Over a hundred armored soldiers stood in formation. At their head was an official. As the ship drew nearer, they could see that he wore the robes of a fourth-rank official. He did not look like an official from the Ministry of Rites sent to welcome them, but more like someone from the Dali Temple. His expression was not quite icy and severe, yet he was at least unsmiling, his face so grim it looked as if everyone owed him a great deal of money.
Yet this man truly was an official from the Ministry of Rites sent to receive them. Luo Pei even knew him—this was Liu Guangqi. They had met many times before, and he had always been respectful and deferential. Now, however, he wore a cold face.
Seeing such a formation on the docks, Luo Pei's heart thudded.
Much could often be discerned from the expression on the face of the official who came to receive someone.
This was the Capital City, not the southwest. When the imperial envoy had sought to arrest the Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest, that had been the commander's own patch of land. They had been forced to employ certain measures, tricking him into being alone before they could make their move.
But this was the docks of the Capital City. Here, let alone a civil official like Luo Pei, even a military general commanding hundreds of thousands of troops would have to coil up if he was a dragon. There was naturally no need for schemes, nor any fear that the accused official might escape.
"My lord, you..." Luo Pei's confidant saw the scene as well. His face turned ugly as he cautiously edged closer and asked.
"Disembark." The sight had drained some color from Luo Pei's face, leaving him far from