Chapter 96 Secret Meeting 1 (Please collect! Please vote! Please invest!)

Cai Pengbo, who was feeling irritated, had no interest at the moment. When he saw someone coming to irritate him, he immediately wanted to start cursing to vent his anger.

However, seeing that it was Liu Ping, the trusted sentry who had saved his life, in order to avoid disappointing his subordinates, Cai Pengbo suppressed his anger and said nothing. He took the small wooden box from Liu Ping's hand and opened it casually...
Cai Pengbo, who was originally absent-minded, looked at the things quietly placed in the small wooden box, his expression suddenly changed slightly. After his eyes stayed on the things for three seconds, Cai Pengbo closed the lid of the small wooden box.

Turning his attention back to Liu Ping, he took a deep look at this subordinate whom he trusted, and then said slowly:
"Do you know what's inside the box?"

"I don't know. The box was given to me by a fellow villager of mine. His name is Li Xianyi, and he is the second shopkeeper of the Dafeng'an Company. After hearing about your reputation, he admired you very much and wanted to make friends with you. This small wooden box is a gift from him to you!"

Seeing Cai Pengbo's serious look, Liu Ping, who brought the small wooden box over, said in confusion:

After taking another good look at Liu Ping and seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Cai Pengbo closed his eyes and weighed the matter silently in his mind.

Seeing Cai Pengbo like this, Liu Ping couldn't help but feel unsure of what he was thinking. Seeing that he was slow to speak, he felt uneasy and asked tentatively:

"Sir, if you don't like it, I will just reject him outright!"

"Where is your fellow countryman Li Xianyi now?" Upon hearing this, Cai Pengbo opened his eyes and did not answer Liu Ping's question. Instead, he asked back:

"It's in the city!" Liu Ping said truthfully:
"After two hours, let them go to the private room of Sanpin Pavilion!" Cai Pengbo hesitated for a moment, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he said calmly:
"Thank you for your kindness, Commander. I will go down and make arrangements right away!"

Seeing that Cai Pengbo agreed, a smile appeared on Liu Ping's face.

This time his fellow townsman promised that as long as he could help meet Cai Pengbo, he would receive a reward of one hundred taels of silver. For a sentry captain whose annual salary was only a few dozen taels of silver, this was a considerable windfall. Moreover, he could get it by just talking and making an introduction. It was not too easy to get this money!
After watching Liu Ping leave, Cai Pengbo's eyes flickered a little. He opened the small wooden box in front of him again, and saw a metal waist plate engraved with the word "Supervision" lying inside...

Looking at the metal badge, Cai Pengbo fell into deep thought. Although he didn't know why the Inspectorate was looking for him, his subconscious told him that this matter must be related to Xu Zhaojie!
If this matter had happened before today, Cai Pengbo would have been very resistant to the invitation from the Supervisory Department and would never have accepted it.

But things are different now. Since he cannot report to Xu Zhaojie, he really wants to see what the Inspectorate wants him to do!
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In the evening, in a private room of Sanpinlou, Li Xianyi, the nearly fifty-year-old second shopkeeper of the Dazhou business "Dafeng'an", looked with some curiosity at a young man dressed as a scholar who was sitting next to him.

Although Li Xianyi's apparent identity is a businessman and the second-in-command of "Da Feng'an", few people know his true identity, an eighth-rank spy of the Supervisory Department, who uses his identity in "Da Feng'an" as a cover to receive and transmit intelligence for the Supervisory Department.

After hesitating for a while, Li Xianyi could no longer suppress his curiosity and respectfully asked the pale-faced scholar in front of him, who was about the same age as his son:
"Sir, how did you know that Cai Pengbo would come to meet you?"

The pale-faced scholar glanced at Li Xianyi after hearing the words. This glance seemed to be a casual remark, but it made Li Xianyi startled. He realized that he had spoken out of turn, and quickly said in fear and trepidation:
"I shouldn't have asked!"

"Don't do it again!" Seeing Li Xianyi admit his mistake, the pale-faced scholar said calmly:

Seeing that the pale-faced scholar did not pursue the matter, Li Xianyi nodded his head and said yes. Without letting Li Xianyi and the pale-faced scholar wait for too long, Cai Pengbo, dressed in casual clothes, walked into the private room under the guidance of Liu Ping.

Seeing the two people waiting in the private room, Cai Pengbo glanced at Li Xianyi, and his sharp eyes were focused on the pale-faced scholar beside him.

"This is our Cai Pengbo, Commander Cai, why don't you come and greet me!" Liu Ping, who was standing next to Cai Pengbo and didn't know his own limits, said in a pretentious manner:
Li Xianyi and the pale-faced scholar exchanged a glance, then stood up, bowed to Cai Pengbo, and said with a cupped hand:

"Master Cai!"

Cai Pengbo nodded, then said to Liu Ping: "Go wait in the lobby!"

"Yes!"

Liu Ping, who was about to sit down to eat, was a little confused as to why the commander wanted to drive him out, but he still bowed and left obediently.

As Liu Ping left and the door of the private room closed, Cai Pengbo looked at the pale-faced scholar and sneered, "Who did I think it was? It turned out to be you, Wang Kangxin. I only knew that your uncle was a captain of the Supervisory Department, but I never thought that you would also join the Supervisory Department!"

After saying this, Cai Pengbo took out the small wooden box containing the Supervisory Office badge from his arms and threw it in front of the pale-faced scholar.

"Brother Cai, how are you?"

Seeing that Cai Pengbo recognized him, the pale-faced scholar, Wang Kangxin, smiled slightly and took off the fake beard on his face. At this time, Li Xianyi also picked up the small wooden box in front of Wang Kangxin and put it in the small box.

Wang Kangxin continued, "Brother Cai, you are joking. I am still a military officer of the Imperial Guards. How could I join the Supervisory Department? This token belongs to Shopkeeper Li. He wanted to invite you. I am just accompanying you."

"It has been almost a year since we last met at Wanfeng Mansion..."

"Humph!"

"Don't say these useless things. It makes it seem like you and I are very familiar with each other. But you are still very lucky. You are not dead yet..." Cai Pengbo said with a sneer:

As soon as he said this, although Wang Kangxin's expression was normal, a hint of resentment emerged in the depths of his eyes. However, this resentment was not directed at Cai Pengbo, but at someone else.

(End of this chapter)