Just then, Li Keyi walked over and said to the three people in the pavilion, "The three of you please wait in the main hall. Someone will be here to receive you soon. Our family needs a little more time to prepare before we join you. The lotus flowers have already withered, and it's chilly sitting in the pavilion. It's better to go to the main hall."
After speaking, Li Keyi prepared to lead the way, and Yu Zhijing and the other two followed. The reason the three of them were here was that they had received an invitation from Shen Feng, which was why they had come.
As they walked, Li Keyi couldn't help but ask, "Little Brother Yu, I heard that you apprenticed under Half-Immortal and inherited his legacy. Is that true?"
Feng Shicheng immediately said, "Of course, it's true. I was there at the time. Chen Zhu only had three advisors, and the oldest among them was Half-Immortal. Unfortunately, due to changes in the Earth's oxygen concentration, he passed away early, not even living to be 100 years old. However, Yu Zhijing has received Half-Immortal's true teachings and can analyze anything comprehensively. Although he is young, his knowledge of human relationships and experience is more seasoned than mine."
Yu Zhijing smiled wryly and said, "You flatter me. My teacher is Mr. Dan Zhengming, and he imparted very important knowledge to me. So, I am learning from him in many aspects, but I dare not compare myself to my teacher."
Upon hearing this, Li Keyi looked at Yu Zhijing and asked, "In that case, why don't you read my fortune, Little Brother Yu? Tell me how many children I will have in my life. I just want to know this."
Yu Zhijing was startled by the question. He hadn't expected the other person to ask about something other than these matters, but rather about whether she would have offspring in the future. This question was rather tricky.
Fortune tellers in general have their basic set of skills, which involves a back-and-forth conversation. Before truly telling fortunes, they engage in dialogue, asking for many key points, and subtly extracting information from you. Then, combined with their own judgment, they say some vague words.
When fortune tellers extract information, it's called "yaohuang," which essentially means to lead the conversation. They throw out a hook and then get people to respond. No matter what judgment they make, they can always smooth things over, thereby extracting useful information without them realizing it. They can then provide an answer to whatever the person wants to know.
Yu Zhijing, caught off guard by the question, was flustered. Logically, Li Keyi was a very accomplished scientist who had researched the zombie virus and was the first to discover extraterrestrial elements. Such a highly educated person should be very rational. Yet, she was now asking about fortune-telling.
So, Yu Zhijing didn't have time to extract information. He looked at Li Keyi's face and then spoke ambiguously, "Judging from Madam's facial features, you are destined to be childless for life. However, however, fate itself is very mysterious, and technology can compensate for deficiencies. Perhaps after enduring certain trials in the future, you will have children. Mostly daughters, but it won't be easy to have sons!"
After Yu Zhijing uttered these ambiguous words, he thought the topic was over. He hadn't definitively sealed her fate. Even if his facial reading indicated she was destined to be childless, there were always exceptions. If Li Keyi were to become pregnant in the future, it would be very awkward.
However, Li Keyi, for some reason, forgot the latter part of his words after hearing them, only remembering the initial statement that she was destined to be childless. Her mood immediately sank. A life without children would be too tragic!
Before, Li Keyi hadn't felt anything particularly bad. But after learning that Chu Chaoyan was pregnant, she felt a sense of urgency. Although Chu Chaoyan had been raising Shen Yishi all along, Li Keyi knew that child was not her biological one.
Now, Li Keyi learned that Chu Chaoyan was also pregnant, and she became anxious. Seeing that other women around Shen Feng all had children, even Yu Renshu, who lived outside, had Shen Hongxiu, but her own womb was not cooperating, and she had not yet conceived a child, which was truly frustrating.
Li Keyi had also asked Chu Chaoyan for advice on how to get pregnant quickly.
However, when Chu Chaoyan heard the question, she blushed and said, "I can't explain this clearly. You should spend more time with Shen Feng at night, wear simpler clothes, and let him accompany you more!"
Now, Li Keyi thought of her status as a seventh-level ability user and sighed helplessly, thinking, "It's already very difficult for ability users to conceive. Perhaps a life without children is my destiny!"
Afterward, Li Keyi led the three of them to the main hall. Three tables were already set up, and servants were meticulously attending to the three of them.
Upon arriving, Feng Shicheng quietly asked Yu Zhijing, "Brother, why do you think the City Lord has summoned us?"
Yu Zhiling, seeing the delicacies on the table, began to taste them. She was just there to make up the numbers, accompanying her brother to ensure his safety, and had been inseparable from him for years.
Yu Zhijing patted his sister's head and then said to Feng Shicheng, "Of course, it's about sending troops to Dian Province. The City Lord has decided to accept Dian Province's allegiance, but his subordinates do not agree, so we need to find a way to resolve this. And the people we can consult are naturally us two advisors."
Feng Shicheng nodded and said, "I had the same thought. However, with such a huge problem placed before us, it's truly not easy to solve."
Yu Zhijing thought for a moment and said, "Actually, the City Lord already has his own ideas. We just need to add our bricks and mortar to his ideas and refine them. After all, to achieve his goal, the City Lord specifically announced important news to gain everyone's support for his decision!"
Feng Shicheng also understood this point and then realized with a sudden enlightenment, "No wonder he asked me to find a way to comment in the newspaper. So that's the purpose for today. I just don't know if this will go smoothly!"
Soon, Shen Feng arrived with his wives. Chang Haojie also followed. After all, he was family, Shen Feng's brother-in-law, and completely trustworthy. As for Yu Renshu, she was unwilling to be by Shen Feng's side, so she was still living outside the city.
After Shen Feng sat down, he first toasted the three people opposite him. However, the Yu Zhijing siblings drank juice, and only Feng Shicheng could drink alcohol.
"I have summoned the two of you today because there is a very thorny issue that I wish to consult you on. Please enlighten me!" Shen Feng said humbly.
Yu Zhijing and Feng Shicheng quickly replied, "Whatever the City Lord asks, we will answer without hesitation. To speak of enlightenment is something we dare not accept."
Shen Feng then said, "I have already agreed to Qian Bufei's request, and I will have my subordinates take over various areas of Dian Province. However, I now have a very thorny issue to resolve, which is that many civil officials will oppose my actions. How should I persuade them to agree to my decision?"
Feng Shicheng thought for a moment and said, "This matter is quite simple. The City Lord just needs to be firm in his words. Many people have their own means of making money, and they also hold a lot of power. Their channels of income are not normal. You just need to hint at this, and they will not dare to disobey your orders!"
Shen Feng thought about it and felt it made sense. When he had visited Zhou Xiaoxiao's residence before, he had discovered that Zhou Xiaoxiao's estate was too luxurious. If he wanted to buy that land with his salary, it would probably take 10 years to buy even a small plot of land. Therefore, Zhou Xiaoxiao's hands were not clean. If he had problems, then Yang Ye and Tu Xuhuai must also have problems.
Chang Jianyi then said, "Threatening them directly with their leverage seems a bit excessive, as doing so would mean a complete breakdown. Other methods are still needed."
Yu Zhijing lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, the power structure in Yuzhou has been solidified for a very long time. Ten years ago, there were three civil officials in Yuzhou, and it's still the same now. This has led to a complex web of relationships within the City Lord's mansion. Many of these people are children from orphanages, but they have also been swayed. I think, to achieve this goal, we need to reprimand someone! The subordinates will naturally not object, and it will also allow power to flow."
Shen Feng immediately asked, "How should I reprimand them, and who would be the most suitable person to reprimand?"
Yu Zhijing said, "Actually, the opposition to accepting Dian Province is led by Yang Ye. If we want to determine who to reprimand, reprimanding him is the most suitable. However, the current trend suggests we should reprimand someone else."
"Then it can only be Zhou Xiaoxiao. Tu Xuhuai has not made any mistakes, and many personnel appointments need him to handle, so he cannot be moved. Coincidentally, many people are jealous of Zhou Xiaoxiao's construction of his estate. Let's reprimand him!" Shen Feng thought and then said.
Yu Zhijing followed up by saying, "To accomplish this, it's best to have a legitimate reason. I see that Mr. Zhou has a lot of experience in infrastructure. Why not let him be responsible for rebuilding the city in Rongcheng? In this way, he will naturally understand the intention!"
Shen Feng nodded, having thought of a good solution. The three civil officials in Yuzhou were actually the first three advisors to follow him. Now that they needed to be reprimanded, it was fine. Anyway, it wasn't a punishment, and letting Zhou Xiaoxiao go to a new place to reflect was also a good choice.
However, Li Keyi suddenly had a question: "Little Brother Yu, you just said that the class structure in Yuzhou is solidified. Is this matter very serious? Can you explain it in detail?"
"Actually, this matter can be considered serious, but if you think about it, it's not that serious, as everyone is already used to it," Yu Zhijing mused.
"Explain it in detail!" Shen Feng encouraged.
Yu Zhijing then said to his sister, who was eating "fish leaping over the dragon gate" beside him, "You answer this. You are already a young lady now. Don't be so impolite. Don't pick up your chopsticks when others are speaking!"