The early summer sun in Shuzhou was fierce, and after several days of rain, the city felt somewhat muggy.
Yet outside Marquis Dingyuan's Estate, a hundred personal guards still stood ramrod straight, their armor gleaming brightly beneath the sunlight.
Long lines stretched along both sides.
There were local Shuzhou officials and nobles, wealthy merchants and powerful gentry, as well as soldiers of the Dingyuan Army.
Most had arrived in groups of two or three; few had come alone.
Just after Si Hour.
The two dragon-like queues slowly began filing into the Marquis's mansion.
Chen Yi and Xiao Jinghong stood just inside the gates. Whether viewed from afar or up close, they could be called a perfect pair.
Chen Yi wore a long blue robe, belted at the waist with a round jade pendant hanging from it.
His neatly arranged topknot and refined features were not especially handsome, but coupled with his build and bearing, he could still be deemed outstanding.
Xiao Jinghong's attire differed from her usual simplicity. Her brocade-colored long dress softened some of her naturally cool and aloof air.
Even with that Half Armor Mask still covering her face, she no longer carried the icy chill that kept others a thousand miles away.
Opposite them stood a reception table, where the elderly second steward of the Marquis's mansion sat personally at the desk, brush in hand as he wrote.
A servant beside him announced, "Shuzhou Prefect Liu Si has arrived, presenting one thousand taels of silver, two bolts of silk, and a pair of jade discs."
Liu Si had arrived early, and thus stood near the front of the line.
After placing the gift list before the second steward, he cupped his hands toward Xiao Jinghong. "General Jinghong, I have troubled you to welcome me personally."
Xiao Jinghong