If a fresh-faced little maid with lovely crescent-shaped brows followed at your side, calling you "young master" at every turn, after all you had suffered in your lineage were cold looks and mockery, the difference felt like heaven and earth. Zhao Gou thought it would be perfect if he had a Folding Fan to wave as well.
Fortunately, he had not let it go to his head. He knew he owed all this to Luo Qian; without the Saint Stones, he would never have received such treatment. Zhao Guangying and the others were waiting for him in the council hall. They were annoyed, but circumstances had forced their hand, and they had no choice but to treat the boy with courtesy.
At the door, Zhao Gou suddenly quickened his steps. He hurried into the council hall, bowed low, and put on a look of fearful respect. "Uncle!" Zhao Guangying felt a little better. At least the boy knows what's good for him. All the care I gave him before wasn't wasted. Zhao Gou was no fool. Even with Luo Qian backing him, he knew he should keep a low profile.
"Gou, they specifically asked you to handle the talks. There's not much to discuss, really. Just tell them we accept their terms and ask them to send the goods as soon as possible," Zhao Guangying said. Even he found calling him "Gou" embarrassingly affectionate, and it sounded far too much like "dog."
Zhao Gou did not mind. He bowed again. "As you command, Uncle."
The last time he had gone, he had marched off full of fighting spirit, ready to charge into battle. This time, with a pretty little maid beside him and a paper Folding Fan in his hand, he looked as though he were off to enjoy the