Chapter 444: Villa

After one stick of incense, a green tweed sedan suddenly appeared at the back alley of Zhu Peng's mansion.

In the dark night, four sedan bearers carried the sedan, and a servant led the way with a lantern.

They walked to a street corner and met a patrolling team of soldiers.

At this time, it was already midnight, and as usual, the soldiers would interrogate the sedan when they saw it.

The leader of the patrolling team raised his hand to stop the sedan, and asked respectfully: "May I ask who is in the sedan?"

The man stood beside the servant, his eyes fixed on the slightly swaying curtain of the green tweed sedan behind the servant.

The servant shouted with a lantern: "My master is Master Zhu of the Privy Council, and he has something to do and is out."

The man stood there, his eyes flickering. The Privy Council is a confidential government office, and the man's surname is Zhu, so he has guessed who it is.

At this time, the curtain of the sedan chair had been lifted up a corner, and Zhu Peng poked his head out, his face obviously unhappy, and said coldly: "What's the matter?"

The man often patrolled in this area, so he naturally recognized Zhu Peng. He immediately bent down and said with a smile on his face: "Master Zhu, I am Wang Gui, I am ordered to patrol. Sorry to bother you."

Zhu Peng said: "It's Wang Gui! You kid really haven't made any progress. After two or three years, you are still a patrol leader. Here, this silver, give the brothers tea."

Zhu Peng said, and he had already stretched out his hand to shake out a silver note.

Wang Gui immediately stepped forward to take it. With the residual light of the lantern, he saw the face value of the silver note, and his heart skipped a beat. He shouted respectfully, saying: "Thank you, Master!"

At this time, Zhu Peng had already lowered the curtain. The servant waved his hand, and the four sedan bearers lifted the sedan chair and walked forward.

Wang Gui stood there, looking at the sedan chair pole that was bent by pressure, and frowned slightly.

The sedan chair pole was bent like that. Besides Zhu Peng, there were obviously other things in the sedan chair. They were either valuables or there was another person...

However, Wang Gui didn't intend to investigate this matter. As a patrol leader, how could he care about the affairs of the adults?

Wang Gui put the silver bills in his sleeves and led the team of soldiers out of the street to patrol the other side.

In the dreary night, in the swaying green velvet sedan chair, Zhu Peng sat hunched on the legs of a man with a full beard. Both of them were not small and almost filled the space in the sedan chair.

As the sedan chair bumped, Zhu Peng's body could not help but rise and fall. That posture was really a bit ecstatic...

Zhu Zhengfu's mansion was also on Changle Street, not far from Zhu Peng. In just half an incense stick of time, the sedan chair had entered the back alley of Zhu Zhengfu's mansion and stopped at a remote corner gate.

Zhu Peng lifted the curtain and walked out, walked to the corner door, and knocked three times gently.

The corner door opened a crack, and a face illuminated by a lantern stretched out. It was the face of a middle-aged man in his forties, with a deep forehead wrinkle. Zhu Peng naturally recognized him. This was Zhu Zhengfu's housekeeper Zhu Yu.

When Zhu Yu saw Zhu Peng, he called out in a hoarse voice: "Seventh Master!"

Zhu Peng was the seventh in their generation, and Zhu Zhengfu was his uncle. Zhu Yu called him like this, calling him according to the family rank, which was more intimate.

Zhu Peng whispered: "The person has come!"

Zhu Yu understood and immediately opened the corner door.

Zhu Peng stood there and coughed. Then he saw the curtain of the green velvet sedan sway, and a figure was already standing behind Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu felt a chill on the back of his neck, like a breeze blowing. He turned his head and saw a figure standing behind him like a ghost.

Although Zhu Yu felt his scalp tingling, he was the housekeeper of the Guanglu Dafu Mansion after all, and he had seen a lot of the world. He had even seen Zhu He twice.

He held a lantern, bowed slightly to the figure behind him, and called him "Sir".

Zhu Peng stood there, waved to the servants and sedan bearers, and then walked into the door, turning back to close the corner door.

Here, housekeeper Zhu Yu held a lantern and led Duan Rong and Zhu Peng along a somewhat remote path. Zhu Yu said as he walked: "I have sent away all the patrolling guards along the way."

After walking along the path for a while, they bypassed a pond and walked into a corridor. After walking for a while in the corridor, Zhu Yu led Duan Rong and Zhu Peng and stopped in front of a room. In the room, the dim light was faintly visible through the gauze pasted on the carved lattice.

Zhu Yu stood there, bowed slightly to Duan Rong, then stretched out his hand to knock on the door three times, and then pushed the door open without waiting for a response from inside.

Zhu Yu stood at the door, stretched out his hand and said, "Please come in, sir. My master has been waiting for a long time!"

Duan Rong and Zhu Peng walked in one after the other.

Zhu Yu closed the door behind him, holding a lantern and guarding outside.

As soon as Duan Rong stepped into the door, he saw two figures, who immediately knelt down in front of him and shouted, "Your humble servant greets you, sir!"

The kneeling people were Zhu Zhengfu, the Grand Master of the Imperial Household, and Zhu Cheng, the Chief of the Dali Temple.

Zhu Cheng would be fine.

Zhu Zhengfu was the Grand Master of the Imperial Household, one of the four ministers of the Four Ministers of the First Order, in charge of the money and grain taxes of the entire Qingzhou, and he could be said to be one of the most powerful people in the secular world.

At this time, he also knelt down in front of Duan Rong.

In fact, what Zhu Zhengfu and the others did was etiquette.

Duan Rong was Zhu He's direct disciple, and in terms of seniority, he was only one generation lower than Zhu He. But Zhu He was the ancestor of their Zhu family.

In terms of official position, Duan Rong was the direct disciple of the sect elder.

The Lord of the Palace and the Four Lords, even if they were the power center of the entire Qingzhou, they still had to perform formalities when they met the inner disciples, let alone the direct disciples like Duan Rong.

Zhu Peng stood beside Duan Rong, looking at Zhu Zhengfu and Zhu Cheng who knelt in front of Duan Rong, and was slightly startled. He only realized at this time that when he saw Duan Rong, he put his arm around his shoulders and called him brothers, which was really inappropriate!

Zhu Peng immediately slid down and knelt down, and also shouted: "Greetings, sir!"

Duan Rong looked at Zhu Peng's funny appearance of sliding far away after kneeling, smiled slightly, and said: "This is not the first time we meet, everyone, don't be polite."

Duan Rong said, and personally went to help Zhu Zhengfu. Zhu Zhengfu didn't dare to let Duan Rong help him, and stood up immediately.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng saw Zhu Zhengfu stand up, and they also stood up.

Zhu Zhengfu said, "Sir, please take a seat!"

Duan Rong was not polite either, and sat directly in front of the screen, the one on the right of the two armchairs at the top. After he sat down, several people sat down.

As soon as Duan Rong sat down, he looked at Zhu Zhengfu and said with a faint smile, "Sir, why am I here this time? I guess you already know, right?"

Zhu Zhengfu nodded cautiously and said, "Sir, the old ancestor sent a letter, and I received it five days ago."

Zhu Peng sat there, confused. He still didn't know why Duan Rong came this time. He didn't even know the letter from the old ancestor. He believed that if Duan Rong hadn't come to him as soon as he came, Zhu Zhengfu would not have called him for this meeting today.

Duan Rong looked at Zhu Zhengfu, nodded, and said straight to the point, "I need detailed information about Li Shensi now, the more detailed the better."

Zhu Peng's heart moved when he heard Li Shensi's name. He naturally knew this Shangshu Ling who had just taken office for two months. Duan Rong came for Li Shensi, could it be...? Zhu Peng's mind was rolling, and he looked at Duan Rong in astonishment.

Zhu Zhengfu heard this, but silently glanced at Zhu Cheng.

Zhu Cheng immediately stood up, picked up a thick stack of documents, and placed it on the table beside Duan Rong, and then stepped back, clasped his fists and said respectfully: "Your Excellency, this is the detailed information of Li Shensi, and the various major and minor events we have found out since he took office two months ago. I have made a preliminary arrangement in chronological order, please read it."

Duan Rong's eyes jumped slightly when he heard this. He noticed Zhu Cheng's choice of words and the major and minor events he had found out, which showed that the Zhu family had placed spies around Li Shensi.

Duan Rong glanced at the thick stack of documents, and his eyes moved slightly. Such a thick information was obviously not sorted out in one day. No wonder he found that Zhu Cheng's eyes were a little dark when he came in. It is estimated that he had been up for several nights to sort out this information.

Duan Rong said: "There are also all possible trips of Li Shensi in the past half month, even the trips with low possibility, all of them should be listed, no less."

Duan Rong said, while looking at Zhu Cheng with a cold look.

Obviously, Zhu Zhengfu has handed this matter to Zhu Cheng. However, Zhu Cheng is the temple chief of the Dali Temple. It is not only his strengths but also his job convenience to handle this matter. He is indeed a good candidate.

Zhu Cheng clasped his fists and said: "I have already started to sort it out. There is only one tail left to be completed. I will definitely hand it over to you tomorrow morning."

Duan Rong nodded with satisfaction. He was still very satisfied with Zhu Cheng's steadiness and efficiency. He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said: "My lords, do you have anything to add?"

Everyone in the hall was silent.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "That's it for today. I'll discuss the details with you all after I finish reading the information."

At this time, Zhu Zhengfu smiled and said, "Sir, I have cleaned up the other courtyard in the mansion. I have arranged reliable people to serve. Your actions are confidential, so it's better to stay in the mansion, which is more secretive, and it is also convenient for me to pay my respects and report in the morning and evening."

No mistakes, one sentence, one content, one content, one book, one bar!

Duan Rong said, "That's good. Thank you for your consideration."

Zhu Zhengfu said, "This is all my job. How dare I thank you?"

Zhu Zhengfu said, he picked up the documents on the table and said with a smile, "I will take you to the other courtyard to stay."

Duan Rong said, "Thank you, sir."

Duan Rong got up and strode out the door. Zhu Zhengfu immediately followed with the document in his arms. When he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, and suddenly turned around, looking at Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng, and said, "Zhu Cheng, go back and get busy. Zhu Peng, don't leave yet, wait for me here."

Duan Rong walked out of the room, Zhu Zhengfu followed with the document in his arms, and the housekeeper Zhu Yu held a lantern to lead the way for the two.

The other courtyard was not far from here, and the reason why Zhu Zhengfu chose this place to meet Duan Rong was to make it convenient to go to the other courtyard.

After the two left, Zhu Cheng hurriedly left because he had to go back to sort out Li Shensi's recent schedule that Duan Rong had mentioned. So, in the empty room, only Zhu Peng was left sitting there alone, with the door wide open. The late autumn wind blew through the hall, blowing Zhu Peng's neck slightly cold.

Zhu Zhengfu walked while talking to Duan Rong, and not far away, he had already reached the other courtyard.

The other courtyard was quiet, and the room inside was brightly lit with red candles.

There was a figure at the door. In the late autumn night, he was lying on a large bluestone at the door with his chest exposed. He was holding a jar of wine and pouring it down his throat. He didn't even raise his eyelids as if he didn't see Duan Rong and Zhu Zhengfu coming.

Zhu Zhengfu looked at Duan Rong and said with a smile: "Don't blame me, sir! This man is called Qiu Luan, and he is a personal guard of mine. He has some quirks in his temperament, but he is loyal and has good cultivation. I asked him to come over and watch the door for you."

Duan Rong's eyes moved slightly, and his consciousness had penetrated the man's Dantian.

The fourth level of the True Qi Realm!

This is already the top master in the secular world.

Because the secular world's vitality is thin, it is impossible to advance to the Yuan Qi Realm.

Zhu Zhengfu is Zhu He's bloodline after all, and he is Guanglu Doctor. It is not surprising to have such a guard.

Duan Rong only glanced at the man and strode into the room. Butler Zhu Yu stood at the door holding a lantern and did not enter the other courtyard.

Zhu Zhengfu followed Duan Rong in with the documents in his arms. He put the documents on the table and said with a smile, "I have renovated this place in the past few days. If you are not satisfied with the living here, please tell me."

Duan Rong also found that the tables and chairs seemed to be new, shining with a round luster under the red candlelight.

Duan Rong said, "Don't worry, Master Zhu! Duan Rong came here for important matters, and these small matters are not important. I really don't care how I live!"

Zhu Zhengfu's face was a little embarrassed, and he said, "No wonder the ancestor values ​​you so much!"

Duan Rong and Zhu Zhengfu walked all the way, and he had already found that Zhu Zhengfu's words were a bit pretentious and too smooth. If he had to get along with each other, he would rather get along with Zhu Peng and Zhu Cheng.

Zhu Peng was innocent and generous, and Zhu Cheng was calm and capable. They were both people who could make friends.

Duan Rong stood there and yawned deliberately.

Zhu Zhengfu immediately understood and said, "It's getting late, I won't disturb you to rest."

Duan Rong said, "Will you sit for a while, Master Zhu?"

Zhu Zhengfu said, "No, I will pay my respects to you tomorrow."

Zhu Zhengfu left the courtyard as he spoke.

Duan Rong watched Zhu Zhengfu leave, then sat in front of the table, and under the bright red candlelight, he prepared to take a general look at the documents that Zhu Cheng had sorted out.

The housekeeper led Zhu Zhengfu back to the room with a lantern.

In the room, Zhu Peng had been waiting there for a while.

When Zhu Peng saw Zhu Zhengfu coming in, he immediately stood up and respectfully called him "Seventh Uncle".

Zhu Zhengfu was indeed his real seventh uncle. But Zhu Zhengfu always looked down on his nephew.

Zhu Zhengfu hummed, and then sat down on a chair not far from Zhu Peng, saying: "Zhu Peng! I asked you to wait for me because I wanted to remind you again that the visit of Lord Duan Rong today and every word in this room must not be spread out! Do you understand?"

Zhu Peng's face changed slightly when he heard this.

He thought Zhu Zhengfu asked him to wait here because he had something important to tell him.

So that's what he said! ?

From Zhu Zhengfu's tone, he still regarded him as an innocent child!

Zhu Peng immediately choked in his heart and said: "How could my nephew talk nonsense about such a confidential matter of Uncle Qi? Is it possible that my nephew is so vulnerable in Uncle Qi's heart?"

Zhu Zhengfu sighed and said: "Uncle Qi has watched you grow up since you were a child, doesn't he know you? You are shallow-minded, arrogant, and have no scheming. I will not feel at ease if I don't tell you one thing."

Zhu Peng was even more angry and couldn't speak for a long time.

Zhu Zhengfu said, "Okay! Go back and rest early. Don't blame Uncle Qi for scolding you, you have to improve yourself!"

Zhu Peng suppressed his anger, reluctantly said hello to Zhu Zhengfu, and left the room.

He rode his horse back to the mansion, feeling even more depressed. He had originally brought back a little demon girl from Yanyue Tower tonight, and planned to have a good night of fun, but he didn't want Duan Rong to suddenly appear and ruin it.

The lust he had suppressed before, mixed with the depression in his heart, made his lower abdomen surge with heat, and the waist of the concubine kept flashing in his mind... He rushed to the mansion even more anxiously.