Xu An brought Yan Zheng into the Yasu Manor.

He went to the Oriental Restaurant to arrest people after receiving a message from Yuan Fei.

For the past month, Xu An has been busy carrying out the task assigned to him by Zhao Cheng: to poach talent from within the Ministry of Revenue and recruit talent in the Jingdong region.

The talented individuals who had been overlooked by the Ministry of Revenue were arriving in Yanchuan one after another to meet with Xu An. Since he couldn't leave Yanchuan City for a while, he paid special attention to the local talents.

Yan Zheng's analysis of Yiwen Society made Yuan Fei see his merits, so he arranged for someone to notify Zhao Cheng and Xu An at the same time.

Upon entering the manor, Yan Zheng looked around with curiosity, much like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden.

"Is that the clubhouse over there?"

"Hmm, have you been there?"

"Young Master Xu is joking. How could I possibly go to a place like this?"

"Oh, you're poor."

"It has nothing to do with whether I have money or not. This kind of filthy place is an insult to civilization. I wouldn't go even if you invited me."

"Hey!" Xu An shouted. If Zhao Cheng hadn't been interested in Yan Zheng, he would have loved to kick Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng took a few steps and then said, "The name 'Yasu Manor' is good, but the layout and decoration inside are only vulgar; where is the elegance?"

"Are you a troll?" Xu An said unhappily, using a phrase he had learned from Zhao Cheng. "If you think this place is tacky, why have you been looking around like this ever since you came in?"

Yan Zheng said seriously, "I want to see just how vulgar it can be."

"Holy crap!" Xu An grabbed Yan Zheng by the collar.

Yan Zheng said, "I know that this Yasu Manor used to be your property, Young Marquis Xu, but you lost it to the Young Prime Minister in a big gamble. If I'm not mistaken, you're taking me to see the Young Prime Minister now."

As he spoke, Yan Zheng patted Xu An's hand, and after he let go, he continued, "I only discuss matters behind people's backs; I only discuss people in public. This manor is either elegant or vulgar, but whether it is elegant or vulgar, it must be the joint creation of the young marquis and the young prime minister. You two are like-minded, so you can call yourselves confidants."

Xu An was so frustrated he almost scratched his scalp raw. He asked Yu Jin, "Was he praising me or insulting me?"

Yu Jin ignored him.

"Hahaha, what a fine saying, 'One must discuss others in front of others!'"

Zhao Cheng led Zhao Wu towards Yan Zheng and said with a smile, "Mr. Yan is right. I am just an ordinary person, but I insist on pretending to be refined, which is why this manor has turned out like this. But I must make one thing clear: before I took over this manor, there was no elegance to be found at all. It was truly vulgar!"

Xu An said, "I understand what that means, it's an insult!"

Yan Zheng bowed slightly to Zhao Cheng and said, "This humble subject, Yan Zheng, greets the Great Jing General."

Zhao Cheng was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why do you address me as 'General'?"

Yan Zheng said, "The Grand Prince Consort of Dajing and the Young Prime Minister of Yanchuan are both of high rank, but only the Victorious General holds the title of Imperial Court official. Since a man holds an official position, he should naturally prioritize the Imperial Court, hence this commoner uses the title of General."

"You really have a good plan!" Zhao Cheng raised his hand, ready to grab Yan Zheng's hand, but then, remembering the man's nature, he gave up and instead gestured for him to join him, saying, "I have prepared a small feast and would like to invite Mr. Yan for a chat."

Yan Zheng said, "Since you're here, I'd like to know what business the general has with me, so I won't stand on ceremony."

Xu An curled his lip behind him and muttered to himself, "If you want to drink, just drink. You talk too much nonsense."

After several rounds of drinks...

As the weather grew colder, the people stopped drinking in the courtyard. The fire in the stove inside the house was burning, and as the effects of the alcohol kicked in, everyone took off their outer garments, leaving only their thin clothes on.

"Mr. Yan took the imperial examinations when he was young, and has failed them five times. Will he try again next time?"

Zhao Cheng spoke in a very calm tone, which Yan Zheng didn't perceive as sarcasm. Yan Zheng himself liked to tease people and didn't seem to care if others pointed out his shortcomings.

He picked up his glass and said, "Of course I'll go. I refuse to believe I can't succeed."

Zhao Cheng said, "Judging from your analysis of Yiwen Society, you are a smart person, but a smart person should have the ability to summarize and review. As the saying goes, things don't happen more than three times, so why did you fail five times?"

Yan Zheng sighed and said, "I can tell you, but will you believe me?"

Xu An couldn't help but interject, "It's so tiring talking to you, you go first!"

Yan Zheng wasn't annoyed and recounted the story in detail: "The first time I failed the exam, it was indeed due to my youthful arrogance and lack of ability. The second time I failed was because my marriage delayed me. The third time was because my emotions were affected by the divorce. The fourth time was when I encountered bandits on my way to the exam, lost all my travel money, and went to the exam hungry, falling asleep in the examination hall. The fifth time... the fifth time was the most infuriating! The chief examiner accepted a bribe, disqualified me, and promoted his own student!"

Xu An looked completely bewildered: "You got married and then divorced your wife, and you even encountered bandits? Is it really that strange?"

Yan Zheng smiled wryly and said, "I knew you wouldn't believe me, and no one would believe me even if I told you."

“I believe you,” Zhao Cheng said.

Yan Zheng shook his head and said, "You don't need to comfort me."

"I have no reason to comfort you. It's just that the world is a vast and wondrous place. The Anecdotes Society is dedicated to collecting strange and unusual tales. If I founded the Anecdotes Society, do you think I don't believe in some strange things myself?"

Zhao Cheng chuckled to himself, thinking, what could be stranger than time travel?

Xu An interjected, "Master Yan, I won't ask about your marriage and divorce, but where did you encounter the bandits?"

Yan Zheng said, "It seems that Young Master Xu still doesn't believe me. I will never forget this incident, Shiligou in western Sichuan."

"Shiligou in western Sichuan?" Zhao Cheng asked doubtfully, "Do you know who those bandits are?"

Yan Zheng nodded and said, "After I came back, I reported it to the authorities. Lord Chai Xin helped me investigate those people and found that they were just a group of petty thugs who had just become outlaws. They hadn't committed any murders or had any related cases. Lord Chai Xin said that it wasn't worthwhile to send troops to surround and wipe them out, so the matter was dropped. But I learned about the bandit leader from Lord Chai Xin. It seems that he used to be a pig butcher, and his surname was Ma."

Zhao Cheng and Xu An exchanged a glance.

It matches up, doesn't it?

Ma Congbei.

Zhao Cheng became interested and asked, "Then in the fifth round, who was the examiner who embezzled funds?"

Yan Zheng's eyes were filled with hatred as he clenched his fist and said, "I would recognize this man even if he were ashes! Du Yuhe, the Grand Master of the Great Jing Dynasty!!"

Well, this old guy is indeed a big corrupt official.

Everything matches up!

Zhao Cheng had an idea in mind and asked, "If that's the case, what's the point of continuing with the imperial examinations? Even if the next examiner isn't Du Yuhe, he might still be a corrupt official."

"My ambitions remain unfulfilled; I am not resigned to this!"

Yan Zheng changed the subject, looking intently at Zhao Cheng, and said, "General, stop asking me questions. Let me ask you something: I just heard you say that you founded the Yiwen Society?"