Tell the truth?
When Wei Changtian suddenly said this, everyone was stunned and temporarily closed their mouths.
Chen Bo hesitated and asked, “Young master, what do you mean by this?”
“Heh heh.”
Wei Changtian smiled and looked at Chen Bo, asking in return, “Lord Chen, you’ve been in Sichuan for almost twenty years, and you’ve held the position of town governor for nearly ten years, right?”
“Yes…”
Chen Bo nodded bitterly, and then listened as Wei Changtian continued, “Lord Chen, you all have the opportunity to move up another step.”
“To be honest, although I was sent to Sichuan as a punishment, I’m actually shouldering a heavy family responsibility.”
“This matter is extremely confidential, and my father can’t directly inform you all. You just need to know it’s very important.”
“And to achieve this, I need to borrow your power, not because I have any ideas about the Sichuan branch… you can understand my intentions, right?”
“…”
Chen Bo’s eyes widened slightly: “Young master, I don’t know what you’re getting at…”
“I said, this matter is extremely confidential.”
Wei Changtian took a sip of tea, smiling: “But don’t worry, it’s definitely not about making you rebel or anything like that.”
“You’re joking, young master…”
Chen Bo forced a laugh, feeling a mix of joy and worry in his heart.
From what Wei Changtian said, it seemed like he wanted to borrow their knife to do something, and it was something that couldn’t be discussed openly.
Although the Suspense Mirror Agency had done many such things, Wei Changtian was, after all, someone who dared to kill a prime minister, so who knew what kind of trouble he would stir up this time.
And if they got caught, they would all be in trouble.
But with risk came reward…
“Gentlemen, please lend me a hand…”
Wei Changtian scanned the crowd with a serious expression, speaking sincerely: “As long as you’re willing to help me complete this task, I guarantee that each of you will be promoted at least two ranks within three years.”
“Chen, you’ll be able to return to the capital with me then.”
“Return to the capital…”
Chen Bo, of course, understood the implication, and couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.
This was something he had been thinking about day and night.
To prevent local clans from becoming too powerful, all high-ranking officials in the capital had to be “transferred to a different location”.
So, although Chen Bo had lived comfortably in Shu State for many years, he had actually been stuck there for too long.
He wasn’t unaware of the possibility of being transferred back to the capital, but every year, his “transfer request” would be met with silence, leaving Chen Bo increasingly helpless, wondering if he would be stuck in Shu State for the rest of his life.
But now, the opportunity had finally arrived…
It had to be said that Wei Changtian’s promise was indeed very attractive to Chen Bo.
He hesitated for half a day before suddenly standing up, brushing his sleeves, and bowing deeply to Wei Changtian.
“Lord Wei, no matter what, everyone at the Shu State branch is willing to follow your orders!”
Seeing the leader take a stand, the others didn’t hold back, quickly standing up and bowing:
“We’re willing to follow your orders!”
“Hahaha, great!”
Wei Changtian didn’t put on airs this time, standing up to return the courtesy to the crowd: “Don’t worry, I keep my promises, and I won’t let you down!”
“We won’t let you down either!”
“…”
The group exchanged a few bold phrases, and the atmosphere in the room finally became relaxed and joyful for the first time.
Regardless of whether these people were being sincere or not, at least they had all outwardly submitted to Wei Changtian.
“What’s next, Lord Wei?”
After re-seating himself, Chen Bo spoke seriously: “You can just give us orders!”
“Hahaha, Chen, you don’t need to be so tense.”
Wei Changtian waved his hand, smiling: “For now, there’s only one thing… I wonder how much you all know about the Xuantian Society?”
“The Xuantian Society…”
Chen Bo looked at a middle-aged man, who immediately stood up.
It was Wang Daochang, the thousand-man commander who managed the clothed guards, whom they had met before.
“Yes, Lord Wei!”
The man bowed to Wei Changtian, speaking in a deep voice: “The Xuantian Society has a moderate scale in Shu State, with around two thousand members, divided into five factions…”
“The leader, Bai Sheng’an, has a fifth-rank cultivation…”
Wang Daochang quickly briefed Wei Changtian on the situation at the Xuantian Society’s Sichuan branch. Wei Changtian listened attentively and then asked:
“Is there an undercover agent from the Xuanjing Agency within the Xuantian Society?”
“There is!”
“Good… Wang, please help me investigate something.”
Wei Changtian pondered for a moment before instructing, “In the next few days, an important figure named Xiao Feng from the capital will likely arrive in Sichuan. He’s about six feet tall, often carries a black long sword, and has an ordinary appearance.”
“I’ll get you his portrait later… but he’ll probably use an alias and disguise himself.”
“This Xiao Feng is crucial, directly related to the success or failure of my plans. Please find him for me, Wang.”
“Don’t worry, young master! I’ll definitely catch Xiao Feng!”
Wang Daochang patted his chest to guarantee, then probed, “But, young master, how do you plan to handle him?”
“Just monitor him? Or do you want to capture or kill him?”
Get lost.
You people think you can capture or kill Xiao Feng? I’ll give you my head to kick around.
As long as you can find him, I’ll be satisfied.
Wei Changtian silently cursed in his heart, his expression unchanged as he said, “Just monitor him, don’t take any rash actions.”
“Understood, Your Excellency!”
Wang Daochang responded and sat back down, and the group chatted idly for a while before Chen Bo prepared to leave.
Apart from the box of account books, they had also brought a considerable amount of gold, silver, and jewels, but Wei Changtian didn’t accept any of them, only leaving behind a few highest-level warning beacons in case of emergencies.
Seeing the beacons, all the Xuanjing Agency’s officials would immediately rush to the scene, similar to the effect of the ancestral jade in the capital.
“Young master, we’ll take our leave now. If you need anything, just send someone to inform us at the agency.”
At the mansion’s gate, Chen Bo and the others were very satisfied with the results of their visit, their faces no longer tense as they had been when they arrived.
“Alright, I won’t see you off.”
Wei Changtian stood firm, then suddenly remembered something and casually said, “Oh, I almost forgot something.”
“Please speak, young master,” Chen Bo immediately stopped in his tracks.
“It’s not a big deal.”
Wei Changtian smiled, his tone calm and collected: “Chen, when you arrived, your carriage was going too fast and knocked over a sugar-coated hawthorn vendor at the alleyway corner… did you know that?”
“Uh…”
Chen Bo was initially stunned, but his reaction was quick, and he hastily explained, “Young master, this was our negligence. I’ll immediately dispatch someone to handle the vendor and make sure…”
“You’re not going to kill him, are you?”
Wei Changtian glanced at him sideways: “You came to find me with such a big fuss, and you’re still afraid of being seen by others?”
“Uh…”
Chen Bo’s eyes darted around, and he suddenly understood.
It seemed that the ruthless Wei Changtian had suddenly developed a sense of compassion!
“I understand, young master. We’ll compensate the vendor for his losses and make sure…”
“You still don’t get it, Chen.”
Wei Changtian shook his head and gently patted Chen Bo’s shoulder.
“My point is, next time you come, drive your carriage a bit slower.”
“Or just stop farther away and walk over. It’s not a long distance, anyway.”
“Do you understand now?”
“…
Chen Bo’s smile on his face froze instantly, as if his body had been pressed down by Wei Changtian.
“Your Highness, we understand, we understand.”