In front of outsiders, you should at least pretend to be aloof.
"What if this merchant is from elsewhere and has connections?"
"If they report us, wonât my reputation be ruined!"
After all, the salary given by the Imperial Court is really not high.
Many prestigious families in the Capital City canât afford to maintain so many people, so they often engage in other businesses to accumulate wealth.
As long as itâs not too excessive, the Emperor generally doesnât care!
After all, doing business is better than embezzlement, right?!
"As the saying goes, safety first!"
"Until we find out their background, we canât act rashly!"
"If we offend the wrong person, whoâs going to take the blame for me? You?"
The dogheaded adviser lowered his head in silence, guilty.
Liu Shouwei was so angry that he took a sip of tea and felt a little better after gently touching the white, delicate hands of a little beauty twice.
"Next!"
The second adviser was a fat man.
Before he even spoke, he had already plastered on a sycophantic smile, making his squinty eyes even harder to find!
"Master, my idea is also to poison, but..."
"We canât choose the brothel as the place to approach them!"
"Didnât everyone in Yinshan City know that our master is an upright and just official?!"
"How could an upright and just official frequent a brothel?!"
"We should choose the inn next door as the place for a chance encounter!"
"Then just wait for them to come out, and weâll play a scene to highlight the masterâs image!"
"At the same time, design an accident!"
"Once thereâs an accident, the rest is easy to handle, isnât it?"
Liu Shouwei squinted and nodded.
He was very satisfied with the "upright and just official" setting!
"Thatâs more like it!"
"Am I not an upright and just official?!"
"Handling cases, patrolling the city, not embezzling or taking bribes, wholeheartedly advocating for the people and being their spokesman!"
This kind of talk really made him feel quite diligent and honest.
He was almost moved by himself!
The advisers below all nodded.
"Master, you are indeed wise!"
"Master, you are truly the God of Literature reincarnated!"
Liu Shouwei found it a bit awkward to hear.
"Go to hell, what does this have to do with the God of Literature!"
"Get lost, get lost, all of you, I already have an idea!"
No matter what the dogheaded adviser thought.
He wanted to inspire himself!
He wanted to build the perfect image for himself!
He wanted to be the official with the best reputation, live the most luxurious life, and, of course, woo the most beautiful women!
...
Xia Tingfeng and Zhao Qichen always pretended to be father and son outside.
Pretending to be a father showing his ten-year-old son the world.
Though Zhao Qichenâs demeanor didnât resemble that of a ten-year-old at all.
But he really was just a ten-year-old kid.
His height wasnât fully developed, and his face wasnât fully grown either, only his demeanor was unlike a childâs.
Resemble or not, he was still his "son."
Besides, nephews often resemble their uncles.
Even if they werenât directly related, there was still a noticeable similarity in their features.
That was enough, three points were already sufficient!
They booked the biggest inn in Yinshan City and settled their luggage.
The âfather and sonâ then began to wander outside.
Pretending to be merchants from the south who brought goods to the north for sale.
They went from shop to shop searching.
During the stroll.
Zhao Qichen asked in a lowered voice.
"Father, will they... really make a move?"
Xia Tingfeng smirked.
"Rats love fat meat; such a big piece of meat, he cannot possibly ignore it!"
After speaking, he glanced around.
Pulling Zhao Qichen into a gold ornament store.
Upon leaving the jewelry store, they went to a jade shop, then a silk store, a tea shop, and a powder store...
His intention was very clear.
It was to blatantly and openly tell those in the shadows:
That this batch of goods of theirs was full of valuables!
Zhao Qichen still couldnât fully believe.
But he didnât ask more questions.
Along the way, he âcuriouslyâ looked at this and touched that.
Giving off the appearance of a businessmanâs naive and ignorant young master, out for his first real experience!
"Theyâve taken the bait!"
Xia Tingfeng glimpsed at someone following them from the corner of his eye!
Zhao Qichen noticed it too, and the two spoke almost simultaneously!
The two looked around alertly.
Aside from the follower, they noticed, not far away, there was a crowd gathered, causing a commotion, but they couldnât tell what had happened!
The two exchanged a look, both feeling that was too coincidental, it might be... a setup!
"Letâs go, have a look!"
Xia Tingfeng led Zhao Qichen into the crowd!
Inside the crowd knelt a young woman, dressed in rags and with an unkempt appearance.
Beside her lay a âbodyâ wrapped in a tattered straw mat.
The young womanâs eyes were red and swollen from crying, her face streaked with tears and snot.
"Ladies and gentlemen, uncles and aunts, my father has passed away! I am helpless, forced by circumstances to sell myself for his burial!"
"Please, kind-hearted people, help me!"
"I can do any kind of work, washing clothes, cooking, fetching water, sweeping the floor, feeding chickens and ducks, tending cattle and sheep, any dirty or tiring work!"
"I beg all you kind souls to help!"
With that, she began kowtowing desperately.
The onlookers sighed deeply and expressed various emotions, some pitied her, others shook their heads and sighed, and some eyed the girlâs beauty, eager to buy her as a wife.
An elderly woman, wiping her tears, asked.
"Young lady, you keep asking us for help!"
"How can we help?"
The implication being, under what condition? How many taels of silver would it take to buy you home?
The girl looked around, and finally locked eyes with Xia Tingfeng, whispering softly and timidly.
"As long as someone helps me bury my father!"
"The highest bidder wins!"
The crowd murmured again.
Several who had been eager were now hesitant, leaving the atmosphere awkward and stagnant.
Just then, a few men started to murmur loudly around Xia Tingfeng on purpose.
"Look at that girl, sheâs not bad!"
"Buy her and clean her up, sheâd definitely be prettier than Xiao Hua from Cuifang Tower!"
"I agree!" another chimed in.
"Itâs just a pity I canât afford it!"
Another person sighed.
"What a shame, if some rich guy bought her, theyâd be striking it rich!"
"A mere few taels of silver for a beauty, tsk tsk!"
The other two bantered.
"Why donât you buy her then? Just a few taels of silver!"
The man looked embarrassed.
"Iâm poor! I canât even bring out a few taels of silver, and besides, what would we eat if I bought her? Iâm a bachelor struggling to feed myself!"
The statement elicited laughter from the people around.
More were there for the spectacle, and few genuinely wanted to buy.
After looking around, the young girl directed her pleading gaze at Xia Tingfeng.
"This gentleman looks like someone from a wealthy family!"
"Could you use a servant? I can do anything, please save me!"
Her voice soft and charming, enough to melt any manâs heart.
Xia Tingfeng was a hundred percent sure it was a setup.
However, still wanting to test it, he feigned hesitation and frowned.