Chapter 2817

After all, charging fees at the capital city gates was not a glorious matter. Fortunately, the representatives from other nations had not yet arrived. Otherwise, it would have been a complete disgrace for the entire Great Ru Empire.

Wang Lanxuan and Yun Xi walked together to a teahouse nearby and found a private room.

Naturally, many people already knew that Grand Secretary Wang Lanxuan and Duke Yun Xi were near the city gates. Seeing the commotion, quite a few onlookers gathered.

Most importantly, they wanted to catch a glimpse of the true faces of the Grand Secretary and the Duke.

The Prefect of the Capital arrived promptly. After receiving the message from Wang An, he hurried over to pay his respects to Wang Lanxuan and Yun Xi. "This subordinate, Wang Cangsheng, Prefect of the Capital, pays respects to Grand Secretary and Duke Yun Xi."

Wang Lanxuan glanced at Wang Cangsheng. "Wang Cangsheng, Wang Cangsheng. You share the same surname as this Grand Secretary, yet you manage things so poorly. Tell me, who came up with the idea of charging fees at the capital gates?"

The Prefect lowered his voice. "Such situations have occurred during festivals in previous years."

"I ignored it in the past because this Grand Secretary had no interest in meddling, and your demands were not excessive. Three copper coins for adults, one for children. It was manageable, so I turned a blind eye. They say water that is too clear has no fish. In officialdom, no official is absolutely pure. As long as one does not lose their original intention, this Grand Secretary did not insist on absolute cleanliness. But now? Ten copper coins for everyone, regardless of age. You are truly impressive. Do you intend to force the common people to death? Or must they sell their children and daughters just to visit the capital?"

The Prefect’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He cursed the gatekeepers in his heart. Who could have imagined their audacity would be so great?

The Prefect was grateful that Wang Lanxuan was still willing to reprimand him. At least, he had not been abandoned.

"This is all this subordinate’s fault. I will thoroughly investigate this matter and provide a satisfactory explanation to the people." The Prefect was practically signing a military order.

Wang Lanxuan glanced at the Prefect. "You have three days. Then, submit the results."

"Yes." The Prefect replied seriously.

Wang Lanxuan then looked at Yun Xi. "Wangzhi, do you still wish to stroll?"

"I do. But we cannot stroll in this area. I plan to change locations." Yun Xi smiled lightly. "It is rare to have a day off. It would be a shame not to enjoy it."

Wang Lanxuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "That is good. Fortunately, I am also here in plain clothes today. Let us stroll together."

"Let us go to the East Market," Yun Xi said with a smile. "I still remember when I first came to the capital, I accidentally went to the East Market brokerage and bought what is now the Duke’s Mansion."

"If you hadn’t mentioned it, I might have forgotten. You are a Duke now. Your residence can be larger. I will have someone check if the houses connected to yours are for sale. If not, I will plan for them to be acquired for you." Given Yun Xi’s status, Wang Lanxuan naturally wanted to offer more benefits.

Yun Xi laughed helplessly. "Our home is large enough. Even if it were bigger, we do not have that many people."

"Even if you do not plan to marry, your two younger brothers will surely marry in the future. After marriage, there will be children, plus the servants and relatives brought by the brides. The household size will inevitably increase. Therefore, preparing extra houses is necessary."

Wang Lanxuan listed point after point, making Yun Xi feel that refusing the houses later would be his own fault.

"Enough. Stop talking. I will check it myself tomorrow," Yun Xi said helplessly.

"Right. You are in the Ministry of Revenue. You can check such matters yourself." Wang Lanxuan seemed carefree.

Yun Xi snorted. "It is my own business anyway. What good is your saying it? It is useless to ask you."

Wang Lanxuan looked out the window and then said, "Alright. We have handled this matter sufficiently. Let us go."

The two left the private room, disregarding what the Prefect would do next, and headed to the East Market.

Yun Xi was also rare to be out for a walk. Seeing the characters "East Market Brokerage" still looked much the same as before, he smiled. "Thinking back now, the past feels like a different world."

Wang Lanxuan said, "Who could have imagined that from the moment you arrived in the capital, you already had your own path to walk."

Yun Xi smiled slightly and said no more.

The two good friends did not walk far. They strolled around this area and then returned to their respective homes.

Time passed steadily. Half a month later, representatives from all nations gradually entered the capital.

The atmosphere in the capital was quite lively, and the guest houses for the various nations were cleaned very thoroughly.

Due to the arrival of the representatives, the capital’s economy improved significantly.

At least, the sales of Yun Family Tea had increased several times compared to usual.

Yun Jian said by his side, "The people from other nations are truly wealthy."

Yun Xi took a sip of tea and said slowly, "This is very normal. Now that Great Ru has two masters of Golden Book Qi, they naturally want to leave a good impression on Great Ru."

Yun Xu said from the side, "By the way, I see that everyone else has been quite busy these days, including those in our Hanlin Academy. They have all been drafted to assist. Why are you so idle, Brother?"

"Distributing funds from the Ministry of Revenue is not my responsibility. The part I am in charge of can only begin once all representatives have arrived. I have already prepared the plan and set the stage. Basically, I have nothing to do, so I can naturally relax."

Yun Xi took another sip of tea and then said, "You said everyone else is busy. Why are you so idle these days?"

Yun Xu said, "I have finished the part I was responsible for."

It turned out both brothers had finished their tasks and returned home to steal some leisure time.

"By the way, Brother, I heard that the masters of Golden Book Qi from other nations have arrived. Will they spar with you?" Yun Xu recalled the rumors outside.

The emergence of such rumors was normal. Since Great Ru had two Golden masters, it placed significant pressure on the other three nations. Therefore, if the masters of Golden Book Qi could compete and rank themselves, it would be beneficial. For the other three nations, although Great Ru had two masters of Golden Book Qi, they had only recently broken through. Their cultivation was definitely inferior to the several masters of Golden Book Qi from the other three nations.

"There is probably such a matter. However, the Regent is currently in charge of this aspect, so I am not entirely clear on the details."

In fact, whether they competed or not meant nothing to Yun Xi. Even if there were a real duel, Yun Xi did not worry about being in danger.