After leaving the Zhang family, Jing Zhe did not go to the other Zhang family winery he had inquired about earlier. Instead, he asked Hanhan to go to the newspaper office to call the three people over, and they prepared to go to the East Palace.

He's a bit confused right now and doesn't know what to do.

There is no such thing as a patent in this era. So what if we know that Zhang Xuehou stole the manufacturing process?

So he decided to clear his mind first, and also go to the Duke of Huguo's mansion to discuss this issue with Yu Sheng. Judging from Yu Sheng's fiery temper, he should have some strange ideas.

The three, who thought they had missed the luncheon at the Eastern Palace, rushed over after being summoned by Jing Zhe, their faces beaming with satisfaction. Xiong San, in particular, smiled so much that his eyes disappeared.

As they walked down the street, a carriage approached and stopped in front of them. Zhu Xinning, who had just finished court, poked her head out and asked, "Zhe'er, it's almost lunchtime. Where are you going?"

"Take them to the East Palace!"

Fearing that Zhu Xinning might think he had gone out to do something bad again, Jing Zhe quickly pointed behind him.

Zhu Xinning glanced back casually before immediately focusing her gaze on Jing Zhe. "Come here."

Jing Zhe leaned closer, and Zhu Xinning peeked out, reaching out to straighten his collar and brush the dust off his robe before saying, "I didn't call you last night because I was afraid you'd be too busy. Let's have dinner at the manor tonight!"

Jing Zhe looked up and saw Zhu Xinning's red lips almost touching his face. He noticed that the shyness from yesterday was gone from her face, so he whispered with a mischievous smile, "Second Sister, the food at the Prime Minister's residence isn't good. It's nothing like what Aunt Wu makes. Why don't you wait for me at home tonight? I'd like to have a good chat with you tonight!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xinning blushed involuntarily, rolled her eyes at Jing Zhe, and still nodded gently, "Okay, I'll wait for you at home."

The midday sun was warm and gentle, falling perfectly on the two of them; the scene was so beautiful that it was enviable.

After finishing her sentence, Zhu Xinning got into her car and drove away slowly.

The three people behind Jing Zhe stood there stunned. Xiong San suddenly said, "I suddenly don't want to eat so much delicious food anymore..."

"Why?"

Chen Jiannan and Zhao Wei asked curiously.

"Because I think...finding a beautiful wife is definitely more satisfying than eating!"

"..."

Jing Zhe walked up and patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him, "As long as you're willing to work hard, as long as you follow the methods I teach you, one day—"

Xiong San looked up at Jing Zhe with anticipation.

"I will have many more beautiful wives!"

"..."

...

Upon arriving at the East Palace gate, Feng Lianru, the Crown Prince's tutor, came out to greet them.

"His Highness just returned from court not long ago, and when the gatekeeper told him that President Jing had arrived, he was overjoyed!"

He was suddenly taken aback when he saw the four people following behind him.

Jing Zhe smiled and said, "I came to the East Palace today because I have many questions I want to discuss with Your Highness. So I brought Chen Jiannan, the chief editor of our newspaper, Zhao Wei, the head of the interview department, and Xiong Qiang, the head of the life department, to listen to Your Highness's teachings and be enlightened!"

The three of them were very excited when they heard Jing Zhe introduce himself.

Feng Lianru gave Jing Zhe a meaningful look, then smiled and invited them inside.

As they walked inside, Jing Zhe asked casually, "Is Your Highness the only one here?"

Feng Lianru shook his head and smiled, "More than that."

"Oh, the Prince of Jin's heir is here too, isn't he?"

This time, Feng Lianru shook his head again: "No, the Prince of Jin's heir moved out of the East Palace a few days ago. He said that as the son of a prince, people would gossip if he stayed in the East Palace. His Highness tried to persuade him for a long time but failed, so in the end he had no choice but to let him leave."

Jing Zhe pouted, thinking to himself that this guy wasn't afraid of gossip at all; he was clearly hiding away to make it easier for him to do bad things!

However, he did not intend to discuss Su Xinping's matter in the Eastern Palace. After all, the Crown Prince and Su Xinping seemed to have a good relationship, and what if the Crown Prince pleaded for him again?

Then he laughed and said, "If the Prince of Jin's heir is not here, then who is?"

"Grand Tutor Hao and Prefect Li!"

"..."

Seeing Jing Zhe's surprise, Feng Lianru explained, "Grand Tutor Hao originally wanted to invite you to his residence for a chat, but after returning from court, he heard from Prefect Li that you had agreed, so he came to the East Palace first."

Jing Zhe nodded and walked inside.

...

In the main hall of the Eastern Palace, the three sat around a table.

What intrigued Jing Zhe was that Grand Tutor Hao Junguang was sitting in the main seat, while Crown Prince Su Moyan sat next to him.

Then I thought about it again. Hao Junguang was the Crown Prince's tutor, so it was understandable to let him sit in the first seat. It just shows that the Crown Prince was broad-minded.

"Hehe, Your Highness, am I right?"

Hao Junguang smiled and said when he saw Jing Zhe come in.

"This humble official pays his respects to Your Highness and Grand Tutor Hao!"

Jing Zhe bowed respectfully, then asked with a smile, "I wonder what Grand Tutor Hao and His Highness discussed? Perhaps they made a bet?"

"There was no bet, it's just that I thought someone as shrewd as President Jing would definitely come to the East Palace first, so I came here to wait for President Jing!"

"Grand Tutor Hao's predictions are truly astute; I admire him greatly!"

Jing Zhe promptly offered a compliment.

Hao Junguang didn't care at all. He glanced at Jing Zhe, then looked up with a smug look and said, "Speaking of which, President Jing should thank me for coming to the Eastern Palace. Do you know why?"

Jing Zhe thought for a moment, "It is reasonable and justifiable for me to come to the Eastern Palace first. As for whether to go to the Grand Tutor's Mansion or the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion first, that is the problem. It seems that it is not fair to go to either place first. Grand Tutor Hao's move has helped me to get out of this awkward situation, so I thank Grand Tutor Hao!"

"Indeed, as expected of President Jing! I never imagined that President Jing, at such a young age, would be so knowledgeable about human relationships, not to mention his literary and martial talents! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have doubted whether there really was such a thing as an immortal descending to earth!"

"..."

After Hao Junguang finished speaking, Jing Zhe shuddered.

He wasn't a "celestial being descended to earth," he was a time traveler!

He then smiled and said, "Grand Tutor, you flatter me!"

At this moment, Crown Prince Su Moyan interjected, "Now that President Jing has arrived, please take your seats! I'll have the kitchen prepare the dishes quickly; I'm starving after a long morning court session!"

After saying this, he noticed the four people behind Jing Zhe. He recognized Hanhan; he was there when Jing Zhe came last time and seemed to be Jing Zhe's personal servant. As for the three behind him, he had met Chen Jiannan once before when he attended the morning court session the day before yesterday. As for the two men behind him, he did not recognize them.

Seeing Su Moyan's questioning look, before Jing Zhe could speak, Feng Lianru conveniently introduced, "Da'an Newspaper has just opened, and the staff there don't know much about interview procedures and such, so President Jing brought the three of them here to learn."

He then told Su Moyan the names and current positions of the three men. Jing Zhe, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but admire them. Sure enough, those who could serve as guests of the Crown Prince were all very shrewd and sophisticated!

I only said it once, and he remembered it all. Amazing!

————