Chapter 1113: Marcheno
Heaven’s will was always unpredictable. Just as Qi Xuansu always ran into flying ship accidents, his visits to Hu Songting were likewise always plagued by unexpected incidents.
Qi Xuansu had just arrived at Hu Songting’s residence when a message came from Tianfu Palace. A representative of the West Shakya Company wished to meet the Chief Deputy Mansion Master.
It was not Qi Xuansu’s first time dealing with this representative. Their prior interaction had been indirect in Fenglin.
This representative was a Grand Duke from the Western lands, named Marcheno. During the Fenglin Campaign, Marcheno had traveled to Xiujing regarding the prisoners of war, seeking an audience with the Sage Commander, Sage Qingwei. Although Sage Qingwei did not meet him personally, he still appointed Li Tiangang, the Second Deputy of the Fenglin Daoist Mansion, to receive him.
From this, it was clear that Grand Duke Marcheno’s status was far from ordinary. He considered himself qualified to request an audience with Sage Qingwei. Even though Qingwei declined, a Second Deputy was sent to meet him.
In other words, Sage Qingwei viewed this duke as roughly equivalent to a Second Deputy in rank.
Now that the duke sought to meet someone from the Daoist Mansion, and since Xu Jiaorong was not in Lion City, Qi Xuansu was the only suitable person to receive him.
Xie Jiaofeng would not do. Even if he were suitable, with his slick demeanor, he would never volunteer to go.
Qi Xuansu actually knew a bit about Marcheno.
One year before the fall of the Wei Dynasty, the West Shakya Company was formally established, originally named “The Company of Lune Merchants Trading in West Shakya.”
It was formed by a group of influential merchants who, in the year 1600, received a 15-year exclusive trade charter for West Shakya from the Lune royal house. The company began with 125 shareholders and 80,000 Gold Crowns.
Over the next century, the West Shakya Company expanded rapidly, evolving from a trading corporation into a regional power, almost a nation unto itself. Its shareholder structure grew increasingly complex. Most of the original merchants were forced out, replaced by major traders, nobles, manufacturing plant tycoons, some local princes of Shakya, and even clergy from the Holy Court.