Chapter 108 Dad’s Confidence

In the hall, after Lou Yingqi finished speaking.

Falling into an eerie silence.

Ren Weizhi's face looked extremely ugly.

He narrowed his eyes and stared at Lou Yingqi in front of him, who seemed to be about to jump up and scold him.

Lou Yingqi also stared at him with his eyes wide open, unwilling to be outdone.

Their eyes met, and a spark of lightning seemed to appear.

…

Instead, the father who was at the center of the quarrel fell into deep thought.

Zeng Shilin glanced at Lou Yingqi.

His brows furrowed slightly.

Although he had some impression of Lou Yingqi, it was not much.

When he was young in the Imperial College, Lou Yingqi's talent in Confucianism and Taoism was extremely mediocre.

He is just an unknown marginal figure.

Not to mention paying any attention to him, if you don't think about it carefully, you wouldn't even know that such a person exists.

It was beyond his expectation that Lou Yingqi could take the position of Minister.

He openly fought against his immediate superior...

No matter how you look at it, it looks like you're digging your own grave?

Could it be that he is interested in becoming my disciple?

A strange look flashed across Dad's face.

A third-rank official in the court.

To become a disciple of a newcomer like yourself?

this……

There's something strange.

My father has been in the officialdom for half his life, so he naturally knows that there are many factions in the court today.

First of all, Li Zhen had been the Prime Minister for nearly twenty years, and there were countless people who had his interests as a group.

It is also deeply rooted in the court.

That is why Your Majesty supports Si Zhongxiao, intending to check and balance the Li Party.

But this also exposes a problem.

The struggle between the eunuch party and the Li party made the originally stable court somewhat chaotic.

Among them, there are the Prince's Party, the Four Princes' Party, and the Princess' Party.

However, these factions each had their own ideas, and it was difficult for them to come together to check and balance each other with the Li Party and the Eunuch Party.

And when I came to Beijing this time, I had two choices.

First, by delivering commendations to either Li Zhen or Si Zhongxiao, one can quickly gain a foothold in the court.

Second, he would unite the officials from the Water Supervisor Academy and form his own party.

Zeng Party? That sounds too bad.

Most of the officials who graduated from the Water Governor Academy came from Jiangnan, the Jiangnan Party?

Too rustic...

That's getting off topic.

If you want to gain a firm foothold in the court, you must have sufficient strength, as well as sufficient skills and reputation.

Only then can you gain the trust of other officials.

But this requires time to accumulate little by little.

“Could it be…”

Dad's eyes flickered slightly.

He looked at Bai Ziqing who was standing in the court.

There was a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Thinking of this, he gave up the urge to curse back at Ren Weizi.

He stood there, quietly watching the scene in front of him.

…………

Of course, this atmosphere also attracted others.

First of all, the eunuch party and the Li party in the court all looked at Lou Yingqi thoughtfully.

They were all Beijing officials, so they had a deeper impression of Lou Yingqi.

My impression of him is rather stereotyped.

To put it nicely, it means doing things meticulously.

To put it bluntly, Lou Yingqi was inflexible, which was why Ren Weizhi took advantage of a loophole after the last Beijing official evaluation and won the position of Shangshu.

…………

Emperor Jianhong naturally saw everything that happened in the court.

He remained noncommittal about the altercation.

"Alright, how can such a quarrel be tolerated in the imperial court?!"

He calmly interrupted the ministers' quarrel.

Then he looked thoughtful and fixed his gaze on Bai Ziqing:

"Lord Bai."

Bai Ziqing bowed and said, "I am here."

"You have made a great contribution in solving the case of the demon race's green-bellied snake."

"You will temporarily take over the post of the Northern Commander of the Imperial City Division."

When others heard this, they all looked anxious.

I want to say something else.

Then I heard Lou Yingqi bow deeply to Jianhong:

"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened! A wise ruler of all ages!!"

There was even a hint of sob in his voice.

"Well, leave the court!"

Jianhong didn't give anyone a chance to speak. He stood up and walked towards the back.

Bai Ziqing just stood there blankly.

This sudden reward caused them to forget to thank the emperor for his grace.

…

Lou Yingqi slowly stood up, glanced at Ren Weizhi casually, a smile appeared on his resolute face, and he slowly came to the front of Shangshu Ren Weizhi and said in a slow voice:

"Minister Ren, please stop talking nonsense in the court."

After saying that, he sneered and walked out of the hall.

Ren Weizhi just stared coldly at Lou Yingqi's back.

There was a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.

"snort!"

After a long time, a cold snort came out of his nose.

…………

After Bai Ziqing left the palace, there was still a dazed look on his face.

He touched his chin in a very unreal way.

There was even a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Is it so easy to solve the case?"

"Is promotion so easy?"

His voice murmured.

…

In the carriage.

Zeng Shilin slowly looked out the window.

He narrowed his eyes, a look of contemplation flashing across his face.

It was not until he left the palace that his confused thoughts gradually became clear.

Mainly because Lou Yingqi's sudden appearance in the hall caught him off guard.

After sitting in the carriage and thinking carefully for a while, he slowly figured it out.

Although Lou Yingqi was a third-rank official, he was not a member of the Li Party in the court.

Nor did he join the eunuch party.

Although he didn't know who sent the green viper into his house to murder his only son.

But what can be guessed is that he must have touched the interests of certain people.

Although he was in a state of isolation and helplessness.

But after all, as a minister, he would definitely not fail to think of this.

After experiencing this disaster, he also realized that it was naturally safer to go forward alone than to stay in the court with others for warmth.

But unexpectedly, he did not become Li Zhen's disciple.

Nor did he become a running dog of the eunuch party.

"Master, we're here."

The groom's voice sounded respectfully.

"Um."

Dad slowly got out of the car and prepared to walk towards the door of his home.

He just stopped when he reached the door.

In front of me, a determined figure was standing at the door.

"Minister Lou?"

This person was Lou Yingqi, who had just left the hall.

Dad frowned and looked at Lou Yingqi in front of him.

At this time, Lou Yingqi smiled, looked up at Zeng Shilin, and said in a soft voice:

"The Zeng Shangshu residence is really hard to find, but it exhausted my old horse. Fortunately, although the old horse is a little old, it still has some speed."

Dad listened to his words thoughtfully, then smiled and asked:

"Although it's spring, the weather is still a little chilly. Why don't you go inside to warm up?"

"That is what I wish for, but I dare not ask you."

…

The two of them walked all the way to the main hall of the Shangshu Mansion.

Halfway through the journey, I saw Zeng Anmin lazily basking in the warm sun in the yard.

Zeng Anmin looked over and happened to see his father and Lou Yingqi walking together.

A smile slowly appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Dad, you're back?"

He stood up and walked towards the two of them.

"Hmm." No one knew what the old man was thinking at this moment, and there was no expression on his face.

"Um, Uncle Lou?"

Zeng Anmin blinked and looked at Lou Yingqi.

uncle? ?

When did this guy become so close to Lou Yingqi?

After saying this, Dad paused slightly.

He looked at Lou Yingqi silently.

He turned his gaze to Dahaoer again.

"Haha, nephew Zeng didn't go to the Imperial College to study today?"

Lou Yingqi had a very bright smile on his face, and there was a hint of doting in his eyes when he looked at Zeng Anmin.

"No, the Imperial College is closed today, so I can take a break from my busy life."

Zeng Anmin grinned, met his father's inquiring gaze and asked:

"Why don't we go together?"

"Um."

Dad noticed the secret between Haodaer and Lou Yingqi, and he also wanted to know what was going on.

He nodded in agreement.

The three of them soon came to the main hall and sat down.

Fang Yi sat down.

"Bring some good tea."

The old man looked at the servant and gave the order expressionlessly.

"yes."

As the servant walked out of the main hall.

Then he saw that the smile on Lou Yingqi's face disappeared completely.

Instead, there was a miserable look.

He slowly stood up and bowed deeply to his father, his voice trembling:

"Please, Mr. Zeng, save my life!!"

Dad: ???

He was a little confused for a moment.

He set his sights on Zeng Anmin.

Zeng Anmin just grinned and didn't say anything.

"Why is Minister Lou here? Perhaps something happened?"

Dad was silent for a while, but still chose to stand up and help Lou Yingqi up. He looked at Lou Yingqi seriously with a solemn expression.

Lou Yingqi just smiled bitterly: "Since Minister Zeng already knows everything, why are you asking again?"

Your son told me everything yesterday, and you are still pretending.

?

What do I know?

The more Dad listened, the more confused he became.

"Yesterday at the Minister's residence, Zeng Shaojun reminded me."

Lou Yingqi looked at his father's confused expression and felt that something was wrong. He looked towards Zeng Anmin.

Zeng Anmin patted his head, stood up and said with a smile:

"I haven't told my father about this yet."

"What happened?"

At this time, the old man frowned deeply.

"It's like this... Didn't Bai Ziqing go to Prince Qi's mansion to confiscate the property a few days ago? He asked me to go with him, and I found some secret letters in Prince Qi's mansion."

Zeng Anmin pretended to put his hand into his arms, and then he had an idea.

He took several secret letters in the preparation space in his hands.

Handed it to dad.

"Secret message?"

Dad took it calmly and looked at the secret letter.

Then his expression became extremely gloomy.

After he finished reading all the secret letters.

He sat in the chair and thought quietly.

Lou Yingqi was a little nervous at this time.

Even a little restrained.

In Zeng Anmin's view, he is now like a job applicant whose resume is being read.

"Da, da, da~"

Dad's fingers tapped the table rhythmically, his face as gloomy as water.

There was no trace of emotion.

After a long time, he slowly raised his head and glared at Zeng Anmin.

Zeng Anmin pursed his lips and smiled.

When he saw this look, he knew that his father agreed.

"The person standing behind Ren Weizhi is actually the eldest princess."

Dad narrowed his eyes and a cold look appeared on his face.

Um?

Zeng Anmin looked at his father blankly.

How can you guess that the owner of the letter is the eldest princess just by reading it?

"well."

Lou Yingqi sighed deeply:

"I had never thought of this at first. I originally thought that Ren Weizhi was working for Li Zhen, until I later discovered that the Liangyou Chamber of Commerce was also involved..."

Having said this, he sighed again:

"And King Qi is also involved. This is as deep as the abyss."

"Hmm." The old man's eyes remained unchanged. He took the tea handed to him by the servant, took a sip, and then slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

For the first time, he looked at Lou Yingqi with an accepting look:

"During your years at the Ministry of Revenue, you've been able to maintain your integrity and not collude with them. This is very good."

Lou Yingqi smiled bitterly:

"It is precisely this kind of character that caused my son to suffer this disaster."

"Oh!"

A cold light flashed in the old man's eyes. He slowly raised his head and looked into the distance:

"That's because I haven't entered the capital."

"Now that we've entered the capital, it's time to clear up the muddy waters here."

When saying this.

There was a look of certainty on Dad's face.

The oppressive aura of a great scholar on his body also spread towards the main hall!

He was trying to reassure Lou Yingqi!

As a father who is at the third level of the Firewood-Carrying Realm, he naturally has the confidence!

My dad is awesome!

Zeng Anmin was deeply moved by his father's courage.

Lou Yingqi also suddenly raised his head and looked towards his father. After a long moment, he took a deep breath and said,

"But such filthy corners are deeply ingrained in the capital. How can they be cleaned up in a day?"

Dad didn't answer him, but chuckled:

"Then there's no need to rush."

He placed his gaze on the teacup on the table:

"Of course, the longer tea is steeped, the more fragrant it becomes."

…

Zeng Anmin picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

Um.

If he tastes red wine, he can even taste a hint of flavor.

But if you say this tea...

I can’t say.

"Right now, what we should do is to make the eldest princess and Ren Weizhi afraid of the consequences, right?"

Zeng Anmin mentioned this, then he looked towards Lou Yingqi and said with a grin:

"It's only a thief who steals for a thousand days, so why should we be on guard against thieves for a thousand days?"

Lou Yingqi gave Zeng Anmin a grateful look.

Then he looked at his father cautiously.

"Um."

Zeng Shilin did not disappoint Lou Yingqi. He showed a calm expression on his face, looked towards Lou Yingqi, and asked:

"Do you still have the evidence you collected over the years?"

Lou Yingqi's face was serious. He took out a pile of documents from his sleeve and handed them to his father respectfully:

"Every account of the Ministry of Revenue and the Liangyou Chamber of Commerce is here. Please review it."

Dad didn't even look at it, he just sneered:

"Accounts? What does that mean?"

"With only the Ministry of Revenue's accounts, and no Good Friend Chamber of Commerce accounts to compare them to, how can they be trusted?"

"This account will at most have some impact on Ren Weizhi. As a member of the royal family, the eldest princess represents the reputation of the royal family. Even if this evidence is submitted to the emperor..."

"At most, it's just a minor punishment. The princess will be fine once she settles the account."

"This account is not even as credible as these secret letters in my hand."

"Well."

Lou Yingqi's face turned red as his father spoke.

"However, although it's not very useful, it can sometimes be the straw that breaks the camel's back."

Dad reached out calmly and put the accounts into his arms.

"Huh~" Lou Yingqi breathed a sigh of relief, but then he felt troubled again.

Doesn't this still require guarding against thieves? Who can be on guard against Ren Weizhi and the Princess's various tricks every day?

(End of this chapter)