Song Ming was obviously stunned for a moment, then he said coldly: "You want to play with fire, right? The price of playing with fire is seeking death!"

"Even a cornered rabbit bites. Don't you know how much money my Gu family has given you in recent years? Are you really going to drive my Gu family to death?"

Gu Rongshan was nervous. This was a big gamble, and walking between two sides was like playing with fire, but she had no choice.

Due to the changes in the political situation, the fight for the throne has become more complicated. This is also an opportunity brought by Song Chi.

She must boldly seize the opportunity to gain more benefits for the Gu family.

Song Ming narrowed his eyes and stared at Gu Rongshan.

"The Gu family wants to be destroyed, right? Do you know that if I tell my father what you said and report it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... the Gu family will be confiscated and exterminated!"

"I wasn't raised to be scared."

Gu Rongshan said calmly, "The Gu family became the richest family in Jiangzhou not just because they were good at business. At this critical juncture, money is the most important thing, and my Gu family is rich. His Royal Highness Prince Qing will not allow you to do this."

"you……"

Song Ming gritted his teeth and said, "You are playing with fire!"

"My Gu family has supported the Crown Prince without missing a cent. Three hundred thousand taels is no small sum; it's equivalent to a wealthy county's entire annual tax revenue. It was you... who lost the money. Your mistake shouldn't make my Gu family pay for it."

Gu Rongshan lifted the hem of her skirt.

"If Master Ming persists, I can only turn to His Royal Highness Prince Qing. I believe His Royal Highness Prince Qing is willing to protect the Gu family."

Song Ming was about to say something when he was interrupted by Gu Rongshan again.

"If my Gu family truly completely sided with His Royal Highness Prince Qing, it would be all thanks to you. When we return to the capital... you won't be able to shoulder this responsibility!"

Song Ming didn't say anything. His face was trembling and his expression was as gloomy as water.

Gu Rongshan is right.

The situation is no longer the same.

The incident in Ji County has already put them in a very passive position. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very dissatisfied with his father. If he causes the Gu family to turn to His Royal Highness Prince Qing and become his financial backer, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be furious.

"Mr. Ming, goodbye."

Gu Rongshan turned around and walked away with lotus steps, with a slender waist and an excellent figure.

Song Ming was so angry that he was shaking, but he finally let him leave.

"Bitch!"

"Bitch!"

He threw the tea set on the table directly onto the ground and broke it into pieces.

"Song Chi, you really deserve to die!"

He knew that the root of everything was Song Chi!

Without Song Chi, there would be no change in the political situation.

Without Song Chi, the top spot in the literary gathering would have been his.

He vented and thrashed around, and it took him a long time to calm down.

Then we left the room and entered a hall where there was a large table. It was already full of people, but there were still two empty seats.

Song Ming walked over and sat in the main seat.

He looked around and saw a lot of familiarity.

Jiangzhou Prefecture Magistrate Lu Xian, Nando Academy President Cheng Hui, Supervisor Liu Feng, and Duan Yunzhou were also among them, but they sat at the last seat. There was also Jiangzhou Education Commissioner Ma Jingming and several local dignitaries and wealthy businessmen.

The empty seat belonged to Gu Rongshan, but she had already left.

"Remove that position."

Song Ming said, "I believe you have heard about what happened in Ji County... It was caused by Song Chi finding out and Feng Yuan sending it to the capital."

Everyone is shocked by one word!

They were all familiar with Song Chi, and many of them had seen his "ferocious" performance at literary gatherings.

But he didn't expect that he was the one who caused trouble for the Han family.

"I won't go into details, I just want to tell you that this is just a small matter and won't affect the overall situation."

Song Ming said calmly: "There is no need to panic. The Han family will not be affected. Ji County will be Ji County."

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.

Something did happen, but it is within the controllable range and will not expand.

"My father asked me to tell you something before he came, and I've mentioned it before."

Song Ming looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "My father said that Song Chi must not be allowed to pass the college entrance examination."

He looked at Ma Jingming, the Jiangzhou academician present, and said, "Ma, this matter is now in your hands."

"Don't worry, Master Ming. This is not a small matter."

Ma Jingming, who had a round face and looked a bit fat, responded with a faint smile.

The academic commissioner supervised local studies and was appointed by the emperor as a Hanlin scholar, one in each state, with a term of three years. The academy examinations were presided over by the academic commissioner.

Ma Jingming's term of office is coming to an end, and whether he can get a good position next will depend on the Prime Minister. He will naturally spare no effort. Moreover, for the academician who presides over the academy examination, it is really too easy to not want a candidate to pass the academy examination.

"Before Master Ming came, we heard from Supervisor Liu that Song Chi was still causing some trouble at Nandu Academy."

"What is it?"

Liu Feng continued, "He is now the head of the Donglin Society and will start recruiting new members this afternoon."

"You're really looking for death."

Song Ming's face was stern, but he was secretly cheering in his heart. The closer Song Chi got to the Qingliu Party, the more his father would be displeased, and the more stable his position would be.

"He also said that any candidate who joins the Donglin Society and prepares to take the college entrance examination will receive guidance from his professor and be guaranteed to pass the exam."

Song Ming frowned, "He dares to say such things, is he crazy?"

"It's a gimmick."

Liu Feng said, "He deliberately created this to recruit new members to the Donglin Society. It was very attractive to those candidates preparing to take the college entrance examination. I ignored it and even added fuel to the fire."

"You did the right thing." Song Ming sneered, "He himself couldn't pass the entrance exam, and you dare to ask others to pass it."

"that is."

Ma Jingming smiled and said, "I wouldn't even dare to say such a thing, but he dared to say it. He really doesn't know his place."

Everyone laughed.

The Academy Examination is the most important part of the Imperial Examination and can be said to be a watershed for scholars. Passing the examination will make one a Xiucheng, but the difficulty is also extremely high.

Jiangzhou is an important place for imperial examinations. There are more than a thousand students taking the exam, both current and former. However, the number of those who pass the college entrance examination will not exceed fifty, which is a terrifyingly low ratio.

The examination was extremely strict, almost like the provincial examination. The examination papers had a strict sealing procedure, and the examinees were all selected from other places as presidents of academies to prevent cheating.

Song Ming said, "Song Chi is a man of real talent and knowledge, and excels at poetry and prose. The judges for the academy examination are selected from outside the province. I wonder what problems this process might cause."

He finally admitted that Song Chi had real talent and knowledge.

It took him several months to say this, and he also admitted Song Chi's "evil nature" and no longer dared to be as arrogant as before.

It was extremely difficult for him to say this, which meant that he had endured Song Chi's excellence.

There were so many people at the literary gathering trying to make things difficult for him, and they used all sorts of tricks, but Song Chi still managed to emerge as the champion.

This was the first time Song Ming felt despair.

He tried everything, the time, the place and the people were all on his side, but he still lost!

This is a gap in strength.

So Song Ming didn't dare to gamble again, and there was someone behind Song Chi. As long as Song Chi could give a perfect answer, there would be a great risk.

Therefore, Song Chi had no choice but to fail during the exam.