No taboos

Chapter 568 Eight-fold Thirty-Four Characters Jade Gangmao

"Is it possible that your sister knows about both of them?" Xu Yuan silently looked at the young master.

The reason why the two of them are "as close as sisters" is because they were beaten so badly by your older sister that they had no choice but to stick together for warmth.

The young master patted his chest, looking righteous and saying, "I've taken a huge responsibility for you."

He felt quite smug: those two good-for-nothings, Zhu Zhanlei and Miao Yu, had managed to get all their secrets out of him after just one time hanging out at the White Moon Pavilion.

They wanted to curry favor with Benjue, and Benjue also wanted to take the opportunity to dig into Xu Yuan's background.

Young Master Gong may not have many other skills, but when it comes to getting information out of women at banquets, Huang Ming is a master.

After all, he had been hanging out in these kinds of places since he was ten years old.

“However, I have one condition,” Xu Yuan continued.

The young master waved his hand, taking full responsibility: "Just say the word."

"I would like to borrow the jade mace from the Duke's mansion."

The young master was taken aback for a moment, then stammered awkwardly, "I have to... ask my father about this."

There are many jade maces in the world, but the one in the Duke's mansion is the most special.

The full name is "Eight-legged Thirty-Four Characters Jade Gang Mao".

It is one of the most prized treasures of the Duke's mansion, and its ability to ward off evil and dispel impurities is unparalleled in the world!
Moreover, this thing has some special functions that outsiders are unaware of.

Such auspicious objects are extremely rare in the world.

Most jade mortise and tenon joints are four-sided and have thirty-two characters.

Within the Duke's mansion, there were virtually no "taboos," and people could move freely day and night, all thanks to this auspicious object.

But this thing is not the same as Xu Yuan's "no taboos".

Its purpose is to ward off taboos.

It can prevent people from breaking the law in an era rife with evil spirits.

For example, on days when "daytime naps were forbidden," the Duke could still enjoy a comfortable afternoon nap.

But if a great evil spirit were to attack, this auspicious object could only make the evil spirit somewhat wary.

But Xu Yuan's cultivation level is truly top-notch, so much so that all evil spirits in the world will avoid him.

My father appeared in my dream last night. Although we didn't discuss it in detail, there's no doubt that this thing will be needed for the Ghost Festival (July 15th of the lunar calendar).

This auspicious object is of great importance, and the young master cannot make the decision on it.

After saying a few words to Xu Yuan, he sheepishly went to discuss it with Aunt Jiang.

The "Heminglu" that connects us to the family is with Aunt Jiang.

It wasn't until noon that the young master returned: "I vouch for you to my father, you will definitely repay what you borrowed, and you will never lose or damage this treasure of my family!"

There's a saying that goes, "A son sells his grandfather's land without a second thought," but if the Duke of Cheng were here, he would never be willing to lend out such a precious treasure.

But the young master was only thinking about doing his job well and not getting punished by His Majesty.

He solemnly guaranteed it, but if something really went wrong and the treasure couldn't be recovered, what could he do to Xu Yuan?
Ultimately, the young master still believed that even if this one was lost, his family could still get another one to replace it.

"But my dad also said that he can only lend it to you for three days at most."

"We must take it back immediately after three days."

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, and decided that there should be enough time: "Deal!"

The two of them high-fived each other as an oath.

The young master became excited and full of enthusiasm: "We still need to think of a way to get the canal wharf to cooperate..."

The three departments in charge of supernatural affairs are in competition with each other. It was already difficult for the young master to get involved in the demon-slaying army, and now he also needs the cooperation of the Grand Canal Department. Even the Duke's mansion is finding it a bit of a struggle.

Xu Yuan calmly replied, "I will handle this matter."

The young master's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up: "Brother-in-law, you're the best! I think if it weren't for Lord Wei, this Champa Prefecture would be yours."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Xu Yuan quickly tried to avoid suspicion.

It's fine if you say this to me, but you absolutely mustn't say it to His Majesty when you get back to Beidu.

The young master chuckled and said, "Can't a person tell the truth?"

That is indeed the truth—if it weren't for admiring Lord Wei's character, Xu Yuan would most likely have let him follow in his predecessor's footsteps.

Xu Yuan added, "You need to explain to me in detail who we need to be wary of in this job."

The young master's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "How would I know? Go ask Aunt Jiang!"

Xu Yuan was speechless, confirming: this was a good-for-nothing who didn't care about anything.

The young master's basic strategy for this mission is to block the starting point of Siam, monitor the middle of Jiaozhi, and rely on the powerful foundation of the Duke's Mansion to suppress the subsequent route of Zhengzhou.

It wasn't even decided by the young master himself.

The staff of the Duke's mansion figured it out and then handed it over to the young master to carry out.

Of course, you could also say that they don't need you to worry about it.

They were born into a good family.

So it's fortunate that Princess Ruicheng kept the young master in check from a young age, otherwise this guy might very well have grown into a troublemaker.

Your Highness's merits are immeasurable!

"Take me there," Xu Yuan said, getting up and walking outside.

The young master waved his hand impatiently: "Go ahead, I have made an appointment with Xiao Zhu and Xiao Miao to go for a stroll outside the city today."

Xu Yuan shook his head: "Miss Bai is going too?"

"Hehe." The young master chuckled slyly, "Not just Miss Bai, all the girls in Xieliu Lane are going, I'll take care of them!"

Xu Yuan said no more and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Aunt Jiang was conscientious and diligent—the young master was going on a trip, and although it didn't seem dangerous, she still had to go along.

She called over Old Master Luo: "Explain this carefully to Master Xu. Remember, tell him everything you know and don't hide anything."

Then he said to Xu Yuan, "I'm getting old and forgetful. He remembers Luo Benhua's algorithm the most clearly."

This was just an excuse from the old woman. She gave a brief instruction and then hurriedly chased after the young master.

"My little darling, please have some understanding of Aunt Jiang. This old man has to go through all this trouble with you every day, sigh..."

Grandpa Luo then explained all the potential "threats" to Xu Yuan in detail.

Xu Yuan heard the name of an "old acquaintance" inside.

The Fu family.

The Fu family stopped causing trouble for Master Xu and shifted their attention to Guiwu Mountain and Master Ruan Tian.

Of course, it's because of the Crown Princess.

When the Fu family was mentioned, Xu Yuan asked a few more questions.

Algorithm engineers do have excellent memories; once they've seen or heard something, it's basically imprinted in their minds.

They have a special method for memorizing these memories, which are treated as "data" and are not usually accessed. However, if they are "triggered" or "activated," they can recall them with a little effort.

Grandpa Luo glanced at Xu Yuan: "I remember you had some disagreements with the Fu family."

Xu Yuan: "There were indeed some misunderstandings before."

After thinking for a moment, Old Master Luo said, "The Fu family does indeed have some ideas about Ghost Witch Mountain."

"To be precise, I have some ideas about Vietnam and Siam."

"The death of the Crown Princess gave the Fu family an excuse."

"However, the Fu family was very restrained and did not show it too obviously. They are a family that has transformed into dragons. When they were building the canal, they failed to reach Ghost Witch Mountain. If they rashly interfered, they would be disrespecting the Dragon King of the canal."

"The Fu family is secretly pushing for this, hoping to take over Ghost Witch Mountain step by step with the help of the imperial court."

"Xu Miaozhi's military camp was the first step."

Grandpa Luo searched around the room and found a map of Jiaozhi.

Then he took out a set of counting rods and inserted them one by one.

A dozen or so counting rods surrounded Ghost Witch Mountain.

"Subsequently, they transferred their own people to Jiaozhi, mainly placing them in the Grand Canal Administration and the Shanhe Division, and also a small number of local officials."

“Besides your Champa Prefecture, they have people in other prefectures and counties, preparing to gradually encroach on Ghost Mountain from the outside.”

Xu Yuan asked, "Why are they targeting Siam and Cochinchina?"

"What else could it be for? For money, of course," Luo Benhua said. "The Fu family's development in Zhengzhou has reached a bottleneck."

They wanted to participate when the seas opened, but the powerful clans of the southeast joined forces to keep them out.

They watched as others made big money at sea, while they could only stay on their land and collect rent; naturally, they had their own grievances.

Even with the support of the Grand Canal Dragon King, the powerful clans of the southeast were too formidable, and they faced obstacles at every turn. Therefore, they considered another route: Siam and Jiaozhi (Vietnam).

Xu Yuan understood.

There are many insightful people in Zhengzhou who have surely seen the value of India, Siam, and Jiaozhi.

However, most people still find the conditions here too harsh and are unwilling to come.

Luo Benhua pointed to a place on the map and said, "The Fu family's highest-ranking member in Jiaozhi right now is Fu Gaohu, who is Fu Shuanghui's seventh grandfather. He's a third-rate person."

All decisions made by the Fu family in the Siam-Cochin region were made by him.

He was the Canal Supervisor of the Qinghua Prefecture Canal Office.

Thanh Hoa Prefecture was in northern Jiaozhi, Champa was south of Guiwu Mountain, and Thanh Hoa Prefecture was north of the mountain.

Xu Yuan stroked his chin without saying anything. This guy was too far away and of too high a status, so it was unlikely that he would come to Champa in person.

If he doesn't come, how will I, this great one, obtain the third-rate "Dragon Transformation Technique"?
Grandpa Luo pointed to another place: "The closest place to you is Lucheng. Fu Yangwei was recently appointed as the head of the Lucheng Mountain and River Bureau. He is a fourth-level practitioner of the Transformation Dragon Law."

A hint of amusement crept into Old Master Luo's eyes.

The situation between the Fu family and Xu Yuan is probably more than just a "misunderstanding".

A dignified fourth-rate official, only to serve as a minor law enforcement officer?
This is all to suppress Xu Yuan nearby.

But Old Master Luo didn't say what was on his mind.

Xu Yuan was surprised; he really didn't know about this.

Fu Yangwei has been keeping a low profile. He came to Southern Jiaozhi and has actually refrained from causing me any trouble.

Xu Yuan said, "If the Fu family really wants to take action, shouldn't the one to carry it out be this Fu Yangwei?"

"Mostly so."

Xu Yuan then asked who each of the counting rods represented in the Fu family and what their skill level was.

Grandpa Luo remembered it perfectly.

Xu Yuan then stopped talking about the Fu family and moved on to discuss other potential enemies.

After saying all that, Old Master Luo said, "The Champa Wharf is too small. If the transshipment wharf is located here, the wharf will have to be expanded."

The two discussed it for a while, but found that it was all "theoretical."

Xu Yuan then stood up: "Senior, let's go directly to the dock."

"Alright."

After the two left the yamen, Xu Yuan got into the carriage, and Old Master Luo also wanted to get in, but "Dream Come True" refused.

Grandpa Luo was also surprised to find that he couldn't open the car door.

Xu Yuan tried to coax him for a long time, but he still wouldn't agree to "make his dream come true".

"Dreams Come True" felt that the old man's relationship with you, sir, hadn't reached that point yet, so I wouldn't let him come up.

Xu Yuan smiled wryly: "Senior, my Xiaomeng has a stubborn temper, you see..."

Grandpa Luo waved his hand: "I'll ride a horse."

Upon arriving at the dock, the two conducted an on-site survey and developed a general plan.

This plan directly determined the "budget" for expanding the wharf.

Then the old man and the young man returned to Champa. On the way, Old Master Luo said to Xu Yuan, "Send someone to call the young master back."

Xu Yuan subconsciously said, "It's getting dark, isn't he coming back yet...?"

Halfway through his speech, Lord Xu realized that the young master, with his temperament, would be oblivious to rules like "no night travel" when he got into the mood, and was very likely to spend the night in the wilderness.

They might even make the white fox reveal its true form in the middle of the night and pull off something big.

Xu Yuan immediately sent Lang Xiaoba to call for help.

Lang Xiaoba and the others have all returned.

While waiting for the young master, Xu Yuan first instructed Liu Hu: "Make a few more pots of that soup from yesterday."

Then he went back to his room and casually tossed the "golden scroll" from the seven treasures of the aggrieved master's temple into the Ten Thousand Souls Handkerchief, bestowing it upon the puppetry.

His teachings were passed down from the suffering master, so let him continue to practice the suffering master's teachings.

If it succeeds in its spiritual practice, it will be given the "sea of ​​suffering in the world" contained in the water vessel.

Xu Yuan then put away the Ten Thousand Souls Handkerchief and waited for the young master to return to discuss the budget for expanding the dock.

This money can only be paid by the Duke's Mansion.

The Grand Canal Administration definitely wouldn't pay. Even if the Champa Canal Supervisor was Xu Yuan's man, it was impossible.

But before the young master returned, a fluctuation came from the Ten Thousand Souls Handkerchief.

Xu Yuan then unfolded the Ten Thousand Souls Handkerchief, and the puppet rolled out from the thick yin energy, knelt down at Xu Yuan's feet, and said: "Reporting to Master, if I want to master this method, I need Master to grant me the sea of ​​suffering in the world."

The puppetry business is proceeding with extreme caution.

Although it transformed into a ghost soldier, its consciousness and memories were completely preserved.

It once wanted to kill the master, but now it has fallen into the master's hands. If it makes the slightest mistake, the master's punishment will surely be severe.

If you really anger the master, you might get torn apart by those three-headed bastards.

Xu Yuan asked, "What happened?"

The puppet shop then unfurled the golden scroll: "Please allow me to give my detailed report."

This method of the Suffering Master is called the "Suffering Crossing Method," which is a secret transmission of the Repentance Teachings.

The aggrieved party possessed exceptional talent in spiritual practice. He extracted some elements from these elements and combined them with other lineages within the Repentance Sect, passing them down to his subordinates, the "Five Classes and Seven Lines."

The "Puppet Techniques" practiced by the puppeteers are a combination of the "Suffering and Salvation Techniques" and another technique within the sect called "Carving Techniques".

But fundamentally it is the "carving technique".

Now that the puppeteers no longer have physical bodies, they can no longer begin to cultivate the "Suffering Crossing Method".

However, the "sea of ​​suffering in the world" is a product of the aggrieved party's cunning, containing the secular divine power that the aggrieved party plans to seize in the future.

After some research, Mu Puxing discovered that only by merging himself with the "sea of ​​suffering in the world" could he possibly enter the realm of enlightenment.

Xu Yuan did not intend to cultivate the "Bitter Crossing Method" himself, so he only glanced at the golden scroll.

Now that the puppetry business is mentioned, Xu Yuan has studied it carefully.

I knew the puppet show wasn't lying.

Moreover, since the puppeteer was now under the control of the "Ten Thousand Souls Cloth" and could not possibly resist him, he waved his hand and bestowed the water bowl upon it: "Cultivate diligently."

"As ordered."

The Puppet Shop was a fourth-rate operation, but after consuming the remnant soul of the Tooth Shop and Bao Ge, its level has improved significantly. Furthermore, by merging with the "Sea of ​​Suffering" and cultivating the "Bitter Crossing Method," it may be able to rise to the third-rate level.

The Ten Thousand Souls Cloak is also third-rate, but the Ten Thousand Souls Cloak and the Yin Soldiers within it are one entity.

The stronger the Yin soldiers, the stronger the Ten Thousand Souls Cloak.

If the Puppet Shop and the Three-Headed Demon both rise to the third rank, the Myriad Souls Cloth might rise to the second rank!

Xu Yuan stroked his chin and pondered, "Where can I find another powerful Yin soldier to feed the three-headed demon, so it can also be promoted to third-rate..."

No matter how I think about it, I feel that "Fu Gaohu" should be included in my Ten Thousand Souls Cloak.

Just then, a complaining and shouting voice came from outside: "What's the matter? Why did you have to call me back?"

"Won't it be too late to talk about it tomorrow?"

When Xu Yuan came out, he saw that the young master looked dissatisfied, clearly not having "satisfied".

Xu Yuan had expected this, so he smiled and said, "I called you back for soup. I had Liu Hu make some soup to nourish the young master."

The young master beamed with joy: "Oh dear, this is important. The soup is cooked to perfection; we can't waste it."

Therefore, in the young master's mind, expanding the canal wharf was not as important as men taking tonics.

While the young master was drinking his soup, Xu Yuan told him the budget for expanding the dock: "It will probably cost 47,000 taels of silver."

The young master didn't speak, but looked at Aunt Jiang.

Aunt Jiang thought for a moment and said, "Okay, we can always earn this money back."

Having been appointed as the transport commissioner, one must be wary of others stealing money, but don't assume that the Duke's mansion won't benefit from it.

Forty thousand but less than fifty thousand taels of silver is not a large sum of money for Xu Yuan now.

However, the purchasing power of silver was still very strong, enough to allow three thousand laborers to complete the expansion of the Champa dock within half a month.

This also includes the cost of a large amount of materials.

Grandpa Luo boasted to the young master, "Fortunately, I went to the site today and found that the conditions of the Zhancheng Wharf are excellent. It is surrounded by bays, and the expansion will hardly require digging a new harbor."

"Oh," the young master simply replied, completely unaware of the meaning behind Old Master Luo's words.

If a large-scale excavation is to be carried out, the expansion will take several months to half a year to complete, and the cost will double.

Old Master Luo gave the blind man a flirtatious look.

Xu Yuan chuckled to himself.

Lord Xu has now figured out the young master's intentions.

This mission is mostly not about whether the young master will make a profit or a loss. He was forced into this mission by His Majesty, and what he wants most is to satisfy His Majesty.

To prevent His Majesty from interfering when the young duke inherits the title in the future.

For the young master, inheriting the title was the most important thing in his life.

So whether it costs forty or fifty thousand, or even one or two hundred thousand, it's completely irrelevant to the young master.

Aunt Jiang took out the silver notes and handed them to Xu Yuan: "The Duke's mansion is unfamiliar with this place, so we entrust everything to you, Master Xu."

Xu Yuan took it: "Aunt Jiang, please rest assured, the project will definitely be completed within half a month with guaranteed quality and quantity."

Aunt Jiang then smiled and said, "When Lord Xu and Princess Ruicheng get married, the Duke's Mansion will surely present them with generous gifts."

The fact that Xu Yuan dared to make this guarantee, without even mentioning the need to smooth things over with the canal authorities, shows that he was confident.

Aunt Jiang felt a surge of satisfaction: cooperating with Lord Xu was the right choice!
If this were anywhere else, not to mention whether the person would be reliable, getting the canal authorities to agree would require at least 100,000 taels of silver.

The next morning, Xu Yuan assigned the task: "Yu Yunhang hasn't returned yet. Fu Jingyu, you're in charge of the overall management. Di Youzhi—"

Xu Yuan looked around but didn't see Di Youzhi.

"Where is Old Di?"

Song Lu covered her mouth and laughed, "My lord, you don't know yet, the Di family has a happy occasion, so I took leave today."

"Good news?" Xu Yuan joked with a smile, "Why didn't this guy tell me? I would have given him a big red envelope."

His subordinates, however, all looked amused.

Song Lu didn't say what the specific matter was.

Xu Yuan pointed and asked, "Xiao Ba, what exactly happened?"

Lang Xiaoba never understood the concept of "giving his colleagues some face." As soon as the superior gave the order, he immediately said bluntly, "Old Di wants to take Pei Qinghua as a concubine. Pei Qinghua didn't come today. It seems that Old Di is going to her house to propose marriage."

Xu Yuan asked in confusion, "Pei Qinghua... has always been unwilling."

The others winked and made faces.

Very well, Lord Xu doesn't even give Old Di any face.

Indeed, like generals produce like soldiers.

Lang Xiaoba: "I don't know either. I just heard that last time you took Lao Di and Pei Qinghua to keep an eye on the acrobatic troupe, and after staying at the inn for one night, there were some rumors in the yamen that Lao Di and Pei Qinghua shared a room."

Now Pei Qinghua has no choice but to marry him.

Xu Yuan frowned, displeased, and said, "Who's spreading rumors and ruining the young lady's reputation?"

When the Bureau of Purification goes out to handle cases, they sometimes inevitably have to pretend to be husband and wife.

But everyone has an unspoken understanding not to gossip about such things.

Because you never know when it might happen to you.

Lang Xiaoba shook his head: "This subordinate does not know."

Xu Yuan's first suspect was Di Youzhi, that old lecher who had been coveting Pei Qinghua for a long time.

Xu Yuan's face darkened, thinking to himself that if it really was him, he was really getting cocky.

"Let's ignore him for now and get things sorted out."

The tasks were assigned one by one, and then Xu Yuan said, "Okay, let's get everything moving today, go."

The subordinates went about their own business: some recruited laborers, some liaised with the Shanhe Division and the Canal Administration, some contacted suppliers for materials, and so on.

Xu Yuan, with a sullen face, called out to Lang Xiaoba with his hands behind his back: "Go to Di Youzhi's house."

When the two of them came out, the young master had just woken up and insisted on squeezing into Xu Yuan's courtyard to stay.

I'm washing up in the yard right now.

Upon seeing Xu Yuan, I casually asked him a question, and Xu Yuan gave a brief explanation.

The young master's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he quickly said, "Wait for me a moment, I must go and see what's going on!"

Xu Yuan: ...

The young master quickly finished washing up, and Aunt Jiang reminded him, "You haven't had breakfast yet..."

"I'm not eating anymore. We can eat anytime, but this kind of excitement doesn't happen every day."

Xu Yuan was helpless.

This matter is considered a "family scandal," and anyone would give Lord Xu face by simply asking a question and then pretending not to know.

Only the young master insisted on coming over to watch the excitement...

Actually, the neighbor in the next courtyard also wanted to watch, but after thinking it over carefully, he realized that he had been getting into trouble lately when he went to watch the excitement, so he decided to hold back.

But when the young master finished packing and set off with Xu Yuan, the old master couldn't resist sneaking up behind him again.

Di Youzhi's home was in the north of the city.

The highest property prices are in the northern part of Champa. Di Youzhi had only recently moved here from the western part of the city.

Old Di is indeed "shaking himself up" now.

The family acquired a large three-courtyard house.

Lang Xiaoba led the way, with Xu Yuan and the others following behind.

When they arrived at Di Youzhi's house, Di Youzhi was inspecting the various betrothal gifts, instructing the servants, "Make sure everything is counted carefully, and don't make any mistakes in the numbers..."

Then his family informed him that Xu Yuan had arrived. Old Di felt incredibly proud, thinking, "I, Old Di, have taken a concubine, and my boss is personally congratulating me!"

When he came out to greet them and saw the young master and the porter, he was startled and knew that things would not be so simple.

I don't have that much face to give no matter what I say.

"Sir, young master..."

Xu Yuan said with a stern face, "Let's go inside and talk."

"Yes."

The young master looked excited.

After entering the main room and sitting down, Xu Yuan went straight to the point and asked, "Tell me honestly, what exactly happened? Did you deliberately spread rumors in the government office to force that girl to marry you?"

Di Youzhi jumped up immediately: "Sir, even though I, Old Di, am a scoundrel, I would never do such a thing!"

"It's not you?"

"It really wasn't me!" Old Di said with a bitter face. "Don't think that it's just you who suspects me, sir. Many of the brothers in the yamen think the same thing. I know they just don't dare to say it to my face."

And then there's Pei Qinghua. She's truly wronged; her reputation has been ruined. The day before yesterday, she probably had no other choice but to block me in the yamen, demanding an explanation.

Even if I marry this woman, I'll be forced into it, and I doubt she'll treat me well in the future.

"Alas, Your Honor, I am truly innocent! Why don't you grant me this favor and order a thorough investigation to find out who is behind this gossip?"

Xu Yuan's expression turned strange.

"If it wasn't you, then who would be so meddlesome?"

Xu Yuan had already figured out who it was, and deliberately reminded Di Youzhi of this.

But Di Youzhi looked blank, not having thought of it yet.

The young master standing to the side rolled his eyes and suddenly burst out laughing.

Aunt Jiang reached out to stop him from talking, but the young master had already said, "You're really stupid. This is clearly a rumor spread by Pei Qinghua herself!"

Di Youzhi opened his mouth wide, and after a long while he said, "Impossible, right? I've mentioned it to her several times before, but she always refused."

"She refused before, but now she's changed her mind. But she's rejected you many times, so she's too embarrassed to ask you herself. So she's taking this opportunity to pressure you."

Di Youzhi fell silent, shut his mouth, and lowered his head.

He also realized that if Pei Qinghua truly didn't want to, the reason she blocked him at the yamen the day before yesterday wasn't to demand an answer, but rather to point her finger at him and hurl insults...

After a while, Di Youzhi suddenly chuckled.

Xu Yuan waved his hand dismissively: "I'm leaving!"

The young master was satisfied, and the lively scene was quite interesting.

Although Di Youzhi and Pei Qinghua were celebrating their wedding, they didn't abandon their responsibilities.

Lord Xu harbored resentment and deliberately separated the two, assigning each of them heavy tasks, keeping Di Youzhi extremely busy.

Pei Qinghua has been avoiding Lord Xu these past few days.

Xu Yuan, on the contrary, became the most idle person in the yamen.

Xu Yuan then began to seriously consider how to "refine myself".

(End of this chapter)