Joy of Life: I'm really not a saint

Li An secretly thought that the dinner was so efficient, and said, "Lead the way."

The destination was Shen Zhong's private residence, and it took the group half an incense stick of time to arrive.

"You are the commander-in-chief, why do you live so far away from the imperial palace?" asked Hong Kaijia.

Without any notification, everyone was taken directly into the Shen Mansion.

Walking into the courtyard, although this is a private residence, it is guarded by many Jinyiwei.

After everyone entered the hall, they found that the furnishings inside were very simple, mainly in black, with a bit of military style.

Although it is a home, it feels like a court.

At this time, a guard came forward, put his palms together, saluted, and said, "Please wait a moment, everyone. The commander has just finished his official business and is changing clothes in the inner room. Please sit down for a moment."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

When Li An and others sat down, the servants began to serve the dishes.

The dishes were not fancy, but the portions were surprisingly large. After the food was served, Shen Zhong slowly came out, as if the timing was calculated well.

A smell of blood hit my face.

"Sir, everyone, sorry for the wait!"

Shen Zhong's smile seemed very stiff. Although he often smiled at people, it was mostly a false mask.

Now, of course, he couldn't face Li Ang in this way, so he wanted to adjust himself, which made him look stiff.

"Lord Shen has just finished interrogating the prisoner. The smell of blood is almost pungent." Wang Shisanlang asked with a smile.

"It's my fault!" Shen Zhong apologized and said hurriedly, "It was stained with some blood. I changed my clothes immediately after returning home. I didn't expect the smell has not dissipated yet. Please don't blame me."

"Everyone, come and eat!" He stretched out his hand and pointed at the food on the table.

Hong Kaijia laughed exaggeratedly, as if he was not affected by the smell of blood: "Master Shen is still careful, we haven't eaten enough in the palace!"

"Eat your food, so much talk."

Li An scolded his disciple slightly, but did not mean to blame him.

This was my own words, but his words were offensive to the dignity of the royal family, so I spoke out to stop him.

"Hahaha." Shen Zhong's smile was more sincere now. He agreed with Hong Kaijia's words and said, "The banquets in the palace are just so-so. They are exquisite, but they are for the civil officials. We warriors really can't get enough to eat."

"Everyone is here at my house, please feel free to do as you please."

Seeing this, everyone began to relish their appetite and started eating and drinking.

Originally, Wang Shisanlang and the others had become familiar with Shen Zhong after spending more than ten days together on the way to the capital, so they were no longer restrained.

When Li An was about 70% full, he poured himself a glass of wine and started drinking.

"Lord Shen invited us to his house so soon. Is there something wrong?" Li An asked.

"It's nothing, just a simple meal."

"Oh?" Li An raised his eyebrows: "Is it really so?"

"This..." Shen Zhong hesitated for a moment. To him, it was not just a simple meal. He immediately said, "It's not a big deal."

Li An drank a glass of wine, which was of average quality, and said, "Tell me about it."

Shen Zhong wiped his mouth, put down the silk cloth and said, "Sir, you know that after you left Southern Qing, the Qing Kingdom's envoys set off for our Northern Qi."

"The head of the delegation is none other than Mr. Fan Xian, your good friend."

Li An nodded, indicating that he knew about this.

Shen Zhong continued, "I believe you also understand the deal I made with Shang Shan Hu more than half a month ago. He gave me Yan Bingyun, and I gave him the most likely route map for the delegation. We both got what we needed."

"But Lord Shen doesn't seem to want Sean to return to Northern Qi alive, right?" Li An found the loophole in the question and asked Shen Zhong in return.

"Mr. has noticed it."

Shen Zhong said with a smile: "If Xiao En can't come back, then Yan Bingyun will naturally not have to be released. I will also have more time to catch those Qing Kingdom spies hiding in Shangjing City."

"As for the routes I told Uesugi Tora, they are also true. In a transaction, it is natural to be honest and fair. Sir, you should understand me on this point."

"It doesn't matter. The route is real, and I don't think Shangshanhu can save Xiao En. After all, Fan Xian, the head of the delegation, is a good friend of Mr., so he should be very difficult to deal with."

Seeing Shen Zhong talking about his inner thoughts in great detail, Li An reminded him, "What exactly do you want to say?"

"Look at me, my chatterbox is always causing trouble." Shen Zhong pretended to slap his lips and said, "Since the master is here, why should I do those useless things?"

"This Yan Bingyun is very stubborn. I really put in a lot of effort. But I haven't been able to get anything useful out of him yet. So I thought of asking you to help me find these spies. This is also a good thing for the country and the people. Afterwards, I will pay you a reward that will satisfy you."

"Haha, you actually understand my situation clearly." Li An said with a smile.

"Don't dare."

Shen Zhong waited for Li An's answer, but to his surprise, Li An still shook his head. "Forget about this question. At this time, Qing's spy network in Northern Qi is already half-destroyed, so there is no need to worry. Fan Xian came to Shangjing to take over this network. Then Lord Shen only needs to keep a close eye on Fan Xian."

Hearing this, Shen nodded and fell into deep thought.

After a while, he came to his senses and called everyone, "Drink, drink."

"I originally invited you to dinner, but I asked you questions. I shouldn't have done that. Let's just treat it as a small talk."

Li An did not comment, "It was just a casual chat."

Shen Zhong then started chatting with everyone about the beautiful scenery of Shangjing. He was eloquent, humorous and able to put down his pride, which naturally made the atmosphere at the table very good.

After a long while, he sighed and said, "Our Great Qi is rich in natural resources, with beautiful mountains and clear waters, outstanding people and a beautiful environment. The people are resting and recuperating, and the population is large. In your opinion, if our Great Qi counterattacks Nanqing, what are the chances of success?"

His expression was calm, yet somewhat serious.

Chapter 114 Luxurious Garden.

Shen Zhong acts ruthlessly and behaves crazily because he loves Northern Qi very much. He does not want his country to be bullied by Southern Qing all the time, so he wants to understand the opinions of Li An, who can see through things.

"Originally, I didn't even have a 10% chance of winning." Li An paused for a moment, then smiled mysteriously, "But now that I've come to Northern Qi, I have a 50% chance of winning. In another five years, it will be 70%, and in ten years, it will be 90%!"

The last ten percent needs to be asked from the temple.

"Sir, you are so talented, I admire you so much!"

After Shen Zhong finished speaking, he stood up and bowed to Li An. His expression showed that he was very serious and grateful.

He did not doubt Li Ang's words at all. Not to mention his status as a grandmaster and his reputation as a divine fortune teller, even if he wanted to deceive him, it would not do him any good.

"Sit down, sir. There is no need for this."

Li An smiled and said that now that the camp had changed, it was a good time to find some helpers, so he said, "Here is an answer to sell to Lord Shen."

"Oh?" Shen Zhong straightened up and looked serious. Seeing that Li An was serious, he couldn't help but soften his tone and said, "Sir, please go ahead."

As he said this, he waved his hand, and the Jinyiwei beside him carried out the sandalwood box that had been prepared long ago and placed it in the center of the room.

That's quite clever. Has this been prepared long ago?

Li An recalled the general developments and organized his words, "I wonder if Lord Shen knows that today the grudges between the Queen Mother and Your Majesty have been resolved, and there will be no hostility in the future. Therefore, there will be no fight between the Queen Mother's party and the Emperor's party."

"And what about you, Lord Shen? What is your position?"

Shen Zhong was shocked when he heard this, and thought that he had to quickly find out what had happened in the palace today that had led to such a major change.

Seeing that Shen Zhong was concerned, Li An continued with a smile and asked, "Your Excellency has acted eccentrically and is arrogant because of your high achievements. This move will inevitably offend many people. In the future, you should be careful about what you say and do. Otherwise, you may die from the alienation plot of outsiders."

"Thank you sir for the wake-up call!"

Shen Zhong understood the hidden meaning of Li An's words, and thought to himself that it was a wise move to establish a good relationship with him before!

After learning about Li An's current residence, he ordered the servants to carry the box to outside Li An's mansion and wait, and he would not talk about this for now.

I only heard him say, "Sir, if you need me in the future, please let me know."

Seeing that Li An did not refuse, he could not help but say one more thing: "Sir, you still have to be careful of these scoundrels when you act in Shangjing City in the future. Although you are not afraid of them, you will be annoyed. If you need it, I can draw people from the Jinyiwei Mansion to protect the mansion and get rid of these boring noises."

"Don't bother Lord Shen about this. With us protecting the teacher, you won't have to worry!" Hong Kaijia retorted to Shen Zhong. Even Yan Xiaoyi and Wang Shisanlang looked over unfriendly, showing their ninth-rank aura without concealing it.

My dear, what does this sentence mean?

"Eh?" Shen Zhong flicked his sleeves and said disapprovingly, "Brother Xiao Hong, do you know how many people in Shangjing City have disappeared at unknown street corners while walking?"

Wang Shisanlang sneered and said, "Your Excellency is talking about ordinary people. As for us, even though you are here, it would be difficult for the other party to succeed if they don't have a few ninth-grade masters!"

Shen Zhong sensed Wang Shisanlang's confidence and repeatedly pondered the meaning of his words. Only then did he realize that he had been overthinking it.

He smiled apologetically and said, "I forgot your strength. I just thought that you also need some people to use. I didn't mean to belittle you."

A few people chatted with each other and ended the lunch.

When Li An and others were about to leave the Shen Mansion, Li An suddenly turned around and asked Shen Zhong: "What does Lord Shen think of Master Ku He?"

This?

Shen Zhong was so shocked that he almost lost his composure, thinking that the Imperial Master Ku He had been living in seclusion in Xuankong Mountain for many years, how could he see and understand him? Moreover, he knew that Ku He had a strong murderous heart and kept his word, so he was far less easy to get along with than Li An.

Then he said, "Master Ku He has not been in the court for many years. Even when he is doing things, it is often his disciples who do the hard work and walk around in the world. Therefore, I don't know much about Master Ku He."

"Does the lord know where the green mountain is?" Li An asked.

"Sir, you should ask His Majesty when you are free, or you can ask the Saint!"

Shen Zhong said with a wry smile on his face.

Seeing that he was unwilling to talk more about this matter, Li An did not ask any more questions. He nodded to Shen Dian, and then left the Shen Mansion with Wang Shisanlang.

······

On the way home.

Wang Shisanlang looked around and said, "No one is following us secretly."

"This person is the kind of person who will repay a favor and avenge a grievance. Not only will he repay, but he will do it immediately. After repaying, he will draw a clear line between himself and others." Yan Xiaoyi has a venomous look and is very good at judging people.

Li An nodded and walked ahead.

"If this person is used well, it can be considered a help. If you want to achieve your wish."

Yan Xiaoyi nodded, and when passing by a blacksmith shop, he left the team for a while before turning back.

As they walked along, when they arrived at the mansion given by the little emperor, they were all stunned.

Is this the world of Shenhao?

This luxurious garden is located in the east of Shangjing City. In this prosperous place, where every inch of land is valuable, it covers an extremely large area. There are two tall stone sculptures standing on both sides of the entrance. It is hard to tell what kind of animals they are. If you take out your phone and compare it with the Classic of Mountains and Seas, you should be able to find similar monsters.

They just squat there quietly, as if they are guarding the mysterious garden behind them. The whole house can be said to be a place of tranquility in a bustling city.

Li An and his companions entered the house and saw that it was surrounded by verdant pines and cypresses and jagged rocks. Even in late autumn, the trees were still lush and green, standing tall. The sun shone through the clouds, revealing the golden splendor of the buildings next to it. Walking along the stone path, through the lush front yard, and along the corridor, there was a medium-sized terrace.

Standing here you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the entire garden, which is refreshing.

Only then can you see that there is a lake of water in the middle of the yard!

If you feel it carefully, you can see that the water is flowing. It should be connecting to the moat outside the city and flowing towards the river.

After coming to their senses, everyone came to the main hall and took a short rest.

"Sir, we are now comfortable. We can accommodate more people!"

Hong Kaijia said excitedly.

Li An understood that his disciple was missing the days in Wanshizhai.

"Kaijia is right, this place is really big, I will have a place to practice sword skills in the future." Wang Shisanlang said: "The little emperor is really generous!"

"This mansion is quite nice. Let's talk about it. What should we name it?"

Li An asked the three people, to be honest, he didn't want to call it Li Mansion, Guoshi Mansion or something like that, he still wanted to give it a proper name.

"How about that." Hong Kaijia raised his hand. This was a habit he had left over from before. He said, "How about we just call it Wanshizhai?"

After hesitating for a moment, Li Ang couldn't think of any nice name. However, he had not read much, so this was the only option.

He nodded, his ears twitched slightly, and he told his disciple, "Someone has arrived outside the palace. Kaijia, go over there."

Hong Kaijia left quickly and came back with two groups of people after a while.

One group was the Jinyiwei from the Shen Mansion.

One group was eunuchs from the palace.

Ang Lee rubbed his hands, licked his lips, and thought to himself: It's harvest time again!