Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 10 Disguise

Liu Zheng walked to the wall, looked at the large characters, and frowned slightly:

"'Those who meddle in other people's business will die'... Who is this warning to?"

Lin Chen said calmly, "Perhaps it's a warning to me that I shouldn't have meddled in other people's business on the street yesterday."

He briefly recounted the events of yesterday, including rescuing the old man selling wood carvings and the conflict with Wang Sheng.

After listening, Liu Zheng seemed to be deep in thought:

"Young Master Wang is indeed suspicious, being vindictive. However..." He changed the subject,

"Did Young Master Lin have any conflicts with anyone at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion yesterday?"

Alarm bells rang in Lin Chen's mind.

The Imperial City Guard even knows this?

"I ran into Young Master Wang," he said frankly. "He took my private room, and we had a little argument. But it was resolved quickly."

"How was it resolved?"

"I taught him a lesson, and he left with his men," Lin Chen said casually.

Liu Zheng gave him a deep look: "It seems that Young Master Lin is quite skilled."

"Just some basic self-defense skills," Lin Chen laughed. "Nothing compared to the experts from the Imperial City Guard."

At this moment, a guard from the Imperial City Guard came to report:

"Lord Centurion, this was found against the east wall."

He handed over a waist tag.

The copper waist tag has the words "Ministry of Rites" engraved on the front and the character "王" (King) on ​​the back.

Liu Zheng took the waist token and weighed it in his hand:

"It's interesting that the pass of the Minister of Rites' residence is here."

The head constable turned pale: "This...this might be a frame-up..."

"Whether it's a frame-up or not, we'll only know after we investigate." Liu Zheng put away his waist token.

"Young Master Lin, the Imperial City Guard has taken over this case. We will give you an explanation within three days."

"Thank you, Commander Liu."

Liu Zheng then looked at the constables: "You can go back now. Tell your superiors that this case is being handled by the Imperial City Guard, and the Prefectural Governor's Office need not concern itself with it anymore."

"Yes, yes..." The constable felt as if he had been granted a pardon and slunk away with his men.

The Imperial City Guards worked for another half hour before finally leaving.

Before leaving, Liu Zheng whispered to Lin Chen:

"Eighth Young Master, things have been rather unsettled in the capital lately. There are some people you should avoid offending if possible. If you really need anything, you can come to the Imperial City Guard to find me."

These words carried both goodwill and a warning.

Lin Chen cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for the reminder."

Watching the Imperial City Guard troops depart, Liu Ruyan frowned and asked, "Why did the Imperial City Guard interfere in such a trivial matter?"

"This is no small matter." Lin Chen looked at the rubbing of the waist tag in his hand—the one Liu Zheng gave him before he left. "Someone set this up, trying to use someone else to do their dirty work."

"Using someone else to do the dirty work?"

"Look," Lin Chen analyzed, "Wang Sheng smashed up the store and left such obvious evidence of his waist tag. Was he stupid? Not necessarily."

He might have deliberately stayed behind so we could file a complaint, and then he could turn around and accuse us of framing him.

But the Imperial City Guard suddenly intervened, disrupting the plan.

Liu Ruyan suddenly realized: "So the Imperial City Guard is helping us?"

"It might not be helping; it could be exploitation." Lin Chen's eyes were deep.

"The Imperial City Guard is directly under His Majesty's command. Their intervention indicates that His Majesty is paying attention to the Lin family. This is both protection and surveillance."

He paused, then added, "But regardless, we've gotten through this hurdle. Now it's our turn to fight back."

"How do we retaliate?"

Lin Chen looked at Manager Zhou: "Uncle Zhou, has the inventory of the shop's losses been completed?"

"It's been counted; it's about three thousand five hundred taels."

"Okay." Lin Chen took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket. "This is five thousand taels. Take it and renovate and restock."

In addition, starting today, the shop's security detail will be increased to eight people, working in two shifts, with wages doubled.

Manager Zhou took the silver notes, his hands trembling: "Eighth Master, this...this is too much..."

"Not many," Lin Chen said solemnly.

"What I want is not just a shop, but a signal—the Lin family is not yet fallen. Anyone who wants to take a bite should be prepared to break their teeth."

He turned to Liu Ruyan and said, "Sister-in-law, we need to speed up the training of the guards. I need them tonight."

Liu Ruyan nodded: "I'll take care of it right away. But... what do you need to do?"

Lin Chen smiled, but his smile carried a chill: "Young Master Wang has given me such a generous gift; wouldn't it be impolite not to reciprocate?"

……

In the evening, Liu Ruyan led twelve people to the West Garden.

These people were the elite guards of the manor, with cultivation levels between the seventh and eighth rank.

The leader was a man in his thirties named Lin Bao, a member of a collateral branch of the Lin family, who was loyal and reliable.

"Eighth Master, the men have been brought," Liu Ruyan said. "As per your request, twelve of them were chosen, the most skilled and the most discreet."

Lin Chen looked at these people and nodded:

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister-in-law. Brother Leopard, it's been a long time."

Lin Bao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Eighth Master, please feel free to give any orders."

"We're taking action tonight," Lin Chen said bluntly. "Our target is the Wang family's gambling den, 'Qianjin Fang,' in the west of the city."

Everyone was startled.

Liu Ruyan frowned: "Eighth Brother, you're going to smash up the Wang family's gambling den? That's too risky. There are definitely experts guarding the gambling den!"

"Who said I was going to smash up the gambling den?" Lin Chen laughed. "I'm just going to 'borrow' something."

He beckoned everyone to gather around and whispered some instructions.

After hearing the plan, Lin Bao's eyes lit up: "Eighth Master, that's a brilliant idea! But... are you sure you can lure away the expert in charge?"

"Don't worry, I have plans." Lin Chen looked at Liu Ruyan.

"Sister-in-law, your task is the most important."

You need to pretend to cause trouble at the gambling den to lure out the top-ranking martial artist in charge.

Then...I sparred with him for a few moves.

Liu Ruyan was taken aback: "Me? I'm only a second-grade..."

"So I'll teach you a few moves," Lin Chen said.

"Sister-in-law's swordsmanship is solid, but there are some areas that can be improved. Tonight I'll teach you three moves, which should be enough to handle the situation."

Liu Ruyan was skeptical, but she nodded in agreement nonetheless.

For the next hour, Lin Chen instructed Liu Ruyan in swordsmanship in the courtyard.

The three moves he taught were simple yet extremely ingenious, specifically targeting weaknesses.

At first, Liu Ruyan didn't take it seriously, but after practicing it a few times, her expression became more and more serious.

"This...this sword technique..." She gripped the sword, her hands trembling. "Eighth Brother, where did you learn it?"

These three moves all target the weaknesses in her swordsmanship. If she had learned them earlier, her combat power would have increased by at least 30%!

"I met an old swordsman when I was drinking with brothels, and he taught me," Lin Chen casually made up. "I'm glad you found it useful, sister-in-law."

More than just useful!

Liu Ruyan took a deep breath, and the way she looked at Lin Chen completely changed.

This eighth brother is definitely not simple.

Were you pretending to be stupid before? Or were you just smearing yourself?