Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Chapter 268 Lovebird
Qi Renli went to three cloth shops in succession and discovered something strange: the goods in the three cloth shops were almost the same and the prices offered were basically the same.

"We're being targeted again." Yang Zheng said, "If we ask openly like this, anyone who's a little wary will find it strange."

Qi Renli said irritably, "When we got here, it was like a bug stepping on a spider web."

Yang Zheng advised him to calm down, saying that if he was emotional, problems that could have been discovered would be ignored.

He couldn't help but think that if Meng Changqing encountered such a thing, he would definitely not need to remind him. Maybe he was the one who was upset now, and Lord Meng would persuade him to calm down.

"Let's go! Let's leave Maoting Town." Qi Renli said, "Since we are still in the middle of it and don't know, let's go out and take a look."

Qi Renli wanted to see if anyone would follow him out of the city, but they waited outside the town for a long time. Although some people passed by, they did not see anyone suspicious among them.

Qi Renli felt as if his foot had sunk into the mud.

We are here with good intentions to help and serve the people, but please don't get into big trouble.

Time passed little by little. Yang Zheng was leading his horse, squinting at the sun in the sky, thinking to himself, it would be great if Lord Meng was here. It would be more convenient to work with Lord Meng.

This is Meng Changqing in Yang Zheng’s mind.

In reality, Meng Changqing was not as smart and brave as he imagined.

"Captain." A bailiff came over to look for Yang Zheng. Yang Zheng withdrew his gaze, and all he saw was a blurry picture. He had to wait for a while before he could see it clearly.

"It's almost time to eat. Should we find a place to eat, or just eat our dry food here?"

"Do you brothers have enough dry food?" Yang Zheng asked.

"enough."

"Let me go over and ask." Yang Zheng came to the side of the carriage and said loudly, "Master Qi, it's almost time for lunch. What do you think is the best solution?"

Qi Renli had no choice but to use the most direct method, "Go back to town for dinner, and then we'll go to Hongfu Village."

This was a very rich lunch, with all kinds of meat on the table. Chicken, duck, fish and meat were nothing special, and donkey meat and beef were not even large enough to be placed in the middle of the table.

The servants of the Hong family served the dishes one by one. The housekeeper stood aside with a sullen face, scaring the maid who served the dishes so much that she almost spilled the soup.

"Be careful! That dish is more expensive than you!"

The maid lowered her head, not daring to say anything. She steadied her steps and became more careful with her hand movements.

When there was no more space on the table, the butler coughed and said, "Everyone who has nothing to do with it, please leave."

The butler walked around a garden and bent down outside a house to speak, "Master, lunch is ready, please enjoy."

"Got it." Not long after, a middle-aged man came out with a birdcage in his hand. Inside the cage was a very beautiful bird with gray-green back feathers, blue in the tail feathers, and a red beak with yellow and red feathers.

As the man walked, he would occasionally stretch out his fingers to tease the bird inside, trying to induce the bird inside to make a sound. "Master, this bird is so beautiful."

"That's right." The man snorted and squinted at the butler who was bending over and flattering him. "Do you like it?"

The housekeeper immediately said, "Of course I like it. Few people in the world have seen such a beautiful bird. It's only because the master has a wide range of business connections..."

"Here's a gift for you." The man handed the cage to the housekeeper.

"How can I be worthy of it?" The butler pretended to refuse, but finally accepted it. This was a lovebird specially sent by a southern merchant. It was said to be worth a hundred taels of silver. With such a bird, one could buy a decent house in the countryside.

The man sat at the dining table and the butler diligently served him dishes. As long as the man glanced at a dish, the butler would know whether he liked it or not and would then change the order of the dish.

Doing things for others to this extent has reached a certain level.

Qi Renli arrived at the door of Hong's house, and lunch was not over yet.

The message was passed from the gatekeeper to the other level, and finally a beautiful maid came forward to report, "Master, there is someone outside who wants to see you."

The man gave the housekeeper a look, and he asked the maid, "Who is it?"

"A businessman I don't know."

"Do you have a visiting card?" asked the housekeeper.

The maid shook her head, "No."

The housekeeper immediately waved his hand and said, "Go away. No one is worthy of entering the Hong family."

"But..." The maid paused, "But the people following that man seemed to be officials."

The man who had been eating with an unchanged expression finally stopped and looked at the maid who was hanging her head to the side, "Go and find out her identity and come back to me."

"Yes." The maid quickly retreated.

Outside, Yang Zheng looked at the closed door and whispered, "This house is too big. I wonder what this person's status is. If he is just an ordinary businessman, such a house would not be in accordance with the rules."

Qi Renli said: "Look at this house, it must have been built for some time. If it didn't conform to the rules, it wouldn't have survived until now."

After waiting for a long time, the small door next to the main gate finally opened, and several doormen came out. They did not ask Qi Renli to come in, but asked, "Who are you? If you are visiting sincerely, why don't you tell me who you are?"

Yang Zheng looked at the man who was speaking and muttered, "He is quite cultured. I can't even say that. Who on earth is this Hong family to let such a cultured person guard the door?"

"I was indeed introduced by someone to discuss business. Can't I enter the door behind you even with silver in my hand?" Qi Renli asked back.

"But these people behind you all look like police officers, right? If you tell me where you are, my master will open the door to welcome you in. But you don't say anything. My master doesn't like people who hide things from him."