The prince is more stable

Chapter 363 Announcement
The first impression Zhen Qing gave Zhao Xiaoqian was that of an actor who had stepped out of the stage but had not yet left the play.

It was absurd, but the impression really existed in Zhao Xiaoqian's mind and gradually solidified.

Zhen Qing's most secret identity is the official in charge of the Imperial City Division. He is considered the third most important person in the Imperial City Division, but what he does is spy behind enemy lines, and he often has to play various false identities.

Zhen Qing is currently a businessman, and he is dressed very professionally. Not only that, even his expression and eyes are impeccable.

Zhen Qing always has a smile on his face. Even if someone spits on his face, his smile will never change.

Greet people with a smile, and be harmonious to make money. The so-called self-esteem is the most useless thing. He has found the spiritual core of a businessman.

His eyes were full of shrewd calculation and mercenary. Within his field of vision, no matter whether it was a person or an object, it was always measured by price, including feelings.

The price in his eyes refers to the money that can fall into his pocket.

The so-called "harmony brings wealth", "harmony" is the means and "making money" is the goal, which is the basic quality that businessmen must possess.

Zhen Qing brought the role of the merchant to life, so much so that when he met Zhao Xiaoqian, paying him a visit as a real Song Dynasty official, his tone, expression and eyes seemed to have not yet left the shadow of a merchant, and he still looked like he was negotiating business with Zhao Xiaoqian.

It has to be said that Zhao Xiaoqian had a good first impression of Zhen Qing.

Putting aside the fact that he was a comrade on the secret front, at least he was certain that the moral bottom line of a person like Zhen Qing would not be too high. He was definitely not a true gentleman or a hypocrite. Perhaps what Zhen Qing had done made him unworthy of being considered a human being.

Dealing with such people is not too tiring, and since they are all smart, communication will be easy.

"Although we just met, there's no need to be so formal. Wei Jie and I both don't hold official positions. I call him Old Wei, and from now on I'll call you Old Zhen." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Zhen Qing was flattered and said gratefully, "It is my great honor that the Duke of the County does not treat me as an outsider."

"Old Zhen has come from far away, and there is nothing good to offer you in the military tent. Just have a simple meal of roasted whole lamb." Zhao Xiaoqian immediately ordered Chen Shou to roast the lamb.

While the lamb was roasting, Zhen Qing pulled out a thick list from his bosom and handed it to Zhao Xiaoqian, saying respectfully, "I have received word from the Imperial City Division that the Duke wishes to consolidate the Liao Kingdom's intelligence spies. This is a list of the Imperial City Division's spies lurking in the Liao Kingdom's Shangjing and the Liao army. Please review it, Duke."

Zhao Xiaoqian took the roster, flipped through a few pages, and said, "Are all the spies here?"

Zhen Qing leaned closer and whispered, "There are several important spies who hold high positions in the Liao Kingdom. Their names must not appear on the roster, and their identities are known only to this humble official..."

As he spoke, Zhen Qing leaned close to his ear and whispered the names and identities of several important spies.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and secretly memorized these names.

The names that Zhen Qing mentioned solemnly were not of very high status. They just had some say within the scope of their authority, which was incomparable to Xiao Wuna and Xiao Guangjing, father and son.

The Imperial City Bureau did not spend a long time planning the Liao capital. Apart from the minor characters that had been lurking in the past, the real planning of the Liao court began after Zhao Xiaoqian took over the Imperial City Bureau.

After receiving instructions from Zhao Xiaoqian, Zhen Qingcai gradually paid attention to the upper class of the Liao Kingdom, bribed them with money, and placed several relatively important spies.

Zhao Xiaoqian already had Xiao Wuna and Xiao Guangjing, father and son, in his hands. Their status was much higher. Of course, their identities had to be kept absolutely confidential and could not be revealed to anyone.

Now there are only three people in the world who know that the Xiao father and son are spies of the Song Dynasty: Zhao Xiaoqian, Zhao Xu and Wei Jie.

The father and son are very important to Zhao Xiaoqian's future planning, but it is not enough.

"Old Zhen, you've been lurking in Shangjing for years. Do you know what other prodigals, treacherous ministers, and villains there are in the Shangjing court?"

Zhen Qing thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "I've heard of a few, for example, there's a man named 'Xiao Fengxian'. He's a relative of the Liao Dynasty and quite famous in Shangjing..."

"His sister was the second wife of the Crown Prince Yelü Yanxi and was granted the title of Yuanfei. Xiao Fengxian relied on his sister's power and became arrogant and domineering in Shangjing. The people of Shangjing cursed or avoided him when they mentioned him. Everyone was deeply afraid of him."

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes suddenly lit up: "Since his father dared to name him 'Fengxian', I knew this man must have the potential to be a slave of three surnames."

Zhen Qing asked tentatively, "Does the Duke want to get in touch with him?"

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a moment and said, "What do you think of this man's character? Is he tempted by money?" Zhen Qing thought for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be difficult. It's said that Xiao Fengxian lives a dissolute and extravagant life. He has hundreds of singing and dancing girls in his house. He also likes gambling and collecting fine horses. His annual expenses are not small. I'm afraid he's not well off. Given his personality, he'd do anything for money."

Zhao Xiaoqian stroked his chin and muttered, "Why does this sound more and more familiar to me? A strong smell of my father comes over me..."

If you think about it carefully, isn't my father the same kind of person?

So, this Xiao Fengxian is the younger version of my father?

Zhen Qing continued, "Xiao Fengxian is of high status, has supporters in the palace, and is trusted by the Liao Lord and the Crown Prince. If the Duke wants to bribe him, I'm afraid he'll have to spend a fortune..."

Zhao Xiaoqian's face immediately darkened.

Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.

But the problem is... no money.

When Zhao Xiaoqian took up his post in Zhending this time, he had more than 100,000 taels of silver on hand, but this money was used to win over his officials and soldiers and could not be used for any other purpose.

Moreover, Zhao Xiaoqian estimated that with Xiao Fengxian's appetite, even if he was given tens of thousands of taels, it would probably not satisfy his desire.

What a perfect candidate for a spy! The only thing left was to bribe him. However, even a penny could make a hero fall. Zhao Xiaoqian really couldn't afford the money to bribe him at this time.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's face changing from red to blue, Zhen Qing said cautiously, "What's the matter with you, Lord? I'm willing to help you."

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "I want to bribe Xiao Fengxian, but I don't have any money. Do you have any way to help me get some money?"

Zhen Qing blinked in surprise, his tone becoming more cautious: "My Lord, are you planning to pay for Xiao Fengxian out of your own pocket?"

"Oh, what else?"

Zhen Qing immediately revealed an expression of awe. "Your Excellency is truly noble and selfless... Bribing enemy spies and infiltrating enemy countries are important matters for the imperial court, and all expenses should be paid for by the imperial court. Yet, Your Excellency is so selfless that he even paid for it himself. I truly admire Your Excellency..."

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, then startled, and finally slapped his thigh.

Am I short-circuiting my brain?

Of course, the court reimbursed this money. Why the hell am I pretending to be such a jerk? Why should I spend my own money to help Zhao Xu and the court? It doesn't make sense!
Zhao Xiaoqian was a smart man who could draw inferences from one instance, and he had a very low moral bottom line.

He immediately thought that he should not pay for the expenses of winning over the officials and soldiers of Zhending Prefecture himself. This was also for the court, and he should never spend private money on official business, especially his own money.

Once one thought came to light, all thoughts became clear to Zhao Xiaoqian, and everything became clear.

Thinking that he could not only successfully carry out his plan and bribe Xiao Fengxian, but also basically save the hundreds of thousands of taels he brought with him, this was simply a happier event than getting married.

I can't wait for the dinner to start tonight.

Looking at Zhen Qing, Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes were extremely gentle and affectionate, staring at Zhen Qing so hard that his scalp tingled.

"Old Zhen, you just said that you admire my noble character?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

"Yes." Zhen Qing replied respectfully.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled: "It's too early for you to admire me."

"I will write a letter. Find a trustworthy and loyal subordinate to help me deliver it to Bianjing by express horseback and present it to the emperor. This letter is top secret and I will seal it with wax. No one except the emperor is allowed to open it, or I will kill my entire clan."

Hearing Zhao Xiaoqian's serious words, Zhen Qing was a little scared and quickly agreed.

"The Imperial City Bureau's spies lurking in the capital, find a way to talk to Xiao Fengxian and tell him that I, Zhao Xiaoqian, have long admired Xiao Fengxian's great name and hope to have the opportunity to meet him."

(End of this chapter)