Chapter 234: The Secret Guards
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Outside the Wei Family Tavern lay the bustling East Market of Qingzhou.
With the influx of merchants, the market had become livelier than ever. After the recent harvest, the people of Qingzhou had some extra coin to spend, making the marketplace even noisier. The clamor from the market could be clearly heard inside the tavern.
“So, we’ll be staying in Qingzhou for a while?” Zhao Yuanliang said.
Zhao Kuan nodded. “Your Highness, the Prince of Qi is undoubtedly keeping a close watch on the Machinery Department right now. If we act recklessly and get caught, we could lose our heads. But with you here, it’s different. If anything goes wrong, you can step in, and the outcome will change entirely. Besides, Empress Zhao is your aunt—if we bring her up, Xiao Ming won’t dare refuse us face. After all, Consort Zhen is still in the imperial harem.”
“Exactly. Though Xiao Ming has a volatile temper, he’s filial. If he doesn’t want his mother to suffer in the palace, he’ll have to give our Zhao family this respect. In that case, do everything you can to obtain the cannon technology as soon as possible.”
“As you command, Your Highness,” Zhao Kuan said with a bow.
Meanwhile, the tavern’s manager downstairs glanced up at the guarded guest rooms. Under the table, he secretly noted the number of people upstairs and the locations of their rooms.
Then, he called over a waiter and said, “Take this note to Commander Li.”
The waiter nodded, deftly tucked the note into his shoe, and left the tavern. He blended into the crowd in the East Market, stopping at an old vegetable seller to buy some produce. While paying, he discreetly passed the note to the old man.
The old man then handed it to a thirteen-year-old girl playing behind him. The girl took the note and skipped away cheerfully.
Leaving the market, she entered a residential area near the Prince of Qi’s mansion and eventually arrived at an unremarkable house.