What imperial henchmen? Please call me Your Majesty!

Beijing, East Alley, Taoyuan Street.

The streets and shops were bustling with people, all dressed in fine clothes, and both young men and women looked prosperous.

This place is one of the best locations in the capital, and many high-ranking officials and nobles lived nearby, which contributed to the prosperity of the area.

The Bu Er Escort Agency was built here.

Merchants in the capital city who need to transport goods will come here to hire people, because even some of the medium and large escort agencies in the surrounding area and the entire capital are from their area, and only the small escort agencies are barely surviving.

Similarly, small security escort agencies generally don't have many customers who come to them to discuss business.

When Su Mu was brought here by Lei Yan, he was also shocked by this luxurious three-story building. The roof tiles and even the wood used in its construction were all of the highest quality.

Lei Yan explained:

"The Bu Er Escort Agency has been rooted in the capital for many years and has accumulated a lot of wealth. It can be said that this place has so many things that it could easily be called a small palace."

Seeing this, Su Mu couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Could the owner of this escort agency be that guy Shen Wansan?

There really is a treasure trove.

Of course, he looked at Lei Yan:

"That's not right. These镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) aren't from this镖局 (escort agency), and there are quite a few镖局 around here. Why did you bring me here?"

"That's because many of the escort agencies that look big are actually owned by them, so no matter which escort agency receives its commission, it will be sent here."

So this is headquarters, huh?

But then he discovered another problem:

"If that's the case, does that mean everyone working for that security company is just getting paid a fixed amount?"

"Yes, that's how it is in theory."

"Do you know which escort agency the Qiao family usually pays to?"

Well...

Lei Yan scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then answered:

"Actually, it's no use going there. The Qiao family sends money over, and they'll give it to us first, and then we'll distribute it from here."

"Oh?"

"Of course, they will also take a cut of the price. After all, they need manpower for round-trip transportation, especially for those who are not from the escort agency. Naturally, they will charge a little extra money."

Lei Yan thought this made sense, after all, they still needed to pay the escort fee, and they also needed to find people and find out where they were.

He's definitely a useless person.

But they did their best.

Su Mu's face darkened.

So you're just making a service fee, huh?

The Qiao family sent a servant to deliver the silver ingot. When the servant arrived at the escort agency, the servant took another ingot. When the servant arrived at the headquarters, the servant took another ingot. The servant could even take a little bit of the silver ingot when the servant delivered it to the escort.

No wonder those people were unwilling to wait a month.

And it was all agreed upon before we came.

The items brought or the people escorting them must be settled as long as there are no problems.

Otherwise, you would definitely get ripped off.

"Does the imperial court allow them to do this?"

He asked uncertainly.

After all, the escort agency was so large that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it monopolized the business in the entire capital.

This is a big no-no.

"I'm not sure about that. As long as it doesn't affect the capital, it's fine. Besides, there have been problems before, haven't there?"

Lei Yan himself was also a little confused.

"So, if someone chooses to use a security escort agency in a face-to-face situation, that's also acceptable?"

"almost."

I rely on!

The middlemen make a profit on the price difference!

wrong!

This is robbery!

He is not from the capital.

Now I feel like an outsider.

At first glance, the situation itself reveals something fishy.

"Moreover, most business people would give the money to the security escort agency, and then they wouldn't have to do anything else. It's clean and convenient, and many people do it this way."

Su Mu stroked his chin, looking at the escort agency again and again.

Originally.

The case is very simple: the servant took some things while delivering them to the security company, and then distributed them later.

wrong!

This escort agency, and even the people in the escort agencies below it, are all employees, so their earnings for escorting goods are fixed, and they may receive some commission.

So all the money we receive is first given here, and then distributed from here.

The problem now is that even those who don't work for a security escort agency can handle it.

For an ordinary person, there would be no way to fight against the largest security escort agency in the capital.

We have no choice but to accept our fate.

Gradually, they came to accept this rule.

I think I've spotted a thief right under my nose...

He patted Lei Yan's hand:

"It seems we've discovered something incredible."

"What?"

……

Ghostly government office.

This place is very small, even smaller than the government offices in the capital, but it wields more power than any government office.

Su Mu returned and went to find Xiao Chuli.

Xiao Chuli's own spies are spread throughout the capital. Knowing his route, they know he's coming to find her. There's no other way but to condescend to come to this small place.

She usually doesn't bother coming over.

There was nothing we could do.

The interior layout is very simple; it can't even be described as luxurious, and calling it shabby would be too kind.

Xiao Chuli sat in the chair, noticing his puzzled expression, and explained:

"It's just to avoid suspicion, don't overthink it."

Because most of the people from the Ghost Office are not in this place; most of them have their own things to do and usually don't come here.

But if someone comes over, she will naturally come over too.

After all, who doesn't have a little bit of a weirdo inside them?

Su Mu's face was sincere, but also tinged with a hint of helplessness:

"It seems unnecessary to be so discreet."

Even a security escort agency is more impressive than this.

You're avoiding suspicion now?

"Speak up, and you'd better not use your official power for some personal grudge."

Su Mu had no choice but to sit down on a chair and look at Xiao Chuli, then smiled:

"My lord, I'm actually quite curious about something. Has our Grand Law Enforcement Bureau not been completely perfected yet?"

"What? Don't tell me you're going to touch this?"

This guy.

Are you going to play this big right from the start?

Should the Great Jing Law be amended?

Are you crazy?

"No, that's not it."

Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare. Instead, he explained:

"Actually, I don't quite understand why the imperial court should control most of the wealth. One reason is to support the army, and the other is to manage subordinates and other affairs."

"I don't need you to say more. That escort agency is operating within the rules and there's been no forced buying or selling. If you're going to target this agency, or even take it down, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

"Well..."

Actually, he didn't dare to say it, because according to the knowledge he learned in his previous life, this situation would have a major drawback.

But no matter how much we explain, we can't be sure unless we can make a definitive statement and directly pierce through this ambiguity.

Xiao Chuli looked at him, and seeing that he couldn't say it, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.

That's all there is to it.

However, the story has become somewhat fantastical in Qingzhou.

They moved to a different location.

It's nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

"What if I said they could rebel at any moment?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chuli, who was still lost in thought, immediately frowned and looked at him:

"Who told you that? Do you know what the consequences would be?"

Seeing her seriousness, Su Mu had no choice but to respond formally:

"It's like this, I think that escort agency is indeed a bit too big. Although it's legal, what about behind the scenes?"

"Ha, you think I didn't check?"

Xiao Chuli breathed a slight sigh of relief. It turned out that he had just fooled her and thought he really had solid evidence.

"What did you find?"

Su Mu asked in return.

Since you've investigated, you should be able to find some clues, right?

"We didn't find anything. This escort agency pays enough national taxes and manages its staff well. It even helps some escorts without paying them wages. All of these are good things. Even if there are some flaws, they are not a big deal."

"this……"

That doesn't seem right.

Could there be some fellow villagers here?

So I tentatively said:

"Sir, what if I told you that paying national taxes on time is actually to avoid suspicion? And if you were to manage your subordinates well, as for escorting or even helping them, it would actually be to win their hearts and minds and prepare for the future?"

Xiao Chuli frowned, looking at him in disbelief:

"Where did you come up with all this twisted logic?"

"Sigh, that's true. I'm just a constable in the Ghost Bureau, I can't control that much."

Su Mu slowly stood up, looked at Xiao Chuli for a moment, and then smiled bitterly:

"My lord, I can only tell you that while a single dominant power has its advantages, the disadvantages far outweigh them. If there are no checks and balances, in my opinion, haha..."

Su Mu smiled and shook his head, then turned and walked towards the door.

When they possessed wealth that could rival the imperial court.

The consequences are hard to say.

This is a classic case of raising a tiger only to cause trouble later.

He's courting death!

"It's time to go home. If there's anything, we'll have to talk about it tomorrow."

After Su Mu left, Xiao Chuli felt that something was not right, as if he was brainwashing her.

But the main problem is probably...

After much thought, perhaps the only way to find the ultimate answer is to seek out one person.

After hesitating for a long time, I finally got up.