Chapter 18

Xu Hong knew the Shen family was formidable, and it seemed there might be other experts who could subdue the five demons in his family. This would indeed be a good thing. As for his sister, Xu, wanting to harm Shen Ruoxi, it was mostly due to jealousy, and there were also matters of the Shen family involved. He had to go and persuade her, while also investigating who had injured that Mao Shen.

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The old man, Shen Lao Ye, doted on his only granddaughter, Shen Ruoxi. Hearing that her condition had improved, he was so happy that he drank an extra bowl of white porridge in the morning. Perhaps because he was in a good mood, he asked Shen Lian another question. Manager Wu tactfully reported everything Shen Lian had done during this period. Apart from Shen Lian's usual self-training, which was no longer surprising, he had only been reading and writing in his room. Of course, Manager Wu didn't know that Shen Lian had a photographic memory and had used this time to read all the books in his courtyard, memorizing them to better understand this world. "This child is someone who can accomplish great things, calm and composed," the old man said, not angry at Shen Lian's lack of submission but rather increasingly appreciative. The more he appreciated him, the more he desired to pass on his legacy to such a person. Unfortunately, it seemed that Shen Lian showed no particular enthusiasm for the Shen family's immense wealth. This was actually a blow to the old man, as the things he valued most did not seem precious to Shen Lian. Nevertheless, he still instructed Manager Wu to have Shen Lian come and see him. He had never lost his composure in business, but this was the first time, and it might not be the last. This meeting took place in the old man's study. In his youth, he had no conditions to read, and the old man had no energy to read, but he liked to buy books. Perhaps it was the influence of the idea of passing down knowledge through generations. Therefore, every member of the Shen family, including Shen Lian's courtyard, had a study, even Shen Ruoxi was no exception. After a month, the old man almost thought he had mistaken someone when he saw Shen Lian. Compared to a month ago, Shen Lian had changed significantly. He seemed like a graceful and refined tree growing in his home. "I heard you've been studying hard this month?" the old man casually started the conversation. "Not really, I'm not preparing for the imperial exams," Shen Lian smiled, revealing his white teeth, looking like a sunny young man. "In our family, we don't need to study hard in the cold window," the old man said. Studying is good, but one shouldn't study too hard, or they would become rigid and pedantic. "I want to go out tomorrow," Shen Lian suddenly said. "You haven't said you wanted to go out for a month, why now?" the old man thought Shen Lian shouldn't lose his composure at this time. "My mother is buried in Jialan Temple outside the city, I want to go and pay my respects," Shen Lian's face was calm. The old man couldn't see anything unusual, but his reason was sufficient. "But that's not enough," the old man wanted to agree, but he was moved by thoughts of his deceased daughter and felt soft-hearted. However, his business instincts made him want to haggle. "I'll give you an answer when I come back," Shen Lian said without hesitation. "Then go," the old man didn't ask what answer Shen Lian meant, but they understood each other. He believed Shen Lian was a man of his word. If Shen Lian wasn't, then he had misjudged him, and Shen Lian wouldn't be so important to him. The old man, having lived so long, had come to understand many things he couldn't before. Shen Lian also got the chance to go out as he wished. He knew this was his opportunity. The man in the green robe was imprisoned in the county jail, which he learned from Manager Wu. No matter how shrewd Manager Wu was, he didn't know as much as Shen Lian, who had a soul from the information age, and didn't know about the art of persuasion. Even if you didn't say anything related, others could still deduce the information they wanted from your words.

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The county office of Qingzhou was large and luxurious. Some said that to build such a grand official residence, all the trees on the western mountain outside Qingzhou were cut down. This was a joke people made to mock the officials, but it also showed that the officials below the governor were not very clean. Grass grew everywhere, some under the few remaining old trees outside the office, some in the cracks of the stone slabs. As long as you didn't remove the green grass, you would always see a patch of green. However, the weather today wasn't very good, it was overcast and looked like it might rain. A young man came to the county office, dressed simply, not in fine silk, but to those who knew, his clothes were of the highest quality, with every stitch expertly made. According to Shen Lian, this was called being low-key, luxurious, and refined. He didn't love luxury, but that didn't mean he enjoyed hardship. Material things should serve him, but he shouldn't be enslaved by them, whether in his past life or this one, Shen Lian held this belief. When he left the Shen family, many people followed him, but after a while, no one knew where he had gone. Those who followed him in secret could only watch as he disappeared in the bustling market, almost disbelieving. Shen Lian didn't care how these people would explain themselves to the old man; he just wanted to see the man in the green robe. The governor of Qingzhou was surnamed 'Shuo,' a very special surname. He often explained to outsiders that his surname meant 'abundant fruit,' but the local people secretly said it meant 'rat.' Governor Shuo had just had a night of revelry in a sea of powder and rouge. When his servant reported to him, he was still lying in bed with his newly acquired concubine. He was away from home and had no family, so he was very indulgent in this aspect. "So early, who wants to see me?" "A young man." "Go away, I don't have time to deal with children." A tender white arm pulled Governor Shuo's hand, touching a warm and soft spot, making him want to indulge in more pleasure. "He said his surname is 'Shen.'" "Even if he's surnamed Chen, it doesn't matter to me." Chen was the imperial surname! "Sir, you should see this child, his surname is the 'Shen' of the Shen family," the steward said gently. "Which Shen?" Governor Shuo got up and asked the steward at the door. "Sir, is there another Shen family in Qingzhou?" "Then I should see him." Governor Shuo, with great effort, got up, resisted the temptation of his concubine, and quickly dressed. He wasn't afraid of the Shen family, but he couldn't afford to offend them, as many policies in Qingzhou would be hard to implement, and it wouldn't be good for his position. Moreover, a young man surnamed 'Shen' quickly reminded him of who it was.