Chapter 132: Lin Qi’s Plan

The official name of the Old Rooster Inn was the Gaul Empire State Guesthouse, which was the place where the Empire officially received honored guests. When the Empire was founded, the Old Rooster Inn already existed. Plus, its sign had a golden rooster—this was also the symbol of the Empire—so the young masters of the Empire’s noble families casually called it the Old Rooster Inn, and this name had been used for many years.

As the highest-standard hotel in the Empire, the Old Rooster Inn’s facilities and services could not be compared to local luxury hotels like the Green Gem Hotel in Dun Er Ke. Not to mention anything else, just the land area of the Old Rooster Inn was enormous. It occupied the entire royal garden on the west side of the Victory Palace and consisted of seven palaces and thirteen six-story buildings.

Tixiang brought Lin Qi to the quietest West Corridor of the Old Rooster Inn. It was called the West Corridor because it was located on the west side of the Old Rooster Inn. The main building was a six-story structure with twenty-four luxury suites. The dark gray building had two tall towers on its left and right sides. Below the towers were two arcades that stretched out like arms. The delicate, light-white arcades were covered with grapevines and rose trellises, which was why this area was called the West Corridor.

Along the curved arcade, which stretched over two miles, there were more than a dozen delicately designed warm pavilions. Magic Glass from the Vias Commercial Federation separated these pavilions from the cold wind outside, making them excellent private gathering spots with great privacy and comfort.

After taking off their coats at the entrance of one warm pavilion and changing into soft, comfortable fur slippers, Lin Qi, Enzo, and Yulian followed Tixiang into a short corridor. The walls of the corridor were made of large glass panels, through which they could see the golden statue of the God of Victory atop the distant Victory Palace.

This was Lin Qi’s first time stepping into the most extravagant pleasure den in the Imperial Capital. Yulian quietly explained the situation to him. This place, which served as a warm pavilion in winter and a cool pavilion in summer, was rented year-round by Tixiang for gatherings. The annual rent for this single pavilion alone was as high as three hundred thousand Gold Coins.

Hearing that golden number, Lin Qi could only sigh inwardly. Truly, as the nephew of the Minister of Finance, Tixiang was incredibly wealthy.

Though it was called a warm pavilion, it was actually a spacious glass room. Heat coming from somewhere made it as warm as spring. In the corners of the room, blooming flowers were placed, and some flowers that only bloomed in spring generously displayed their beauty.

The furnishings in the room went without saying. With Lin Qi’s discerning eye, he could tell everything here was very valuable. Especially the set of modular palace sofas in the center—if he wasn’t mistaken, the leather on them was made from Earth Dragon hide. Earth Dragons were powerful creatures with Dragonkin bloodlines. Today, when it was unknown whether true Dragonkin still existed, Earth Dragons were almost the top-tier among magical beasts.

Using Earth Dragon hide as sofa upholstery was beyond mere luxury.

Even as Lin Qi sat on the sofa, thinking that he was sitting on Earth Dragon leather worth a fortune, he felt a dizzying sensation, as if his backside had suddenly become very valuable.

Everyone took their seats. Beautiful maids in light clothing brought out fine wine and snacks to go with it. Tixiang ordered the maids to open two bottles of good wine, then waved them away. Raising his glass, Tixiang looked at Lin Qi excitedly and said with a laugh, “Beya suffered today and lost a lot of face. He won’t dare show his face for at least a month. To celebrate this delightful event, let’s have a drink.”

Lin Qi smiled and raised his glass. Yulian and Enzo also grinned and downed their drinks in one go.

Putting down his glass, Tixiang stood up, pulled a blank sheet of paper from the desk drawer, picked up a quill, and quickly wrote a few lines on it. He returned to his seat and placed the paper in front of Lin Qi. “These are a few good positions I thought of for cousin Yulian. I’d be happy to let his elders secure these posts tomorrow.”

Lin Qi picked up the paper and examined it carefully.

One was a director position in one of the thirty-five fiscal planning offices under the Empire’s Ministry of Finance Planning Department, each corresponding to one of the Empire’s thirty-five Provinces. This was an important role. Officials from those Provinces would work hard to befriend these directors, who held real power, to get more financial subsidies from the Empire. During holidays, they would certainly offer gifts. Not to mention anything else, just the ‘firewood fee’ every winter alone would be a substantial sum.

Another was a prosecutor position in the Empire’s Ministry of Justice. This was also a lucrative role with substantial power. Those unlucky enough to break the law would have their crimes assessed and sentences recommended by prosecutors before being passed to local courts for trial. A slight shift in a prosecutor’s pen could mean the difference between a harsh or light sentence, or even life and death. This position was very practical.

Then there were three other positions, all mid-level civil service roles in important Empire departments. They were the kind of positions that had some real power, were lucrative, but didn’t attract much attention. It was clear that Tixiang had put some thought into these five positions.

Five mid-level civil service roles in key Empire departments—not only would Yulian’s fallen Noble family struggle to get them, even some Earl families in the Imperial Capital might not have so many members serving in these departments.

Lin Qi looked at Tixiang, his fingers lightly tapping the paper. After a while, he handed the paper to Yulian.

Yulian only glanced briefly at the paper, and his face immediately turned bright red. Without a doubt, with these five positions, his family could turn their fortunes around within three to five years, completely changing their fate.

“Boss!” Yulian called out pitifully to Lin Qi.

Lin Qi pondered for a moment, then asked Tixiang, “Lord Tixiang, your family’s influence is unquestionable, but can you actually decide who gets these positions?”

Tixiang looked at Lin Qi and nodded. “These are a quarter of the twenty positions my family promised me. My grandfather dotes on me greatly. He’s paving the way for me to take over the family in the future. Yulian is my cousin. His family is no different from mine.”

So that was it—Tixiang’s family was helping him build his personal influence in advance! Only these top-tier Nobles could casually offer twenty important positions to place their own people.

Leaning back on the sofa, Lin Qi said solemnly, “Then, the first thing you need to do is find out who they are.”

Tixiang smiled and nodded lightly. “Go on.”

Lin Qi frowned and shook his head slightly. “Why did they come to the Imperial Capital?”

Spreading his hands, Lin Qi laughed. “What can you do for them? If they urgently need your help, then you can naturally win them over. But if they have ulterior motives, then you can also, without any moral burden, use other means to get them!”

Tixiang narrowed his eyes. “So you’re saying?”

Lin Qi said boldly, “Tonight, pay them a visit using your grandfather’s name card!”