As soon as Wei Yu and his group entered the city, they drew quite a bit of attention.

After all, not many outsiders came to Ziyang County, and even fewer arrived in carriages.

You have to understand—horses were rare these days. Buying just one would cost at least sixty taels of silver, and for the average person, that was a sky-high price.

Simply put, a horse in this era was like the ancient version of a Rolls-Royce.

Most people couldn’t afford one, nor did they need one.

Wei Yu had entered the city to buy grain and to inquire about the situation in other places, so right after coming in, he had someone ask for directions to the biggest restaurant in town.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the shopkeeper greeted them warmly.

“Please come in, young master. There’s a fine private room on the second floor waiting just for you. May I ask what you’d like to eat? Our restaurant has everything—just say the word.”

Even though they were all unfamiliar faces, the shopkeeper didn’t need to know who they were. It was enough to know they had money!

The shopkeeper led Wei Yu upstairs into a private room. As they ascended, Wei Yu asked:

“Where in this county can I buy grain?”

The shopkeeper replied, “Oh, young master, you’re asking the right person! If you want to buy grain, head to South Third Street. Exit our shop, turn right, and walk straight… eventually, when you reach South Third Street, it’s the fourth shop on the right.”

The directions were detailed.

Once they reached the private room, Wei Yu went in with Fang Sheng and Xiao Anzi. The other guards remained stationed in the corridor outside.

This was quite a display. In a small place like Ziyang County, such formality was rare—after all, even the county lord’s son wouldn’t dine with such heavy security.

The shopkeeper got the hint. His smile became even more obsequious as he faced Wei Yu.

“You must be from out of town, young master. Just looking at your guards, I can tell your journey here must’ve been full of hardships.”

Wei Yu glanced at him. “Why do you say that?”

“Oh, how else could it be? Surely, young master, you ran into some mountain bandits on your way here?” The shopkeeper looked surprised.

“Nope. I just came all the way from Danzhou and didn’t run into any bandits at all,” Wei Yu said calmly, lying as easily as breathing. “I’ve heard Ji Prefecture has lots of bandits, but I came from the neighboring prefecture and didn’t see a single one. Are there really bandits right outside this city?”

The shopkeeper was shocked.

No bandits outside the city?

How could that be possible?!

There were always bandits in the hills nearby. Anyone who used those roads—beggars included—would get stripped bare. How could there be none?

“You really didn’t run into any bandits? Not even one?” The shopkeeper was so stunned he forgot to keep flattering.

Wei Yu looked at him oddly. “Why are you so worked up? You run a restaurant in the city. Don’t you ever hear news from people who bring in supplies?”

In the city, every bit of land was already spoken for. No one had the space to farm. All the produce came from nearby villages and was brought in after harvest every few days.

And since those farmers traveled between the villages and the city, they were the ones most likely to run into trouble. If something was going on outside, they’d know.

The shopkeeper gave an awkward smile. “To be honest, young master, the produce we use is all picked up from a fixed village. The route is short, and the bandits don’t operate in that area, so I really haven’t heard anything.”

Ah, so after more than a month of hard work gathering information, the people right here in the city didn’t even know the bandits were following rules now?

Wei Yu smiled.

Fine. If they didn’t know, they didn’t know. That’s what backward information gets you.

Still, if they were unaware, they’d be less likely to cause trouble. When his bandit troops went to clear out dens later, there’d be fewer surprises on the road.

Wei Yu ordered a few dishes based on the shopkeeper’s recommendations.

Once the shopkeeper left, Wei Yu turned to Fang Sheng. “Go check out that grain store.”

Fang Sheng accepted the order and left.

Not long after, once the food started arriving, the shopkeeper came back in. Wei Yu took the opportunity to ask him about the bandit situation in other areas.

“I heard there’ve been a lot of bandit problems in Ji Prefecture recently, especially around Qiling. Supposedly the county seat there got surrounded by bandits?”

Wei Yu asked casually, feigning curiosity.

Though they had camped in the mountains for over a month, they were now in Ji Prefecture. Connecting with the Second Prince was key.

So during this past month, Yi Shisan had been out frequently gathering intel.

The rumors about Qiling being surrounded by bandits had come from him too.

Wei Yu might not know every detail about the bandit situation in Ji Prefecture, but he was familiar with the gossip.

What he really wanted to know now was how the common people viewed all this.

“Ah, young master, you’re well-informed indeed! That situation in Qiling is serious!”

At the mention of the Qiling bandits, the shopkeeper’s face scrunched up in a bitter grimace. “We’ve always had a lot of bandits around here, and the authorities never did much. Usually, as long as you stayed out of the hills, things were okay. But who could’ve guessed what happened in Qiling—the bandits teamed up and actually besieged the city!”

Wei Yu looked surprised. “How did that happen? Why would bandits suddenly surround a city? I heard it might have something to do with the County Magistrate?”

“Oh no, young master, don’t say that.”

The shopkeeper clicked his tongue and gave Wei Yu a meaningful look, then pointed upward and sighed.

“You know how the old operas say it—officials and merchants collude. It’s been like that here for years. Everyone knows it. We just don’t talk about it.”

Oh, so the people of Ji Prefecture were already well aware of the corruption between officials and bandits.

Wei Yu nodded in realization.

He glanced at the shopkeeper and suddenly leaned in to whisper, “So, is there any good official in Ji Prefecture?”

The shopkeeper thought for a moment, then decisively shook his head and leaned in too. “Not one! They’re all bloodsuckers!”

Wei Yu blinked. “Wow, your local government’s really bad, huh?”

The shopkeeper was indignant. “Exactly! I don’t know what the court is doing—sending all these corrupt officials here. You can’t find a single decent one in all of Ji Prefecture! We common folk have no one to appeal to when we’re wronged!”

Wei Yu nodded in agreement. “Right, the court is useless.”

The shopkeeper looked startled, then lowered his voice nervously. “Hey, young master, don’t say that too loudly. Someone might hear. But it’s okay if we talk quietly like this.”

Wei Yu: “Okay.”

Xiao Anzi, watching silently on the side: …

Your Highness, do you still remember you’re a prince of Great Wei?

Joining in with the commoners to criticize the court like this… probably isn’t ideal.