However, the two were not entirely unprepared. They arranged for Pei You to lead the Imperial Guards to stand guard at the inn, and also notified Gao Ying to bring people over immediately if there were any unusual movements.

The two arrived at the prefect's residence. Because of the incident involving Prefect Zuo Su, the prefect's affairs were now being managed by Assistant Prefect Xu Yu.

Upon entering the mansion, Zu'an discovered that many high-ranking officials from Yunzhong County had arrived, but the number of attendees was significantly less than at the welcoming banquet held when the imperial envoy had just arrived.

It was common knowledge that the Duke Jian Yanyou was in seclusion to recuperate from his serious injury, so it was natural that he did not attend this event.

Prefect Zuo Su is dead, and Chief Administrator Yu Xuanqing was arrested and interrogated by Sang Hong a few days ago because he was involved in Jian Taiding's smuggling case with the demon race.

The situation at the Governor's Office wasn't much better. Jian Taiding was dead, and several of his trusted confidants had been marginalized. However, surprisingly, the Governor's Office's Sima Yuxuansu didn't seem to be present.

Zu An frowned, wondering if it was because he saw that the people Sang Hong had arrested these days were all related to the Prince of Qi, and therefore dared not come over?

But this was clearly a scheme orchestrated by Xu Yu.

Apart from Xu Yu, the only other familiar face in the arena was City Lord Pei Shao.

"Lord Pei seems to have lost weight these days," Zu An said with a smile as he walked over.

Pei Shao thought to himself, "Isn't it all because of what you told me last time that I've been tossing and turning at night these past few days, constantly feeling anxious and uncertain?"

However, being a seasoned politician, he showed no sign of anything amiss: "There have been too many events in Yunzhong County lately, and the administration has been quite busy. But Lord Zu seems to be looking rather pleased with himself."

"Maybe I'm just in a good mood." Zu An thought to himself that it was hard for him to be in a bad mood when he was surrounded by Pei Mianman's gentle charm every day.

For some reason, seeing him like that, Pei Shao always felt like he had suffered a great loss, but after thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't figure out what exactly he had suffered, so he could only say it was just his mind at the time.

He always felt uncomfortable chatting with Zuan. After a few casual words, he would return to his own circle and listen to the praise from his colleagues and subordinates, which made him feel much more at ease.

Zu An quietly observed the crowd. Because a large number of officials in Yunzhong County had been purged, a large number of new people had filled the corresponding vacancies. Among them were those he had promoted in his capacity as Jian Yanyou, as well as a large number of those promoted by Xu Yu.

"This guy didn't say a word, did nothing, and yet he benefited the most." Just as Zuan was marveling at this, a series of exclamations came from the surrounding area.

Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the door in unison, their eyes filled with amazement and eagerness.

Zu An turned around and saw Yu Yanluo slowly walking in.

Today, she wore a silver-white cotton dress and a fiery red fur coat draped over her shoulders, making her look even more radiant than usual.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her face glowed like peach blossoms, her slender neck exuded nobility and elegance, and her gentle updo added a touch of mature and charming allure to her.

The people in the room were all high-ranking officials from the Yunzhong County government. They were all worldly-wise and their cultivation levels were not low, so their will should be even more resolute.

However, upon seeing the dazzling Yu Yanluo, many people secretly swallowed their saliva. Although everyone tried to hide it, it sounded particularly jarring to those with high cultivation levels.

Yu Yanluo was already used to this kind of scene, and naturally greeted the officials present.

She possesses a dignified demeanor, requiring no deliberate flattery; her gentle smile alone is enough to make everyone feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

Zuan couldn't help but sigh that the position of the most beautiful woman was not so easy to hold. With beauty alone, but without cunning, one would probably be devoured by the surrounding wolves, leaving not even bone fragments.

Yu Yanlu greeted everyone else with a formulaic greeting, but only when she looked at Zu'an did her eyes show a hint of genuine gentleness and a smile.

However, there were too many other people in the room, and she felt a little guilty and didn't dare let anyone know the true nature of their friendship, so she quickly looked away.

Soon, the maids began serving tea and snacks to everyone, and the officials formed small groups of three or five to chat.

Sang Hong and Xu Yu were surrounded by many officials, after all, one was an imperial envoy and the other was the de facto head of the prefectural governor's office.

However, even the combined number of people around the two of them couldn't compare to those surrounding Yu Yanluo. Those people were all doing their utmost to fawn over her in the shortest amount of time, trying to leave a lasting impression on her:

"There aren't many beautiful things in this world, like the wind blowing from the other side of the river on the evening of the Beginning of Autumn, and the lady whose smile is so sweet it's almost unbearable."

"There are no stars in my eyes, I only see you."

“I imagine you must be very busy, so just listen to the first three words of what I'm about to say, Madam.”

...

Zuan, who was not far away, was dumbfounded. This was too outrageous!

They are supposed to be officials appointed by the imperial court, how come they are all so incompetent?

That was just his assumption. The world is quite open, and it's not uncommon for people to express their feelings directly.

In addition, these people don't have many opportunities to see Yu Yanluo on a daily basis, so they are naturally not like people like Zu'an who see her every day and have a certain immunity to her.

After everyone had rested for a while, drinking tea and eating pastries, they noticed that things were getting increasingly outrageous. Xu Yu couldn't stand it anymore, so he coughed to indicate that the meeting was about to begin, and everyone gradually calmed down.

Xu Yu then addressed the recent events in Yunzhong County, expressing that these are turbulent times, and everyone must put the past behind them, build on past achievements, and work together to overcome difficulties.

Other officials naturally echoed this sentiment.

Zu An frowned slightly. Why did he call everyone over so solemnly just to say these platitudes?

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