But he still smiled and said, "Master Chen, you flatter me!"

His expression turned solemn again, and he said in a deep voice, "My father unfortunately passed away last night. If Master Chen has nothing urgent to attend to, please make way. I need to go home to attend the funeral!"

"Oh? Prefect Lin has passed away?"

Chen Guozhong asked curiously, then said, "This is too sudden; I hadn't even heard of it. The unexpected passing of Prefect Lin is a great loss to Yongzhou, a truly unfortunate loss of such a good official! But please, Nephew Lin, take heed of my condolences!"

Lin Wenyao sneered inwardly after hearing this.

Although I don't know what kind of subtle relationship the madam has with Chen Guozhong, the fact that she was able to find him immediately suggests that their relationship is quite close. The madam knows that his father is dead, so why wouldn't she tell him?

Seeing his feigned innocence, which might be masking his inner elation, Lin Wenyao felt disgusted.

But he still bowed to him and said in a deep voice, "Master Chen, you are too kind. My father, if he were alive, would surely be grateful to you! However, I really cannot wait any longer. I hope you will come to see me!"

The message had been delivered, but Chen Guozhong remained unmoved, showing no intention of moving an inch.

"Master Chen, what does this mean?"

Lin Wenyao's voice turned much colder, no longer showing the respect he had before.

"Nephew, don't worry. I'm here today on someone's behalf."

Stroking his gray beard, Chen Guozhong pointed to the madam beside him and continued, "Madam Zhang is an old friend of mine. She came to me early this morning with a request, and I can't refuse to help her!"

"Mrs. Zhang said that you shut down her 'Cool Summer' shop?"

Chen Guozhong only heard this morning that the popular popsicle brand "Cool Summer" in the city had been bought by a brothel madam.

The onlookers were also hearing this for the first time, and they all pricked up their ears, waiting for what would happen next.

"Yes, I sealed it."

"Oh? I wonder why?"

After asking that question, Chen Guozhong immediately added something else.

“Nephew, I have seen that Madam Zhang’s paperwork is complete. Why not do me a favor and lift the ban on the shop?”

Normally, Lin Wenyao would have agreed.

But not today.

Whether it was to save face or to teach the madam a lesson.

"no!"

Lin Wenyao said firmly, "This matter is not simple. I have also captured Ah Kun, the former young master of Qingliang Yixia, and I am preparing to take him back to the government office for questioning! Before that, Qingliang Yixia is not allowed to open its doors!"

"Ah Kun?"

Chen Guozhong muttered something to himself and looked behind him. He saw a man and a woman standing there, looking like a perfect couple. The man was handsome and refined, and he thought it must be Ah Kun.

He had heard of Ah Kun, who wrote a poem about spring water that amazed even him, and which caused his son to lose face.

He didn't like this person.

They arrested him, but he still had to do what the madam had instructed him to do.

"Young Master Lin."

Chen Guozhong originally thought that with his influence, it would be a simple matter of a word, but he never expected to be rejected by Lin Wenyao in front of so many people, which made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Feeling resentful, he even changed how he addressed people.

"I met your mother, Madam Wu, when I was an official in Jingzhou in my early years. I also visited the Wu family several times. If your grandfather were here, he would definitely give me face!"

The Lin family's current success is inseparable from the Wu family's influence in Jingzhou, so Chen Guozhong simply brought up his relationship with the Wu family, not believing that Lin Wenyao wouldn't be wary.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Lin Wenyao frowned and remained silent, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Chen Guozhong, seeing this, sneered.

"The Wu family..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo's eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled at Jing Zhe, saying, "All your words were in vain. Watch me, I only said a few words and he let us go!"

Jing Zhe didn't believe it, so he shrugged and gestured for her to start performing.

Next, Chen Mo looked at Chen Guozhong and said with a smile, "Master Chen, I am also from Jingzhou. You just mentioned the Wu family of Jingzhou. Are you referring to the Wu family of Lord Wu Xianyong?"

"..."

Chen Guozhong and Lin Wenyao were both taken aback, neither of them having expected this.

“My family also has someone in the court who is an official and happens to know Lord Wu. I didn’t expect that Young Master Lin and Lord Wu would have this connection. What a coincidence.”

Chen Mo's words seemed casual, but they sounded quite different to Chen Guozhong and Lin Wenyao.

Wu Xianyong is now a third-rank official, serving as the Vice Minister of War. Anyone who knows him must have a family member holding a similarly high official position.

"Oh? I didn't expect this young lady to be from an official family in Jingzhou. May I ask who she is?"

Chen Guozhong only knew that Lin Wenyao had arrested Jing Zhe, but he didn't know that she had been arrested as well, so he asked out of curiosity.

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