Liu Qi arrived at the Capital Prefecture early, as had become the norm these past few days.
Although Shang Jingchuan didn’t assign him any work, Liu Qi didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest. Even if it meant just sitting idly in the office, Liu Qi made sure to be present every day, sweeping away his previous attitude of perfunctory excuses.
As for why his attitude had done a complete 180, the government officials and constables at the Capital Prefecture naturally understood, but no one spoke about it.
At this moment, Liu Qi still felt extremely uneasy.
Previously, he didn’t even give Shang Jingchuan a second thought, considering him nothing more than a bookish fool lost in his studies.
Plus, with the backing of Prince Qi, Yan Sifu, he cared even less about Shang Jingchuan.
But to his utter surprise, events changed so quickly.
Almost overnight, the situation took a dramatic turn.
First, the Four Seas Gang’s offensive was thwarted, with even a Meridian Opening Realm expert defeated by Zhao Ya.
Soon after, the Sea Lord of Qingjing Sea, Lang Songbai, was killed with one punch by Zhao Ya, and the Four Seas Gang didn’t even make a strong retort, seemingly planning to endure it.
Faced with these abrupt events, Liu Qi was utterly terrified.
He never imagined that Zhao Ya, by Shang Jingchuan’s side, could be so formidable.
Recalling his previous negligence, Liu Qi was both shocked and fearful, and obediently reported to work the next day.
Moreover, Liu Qi went out of his way to ingratiate himself with Shang Jingchuan, doing everything he could to restore his previous image.
To this, Shang Jingchuan’s response was neither rejection nor enthusiasm.
This only made Liu Qi increasingly anxious.
Though Yan Sifu was his supporter, after years of navigating the officialdom and Jianghu,
Liu Qi understood the local magistrate is not as effective as the present authority.
Especially given the present authority’s immense power, it would be all too easy to cause him trouble.
Predictably, just as Liu Qi was on edge in the constable’s office, voices suddenly came from outside.
"My lord!"
"Prefect, my lord!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Qi knew immediately that Shang Jingchuan had arrived. He quickly hid his worries, replaced them with a smile, and went out to greet him with a beaming face.
"My lord, you..."
Liu Qi’s smile froze.
Because he caught sight of Zhao Ya, who was following closely behind Shang Jingchuan.
Although he had never met Zhao Ya, seeing this young man’s heroic aura and remarkable presence, Liu Qi knew this must be the recently famous Zhao Ya, Young Hero Zhao, causing his heart to fill with fear.
At that moment, Zhao Ya also glanced over.
Under that gaze, Liu Qi felt his hair stand on end and hurriedly lowered his head.
Zhao Ya, of course, guessed the identity of this chubby, merchant-like Chief Constable.
During their journey, Shang Jingchuan had introduced the personnel structure of the Capital Prefecture to Zhao Ya, with a focus on Liu Qi.
When he heard Liu Qi even ran a brothel in the closely monitored Changping Square by the Four Seas Gang, Zhao Ya noted it with interest.
Throughout history, the lines between lust and violence have been thin, especially considering Liu Qi, a Chief Constable, operated a brothel in Changping Square.
This was intriguing in itself.
However, Zhao Ya said nothing and followed Shang Jingchuan into the study.
After they entered,
the constables and government officials at the Capital Prefecture became excited.
"Is this the Zhao Ya who punched out Lang Songbai?"
"Call him Young Hero Zhao!"
"No wonder our lord dares to tackle this mess; with such a formidable expert by his side, even the Four Seas Gang would be wary of him."
Amidst the chatter, Liu Qi’s expression looked grim.
Because he was uncertain about Zhao Ya’s sudden appearance at the Capital Prefecture.
Though Zhao Ya probably didn’t know about his tip-offs, Liu Qi couldn’t help but be suspicious.
Meanwhile, in the study, Shang Jingchuan was introducing Zhao Ya to the documents on the desk.
"These are the files I’ve recently compiled regarding the Four Seas Gang, and these are just the most representative. If I were to display them all, the desk wouldn’t hold them."
Zhao Ya picked up a file from the top of the stack, skimmed through it, and then frowned.
"Disgusting, isn’t it? When I first read it, I almost exploded with anger, especially regarding Changping Square, which is nothing but a pit of filth. It’s laughable that I once thought it was great." Shang Jingchuan said indignantly.
Zhao Ya held the dossier about the brothels in Changping Square.
This laid bare the hideous reality behind the seemingly glamorous facade.
With just a brief glance, Zhao Ya discovered that forcing good people into prostitution and wanton murder were just the tip of the iceberg, with some methods even he found alarming.
In a brothel managed by Sheng Lianhua alone, dozens of girls vanished into thin air annually.
And these poor souls were either delivered to Noble Families for the amusement of those with peculiar fetishes or brutally murdered for their disobedience.
"I used to think that despite the darkness of gangs like the Four Seas Gang, they helped maintain stability at the grassroots. But now I realize, without sunlight, the darkness runs rampant." Shang Jingchuan lamented.
Zhao Ya remained silent for a long while before suddenly asking, "How many people do you have under your command now?"
"Counting all the government officials and constables, about forty people."