Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

He hurried back to Shen Qinghe's yard and looked from afar, seeing that the door was still closed as before.

His heart was instantly filled with anxiety, and he began to pace back and forth in the yard involuntarily.

Every step he took was filled with anxiety and uneasiness. The bluestone slabs on the ground seemed to sense his inner anxiety and made a slight sound.

Seeing this, Shen Qi stepped forward and said kindly, "Master Wang, it's useless to be so anxious. Why don't you go to the next room and rest for a while? When our master is free, we will notify you immediately."

However, Wang Haiquan was not listening to any of this at the moment. He shook his head and refused without hesitation, "No! I'll wait here. What if he takes the opportunity to run away right after I leave?"

After saying that, he continued to circle around like an ant on hot pan.

Wang Haiquan waited in the yard like this, from the scorching sun until sunset, and never left.

Finally, after a long wait, several people came out of Shen Qinghe's room one after another.

After a long while, Shen Qi slowly came over and invited him into the house.

The moment he stepped into the room, the first thing that caught his eye was Shen Qinghe's calm and composed expression.

He sat upright in a chair, took a sip of the tea in his hand, and said with a half-smile, "Master Wang is really leisurely."

Hearing this, Wang Haiquan hurriedly smiled and said, "Master Shen, you're joking. Just leave those trivial matters to my subordinates. I'm just playing a leading and coordinating role. Besides, since you came, Master Shen, our affairs have been handled in an orderly manner, so I naturally have a lot of free time."

Wang Haiquan smiled and slowly reached into his arms while speaking, carefully taking out a piece of paper densely drawn and covered with lines.

He gently unfolded the paper and presented it to Shen Qinghe, muttering, "Let's not talk about the troubles at work today. Lord Shen, please take a look. This is the sketch of the West Courtyard that I carefully drew. I made these adjustments after considering many actual conditions at home and repeatedly considering them. I just don't know if I will have the chance to meet with the person in charge of this matter in the Ministry of Works today. This West Courtyard must be completed quickly! My family members are now scattered in several places, and I have to run around every day like a wandering marriage in a barbarian land. It's really inconvenient!"

Shen Qinghe, who was standing aside, watched Wang Haiquan perform calmly without saying a word.

After Wang Haiquan had poured out everything he wanted to say, he said coldly and expressionlessly, "Who said the West Courtyard was going to be rebuilt?"

Wang Haiquan, who was speaking with great enthusiasm and joy, was stunned when he heard this, as if a basin of ice-cold water was poured on his head.

His eyes widened, his mouth hanging open as he stammered, "No... no way? Hasn't this... construction already begun?"

Seeing this, Shen Qinghe raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and responded slowly: "Your Majesty has not yet given a clear conclusion on the fire."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Wang Haiquan jumped up like a cat with its fur standing on end, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief. He shouted, "How...how is it possible that there's still no conclusion? The people sent by the capital to investigate have already thoroughly investigated! This was an accidental fire, not arson! After the investigation, we should rebuild the West Courtyard as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the Governor's Office remains half dark, and the people see it, there will inevitably be gossip."

Shen Qinghe raised his eyebrows slightly. "Lord Wang, do you also think that the west courtyard, now filled with broken walls and ruins, is not a good place to be?"

"Of course not..." Wang Haiquan stopped talking halfway, as if he suddenly realized something.

He stared at Shen Qinghe with wide eyes, his voice trembling slightly with anger. "Shen Qinghe, didn't you just say that His Majesty has not yet reached a conclusion on this matter? If that's the case, then what about those craftsmen who are now breaking ground in the West Courtyard? You must have acted on your own and wanted to take over the entire Governor's Office."

Facing Wang Haiquan's questioning and accusations, Shen Qinghe appeared very calm and composed.

He smiled and waved his hand, signaling Wang Haiquan to calm down and sit down to talk if he had anything to say.

However, Wang Haiquan was not listening to any of these words at this time. He was so angry that his face turned red, veins popped out on his forehead, and he looked like he was about to jump up.

Seeing this, Shen Qinghe remained calm and said, "Master Wang, your words are quite serious. I couldn't bear to see the West Courtyard in such a dilapidated state, so I wanted to renovate it. How can you say that I want to take it for myself? I am not like Master Wang, who would do such a thing."

"Just some repairs?" Wang Haiquan looked at Shen Qinghe with suspicion, his voice rising unconsciously with obvious questioning meaning.

Shen Qinghe calmly picked up a letter on the table and handed it to Wang Haiquan.

"This is a document that was just approved from the capital, which explicitly allows us to level the land ourselves." Shen Qinghe explained calmly.

When Wang Haiquan heard this, he was shocked.

He stared at the letter in his hand with wide eyes in disbelief.

Shen Qinghe had actually written the memorial early, and it had already been approved, but I hadn't even received any news about it.

Thinking of this, Wang Haiquan couldn't help but secretly curse his younger sister and eldest daughter. They were clearly married in the capital, but they had no idea about such a big thing.

He couldn't wait to open the letter Shen Qinghe handed to him.

When his eyes fell upon the bright red approval seal, Wang Haiquan felt a surge of blood in his heart, and a fishy-sweet taste in his throat, and he almost vomited blood.

"Shen! Qing! He!" Wang Haiquan's eyes widened in anger, and he gritted his teeth, squeezing out these three words, as if pouring all his anger into them. "You still dare to say that you don't want to take over the Governor's Office? Now, the son writes the memorials and the father reviews them. In the final analysis, this is just a play directed and performed by your Shen family!"

Facing Wang Haiquan's accusation, Shen Qinghe rolled his eyes at him with disdain and sneered, "This memorial is for the Prime Minister's approval. What's wrong with it? It just so happens that the Prime Minister is my father."