Ink panel: Hunting the sun and surveying the sky from the bow.

Chapter 321 Promoted to Chief of Two Departments
"Are you saying that Shen Qing was responsible for the death of my third brother?" Xue Bai was somewhat puzzled after hearing Zhou Su's answer and asked with a frown.

Zhou Su said with certainty: "Who else could it be if not him?"

He paused and asked, "Master, do you think your third brother has something to deal with when he goes to Yongzhou this time?"

Xue Bai nodded and said, "Yes, there is something to deal with. What does this have to do with it?"

Zhou Su stretched out a finger and said, "Master, your third brother has to do two things. One is to deal with the Zhou family's affairs for me, and the other is to deal with the affairs of the outer spiritual essence. Master, you know the first thing, which is closely related to Shen Qing. Although I don't know the details of the second thing, as far as I know, Shen Qing's cultivation level has broken through very quickly. It is very likely that he has obtained the spiritual essence."

"Young Master, your third brother wanted to search for the spiritual essence, so he must have come into conflict with Shen Qing. Both incidents point to Shen Qing. Putting this together, it is very likely that your third brother was killed by the Yongzhou chief!"

"It must be him!"

Zhou Su became more and more excited as he spoke, to the point of losing his composure.

Xue Bai watched Zhou Su's performance from the side, and a trace of suspicion inexplicably arose in his heart.

He thinks that he is not smart enough, but he is not a fool either, and he can still distinguish some things.

During this month, he had obtained some information about the Yongzhou Zhou family and learned about their experiences.

In his opinion, Zhou Su's random guesses clearly showed that he wanted to use the Xue family to avenge him and profit from it.

Zhou Su hurriedly clasped his hands together and urged, "Young Master, Shen Qing has been able to achieve such results in such a short time. He is obviously not an ordinary person. If you want to take revenge, you have to do it quickly, otherwise something bad will happen."

No one likes to be used as a tool by others.

Xue Bai frowned. Seeing Zhou Su so excited further confirmed what he was thinking, and he suddenly felt unhappy.

"Brother Zhou is right." Xue Bai waved his sleeves and said coldly, "But this matter is very serious. I have to tell my father and let him decide. I can't come to a conclusion easily by myself."

Zhou Su suddenly sensed Xue Bai's distant intention, and his heart sank immediately, realizing that he was being too hasty.

He quickly made amends, "Master, what I said is probably true, you must believe me."

"Hahaha, we are such a close friend, how could I not trust you? Don't worry, I will go back and write a letter to tell my father the truth."

Having said that, Xue Bai hurriedly turned around and was about to leave Zhou Su's residence.

Zhou Su said nervously, "Young Master, please take care."

Xue Bai turned around and nodded with a smile.

However, after he walked out of the house, the smile on his face faded away, and he muttered to himself: "It seems that I should come here less often in the future."

He gathered his thoughts, took a step forward, and walked away without looking back.

After returning to the Xue Mansion, Sanniang was still crying in her room, unable to find peace.

Regarding Xue Yan's death, everyone in the Xue family has different opinions, but if they can be put into one category, they all don't want to end it well.

Xue Bai walked into the study. After Xue Yan's death, his biggest competitor was gone, and the position of crown prince was basically in his pocket.

He couldn't help but start to regard himself as the prince in his heart. He wrote a detailed letter to Xue Zhao, telling him what he knew now and Xue Yan's death, and waited for his response.

A few days later, the Xue family successfully received Xue Zhao's reply.

As the eldest son in the family, he snatched Xue Zhao's reply letter and read it first.

After reading it, Xue Bai's face flushed and he said, "Well, it turns out that the old ones are the wisest. Dad's method is much smarter than what we can think of. Things have already happened, so let's maximize the benefits."

In the letter, Xue Zhao was not very angry, but unexpectedly calm.

Xue Zhao felt that Yongzhou was thousands of miles away, and even if the Xue family was extremely powerful, they were still unable to reach it. The cost of truly finding out the specific situation was too great, so it was better to go with the flow and send all the officials and martial artists from Yongzhou in the name of the Pacification Society.

In this way, he can wait for Xue Bai, the eldest son, to bring his bodyguards to participate in the pacification meeting, where he can kill these people and personally kill his enemies.

This would not only avenge his brother and accumulate family prestige, but would also reshuffle the government offices in Yongzhou, allowing the Xue family to extend their tentacles and open up a new situation.

On the contrary, who killed Xue Yan seemed less important.

……

As veterans in the officialdom, County Magistrate Dou Wenxi and County Supervisor Yan Xushou have mastered the tactic of "delaying".

They made progress every day and had new clues in the investigation every day, but there was no result, so much so that Swenber and others were exhausted.

In addition, since the circles of powerful people in the capital were well-informed, Shi Wenbo had already known about the Xue family's plans long ago, and he had even less motivation to investigate these cases.

Everything happened just as Huangfu Rou had expected, and Xue Yan's death began to remain unresolved.

After more than a month of investigation, Shi Wenbo and other imperial envoys had already found out the truth about the incident in Yongzhou, and they decided not to stay any longer and returned to Beijing to report.

The meeting hall of Yongzhou County Government.

"Everyone," Shi Wenbo said in a steady and powerful voice, "In the past month or so, we have finally sorted out the demonic incident in Yongzhou and restored order in the city. Now it is time to report to His Majesty. However, before we leave, we still need to properly arrange the personnel in Yongzhou to ensure a smooth transition here without any more disturbances."

Shi Wenbo's eyes swept across everyone present and finally stopped on Shen Qing.

"Mr. Shen is bad."

"I'm here." Shen Qing clasped his hands and stepped forward.

Shi Wenbo said: "During the rebellion of the demons in Yongzhou, your actions were witnessed by all the people in the city. It can be said that if it were not for you, the disaster in Yongzhou would not have ended so quickly. Within the scope of my authority, I have specially promoted you to the position of Chief of the Military Affairs Department and the Defense Department, commanding the two divisions of Yongzhou. I hope you can live up to my trust and protect the safety of Yongzhou."

When Shen Qing heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

If he was promoted to the chief officer of the Bingmasi, then where would Huangfu Rou go?
He subconsciously turned his gaze to Huangfu Rou who was standing beside him.

The latter just looked at him with a smile on his face, gentle yet firm, without any negative emotion in his eyes.

Shen Qing immediately guessed that she might have found a better place to go.

He immediately stopped hesitating and said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "Thank you for your cultivation! Shen Qing will do his best to live up to your high expectations and keep Yongzhou safe!"

After arranging Shen Qing, Shi Wenbo stood up and said, "Okay, everyone, we still have to pack our bags and leave for Beijing tomorrow morning. We won't stay any longer."

County Magistrate Dou Wenxi and County Supervisor Yan Xushou stepped forward and flattered, "My Lord, since you are leaving tomorrow, why don't we hold a banquet in Baihua Tower tonight to celebrate your departure?"

"No need, just do your own thing."

Before he finished speaking, an excited atmosphere spread in the conference room. Everyone's heart sank, and without saying anything, they watched Shi Wenbo and others leave.

After Swenber and others left, the others also walked out of the conference room one after another.

"Where are you going?" "The capital, Shanhaisi."

"The Beijing Shanhaisi is an important place for the imperial court. Lord Huangfu, you have been promoted. Congratulations!"

In the county government, the sunlight shone obliquely on the bluestone road, stretching the shadows of the two people long. Shen Qing and Huangfu Rou walked side by side at a slow pace.

Huangfu Rou's eyes flashed with a complex emotion, and she sighed, "It's just a change of place to serve the court."

Shen Qing smiled and said, "After all, it is under the feet of the emperor, which is different. I heard that the Jingdu Shanhai Division has the authority of the royal arsenal. If Lord Huangfu goes in, his future will be limitless, and his martial arts cultivation will definitely be further improved in the future."

"How do you know that your martial arts skills will definitely improve after entering the royal armory?" Huangfu Rou asked.

Shen Qing didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Okay." Huangfu Rou smiled, showing her two shiny canine teeth, and said, "I just hope that when we meet again, my cultivation level won't be too far behind yours."

Shen Qing also laughed, and half-jokingly said, "That might be a little difficult. I am one in a million, and I have a very high talent for cultivation."

"How tall is it?"

"It's already as high as three or four floors."

Huangfu Rou was also slightly stunned, and then her eyes curved into crescents.

As they talked, the two of them had already walked to the gate of the county government. Shen Qing stopped, put away his smile, and looked at Huangfu Rou with deep eyes: "Sir Huangfu, this trip to the capital is a long journey, please take care."

Huangfu Rou nodded, with a determined light in her eyes: "I will definitely do my best. You too, be careful in Yongzhou."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Then they turned around and walked towards two different streets from the gate of Yongzhou County Government.

……

The next day, Shi Wenbo and others left first on Hongguang, while Huangfu Rou stayed with Shen Qing for a few days, and soon headed east and north with some of his followers and several fast horses.

At this time, Yongzhou, after experiencing that magnificent destruction and reconstruction, seemed to be reborn from the ashes and regained its peace.

All the old illnesses of the past were swept away in this turmoil, and were replaced by peace and prosperity.

Every day, travelers and merchants from all directions flock into the city, making both the inner and outer city areas present a thriving scene.

During this period, the Shen family seemed to become famous overnight, and many industries belonging to the Shen family emerged like mushrooms after rain.

As the head of the Shen family and the chief inspector of the two departments, Shen Qing has undoubtedly become a rising dignitary in Yongzhou at this moment, and countless people have to look up to him.

Shen Qing has estimated that the daily income from his businesses is already over a thousand taels, which is astonishing and enough to meet his own cultivation needs.

However, compared to these external things, he is more concerned about the actual power at hand.

After taking over the two departments, he quickly deployed personnel and transferred a number of reliable confidants such as Xiao Zhi to the Bingmasi.

Thanks to his own prestige, there were not many disturbances in the whole process. In addition, Huangfu Rou's full support before leaving allowed him to quickly gain control of the real power of the Bingmasi.

Everything is changing for the better.

Seeing that the situation in the city was stable, Shen Qing immediately brought his uncle, aunt, and eldest sister into the inner city.

Since his status was much higher than before, Shen Qing bought another Shen family mansion in the core area of ​​Yongzhou.

After Uncle Shen Er and his companions entered the mansion, the maids and servants treated them like the master and his mistress, which made them feel extremely uncomfortable. They were unable to switch identities and made jokes from time to time.

Shen Qing also let them do whatever they wanted.

Half a month passed in a blink of an eye, winter came again, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

In the Shen family mansion, in the snow-covered courtyard, servants occasionally walked by in a hurry. The breath they exhaled turned into wisps of white mist and dissipated in the cold air.

"Sir, Wu Sheng comes to ask for a meeting." A servant said respectfully standing outside the door of Shen Qing's study.

Shen Qing put down the pen in his hand and raised his head slightly.

A few days ago, he asked Wu Sheng to go out and purchase cultivation resources. After such a long time, he must have gained something.

Shen Qing put away the copybook in his hand, ignored the ink reminder in his sight, and said casually: "Please ask him to come in."

"Yes, my lord."

The servant retreated in response.

After a while, Wu Sheng stepped into the study.

He was wearing a thick cotton coat, his face looked a little weathered, but his eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"I've met my lord."

Shen Qing stood up and walked towards Wu Sheng. He motioned Wu Sheng to sit down, poured him a cup of hot tea, and said calmly, "Brother Wu, how was your trip?"

Wu Sheng took the teacup, held it in both hands, felt the warmth coming from his palms, and a warm current surged in his heart.

He said happily: "Sir, this trip to Kyoto has yielded a lot of gains. According to your instructions, I purchased a lot of elixirs, all of which are rare and good goods on the market. In addition, I also specially got some wish-power beads."

When Shen Qing heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Panacea is of great help in improving cultivation, healing and detoxification, and wish beads are extremely precious. They can help people practice cultivation, and the more the better.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "You really didn't disappoint me."

Wu Sheng put down the teacup, and hurriedly took out a small jade box from his arms. He opened it gently, and saw seven or eight white jade beads emitting a faint glow lying inside.

It is undoubtedly the pearl of wish power.

Shen Qing took the jade box, looked at the precious beads carefully, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Wu Sheng, you did a great job. These things are really useful to me." Shen Qing said with some gratitude and appreciation: "Is there anything you want? Let me see if I have anything here."

"Thank you for your cultivation! It is my honor to work for you. Why would I need any extra reward?" Upon hearing this, Wu Sheng bowed and said with a smile.

Shen Qing frowned slightly. In his opinion, free things are the most expensive.

Wu Sheng had traveled extensively, and upon seeing this, he immediately realized that he had said something wrong, and hurriedly said, "If I really want to say it, I hope you can give me a copy of the official martial arts so that I can practice it. I hope you can fulfill my wish."

(End of this chapter)