This was Zhao Xian's first time handling a pistol, and he was a little nervous. He found a safe and secluded place to practice first.
In the future, having a gun in hand will allow me to protect myself in critical situations.
He put the pistol into the storage space, which had grown considerably with the system upgrade, now reaching the size of a garage.
With such a large storage space, things will be much more convenient in the future. I could even buy a car to use it without any problem.
Of course, this is just wishful thinking. If cars appeared in this era, people would definitely regard them as monsters.
He checked the notification and found that the next system upgrade would require 200,000 taels of silver. It seemed he would have to work harder to earn money.
The family currently owns several businesses, which are very profitable, but the expenses are too high. It will take a considerable amount of time to save up 200,000 taels of silver.
The next morning, Zhao Xian had Zhao Cheng drive him to Qing'an Prefecture.
Prefect Shen has been in a good mood these past two days. Yesterday, the imperial edict arrived, bringing not only a generous reward but also a promotion from the fifth rank to the fourth rank, and even a full fourth rank.
Qing'an Prefecture is not large, and any previous prefect was a fifth-rank official.
In the Yuanxi Incident, Prefect Shen was the initiator. According to the merits and rewards, his contribution was definitely the greatest. Although his position did not change, he was promoted from the fifth rank to the fourth rank, which is equivalent to an exceptional promotion.
Prefect Shen knew very well that if it weren't for Zhao Xian, the more than one hundred soldiers he sent out might not have returned, and Xiao Taiyuan might have taken the opportunity to establish his own state, making him a sinner of the Great Northern Dynasty.
Looking back on his time in office, he realized that he had accomplished many great things in Qing'an Prefecture, and Zhao Xian's help was indispensable in all of them.
Without Zhao Xian, he wouldn't have achieved what he has today; it seems Zhao Xian is his benefactor.
Just as I was thinking about this, a yamen runner came to report that Zhao Shaofu from Shuixian Village was requesting an audience.
It turned out that a distinguished guest had arrived, and Prefect Shen hurriedly went out to greet him.
After exchanging pleasantries in front of the government office, the two went to the reception room.
"What important matter brings Young Master Zhao to the government office today?" Prefect Shen asked.
"There is indeed an important matter that I have come to discuss with the Prefect."
"Is that so? Please speak, Prefect Zhao." Prefect Shen became interested.
"Does the Prefect also know about the Yuanxi affair?"
"The events of Yuanxi are known throughout the world. This was a major event that occurred in the Great Northern Dynasty over the years, with far-reaching impact. How could we forget it?"
"When the officers and soldiers were eliminating Xiao Taiyuan's forces, they captured many foreigners. Through interrogation, they learned that one of the foreigners had already infiltrated the Central Plains and his whereabouts were unknown."
“That’s true. Bao Ping told me about it. That foreigner was an expert on the Central Plains, named Nashi Bai. Zhao Shaofu mentioned this. Do you have any information about this person?”
"Perhaps. Recently I came into contact with a merchant named Bai Shina. All indications suggest that this person may be Na Shina, a barbarian who has infiltrated the Central Plains."
"What?" Prefect Shen was taken aback and stood up abruptly from his chair.
Seeing Prefect Shen's reaction, Zhao Xian also stood up and said:
"This is just my personal judgment. Whether this person is Nashbai or not still needs further observation and confirmation."
The two sat down again, and Zhao Xian began to recount the events of the past few days, especially Bai Shina's unusual behavior, which indicated that he was about to make a big move.
After listening to Zhao Xian's explanation, Prefect Shen considered it seriously for a long time before finally speaking:
“What Zhao Shaofu said makes sense. This person is very likely Nashibai. He may be after you. Besides Nashibai, there must be other people involved.”
"The prefect suspects this man is after me. What is his ultimate goal? Is he trying to get rid of me?"
"Before the Yuanxi incident, the barbarians wanted to obtain the method of making crossbows and then silence you, which would be most beneficial to them."
After the events of the Yuanxi Incident, the barbarians no longer wanted to eliminate you. Your value to them was too great. If your talents were utilized by the barbarian kingdom, they could easily deal with the Great Northern Dynasty and invade the Central Plains.
"That's just wishful thinking on the part of the barbarian people. How could I possibly be used by them to deal with the Great Northern Dynasty?" Zhao Xian said with a smile.
At this moment, Prefect Shen's attitude became serious, and he slowly spoke:
"If they take control of your entire family and threaten their safety, would you work for them?"
Furthermore, he might abduct you to a foreign land, or even kidnap your entire family, threatening them with their lives. What will you do then?
What Baisina is doing now is contrary to common sense. In fact, he is very clever. Everything he is doing now is to control you and your family, and his ultimate goal is to make you serve the foreign country.
Prefect Shen's analysis sent a chill down Zhao Xian's spine. He knew that Nashi Bai was using bait to catch fish, but he never expected that his own family members would also be his prey.
"Besides you and me, who else knows about this matter?" Prefect Shen asked.
“No one else knows about this. I think Nasba is likely to try to find a breakthrough with Manager Ruan first. Should we tell him the truth and get his cooperation?”
"It would be best to have Manager Ruan cooperate, but now is not the time."
What we need to do is to prevent Nashbai from seeing through our plan, otherwise they will resort to desperate measures. Since the foreign kingdoms cannot obtain the Minister of the Palace Treasury, they will not allow you to remain in the Northern Dynasty.”
"So what do we do now? What's our strategy?" Zhao Xian asked.
Prefect Shen thought for a moment, then smiled and said:
"It's bad luck that Na Baishi met the Minister of the Imperial Household. He had just gained a foothold in Song County and hadn't even started his operation when you discovered him."
This gives us enough time to respond, and as long as we don't alert him, everything he does will be under our surveillance.
With all this in mind, the Shaofu family would be safe. Moreover, the Shaofu had a master like Zhao Cheng by his side and many family soldiers, which made him dare not act rashly.
Lord Shaofu has several younger siblings in Qing'an Prefecture. They may have become targets of Na Baishi, but Lord Shaofu need not worry. I will arrange for people to protect them secretly.
"Don't tell them about this yet, lest it make them nervous and hinder the government's actions."
Zhao Xian nodded. Now that Prefect Shen had begun making arrangements, there were some things he no longer needed to worry about.
“I will arrange for someone to go and make contact with Manager Ruan. The restaurant in Shuixian Village is very important, and I would like to find him an accountant. What do you think?” Prefect Shen asked.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian couldn't help but laugh and said:
"That's a good idea. How about we find an accountant for Bai Shina as well?"
"Manager Bai is new here, so of course we should give him some help. We should not only find him an accountant, but also find him more assistants so that he can earn more money," Prefect Shen said with a smile.
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