Ning Lirun closed his eyes immediately after hearing this.

This is killing without bloodshed!

Lord Ding'an, what a good trick!

Naturally, he couldn't refuse, so he stood up, bowed to the four people, and followed Yun Xiyan to leave Banshui Teahouse.

When he left, Zhang Pingju suddenly panicked. His face became gloomy and he suddenly regretted what he had said.

But then he took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Master Ning and I have different paths and cannot work together. I think Master Ning will complain about me to Fu Xiaoguan... It's no big deal. I want to see what this Ding'an Earl can do to me."

You Peng, the head of the You family, suddenly smiled. "Master Zhang, let me be frank. The world has changed. Haven't you noticed? Take Wofeng City, for example. In just three months, it's now well-maintained and bustling with shops... I heard those goods and houses fetched a good price at auction, and about half of them were bought by former barbarians. To be honest, I also bought a five-courtyard house and three shops here."

"The Wangsun family, one of the five great commercial families of the Yu Dynasty, has come to Luojia County in Qizhou. I have spent the night with Wangsun Yueming, the eldest son of the Wangsun family, and I'm afraid I know a little more about Earl Ding'an than you do."

"I'm afraid you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Just now, let me ask you, are you really not afraid?"

Zhang Pingju forced himself to remain calm and smiled calmly, "So, Patriarch You has joined the Wangsun family?"

You Peng suddenly stood up, bowed to Jin Sansheng and Wei Yifan, and said with a smile: "I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now. See you tonight."

"Master You, take care. I suddenly remembered something else. Goodbye!"

“Goodbye…!”

You Peng's farewell took Jin Sansheng and Wei Yifan away, leaving only Zhang Pingju here.

Only at this moment did his face turn red and he felt a little hot, but not long after, he felt a little cold.

"They are all cowards! If they can unite, what is there to be afraid of that kid?" He said gritting his teeth, grabbed a teacup and smashed it to pieces with a "clang".

A waiter came in, looked down, then raised his head and said with a smile: "Uncle, pay me back!"

…

…

The backyard of the Taoist temple.

Fu Xiaoguan personally brewed a pot of tea, looked at the old man in front of him, and said with a friendly smile: "Master Ning, please take a seat!"

"Replying to Ding Anbo, I dare not!"

"It's not that you don't dare, but that you don't want to."

Ning Lirun's heart tightened, "...I really don't dare!"

"If you don't want to sit down, I will take your hand and walk into the Sifang Building together."

Ning Lirun broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. This Earl Ding'an wanted to roast me on the fire!

At present, the barbarians in Wofeng Road have naturally not yet returned to their loyalty. Among them, there are many people like Zhang Pingju who are dissatisfied. If Ding'an Bo really supported him and walked into the Sifang Building in front of everyone, then in the eyes of the other family heads, he would definitely be completely loyal to them.

In fact, he has already returned home. He doesn't want to make any more trouble. He just hopes that his people can be safe. Moreover, what Ding'an Bo has done in recent days has not harmed the interests of his people.

But he couldn't take the initiative!

Then he will become the target of public criticism!

So, he sat down opposite Fu Xiaoguan and said, "Mr. Ding'an, what a good trick!"

"Master Ning, thank you for your compliment," Fu Xiaoguan poured Ning Lirun a cup of tea and handed it to him. "Master Ning, please don't overthink it. I have always advocated fairness and justice in Wofengdao. We are all citizens of the Yu Dynasty, so we should treat everyone equally. I invited Master Ning here today just to have a cup of tea and ask you a question..."

"You've been actively cultivating mulberry trees and raising silkworms in Weiyuan County, which is a wonderful thing. Have you encountered any trouble? Or have any officials deliberately made things difficult for you?"

Ning Lirun held the teacup in his hand, without looking up, and whispered, "That's not the case."

"There's no best. Weiyuan County has a long history of sericulture, so Patriarch Ning should go for it without hesitation! Qingzhou will soon be home to many textile workshops, and they all need silk cocoons. Patriarch Ning is making the right move..."

Fu Xiaoguan paused, then suddenly added, "By the way, Secretary-General Yun Xiyan has some unique insights into sericulture. I'll send him to your place to take a look."

Ning Lirun didn't take Fu Xiaoguan's words to heart. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Earl Ding'an. I will wait for Secretary Yun and Secretary Yun to arrive."

Fu Xiaoguan didn't take it seriously. He continued to talk about the farmers' affairs.

Ning Lirun just listened without saying a word, and Fu Xiaoguan just kept talking, as if he just needed an audience.

But Fu Xiaoguan always mentioned a few plans about Wofeng Road in his words, and he kept drawing a pie in Ning Lirun's mind.

This made Ning Lirun a little puzzled.

This Ding'an Earl, who is in his prime, didn't say a word to win him over, but could everything he said come true?

"For example, this road is currently under survey. Construction on the main road from Wofeng Road to Lanling County will begin around the beginning of next spring. And Weiyuan County, where you are, will also be incorporated into the Wofeng Road transportation network..."

"This means that the travel time from Weiyuan County to the provincial capital, to Wofeng City, and even to any other county within Wofeng City will be greatly shortened... For example, if I want to invite Patriarch Ning to Wofeng City for tea again, Patriarch Ning will only need two days to arrive."

Ning Lirun was startled. He certainly understood the importance of this road, so he raised his head and asked, "Are you serious?"

"This is what you're about to see. Actually, everything I say is true, and you'll see it all. Just like when I said Xiushui City's rice yield per mu might reach 600 kilograms, no one believed me at first, but what happened? The average yield per mu is 770 kilograms...right? I'm an honest person, and you'll understand everything later."

Ning Lirun had heard about this when he came to Wofeng City. Of course, he didn't believe it, but now he suddenly believed it, because the young man in front of him had no need to lie at all!

Fu Xiaoguan continued to speak, and his fantastic words made Ning Lirun a little confused.

The sunset faded away, the night wind began to rise, and a pot of tea was finished just like that. Ning Lirun actually forgot that he had invited him here as a plot to sow discord.

He was almost seventy years old and had thought that his heart would no longer be turbulent, but at this moment he suddenly felt that he should try to live a few more years to witness the beautiful picture of Wofeng Road painted by Ding'an Earl.

There are broad roads, numerous factories, and a Southeast Grand Canal... If we could take a boat from Lanling to Jinling to take a look... what a wonderful thing that would be!

Fu Xiaoguan calmly helped him up and said, "Come on, let's go together and meet the other family heads!"