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, won’t my reputation be ruined!"
After all, the salary given by the Imperial Court is really not high.
Many prestigious families in the Capital City can’t afford to maintain so many people, so they often engage in other businesses to accumulate wealth.
As long as it’s not too excessive, the Emperor generally doesn’t care!
After all, doing business is better than embezzlement, right?!
"As the saying goes, safety first!"
"Until we find out their background, we can’t act rashly!"
"If we offend the wrong person, who’s 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 can’t choose the brothel as the place to approach them!"
"Didn’t 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 we’ll play a scene to highlight the master’s image!"
"At the same time, design an accident!"
"Once there’s an accident, the rest is easy to handle, isn’t it?"
Liu Shouwei squinted and nodded.
He was very satisfied with the "upright and just official" setting!
"That’s 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 Qichen’s demeanor didn’t resemble that of a ten-year-old at all.
But he really was just a ten-year-old kid.
His height wasn’t fully developed, and his face wasn’t fully grown either, only his demeanor was unlike a child’s.
Resemble or not, he was still his "son."
Besides, nephews often resemble their uncles.
Even if they weren’t 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 ’father and son’ 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 couldn’t fully believe.
But he didn’t ask more questions.
Along the way, he ’curiously’ looked at this and touched that.
Giving off the appearance of a businessman’s naive and ignorant young master, out for his first real experience!
"They’ve 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 couldn’t tell what had happened!
The two exchanged a look, both feeling that was too coincidental, it might be... a setup!
"Let’s 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 ’body’ wrapped in a tattered straw mat.