Wei Yu had a special talent.

That was, whenever he wanted to get close to someone, he could do it in minutes with ease.

Take now, for example—his conversation with the shopkeeper. In just a short while, in the shopkeeper’s heart, he had already transformed from an important young nobleman into a close confidant.

The shopkeeper was telling Wei Yu everything!

In the private room with only three people left, Wei Yu sat beside the shopkeeper, while Xiao Anzi stood behind him, attending closely.

“Oh, little brother, you don’t know how much of a bastard our county magistrate is!”

The shopkeeper slapped his thigh, clearly agitated. “Back in the day, right here on this street, there was a good-looking widow selling tofu. That dog of a magistrate wanted to take her as a concubine, but she refused, saying she wanted to raise her young son. So the bastard actually had someone push the child into the river—and then blamed it on someone else… In the end, three people lost their lives!”

Wei Yu was outraged. “That’s outrageous. That dog of a magistrate deserves a terrible death.”

Shopkeeper: “Exactly! That dog!”

Wei Yu: “Yeah, ptooey!”

Shopkeeper: “Ptooey!”

The two spat in unison, looked at each other, and their bond deepened.

The shopkeeper was deeply moved. “I really get along with you, little brother. What a rare connection.”

Wei Yu waved it off. “Don’t say that, big brother. We’re all just ordinary folk. My family is just in business. I came here hoping to make a deal, but alas, Ji Prefecture is just too dangerous.”

“It really is,” the shopkeeper sighed. “I don’t know where you’re planning to trade, little brother, but take my advice—get out of here as soon as you can. If you wait too long, you might not be able to leave at all.”

This time, the shopkeeper spoke quite reasonably.

Seeing the shopkeeper’s downcast and worried look, Wei Yu could tell he was worried the bandit problem would spread to Ziyang.

He thought about it and didn’t ask the foolish question of why the shopkeeper wasn’t fleeing.

After all, life is precious. If he could escape, he wouldn’t need others to tell him—he’d be gone already. If he wasn’t running, there had to be a reason he couldn’t.

“You know, I’ve actually kept something from you,” Wei Yu said suddenly. “Let me give you a heads-up now, alright?”

He suddenly smiled.

That smile was mysterious, like he was hiding some fantastic news.

The shopkeeper blinked, a strange anticipation rising in his heart.

“What is it?”

Wei Yu leaned closer and whispered, “Those bandits outside Ziyang City… someone’s already taken them in!”

Shopkeeper: !!

“What!”

The shopkeeper jumped to his feet, looking at Wei Yu in disbelief. “Is that true? Who took the bandits in?!”

Too agitated. Not calm at all.

Wei Yu motioned for him to calm down. “Big brother, don’t panic. Let me explain slowly.”

“Oh, right, right. We need to stay calm.”

The shopkeeper plopped back into his seat and quickly asked about the bandits. “Little brother, how do you know the bandits were taken in? Don’t tell me—”

Look at those squinty little eyes, starting to get suspicious.

“Don’t overthink it, big brother. I don’t have the skills to wrangle bandits!” Wei Yu laughed. “It’s just that on my way here, I happened to pass by Oxhead Mountain and caught sight of their leader.”

The shopkeeper was stunned. “What? There’s a leader?! Who the hell is it that’s taking in bandits—don’t tell me someone’s finally had enough of this corrupt government and is starting a rebellion?!”

Wei Yu: …

Honestly, this big brother wasn’t that law-abiding either.

Not wanting the shopkeeper’s imagination to run wild, Wei Yu quickly brought the topic back, spinning a tale about passing through Oxhead Mountain, where he encountered a chivalrous figure who subdued the bandits and reformed them. The hero even invited them to come up the mountain for a visit.

Wei Yu made the story sound thrilling and the hero seemed like the most benevolent man under heaven, leaving the shopkeeper full of admiration.

Shopkeeper: “It had to be someone like that! If not for him, us folks in Ziyang County wouldn’t know how badly we’d still be getting bullied by those mountain bandits!”

Wei Yu nodded repeatedly. “Right, and not only is that hero kindhearted, he’s also extraordinarily handsome and talented in both civil and military arts. Truly a top-notch man of his generation.”

Xiao Anzi: …

Your Highness, do you not feel even a little embarrassed praising yourself like this?

Embarrassed? Not at all. Wei Yu only hated that his vocabulary was too shallow—he couldn’t come up with even fancier compliments!

After the shopkeeper laid on some more flattery, Wei Yu was quite satisfied.

He told the shopkeeper, “Now that the bandits outside are under control, times have changed. They won’t be bullying people anymore. If trouble really does come, you might even go ask that hero for help—he might send someone to assist. So don’t be afraid, big brother. If something really happens, just go straight to Oxhead Mountain.”

Wei Yu left it at that. If the shopkeeper had more doubts, he’d just say, “If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself,” leaving the man utterly puzzled.

Because if Wei Yu had insisted too hard, urging the shopkeeper to go to Oxhead Mountain, he might’ve suspected Wei Yu was a liar or a bandit himself, trying to lure people into a trap.

But by saying just enough and then preparing to leave, the three-tenths belief in the shopkeeper’s heart became five-tenths.

—

After leaving the tavern, Wei Yu followed Fang Sheng to the grain shop.

There was plenty in stock. When Wei Yu entered, the shopkeeper welcomed him with as much enthusiasm as the tavern.

Shopkeeper: “Young master, what do you need—rice, flour, beans? I’ve got the most complete selection in the city.”

Wei Yu couldn’t tell the difference between old and new rice, good grain or bad. After a quick look around the shop, he handed the task off to Fang Sheng.

Fang Sheng quickly picked out what they needed. When it came time to pay the deposit, Wei Yu winced a little.

It would cost a total of eight hundred seventy-three taels.

—Basically every last bit of silver they’d hauled out of the bandit den.

Heck, he’d just spent himself back to square one!

Wei Yu was bitter.

Once the folks on Oxhead Mountain no longer had work to do, they could all go drink porridge water!

Since they were buying a lot, the shopkeeper was thrilled and even offered up his grain cart and had his own staff handle the delivery.

“Don’t worry, young master! Whatever grain you need, we’ll deliver it right to you—just tell us where!”

Fang Sheng: “Oxhead Mountain.”

The shopkeeper immediately froze.

Oxhead Mountain?

Isn’t that the bandit den?!

What decent person delivers grain there?!

These people… they must be bandits!

Whether the shopkeeper was conflicted or not, Fang Sheng didn’t care. His Highness had already left, and he was leaving too.

“If you want full payment, send the grain to Oxhead Mountain. I guarantee you’ll be safe.”

As they walked away, the shopkeeper was left helpless.

Such a big order, and yet such a dilemma.

So… should he take the job or not?

He gritted his teeth and turned to ask the workers at the shop.

“Anyone willing to deliver grain to Oxhead Mountain outside the city? I’ll pay you ten extra copper coins!”

Meanwhile, Tian Hu—just thinking about leaving the city: ?