I changed the world.

"...It has been preliminarily confirmed that the terrorist attack that occurred at the Haiyun Building in Gangneung was carried out by the notorious terrorist organization 'Lova Front'."

Preliminary investigations indicate that the perpetrators of the terrorist attack were all members of the "Lova Front"... originally from the island of Keeling, the second largest island in the Spice Islands... and joined the terrorist organization "Lova Front" due to the influence of extremist ideologies.

The main purpose of their trip to Linzhou was to perpetrate a massacre in the core southeastern region of the empire in order to expand their organization's influence... Currently, all the perpetrators have been killed on the spot..."

“These island barbarians are all worthless, always messing around with this crap. If you ask me, we should learn from those Westerners on the Black Continent and send them to plantations to work until they die…” Jin Wang snorted and said disdainfully as he heard the radio broadcast coming from the car’s speakers.

"Perhaps the higher-ups think that our country, a nation of officials and nobles, still needs to maintain some dignity..." Zhang Jing chuckled as he sat in the back seat with Jin Wang. In his mind, however, he was calculating. It seemed this was another smokescreen. He naturally knew what had happened at the Haiyun Building that night, but now they were being framed for a terrorist attack. It seemed the truth was still not going to be revealed.

Early this morning, Jin Wang took a car to pick up Zhang Jing for tea, so Zhang Jing didn't drive himself but got into Jin Wang's car and went together.

Jin Wang's car is a rather sturdy-looking 7-seater SUV, also from the Knight brand, and even larger than Zhang Jing's. It looks imposing and gives the impression of being quite resistant to impact.

"Brother, this car is nice. Is it new?"

“Yeah, to be honest, little brother, after what happened in Nanzhao, I was really scared. So… I switched to a more durable and reliable car. Your sister-in-law also told me that I must bring a driver with me from now on, I can’t go out alone…” Jin Wang patted his belly and chuckled, gesturing to the driver in front: “Little Liu is a retired soldier, he’s quite skilled, of course, not as good as you, little brother…”

..............................

About half an hour later, the vehicle drove along Yunhu Lake and finally turned onto a secluded path by the lake. After driving for a while, a gate appeared ahead with a sign that read "Private property, no tourists allowed".

However, Jin Wang's car did not stop all the way in. When it arrived at the gate, the gate opened automatically, indicating that the vehicle had been registered.

Zhang Jing glanced around and saw that the covered bridges and lakeside pavilions were nestled among the green trees. The lotus flowers had already faded this season, and the lake surface looked somewhat desolate. However, there were still many evergreen plants growing lushly along the lake, and occasionally a gardener could be seen tending to some plants.

As the vehicle drove further in, the surrounding area was laid out in the style of a Jiangnan garden, with large lawns and precious broad-leaved plants on both sides of the road, making it appear more grand than ordinary Jiangnan gardens that are mainly exquisite.

Since the vehicle entered, Zhang Jing hadn't seen anyone except for the occasional sweeper and gardener; the entire garden was extremely quiet.

"This is Qingyuan, a villa belonging to the Shen family. It is said to have been built by Shen Gong, whose given name was Hanqing," Jin Wang explained, pointing to the garden outside from the car.

Zhang Jing nodded. To have a garden of this size in such a location by Yunhu Lake is something that not everyone can achieve.

The car quickly stopped in a parking lot shaded by tall trees. The driver, Xiao Liu, got out of the car and opened the door for the two of them. After they got out of the car, he discreetly lagged behind them and followed.

Chapter 175 Mr. Shen

After getting out of the car, Zhang Jing glanced around. Although the surroundings were quiet and there was no one in sight, his keen senses allowed him to easily spot surveillance equipment and security personnel in several locations, both near and far. The security personnel, in particular, were positioned in places that were not easily noticeable from the average viewpoint. Clearly, the security here was not as lax as it appeared.

Jin Wang led Zhang Jing along a stone path, casually introducing the surrounding scenery to him as he went.

Soon, they arrived at a pavilion-style building with carved beams and painted rafters. Zhang Jing noticed that there were a large number of osmanthus trees around the building, as well as many other evergreen trees scattered around. It was a pity that it was not the flowering season, otherwise the surrounding area would have been filled with fragrance.

The pavilion is located next to a wide lake, which, judging from its location adjacent to Cloud Lake, is likely fed directly from Cloud Lake. Water birds can be seen skimming across the surface, and large, red carp can be seen occasionally darting by in a fleeting, breathtaking chase.

"This is Guanhu Tower. Mr. Shen usually stays here around this time," Jin Wang said, leading Zhang Jing forward.

After walking a few more steps, Zhang Jing saw an elderly man in plain clothes slowly practicing a kind of Tai Chi-like martial art in an open space ahead. Zhang Jing glanced at him and knew that the old man didn't have any real skill, and his posture was inaccurate; he was just exercising for his own enjoyment.

"Master Guo, your boxing skills have really improved..." Upon seeing the old man, Jin Wang's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, "It's been a while since I paid my respects to you, I've missed you dearly!"

"What do I, an old geezer, have to miss? You fatso, you're just too sweet-talking..." The old man stopped his fist fight upon hearing this, smiled and pointed at Jin Wang. He then took a steaming towel from the respectfully waiting waiter, wiped his face and hands, and then handed the towel back to the waiter.

Jin Wang was clearly acquainted with the old man. After exchanging a few words, he also introduced Zhang Jing, who was standing nearby. Zhang Jing then bowed to the old man in greeting. The old man didn't show much enthusiasm for Zhang Jing, returning the greeting with a perfunctory compliment, simply praising him as a handsome man.

After chatting with the old man for a few more minutes, Jin Wang bowed and took his leave, leading Zhang Jing to continue walking forward.

Passing through a hanging flower gate, the two quickly arrived at the foot of the pavilion. A plaque hung above the open door, which read "Guanhu Tower". On both sides were a couplet: the first line reads: "Leaning on the railing, watching the cloud shadows and shimmering waves, the best view is when the red smartweed flowers are sparse and the white duckweed is old in autumn"; the second line reads: "Raising a cup to the jade palace, let us not fail to appreciate the moon in the sky and the wind on the water."

Stepping inside, a warm feeling washes over you, indicating that heating is in place. The first floor's decor differs from typical traditional Eastern styles, incorporating Western elements and prioritizing comfort. Various pieces of furniture, tables, chairs, bookshelves, and readily available tea, vegetables, and fruits are arranged in a relaxed and inviting manner.

On the east side, near the window, a lady dressed in classical attire is playing the zither with her head bowed, the music elegant and refined.

A refined-looking middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back in front of the bookshelf, seemingly searching for suitable content. Zhang Jing glanced at him casually and noticed that the bookshelf in front of him was mostly filled with magazines, judging from the titles, they were mainly about current affairs and social sciences, both domestic and foreign.

"Greetings, Mr. Luo Shan. It's been a long time."

"Oh, it's Fuyuan. Le Gong and the others are upstairs drinking tea and playing mahjong..."

Jin Wang's eyes lit up when he heard the words "playing mahjong," but he shook his head again and said, "Oh dear, that's unfortunate. I had an appointment with Brother Shizhai today to introduce him to this young man of mine." (Shen Hangong, courtesy name Delin, pen name Shizhai Zhuren)

"Come, Hongjian, this is Mr. Luoshan..."

..............................

After another round of bows and farewells, Zhang Jing and Jin Wang bid farewell to the middle-aged man. With his kind directions, they passed through a side door and arrived at a spacious waterfront terrace that stretched out over the lake, covering several hundred square meters.

In front of the terrace is a wide and calm lake, and in the distance, rolling mountains can be seen. The ground is paved with blue bricks, and the surrounding area is surrounded by exquisitely carved white marble railings. Surprisingly, although it is outdoors, it is as warm as indoors, obviously because some special heating devices are placed in some inconspicuous places.

A middle-aged man in a blue robe stood by the lake, with a painting table in front of him and a brush in his hand, intently painting something.

"Brother Shizhai, you have such refined tastes!" Jin Wang led Zhang Jing to the middle-aged man's side, and Jin Wang smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

At this moment, the middle-aged man also noticed someone approaching. He casually placed the brush in his hand on the brush rest, turned around, and seeing that it was Jin Wang, he smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "Fu Yuan, I was just thinking you were coming over at this time. You should be here soon..."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhang Jing standing next to Jin Wang: "This must be Hongjian, indeed a handsome man..."

Just as Shen Hangong was sizing up Zhang Jing, Zhang Jing also quickly glanced at the middle-aged man in front of him. He saw that the man had a square face, a dignified appearance, a slightly high hairline, and wore an exquisite gold-inlaid jade hair ornament on his head. He had a short mustache on both his upper and lower lips, which was clearly well-groomed. He was wearing a comfortable blue feather robe and had a gentle smile on his face, looking very amiable.

"Greetings, Mr. Shen." Zhang Jing bowed to the middle-aged man and greeted him. Before coming, he had already been introduced by Jin Wang to the man in front of him, who was Shen Bicheng's eldest son, Shen Hangong, the current head of the Shen family, the largest aristocratic family in Linzhou.

"Come, come, knowing you were coming, I specially had some fine tea brought out for you to try..." Shen Hangong said, gesturing to the side where a waiter had already set out a tea table and chairs. The three of them sat down, and soon, two beautiful maids set out a series of items for them: an exquisite charcoal stove, a celadon water bowl, an iron kettle, and a set of tea utensils...

Finally, a maid dressed in simple clothes knelt to one side and skillfully began to boil water and brew tea. A little further away, another maid placed an antique-style openwork incense burner there, and after a short while, a faint, elegant fragrance began to permeate the surroundings.

Jin Wang was clearly used to this, but Zhang Jing had never seen this kind of aristocratic behavior before and found it quite interesting.

..............................

The three of them started chatting about the scenery they had seen along the way. As the atmosphere warmed up, the topic quickly turned to the kidnapping that Jin Wang and Zhang Jing's tour group had encountered in Nanzhao. Zhang Jing could sense that this was actually the main reason why Mr. Shen wanted to see him...

It's clear that Jin Wang's relationship with the Shen family is closer than he had anticipated. In addition, his performance before and after the Nanzhao Public Auction was indeed somewhat legendary, which is probably why Shen Hangong was willing to meet him.

In fact, Zhang Jing was not on the same level as Shen Hangong in terms of wealth or social status. However, in their conversation, Zhang Jing did not feel looked down upon at all.

It must be said that this is a very likable person. He treats people with a gentle and warm attitude, without the arrogance of someone from a high-ranking family. On the contrary, he is very humble and polite in his speech, and he is relaxed and unpretentious.

Even though Zhang Jing was a time traveler with the experience of two lifetimes, he couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably disposed towards him. He secretly praised the current head of the Shen family, thinking that he was indeed a remarkable person.

About twenty minutes later, a waiter rushed over and whispered a few words in Shen Hangong's ear. Zhang Jing, with his sharp ears, heard it clearly; it seemed to be a reminder that there was another video conference.

Then, Shen Hangong nodded and waved to him, and the waiter bowed and withdrew. Then Shen Hangong stood up with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting to the two of them: "I'm busy with worldly affairs, and I have a video conference scheduled, so I can't keep people waiting."

"Brother Shizhai, you may go ahead. I will accompany Hongjian."

"Mr. Shen, please make yourself at home."

“Hongjian, since this is your first time here, let Fuyuan show you around. There are quite a few things to see in Qingyuan. We’ll have lunch upstairs. This morning, some fishermen caught some fresh lake fish, and I asked them to prepare a few of their signature dishes. Try the chef’s skills here,” Shen Hangong patted Zhang Jing’s arm and instructed.

Afterwards, the three bowed to each other again before Shen Hangong turned and left.