Chapter 540: A Leopard Cannot Change Its Spots

"Is what you say true?"

If the civil and military officials of Xichuan were replaced, one or two might be fine, but if the number were large, how could it be possible for no one to notice at all?

Do you really think the Black-Clad Guards, who are spread all over the world by the imperial court, are just freeloaders? Those secret agents, both in the open and in the shadows, are everywhere.

No matter how one listens to Wumian's words, they sound like a fantasy, making it hard to believe. Yet, his expression shows no sign of deception, which makes one have to believe him.

"Lord Shen, every word I have said is true. The reason this matter could be kept hidden is that even those who replaced others do not know they are actually stand-ins!"

"Oh? You mean to say that they themselves have no suspicion about their own identities and believe they are the original people?"

"Yes, and precisely because of this, their thoughts and actions are completely flawless."

"Moreover, what is even more surprising is that their way of interacting with others is exactly the same as if they had taken over the original owners."

"Otherwise, it would be impossible to hide it until now. But a leopard cannot change its spots; just like He Yuan, his true nature is something that cannot be concealed no matter how one tries."

Speaking of which, Wumian remembered He Yuan again. That Governor who appeared to be a gentleman on the surface, but was actually greedy for wealth and lustful, with insatiable demands.

For such a person, when he first came to Tingfeng Pavilion, the greedy expression on his face, though it only flashed for a moment...

... Wumian saw it at a glance; this was definitely a man of the same kind. A true nature is something that cannot be hidden!

"My Lord, in fact, He Yuan has always thought that he only fell into depravity because he couldn't resist temptation later on."

"It was because he became a Governor of a region and, after gaining high position and great power, his eyes were blinded by that power."

"Sometimes, he even lamented that the days of being an honest official in the past were not as carefree as they are now, saying he was truly stubborn back then. Now he has figured it out: he wants to eat, drink, play, and live a carefree life!"

"But in fact, he did not fall into depravity, nor did he 'figure it out'; rather, his true nature is just like that. Having no flaws is his greatest flaw."

At first, Wumian also just thought He Yuan was a hypocrite. He had a good reputation on the surface, but was actually hiding filth in secret; he had seen too many people like that, they were everywhere.

But later, He Yuan was almost completely obedient to Mu Shang, which is why he started to investigate He Yuan's past.

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy; he wanted to investigate the other party's experiences in minute detail to ensure he could keep this Governor firmly under his control.

Countless people have fallen under Mu Shang's charms, so investigating He Yuan's past experiences was absolutely easy.

But the results of the investigation shocked him somewhat: this guy, who was clearly an old lecher, looked greedy and lustful, and was also as timid as a mouse, cherishing his life and body!

Such a person is the very model of a corrupt official, a hypocrite among hypocrites.

Yet the former He Yuan was an honest and upright good official, known for his integrity and impartiality, clean-handed and possessing a backbone of steel!

He even dared to attack the nobility and high-ranking court officials in the imperial court on behalf of the common people, forcing them to bow their heads and apologize to the poor.

How many people hated him to the bone, trying every possible way to find traces of his illegal activities to slap him in the face, yet they all gained nothing.

At that time, He Yuan was truly worthy of being called a man of high moral character, a great and loyal official.

But Wumian did not see any of these traits in the current He Yuan of Xichuan, which makes one have to be suspicious.

Even if he had fallen into depravity, there should have been a process.

If He Yuan were truly like that, his insatiable, greedy nature could not be hidden no matter how he tried. He would have long since been beaten to death by those nobles and high-ranking officials who hated him to the bone; how could he have been left until now?

How could the one in the Imperial Palace be at ease handing over a region's governorship to a scholar from a humble background like He Yuan? Wasn't it because of his iron backbone and unwavering loyalty?

In other words, he was 'one of their own,' so the support for Xichuan and He Yuan had always been unsparing.

But they did not know that He Yuan was no longer He Yuan; all the support was like a meat bun thrown at a dog—never to return—and most of it went into He Yuan's own pocket.

"My Lord, my Tingfeng Pavilion has been established for a long time and has gathered much information. I fear that not only the civil and military officials in various places, but even the heroes of the Jianghu may have been replaced by quite a few."

"I imagine Lord Shen should understand by now why the imperial court sent you here: it is because the court's control over this place has dropped to its lowest point!"

"Not only does He Yuan pay lip service to the court's orders, but most of the civil and military officials in Xichuan do the same. Once or twice might be fine, but every single time—how could the court not notice!"

"Therefore, before Lord Shen arrived, the court also sent a large number of experts to investigate, but they all went and never returned, and not even a shred of news was sent back."

Looking at Shen Yu with trepidation, Wumian poured out everything he knew. Part of it was gathered in Tingfeng Pavilion, and part of it was his own speculation.

Now, in order to save his life, he told everything he knew, hoping that Shen Yu would see his value.

Only a person with value is worthy of living and can survive!

"Lord Shen, Xichuan has become a de facto separatist regime, and it is a separatist regime with countless experts and unfathomable depth!"

"If you want to take Xichuan back, you must either make up your mind and pay a painful price to launch a campaign, or you must have someone strong enough to sweep through this place directly!"

"And Lord Shen, who is strong enough and has no obsession with power, is the best candidate!"

"There is one more most important point: Lord Shen has a deep hatred for corrupt officials. They believe that as long as Lord Shen understands the current Xichuan, he will absolutely not sit idly by!"

"Under the governance of these Xichuan civil and military officials, the once relatively wealthy Xichuan has seen starving people everywhere in recent years, and the common people are living in misery. Corrupt officials are as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river, countless and impossible to kill off!"

"I fear that if this continues, with public grievances boiling over, Xichuan will fall into complete chaos!"

"Understood!" Nodding, Shen Yu understood at once; it turned out the imperial court sent him to take over Xichuan to act as a firefighter.

They were not afraid that Xichuan would completely become Shen Yu's private territory, because according to precedent, Shen Yu had absolutely no interest in that.

Besides, if he really had that thought, as long as he spoke up, would the court dare not give it to him? Try not giving it and see!

What Shen Yu was most interested in was wielding his blade to hack people—hacking those corrupt officials and killing those river-and-lake bandits.

Corrupt officials and river-and-lake bandits were all present in Xichuan, and it had reached the point where they were almost impossible to kill off.

These civil and military officials of Xichuan were deliberately blocking information, so outsiders could not perceive the changes in Xichuan. Unless one came to Xichuan, one would never know the true situation here.

But once Shen Yu noticed, he would definitely be interested.

Once the imperial court's transfer appointment came down, even if Shen Yu refused, he would inevitably become interested in Xichuan; what the court actually needed to do was just to make him pay attention to Xichuan.

As long as he was interested and paid a little attention here, he would be able to perceive the difference in Xichuan, and then he would go on a killing spree in Xichuan, hacking away all those who held positions but did not perform their duties.

The imperial court just hoped he would kill; the more he killed, the better. Shen Yu did not have suitable officials to replace them, but the court did.

With this back and forth, Xichuan would be theirs again; the plan was truly calculated quite brilliantly.

"Wumian, do you know who is actually controlling all of this behind the scenes?"

"This... this, this lowly one does not know!" Lowering his head, Wumian felt a bit guilty, but in order to save his life, he still braced himself and said.

"In fact, even He Yuan and the others do not know they are being controlled. To this day, they still think they are the original masters, and have no idea they are just stand-ins."

"But the person behind the scenes must have a massive scheme; I even suspect their goal is not just to control these people alone!"

"Furthermore, their plan may have already begun."

"My lord, my Tingfeng Pavilion can gather countless pieces of information; as long as it is something you wish to know, I can inquire about it for you. Please believe me, I will certainly be able to be of help to you!"