The man leading them was middle-aged, with a round, prosperous face and a constant smile.
"The young Fate Master, Lord Li Qingxian," Lou Yushan said with a smile.
The four men hastily stood up, their chairs scraping backward with a harsh sound.
"We’ve heard so much about you!" the four men said in unison, clasping their fists in salute.
The two walked over to the table, and Lou Yushan smilingly introduced them to Li Qingxian. "This is the Room Leader of our Ministry of Works’ Civilian Equipment Department’s Treasury, Lord Duan Qing. And this is..."
Lou Yushan introduced the four men one by one, and Li Qingxian greeted each in turn.
Aside from Duan Qing, who was a Senior Seventh Grade, the others were either Eighth or Ninth Grade, and they were all extremely respectful.
Duan Qing said with a beaming smile, "Lord Li, you are truly a man of remarkable bearing. When Xiaoshan pulled you in just now, I thought you were a young master from some Duke’s Mansion. Please, take the seat of honor."
After speaking, Duan Qing moved away from his own seat.
Li Qingxian calmly declined, "Lord Duan, you’re too kind. I heard from Young Master Lou that you were here and came specifically to offer you a toast. How could I possibly take the main seat? I absolutely couldn’t."
After a few more polite exchanges, they all sat down, and someone was ordered to bring a new set of bowls and chopsticks.
Li Qingxian knew many people from the Ministry of Works’ Civilian Equipment Department, but these men were all from the department’s Treasury, and he had never interacted with them before.
Their only common ground was the distillery. After some simple pleasantries, the conversation turned to the distillery.
The distillery would bring the Ministry of Works at least one hundred thousand taels in income annually. Coupled with the fact that Liu Muwa occasionally mentioned Li Qingxian at the Ministry of Works, Duan Qing was full of praise for him. The other Low Grade officials also unanimously praised Li Qingxian for being young and promising.
At first, Lou Yushan was a little disappointed to hear Li Qingxian just call him "Young Master Lou." However, seeing how highly everyone else regarded Li Qingxian, he quickly came to his senses, reined in his emotions, and began to praise Li Qingxian as well.
They toasted and drank, their cups clinking. In no time, they had downed more than a dozen cups. Even though Li Qingxian was already a Senior Eighth Grade with abundant Magical Power, the rapid drinking brought a wave of intoxication.
The others had already drunk a lot, so now they were all showing signs of drunkenness.
’These guys are regulars at the drinking table; who knows how long this will last,’ Li Qingxian thought. He stood up, raised his cup, and said, "It is my great fortune to have run into you all. However, my Room Leader and Military Supervisor are waiting for me. I’ve been here for nearly half an hour, and if I don’t go back soon, they’ll start to worry. I will offer you all one last toast."
The five men rose with him, drained their cups, and then tried to persuade him to stay.
Li Qingxian was determined to leave, so the others didn’t insist.
"Lord Li, please wait a moment." As Duan Qing spoke, he took out a palm-sized bronze disc from the fish-shaped pouch at his side.
Li Qingxian was taken aback. He hadn’t expected a mere Seventh-Grade Official to have a Communication Talisman Disc. Generally, unless it was for a temporary operation, only Fifth Grade officials and above were issued one.
Noticing Li Qingxian’s reaction, Duan Qing’s smile widened. "Normally, a humble Seventh-Grade Room Leader like me wouldn’t be qualified to carry a Talisman Disc. However, the Civilian Equipment Department has been thriving lately. Thanks to the favor of Lord Liu and my uncle, the Ministry of Personnel granted me this Talisman Disc to help me handle my duties more efficiently. Of the eight Talismans on my disc, I’ve only used six, leaving two positions empty. It’s not that I can’t find people; it’s that the Talisman Positions are limited, so I must reserve them for more important individuals."
Lou Yushan quickly added, "Lord Duan is right. Just the other day, I heard an official from the Farming Bureau complaining that he couldn’t get one of your Disk Talismans."
Duan Qing sighed and said, "There’s nothing I can do. My uncle said that a Communication Talisman Disc must always have one Talisman slot empty, because you never know which benefactor you might suddenly encounter."
Lou Yushan was frantically giving Li Qingxian meaningful looks, urging him to ask for a Disk Talisman himself.
Li Qingxian hesitated. He officially only had one Communication Talisman Disc, but all eight of its Talismans were already assigned. If he took out a second one now, it would be far too ostentatious.
While Li Qingxian was still hesitating, Duan Qing smiled and asked, "Lord Li, do you have a Communication Talisman Disc?"
Everyone stared at Li Qingxian, their eyes filled with envy.
This was true even for Lou Yushan, whose family had a Middle Grade official serving in the Ministry of Works. Compared to Duan Qing’s uncle, his family’s influence was nothing. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Personnel were separated by at least two tiers of power.
Li Qingxian said helplessly, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Duan, but all eight slots on my Talisman Disc are full."
The others glanced furtively at Duan Qing, but his smile remained, his expression unchanged. He said calmly, "Just replace one."
Li Qingxian knew the other man intended to build a connection, not to cause trouble. With a sense of helplessness, he took out his Communication Talisman Disc, tapped the center, and the disc stood upright, unfurling eight Flying Talismans.
Li Qingxian pointed to a Disk Talisman with red patterns on a yellow background and said, "This first one belongs to Lord Zhou Chunfeng, the Inspector of the Patrol and Arrest Department."
The men nodded slightly. Just as the rumors said, Li Qingxian truly had the favor of Zhou Chunfeng.
"This second one is for Lord Zhou Henn. I contact him frequently."
Two of the officials showed looks of envy. The name Madman Zhou was legendary; even in the River Guard Army, he was a famous War Merit General.
"This one is for my senior martial sister, Jiangg Youfei," Li Qingxian said.
At first, the men didn’t pay it much mind. Then, their eyes all went wide. They had heard the name Fairy Qingcheng many times, so hearing Li Qingxian directly use Jiangg Youfei’s full name made their reactions a beat slow.
Lou Yushan stared at Li Qingxian, his heart burning with excitement.
The way the others looked at Li Qingxian grew more serious again.
She was the Saintess of a first-rate Major Sect of the Daoist Sect, deeply favored by the Empress Dowager. A few casual words from her in the palace could bring immense benefits.
Moreover, at such a young age, Li Qingxian not only knew high-ranking officials of the Imperial Court but was also close with the Daoist Sect. The breadth of his network was far beyond their imagination.
"This fourth one is for Lord Songg Yunjing."
The men had already expected this, as Li Qingxian had helped Songg Yunjing revise a poem.
"This fifth one is for Excellent Young Master Shen Xiaoyi, the Young Master of the Jiangnan Commerce Association," Li Qingxian said.
Other Imperial Court officials might not care much upon hearing Shen Xiaoyi’s name, but these men were all from the Treasury. They paid extremely close attention to commercial affairs, and their reaction to Shen Xiaoyi’s name was just as strong as their reaction to Jiangg Youfei’s.
"Qingxian, I never expected your circle of friends to be so extensive," Duan Qing said with emotion. The last trace of displeasure on his face vanished completely.
Others might not know, but he frequently dealt with finances, so he was keenly aware of the Jiangnan Commerce Association’s power. On the surface, they were just merchants, but behind them were many of Jiangnan’s great clans working together. That Shen Xiaoyi was an honored guest of the Governor of Jiangnan. Even ordinary Fifth and Sixth Grade officials wouldn’t dare act high and mighty in front of him.
"This sixth person is Lord Guo Xiang, a Deputy Disciplinary Officer of the Black Lamp Department. He usually guides me in some of my Fate Skills," Li Qingxian said.
The men nodded. The Black Lamp Department’s name wasn’t well-known among the common folk, but in the Imperial Court, it was legendary. Every Deputy Disciplinary Officer was a true Fate Master, far more respected than an ordinary Fifth-Grade Official.
"The seventh is Lord Fei Yan, the Hall Supervision Army officer for our North Hall, who also holds a position in the Internal Factory. We need the Talisman Disc to stay in contact."
The moment they heard "Internal Factory," the men sobered up considerably.
"And this last one is for Lord Liu Muwa, whom you all know."
The men looked resigned. He was the top man in the Civilian Equipment Department.
These eight people... never mind Duan Qing, even Duan Qing’s uncle couldn’t compare.
Li Qingxian looked at Duan Qing frankly.
Duan Qing sighed, put away his Communication Talisman Disc, and said half-jokingly, "Forget it. I can’t very well run to Lord Liu tomorrow and say, ’Brother Liu, I met Li Qingxian yesterday and told him to replace your Disk Talisman with mine. Don’t be mad, okay?’"
Everyone immediately burst into laughter.