A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 383 Shen Yuan
Red candles are shining brightly in the bridal chamber.

Duan Rong had fallen asleep on the bed.

Xiao Yu sat beside him, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a cotton towel.

She clutched the towel and stared at Duan Rong, who was drunk and sleeping in an indecent posture.

The guests seemed to have dispersed and it was quiet outside.

At this moment, Xiao Yu had no desire to sleep, and her heart was filled with a kind of happiness.

This happiness was so real and full that she thought she could live happily like this for the rest of her life...

Xiao Yu lay by the bed, recalling many past events.

How she looked when she first met Duan Rong.

When her sister was being buried, Duan Rong suddenly stood in front of her at the city gate.

Also, she was kidnapped by Wei Yutian, and in the dusty secret room, that vague and warm silhouette...

It was not until she heard the crowing of a rooster outside the window that Xiao Yu came to her senses. She stood up, blew out the red candle, and fell asleep beside Duan Rong. She knew that it was almost dawn, but she slept soundly.

After marriage, Xiao Yu paid more attention to Duan Rong and made various snacks and soups for him.

Although she often makes mistakes, Xiao Yu's cooking skills have improved after doing it more often.

Of course, no matter whether the food was delicious or not, Duan Rong would eat it all up, and he always encouraged Xiao Yu, saying that she was good at both housework and cooking, and that it would be hard to find such a good wife even with a lantern.

Duan Rong only occasionally asked about the affairs of the escort agency, but after a month, Yang Zhen had already managed it quite well.

In everything, employing people is the first priority.

If you use the right people, things will go well. If you use the wrong people, things will go badly and there will be no way to fix it.

In the past half month after their marriage, Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi had sent a letter every now and then, asking the couple to go to Yuanyang Mansion and Ruyang Mansion for a visit.

Ximen Kankan wrote to Duan Rong, and Shen Mizhi wrote to Xiao Yu. But neither of them had any intention of leaving, and they only replied that they would talk about it later.

That day, Shen Mizhi wrote another letter to Xiao Yu.

In the room, Xiao Yu was holding a letter and reading it to Duan Rong. In the letter, Shen Mizhi said how bored she was these days, and then she complained bitterly and begged Xiao Yu to go to her place to play for a few days.

Xiao Yu finished reading and looked at Duan Rong with a smile. "How is it? This girl made herself sound so pitiful. Are you going?"

"This..." Duan Rong was hesitating, but suddenly he heard a familiar voice coming from outside, shouting at him.

That was Ximen Kankan's voice.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Okay, they've all come to my door."

The two men stood up and went out to greet them. Sure enough, they saw Ximen Kankan rushing in from outside with a horsewhip in his hand.

When Ximen Kankan saw the two, he bowed respectfully to Xiao Yu and called her sister-in-law, then stood up and pointed at Duan Rong and shouted, "Duan Rong, what's wrong with you? I have written you a few letters, and the three-month home visit leave is about to end. Are you going? My father has given me a death order. If you don't go, I don't have to go back either."

"It's up to you. From now on, I will eat and live at your house, and I will eat you, a little rich man, out of money." Ximen Kankan said, and then sat down on the veranda next to him and crossed his legs.

Ximen Kankan's funny appearance made both of them laugh.

Duan Rong walked over and patted his leg. "Get up!"

Ximen Kankan asked: "What?"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Your sister-in-law has stewed some Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup in there. Get up and make you a bowl to try."

Ximen Kankan jumped up immediately. "My sister-in-law stewed it. I have to taste it carefully!"

Inside the room, Xiao Yu poured 70% of the original amount into two small bowls and gave one bowl to Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan respectively.

Looking at the translucent white fungus and milky white lotus seeds, Ximen Kankan's eyes suddenly lit up. "It looks good!"

Duan Rong said: "Of course."

As Duan Rong spoke, he had already started eating, and he enjoyed the food very much.

Ximen Kankan didn't even need a spoon. He just held the bowl and poured a big mouthful into his mouth.

As soon as he took a bite, Ximen Kankan's face changed. If Xiao Yu hadn't been standing next to him, he would have spit it back into the bowl. Fortunately, he swallowed the big mouthful, and turned his head to see Duan Rong trying to hold back his laughter.

Ximen Kankan might have choked and kept coughing.

Duan Rong patted him on the back and said, "Slow down, it's okay. Tonight, let your sister-in-law cook a few more dishes for you to welcome you!"

"Ah, there's more in the evening!" Ximen Kankan's coughing stopped immediately.

Duan Rong smiled maliciously and said, "Of course there is! Since you are here, you have to try your sister-in-law's cooking, right?"

"That's right, that's right! I have to try it." Ximen Kankan nodded repeatedly.

That night, Xiao Yu prepared a large table of dishes for Ximen Kankan. It was the longest dinner Ximen Kankan had ever had in his life.

Duan Rong kept picking up food for Ximen Kankan.

Every time he picked up food for Ximen Kankan, Ximen Kankan glared at him.

Ximen Kankan looked at the pile of dishes in his bowl with a bit of frustration. The moment he took a bite of the dry chicken, he felt like crying but couldn't even cry! To be honest, he even wanted to kill someone.

Early the next morning, Duan Rong and Xiao Yu took a carriage and went to Yuanyang Prefecture with Ximen Kankan.

In the carriage were some gifts that Xiao Yu had asked Zhu Xiaoqi to buy on the street yesterday.

When they arrived at Yuanyang and entered the Ximen Mansion, Ximen Yong received them warmly.

Ximen Yong held Duan Rong's hand and spoke to him in a warm and intimate manner, calling him "good nephew" all the time, which made Xiao Yu dazed and thought they were really relatives.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu spent three full days playing in Yuanyang Mansion.

Ximen Kankan took them to visit all the famous places in Yuanyang Prefecture.

Ximen Kankan said: "Let me tell you, this Yuanyang Prefecture is just for fun, it's really not as exciting as our Xiangu County."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Don't be so ungrateful. The prefectural capital is definitely better than our small, broken county town."

Ximen Kankan said: "Who cares if it's good or not? Anyway, my home visit leave is about to end, and I won't stay here for long."

Three days later, Duan Rong, Xiao Yu and others left Yuanyang Prefecture.

When they left, Ximen Yong also gave them a big gift, which was a complete set of pearl crowns and shawls.

When Xiao Yu opened the box and saw these things, her eyes instantly turned red.

This was something that parents should prepare for their daughter when she got married, but when she married Duan Rong, both her parents had passed away. Xiao Yu felt that it was meaningless to prepare it for herself. She also felt that it was too expensive, so she saved it. But she didn't expect that Ximen Yong seemed to see through her heart and actually made up for her regret.

Duan Rong saw that the thing was valuable and didn't know its meaning, so he wanted to refuse, but Xiao Yu had already pulled him aside and thanked Ximen Yong.

Xiao Yu knelt down and saluted, "Uncle, this gift is as heavy as Mount Tai. My husband and I will remember it in our hearts."

Ximen Yong was also quite emotional at this time. He pulled Xiao Yu up and said, "Okay, okay. Get up. As long as you are well, I will be happy."

Ximen Yong took Duan Rong's hand again and said goodbye to them for a long time before standing there and watching the two carriages go away.

While in the carriage, Xiao Yu felt that Ximen Yong's feelings for the couple were far beyond common sense, so she asked about the ins and outs of Duan Rong's relationship with the Ximen family.

Duan Rong then told Xiao Yu everything about his relationship with the Ximen family, except for the part where he helped Ximen Kankan paint erotic paintings.

Duan Rong, Xiao Yu and others left Yuanyang Prefecture, but did not return. Instead, they went to Ruyang Prefecture to visit Shen Mizhi.

The day before they set out from Xiangu County, Xiao Yu had already written a letter to Shen Mizhi, telling her the day they expected to arrive in Ruyang Prefecture.

That day, Duan Rong and his companions arrived outside the city of Ruyang Prefecture.

But they found that Shen Mizhi had been waiting for them in the pavilion outside the city for a long time.

Shen Mizhi came on horseback and hugged Xiao Yu.

Shen Mizhi pulled Xiao Yu and suddenly became in a good mood. She talked non-stop like a chirping little bird.

Duan Rong had no choice but to follow the two men. When they arrived in front of a majestic gate, Duan Rong was surprised. The defense of this house was quite tight.

Those tall trees that are much taller than the courtyard wall.

There were actually several of them, and there were people hiding in their lush crowns.

Duan Rong smiled silently in his heart. "Shen Yanliu is so cautious, I'm afraid he has made many enemies in the past three years!"

That night, Shen Yanliu and Ma Chunmin hosted Duan Rong and Xiao Yu for a sumptuous banquet.

Ma Chunmin's cold and bright eyes swept over Duan Rong from time to time. She really didn't expect that the little escort from three years ago would transform into an outer disciple with great achievements.

The first major bloodbath case in Xiangu County had naturally spread to nearby counties and prefectures. Ma Chunmin had also heard about it from Shen Yanliu a long time ago.

According to Shen Yanliu, Duan Rong's advancement to an inner and outer disciple is a foregone conclusion.

To the people in the secular world, the inner disciples of a sect are high and mighty.

Ma Chunmin naturally did his best to curry favor with them, serving food and pouring wine to Duan Rong and Xiao Yu from time to time, and chatting and laughing with them.

During the meal, Shen Yanliu kept calling Duan Rong "Sir", which made Shen Mizhi blush and feel very embarrassed.

Seeing that the banquet was about to end, Shen Yanliu suddenly looked at Shen Mizhi and said, "Mizhi, take your two friends to our manor outside the city tomorrow. The scenery over there is nice!"

Shen Mizhi's dull eyes finally brightened up after hearing this. She looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Sister Xiao, I've been there once. The scenery is pretty good. I'll take you there tomorrow."

Xiao Yu glanced at Duan Rong and said with a smile, "That's great. This season is perfect for a spring outing!"

The manor was located on the official road more than ten miles east of the city.

The manor is very large, with winding corridors and shaded by lush bamboos, and it is very quiet.

This manor was called Shen Garden, named after Shen Yanliu's surname.

The group set out in the morning, one person per horse, chatting as they walked, and it was already noon when they arrived at the manor.

The people in the manor received the order yesterday evening and had already prepared lunch.

The lunch consisted mostly of game and fresh fruits and vegetables. Duan Rong tried some and they all tasted quite good.

After lunch, they rested for a while.

There was a small hill near the manor, so Shen Mizhi took them to the hill for an outing and enjoyment. They returned to the manor at dusk.

As soon as they walked into the manor, they saw two blue sedan chairs being carried into the manor.

I watched the two sedan chairs walk along the corridor into the manor.

Duan Rong turned his head to look at Shen Mizhi and asked, "Who is in that sedan?"

Shen Mizhi frowned, shook her head, and said, "I don't know."

Duan Rong said: "Let's go and take a look."

Duan Rong turned and headed towards the two sedan chairs. Shen Mizhi didn't know who was in the sedan chairs, so she followed Duan Rong to take a look.

The group just arrived in front of the Moon Gate.

But suddenly someone appeared, stopped them, and said in a deep voice: "Guest, you can't visit this place."

Duan Rong frowned slightly. They had been to this place at noon, and no one stopped them at that time. Why did it become a forbidden area at dusk?
Shen Mizhi had not expected this to happen. She stepped out from behind Duan Rong and asked angrily, "We just entered this inner garden at noon. Why can't we visit it now?"

When the man saw Shen Mizhi, he bowed and said, "Miss! This is the master's order. We are just following orders. I hope you won't make things difficult for us."

At this moment, Duan Rong had already seen that inside the courtyard gate, in front of the two sedan chairs parked not far away, a maid went over and opened the curtain, and two middle-aged men in official uniforms and black-winged hats stepped out of the sedan chairs.

Judging from the rank of their official uniforms, the two men were county magistrates.

Duan Rong suddenly said, "Since it is Lord Shen's order, we will not disturb you."

Duan Rong said this and winked at Xiao Yu, who then took Shen Mizhi with him and returned to the place where they had eaten and rested.

When they returned, the dinner was already prepared, but Shen Mizhi was in a bad mood throughout the entire dinner.

They had just been eating for a while when suddenly a man came in.

When this person came in, Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up. This person was an old friend.

He is Guan Kui, a worker at Guyuezhai in Xiangu County.

Guan Kui came in, bowed to them, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Sir, do you still remember me?"

Duan Rong said with a smile: "How come you are here? It's really amazing that we meet here."

Although Duan Rong said this, his heart was as clear as a mirror.

The fact that Tang Wanhong was Shen Yanliu's confidant had always been kept secret in Xiangu County, but he had already known about it.

Shen Yanliu was promoted to the Censor of Ruyang Prefecture, and Tang Wanhong naturally followed him.

Guan Kui had been an associate of Tang Wanhong for many years, so naturally he also rose to high positions.

Guan Kui smiled and said, "Your Excellency has a good memory and recognized me at a glance. It's like this. I know that you like antiques. Shopkeeper Tang has a good painting and would like you to take a look at it. I wonder if you are free to come and see it?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong glanced at Guan Kui.

Guan Kui looked humble, as if he didn't care that Duan Rong rejected him.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Tang invited me, how can I not go?"

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he turned his head to look at Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi and said, "You two eat first, I'll be back soon."

Duan Rong stood up and followed Guan Kui out the door.

Guan Kui was in the corridor, holding a lantern and walking in front to light the way for Duan Rong.

Guan Kui led Duan Rong to the Moon Gate.

Duan Rong's heart moved. This place was the inner garden that they were not allowed to enter before.

But this time, no one came out to stop him. He stepped into the door and saw the two blue sedan chairs parked not far away under the cold moonlight.

Guan Kui said, "Sir, this way!"

Duan Rong turned around and followed Guan Kui to a side room.

The two men walked into the corridor, and suddenly there appeared a dark figure sitting on the corridor. The man was wearing a felt hat that covered his face, and was holding a black porcelain wine jug in his hand. He was leaning against a lacquered pillar and pouring wine into his mouth.

Guan Kui saw the man and said, "Who asked you to drink here? Why don't you get out of here? You're a drunkard. I don't know why Manager Tang invited you here."

When the man heard this, he turned over and jumped out of the corridor.

Duan Rong's eyes lit up. Good skills!

Out of curiosity, he instantly released his spiritual sense and swept over.

With his spiritual sense covering and penetrating them, he immediately understood the realms of the two people.

The second level of Qi realm!

This garden is truly full of hidden talents!
At this moment, Duan Rong's expression suddenly changed slightly, and the muscles on his face couldn't help but twitch.

Under the cover of his spiritual sense, he saw the side room at the other end of the corridor.

On the floor of the room, scattered were the official uniforms and black-winged hats that had been taken off...

There was a beautiful spring scene on the bed.

I saw a dark and thin middle-aged man lying on a fair and tender woman...

Inside the room, the sound of whimpering continued...

Duan Rong almost had a nosebleed.

(End of this chapter)