Chapter 219 Catching Treasonous Spies Is Very Simple
“Shopkeeper, is this Biluochun tea this year’s new harvest?”
A Jinyiwei grabbed a small pinch of tea leaves and tossed them into his mouth, nodding as he chewed.
The shopkeeper, dressed like a Jiangnan man, came out with a face full of smiles.
“These were all brought over from my Jiangnan hometown just a few days ago, so of course they are this year’s new tea. Would the honored guests like to buy some?”
“Which circuit and prefecture is this Biluochun from? If it is good, we will take a large amount. Do not deceive us. We are people from Duke Zhongyi’s Estate.”
“Naturally, it is the finest tea from Mingtian Prefecture in Jiannan Circuit!”
When the shopkeeper heard the visitors’ identity, he immediately became excited and quickly arranged for people to brew tea for these distinguished guests to taste.
After Xiao Qi followed them in, his expression became increasingly strange.
It was one thing for those fellows to use his family’s name to swagger around and deceive people.
But they were even happily drinking tea.
How was this any different from them using the name of their duties to roam the streets and alleys or listen to songs in the pleasure quarters?
Cheng Yu silently watched without saying anything. He also stepped forward and drank a cup.
After the Jinyiwei finished drinking the tea, they nodded in satisfaction and tossed a silver note onto the table.
“The tea is good. We want however much you still have in your storehouse. Send it all to Duke Zhongyi’s Estate. Also, those hams and dried bamboo shoots—take all of them too.”
“Good! Thank you, honored lords. I will personally deliver them to the estate!”
The shopkeeper was overjoyed upon hearing this. He even felt he did not have enough hands, so he went to the marketplace and hired men who specialized in manual labor to load the carts.
As they were loading the goods.
The Jinyiwei smiled and began chatting again. “I heard Jiangnan has been very peaceful recently. I imagine next year, whether it is tea farmers growing tea or people like you collecting tea, things will be easier.”
The shopkeeper froze for a moment, then hurriedly smiled and nodded.
“That is right! It is all thanks to the good fortune brought by the Jinyiwei lords. The lives of us commoners have all improved!”
The Jinyiwei nodded and continued speaking without revealing anything.
“In the past, there were also forced labor duties for every sect and faction. Now things are better. The farmers plant wheat in the second month, then in the third month, they can harvest early tea at just the right time.”
The shopkeeper hurriedly nodded.
“That is right! That is right! After planting wheat, they can harvest tea. Nothing is delayed all year.”
As he spoke, however, he did not notice.
The eyes of the Jinyiwei were becoming brighter and brighter as they looked at him.
Instead, one of the men loading goods onto the ox cart frowned.
“You damned fool, what wheat are you planting in the second month? Do you think your family is the Queen Mother of the West planting immortal grass? Are you planning to make the little wheat sprouts come out and take a cold bath first?”
The shopkeeper froze when he heard this. He naturally understood the southern dialect, and the other shop assistants were also somewhat dumbfounded.
But was wheat not planted in the second month and harvested in the eighth? What was the problem?
Just as he was feeling puzzled.
The smiles on the Jinyiwei’s faces gradually became arrogant. They suddenly struck and seized these merchants who claimed to be from Jiangnan.
“Honored lords! What are you doing?”
The shopkeeper’s expression became terrified. A Jinyiwei token was flung onto his face, frightening him out of his wits.
A Jinyiwei sneered and lifted the high collar of one assistant, revealing frostbite on it.
“And you still dare say you are Jiangnan people? You were cursed out by a real Jiangnan man, were you not?”
“Speak! Why did you forge identities and come to the Great Qian Capital? If you wait until after you suffer in the Imperial Prison, you will lose far more!”
Just because of such a tiny detail?
The shopkeeper and the assistants felt as though they had been struck by lightning. They had actually been discovered just like this!
Since when did the Jinyiwei have such methods?
At this moment.
A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from behind the shop, and several rather powerful martial artists charged out.
The aura of the cultivation methods on these people was unmistakably from the techniques of the Northern Suppression Army in the Far North!
“Kill these dogs of the Emperor, then slaughter some ordinary people at random to throw this place into chaos and seize the chance to escape!”
They were all martial artists at the Fifth-Rank Realm, considered skilled fighters within the Northern Suppression Army.
But before they could attack the Jinyiwei, a figure abruptly appeared before them.
A few kicks lashed out, crushing their heads like watermelons.
It was Cheng Yu.
“Ah!!!”
When the shopkeeper saw several skilled military fighters die so quickly, he was so frightened that he screamed and nearly lost control of himself.
What level of expert was this?!
A moment later, he calmed down.
In his heart, he could only helplessly accept the fact that his identity had been seen through. He raised his head, his eyes red as he looked at the Jinyiwei.
“Tell me! How exactly did you discover us? I refuse to accept this!”
As a spy from the north.
It was understandable that he was unfamiliar with southern geography and farming seasons.
But those were words they had tricked out of him after the Jinyiwei had targeted him.
He had painstakingly studied how to impersonate a Jiangnan person for so long, even learning the accent and dialect from that region. How had he revealed any flaws at the very start?
One Jinyiwei sneered.
“You are not a Jiangnan person, yet you insisted on pretending to be one. Naturally, you were full of flaws... Let us put it this way. Since you claim to have just come from Jiangnan, do you recognize this person?”
He respectfully bowed and pointed toward the beloved Lord Cheng Yu.
The shopkeeper was dumbfounded.
Who was this? He had come from Jiangnan, so why would he have to recognize this man?
At this moment.
The laborer who had just scolded the shopkeeper for not understanding the farming season came over to watch the excitement. The moment he saw Cheng Yu’s appearance, he immediately fell to his knees with a slap.
“Lord Cheng! Is it really you, honored elder?”
Cheng Yu raised a brow. “You know me? Also, am I very old?”
Seeing that Cheng Yu did not deny it, the man immediately widened his eyes.
“Not old, not old! It is because we Jiannan people regard you as a father! I know you because my sister sent me a letter. Her husband’s life was saved by you, and she sent me a portrait of you, telling me to worship it day and night!”
Worship it?
Cheng Yu shook his head helplessly and pointed at the cart of tea leaves, hams, and other goods behind him.
“Since you have put it that way, I would feel rather embarrassed otherwise. This cart of goods belongs to you.”
The man was overjoyed. “Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!”
As the man excitedly left with the goods, the Jinyiwei had also more or less finished arresting everyone.
“Reporting to my lord, counting the three you kicked to death, we have seized twenty-eight people in one sweep. They are all spies sent by Prince Chu’s side! If we do this three more times, we will have enough for a hundred!”
【The Host knows how to employ people well. His subordinates have identified traitors and rendered merit, cultivating the Jinyiwei ranks. Reward: ten bottles of Hidden Absorption Pills!】
Another minor item meant for his subordinates to use when doing tasks.
Cheng Yu nodded and looked toward Xiao Qi and the others standing to the side, who had long since become as stiff as wooden chickens.
“Did you hear that? Twenty-eight. By the time we eat dinner, we should be able to reach one hundred. If you do not want to continue competing, you may leave. In any case, I do not keep trash.”
If they did not leave.
Then he wanted to see whether these useless people would still have the face to keep being stubborn later.
“What do we do?”
The prickly ones were already dumbfounded. They did not know what to do and could only place their hopes on Xiao Qi, whose attitude had been the firmest, to come up with an idea.
As an imperial clan disciple, this man feared Cheng Yu the least!
But at this moment.
Xiao Qi, who had been the most unruly and untamed earlier, actually dropped to his knees with a slap and hugged Cheng Yu’s leg.
“Lord Cheng, this lowly officer was wrong! From now on, this lowly officer will obey every command of yours and will never resist!”