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

Chapter 441 Li Shensi

When Duan Rong and Fan Hongjiao walked into the conference room, Zhu He was already sitting on the chair in front of the screen.

Duan Rong's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he saw that Zhu He's face was solemn, and his expression was not as calm and warm as usual.

This is obviously something wrong!
Wu Shidao, Lu Geng, Wang Yue and others in the hall also noticed the situation and sat there obediently, not daring to make a sound.

After Fan Hongjiao and Duan Rong walked in, they also returned to their seats.

When Zhu He saw that everyone had arrived, he glanced at them coldly and said in a deep voice, "The reason I called you here this time is because I have an annoying matter to discuss with you."

When everyone in the hall saw Zhu He's expression, they knew something must have happened.

Fan Hongjiao didn't say anything, but Wu Shidao smiled faintly and said, "Everyone in Yunfu Peak has always been united. Since something has happened, it's time for us disciples to serve."

Zhu He glanced at Wu Shidao and praised him, "Shidao, what you said is very good! You are still a filial person."

The others all looked at Wu Shidao when they heard this, but Wu Shidao just sat there calmly, ignoring the looks from everyone.

Zhu He praised Wu Shidao and continued expressionlessly, "Half a year ago, after the death of Shangshu Ling Zhu Shizhong, the position of Shangshu Ling has been vacant for several months. The job has been held concurrently by Wang Maochun, the Lord of Shenyun Mansion..."

When Zhu He said this, he glanced at Duan Rong indifferently, and then said, "It took nearly half a year to finally choose a person. Master Dao should know about this."

Wu Shidao continued, "More than two months ago, a new Shangshu Ling took office. The one who filled the vacancy was Li Shensi, the Lord of Nanyang Prefecture."

Hearing this, Lu Geng glared and said, "From a provincial capital, he was promoted directly to the Shangshu Ling of Shenyun Mansion. Isn't this a step to heaven?"

Wu Shidao said, "There is nothing we can do. We have never found a suitable candidate. So we simply chose an outsider from the local area. At least, there won't be any more conflicts. We can't have two successive Shangshu Lings die in office. We have to pay attention to the reputation of the secular world."

Upon hearing this, Fan Hongjiao rolled her eyes at Wu Shidao. What she meant was that you are the only one who knows the most.

At this time, Zhu He's face became even gloomier.

Wu Shidao didn't care at all when Fan Hongjiao rolled her eyes at him, but when Zhu He's face changed, he realized that he might have said something wrong and immediately shut up.

Everyone in the hall was silent. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Zhu He paused for a moment and said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid this Shangshu Ling will die in office!?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall changed their expressions.

"This..." Wu Shidao's eyes were filled with surprise.

Fan Hongjiao looked at Zhu He and asked, "Is this Shangshu Ling their man?"

Zhu He glanced at Fan Hongjiao and said, "That's right! When Li Shensi was in office in Nanyang Prefecture, they approached him and negotiated the terms first. Then they recommended him to Shenyun Prefecture. I originally thought that they would not want to continue the fuss. After all, as Master Dao said, if another Shangshu Ling died in office, the public opinion would be too bad. Unexpectedly..."

Fan Hongjiao slammed the table in anger and shouted, "I've already said it before, there's no point in talking to those guys. They're a bunch of monsters, gathering together to talk nonsense every day, how can they have any good intentions!?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu He and Wu Shidao looked at each other in bewilderment. They didn't know whether Fan Hongjiao was scolding Lu Zhongtang, Ge Rushong and the others, or scolding the master and disciple themselves. After all, they were gathered here to discuss something, and it didn't seem like what they were discussing was anything good.

Wu Shidao's eyes moved, and he said, "Li Shensi was captured by them when he was in office in Nanyang Prefecture. Master, is this news true?"

Zhu He said: "The news is reliable. It's just that I was a little late to find out. I only found out two months after I took office."

Wu Shidao's face suddenly became hot. Zhu He had asked Wu Shidao to investigate Li Shensi's matter before, but he didn't find anything at that time.

"We can't keep this man." Zhu He said in a leisurely tone. He looked at Wu Shidao with a serious look and continued, "Shidao, as you just said, the two Shangshu Lings died in office. If Li Shensi dies again, I'm afraid the public opinion will explode. This is also the cunning of Lu Zhongtang and Ge Rushong. We must be very careful in this matter!"

Wu Shidao's eyes were heavy as he said, "Master, this matter can only be done without anyone noticing."

Zhu He nodded and said, "If we are not careful, we will be covered in blood."

Fan Hongjiao looked at Wu Shidao and said, "Aren't you good at this? Didn't you handle it cleanly last time?"

Wu Shidao said, "It's not as easy as you say, Senior Sister. Last time, I was in the dark while the enemy was in the open, and both sides hadn't fought in the secular world yet. We attacked them suddenly, which caught them off guard. But this time is different. I'm afraid the other party has been prepared for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Fan Hongjiao said, "Why bother with that? I can just cover my face and kill that guy. Who can stop me?"

Zhu He glared at Fan Hongjiao and said angrily, "You assassinated the Shangshu Ling in the hall. Do you think the public opinion is not bad enough?"

Seeing that Zhu He was a little angry, Fan Hongjiao immediately shut up.

Zhu He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Duan Rong who was sitting there in silence, and said, "Duan Rong, what do you think?"

"What's your opinion?" Duan Rong didn't expect Zhu He to suddenly point out something to him. He was slightly stunned and said, "Master, I don't have any opinion. I have been practicing hard for the past six months, and I am really at a loss as to what is going on in Shenyun Mansion."

Zhu He smiled faintly and said, "If you hadn't been there at the time, I'm afraid they would have gotten away with it in the case of Zhu Shizhong. In my opinion, if you can solve it, you can also build it! I'll leave the task of killing Li Shensi to you. Make sure it's watertight, and it's best to guide public opinion. Don't let people think of it as a struggle in the political whirlpool."

After Zhu He finished speaking, the hall suddenly became silent again.

Wu Shidao thought that this task would definitely fall on his head. When Fan Hongjiao said it just now, he was just being modest and telling everyone that the task was not that easy, but he didn't expect that Zhu He actually chose Duan Rong.

Wu Shidao sat there and looked at Duan Rong with cold eyes.

Duan Rong sat there feeling rather awkward, with a thousand horses running through his mind.

What the hell? It can be destroyed and established at the same time? Where did this theory come from?

And I have to guide public opinion? Do you think I am a big V?
Isn't this old man flattering me too much? !

Don't let public opinion lead you to think of it as a struggle in the political whirlpool!

In this situation, if Li Shensi suddenly died in office, all kinds of conspiracy theories would be rampant after dinner, and it would be hard not to think in this direction.

Duan Rong said with a somewhat unpleasant expression: "My experience is still inexperienced. Master, I am not shirking my responsibility, but this matter is of great importance. I think it would be safer to hand it over to a more experienced senior brother. I am willing to help out and gain some experience, so that I can take charge on my own and help you share your worries."

Duan Rong said this quite cleverly, and it was obvious who he was talking about.

In Duan Rong's opinion, Wu Shidao is the most suitable person for this task, but he doesn't know why Zhu He chose him?

Upon hearing this, Wu Shidao took a deep breath and sat there. Zhu He did not even look at him, but just looked at Duan Rong and said, "Duan Rong! You have been on Yunfu Peak for more than half a year. How has your master treated you in the past six months?"

Duan Rong's heart trembled. "This is..."

The old man brought up this topic, obviously trying to force him to take over.

Duan Rong knew this clearly, and could only say: "Master's kindness to his disciple is greater than heaven."

"That's good!" Zhu He said, "It's settled. Do the job for me, or you won't come back."

"Yes!"

Since Zhu He had made up his mind, Duan Rong had no choice but to give in. Can an arm still twist stronger than a thigh?

Duan Rong's eyes moved, and he said, "Master, can you send me a helper?"

Duan Rong thought, more helpers means more care, and if things go wrong, there will be more people to share the blame, right?
Zhu He smiled and said, "They all have other tasks. You go to Shenyun Mansion alone for this matter. Remember, hide your tracks and act in secret. I will inform Zhu Zhengfu and his men in advance, and you can use their power to do some things. But the general principle remains unchanged. Kill Li Shensi without anyone noticing, and you also have to suppress the reputation of your master in the market."

Duan Rong had a bitter look on his face, and he almost squeezed out the word "yes" from his throat.

Zhu He's face suddenly lit up, and he said, "Duan, not bad! When did you break through to the fourth level of Yuan Qi Realm?"

Duan Rong was not surprised when Zhu He suddenly asked this, because he had just felt a spiritual consciousness penetrating his dantian.

Duan Rong smiled sadly and said, "I just broke through a few days ago."

Everyone in the hall looked at Duan Rong with eyes full of surprise and strangeness, as if they were looking at some magical spectacle.

Fan Hongjiao asked, "Another breakthrough? If you break through again, you will have to catch up with Wu Shidao?"

Wu Shidao felt even more uneasy.

Duan Rong had already comprehended the artistic conception in the Yuanqi realm, and his cultivation of this realm was so rapid that it was simply incomprehensible.

Lu Geng and Wang Yue sat there and could only sigh.

Especially Wang Yue, his eyes were very sad.

Zhu He smiled and said, "It's good that you have made a breakthrough. With this realm, this trip to Shenyun Mansion will be safer."

"Safer?" Duan Rong's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He remembered the dew-drinking cicada that Zhu He suddenly gave him two months ago. He felt strange at the time, why did Zhu He give him such a valuable thing for no reason?

Is it dangerous to go to Shenyun Mansion?
Moreover, a strong man from the Cavernous Realm wanted to kill him?
How is this possible? He is only a warrior in the Yuanqi realm. Even if they want to kill him, they don't need a warrior in the Dongming realm to do it, right?

Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?

Even if he secretly plotted to murder Shangshu Ling Li Shensi, he was the elder's direct disciple after all. Who would kill him openly?

Moreover, since Zhu He knew there was danger, why did he let him go alone?

Duan Rong felt that Zhu He had already thought of this matter two months ago, otherwise he would not have given him the Dew Drinking Cicada at that time and asked him to refine it immediately.

Duan Rong sat there, looking at Zhu He, whose face was a little gloomy in front of the screen. He suddenly felt that this old man had already prepared a pocket for him to crawl into.
And he simply couldn't refuse.

At this time, Zhu He looked at Duan Rong and said, "Duan Rong, there is no time to lose. Pack up and leave immediately!"

"Yes!"

Duan Rong's "yes" was full of energy. Since there was no way to avoid it, he would just take it one step at a time. Didn't the old man give him the Dew Drinking Cicada? That meant he didn't want him to die. As long as he was alert, it shouldn't be a big problem.

The key is that this time I have to do what the old man asked me to do.

Not only must he be killed without anyone noticing, but he must also be the Shangshu Ling Li Shensi. This is the number one civil servant in Qingzhou!
In Qingzhou, all paperwork is issued by the Shangshu Ling!
Moreover, it is also necessary to guide the public opinion in the market.

None of these are easy to do.

It’s even harder than fucking a scorpion!
At noon that day, the autumn sky was bright and cloudless. At the east gate of Shenyun Mansion, a rather luxurious carriage, with the sound of sparkling cars, entered the Shenyun Mansion along with the flow of people.

The carriage stopped in front of the Yunlai Inn. The curtain was opened, and a merchant, about forty years old, dressed in brocade clothes, got out.

The merchant had a square face, a beard and a dark complexion.

The carriage stopped and the inn's servant came out and led the carriage to the backyard.

Duan Rong looked at the man who was driving his carriage. This man was a historian from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He came with Duan Rong for other business.

Duan Rong said: "Go and do your thing."

The historian said, "Master, please be careful. I will withdraw."

Duan Rong hummed in agreement and strode into the inn.

The historian was dressed as a servant. He watched Duan Rong walk into the inn, then turned around and merged into the crowd on the street, hiding his tracks.

Duan Rong walked to the counter of the inn.

The shopkeeper was tall and thin with a skinny face. When he saw Duan Rong, he smiled and said, "Sir, are you staying at the hotel?"

Duan Rong said: "Yes. Open a room upstairs."

The shopkeeper asked, "How many days will you stay?"

Duan Rong said, "Not necessarily. Let's open it for five days first. The rest will be kept as collateral." As Duan Rong spoke, he had already gently placed a silver note on the counter.

The shopkeeper took a look at the banknote and immediately smiled even more. "Okay! Sir, follow me."

The shopkeeper led Duan Rong to a room on the second floor.

Duan Rong looked around the room. It had a good orientation and the furnishings were quite exquisite. He nodded and said, "Not bad! It is the capital city after all. It is indeed magnificent!"

The shopkeeper's eyes moved and he said, "Sir, judging from your accent, you don't sound like someone from the Divine Cloud Mansion."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "I'm from Nanyang Prefecture, and I'm here to do some business."

The shopkeeper said, "I can tell from the looks of it that you are a big businessman."

Duan Rong said: "Business doesn't matter how big or small it is, as long as it makes money, it's a good business! Okay, I'm hungry, get me some food."

"Okay! Sir, please wait a moment!" The shopkeeper bowed slightly and went out.

Duan Rong had just sat down when, not long after, a servant came over with a pot of tea and a few plates of dried fruits.

He sat there, drank a cup of tea, ate some dried fruits, and the food came up one after another.

Duan Rong ate with such delicious taste. You know what, one has to eat in this secular world. Although there is everything on Yunfu Peak and the food is also good, in that place of hard training, the delicacies from land and sea seem to have a bitter taste, which makes people uncomfortable.

Duan Rong ate and drank happily, then lay down on the bed, rested for a while, then left Yunlai Inn and went to a teahouse not far away.

(End of this chapter)