Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1735 Untitled
Qilu Licheng
As the economic and cultural center of Shandong, Licheng has been an important town in the north since ancient times. Although it has suffered some natural disasters and man-made calamities in recent decades, with the restoration of order during the Qianlong era, this ancient city has been revitalized. As an economic hub, Licheng receives more than 100,000 visitors every year, which has contributed to the development of Licheng's service industry.

Among these, Fuxing Street in Licheng is the most prominent. Fuxing Street is a famous commercial street in Licheng that was built by Ma Runchuan, the current governor of Shandong Province, in imitation of Houde Street in Yijing.

Although not as bustling and lively as Yijing Houde Street, Fuxing Street is still very lively. Its landmark building, the Fuxing Sculpture, is a traditional sculpture of a child holding a Ruyi (a traditional Chinese scepter symbolizing good fortune). It is about 10 feet long and 30 feet high. The sculpture is lifelike and magnificent, and is deeply loved by the people of Licheng.

The most famous place on Fuxing Street is the Fuxing Grand Inn, which is the most upscale hotel in Licheng. It can be said to be a one-stop shop for eating, drinking and entertainment. Many business people who come to Licheng for work and leisure have a high opinion of the Fuxing Grand Inn and linger there, reluctant to leave.

However, the usually bustling Fuxing Inn was now deserted. The lobby, which was usually filled with lively conversations, was now empty of tourists, with only Imperial Guards conducting inspections.

Standing to the side, the head steward, Wang Yaozu, looked somewhat helpless as he watched the Imperial Guards conducting their inspection. However, he said nothing, allowing the soldiers to examine him thoroughly…

These Imperial Guards conducted a very thorough inspection, leaving no corner unchecked. They were especially meticulous in their checks of the kitchen ingredients, with each food item, including seasonings, being personally tasted and inspected by designated personnel to ensure there were no potential safety issues.

While Wang Yaozu was silently observing the inspection, a middle-aged scholar entered the inn. He frowned slightly as he looked at the inspection in front of him, and then found Wang Yaozu watching from the side.

Because they were quite familiar with each other, the middle-aged scholar didn't stand on ceremony and immediately asked Wang Yaozu:
"This is how the same thing?"

Upon seeing the visitor, Wang Yaozu spoke without hesitation:
"Master Zhao, these are His Majesty's Imperial Guards, inspecting our inn."

Upon hearing this answer, Ma Runchuan's advisor, Zhao Dekai, frowned and asked in return:
"Hasn't the government office already inspected it several times?"

Upon hearing this question, Wang Yaozu, the head manager of the inn, remained silent, his bitter smile deepening.

Although Wang Yaozu did not answer, Zhao Dekai understood what the Imperial Guards meant. He shook his head and then asked again:
"How are your preparations going? His Majesty has had quite a few drinks with the Provincial Governor and the others at the government office. He should arrive at the inn soon!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yaozu smiled wryly and said:

"Master Zhao, everything was originally ready, but the Imperial Guards caused a lot of disruptions, so it will definitely take some time to put things back together!"

Zhao Dekai frowned upon hearing this and said:
"Didn't you talk to them?"

"We talked, but they weren't giving me any face. They just said His Majesty's safety was of paramount importance, so I had nothing to say but to cooperate with their inspection as much as possible..."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhao Dekai glanced at the Imperial Guards who were conducting the inspection. He hadn't expected these people to distrust the Licheng Prefecture government so much. If they didn't trust them, they should have come to inspect earlier. But they happened to enter the city with His Majesty. As a result, many of their carefully planned arrangements were ruined by these bastards!

Thinking of this, Zhao Dekai glanced at the guest rooms on the second floor and asked:
"Have they finished checking the guest rooms prepared for His Majesty?"

"I don't know this either!"

"You're the head manager of the inn, how could you not know?"

"Master Zhao, that centurion surnamed Ye just said that from now on our men are not allowed to go up to the second floor of the inn, and we are not allowed to inquire about what's going on on the second floor. We are to do whatever we are told."

"So I don't know what's going on on the second floor right now!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zekai shook his head helplessly. The two of them remained silent, unsure of how to handle the situation. Just then, Ye Wei, the commander of the Imperial Guard, arrived in front of Zhao Zekai and Wang Yaozu with three beautiful young women.

"Gentlemen, who are these three women? I don't see them on the register of your Fortune Star Inn!"

Seeing that the Imperial Guards had actually found these three women, Wang Yaozu looked at Zhao Dekai with somewhat expectant eyes...
Under the watchful eyes of Wang Yaozu and Ye Wei, Zhao Dekai felt somewhat awkward and unsure of what to say. In the end, he chose to pass the buck to Wang Yaozu and spoke directly:
"We found Manager Wang at your inn, so who are they?"

Hearing Zhao Dekai say that, Wang Yaozu cursed inwardly, but having no better solution, he could only stammer and say:

"They are our inn's employees, they just joined, and they haven't been added to the roster yet!"

Hearing Wang Yaozu say this, Ye Wei also sized up the three pitiful beauties, then smiled and said to Wang Yaozu:
"Are these three employees of your inn? I wonder what you plan to have them do, Manager Wang?"

Wang Yaozu answered somewhat hesitantly:
"It's basically doing things like being a waiter or waitress!"

"A waiter? That would be a waste of talent!"

"If I'm not mistaken, these three young ladies are the famous 'Jiangnan Slim Horses.' Using 'Jiangnan Slim Horses' as waitresses, Manager Wang, you really have a grand scheme to make!"

Wang Yaozu looked at Ye Wei, who had a half-smile on his face, and knew that he couldn't hide it anymore. He then looked at Zhao Dekai, who was the advisor of Ma Runchuan, the governor of Shandong Province, and had asked him to find these three Jiangnan "skin horses". However, at this moment, the advisor kept his eyes closed and his mouth closed, seemingly unaware of the situation.

Thinking of this, Wang Yaozu gritted his teeth and admitted:

"Commander Ye, yes, they are the 'slender horses' of Jiangnan..." Seeing Wang Yaozu admit it, Ye Wei glanced at the two of them and then asked:
Have all three of them been checked?

"examine?"

"Weren't you planning to have those three serve His Majesty?"

Seeing that Ye Wei had seen through their intentions, Zhao Dekai and Wang Yaozu exchanged a glance, and then Wang Yaozu nodded to Ye Wei.

Seeing this, Ye Wei continued:

"Did you check if they were virgins, whether they were healthy, and whether they had any diseases?"

"All women who are to serve His Majesty must be carefully examined, and any woman with problems shall not be allowed to come to His Majesty's side!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yaozu also assured him:
"Lord Centurion, please rest assured, these three young ladies have all been carefully examined by the matrons, and they are all virgins with absolutely no problems."

Upon hearing this answer, Ye Wei nodded slightly, then waved to his men behind him. Immediately, Imperial Guards officers took the three young women away. Then, Ye Wei said to Wang Yaozu:
"Manager Wang, you're very kind, but we brothers have traveled a long way to Licheng and are quite exhausted. Manager Wang, could you perhaps arrange something for us as well?"

After saying that, Ye Wei took out a silver note from his pocket and handed it over.

Although Ye Wei didn't say it explicitly, Wang Yaozu, having been in this business for so long, was a seasoned veteran who had seen all sorts of people. He naturally understood what Ye Wei meant. He immediately politely refused the silver notes in Ye Wei's hand and then patted his chest to guarantee:

"Gentlemen, you must be members of the Ye clan or members of the imperial family. It is an honor for our humble inn to have you condescend to rest here. It is a great honor for our inn. So please take care of everything and I will make sure you are all comfortable!"

"As for these silver notes, please take them back, Commander Ye. You're making us feel so awkward..."

"Manager Wang, how could I possibly accept this!"

Despite saying that, Ye Wei took back the silver notes. He hadn't really intended to give them to Wang Yaozu; he was just being polite. When they were inspecting the area with His Majesty, the local officials were all trying their best to curry favor with them, so they didn't need any money. Seeing how sensible and understanding Wang Yaozu was, Ye Wei promised to put in a good word for them with His Majesty.

After making these arrangements, Ye Wei left. Watching his departing figure, Zhao Dekai knew that he didn't need to make any more arrangements. He then instructed Wang Yaozu to take good care of His Majesty before leaving.

After Zhao Dekai left, Wang Yaozu stood there and sighed.

Even before Ye Mingsheng arrived in Shandong, Ma Runchuan, the provincial governor of Shandong, had already begun preparations for receiving him.

Although he didn't know the specifics of Ye Mingsheng's inspection tour in Shandong, Ma Runchuan knew that Ye Mingsheng would definitely visit Licheng, the provincial capital of Shandong, and then Taogang, a major coastal town. Ma Runchuan also intended to take this opportunity to show Ye Mingsheng his achievements.

Compared to Taogang, Licheng is the place he has been working hard to develop over the past few years, so Ma Runchuan has made many careful preparations in Licheng.

A crucial aspect of this was the issue of accommodation. If this were during the Great Zhou Dynasty, when the emperor came to Licheng for an inspection, the first thing to do would be to build a temporary palace, or have him stay with wealthy local families. Ma Runchuan had originally planned for this, but Ye Mingsheng explicitly requested that there be no extravagance or lavish hospitality; he would simply stay in an inn…

With Ye Mingsheng's orders, Ma Runchuan prepared to arrange for Ye Mingsheng to stay at the most upscale inn in Licheng, namely the Fuxing Inn.

Wang Yaozu, the head manager of the inn, was also very pleased with this. The place where the emperor had stayed was a great selling point, and if they could serve Ye Mingsheng well, it would be of great benefit to their future business development.

Therefore, Wang Yaozu can be said to have put a lot of effort into the preparations. Two months ago, he started to find a renovation team to renovate the Fuxing Inn.

Then he replaced all the tables, chairs, chopsticks, plates, dishes, and all sorts of furniture, without asking the price; he just wanted the most expensive and the best.

In addition to these hardware facilities, he also trained some people to provide services and recruited several young and beautiful girls. In short, all of this was to ensure that His Majesty would have the best experience when he stayed at their Fuxing Grand Inn.

Everything was ready, but about half a month ago, Ma Runchuan's advisor, Zhao Dekai, approached him and asked him to report on the preparations for receiving the emperor. Wang Yaozu reported all his preparations to Zhao Dekai.

Zhao Dekai first affirmed Wang Yaozu's work, indicating that he was well-prepared. However, Zhao Dekai also pointed out that Wang Yaozu's preparation in some other areas was insufficient...
Wang Yaozu was able to turn Fuxing Inn into the number one inn in Licheng and the number one inn in Shandong, which shows that he was a shrewd person. Zhao Dekai only gave a slight hint, and he understood what Zhao Dekai meant and knew what aspect Zhao Dekai was referring to.

After understanding Zhao Dekai's meaning, Wang Yaozu tentatively asked if this was the intention of Provincial Governor Ma Runchuan.
Zhao Dekai's attitude towards this was initially ambiguous, but after Wang Yaozu kept probing, Zhao Dekai said that it was just his personal suggestion and had nothing to do with the Provincial Governor. Although Zhao Dekai said it had nothing to do with Ma Runchuan, Wang Yaowu believed that it was Ma Runchuan's intention. Zhao Dekai was nominally just an ordinary secretary to Ma Runchuan, but in reality, he was Ma Runchuan's agent and represented Ma Runchuan's attitude!

After understanding Ma Runchuan's thoughts, Wang Yaozu also began to think. In fact, he had had this idea for a long time. He felt that His Majesty must be very tired after traveling all this way. If there were two confidants to help His Majesty relieve his fatigue, it would surely make His Majesty very happy.

In fact, Wang Yaozu had a group of women under his control. These women were nominally the inn's service staff, but in reality, they were also service staff.

The reason why Fuxing Inn is the best inn in Licheng is not only because of its luxurious decoration and good location, but also because it has its own unique secrets.

Wang Yaozu had this idea, but considering the gravity of the matter, he couldn't bear the consequences if the Emperor disliked it and his flattery backfired. Therefore, at that time, Wang Yaozu didn't dare take the risk...