Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 528 - 106: Are You Ready to Be a Lapdog?

Shen Zhidong held a freshly lit cigar in his hand as he stood by the window, silently overlooking the city outside.

He had witnessed this district rise from a barren wasteland, be destroyed by war, and then come back to life once more.

The era had developed too rapidly, so much so that even he, who had once stood at the forefront of the times, now felt somewhat powerless.

"The cunning rabbit is dead, the running dog is cooked, it has always been like this through the ages, a very normal thing, you should learn to adapt,"

Hearing these somewhat sarcastic words of comfort, Shen Zhidong turned his head to look at his old friend who was sipping tea in his office.

"But this is all too quick."

"The new government was established less than two years ago, yet local authorities are fragmented and decrees cannot be enforced. Remote areas are still unaware of the change in the Imperial Court, the situation in Fusang is unstable, overseas Revolutionaries are covetous, and the colonization of the New Continent is a bottomless pit, consuming countless resources..."

"To say ’The cunning rabbit is dead, the running dog is cooked,’ what exactly is the President thinking?"

"The President did not say that, I did,"

The tea drinker smiled and said, "Moreover, it’s not the President who is too quick, but the Shen Family who is too quick."

"Unable to discern priorities, unclear about conflicts, mixing everything up... It’s one thing to deceive others, but how have you ended up deceiving yourselves as well?"

"Yang Mocheng, did you come here today just to make sarcastic remarks?"

"If you take it as me making sarcastic remarks, then there’s nothing I can do. There’s an old saying, ’good words are hard to persuade the doomed,’ if you can’t hear the truth in any statement, then it’s fitting for your family to meet its end."

The tea drinker set down his cup and laughed, "Once I have finished this pot of tea, I will leave. Next year today, I’ll bring good wine to your grave to pay tribute, it would still be a show of friendship."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhidong remained silent for a long while before he sat back on the sofa, picked up the teapot to refill his cup, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Yang, how can you advise me?"

"It’s not so much an advice, just a question out of brotherly concern, what does the Shen Family want?"

"It’s not about what we want..."

"No, don’t overcomplicate such a simple question, one question corresponds to one answer, your explanation is just a cover-up. At this point, what’s there to be embarrassed about? I can say it for you, the Shen Family wants to become a noble family like the Yang Family, a legacy lasting a thousand years, right?"

Shen Zhidong laughed, "Brother Yang, this is the first time you have spoken so bluntly."

"If I don’t keep my words simple and blunt, I’m afraid you wouldn’t understand,"

Yang Mocheng picked up his teacup and sighed, "In the eyes of the world, the Shen Family is undoubtedly the President’s hound, but why did Professor Shen not rise to glory alongside the President after he took control of the world? Has the Shen Family really thought this through?"

Shen Zhidong shook his head, "Our father is merely a scholar and not adept at governance."

"See, you’re still making excuses, always seeking excuses instead of solutions to your problems. With such a family ethos, it’s no wonder the President is disappointed in your father."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhidong’s expression showed a hint of displeasure.

But ultimately, he just shook his head and sighed, staying silent.

"The words you cannot utter, I will say them for you."

Yang Mocheng tasted his tea and spoke earnestly, "The Shen Family, as the dragon’s liegemen, has had its fill under Tianmen, reaping benefits both due and undue. It’s only because the New Dynasty has no system of nobility, or else, with Professor Shen’s merits, he would have likely secured a title of nobility. Now that you’re looking to ascend further, you don’t even know the way forward, and thus consider becoming a noble family."

"But you haven’t grasped the essence of what a noble family truly is, from the beginning to the end."

"To become a noble family, you must first have a foundation, which could be connections, cultural heritage, or at the very least, bloodline, but certainly not wealth."

"Anyone can make money, even a pig can fly when placed at the mouth of a gale,"

"Only through lineage can heritage be perpetuated."

"Where is the lineage of the Shen Family?"

"Does anyone from the Shen Family join the army? Imperial Army, local regiments, is there any general named Shen?"

"Does anyone from the Shen Family enter the Imperial Court as an official? Does anyone participate at the heart of the Imperial Court, staying right by the President’s side every step of the way?"

"Even if your father had integrity and character, has he founded a school or sect in these years? What benefits have his students gained from him over the years, and what benefits have they brought to him?"

"But even if we step back ten thousand steps, is Tianmen the Shen Family’s Tianmen? Is the Seaside District the Shen Family’s Seaside District? Where is your ancestral hall? Where is your ancestral land? Where are your roots?"

"Clinging onto some local connections and supporting a few poor relatives, do you think that qualifies you as a Noble Family?"

After the speech, Shen Zhidong was only sweating profusely, not daring to speak.

"Of course, these questions might indeed be a bit heavy for you."

Yang Mocheng took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and made his tone a bit gentler.

"Let’s simplify this question a bit. I’ll just ask you, does the Shen Family still have anyone willing to die for the President, or even for the country? The kind that would die without a second thought if ordered to."

Shen Zhidong remained silent.

"Actually, from the beginning, there was none, so even now, I do not understand what qualifications your family has to act as the President’s attack dogs."

"The premise of ’the hare is dead, the hound is cooked,’ is that you need to have the qualifications and the awareness to be a dog."

Yang Mocheng put down his teacup and said earnestly, "As brothers, at this point, there’s no need to talk more nonsense. The game of the Shen Family looks like it can be played a few more moves, but in fact, it is already a dead end. If you heed my advice, there’s still a slight chance to turn things around. Otherwise, it will only end with your family’s ruin."

"What does the Yang Family want?"

"The half of the city that Half-City Shen holds in his hands."

"Aren’t you being a bit too greedy!"

"I won’t say this a second time." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Hearing the hurried footsteps in the hallway, Yang Mocheng sighed, "I guess you won’t hear me say this a second time."

"The President left Tianmen less than two years ago, and you have already forgotten what kind of person she is."

A secretary, neglecting to knock, burst through the door, exclaiming, "Boss, the police have barged in!"

Shen Zhidong said coldly, "What’s the panic! Let Daqiang handle it. They’re just police. We’re conducting legal business here; why fear the police?"

Once the secretary left, he glanced at Yang Mocheng, who was sipping tea, raised his hand, and picked up the phone on the table to dial the police station’s number.

Before the call could connect, a gunshot rang out downstairs.

Shen Zhidong’s body jolted, and he dropped the phone handset, cracking it on the table.

They actually fired a shot! How dare they shoot?

Before he could reach out to pick up the phone, he heard the frightened scream of a female secretary outside the door.

The office door was kicked open, and a young man, fully equipped and wearing a helmet and mask that obscured his face, walked in and asked coldly, "Who is Shen Zhidong?"