As expected, after hearing Gu Fei’s words, Ye Anlan didn’t lose her temper.
“Spit it out if you’ve got something to say!”
“Uh… a little respect wouldn’t kill you. I’m still your superior!” Gu Fei muttered discontentedly, glancing up and down at Ye Anlan.
He noticed her figure was quite nice… though the one back at his residence wasn’t bad either.
“If I’m right, this might be a trap.”
Ye Anlan frowned slightly. “A trap? That’s impossible.”
Gu Fei smiled, “Relax and let me break it down for you. Maybe the ambush was just a cover. Their real target could’ve been me.”
“Why would they go after you?” Ye Anlan grew more confused.
Gu Fei snorted, “Look at Shangyuan City—we’re rich. Tell me, which of the nearby counties wouldn’t want a piece of us? You should know, we’re not even listed in the imperial records.”
Ye Anlan’s face turned serious. What Gu Fei said was true. All the surrounding counties had their eyes on Shangyuan City—they just lacked the strength to take it. But their greed had never faded. Some counties had even once formed an alliance to attack Shangyuan City, yet even together, they hadn’t managed to take it down.
“Master, what’s there to fear? Even if several counties team up, we won’t back down!”
Gu Fei chuckled coldly. “That was before. Things are different now. The imperial court is more chaotic than ever, and the social order’s even worse. They might bring in military forces under the pretense of wiping out bandits and use that as an excuse to attack Shangyuan City.”
“You saw that squad of soldiers I wiped out at the city gate yesterday, right? They were under Situ Xin’s command, and they dared to hunt down the Leng family’s eldest daughter in broad daylight. That means the power struggles within the imperial court have already escalated to real weapons and bloodshed.”
“So that girl with you yesterday was the daughter of Marquis of Juluhou, Leng Hongyi?”
Thinking about how close that girl was to Gu Fei yesterday, Ye Anlan felt a sting in her heart.
“Why would Leng Hongyi’s daughter be with you?”
Gu Fei noticed her tone was off, but didn’t think much of it. “I fished her out of the water.”
“You saved her? No wonder she’s sticking to you.”
Gu Fei grinned, “Lucky, huh? Maybe she’ll be the key to officially legitimizing Shangyuan County.”
“I’m not afraid, but what about the people of Shangyuan City? Are they supposed to stay trapped in this city for the rest of their lives?”
“What’s wrong with that? There’s enough land around here for them to live comfortably.”
“And what if they want to visit relatives in another county? You’ll probably say the nearby counties are fine. But what about the farther ones? Will people there know how strong Shangyuan City is?”
“That’s why this city has only two paths—either we rebel and declare independence, or we gain official recognition. Those are the only options.”
Ye Anlan was stunned by Gu Fei’s words.
But she quickly argued, “If we get recognized, will you still be the magistrate? Are you willing to hand over the city you built with your own hands? And the treasury—can you really bear to give that up?”
“Tch… anyone who dares lay a finger on Shangyuan City can try. I’ll skin them alive. Official recognition isn’t about letting the court bleed us dry—it’s a chance for us to win over allies.”
Ye Anlan understood. Gu Fei was still the same Gu Fei—the man who would never submit to others and never entrust his fate to anyone else.
“You’re still just guessing.”
“Then let’s find out. We’ll call Qin A’lian here and ask her. And I bet if that magistrate from Shancheng County has bad intentions, he’ll make a move soon.”
Just as Gu Fei finished speaking, someone came to report that the magistrate of Shancheng County had sent someone to check in on Chief Constable Ye.
Ye Anlan looked at Gu Fei, heart pounding.
The ambush happened last night. If she hadn’t told anyone, no one should’ve known… something was definitely off.
She looked at Gu Fei’s smug face and gritted her teeth.
Damn it… this guy really pulled it off again.
The visitor was the advisor of Shancheng’s magistrate, Li Caiyi. His name was Kong Lao’er.
In the main hall of the yamen, when he saw Ye Anlan and Gu Fei arrive, Kong Lao’er immediately plastered on a fawning smile.
“Aiya… what a disgrace! I can’t believe such a vile incident happened in our Shancheng territory. Chief Constable Ye, I’m terribly sorry you were hurt!”
“As soon as my lord received word, he sent me rushing over through the night to check on you. Someone, bring the gifts!”
When Ye Anlan saw two yamen runners approaching, each carrying a hen, she almost cursed out loud, “You son of a… are you trying to piss me off?”
“Advisor Kong, has Shancheng County fallen into poverty? Just take these back. Chief Constable Ye feels sick just seeing chicken soup.”
Unexpectedly, Kong Lao’er chuckled, “Master Gu, you misunderstand. These are laying hens. How could we make soup with them? We’re keeping them for eggs, of course! Killing the chicken isn’t nearly as cost-effective as eating the eggs.”
“Damn… I’ve seen shameless people before, but never this shameless.” Even Gu Fei lost his temper.
“Oh, really?”
“In that case, when Advisor Kong returns, have Chief Constable Ye send ten hens with him as a return gift.”
Ye Anlan looked at Gu Fei like he was crazy. What return gift?
But Gu Fei gave her a calm look that said, [Be patient.]
Ye Anlan thought about it… Right, when has this bastard ever taken a loss?
“Haha… that’s too generous!” Kong Lao’er beamed with joy. Ten hens for free—he could enjoy those for weeks.
“…Let’s hope Advisor Kong doesn’t back out later.”
“Not at all, not at all! How could I waste Master Gu’s kind intentions?”
“Oh, right. Master Gu, my lord has already reserved a banquet at the best inn in Shancheng County to personally apologize to you and Chief Constable Ye. We hope you’ll both attend tomorrow at noon.”
Ye Anlan immediately glanced at Gu Fei. Their eyes met—both sensed a setup.
If they went, it would likely be a Hongmen Banquet.
Ye Anlan subtly signaled Gu Fei not to agree.
But Gu Fei chuckled, “Shancheng County’s a bit too far. If Magistrate Li wants to meet with me, how about we compromise? The town between our counties—Tianlou Town—is a nice spot. It’s got mountains, a lake, and some good inns.”
Kong Lao’er thought to himself, [My lord predicted you wouldn’t dare come to the county… He already guessed you’d choose Tianlou.]
“Th-this… if that’s the case, I’ll agree on my lord’s behalf. Tianlou Town it is. How about Sanxing Grand Inn?”
“No problem.”
“Chief Constable Ye, please escort Advisor Kong out and send those ten hens with him.”