"Hehe! This...this can't be blamed on us, can it? Come...come...please come into your old house!" Qin Mu smiled and welcomed Dai Zhou into the house.
I was just thinking about how to deal with Dai Zhou, because Qin Qiong said he was a very upright person. Now that I've met him, I find him to be quite nice. At least he's much easier to handle than those who always have a smile on their face.
"You didn't come all this way just to complain, did you?" After sitting down and being served tea, Qin Mu asked again.
"Excellent tea! I've long heard of your poetry and your reputation, and it certainly lives up to its name!" Dai Zhou said, taking a sip of tea and looking Qin Mu up and down.
"Hehe! You flatter me, you flatter me. Master Li and the others like to drink freshly picked tea, but it tastes a bit bitter. After going through many processes, this tea tastes much better. If you like it, take some back with you later." Qin Mu cupped his hands and smiled.
“I’m not flattering you,” Dai Zhou said, stroking his beard. “It’s said in Chang’an that Qin Huaidao, the eldest son of the Duke of Yi, is both a scholar and a warrior. His Majesty himself has praised him as a master of both poetry and martial arts! His methods of making money are unparalleled in the world! He has built four restaurants, which occupy half of the restaurant business in Chang’an. I have eaten there a few times myself, and the taste is indeed superb!”
What?! This is how they're talking about me? Qin Mu's eyes widened in disbelief. He'd thought Dai Zhou was simply praising him, but this didn't sound quite right.
"Nonsense! This is pure gossip! Don't believe it, old man. Think about it, with so many people in Chang'an, how could four restaurants possibly take up half the business? Besides, the restaurants are just places that I, a junior, have set up to take in those poor courtesans." Qin Mu's expression turned serious as he spoke.
Dai Zhou's lips twitched; he couldn't think of a rebuttal to Qin Mu for a moment. After all, it was no secret that ninety-nine percent of the girls in Rugui Tower were courtesans. But now, you couldn't see any trace of prostitution in them; their smiling faces and polite manners made them seem like ladies from noble families.
The thoughtful and attentive service truly makes guests feel at home, which is one of the reasons why guests love Rugui Lou.
"The Dali Temple has accepted the case files. As for the prisoners, apart from the ringleader, the others will be temporarily detained in the Six Doors. Is that alright?" Dai Zhou waved his hand, changing the subject.
“Since you’ve spoken up, of course there’s no problem. However, I hope the Court of Judicial Review will make a judgment as soon as possible, executing those who deserve to be executed and exiling those who deserve to be exiled. The Six Doors may not have enough places to imprison them in the future,” Qin Mu nodded and suggested.
"What are you trying to do? Can't you just shut up for a bit?" Dai Zhou asked in surprise, his hand trembling as he held the teacup.
"How can we stop investigating criminals and cracking down on illegal and disorderly conduct? My father always says that you are an upright person. You won't stop us, will you?" Qin Mu asked with a smile.
"Of course not! But I hope you will be careful not to implicate innocent people," Dai Zhou said, shaking his head slightly. He guessed that this matter must have been authorized or even condoned by Li Shimin. Anything involving the emperor often resulted in many deaths, and most of those deaths were due to being implicated. He couldn't say this outright, so he could only subtly remind Qin Mu.
"Don't worry, Shaoqing! The Six Doors will never let a bad person go unpunished, but we will also never implicate good people. We would never do something like killing innocent people and claiming credit for them," Qin Mu solemnly assured him.
"I have already reviewed some of the case files, and they are indeed all people who deserve to die. The Dali Temple will carefully verify the facts and deal with the criminals as soon as possible." Dai Zhou nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"I have already transferred a group of experienced men from Chang'an and Wannian counties to assist in the verification. Your men will cooperate in escorting the criminals," Dai Zhou said, waving his hand lightly.
"OK!"
Dai Zhou came in a hurry and left in a hurry. Before leaving, he nodded to Qin Mu, but refused the tea.
"A stubborn old man," Qin Mu thought to himself, but he didn't care. The more stubborn a person was, the more reassuring he was. At least with him at the Dali Temple, there was no need to worry about the criminals sent there being given lenient sentences.
Just after seeing Dai Zhou off, Qin Mu heard footsteps. Looking up, he saw a constable following a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man walked at a leisurely pace, glancing around, but the constable dared not pass him and could only anxiously follow behind.
"Police officer, this..."
"It's alright, you can go now!" Qin Mu greeted him, waving his hand. High-ranking officials were as numerous as hairs on a cow in Chang'an; it wasn't unusual for a few to come in directly.
"You don't seem to find it strange, kid? Not angry at all?" The newcomer looked Qin Mu up and down in a nonchalant manner, then plopped down in a chair and crossed his legs.
"What's so strange? Why are you angry again?" Qin Mu asked with a faint smile.
"Someone broke into your government office, aren't you angry? Aren't you surprised by my identity?"
"You said it yourself, since they can barge in, their official rank must be much higher than mine, so why should I be angry?"
"You're quite clever, kid. You didn't seem angry at all from beginning to end. It seems you thought of this beforehand. I'm the head of the Bad Guys! I'm here today to discuss something with you." The man looked at Qin Mu with admiration and said.
"Chang'an Bad Guys! So you are Commander-in-Chief Liu! This humble official greets you!" Qin Mu recalled and compared the information, then bowed respectfully.
The structure of the Bad Guys is even simpler than that of the Six Doors: a Grand Commander and 36 Bad Guy Generals, each in charge of one of the Bad Guys in Chang'an. Qin Qiong mentioned that the Grand Commander, Liu Hongji, was originally the son of a former official, but he was uneducated and preferred wandering the martial world, leading to his family's decline and his life of wandering until the Jinyang uprising, when he finally entered officialdom. Therefore, he enjoys Li Shimin's trust and currently serves as the Right Valiant Guard General.
"I told you you were smart! You got it right away!"
"I wonder what brings the Commander-in-Chief here today?" Qin Mu asked, bowing respectfully.
"I've come to ask you for a favor," Liu Hongji said, picking up the tea that had just been brought in, taking a sip, and waving his hand after putting it down.
"Please just tell me what you need, Commander-in-Chief. I will do my best to help you!" Qin Mu said, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't make things difficult for you! Kid, do you know why I'm the leader of the Bad Guys?" Liu Hongji sat up and asked.
"I heard that it's because the Grand Commander has a very high reputation in the martial arts world that the Emperor Emeritus entrusted him with this important task!" Qin Mu replied.
"Bullshit reputation! If we're talking about reputation in the martial arts world, whether it's Li Jing or your father, they're much higher than me! That's because I'm cunning! I can use both good and bad people! If your father were in charge of the Bad People, he would drive away half of them!" Liu Hongji glared at him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com