My Sexy CEO Wife

Chapter 352 - 349: Hard Task (Part Three)

Li Jiang never anticipated that the City Lord would actually employ Gao Fei.

It caught him somewhat off guard.

"Father," Li Xiaoming voiced his concern, "what should we do now?"

"Don't panic," Li Jiang waved his hand: "I will have a chat with Gao Fei, promise him some benefits, and urge him to minimize major issues, and resolve the minor ones."

"What if he doesn't agree?" Li Xiaoming asked, worried.

"He won't refuse," Li Jiang shook his head: "After all, I am the Grand Steward of the City Lord's Mansion, and Gao Fei certainly wouldn't want to offend me."

"Then you should hurry," Li Xiaoming urged.

"What's the rush, let's wait until it gets dark," Li Jiang glared at his son: "I must have committed some serious sins in my past life to have given birth to something like you in this one."

Li Xiaoming lowered his head, not daring to speak.

…

The Sun set.

Darkness enveloped the land.

Li Jiang emerged from his room and walked towards where the guards lived, passing through a long corridor and finally entering a small courtyard: "Is Guard Commander Gao here?"

"Creak!"

The door opened, and Gao Fei came out with a surprised face: "Steward Li? What brings you here?"

"Do you have a moment right now? I'd like to discuss something with you," Li Jiang said with a smile.

"Oh, I have time, I have plenty of time," Gao Fei ushered Li Jiang inside to sit down, then personally made a cup of hot tea: "Steward Li, what is it that you want to discuss?"

"Come, sit down and let's talk," Li Jiang pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Ah," Gao Fei pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Guard Commander Gao, it's been nearly a month since you joined the City Lord's Mansion, hasn't it?" Li Jiang inquired.

"Yes, nearly," Gao Fei confirmed.

"How is it? Are you adapting well to the life here?"

"At first, I wasn't quite used to it, but as time went by, I gradually got used to it."

"There's always a period of adjustment to everything. Once you get through that, it'll all be fine... If you encounter any difficulties, just come directly to me, and I will help you solve them."

…

Just as Gao Fei was beginning to lose patience, Li Jiang finally broached the crux of the matter.

"I heard that the City Lord appointed you as an imperial envoy to investigate a case in the area where my son holds his post. Is that true?" Li Jiang spoke leisurely.

"That is indeed the case," Gao Fei nodded: "To be honest, I didn't want to go, but the City Lord insisted, so I had no choice but to take on the responsibility."

"What's your take on this case?" Li Jiang asked, his gaze piercing into Gao Fei.

"My take?" Gao Fei was caught off guard: "As of now, I have absolutely no understanding of the truth behind the case, so I cannot offer any opinion." Gao Fei was too shrewd a person to reveal his true thoughts in front of Li Jiang.

"Logically speaking, since this case involves my son, I should recuse myself, but..." Li Jiang sighed deeply, "I really can't put my heart at ease... I only have this one son, and seeing him suffer such injustice, it breaks my heart. I've thought about it for a long time and finally decided to talk to you about it."

"Is your noble son being falsely accused?" Gao Fei blinked.

"Definitely falsely accused," Li Jiang nodded vigorously, "My son didn't kill anyone, it's those women and children framing and slandering him! What infuriates me is that the City Lord actually believed it, not only giving me a severe reprimand but also assigning you to investigate. It really... it really disappoints me." Li Jiang was indeed deeply disappointed.

He had served at the City Lord's Mansion for a century, doing so much work. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the current prosperity of the City Lord's Mansion was all thanks to him. The City Lord Bai Daqing, unappreciative of past loyalty, insisted on investigating the matter of Li Xiaoming's murder, which left Li Jiang feeling stifled and fuming.

Gao Fei actually held the opposite view to Li Jiang, admiring Bai Daqing's approach. For the sake of justice, being able to ignore the people close to him was truly selfless.

Why was the security in Chaotic Wind City so good? To describe it as a place where doors were never shut at night and lost items were never picked up off the street was not an exaggeration. The citizens lived in peace and happiness, and Cultivators strictly disciplined themselves, never bullying the ordinary people... All this was thanks to Bai Daqing's merit.

He was selfless, fair in handling matters, and everyone respected him.

City Lords like Bai Daqing were rare. Even the entire Human Territory would be hard-pressed to find a few like him.

Gao Fei was lucky to have encountered a good leader like Bai Daqing, which made his work particularly smooth.

"The City Lord has his own concerns," Gao Fei said, "A group of women and children kneeling at the gate crying for justice was seen by many. If the City Lord ignored it, it would invite gossip, which could seriously affect his prestige." After saying this, Gao Fei added another line, "Actually, the City Lord does care about Grand Steward Li.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent me to investigate the case."

"Guard Commander Gao, how do you plan to investigate?" Li Jiang asked nonchalantly.

Gao Fei shook his head, "I have no leads yet."

"Well, I think you just need to go through the motions, don't take it too seriously," Li Jiang said.

"Not take it seriously?"

"You should understand what I mean, right?"

"Forgive me for my obtuseness, I really didn't understand. Please, Grand Steward Li, enlighten me."

"I only have this one son. I don't want anything to happen to him, not even a scratch to his reputation," Li Jiang said with a serious expression, "If Guard Commander Gao can ensure my son's safety, I will remember this favor and express my gratitude generously in the future."

The fox's tail is finally showing!

Gao Fei's face twitched a few times. He had originally planned to play dumb and muddle through, but Li Jiang had made things clear, leaving no room for Gao Fei to feign ignorance anymore.

After listening to Li Jiang, Gao Fei had a good grasp of the situation. The matter of Li Xiaoming committing murder must be true; otherwise, Li Jiang would not be so eager to seek him out and promise benefits in return.

"I do wish to befriend Guard Commander Gao sincerely. I just don't know if Guard Commander Gao is willing to befriend me?" Li Jiang said with a smile, "I am always generous with my friends and willing to share the benefits." Seeing Gao Fei's silent response, Li Jiang added another sentence, "Similarly, I am ruthless with my enemies. Anyone who has offended me has met with a bad end."

Offer a sweet date, then a stick – trying both the soft and hard approach, seeing which one you'll choose.

Will you be my friend? We will both be delighted! Or be my enemy, and it will be relentless! The choice is yours!

"This..." Gao Fei hesitated, "Of course, I would like to be friends with Grand Steward Li..."

"Very good!" Steward Li burst into hearty laughter, "A smart man makes a smart choice! Guard Commander Gao, from now on, we're friends! We'll share our joys and face our troubles together! I'll certainly reward you handsomely for helping my son this time."

"Mmm, I understand what to do," Gao Fei nodded.

"It's getting late; I should be going back. We can chat another time," Li Jiang stood up and strode towards the exit.

Gao Fei personally saw him off.

"I'm off," Li Jiang said, walking away with his hands clasped behind his back and a swagger in his step.

Watching Li Jiang's retreating figure, Gao Fei's eyes flickered constantly, his thoughts unreadable.

...

"Dad, you're finally back," Li Xiaoming hurried forward, "How did it go? Did that Gao Fei agree?" Ever since Li Jiang left, Li Xiaoming had been restless, unable to sit or stand still, his mind filled with anxiety.