"Mr. Xu, you're back." Qian Dayong walked over with a piece of paper in his hand.

"The county magistrate just sent someone to inform us..."

Qian Dayong repeated what the soldier had just said, and then added one last sentence.

"To ensure that nothing goes wrong, the county magistrate also requested a list of the personnel on duty that day."

“You haven’t come back yet, and I was worried that people would get impatient, so I made a list and had them take it back.”

"Take a look and see if there are any problems." Qian Dayong said, handing the paper to Xu Yi.

Xu Yi took the paper without even glancing at it and walked back to the desk. "Thank you for your trouble, Deputy Commander Qian."

Qian Dayong looked at the list on the table and said, "Aren't you going to take a look at the list of people on duty that day?"

Xu Yi glanced at him and said, "I am naturally confident in the list prepared by Deputy Commander Qian. There is no need to look at it."

These words left Qian Dayong speechless. Since Xu Yi wasn't looking, his wishful thinking had failed.

Originally, this list wasn't supposed to be sent over in a hurry, but Qian Dayong took advantage of Xu Yi's absence.

He wrote the list himself and told Xu Yi that the county magistrate was urging him to submit it.

The list included not only the guards who were on good terms with him, but also his own name, completely excluding Xu Yi.

The governor is a high-ranking official from the capital. If you can gain his favor, promotion and wealth are just a matter of time.

After spending time with Xu Yi, he discovered that the man was not as bad as he had imagined.

On the contrary, Xu Yi is decisive and courageous, knows how to be relaxed yet relaxed, and is also intelligent.

He's only been here a short time, but many people have already drawn to him.

Qian Dayong was so angry he felt like his teeth were about to break. At this rate, what chance did he have of getting promoted?

Just as I was worrying about this matter, the governor was about to arrive.

A few years ago, when the governor was still the magistrate of Lanzhen, he made a few public appearances.

This time, I'll make sure to show my face a few more times, say some nice things, and prepare some gifts.

Criticize Xu Yi harshly, and the position of commander-in-chief will eventually be yours.

Thinking about it this way, Qian Dayong felt that the anger that had been weighing on his heart finally dissipated.

"Then I'll go out." After saying that, Qian Dayong turned around and walked out without looking at Xu Yi's face again.

Xu Yi kept the list pressed on the table, showing no intention of looking at it.

Now that the opportunity had presented itself, Qian Dayong was not about to let it slip by; he immediately went to buy gifts for the governor.

His wife, Ruhua, accompanied him. "Is it okay to buy books?"

"How much is this book worth? If you ask me, I'd buy a few boxes of tea and hollow out the bottom of them."

"Then put some silver notes underneath, and you can send the goods out without anyone knowing, right?"

Upon hearing that Qian Dayong was going to buy books as gifts, Cui Ruhua looked disapproving.

No wonder he's been a deputy commander for so many years and still can't even give a proper gift. It's no wonder people won't promote him.

Qian Dayong was already getting impatient with Cui Ruhua's sour face.

"What do you know, you woman? The governor likes books."

"Especially those old books, which are mostly unique copies, and they are not cheap at all."

Women are indeed short-sighted; when it comes to giving gifts, all they know is money.

She thought she was giving gifts to those minor officials in town, all of whom were greedy for money.

The governor has money and power, why would he care about their meager silver notes?

"Gifts are not about how expensive they are, but about what the recipient likes, you know?"

Cui Ruhua rolled her eyes rudely, her nostrils pointing to the sky.

"What a terrible governor! He has no brains at all. Is it good to have money at the book fair?"

"Are you sure you can do this? Don't make me happy for nothing again."

She recalled Qian Dayong's boasting about getting promoted, which she had made everyone inside and outside the company show off to.

In the end, it was all for naught; they gained nothing and nothing at all.

For the next few days, her family and neighbors kept asking her about Qian Dayong's promotion.

Cui Ruhua felt extremely ashamed and rarely went back to her parents' home or went out during those days.

Because of this, Qian Dayong and Qian Dayong had many arguments, and Qian Dayong was also feeling bad.

However, knowing he was in the wrong, he would endure the criticism as much as possible, only talking back when he absolutely couldn't hold back anymore.

"I know, don't worry, it's definitely going to work out. I wouldn't dare trouble you to go out if it wasn't going to work out."

Now that old grievances have been brought up, Qian Dayong has no choice but to put on a smiling face and say nice things.

All the money in the house is managed by Cui Ruhua. If she really angers her, she can't be appeased with just a few words.

"I'll trust you just this once," Cui Ruhua said, patting the wrinkles on her skirt. "Let's catch the carriage."

Qian Dayong responded and drove the carriage forward. He had inquired and found that there was a bookstore called Fu Ji in this town.

Although it wasn't the longest-running, it had the most complete collection of books in town.

Moreover, I've heard that the owner there enjoys collecting all sorts of old books, so you might actually be able to find a suitable book there.

"Madam, we've arrived." As soon as the carriage reached the entrance of Fu Kee Restaurant, a servant came to help lead the horses.

With Qian Dayong's help, Cui Ruhua got down and stopped when she saw the exquisite little building in front of her.

"You're here to buy books?" There are so many bookstores in this town, and they're all very simple. This place doesn't look like a bookstore at all.

"Yes, this bookstore is very famous in town. Maybe I can find the book I want there."

Qian Dayong was a rough man who could only read a few words and rarely bought books.

He found Fu Kee through other people's inquiries; he himself had never been there once.

Seeing that Fu Kee was different from other bookstores, I was even more certain that I had come to the right place.

The couple entered the bookstore under the guidance of the shop assistant. Although Fu Kee mainly rented books.

But if a customer needs to buy books, they will still do the business.

When the two men said they wanted to buy old books, the shop assistant led them directly to the last shelf.

"The books on this page were collected from all over the country by our boss through various channels."

"Miscellaneous notes, political commentaries, food essays, articles—you name it, they have it. Some of the books are even rare copies. I wonder what kind of books this person is looking for?"

Books were neatly arranged on the sandalwood cabinet in front of me.

Some books show signs of age on the paper, but each one is neatly arranged, demonstrating the importance placed on them.

"This..." Qian Dayong was stunned for a moment. He only knew that the governor loved to read, but he didn't know what kind of books he read.

"Um, which books sell better?"

The waiter chuckled, "We can't say for sure, it all depends on the customer's preference."

Qian Dayong was stumped. Cui Ruhua spat at him, "You say you're reliable, but you can't even find out the details of a simple matter."

"Give us the most expensive one." In Cui Ruhua's mind, if she was going to give a book, it had to be an expensive one, otherwise how could she show her sincerity?

Besides, these books look old and worn; how much could they possibly be worth?

In her opinion, one book is not enough; she needs to buy several more.

But what the waiter said next stunned her: "How much? How much did you say?"

The waiter repeated, "This book is the prized possession of our Fu Kee restaurant. It is a unique copy by the great writer Wu Wen, and it is priced at 350 taels."

"350 taels?" Cui Ruhua's eyes bulged out in shock, like those of a bull.

"Yes, madam, because it's a unique copy, the price is a bit higher," the shop assistant explained.

Before she could finish speaking, Cui Ruhua yelled, "What kind of lousy book is this, worth 350 taels? Are you running a black market?"

Although they were at the very back of the bookstore, Cui Ruhua's voice was so loud that it still caused the customers in front to turn around frequently.

The waiter, worried about disturbing others, spoke politely.

"If you find this book unsuitable, we have others that you may also like to take a look at."

Cui Ruhua pointed to one of the books and asked, "How much is this book?"

"This one is 75 taels." Although the book is old, it is not a unique copy, so the price difference is quite significant.

Cui Ruhua was furious when she heard this; what else could this be but a shady business?

"Qian Dayong, where did you find this shady shop? It charges tens or even hundreds of taels for a single worthless book."

"Ru Hua, I..." Qian Dayong was also shocked when he heard the price. He did not expect the price to be so expensive.

"Shut up, you bastard!" she yelled at Qian Dayong, then shouted at her colleague.

"Where is your boss? Find him for me. Are you trying to extort me?"

"What kind of lousy book dares to sell for such a high price? Who was my man before?"

"You dare to overcharge? Believe me or not, I'll make sure your shady business goes out of business."

Fu Man'er was reading upstairs when she faintly heard a commotion downstairs.

She had been sitting for quite a while, so she decided to get up and move around.

As soon as I went down the stairs, I heard the words "black shop".

Huh? A rip-off shop? You mean her shop?