Ruan Shihao knew that the book boy was telling the truth - bullshit!
Indeed, according to his rank, Ruan Shihao was currently the Minister of Rites of Cambodia. Even if he defected to Qinghe, his rank wouldn't be too low, not to mention that he had a brother who was the prefect of Mengyang. And Shutong, while a senior agent of the Intelligence Department, was ultimately only a clerk, not an official. There's a saying that even the best among beggars is still a beggar, so there was no need for Ruan Shihao to salute Shutong.
Well, in principle, that's the case.
However, when Ruan Shiping wrote to his good cousin, he clearly told him that foreign officials like them who wanted to enter Qinghe would have to go through a "probation period". Secret inspectors would record their words and deeds on a daily basis. These records would eventually be reported to Lin Hai, who would use them to determine whether Qinghe should accept this person, and whether to reuse him or leave him idle, etc.
This was very important to Ruan Shihao. After all, who changes jobs if not for promotion and wealth? It couldn't be for a dream, right?
After less than a breath of judgment, Ruan Shihao concluded that the inspector beside him must be Shutong. The reason could not be simpler. After all, Shutong was the only Qinghe personnel he had long-term contact with. It could not be anyone else.
"Speaking of which, that Liu Da is quite dedicated to his work." The servant said, "Did you get back his two hundred acres of land? We still have to fulfill our promise."
"Don't worry, sir. It's just two hundred acres of land. There will definitely be no problem. However, I also asked someone else to handle this matter. I just mentioned it briefly. After all, if a minister of the Ministry of Revenue paid too much attention to a mere two hundred acres of land, it would easily arouse suspicion."
"Okay, let's do it this way, but we must give it to them. We can't let people think that we are not trustworthy." The servant boy replied calmly.
"Okay, what I like most is Qinghe's exquisiteness." Ruan Shihao, who is well-informed, even spoke in Beijing dialect in excitement.
Ruan Shihao was of course excited. Qinghe would not even default on the payment of 200 acres of land from a down-and-out landlord who had temporarily come to seek refuge with him, so his future would be even more secure.
The carriage pulled into a secluded teahouse. Ruan Shihao adjusted his appearance, wiping his hand from forehead to chin, and instantly transformed himself into the stern "Khmer hero" again. He was meeting with representatives of the newly emerging righteous groups here today, so he had to maintain the necessary appearance.
To show his sincerity, Ruan Shihao got off the carriage alone and looked at the coachman. The coachman nodded, indicating that there was no one around. Ruan Shihao then walked into the teahouse with confidence.
This rickshaw driver was one of the few people Ruan Shihao could trust. He had followed him three years earlier, and had experienced countless hardships along the way. He had also learned many secrets, but he never asked questions and never told anyone. He would take any tips he was given, but would never accept any unless they were given to him in person. He was truly a rare good man.
As soon as Ruan Shihao left, Shutong prepared to take a nap in the carriage. There were too many things going on during this period, and they were so complicated that it was really a headache. He needed a little time to recover.
Just as the servant was about to close his eyes, the carriage door was opened and the burly figure of the coachman blocked the door.
The driver had a simple smile on his face and said to the servant, "It's time to sweep the carriage. My Lord has been sleeping in it almost all these days, and it's smelly. I wanted to take this opportunity to sweep it out."
The servant boy was a little annoyed, thinking that although the coachman was inconspicuous on weekdays and he could hardly notice him, he was disturbing his sweet dreams at this time. However, the faint sour smell coming from the mattress under him would have been fine if no one had reminded him and he had gotten used to it. But now that someone said that, he really couldn't stand it. Even if he forced himself to fall asleep, he felt nauseous all over.
"Then you better be quick, I need to rest." The servant boy frowned and said.
"Okay, I'll just sweep it and put on a new mat." The driver said as he squeezed into the carriage. "But I'll ask you to stand up. The spare mat is under the main seat."
The servant had to get up and sit next to him. The driver took another step forward and lifted up the main seat. Sure enough, there were spare cushions, pillows and thin blankets in the compartment below.
Seeing the servant's surprised expression, the driver smiled innocently and said, "Why, don't you know there are these things down there?"
"I haven't noticed it." The servant said nonchalantly, "Who would care about this normally?"
"If you had been sitting in the servant's seat, you should have noticed that this seat can be lifted up. After all, the servant's seat is just a wooden board and can't hide anything. But you sat in a position where you shouldn't be." The driver said as he put a new cushion on the main seat.
The servant was suddenly startled, his mind trembling with fear. Ruan Shihao's carriage wasn't big to begin with, and normally it wouldn't feel cramped with two people sitting in it. But now the main seat was empty, and with such a burly driver squeezing in, the remaining space was practically filled, and he was squeezed into the gap next to it.
It would be fine if the driver was just saying it casually, but if he really had any bad intentions, he wouldn't even have room to maneuver.
"Found out? It's too late. If I were to take action now, you wouldn't even have a chance to scream." The driver still had a simple and honest look on his face, but what he said made the servant boy break out in a cold sweat.
"What do you want to do?" The servant pretended to be calm and said, "Wait until Master Ruan comes back. If I disappear, he will definitely make trouble for you."
"It's okay." The driver turned around and faced the servant boy. Their faces were only a few inches apart. The servant boy could even see how many hairs there were on the driver's face. It was a pity that now was not the time to count other people's hairs, otherwise he really wanted to count them.
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