Linjiang City is still the same as when Wang Xiaohai first came here, with people coming and going, traffic, and a bustling and prosperous atmosphere.
Wang Xiaohai was followed by Yao Yuan and his two apprentices. Although they had changed their beards and hairstyles, Wang Xiaohai was still not at ease, so he bought three thick velvet hats for the three of them to wear. The hats were so wide that even their eyebrows were covered. Anyway, the middle-level officials in this place liked to wear hats, so this would not look strange.
"If only I had a few pairs of sunglasses, I could camouflage myself very well. However, the North Continent is too backward, and they definitely don't have such technology." Wang Xiaohai thought.
"Sir, we have arrived in Linjiang City. What should we do now?" Yao Ming asked.
"Let me think about this and sort things out," Wang Xiaohai said. "We need to make good use of the escort agency. It's our only clue right now. The escort agency has embezzled the goods of many powerless merchants, and they must have already found buyers for these goods. There must be an important contact person and account books for each buyer. If we find these two key points, we can slowly unravel the entire conspiracy like tearing apart a spider web."
"Your Excellency is wise. We never thought of this!" Yao Yuan and the two bodyguards praised together.
"That's because you don't like to use your brain, so you didn't think of it." Wang Xiaohai said, "Do you know such people? Who ordered you to do this?"
"It was the chief escort of the Feng Escort Agency who ordered us to attack at that location," escort leader Yao Yuan said. "Apart from the time and location, I don't know anything else, and he won't tell me."
"Oh, then the first plan is to capture the chief escort." Wang Xiaohai said, "Yao Yuan, you know the chief escort, so do you know where he often goes?"
"I know two. One is the Feng family headquarters in Linjiang City, and the other is Cuixianglou." Yao Yuan answered immediately. "I don't know about the others. The headquarters is where every branch manager goes. As for Cuixianglou, one time the head escort forgot to bring money. When he saw me passing by, he asked me to help pay the bill. He still hasn't paid me back. I wonder if he did it on purpose or if he forgot?"
"He's definitely deliberately not paying. He's done this so often that he's learned to forget," Wang Xiaohai said. "This is a common mistake among unqualified leaders. They'll ask you to pay for something they didn't have, saying they'll pay you back later. But then they'll deliberately forget. If you don't remind them, they'll keep forgetting. If you do, they'll claim they genuinely forgot and then hold a grudge against you, constantly making things difficult for you. It's all about trying to get something for nothing."
"Your Excellency is right. My superiors didn't return the money, so I didn't dare ask for it. I was afraid that I would be made to face difficulties in my work in the future," said Yao Yuan.
"You kill people, set fires, rob merchants and plunder their escorts every day, and you are still afraid of being harassed by your superiors?" Wang Xiaohai laughed.
"Of course, even robbers are afraid of their leaders, and even jackals are afraid of tigers," Yao Yuan explained.
"Well, let's not waste any more time talking. You and I will go to Cuixiang Tower and wait. It's almost evening now," Wang Xiaohai said. "Have two of your men find a chance to steal the secret account book. We will split up into two groups."
"Yes, sir!" Yao Yuan turned around and explained to his two disciples. After seeing them nod, he began to act.
Dark clouds were approaching and the sky gradually darkened. Linjiang City did not have special street lights, and at night, only the lanterns hung outside the shops could light the way for passers-by.
"What a stark contrast to modern society!" Wang Xiaohai was standing under the lanterns of Cuixiang Tower, gazing at the darkness and the single, brightly lit brothel. It was a stark contrast to the bustling, sleepless streets of Qingliu City. "As the book says, those who wish to travel back to ancient times are ignorant. Maybe he'll die before achieving anything. Or maybe he'll survive by chance, achieve nothing, and get bored after a year or two."
"Sir, what is time travel?" Yao Yuan asked Wang Xiaohai. He accidentally overheard what Wang Xiaohai said, and he didn't understand most of it.
Wang Xiaohai didn't bother to explain and said directly: "Come in. Do you remember what the chief escort leader looks like?"
"Don't worry, sir. I would recognize him even if he turned into ashes." The escort leader Yao Yuan stepped in first.
Wang Xiaohai also walked in.
"Hello, gentlemen. Are you here to drink or listen to some music?" An old brothel owner, whose face was covered with powder that weighed several kilograms, came over. She was wearing a bright red flowered dress and her lips were painted even redder than those of young women.
Yao Yuan looked at Wang Xiaohai behind him, and he didn't dare to make a decision rashly.
"You arrange it. You're an old acquaintance." Wang Xiaohai said.
This seemed to be his first time visiting a brothel, and he didn't seriously study the rules of visiting a brothel, so he just let an old acquaintance lead the way.
Yao Yuan looked at Wang Xiaohai in surprise, thinking it was unbelievable that this man, hundreds of years old, had never been to a brothel. But then again, he was a powerful figure at the top of the continent, so how could he be interested in brothel women? If he was interested, he would probably be interested in the saints who had been trained and educated in religious countries since childhood.
Speaking of the Saint, many countries in the North Continent take a religious approach to worship, governing the country with religion, and cultivating perfect Saints to offer to law enforcement team members or high-ranking officials of Baiyuguan, under the euphemism of dedicating them to God. However, the tax rates in these religious countries are surprisingly high, and many citizens are willing to donate all their property to Baiyu Palace. The high-ranking officials of Baiyu Palace appreciate this very much. Many high-ranking officials have proposed to turn all the countries in the North Continent into religious countries, but the Palace Master disagreed, saying that diversified development is the truth, and that unchanging and monotonous development will easily lead to boredom and extinction.
"Let's drink and listen to music at the same time." Yao Yuan said, "Madam, find me a seat by the railing on the second floor, bring some food and wine, and then let your most beautiful girl sing." He threw five taels of silver to the madam.
The madam weighed the five taels of silver in her hand, her face clearly unhappy. How could five taels of silver be enough to invite the top performer in Cuixianglou to sing? It would have to be at least a hundred taels! However, she looked at the saber on Yao Yuan's waist and said nothing. The most feared thing about running a shop is these people who lick blood on the edge of the knife. These people will run away after causing trouble, making it difficult for the authorities to catch them. Last time, a man with a knife smashed most of the tables and chairs. They reported it to the authorities, but the officials simply registered it and told them to go back and wait for news. And then, there was no news.
"Okay, gentlemen, follow me upstairs." The madam's tone was obviously not as enthusiastic as before. Five taels was only the minimum consumption for them.
After Wang Xiaohai and Yao Yuan sat down, the madam called over a new girl of unknown fame and asked the waiter to give them the cheapest dish. She then ignored them and went downstairs.
"Madam, are you feeding this to pigs?" Yao Yuan put down his chopsticks and said angrily, "This is all vegetables, not even any meat!"
"Sir, your pot of wine costs two taels of silver, the singing girl costs two taels of silver, the seat fee is one tael, and it's good enough that you get a free dish. If you want meat, you have to pay extra." The madam stopped and turned around to say.
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