Making an Offer 2

Assistant Hall Manager Luo Junyuan scowled as he whirled to face the source of the voice. Who was that to dare to intrude onto the third floor of the Medicine Hall? Without his specific instructions, or Hall Manager Zheng's, no one was allowed to ascend to that level! So who would have the gall to do so now? Especially when they were just breaths away from concluding one of the biggest trades that he had the pleasure of witnessing?

But Zheng Zhanqi's hand suddenly gripped his forearm with an almost painful grasp, making the Assistant Hall Manager gasp instead of calling out. And from the look of surprise and consternation on the Hall Manager's face, Luo Junyuan realized that the older man probably had a very good reason for interrupting him the way that he did.

And the Second Ducal Prince's greeting, called out from where he was seated, made everything clear at once:

"Cousin? What are you doing here?"

Cousin? The Second Ducal Prince called him cousin?

Assistant Hall Manager Luo felt a wave of cold sweat suddenly break out on his back, even as Hall Manager Zheng patted him on his aching forearm and motioned for him to stand back once again. Something that he did at once, gratefully.

After all, there was only one person in the whole world whom the Second Ducal Prince would call his cousin. Especially there in Changqing City. Royal Prince Zhuo Lingming! Or to use the more formal address, Prince of Stormy Sea!

"Why are you asking me that, cousin? Can't I walk around the City like everyone else? And Fu Lai Medicine Hall is well-known as one of the most popular places in Changqing City, where one can get their hands on just about anything that they require.

"So how could I miss a chance to visit such a famous place like this?"

The Royal Prince was dressed in a deep red robe of silk that was embroidered with threads of silver and gold at the collar and the shoulders, marking out a lovely pattern of peony flowers. If it was worn by another man, the use of such a pattern may have made him look a little effeminate.

But the Royal Prince was tall and broad-shouldered, with a handsome face that exuded masculinity. And the air of sophistication about him only added to his flair.

How could anyone present compare to him in terms of looks?

Even the Second Ducal Prince, in the blue-grey garment of fine silk, and his belt of beaten gold links, could not begin to match his magnificence!

Of course, just his Royal rank alone would have given the Hall Manager pause, if he had chosen to evict this outrageous Royal Prince. After all, this was the sacred third floor of his Fu Lai Medicine Hall, where all the serious deals of the same were conducted. How could just anyone, Royal or otherwise, simply intrude into the same, without so much as an apology?

But the Prince of the Stormy Seas was accompanied by a pair of unusual characters, and Assistant Hall Manager Luo had already noted the faint scent of blood, that was even now, starting to drift up from the second floor. Who were these two men, who were able to handle all of the Medicine Hall's Protectors in such a short time?

One of the Prince's companions looked like a eunuch who was trained in the secret martial arts of the Royal Palace, judging from the thick calluses on his knuckles. But it was the other, a man with grey-hair and a grey beard, who was dressed in a grey robe that was flecked with specks of blood. He was probably the one who had been responsible for dealing with the Protectors, the Assistant Hall Manager realized with a scowl on his face.

However, as ugly as his mood may be, Luo Junyuan was not a fool. Anyone who could defeat those same guards were clearly a threat to the Medicine Hall itself. Thus he was unwilling to make a move. And Hall Manager Zheng Zhanqi himself had taken steps, hadn't he, to prevent Assistant Hall Manager Luo from making any overt moves?

For now, all they could do was to watch. And see how things developed.

The agitation of the middle-aged man's face, however, was evident to Assistant Hall Manager Luo's keen eyes. That bothered Luo Junyuan more than a little too. The man in green was clearly irritated to have his trading session interrupted, to say nothing more about the delay that he was experiencing at the moment. All at once, Luo Junyuan remembered what had happened, the last time that the green-robed fellow had lost his temper.

And that was enough to start him shuddering, and step a little further back. Well away from where any argument between the Second Ducal Prince and the Royal-born Prince of the Stormy Sea might erupt, there on the third floor!

Nor was his movement something that Hall Manager Zheng would miss! And from the way that the blood drained away from his face, it was clear that he remembered reading all of the reports about what had happened back then too. Although he had not witnessed it himself, he had seen the aftermath of the flare-up, as well as dealt with the damage that it had caused!

So he was quick to step between the two noblemen, before things could get any further out of hand! This Medicine Hall was directly under his charge, after all. And he didn't want to have it damaged beyond all recognition!

His words, of course, were courteous. And they were directed at the Royal Prince:

"We welcome other bids, naturally, for the items that are displayed. I trust our guest would not be offended, if someone else makes a more ... generous offer for the prizes so presented. Of course, the final decision of who is to receive the items will remain completely in his hands. And in his hands alone."

That was the only way that he knew, that he could push all of the responsibility for making the choice of offending the Royal Prince entirely onto the head of the man in the faded green robe. Something that did not deter the fellow at all, Luo Junyuan observed, from the scowl that persisted on his face.

A scowl, that from all appearances, did not seem to affect the hubris of the Royal Prince in the slightest. His face was still adorned with his haughty, nonchalant smile, as he turned to face who he regarded as a simple trader who did not deserve the treasures that he had in his possession.

Suddenly, Assistant Hall Manager Luo Junyuan had a terrible premonition of blood and suffering, there on the third floor of the Fu Lai Medicine Hall!

"Of course, my offer is clearly higher than my cousin's. So you would definitely suffer no loss at all," the Royal Prince declared with his usual enchanting smile.

"Hand the ginseng root to me, and you shall have my eternal gratitude. Surely the gratitude of a Royal Prince is worth more than whatever price my cousin has offered for that same item. Don't you agree?"

* * *