Chapter 418

Xiao He said.

"Your Majesty, I believe Prime Minister Xiao is correct. Furthermore, I would add that regardless of whether that assassin's motive is to disrupt the imperial examination, we cannot let our guard down."

"Currently, Wei Pao and others are missing, and some nobles still remain dissatisfied with Your Majesty's new policies. Regardless of whether the assassins in Pingyang City intend to disrupt the imperial examination, we must take precautions."

Zhuge Liang said.

"What you say makes sense." Ying Su nodded: "Prime Minister Zhuge, you will handle strengthening the protection for those participating in the imperial examination. As for the case in Pingyang City, I will assign someone else to it."

After the court session ended, Ying Su called Lu Xiaofeng and the other two over.

When it comes to solving cases and unraveling mysteries, Lu Xiaofeng can be said to be the most suitable candidate.

"Recently, an incident occurred in Pingyang City; a Young Master was murdered."

"At the same time, there are rumors that the victim was killed because he was about to take the imperial examination, as the assassin wanted to disrupt the imperial examination."

"Now I am sending you to Pingyang City to investigate this matter. First, you must solve the case; second, you must pay attention to anything related to the imperial examination."

"Even if that assassin in Pingyang City has nothing to do with disrupting the imperial examination, you must still go and collect all matters related to the imperial examination."

Ying Su said.

204. The Suspicious Tavern

In a remote small tavern in Pingyang City.

It is considered remote because the tavern is located on the edge of the city, far from the main roads, not in the city center.

But if judged by popularity, it does not seem remote at all, because the seats in the tavern are almost full.

At a table near the middle of the tavern sat a young man of medium build.

He stood out among all the customers in the tavern, especially the two whiskers on his upper lip which looked exactly like his eyebrows.

And in his every gesture and movement, he exuded an air of elegance.

"I wonder what those two have gone off to do."

Lu Xiaofeng thought to himself while drinking.

Since accepting Ying Su's mission, he had come to Pingyang City with Sikong Zhaixing and Ximen Chuixue.

However, the three of them were acting separately, having agreed to meet once every three days.

Today was Lu Xiaofeng's first day in Pingyang City.

He did not go to find the Pingyang Commandant, nor did he stay in a large inn; instead, he found a small inn to stay in.

And now, approaching noon, he had also found a small tavern to eat at.

In his opinion, sometimes small is better than big.

Often, big problems can be discovered in small places.

Just as he was lost in thought, he saw the waiter approaching with a tray.

"Waiter, I have a question." Lu Xiaofeng asked as soon as the waiter placed the food and dishes on the table: "Why is your tavern's business so booming?"

"Of course, it's because our food and wine are delicious," the waiter said offhandedly.

"And besides that?" Lu Xiaofeng blinked and continued to press.

He did not believe the waiter's claim that the food and wine were delicious.

The food here could only be described as average, and the wine could even be described as terrible.

One sip of it was simply burning to the throat.

"Besides the food and wine being delicious, we also owe it to the patronage of all the guests," the waiter said.

"Your place is so remote; are they all regular customers?" Lu Xiaofeng asked.

"Not just regular customers; some come from out of town specifically for the fame~," the waiter said. "Aren't you also here from far away to eat?"

Lu Xiaofeng paused for a moment, then laughed heartily: "I am different; I like to wander around everywhere, so I stumbled upon this place by accident. What about them? Are they all people from the vicinity?"

"Then you should go ask those customers!" The waiter said, then walked away with the empty tray.

"Ask them? If I could ask them, would I be asking you?" Lu Xiaofeng thought inwardly.

He had indeed stumbled upon this place by accident.

At that time, it was almost mealtime, and seeing that the tavern's business was very good, he assumed the food and drink must be delicious, so he walked in.

But now, having drunk the wine and eaten the food, he did not feel there was anything special about the fare here.

This sparked his curiosity.

A tavern in a bad location, with mediocre food and drink, why are there still so many people?

Secretly observing the customers around, he found that people of all kinds came here.

Some were quite quiet, while others were burly and rough.

The ages were also varied; the older ones were in their fifties or sixties, while the younger ones were around twenty.

As Lu Xiaofeng was guessing the reason for the tavern's booming business, a burly man with a large beard and a face full of coarse flesh walked over.

"Waiter, I'll sit at this table."

The man with the large beard said as he sat down in front of Lu Xiaofeng, without asking if Lu Xiaofeng agreed.

Although there were no empty tables left in the tavern, and Lu Xiaofeng was occupying one table by himself.

At the very least, one should say hello before sitting together.

This is common sense, and also the rule of the tavern.

"Hmm, brother, I don't recall agreeing to let you sit here."

Lu Xiaofeng glanced at the big man and said calmly.

"What, you disagree?" The big man stared at Lu Xiaofeng for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

"Listen to this, he disagrees!"

The big man shouted with his loud voice.

Guests at other tables turned to look; some wore smiles of schadenfreude, others shook their heads slightly in worry for Lu Xiaofeng, while others, unwilling to invite trouble, quickly turned their faces away.

Most of the tavern's patrons recognized this burly man.

This man went by the nickname Mad Tiger.

His name was well known, but in truth he was merely a thug with a bit more strength than most.

Normally, this man specialized in extortion and blackmail, and sometimes even enjoyed stirring up trouble for no reason.

Now that Lu Xiaofeng refused to let him sit down, it gave him exactly the excuse he needed to cause trouble.

At that moment, Lu Xiaofeng lifted his wine cup, took a sip, then extended his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat from the plate, placed it in his mouth, and began eating on his own.

Everyone thought Lu Xiaofeng had backed down, so they stopped paying attention to the matter.

Not long after, a waiter carrying bowls and chopsticks approached, just about to set the tableware before the burly man, when Lu Xiaofeng suddenly spoke: "Waiter, doesn't your shop need a guest's permission before combining tables?"

The waiter froze for a moment; seeing Mad Tiger seated before Lu Xiaofeng, he had assumed Lu Xiaofeng had already given his consent.

Now that Lu Xiaofeng asked this, he suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Hurry up and put down the plate, then warm a pot of good wine and slice two plates of mutton for me."

The burly man urged impatiently.

"Hahaha..."

Lu Xiaofeng suddenly burst into loud laughter.

This time, everyone's attention was drawn back again.

"Listen to this... it's too funny!"

"This big brute only wants one pot of wine and two plates of mutton; will that fill him up?"

"Hey, do you have no money to buy two pots of wine, or is your drinking capacity like a woman's, getting drunk after just a sip?"

Lu Xiaofeng spoke while laughing, as if the man sitting before him were a joke.

With him saying this, the entire tavern instantly fell silent.

Everyone knew a fight was about to break out.

Given Mad Tiger's temperament, he would pick fights even when there was no reason; how much more so when publicly mocked?

"What did you say?" Mad Tiger stood up and roared at Lu Xiaofeng.

"What's wrong, are your ears bad or your intelligence low? Can you not hear, or do you not understand what I'm saying?" Lu Xiaofeng stared directly into the burly man's eyes.

"You're asking for death!" The burly man swung his fist and struck straight at Lu Xiaofeng's face.

Lu Xiaofeng tilted his body slightly to the side while extending his left hand...

The burly man's fist flew past the side of his head, while Lu Xiaofeng's left hand seized the burly man's wrist.

The burly man's face changed; he felt his wrist was as if clamped by iron tongs, unable to move, and after pulling hard several times, he still could not break free.