“Why do you ask?” Shi Yan asked curiously.

“I met with a young servant with the surname Yang.”

*cough**cough*

Shi Yan coughed on the air. He looked at Wei Liuying with incredulous expression. “You… met with him?”

Wei Liuying frowned. “Yes. Is it that strange?”

“It is strange,” Shi Yan said with certainty. “But then again, he’s an eccentric man who loves to roam around…”

However, Shi Yan abruptly stopped. He looked at Wei Liuying and noticed that her eyes flickered. Internally, he howled loudly. She must have realized something from what he said.

Wei Liuying smiled and stood up. “Thank you for the information, Young Master Shi. I have already taken your time too much. It’s time for me to leave.”

Shi Yan’s face was sour when he watched Wei Liuying leaving. He turned his head to look at Manager Xin, who was busy copying the manuscript. “Manager Xin, why am I friends with this devious woman?”

Manager Xin arched his eyebrows. “Isn’t it because you’re stupid?”

Shi Yan: “…”

Can I kill you?

 

…

 

Wei Liuying walked out of the third floor. When she arrived by the second floor, she could see two people were walking up. The first man was wearing a mask that hide his countenance, but there was an air of authority that emanated from his large body. His tall frame and firm figure told her clearly that he must be a powerful martial artist. In addition, there was faint pressure that he emanated as if he had just engaged in a battle of life and death.

As for the second one, Wei Liuying recognized the smiling young man as Yang, the servant whom she met before. The two of them were wearing black and brown robes respectively that looked no different from commoners.

But she knew better than anyone how untrue it was.

These two didn’t have ordinary identity.

Wei Liuying didn’t dwell on the thought. She quickly retreated to the side and hung her head low. Since they were not dressed in their proper attire, it would do her no good to greet them. The two of them also only glanced at her once before they headed up.

Only when they had left did Wei Liuying lift her head. ‘As I thought, your so called friend is actually Prince Ji Sheng, Young Master Shi. In that case, the one I met was truly Strategist Yang….’

Wei Liuying truly didn’t know whether she was lucky or unlucky to meet the infamous Strategist Yang on the street. She didn’t know much about him because of the limited information circulated about the two of them in the capital city. However, she still knew one thing or two.

For example, Strategist Yang was known to be an eccentric strategist with a commoner background.

Or, Prince Ji Sheng was also a ruthless young man but he was a very capable general.

Pushing the thoughts to the back, Wei Liuying returned back to the first floor. Xiao Qing was still waiting patiently and she smiled when she saw Wei Liuying. “Miss.”

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare the carriage.”

Wei Liuying glanced to the back once more, but she had no other thoughts to return back. In any case, she would rather go back and read more books rather than wasting her thoughts on unnecessary matters.

On the third floor, Shi Yan was stupefied when he saw the two of them entering the room.

“What in the world are you doing out here? What are you going to do if this store is blown up by assassins?”

Servant Yang, Yang Xian, shrugged his shoulder. “If they can come here, I’ll be greatly surprised.”

“What did you plant on the way?”

“I wonder.”

Shi Yan shot a glare at Yang Xian and fixed his sitting position. On the other hand, Manager Xin acted as a servant as he prepared tea for the three of them. From their demeanor and attitude, it was clear that the four men had already known each other from a long time ago.

The first man removed his mask, revealing his handsome face. He had a defined face and strong countenance. Completely different from Shi Yan, who was beautiful, his face clearly screamed the word handsome. It wouldn’t be a joke even if a lot of women in the capital city fell victim to his charm.

“Why do you come here, Ji Sheng?” Shi Yan asked.

If this was outside, he would have long been beaten up for addressing Prince Ji Sheng impolitely. However, the three of them didn’t really care much about formalities when it was only them in the room. After all, it was not that important.

Manager Xin sighed at Shi Yan’s lack of respect. However, this was common when it was only the three of them.

He silently prepared tea for the two new guests while Ji Sheng fixed his sitting position before he looked at Shi Yan. “I need you to hurry and establish the trade route with Xiong Tribe.”

 

 

24.    Hidden Undercurrent (2)

 

“That fast?” Shi Yan was stunned. He looked at Ji Sheng with an incredulous expression. “Do you think that I can prepare so many things so easily? Xiong Tribe wouldn’t want to accept newcomers so quickly.”

“If we want to stop the war, maintaining an amicable relationship is important. If we can establish a trade route, we’ll be able to minimize the number of tribes who still come to fight with us in the north,” Ji Sheng said calmly.

Xiong Tribe was the current largest tribe in the north. Even though they all lived nomadic, they still formed several tribes with several thousand people at each of them. Their biggest threat was the Xiong Tribe followed by several other smaller tribes that also attacked their northern border.

Shi Yan groaned. “Fine, I’ll do my best.”

Yang Xian chuckled. “Don’t worry, I have already prepared some men for you to use in the North. I’m sure that you’ll be able to form the trade seamlessly.”

“Haha,” Shi Yan let out a bitter laugh. He could never trust this seemingly amiable young man at all. The last time he trusted Yang Xian, he almost vomited blood with how ruthless his devious scheme was.

Ji Sheng looked to the side and looked at the manuscript on the table. There were only a few authors whom Manager Xin would treat with respect like this. “Whose author came here not long ago?”

“Ying Liu,” Manager Xin said.

Yang Xian arched his eyebrows. He had read a lot of books and the couple of books made by Ying Liu left a deep impression on him. “Oh, is it the newest book from Ying Liu? Can I take a look?”

“Yes, you can.”

Seeing Manager Xin handed the manuscript to Yang Xian without hesitation, Shi Yan felt like crying. “That’s unfair! How come you gave him the manuscript when he asked, but you didn’t give it to me when I wanted to see?”

“That’s because you’re stupid,” Manager Xin said seriously.

Shi Yan: “…” stop insulting me!

Yang Xian flipped the bamboo scroll and read the content seriously. The others also didn’t disturb him as they began to talk about the preparation that Ji Sheng wanted Shi Yan to do on the border.

“Shi Yan.”

“Yes?”

“Ying Liu is that lady from just now, am I right?”

Shi Yan nearly spurted out the tea that he was drinking. He looked at Yang Xian with incredulous expression. How come he finds out just by reading the manuscript within a few moments?

Yang Xian didn’t need Shi Yan to reply as he could read from Shi Yan’s expression. His lips curled up in amusement. “Wei Liuying from Wei Household. I never knew that a concubine daughter can have an even broader mind compared to men.”

As Yang Xian handed the manuscript back to Manager Xin, Shi Yan’s mouth was still wide like a fish. “You… how did you…?”

“I met with Third Lady Wei when I’m searching for information regarding Ji Sheng’s arrival in the capital city,” Yang Xian said with a smile. “I tried to ask several noble ladies and young masters who were roaming on the street. She’s the only one who’s polite and respectful without keeping any airs.”

Most young masters, even if they were born from concubines, naturally held a high position in their household. As for the noble young lady, except for the main daughter, they all didn’t have high positions. However, it didn’t mean that there was no one who would flaunt their nonexistent position. In fact, there were a lot of ladies who would put on airs despite not having real background.

“How did you even guess their identities?”

Yang Xian arched his eyebrows. “Every family has their family banner and different clothing style. If you can’t differentiate the nobles, you can look at the servants behind them.”

Shi Yan: “…” who had the time to memorize so many different clothing styles of the noble families here?

“I want to meet with her to discuss the book.”

“I promised her that I’ll keep her identity a secret,” Manager Xin said hurriedly. Even Shi Yan also nodded repeatedly. They didn’t want to face Wei Liuying’s wrath.

She’s also a very devious young lady.

Yang Xian arched his eyebrows. He turned to look at Ji Sheng. “Can you give an imperial edict?”

“Fine,” Ji Sheng agreed without any hesitation.

Shi Yan: “…”

Manager Xin: “…”

Yang Xian was in a jovial mood when he heard the answer. “You shall arrange the meeting, Manager Xin. Please inform Third Lady Wei when she came to visit here again.”

“I understand,” Manager Xin said weakly. He didn’t have any other option but to comply. Internally, he apologized to Wei Liuying countless times because he knew that it would be impossible for him to refuse this matter.

Ji Sheng tapped the table. “Get serious now.”

With that, the three of them turned their head to the third prince. They knew that it was already time for them to discuss the problems in Han Shi Kingdom. Aside from wars, there was also the inevitable battle for the throne.

It was unavoidable.