Chen Qing left the Zhou Institute and headed home. Just as he turned the corner of Changping Street, an unremarkable, green-canopied carriage quietly pulled up beside him.
From the driver's seat, a plainly dressed but sharp-eyed man jumped down. He bowed slightly. "Master Chen, my master wishes to see you. He's in a private room at the teahouse just up the alley."
Chen Qing asked, "Who is your master?"
The driver offered a placating smile. "My young master is Huang Mingxuan."
Chen Qing paused for a beat. "Lead the way," he said, his expression unchanged.
'Huang Mingxuan!?'
'The eldest young master of the Huang Family, the one rumored to be the next Patriarch.'
"This way, Master Chen."
The driver gestured for him to follow and led Chen Qing to a nearby teahouse.
The fragrant aroma of tea wafted from a private room by a window on the teahouse's second floor.
A man of about thirty, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, carried himself with an air of refined grace.
