Published: March 12, 2025
CHAPTER 458: Same Camp
Although it was just an ordinary family banquet, Zhao Hai indeed learned a lot. As a homebody, he had never dealt with so many people before. Although he had learned some things from books in the past, applying them in real life was truly difficult. There was still so much for him to learn.
Early the next morning, Zhao Hai came out of the space. As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Smith standing there. Upon seeing Zhao Hai, Smith couldn't help but smile and said, "Awake? You must have drunk a lot yesterday, right? Does your head hurt?"
Zhao Hai smiled and replied, "Not too bad. I drank some hangover soup last night, so I didn't suffer too much. Uncle, how are you?"
Smith gave a wry smile and said, "It's just this one day in a year. It's only fitting to endure a bit of suffering with family. Alright then, let's have breakfast together later."
After breakfast, Zhao Hai was about to head out to check on Karsen City's situation when suddenly a servant walked in holding a notice. He bowed to Zhao Hai and said, "Young Master Zhao Hai, I have a notice from a servant of Prince Charlie."
Zhao Hai nodded, took the notice, and opened it to find an invitation to a banquet. Prince Charlie was hosting a banquet tonight and invited him to attend.
Zhao Hai lightly furrowed his brows and nodded, saying, "Understood. Please tell that servant that I will attend." The servant responded and turned to leave.
Zhao Hai quietly gazed at the invitation. It wasn't that he was afraid of meeting anyone; he just disliked attending such banquets. However, he knew that given his current status, it was impossible to avoid it.
Sighing, he put away the invitation. Just then, Laura and the others walked in, chatting and laughing. They had just returned from visiting the grove in Lin Tao Courtyard.
As soon as Laura saw Zhao Hai’s expression, which was not very good, she curiously asked, "What's wrong, Brother Hai? Did something happen?"
Zhao Hai smiled wryly and handed the invitation to Laura. She took a glance and laughed, saying, "This is a good thing! It seems that Charlie wants to introduce you to his subordinates. Plus, it's an official invitation, so it looks like there will be quite a few people there tonight. You might meet people from various families."
Zhao Hai chuckled, "I know I can meet people from various families. Charlie is doing this to label me as his person, making sure everyone knows I'm connected to him. Meigen, why don’t you skip tonight? I’m worried it might affect the Karlqi Family."
Meigen shook her head and said, "No way! Why should I not go? Brother Hai, why think so much? Even if he thinks the Karlqi Family supports Charlie, what can they do to the Karlqi Family? Even if Prince Charlie fails in his bid for the throne, as long as you support him from the back, they wouldn’t dare do anything. As long as Prince Charlie’s position remains, they won’t go too far. Besides, with you here, I see the greatest opportunity for Prince Charlie to ascend."
Zhao Hai looked at Meigen and smiled, "Alright, then everyone should go. By the way, do you all have formal attire? We can’t embarrass the budah family when we go."
Meigen smiled and said, "No problem, I'll have the people from the family’s tailor come and make a new formal outfit for you right away." After saying that, she turned to instruct a servant to find the tailor.
Laura said to Zhao Hai, "Brother Hai, it seems Terry will also be there. Be careful; Terry might make things difficult for you at the banquet. They are capable of such things. Terry is quite cunning; he might not confront you directly, but he has many underlings. I've asked Meigen in the past two days, and the Robert Family has quite a standing in the Roson Empire."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "I understand. Don't worry; nothing will happen. What can they do to me? Alright, let's prepare."
Before long, the tailor arrived, took Zhao Hai's measurements, and soon delivered a black evening gown to him.
This evening gown was a very traditional noble outfit, exquisitely crafted, with the budah family’s emblem embroidered on it. Zhao Hai was genuinely surprised by how quickly the Karlqi Family's tailor worked. This showed the difference between newly promoted nobles and old families.