Xu Qinglian had never been so embarrassed in his life. He took a deep breath of air thick with the stench of urine, forced himself to calm down amid his confusion and panic, and squeezed out a stiff smile. "I got up for a drink of water... accidentally spilled it..." The more he explained, the blacker he painted himself. He might as well have planted a sign saying, "No silver buried here."
Guo Shouguang, at least, had his wits about him. He cupped his hands and bowed. "Please change first, my lord. We'll wait outside."
Hu Xiaotian showed no intention of leaving. He remained there, smiling, his two shifty eyes fixed on Xu Qinglian's crotch. Xu Qinglian hated him so much his teeth itched; he wished he could gouge the scoundrel's eyes out while he was still alive. "What else did you come back for?" he snapped.
"Something minor," Hu Xiaotian said. "You ordered me to repair the Azure Cloud Bridge, my lord, but we have no silver. If we levy contributions on the people, complaints will fill the roads, and they'll have no means to live. I came up with the idea of a charity auction. Perhaps we could raise some funds that way. What do you think, my lord?"
Xu Qinglian's patience had reached its limit. All he wanted now was for this hateful brat to disappear from his sight as quickly as possible. "It's your idea," he said impatiently. "Handle it yourself. There's no need to ask me."
"Does that mean you support it or oppose it, my lord?"
Xu Qinglian's rage was on the verge of erupting. He glared at Hu Xiaotian. "I support it! I support it! As long as you repair the Azure Cloud Bridge, I don't care what method you use."
Hu Xiaotian