Meng Shuping's unwitting disruption meant the group at that table could no longer enjoy their drinks. After a few hurried bites, they quickly settled their bill and departed.
Watching them leave, Meng Shuping felt a pang of regret. "Oh, why the rush? I hadn't heard enough yet!"
Jiang Cihe watched Meng Shuping, a smile playing on his lips, equally amused by the whimsical workings of his mind.
With no other diversions, Meng Shuping turned his full attention to the food. He discovered the restaurant's dishes were truly exceptional. "Mmm, how is this fish prepared? It has absolutely no fishy taste and is incredibly fresh!"
"Wow! This roasted goose is fantastic too!"
"And this! It's just too delicious!"
While devouring his meal, Meng Shuping couldn't resist playfully chiding Jiang Cihe, "Argh! Why did you order so much? My stomach can't possibly hold it all!"
Jiang Cihe grew increasingly convinced that bringing Meng Shuping along was an exceptionally wise decision. Watching him eat with such gusto made Jiang Cihe feel like he could easily eat two more bowls of rice himself!
After the group had eaten their fill, they exited the restaurant with thoroughly satisfied bellies. Meng Shuping slowed his pace, a worried thought forming in his mind: "How can I gracefully excuse myself from him?"
Just then, Jiang Cihe turned to him and said, "Since we've finished eating..."
Meng Shuping's heart tightened. "No, no, no! If you keep this up, I'm going to throw a tantrum! Ahhh! I want to go home!"
Jiang Cihe chuckled, deciding to stop teasing him. "Then let's part ways here."
Meng Shuping immediately brightened. "Wonderful, wonderful!"
But no sooner had he spoken than he realized his excitement might have been too obvious. He quickly adopted a more somber expression and said in a low voice, "Alright, alright."
Jiang Cihe was utterly delighted by his antics. He patted Meng Shuping's shoulder. "Then I'll be off. See you in a couple of days."
Meng Shuping paid little attention to what was said, nodding vaguely. Once Jiang Cihe had departed, he happily returned to the Earl's residence, thinking he had two days to figure things out.
Two days flew by, and soon it was time for Meng Shuping to report for duty.
He woke naturally, feeling refreshed, had breakfast, and then leisurely made his way to Jiang Cihe's residence, carrying the mask he had acquired the previous day.
After all, Jiang Cihe hadn't specified an arrival time, so Meng Shuping saw no reason not to take his ease.
Fortunately, Prince Zhao's mansion wasn't far from the Earl's residence. Meng Shuping arrived on horseback in short order. He sent his servant, Wen Shou, to inform the gatekeeper. A moment later, Wen Shou returned with a report: "Fifth Young Master, the gatekeeper said His Highness waited for you but, as you didn't arrive, he has already gone to the Military Hall Department for duty. He asks that you meet him there."
Meng Shuping was bewildered. The Military Hall Department? What kind of place was that?
He learned from Wen Shou that the Military Hall Department was akin to the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard—an intelligence agency.
Their duties were twofold: first, to guard the emperor and serve within the palace; second, to conduct investigations, gather intelligence, and monitor the activities of court officials and the general populace.
However, they operated with discretion, so their reputation wasn't widely known.
Meng Shuping was quite astonished. He hadn't realized Jiang Cihe was so highly favored, entrusted with managing such a crucial department.
After leaving Prince Zhao's mansion, Meng Shuping, accompanied by his two servants, headed towards the Military Hall Department. But as they neared the entrance, a sense of apprehension began to creep over him.
The security at the entrance was incredibly tight! The mere thought of passing by under their intense, searchlight-like gazes made him feel suffocated.
Meng Shuping stealthily hid behind a corner of the wall, then cautiously peered out to observe the entrance of the Military Hall Department. His servant, Wen Shou, seeing his behavior, couldn't help but ask, "Fifth Young Master, what are you doing...?"
Meng Shuping quickly placed his index finger to his lips. "Shh..."
Seeing this, the two servants fell silent. Meng Shuping spent a considerable time behind the wall, steeling his nerves, before finally summoning enough courage. He put on his mask and instructed Wen Shou, "Go and inform them!"
Wen Shou promptly replied, "Yes!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he emerged from behind the wall, several guards aggressively rushed forward, swiftly surrounding them. The leader sternly demanded, "What are you all doing here?"
Wen Shou quickly explained, "We are here to see Prince Zhao. Our young master is the Fifth Young Master of the Earl of Anyang's residence. Prince Zhao instructed him to come."
The leader scrutinized Meng Shuping, noting the exquisitely crafted mask he wore and his rigid posture against the wall, not daring to move. This only heightened his suspicion of their intentions.
He declared harshly, "Nonsense! Would a young master from an Earl's residence skulk around like this? Sneaking about, you clearly look like trouble! Arrest them!"
The guards moved swiftly, seizing all three of them. Yongfeng quickly interjected, "We truly are here to see Prince Zhao! If you don't believe us, go inside and announce our presence!"
Wen Shou also looked at Meng Shuping. "Young Master, say something! Young Master!"
Meng Shuping was extremely nervous. After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer, "Y-yes!"
The lead guard scoffed. So guilty, yet still claiming not to be lying? He waved his hand. "Take them away!"
Jiang Cihe was attending to official duties when a report came in that several suspicious individuals had been apprehended at the entrance. He raised an eyebrow. Bold indeed, to cause trouble right at the gates of the Military Hall Department.
He commanded, "Bring them in."
"Yes!"
A moment later, Meng Shuping and his two servants were roughly pushed before Jiang Cihe. "Your Highness, these are the ones. They were lurking suspiciously at the entrance, spying. We don't know their intentions!"
Meng Shuping finally regained his balance. "Who's lurking suspiciously? Can't I just stand at the entrance and look?"
Jiang Cihe paused, then scrutinized Meng Shuping, asking with a hint of doubt, "Two hundred and fifty?"
Meng Shuping glared at him indignantly. "Who's two hundred and fifty? You're the two hundred and fifty!"
"Pfft!" Jiang Cihe had never imagined his next encounter with Meng Shuping would unfold like this. Meng Shuping truly never ceased to amuse him.
The nearby guard, seeing Meng Shuping's disrespect towards Jiang Cihe, angrily shoved him. "How dare you speak to His Highness like that?"
Jiang Cihe quickly suppressed his laughter and said, "Wait! Release them."
The guards were stunned. "Your Highness?"
Jiang Cihe couldn't help but let out another laugh. "He is indeed here to see me."
Upon hearing this, the guards quickly untied Meng Shuping and his two servants. They were at a loss for words—if he was here to see the Prince, why didn't he say so earlier? Skulking around at the entrance made them suspect Meng Shuping and his companions had ulterior motives!
After they had untied Meng Shuping and his two servants, Jiang Cihe said, "You may leave now."
"Yes."
The guards saluted and withdrew. Jiang Cihe approached Meng Shuping and asked curiously, "Why did you come like this? Didn't you say you had a suit of armor custom-made? Where is it?"
Meng Shuping's eyes darted nervously. "Isn't it right here on my face?"
"Pfft!" Jiang Cihe couldn't help but laugh again. He asked incredulously, "Your armor is just for protecting your face?"
Meng Shuping's voice grew even more timid. "Why can't it protect my face?"
"Hahaha!" Jiang Cihe felt that with Meng Shuping around, it was impossible to be unhappy. He said, "Alright, alright, you can protect whatever you wish."
Meng Shuping shot him an annoyed look. "He's still laughing? What's so funny? I think he's the ridiculous one!"
"I imagined the daily life of an intelligence chief involved patrols, arrests, raiding homes, wiping out clans, and torture—but in reality, it's just asking about prices on the street! Just an ordinary, regular working stiff! Hahahaha!"
Jiang Cihe had barely managed to stifle his laughter when Meng Shuping's comment set him off again, bursting into hearty laughter. Their Military Hall Department truly wasn't as terrifying as Meng Shuping imagined!
Once he had finally had his fill of laughter, Jiang Cihe said, "Please take a seat anywhere for now; I have some matters to attend to."
Meng Shuping was happy to relax and quickly replied, "Alright."
So Jiang Cihe returned to his desk. After a while, however, he thought leaving Meng Shuping idle might be too boring, so he asked him, "Do you know how to read and write?"
Meng Shuping shook his head vigorously. "No, no, I haven't even memorized the Three Character Classic yet!"
"You've got to be kidding! There's no way I'd admit I'm literate! What if some confidential documents got leaked? I'd never be able to explain that!"
"Besides, if he's trying to assign me work, wouldn't that mean I can't refuse? Doing two jobs for one salary? I'd be getting totally scammed!"
Jiang Cihe: "..." Should he call Meng Shuping shrewd or foolish?
He said helplessly, "Fine."
Before long, Meng Shuping would surely get bored.
Indeed, it didn't take long for Meng Shuping to grow restless in his chair. "I should've brought a storybook and some sunflower seeds to crack—now that would've been perfect!"
Jiang Cihe glanced at him, amused by his carefree thoughts. Meng Shuping was certainly the first to consider cracking sunflower seeds at the Military Hall Department.
With nothing else to do, Meng Shuping began to examine the room's furnishings. After a thorough look, he noticed a pile of papers haphazardly stacked on an unoccupied desk. He subtly glanced at Jiang Cihe, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention, tiptoed over to the table.
So messy and unattended—it probably wasn't anything too important, right?
He leaned in to read one of the pages: "The Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue meets a mysterious person by the river every rest day to fish. After three full months of surveillance, the spies were stunned to discover—"
Jiang Cihe involuntarily looked up. Could it be that this Vice Director and the mysterious person were involved in some illicit dealings?
Just then, he heard Meng Shuping continue, "—his fishing skills are absolutely terrible! Hahaha!"
"Heh!" Jiang Cihe barely managed to suppress a laugh. Why did everything sound so much funnier when Meng Shuping said it?
Completely unaware he had been discovered, Meng Shuping finished that page and moved on to the next: "Niu Er from the west of the city secretly meets with a few others in hidden spots every so often. After tailing him for two months, the spies finally managed to eavesdrop on their conspiracy! It turns out they were plotting—"
Once again, Jiang Cihe's curiosity was piqued. Were they planning something against the court?
Then he heard Meng Shuping add, "—how to hide their stash of cash!"
"Hahaha, those spies really went through a lot! I feel bad for them—for like, three seconds tops, no more than that! Hahaha!"