Datang: Hiding private money, exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 665: That’s what you said!
"So, I simply don't want anything and tell them in advance. This way, they don't have to worry about how to give me gifts, and I can have a good wedding with Changle and me alone."

The old woman couldn't help but sigh when she heard Shen Lian's words.

"You can see clearly."

"There are too few people in this world who can see as clearly as you do."

Shen Lian shook his head and said calmly: "It's not that there are too few people who see things as clearly as I do, but there are too few people who can refuse to receive money so openly."

"Of course, I'm not that incorruptible, but I don't need to worry about this little money.

His mother, the Goddess of Beidou, left him a treasure in an underground palace.

Those riches are enough for Shen Lian to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

So he is not short of money at all.

Naturally, it will be easier to refuse membership fees.

Upon hearing this, the old woman sighed again: "That being said, although you are not short of money, how many people in this world can't survive without this share of money?"

"In the final analysis, it is the greed of human beings that is at work."

"Some people, even if they are as rich as a country, will never say they won't take membership fees if they have the chance to do so."

"So, Shen Lian."

The old woman looked at Shen Lian, her eyes full of satisfaction and joy: "You are much better than them."

Shen Lian saw that the old woman was praising him so seriously.

He actually felt a very strange feeling.

Why am I actually feeling a little happy?

Over the years, many people have boasted about their intelligence, saying that they are the smartest person and are great detectives.

He didn't feel happy at all.

But the old woman's praise made Shen Lian particularly happy.

This is really strange.

Shen Lian looked at the old woman and said, "Aunt, please stop praising me. If you continue praising me, I will fly to the sky."

The old woman shook her head and said, "You are better than others, and you are not allowed to be praised?"

She slapped her hands on the table and said, "I'm praising you, who dares to say no?"

Shen Lian just felt that the old lady in front of him was really cool.

He smiled and said, "Okay, okay, if you want to praise me, go ahead."

The old woman leaned back.

He looked at Shen Lian, touched his chin, and said, "Marrying a princess is not a good thing."

"Ok?"

Shen Lian was stunned and looked at the old woman.

Then I heard the old woman say, "It's not easy to take a concubine after marrying a princess."

Shen Lian: "..."

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Aunt, you think too far ahead."

"The princess and I haven't even gotten married yet, and you're already considering me taking a concubine."

The old woman shook her head and said seriously, "How can we not think about the future development in advance?"

"But I have also inquired about this Princess Changle."

"She is a virtuous woman, very kind, and has helped you a lot. I heard she even made new clothes for you herself..."

"So, it's just so-so."

"I am qualified for you to marry."

Shen Lian just felt that the old woman's evaluation of him was a little too high.

Even the old woman felt it was mediocre that Princess Changle married him.

She's just barely qualified for me to marry.

If other people in the Tang Dynasty heard this.

It will definitely cause unrest!

Shen Lian said, "Aunt, don't worry about these things. As a person, other than the case, other things don't really attract me."

"So I really never thought about concubines or anything like that."

"You still want to spend your whole life with the case?"

The old woman rolled her eyes.

She looked at Shen Lian and said, "And are you sure there are really no other girls who like you?"

"I thought the little girl who followed you at Beidou Temple was pretty good!"

"She is obviously a person from the underworld. She is smart, capable, and very considerate. You will not lose out if such a girl becomes your concubine."

Shen Lian said helplessly: "Those are the men I recruited."

"Don't tell me you don't know what the little girl feels?"

The old woman looked at Shen Lian with her eyes and said, "You are such a smart person. Even if you are dull in emotions, your wisdom should allow you to discover some problems."

Shen Lian did not hide it.

He said, "I do know what she means."

"Then what do you think?"

The old woman blinked her eyes and said, "Do you want me to knock her out in the middle of the night? You've already done it. If Princess Changle finds out, there's nothing you can do. You can't kill your lover right after you get married, right?"

........................

Shen Lian felt that this old lady had a bad temper.

This is something for him to do tomorrow night.

He said, "Aunt, please don't worry about these things. I can handle my own affairs."

"I have enough brains to handle this."

The old woman curled her lips and said, "When it comes to emotional matters, wisdom is useless. Human emotions are never controlled by reason."

........................

Listening to the old woman's story-telling words, Shen Lian looked at the old woman and said, "Auntie, you seem to have some stories?"

The old woman was stunned for a moment.

Then he raised his head, as if avoiding Shen Lian's gaze. She picked up the wine glass, raised her head, and drank the wine in the glass.

Then she stood up and said, "It ruined the mood."

"I don't want to drink with you anymore. I'm leaving."

Seeing that the old woman left as soon as she said she would, Shen Lian wondered whether she should leave some contact information or something.

Then I heard the old woman say, "If there is anything, I will come to you. You don't need to look for me, and you won't be able to find me."

"In this world, as long as I want to hide, no one can find me."

"Also, I'll give you a piece of advice."

Shen Lian looked at the old woman.

I only heard the old woman say: "The collapse of a mountain often comes from within!"

After saying this, the old woman left without any hesitation.

As for Shen Lian, he narrowed his eyes.

Thinking about the advice the old woman gave before she left.

The old woman left some words before she left, which made Shen Lian somewhat concerned.

She said that mountain collapses often originate from within.

Does this have any special meaning?
And before saying this, she also reminded Shen Lian that he should not only be careful of external enemies, but also be careful of internal people.

Does this mean that... there are extremely dangerous people in the court, or even around me?
Shen Lian narrowed his eyes.

First of all, he could be sure that the old woman had no ill will towards him.

Secondly, he could also be sure that the old woman and the Beidou Society must have some connection.

Although the old woman did not admit it, it was she who took down the two strongholds of the Beidou Society.

But judging by her reaction, Shen Lian believed that she was the one who did it.

The fact that she was able to find the Beidouhui base that even she and Changsun Wuji could not find was enough to prove that she either knew enough about the Beidouhui or had more powerful intelligence capabilities than them.

No matter which point, it is enough to prove that the old woman and Beidou have a connection. Of course, this connection is not a good one.

"I have no ill will towards you, and you should be in a hostile relationship with the Beidou Society."

"In this case, we can't ignore her reminder."

Shen Lian held the wine glass and looked at the wine stirring in the glass with his eyes slightly narrowed.

He was thinking, if there was still a dangerous person in the court, who would it be?

Moreover, according to what the old woman said, this person is definitely very powerful.

Otherwise, a mountain will not collapse!

So, who could it be?
and also.

What is the identity of the old woman?

Shen Lian recalled all his interactions with the old woman, and every detail replayed in his mind.

When they were in Nanzhao, it was the old woman who took the initiative to find him.

This time, it was the old woman who took the initiative to find him.

But both times she came to see him, the old woman didn't make any requests, nor did she ask him to do anything.

The first time, it was as if I just wanted to talk to myself.

This time, it was more like he was worried that he didn't know Beichen's true thoughts, so he came to remind himself.

So why is this?
There was a constant flash of thought in Shen Lian's eyes.

Shen Lian was a detective in his previous life and a chief judge in this life. He has seen too much of the darkness of human nature and the truth of this world.

As the saying goes, everyone is here for profit.

This is the truth.

Anyone who does anything is motivated by profit.

A person will not do anything for no reason!
But the old woman didn't ask me to do anything either, nor did she hint that she wanted to use me to do anything.

This conflicted with some of Shen Lian's perceptions.

"He didn't intend to use me. Neither of the two times he approached me did he have any benefit to her."

"This is so wrong!"

"Who in this world would be willing to help me without asking for anything in return?"

Shen Lian tapped the wine glass with his fingertips and listened to the crisp sound it made.

The brain is spinning rapidly.

"Changle will do this because she likes me and will become my future wife."

"Lord Bai did this because he raised me since I was a child. I rode on his neck and walked thousands of miles with him. He looked at me like his grandson, so he helped me without asking for anything in return..."

"Yuheng helped me because he and I knew each other when we were young, and my father also asked her to help me... On the one hand, she did it because of her relationship with me, and on the other hand, she wanted to repay my father."

"Everyone who helps me but doesn't want to gain benefits from me has a history or emotional connection with me."

"So, why does this old aunt want to help me?"

"Could it be that she and I have a similar relationship?"

"But in my memory, this person doesn't exist at all, and my father didn't mention the existence of brothers and sisters... She can't really be my aunt."

"Then why would she help me?"

Possibilities kept flashing through Shen Lian's mind.

Suddenly.

There was a gleam in his eyes.

Shen Lian stood up suddenly.

He thought of a possibility.

A possibility that he couldn't believe, but was looking forward to.

Shen Lian let out a long breath and shouted, "Boss, pay the bill."

But at this time, the shopkeeper said: "The bill has been paid."

Shen Lian was stunned for a moment.

He didn't expect that the old lady actually settled the bill before leaving.

This is not to take advantage of myself at all...

Shen Lian's eyes were deep, and at this moment, he couldn't calm down for a long time.

This is a feeling I haven't had in a long time.

The last time I couldn’t calm down for a long time was a few years ago, right?

Shen Lian took a deep breath, turned around and left without further delay.

Regardless of whether his speculation is true or false.

Now is not the time to verify these speculations.

The thing in front of me is Beichen!

Two days later.

The venue of Wanbang Chamber of Commerce.

Shen Lian came to find Wu Shiqi.

At this time, Wu Shiqi was very happy, and the worry on his face was much less than before the Wanbang Chamber of Commerce was convened.

When he saw Shen Lian, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Sir Shen, I haven't seen you these past few days. I miss you."

You can miss me, but just make sure it’s not your daughter who misses me... Shen Lian bowed to Wu Shiqi in return.

He smiled and said, “I’ve been preparing some things these days.”

"The real drama is about to begin, so I have to prepare well to make sure everything goes well."

Wu Shiqi raised his eyebrows when he heard this. He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to this place. Then he lowered his voice and asked, "Master Shen, do you know the real purpose of the Beidou Society?"

Wu Shiqi knew that Shen Lian had been busy with Beidou Society's affairs these days.

At first, he was also worried that Beidou Society’s target was Wanbang Chamber of Commerce, so he was very worried.

After all, once the Wanbang Chamber of Commerce is destroyed, all previous efforts will be in vain.

However, Shen Lian told him not to worry.

Because the target of Beidouhui is not Wanbang Chamber of Commerce at all.

This made Wu Shiqi feel relieved, but also a little worried.

After all, even such an important Wanbang Chamber of Commerce cannot attract the Beidou Club. It is conceivable how big the Beidou Club’s ambitions are.

Shen Lian nodded slightly and said, "The purpose of the Beidou Society can be almost determined."

"However, there are some very troublesome things in the middle. Knowing their purpose is one thing, and how to deal with it is another."

"In the past two days, I have mobilized forces from all sides, and now the arrangements are almost done."

Wu Shiqi sighed: "With great power comes great responsibility."

"Master Shen is the smartest man in the Tang Dynasty. To deal with such a cunning enemy, Master Shen will have to work harder."

Shen Lian smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if I'm tired, as long as it works."

The warrior nodded in agreement.

Who wouldn’t be tired in this life?
If you are tired but can gain something, then it is worth it.

But if you are tired but have no gains, that would be miserable.

Shen Lian looked at Wu Shiqi and said, "Master Wu looks so good, is the Wanbang Chamber of Commerce going well?"

Wu Shiqi nodded: "It went very smoothly."

"These days, the people have completely understood and put their minds at ease with the Wanbang Chamber of Commerce, and they keep coming here to buy goods from other countries."

“So, merchants from all countries have also benefited from this.”

"They are happy, and we get some tax revenue, so we are happy too."

"People also bought what they wanted at a low price, so they were very happy."

"Therefore, a win-win-win situation has now been formed."

"The people are very supportive and foreign merchants are very supportive. It can be said that the foundation of the Wanbang Chamber of Commerce has been laid firmly."

"The people are very supportive and foreign merchants are very supportive. It can be said that the foundation of the Wanbang Chamber of Commerce has been laid firmly."