Chapter 132: Lin Qi's Solution

The official name of the Rooster Inn is the Gallic Empire State Guesthouse, the designated venue for the Empire to host its most distinguished guests. The inn existed long before the founding of the Empire, and because its sign features a glittering golden rooster—also a symbol of the Empire—the city’s noble families began calling it the "Rooster Inn," a name that has persisted for years.

As the highest-rated establishment in the Empire, the Rooster Inn boasts facilities and services that far surpass luxury hotels like the Green Rose in Dunkirk. To speak only of its scale, it occupies the entirety of the Royal Gardens on the west side of the Palace of Victory, comprising seven palaces and thirteen six-story buildings.

Tixian led Lin Qi to the most secluded section of the inn, the West Cloister. It earned this name because it is situated on the western edge of the grounds. The main building is a six-story structure housing twenty-four luxury suites, flanked by two towering spires. Stretching out from beneath these towers like two arms are long, light-white, exquisitely designed corridors covered in grapevines and climbing roses—the very feature that gives the West Cloister its name.

The arched corridor, spanning over two miles in total, contains a dozen delicately crafted heated pavilions. Magic glass from the Vias Commercial Federation seals these pavilions against the biting wind, turning them into private gathering spots of exceptional comfort and seclusion.

After removing their coats at the entrance of one pavilion and slipping into soft, comfortable fur slippers, Lin Qi, Enzo, and Yulian followed Tixian down a short hallway. The walls were made of large panes of glass, offering a view of the golden statue of the Goddess of Victory atop the distant Palace of Victory.

This was Lin Qi’s first time stepping into the most extravagant den of luxury in the Imperial Capital. Yulian whispered information as they walked: this space, which served as a heated pavilion in winter and a cool retreat in summer, was a year-round rental held by Tixian. The annual rent for this single pavilion alone reached three hundred thousand gold coins.

Hearing that staggering sum, Lin Qi could only sigh inwardly. Tixian was truly worthy of being the nephew of the Minister of Finance; he was incredibly wealthy.

Though called a "heated pavilion," it was essentially a spacious glass room. Warm air, emitted from hidden vents, kept the interior as mild as spring. In the corners, flowers were in full bloom, with blossoms that should only appear in springtime proudly displaying their beauty.

The furnishings were, needless to say, exceptionally valuable to anyone with a discerning eye. In particular, the modular palace-style sofa in the center appeared to be upholstered in earth-dragon hide. Earth-dragons, creatures possessed of draconic blood, were apex monsters in an age where the existence of true dragons was uncertain.

Upholstering a sofa with earth-dragon hide was beyond mere luxury. As Lin Qi sat down, the thought that he was resting on hide worth a fortune gave him a strange, intoxicated sensation, as if his own backside had suddenly become incredibly valuable.

Once everyone was seated, beautiful maids in light attire served fine wine and appetizers before Tixian signaled for them to open two bottles and then dismissed them. Raising his glass, Tixian looked at Lin Qi with excitement. "Bea had a rough time today and lost a lot of face. He won't dare show his face in public for at least a month. Let us toast to this delightful turn of events."

Lin Qi laughed and raised his glass, joined by Yulian and Enzo, who drank with beaming smiles.

After setting down his glass, Tixian stood up, retrieved a sheet of white paper from his desk drawer, and quickly jotted down a few lines with a quill. He returned to his seat and placed the paper before Lin Qi. "These are a few decent positions I’ve thought of for cousin Yulian. I would be happy to have his family's elders appointed to these posts by tomorrow."

Lin Qi picked up the paper and examined it carefully.

A director of one of the thirty-five financial planning departments under the Imperial Ministry of Finance's Planning Division, corresponding to the thirty-five provinces of the Empire. This was a position of significant importance. To secure extra financial subsidies from the Empire, provincial officials would go to great lengths to cultivate ties with such powerful directors. During holidays, they would surely offer tokens of appreciation; to say nothing of the rest, the annual "firewood allowance" alone would be a substantial sum.

A public prosecutor in the Imperial Ministry of Justice—another position that was both lucrative and held real authority. The crimes of unfortunate souls who broke the law had to be classified and sentenced by a prosecutor before being reported to the local courts for trial. A slight tilt of a prosecutor’s pen could mean the difference between a light sentence and a heavy one, or even between life and death.

There were three other positions, all mid-level civil service roles in key Imperial departments. They were the kind of posts that held real power and were highly profitable, yet remained relatively low-profile. It was clear Tixian had put considerable thought into these five selections.

For a fallen noble family like Yulian’s, even some of the Imperial Capital’s count-level families might not have so many members serving in such departments. Lin Qi looked at Tixian, his fingers tapping lightly on the paper, before handing it to Yulian.

Yulian glanced at the paper, and his face instantly flushed bright red. There was no doubt that with these five positions, his family could turn their fortunes around within three to five years.

"Boss!" Yulian cried out to Lin Qi with a pathetic, pleading look.

Lin Qi pondered for a moment before looking at Tixian. "Your Highness, the power of your family is unquestionable, but can you truly decide the allocation of these positions?"

Tixian nodded at Lin Qi. "These are a quarter of the twenty positions my family has entrusted to me. My grandfather dotes on me; he is paving the way for me to eventually take control of the family. Yulian is my cousin, and his family is no different from mine."

So that was it. Tixian’s family was preemptively building a private power base for him. Only top-tier nobles could treat twenty important positions as mere tools to arrange their own people.

Leaning back into the sofa, Lin Qi said in a deep voice, "Then, first things first: you must find out exactly who they are."

Tixian smiled and nodded. "Go on."

Lin Qi frowned and shook his head slightly. "Why have they come to the Imperial Capital?"

He spread his hands and smiled. "What can you do for them? If they are in desperate need of your help, then you can win them over quite naturally. But if they have ulterior motives, then you can use other means to get what you want, without any moral burden!"

Tixian’s eyes narrowed. "And so?"

Lin Qi said bluntly, "Tonight, use your grandfather’s calling card to pay them a visit!"