"Minister Wu, why are you not leaving? Are you afraid of me?"

Just as Wu Xianyong was struggling with his decision, Jing Zhe walked up to the carriage and asked with a smile.

The way to overcome fear is to face it...

So Wu Xianyong stuck his head out of the window, his face cold: "President Jing, you're overthinking it. Do you think I, a dignified third-rank Vice Minister of War, would be afraid of you?"

"Oh? If not, then why did you deliberately stop when you saw me ahead?"

Jing Zhe asked curiously.

"This wasn't intentional!"

Wu Xianyong corrected him, then thought for a moment before adding, "The reason we stopped here is that the carriage broke down!"

"The carriage broke down?"

Jing Zhe circled the carriage for a while, "I don't see anything wrong with this carriage?"

"If I say it's broken, then it's broken!"

Wu Xianyong stiffened his neck, thinking to himself that this person was simply insane. What does it matter to you whether I'm a bad person or not!

"Oh no! It seems this is fate. There's still some distance to the palace gates. Well then, I'll be generous and help Minister Wu into the palace for court!"

"don't want!"

Before Jing Zhe could finish speaking, Wu Xianyong strongly objected!

He was almost dead when Jing Zhe dragged him in from the palace gate, and now he's being dragged from such a distance... does he think Jing Zhe is too old to live?

"Minister Wu, I really have to have a word with you about this! We're both officials in the same court, why are you being so polite? Don't be afraid to bother me, after all, I don't have any other skills, I just like to help people!"

Who the hell was being polite to you?

Wu Xianyong, panting heavily, said, "President Jing, you're overthinking it. It's not that I'm afraid of troubling you; I just don't want your help. I can walk by myself; why would I need your support?"

"Oh? Is that so? Even with his manhood gone, Minister Wu can still walk on his own?"

Jing Zhe looked serious and very concerned.

Wu Xianyong trembled with anger, hesitating several times before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "President Jing, no matter what your intentions are, I must tell you today that my manhood is still intact, so don't talk nonsense in the future!"

"..."

Jing Zhe looked at Wu Xianyong with some surprise, and only after realizing that he wasn't joking did he say with relief, "So, I was wrong all along! Since Minister Wu's manhood is still intact—"

Wu Xianyong's joy lasted only a few seconds before Jing Zhe said, "Then Minister Wu's eggs are definitely gone. How many are gone? I bet both of them are gone, right?"

"..."

Although I don't want to admit it, it's the truth...

Wu Xianyong, an old man in his sixties, suddenly felt like crying.

Seeing Wu Xianyong's low spirits, Jing Zhe comforted him, "Minister Wu, don't be sad. Your manhood is saved, which is a good thing—although it can't be used, it's still a decoration, isn't it? At least if someone says you're not a man, you can take it out and show it to them! I'll also vouch for you and tell them!"

"..."

Wu Xianyong did not feel better because of Jing Zhe's "comfort". On the contrary, his face turned red and his breathing became heavier.

"You... dare to tell others!"

"Yes, Minister Wu understands me well. I really do dare! Minister Wu... calling me the Eggless Warrior isn't bad either!"

"..."

Knowing that saying too much would only lead to more mistakes, Wu Xianyong simply kept quiet and pulled his head back out of the car window.

Seeing this, Jing Zhe quickly reminded him, "Minister Wu, the court session is about to begin, you should hurry up and go!"

"President Jing, you're in a hurry, go ahead! I'm not in a rush—by the way, I heard your newspaper is going out for the first time today, His Majesty is definitely waiting to hear it, so please don't be late!"

As he said this, he was still praying in his heart that Jing Zhe would leave quickly.

"Hey, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it, Minister Wu. We were just talking about the first issue of the newspaper, so we need to get Minister Wu in as soon as possible. After all, Minister Wu is the main character!"

"???"

Wu Xianyong was instantly at a loss.

"I'm... the main character?"

After a long pause, he finally roared, "Didn't we agree not to write about me? Why are you still writing about me?"

"Who said that was agreed upon with you?"

"You're saying Wu Pin won't write unless he goes to the newspaper office!"

"But he was here the whole time before I finished writing! He only stopped going to the newspaper office yesterday, but I had already finished writing by then!"

"You...did it on purpose!"

Wu Xianyong remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"I suppose so! But Minister Wu, there's no need to thank me. So many people wanted to be in my first issue of the newspaper, but I turned them all down!"

"..."

"Minister Wu, there's no time to lose, let's go!"

Ignoring Wu Xianyong's objections, he reached in and forcibly dragged him out.

"Don't be so polite! Let's go!"

"..."

And so, outside the palace gates, a young man strode forward, dragging an old man along with faltering steps…

The coachman watched this scene from behind, shook his head, and thought to himself, "Why bother? It would be better to just drive the carriage to the palace gate; that would save us a lot of walking!"

...

When Jing Zhe dragged Wu Xianyong to the Golden Palace, all the ministers had been waiting for a long time, and Emperor An had also arrived.

The two walked into the hall under everyone's gaze. Jing Zhe stood tall and proud, while Wu Xianyong slumped his head, looking half-dead.

"President Jing, you've gone to help Vice Minister Wu again?"

"No wonder President Jing didn't come in with us!"

"President Jing's concern for Vice Minister Wu is truly enviable!"

"..."

Jing Zhe waved to everyone and said with a smile, "Of course, of course! We're all colleagues, it's only right!"

As a result, he received praise from everyone. Jing Zhe held his head high, while Wu Xianyong lowered his head and his mouth seemed to be twitching, as if he was saying something.

Emperor An glanced at Jing Zhe, shook his head with a smile, and then said, "Now that all my beloved ministers have arrived, let's begin the court session. May anyone offer their remonstrances?"

Next, the court proceedings began. Jing Zhe was drowsy listening to the proceedings. After some time, Emperor An asked again, "What time is it now? Is anyone else going to offer advice?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Jing Zhe.

"Your Majesty, it will be a little over a quarter of an hour before Chenshi (7-9 AM)!"

Sui Shouren, who was standing next to him, answered.

At this moment, Jing Zhe also perked up, because he knew that at the end of the morning court session, it would be his time to perform.

The only regret is that it's still too early. After all, they came to court at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), and there's still some time before the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), let alone the quarter-hour of Chen.

How can we stall for time?

We can't keep Emperor An and his officials waiting for so long, can we?

Jing Zhe shifted his hips uncomfortably.

At this moment, Li Haoyun stepped forward and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Your Majesty, I have something else to offer my advice!"

Jing Zhe immediately gave him a grateful look, thinking that it seemed he and Li Haoyun had developed a good working relationship over the past two days; he had only wiggled his hips, and Li Haoyun knew what to do next…

"Oh? What brings you, Minister Li, to offer your advice?"

Emperor An glanced at him and asked a question.

————