After Gu Xu left, Shangguan Jin still stood there, sorting out documents without raising his head.
About a quarter of an hour later, when Gu Xu's breath completely disappeared from her range of perception, she finally stopped flipping through the thick pile of documents.
She pondered for a few seconds, then placed her slender fingers at the bottom of the pile of documents and gently pulled out two meticulous portraits.
The character in both paintings is Gu Xu.
One is wearing a green shirt and the other is wearing a black robe.
Because Shangguan Jin possesses the magical power of "heaven calculation" that can see data from reality, the characters she writes look almost identical to real people, and every detail can be accurately embodied.
In a trance, the viewer may even have the illusion of looking directly at a real person.
The two paintings are identical at first glance except for the color and style of the clothes.
But if you look carefully, you can still find some subtle differences in the faces of the characters in the painting.
Shangguan Jin stared at the two paintings in trance and pondered for a long time.
After a long silence, she frowned slightly, picked up the portrait of Gu Xu in black robe, and tore it into countless pieces with concentration and seriousness.
Then, dazzling true essence flames burst out from her fingertips, burning all these fragments into ashes.
As for the other painting, she smoothed out the wrinkles, carefully folded it, and put it into her sleeves.
After doing this, she took a deep breath and devoted herself to her busy work again.
…………
"Emperor, there is someone outside the city lord's palace. He claims to be an old acquaintance of yours and wants to meet you."
Not long after Gu Xu left the side room, a yamen clerk hurriedly walked towards him and bowed to him.
"I understand," Gu Xu used the astrolabe to check the visitor's identity, nodded and said, "Tell him to wait for me in the study."
The clerk was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly left.
Ever since Gu Xu captured the six northwest cities with his army of paper figures, there were undoubtedly many people around him who came to seek refuge.
Gu Xu also has the demeanor of a wise gentleman who is courteous and virtuous.
He would meet anyone who was famous and talented in person and discuss future plans with them - of course, many times the paper man would do the work for him. However, with Gu Xu's current attainments in Talismans, ordinary monks cannot tell the difference between real people and paper figures.
However, in this young official's impression, the study room of the Liangzhou magistrate's office was the place of retreat chosen by Gu Xu for himself. Except for Zhao Changying, Xu Man, and the mysterious leader of the "Qing Ming" organization, Gu Xu has never invited anyone else in.
Who is the dwarf outside the door, and how can he be so valued by Gu Xu?
…………
"Jinling Shenqiu, pay homage to Dong Weng."
In the quiet and bright study room, a dwarf wearing a linen shirt and less than 1.4 meters tall bowed his head to Gu Xu and said respectfully.
"Brother Shen, there is no need to be polite," Gu Xu immediately stepped forward and helped him up, "I am now a traitor in the eyes of the Qi Dynasty. Brother Shen is willing to take risks and travel thousands of miles to come to my side. It’s a great affection.”
"Daqi is ruthless to me, but Dong Weng is kind to me," the dwarf said with a smile, "Even a fool would make such a simple choice."
Having said this, he paused and looked up into Gu Xu's eyes: "Or would you rather hear me call you 'Emperor' now?"
"The title is not important," Gu Xu held his hand and said with a smile, "Brother Shen, use whichever one sounds good to you."
This ugly dwarf is none other than Shen Qiu, the concubine of the Shen family in Jinling.
Previously, Gu Xu was the best in the Luojing Fu Dao dispute, and Shen Qiu had more and more conflicts with the family. With the idea of investing, he chose to leave the family and became Gu Xu's retainer, working for Gu Xu. The elixir workshop "Shuchangfang" is prospering.
Later, Shen Qiu's mother was persecuted by the He family in Lin'an and imprisoned in a deep well. Gu Xu personally went to the He family to rescue her.
After this incident, Shen Qiu truly returned to Gu Xu - no longer just regarded him as a potential stock, but served him from the bottom of his heart.
After Gu Xu was wanted by the Da Qi court, Shen Qiu claimed, "I will only recognize one Dong Weng in my life," rejected Shi Lei's sincere invitation, and then disappeared from everyone's sight with his mother.
It wasn't until today that he showed up.
Gu Xu waved his hand, called for a chair, and helped Shen Qiu sit down.
Then he conjured a teapot and two teacups out of thin air, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Shen Qiu.
"Brother Shen, please!" he said, "This is Mengding tea from Shu. It is known as the 'Crown of Tribute Tea'. Luochuan rates it very highly. You must try it!"
Shen Qiu quickly grasped the key point of Gu Xu's words.
"Luo Sishou... Luo Chuan also works under your command?" He looked down at the tea leaves floating in the cup and said in a deep voice.
"Yes," Gu Xuyun nodded lightly, "His true identity is the reincarnation of 'Wenchang Xingjun'. He is also the leader of the 'Qing Ming' organization."
Shen Qiu was silent for a few seconds, trying to digest this shocking secret.
He knew that Gu Xu told him such a secret as soon as they met, which was a sign of his sincerity.
At the same time, he also deeply realized that Gu Xu today is a more mature master than before.
Although he couldn't tell whether Gu Xu's move was sincere or a deliberate means.
But he had to admit that these words were very useful for a wealthy and bastard like him who had always been ignored and resented by his tribe.
"The emperor's current cultivation level should be not far from that of a saint!" After thinking for a short time, Shen Qiu felt that Gu Xu's power was far greater than before and said.
"It's a close call." Gu Xu said honestly.
"With the emperor's strength that is so arrogant to his peers, and with the help of many strong men under his command, he must not look down on my meager cultivation."
"But I really need Brother Shen's brain. To me, it is far more important than a million-strong army."
"The emperor praises me too much," Shen Qiu shook his head gently, "You are my boss and my benefactor. As long as you appreciate my crude knowledge, if you need anything in the future, just ask me to do it." .”
"Even if you are against the whole world?"
"Even if you are against the whole world."
"Brother Shen is really a timely help to me." At this point, Gu Xu opened the drawer, took out a thick stack of documents, and placed it on the desk. "I just have something to do now and I urgently need Brother Shen's help."
"What's going on?" Shen Qiu looked down at the pile of documents and found that they were densely packed accounts.
"Making money," Gu Xu replied seriously, "Brother Shen should know that the paper army is only a temporary solution, not a permanent solution. If you want to go head-to-head with the Da Qi Dynasty, you must recruit troops and have your own army.
"It's just that with the financial situation of the six northwest cities, I'm afraid they can't even support half an army."
(End of chapter)
