Lord Yao was taken aback. Li Xue had actually gone to the teahouse that afternoon. If she went there as a princess, then things would be complicated. Thinking of this, he asked:
"I heard that teahouses don't serve female customers. How did the princess get in?"
“I asked my father for a waist tag that indicated I was a fourth-rank official in the Grand Council, and then I disguised myself as a man. No one in the teahouse noticed anything amiss.”
Lord Yao nodded. He knew Li Xue was incredibly clever and would surely have a way to investigate the teahouse.
Next, Li Xue recounted in detail what had happened that afternoon and offered her own conjectures.
Lord Yao immediately frowned and began to think about the problem.
After a long while, Lord Yao finally raised his head and spoke:
“The princess is right. This teahouse is very likely a foothold of foreign forces in the capital, a metaphor for a foreign country.”
It's unlikely that local powers like those in the Lanwei region would establish a foothold in the capital; they don't have that kind of capability. Only foreign powers do.
The woman named Andor mentioned by the princess was undoubtedly from the Western Regions. She was likely being used by external forces and was also a victim.
It's perfectly normal for there to be a large number of foreigners in the capital, but it's problematic to see so many tea girls from all over the country in the teahouses.
This teahouse was actually a spy agency, specializing in providing foreign countries with information about the Great Northern Dynasty.
The teahouse was well hidden; even if the government investigated, it would be difficult to find any problems.
Officials who go to tea houses for enjoyment will not proactively provide information about the tea houses.
The masterminds behind the tea house were very clever. Through these women, they were able to contact court officials and learn about important information and decisions of the court.
These officials must have inadvertently leaked information about the imperial court. In the Great Northern Dynasty, no official would willingly collaborate with the enemy unless they were a spy from a foreign land.
After listening to Lord Yao's analysis, Li Xue felt it made a lot of sense. So what should she do next?
"In your opinion, Mr. Yao, how should we respond next?"
Lord Yao pondered for a moment, then spoke:
"Princess, continue to maintain contact with Andor to see what she plans to do next. Princess, you need to find out who the owner of the teahouse is and investigate his/her identity as soon as possible."
Li Xue nodded in agreement.
"At present, the princess can only investigate secretly and must not alert the government, so as not to make a move that might alert the enemy."
Now is not the time for the government to intervene. Only after thoroughly investigating everything in secret can the imperial court take action.
At this time, a fierce competition was underway in Narcissus Village, and the plan to build an inn in the village was finally finalized.
The new inn is located between the first and second phases of the project, very close to Ruan Zhenggang's restaurant.
According to the village's arrangements, the inn will be auctioned off that morning.
Although the inn has not yet started construction, this has not dampened the merchants' enthusiasm for buying it. Once completed, this inn will definitely be a hot commodity.
The future development of the village is immeasurable, and as the only guesthouse in the village open to the public, making money is a certainty.
Because many people recognized this, many merchants flocked to the auction site on the day of the auction.
Nashville was no exception; he made thorough preparations to ensure his success in the bid.
Nashibai knew that once he took over the management of this inn, things would be much easier in the future.
The auction was fierce, with many merchants participating. However, the result was a foregone conclusion: the starting price of 1,800 taels of silver was won by Nashbai for 8,000 taels of silver.
Other merchants found it unbelievable that someone would spend eight thousand taels of silver to buy and operate a village-level inn. How many years would it take to break even?
Even a high-end inn in Qing'an Prefecture wouldn't cost more than five thousand taels of silver, let alone this is a rural area, not even a small town yet.
Regardless of whether others understood, Nabai was extremely excited after taking over the inn. Before long, he would be able to build his own kingdom in Narcissus Village.
After Nassbah bought the inn, the news immediately reached Qing'an Prefecture. Prefect Shen was very excited upon receiving the news and summoned his think tank members to discuss countermeasures.
After finishing his work in the village, Zhao Xianzheng came to the lakeside to see how the construction was progressing.
At this moment, the lakeside is a scene of bustling activity, with the foundation work for the lakeside pavilions and towers underway.
Many craftsmen were working in the lake, driving piles and constructing structures. The koi carp in the lake didn't seem afraid of them and swam around them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
