It was a bright, sunny day at Wu's Delicacy Tavern. The place was already bustling with people, laughing and talking as they discussed recent events in the capital.
Jiang Ye looked around the busy tavern, marveling at it. Wu's Delicacy Tavern was indeed a very popular and prestigious establishment that deserved its place in the Nobles District. It was filled with noblemen from all around the Domain—some from the Nobles District of the capital, while others were nobles from smaller cities and towns.
At the same time, he was quite surprised by how the nobles were behaving. Unlike what he initially thought, where they would act with impeccable manners and finesse, what he saw were nobles acting casually, with some even laughing out loud without paying heed to others. It seemed like an ordinary tavern, except it was primarily filled with nobles.
"Hey, Old Wu! Good morning!" a nobleman with a large body and thick beard said as he greeted Wu Hantian, who had just appeared.
"Good morning, Old Yang," Wu Hantian greeted back, his tone extremely casual, as though they had been friends for a lifetime.
Jiang Ye looked at Wu Hantian as he approached and said, "This doesn't feel like those exquisite places I've heard about."
"Well, of course," Wu Hantian smiled genuinely. "I intentionally designed this place so everyone can relax and let out their true nature without worrying about others. But the most important thing is, most of these nobles are former commoners. They understand how hard life is and are used to acting this way."
Jiang Ye was truly impressed by Wu Hantian. He was, indeed, an extraordinary merchant who was always two steps ahead when planning. His business acumen was top-notch. Only a rare few people could think of such a genius idea, and Wu Hantian was one of them. No wonder Liang Shuyue granted him a noble title despite not performing any meritorious deeds for the Domain.
"Also," Wu Hantian leaned in and whispered, "how are you doing on your first day as my employee?"
"It's been a rather fun experience," Jiang Ye smiled. "I get to talk to many people, especially nobles."
Jiang Ye was currently working under Wu Hantian. Last night, the gift Wu Hantian had mentioned turned out to be two things.
First was this job—he invited Jiang Ye to work as a waiter to establish some sort of background and an excuse to remain in the capital. Wu Hantian gave him an object called a face-altering mask, which could slightly change the user's appearance, distorting some features.
Second, Wu Hantian provided him with a room to stay in temporarily at the tavern. Wu Chen had mentioned that his brother was planning to expand the tavern into a full-time inn.
Speaking of Wu Chen, he had already left early in the morning to return to his hometown.
"Indeed," Wu Hantian grinned ear to ear, his eyes glinting with a mysterious light. "But do you know why I offered you this type of job?"
"Because of how your tavern is set up—I can easily build connections here and observe the power dynamics between the nobles." Jiang Ye calmly replied, confident in his answer.
Last night, when Wu Hantian offered him the job, he had contemplated it for a long time. Why would he do this? The answer was simple—the tavern was designed as a cozy, home-like paradise that allowed the nobles to relax and reveal their true selves. As a waiter, Jiang Ye would naturally interact with them, often casually, since that was how the tavern worked.
Also, since the tavern was filled with nobles, it was clear that Wu's Delicacy Tavern was a great source of information. What Jiang Ye had been doing earlier wasn't just standing around; he was using his ears, eavesdropping on their conversations.
"I knew it. You are a bright individual!" Wu Hantian exclaimed, though he kept his voice low. "It seems something interesting is about to happen. I can't wait to watch the drama unfold. It's been getting boring in the capital anyway."
"Whatever," Jiang Ye shrugged. "But I am serious, you should tell me what Liang Xuan is planning."
"Nope." Wu Hantian shook his head, refusing him promptly. "Where's the fun in that?"
Hearing this, Jiang Ye just smiled bitterly. It seemed that even if he tried to force this guy to reveal the information, he wouldn't break and would still claim there would be no thrill in telling what they had planned.
"Anyway, good luck with the rest of your day as my waiter." Wu Hantian patted his back three times. "I'll be waiting to find out what you're plotting."
Jiang Ye just weakly smiled as Wu Hantian returned to the counter. Then, Jiang Ye continued his work as a waiter.
"By the way, Old Wu," the bearded man Wu Hantian greeted earlier suddenly said, "can you introduce us to this waiter of yours? I can't help but notice him. Honestly, I was extremely surprised, since you've done all the work yourself since you created this business. What makes him special?"
Jiang Ye's face froze when he heard this. Wu Hantian never actually had any employees? No wonder it seemed odd that there were no other waiters besides him. Why didn't he mention that?
All the other nobles suddenly became interested in Wu Hantian's change in attitude, as he had suddenly hired a helper. They looked at Wu Hantian expectantly, waiting for an answer.
"Well, who you should be asking is him," Wu Hantian shrugged, causing the noblemen's gaze to shift toward Jiang Ye.
This bastard planned this! Jiang Ye cursed in his mind as he saw Wu Hantian making a mischievous smile, like a kid pranking his parents.
"Uh," Jiang Ye stammered. "I—I am Yi Mu. Well, I came from a small village. As for why Wu Hantian hired me… well, uh, before he made it rich, I actually helped him once. You know, some money stuff. And so, uh, life got hard, and our farm doesn't grow crops anymore, so I came to visit Wu Chen—Wu Hantian's brother—to see if I could become his brother's employee. Thankfully, Wu Chen agreed to introduce me, and here we are."
After saying this, the nobles were silent for a bit, making Jiang Ye nervous. After about ten seconds or so, the nobles suddenly laughed, led by the bearded man named Old Yang. "Old Wu actually got help from someone before! HAHAHA! Kid, you should be proud."
Jiang Ye looked at Wu Hantian again, impressed as he mouthed, "Impressive," while giving a thumbs-up.
Jiang Ye cursed Wu Hantian in his heart for setting him up. But then he suddenly realized that he had actually created a background for himself that justified why he was working for Wu Hantian now. His eyes widened in realization, and he looked at Wu Hantian again, but the latter was already back to cooking some meat.
This guy, he was a real deal.