Seeing Jing Zhe speechless after his question, Bai Qingyuan felt a little smug. It seemed that this was the first time in a long time that he had gained a slight advantage in his duel with Jing Zhe, just like celebrating the New Year.

He knew that although Jing Zhe dared to offend him recklessly, he would not dare to offend Empress Yueyao and make Emperor An unbearable. He seized on this weakness of Jing Zhe and pressed his advantage.

"President Jing, do you think Empress Yueyao is not good enough for you? If so, then we'll have to reconsider our choice of a marriage partner!"

Bai Qingyuan spoke with a "serious" expression, as if he were considering Jing Zhe's feelings.

After mentally cursing Bai Qingyuan's entire family once more, Jing Zhe smiled and said, "Grand Tutor Bai, are you not only getting old, but your eyesight is failing you too? Empress Yueyao is a beauty of unparalleled grace, like a celestial being descended to earth. Any man would feel ashamed in her presence. How could there be a man unworthy of the Empress? Grand Tutor Bai, if you think like this, it only shows that you're not manly enough—right, being unable to have children certainly makes you unmanly..."

"You, you, you..."

"thump!"

"Oh dear, Grand Tutor Bai has fainted again!"

"Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

Bai Qingyuan finally succumbed to Jing Zhe's magical attack and collapsed to the ground, causing chaos in the court.

Once the imperial physician carried Bai Qingyuan away, the situation gradually returned to control. Murong Xi and Chu Xia exchanged a glance, filled with shock and disbelief. It seemed that Jing Zhe was indeed extraordinary in Anguo.

"Your mouth...it's so hateful!"

Emperor An looked at Jing Zhe and scolded him, but as he spoke, he started to laugh. Fortunately, Bai Qingyuan did not wake up, otherwise, seeing Emperor An's reaction, he would probably faint again from heartache.

Jing Zhe shrugged. This was something Bai Qingyuan had found.

Since their parting in Liangzhou, his relationship with Murong Xi had become awkward. Upon returning to Jingzhou, he was still praying that he would not see Murong Xi at all.

Little did he know that he would run into Bai Qingyuan as soon as he entered the palace, and Bai Qingyuan kept urging him to go and marry into a foreign land. Who else should he scold but Bai Qingyuan?

Murong Xi's reaction, in particular, almost made him vomit blood.

Is this still the same arrogant empress?

Fortunately, Bai Qingyuan was so badly scolded that he fainted, and the matter was considered over.

But things didn't go as planned. After Bai Qingyuan was carried away, Murong Xi raised his head and asked, "President Jing, since you think I am worthy of all the men in the world, what are your thoughts on this marriage alliance?"

"..."

The two had at least shared a bed and had a friendship, but Jing Zhe never expected Murong Xi to be so aggressive now.

Looking into her bright eyes, Jing Zhe couldn't even muster the thought of refusing her.

To arrange a marriage alliance or not, that is the question…

...

When Murong Xi asked that question, all the pressure fell on Jing Zhe, and his answer weighed heavily on everyone's minds.

Some were just watching the spectacle, while others were tense.

Jing Zhe glanced at Zhu Xinning, only her eyes seemed very calm. When she noticed Jing Zhe looking over, she smiled and nodded at him, as if she was the only one who wasn't worried.

But when Jing Zhe turned her head, her brows furrowed again as she looked at Murong Xi, lost in thought.

Jing Zhe took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The Empress thinks too highly of me! I am just a minor official of the fifth rank. How dare I discuss such an important matter as a marriage alliance in this court?"

"..."

Although your official rank is low, you are quite bold!

Even a high-ranking official like the Grand Tutor can be driven to the brink of unconsciousness by you. Is there anything in the court that you dare not say?

Murong Xi pursed her lips, about to retort, when Jing Zhe spoke up again: "Marriage alliances are diplomatic matters involving relations between countries, so it should be left to His Majesty to decide!"

"..."

Damn it!

An Di cursed inwardly.

He thought that with Jing Zhe's intelligence, he would be able to smooth things over, so he had been watching the show from the beginning. He never expected that the ball would suddenly be passed to him again.

Should we send Jing Zhe to marry a foreign ruler?

Andy felt that even if he were out of his mind, he would never agree to it!

Before Jing Zhe appeared, Emperor An was in a state of great concern. To the south, the Southern Qi was eyeing the country covetously, and to the west, the Western Frontier frequently provoked him. The court was filled with numerous factions of ministers, and the powerful sects were out of control. Furthermore, the Prince of Jin was also stirring up trouble within the country. Whenever Emperor An thought of these things, he would be extremely worried.

At this moment, Jing Zhe appeared.

He defeated the third prince of Southern Qi, making Southern Qi dare not easily target Anguo again. The information he received a few days ago indicated that the Western Frontier Heavy Cavalry Regiment had suffered heavy losses. With Jing Zhe's intelligence, he must have reached some kind of agreement with Western Frontier. He planned to ask about it later.

Furthermore, because of his appearance, the various forces in the court became much more balanced, and the sects were also freed from the danger of being controlled by Prince Jin. Most importantly, the Da'an Newspaper was so successful when it was first established.

If the Da'an Newspaper were to be established in the current model and spread throughout the country, the "quality education" that Jing Zhe originally proposed would definitely become widespread, and Anguo's national strength would surely advance by leaps and bounds!

Emperor An sometimes thought that Jing Zhe was a lucky star bestowed upon him by heaven, so how could he possibly send away his lucky star?

Jing Zhe had already guessed Emperor An's thoughts, so he threw this hot potato to him. Since Emperor An wouldn't let him marry into a foreign land, he might as well let him be the bad guy, so that Murong Xi wouldn't hold a grudge against him for it!

...

Emperor An was silent for a moment, then suddenly put on a stern face.

He then slammed his large hand hard on the dragon throne, making a loud "bang" that startled everyone.

"How dare you, Jing Zhe! You are a fifth-rank official, and by all accounts, you are not even qualified to enter the palace to attend court! I have already shown you extraordinary mercy by allowing you to attend court, but I did not expect that you would not only fail to cherish this opportunity to enter the palace, but also be so presumptuous in court, openly contradicting Grand Tutor Bai. You are simply arrogant! Jing Zhe, do you know your crime?"

After shouting loudly, Emperor An tucked his hands into his sleeves and twirled them a couple of times: "I got a little too carried away when I hit the dragon throne just now, ouch!"

Jing Zhe immediately knelt down: "Your subject knows his crime!"

All the ministers were stunned by what they saw. They knew that since Jing Zhe first entered the palace, no matter how outrageous his behavior was, Emperor An had never been so stern as he was today.

Could it be that the world is about to change?

Only Jing Zhe and Zhu Xinning smiled, seemingly having guessed Emperor An's intentions.

Next, Emperor An continued coldly, "Since you also know your crime, then I will punish you..."

"Your Majesty, I am a lowly fifth-rank official who has been granted permission to enter the palace to attend court. This is an exceptional favor from Your Majesty, yet I have failed to cherish it and have wasted Your Majesty's good intentions! Why not punish me by banning me from entering the palace to attend court for the foreseeable future?"

Before Emperor An could speak, Jing Zhe quickly bowed and spoke with righteous indignation. His sincerity and earnestness were truly moving.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor An was stunned:

This is not what I expected!

————