Two hours later, Xu Yi returned to the office with Sanchelli.
Seeing Sanchelli following behind Xu Yi, looking no different from a beggar, Supervisor Lam could not help feeling puzzled. But he was worldly enough not to ask unnecessary questions. Following Xu Yi's instructions, he had a servant take Sanchelli away to bathe and change, then approached Xu Yi and said solemnly, "President Xu, His Majesty the King's attendant sent someone with a message just now. His Majesty the King will receive you at five in the afternoon the day after tomorrow. Please make sure you are available and wait here ahead of time. Someone will come to escort you into the Royal Palace."
"The afternoon after tomorrow? That's pretty quick." Xu Yi nodded. "I thought His Majesty the King would be so busy that he'd leave me waiting for several days before remembering to summon me."
Supervisor Lam immediately smiled. "President Xu, you underestimate yourself. The man who brought the message was a secretary serving directly under His Majesty the King. Sending him shows how much importance His Majesty the King attaches to this audience. I also asked the secretary about it, and he said that since His Majesty the King scheduled your audience for five in the afternoon, he may well invite you to dinner. That is a rare honor. You must be prepared."
"Oh? His Majesty the King thinks that highly of me? I'm truly flattered." Xu Yi laughed, then frowned again. "If that's the case, what's going on with the Agriculture Bureau? His Majesty the King takes me so seriously, yet the Agriculture Bureau treats me with such disdain. Isn't that a little strange?"
"Well..." Supervisor Lam glanced around, then leaned close to Xu Yi's ear and lowered his voice to a whisper. "President Xu, the