to the side, his face full of distress. "Brother! Don't tease me! I... I had no choice, I had to take your position..."

Wu Fan smiled and waved his hand. "Brother Qian, oh, Hundred-Household Leader Qian, you've finally achieved your goal, and I'm very happy for you. I know, I know! It's the Commander's decision! No problem! It's all fine!" He patted Qian Rui's arm with a smile. "You do what you need to do, don't worry about me. I really haven't thought much about it!"

The more sincere and radiant Wu Fan's tone and smile were, the more uneasy Qian Rui felt. His face was a picture of woe, and he didn't know what to say! How could he say it? What could he say? Qian Rui blamed himself for being momentarily bewitched and taking such a position. Wasn't he just asking for trouble? Yes, he had long coveted this position, but it was also the position that Wu Fan, the "superior killer," had his eyes on... Who would dare to compete for this position with him? Was promotion more important than one's life?

"Hundred-Household Leader Qian! The Commander has an order!"

A shout from outside the hundred-household office broke the awkwardness.

Qian Rui glanced at Wu Fan, sighed, and walked out.

Wu Fan glanced at Qian Rui's trembling figure, and his originally uneasy heart suddenly brightened. He smiled silently to himself: "Even in a dragon robe, you don't look like a prince! Tsk tsk! Wu Yuanhao is really showing his true colors, not letting me take the position? Fine! It doesn't matter who it is, Qian Rui is even better, a straightforward person! Easier to deal with!"

Soon, Qian Rui returned from outside the hundred-household office, his face extremely serious.

Seeing Qian Rui walk straight toward him, Wu Fan smiled and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Qian Rui deliberated for a moment and said, "I don't know the details, but the Commander said that each hundred-household office should send fifty people, led by the hundred-household leader or the chief flag officer, to the imperial palace to await orders."

"The imperial palace?"

Wu Fan looked surprised.

The capital of the Great Sui Empire was Chang'an, but Chang'an was close to the northwest, which was very cold. In contrast, Luoyang, located in the middle of the Sili Prefecture and bordering the Luo River, was a comfortable place with "a view of the great river and spring warmth," making it very desirable. Additionally, as the former capital, Luoyang had magnificent palaces, so it had always been a secondary capital, known as the Eastern Capital, where members of the royal family, including the emperor, often visited. The former imperial palaces in Luoyang were now called "imperial palaces," meaning places where members of the royal family stayed during their travels.

"Here it comes! The big shot Rain Fragrance mentioned? I wonder if it's a prince, a princess, or someone else!"

Wu Fan inwardly approved and then, with a twinkle in his eye, smiled at Qian Rui. "Hundred-Household Leader! Our Chengxi Office has just replenished its numbers, and the new recruits are of mixed quality, needing a lot of training. You, Hundred-Household Leader Qian, are the best at this. How about... I lead the brothers to await orders? Don't worry, I'll do a great job and bring glory to our Chengxi Office!"

With such a proposal, how could Qian Rui refuse? He immediately nodded and agreed, "Alright! You pick fifty men and go quickly! It seems to be quite urgent!"

Wu Fan gathered fifty Eagle-Brave Guards patrolling Chengxi on the street and led them to the center of Luoyang, toward the Zhuque Street. From a distance, he could already see hundreds of Eagle-Brave Guards from the Luoyang Thousand-Household Office gathered in front of the imperial palace, and the number was still increasing. Moreover, except for the Thousand-Household Leader Wu Zhao, who was rarely seen, Deputy Thousand-Household Leader Zhao Xi and the two Commanders, Wu Yuanhao and Sun Jie, were all present, with serious expressions.

When Wu Fan led his team to arrive, Wu Yuanhao, who viewed Wu Fan as a thorn in his side, didn't even look at him, completely ignoring him and only gazing southward down the main street, as if... eagerly awaiting someone!

This alone was enough to show the extraordinary status of the person arriving.

Under the scorching sun, after standing for no more than two or three quarters of an hour under the towering imperial city gate, everyone's faces were drenched in sweat. However, the person they were waiting for still hadn't arrived. With the Deputy Thousand-Household Leader, the two Commanders setting an example, no one dared to complain, and even the act of wiping sweat had to be done secretly and cautiously.

In this situation, Wu Fan became even more curious. Who was this so-called big shot? What was he here for? Why was the Maitreya Sect, where Rain Fragrance was, so nervous about his arrival? These questions swirled in Wu Fan's mind, making him both curious and anxious, because he knew very well that curiosity could kill a cat!

Finally...

"Rumble, rumble!"

A slow-moving carriage gradually approached, heading straight for this place.

...

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PS2: Thank you, LM Lin Mu, for the 100-point coin tip. Thanks a lot.

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