When I returned to the room, I found signs that it had been turned over.
The only thing missing was a piece of waste paper for practicing calligraphy.
Qi Shan didn't know what he was thinking about. A disdainful and scornful sneer escaped from the corner of his lips, and there was a cold light in his eyes, revealing his murderous intent.
He blinked and his expression returned to normal.
Meow~~~
The little Su Shang pulled at his clothes.
As soon as he lowered his head, he bumped into a pair of wet green eyes. The owner of these eyes was meowing softly, as if asking Qishan where he had been all day. Qishan bent down and picked it up, smiling and touching Su Shang's little nose with the tip of his nose.
"Su Shang, do you miss your father?"
The cat didn't understand human language and just scratched his sleeve with its claws.
Qi Shan laughed in silence: "Okay, okay, okay, you have a sharp nose, you can really smell it no matter where you hide. Eat, eat, don't disturb dad for now, dad will take you to live in the new house tomorrow."
As he spoke, he took out some dried fish from his sleeve that he had bought at the market.
Qi Shan cleaned up Su Shang’s shit first, then packed his bag.
Just as he tied up his bag, he heard hurried footsteps outside the house. The old woman said anxiously, "Mr. Qi, something bad has happened—"
"What's wrong?"
The old woman was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead.
He grabbed Qishan's wrist and was about to send him to the back door.
"A group of people came outside and asked for you by name."
Qi Shan pulled his hand back, and tried again when it failed. Still no success, he could only say, "Don't panic, old lady, just relax. Tell the people outside to let me change my clothes."
The old woman was so anxious that she wanted to stamp her feet, but she also knew that the visitor had bad intentions and that there were probably people blocking the back door. She had no choice but to obey Qi Shan's instructions. The visitor said it was okay: "Mr. Qi can come out any time you want."
If you don't come out, don't blame them for being rude.
The people he brought with him were all brave warriors, the lowest being a low-ranking official, and the highest being a fifth-rank doctor, a high-paid guest official of the county government. This house has been surrounded by layers of defense, ensuring that not even a mosquito can fly out, let alone a living person!
After about a quarter of an hour, Qi Shan regained his familiar appearance, wearing a tea-white scholar's robe, a jade crown on his head, and a dark blue Wenxin seal on his waist. As soon as he appeared, dozens of auras locked onto him, and Su Shang in his arms immediately let out a shrill cry.
Feeling Su Shang's uneasiness under his palm, Qi Shan put away his smile, his eyes full of stars suddenly turned cold, and his tone was cold: "Please restrain your momentum and don't scare my Su Shang."
"Are you Qishan, Mr. Qi Yuanliang?"
"Yes, and who are you from? How can you invite someone without even sending a visiting card? Is this the etiquette taught by your family?"
"I am the steward of the county government. I am here on the orders of the master of the mansion to invite you to come over for a chat." The man said in a humble tone, but his arrogant attitude and the disdain in his eyes clearly showed that he did not mean that. "Please move aside, sir."
Qishan sneered, "Okay, please lead the way."
The housekeeper was surprised, as if he had not expected Qishan to be so easy to talk to.
Judging from the county magistrate's attitude, the "Qishan" he wanted to invite was not a good person. In all the years I have served the county magistrate, I have never seen him so afraid of someone that he wanted to make all the thorns on his body stand up.
Soon, the sedan chair stopped in front of the county government gate.
Led by the maid, they walked through the winding corridor and finally arrived at the destination. From a distance, they could see the bright candlelight in the hall, and the pleasant music of stringed instruments drifted into Qishan's ears with the wind, and a faint smile with a hint of sarcasm appeared on the corner of his lips.
The butler took a few quick steps and asked Qishan to enter the hall first to pass the message.
The music stopped and the singing and dancing ended.
Qi Shan walked into the main hall, walked around the screen, and took in the expressions of everyone in the hall. The one sitting at the top was the governor of Sibao County, Qi Shan's old enemy. There were six guests, five unfamiliar faces. Judging from their dress and age, most of the five people were from local families and celebrities in Xiaocheng. The only familiar person was Zhai Le's cousin, Zhai Huan.
The latter also looked at him in surprise.
Qi Shan nodded slightly at him as a greeting.
Zhai Huan smiled back.
"I, Qishan and Yuanliang, meet the county governor."
Qi Shan turned his gaze to the governor of Sibao County who was sitting in the main seat.
There was a small discussion in the hall.
Everyone was puzzled that the distinguished guest that the county magistrate had solemnly invited turned out to be an unfamiliar commoner scholar who didn't look anything special.
The county magistrate's eyes swept over the Wenxin monogram on Qishan's waist. The dark blue monogram was particularly eye-catching against the tea-white hem of his clothes. His eyes paused, and then wandered around Qishan's face, not seeing any trace of familiarity. He hesitated: "Your name is Qishan, and your courtesy name is Yuanliang?"
Qi Shan bowed his head respectfully: "That's right."
"Sir, could you please come closer?"
Qi Shan took another dozen steps forward and was only a few steps away from the county magistrate. He raised his head with confidence. Su Shang in his arms curiously poked his head out, took a look, and then retracted his head.
The county magistrate saw Su Shang’s pupils shrink.
"Is this your raccoon?"
Qi Shan smiled and said, "That's right."
Perhaps hearing a familiar pronunciation, Su Shang also meowed in response, and the table was completely silent, as if the mute button had been pressed.
They didn't expect that someone would bring a cat to the county governor's banquet.
The county magistrate asked several more questions, such as where he was from, how old he was, and the number of people in his family. The others became more and more confused as they listened, and could not understand what the county magistrate was up to. They could not help but complain in their hearts - the county magistrate asked such detailed questions, was he going to act as a matchmaker for Qishan
At this moment, a large orange cat suddenly appeared from nowhere and pounced on Qishan, scaring everyone.
"This matter..."
"Where did the cat come from?"
The maid was also frightened and almost knocked over the fruit plate.
Qishan said: "Nothing, nothing."
He took out two small dried fish from his sleeve.
"Maybe he was attracted by the smell in the common people's sleeves."
The county magistrate saw with his own eyes Qishan's hand touching the fur of the big orange cat, and Qishan showed no reaction. Only then did he suppress his surprise, scold the maid for not taking good care of the cat and frightening the distinguished guest, and had the big orange cat taken away, and invited Qishan to sit down at the table.
"I wonder why the county magistrate asked me to come here?"
"I have long admired your painting skills."
Qishan smiled meaningfully.
"Painting of the common people?"
He has not painted for many years, and his most recent painting was a picture of secret play that he painted for Mr. Shen Xiaolang. Does he admire such a painting
"I have seen it occasionally and I love it very much. I heard that you were passing through Xiaocheng, so I came to your house to ask for your calligraphy, but I misunderstood you. If there is anything inconsiderate, please forgive me."
Qi Shan stood up, looking flattered.
The two exchanged polite greetings again.
Hearing Qishan say that he was going to leave Xiaocheng in the next two days, the county governor took the opportunity to ask Qishan to paint on the spot to fulfill his wish. If he was willing, he would offer a large sum of money. Qishan was polite at first, until he saw the plate of gold ingots brought by the maid.
His eyes lit up and he changed his mind and agreed.
The other guests saw this and curled their lips in disdain.
Such money-obsessed people, no matter how good their painting skills are, are filled with worldly desires and lack any spiritual energy. I really don't know what the county magistrate is trying to achieve.
What does the county magistrate want
He doesn't even know what he's trying to do.
The man he knew was named Qi, given name Shan, with the courtesy name Yuanliang. His calligraphy was white in color, and he had a handsome face, a graceful and elegant posture, a reserved and arrogant temperament, and could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes. He could not tolerate others trampling on his paintings with money.
Most importantly—
He is naturally afraid of cats and will break out in rashes all over his body if a cat gets close to him.
In severe cases, the patient may even go into shock and die.
This is a disease that is inherited from the mother and there is no cure.