Chapter 425 Xiaomeng Pavilion
Zhang Tingyu looked down at his shoes, Fahai studied the patterns on his clothes, and Lumbu glanced at the vase in the corner. In short, they were all busy and didn't hear a thing!
"Cough cough..."
Kangxi coughed heavily twice, gave Yinzhi a warning glare, and then suppressed his strong urge to argue.
"Tell me how you passed the test."
As if nothing had happened, Kangxi continued to inquire.
Zhang Tingyu spoke first again: "Since the mission only involves the word 'solving a case,' I am not sure about the specific requirements. But I think that solving a case inevitably involves the word 'determination,' and since it involves determination, there must be a selection bias."
"Although there are few things that can be changed, I have boldly chosen to stand on the side of the only certain victim, Xiangling. I am ashamed that I have failed to change Xiangling's fate; she remains in the Xue family, but only by the side of the eldest daughter of the Xue family."
No one expected that Zhang Tingyu, who looked the most frail of the three, would actually be so bold and an adventurer.
"Oh, right," Zhang Tingyu added, "After I exited the game, I received a notification that I had gained favor with the game character Xiangling."
"Great!" Yinzhi was very pleased and patted Zhang Tingyu on the shoulder without any formality. "I didn't realize you were so good at winning people over. From now on, you'll be following me and Sixth Brother!"
"Guarantee your innocence!"
Kangxi glared at him, "What kind of behavior is this, resorting to physical violence!"
Receiving a look from Kangxi, Yinzhi reluctantly released Zhang Tingyu, but couldn't help saying one last thing: "It's a promise, you'll be with me from now on."
Zhang Tingyu smiled but remained silent.
Yinzhi didn't mind; he was casting his net early anyway. He wasn't stupid. Given the current development, more and more people would enter the game in the future, and team-based games would certainly be plentiful. With system-generated teams already available, wouldn't self-organized teams be far behind?
Of course he needs to find teammates in advance.
So he's not some reckless fool! He just doesn't like to use his brain!
When it was Fahai's turn, he stepped forward respectfully, smiling slightly awkwardly. "Unlike Zhang Tingyu, I was unsure of the specific requirements for judging a case. So, aside from the unavoidable choices, I did my best to act in accordance with my status. Apart from gathering information, I did not change the course of events. After Jia Yucun finished his judgment, I naturally withdrew."
Compared to Zhang Tingyu, Fahai was much more cautious.
However, this is understandable considering Fahai's past experiences. After all, he had a reckless and disliked elder brother, Orondai, above him, and it was only through careful conduct that Fahai managed to survive until now.
Zhang Tingyu's adventures did yield new gains, but Fahai's caution was not necessarily a bad thing.
Kangxi had no objection to this and looked at the last person, Lunbu.
Lumb stepped forward. In fact, his situation was similar to Fahai's. It wasn't that anyone was targeting him, but his upbringing had taught him to be cautious and silent.
But after getting involved with the game, Lumbu's ambition began to surge, and different ideas arose within him.
Why did the Hesheli family have to rely on the lineage of their uncle, Suo'etu?
He might be able to find a completely new path to success.
"Because the task only involved solving the case, the first thing I did after entering was to find the person who could solve the case—Jia Yucun. Although I couldn't fully grasp his background, I learned from the servants who followed him that Xiangling was the daughter of the benefactor who helped him take the imperial examination, and he had no intention of acknowledging her."
"So ungrateful?" Yinzhi couldn't help but complain. "I've figured it out now, none of the Jias here are any good."
"Don't interrupt." Yinreng smiled and gave Yinzhi a light elbow, then looked at Lunbu with surprise and delight in his eyes. "You continue."
“Yes,” Lunbu lowered his eyes, suppressing his wildly beating heart, and continued, “Jia Yucun is clearly a man who will stop at nothing to climb the social ladder. Because of what the other princes told me, I know that these games all revolve around this world. Therefore, I boldly speculate that Jia Yucun’s presence will be significant.”
“So…” Lunbu paused for a moment, then mustered his courage to continue, “This servant chose to obey Jia Yucun’s orders and helped him complete this charade that the suspect was dead.”
If Zhang Tingyu's adventure was based on Confucian justice and principles, then Lunbu's adventure was driven by naked self-interest.
Scanning the three people present, Yinzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. Three people, three choices. Sure enough, the more people in this game, the more fun it is.
"What's wrong?"
Yinzhen, who never forgot to keep an eye on Yinsi, noticed the change in his expression and asked softly.
Yinzhi smiled and said, "It feels like we've recruited three great generals. Fourth Brother, you have excellent judgment."
"Ahem..." Yinreng moved closer to the two of them and added casually, "I chose Lunbu."
Yin Zhi did not move, but quickly added, "Zhang Tingyu, it was my suggestion."
Yinzhi understood and praised him politely, "As expected of my second and third brothers, you both have good taste."
Yinzhen scoffed, saying it was just parroting others' opinions. Xiao Ba was genuinely praising him, and he was just being polite to you all, so don't take it too seriously.
Kangxi felt that he was losing his authority. What was going on? Several people started chatting in front of him.
"Alright, all three of you performed well. Now that you've passed the initial screening, you're officially joining Xiaomeng Pavilion."
Out of sight, out of mind. Kangxi turned to the three people standing below and said seriously, "Xiaomeng Pavilion is the highest secret of our Great Qing Dynasty and must never be leaked. From now on, you will obey the Crown Prince's orders."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...
The three-person experiment was successful. Instead of bringing in new members, they began to build the specific framework of Xiaomeng Pavilion and research the items that could be redeemed in the points mall.
The cement formula that Yinzhi had previously obtained became their first research task. To this end, many members of the Ministry of Works were drawn into the project.
It was only at this time that the others in the court learned that, outside of the Six Ministries, there was a mysterious organization directly under the Emperor's jurisdiction, in which several princes were also involved.
Zhang Ying's son, as well as members of the Tongjia and Hesheli clans, all had their younger relatives selected. However, high-ranking officials such as Songgotu, Mingzhu, and Tong Guowei were excluded.
After testing each other many times and confirming that even their opponent was unaware, they became even more flustered.
This doesn't make sense. What is the Emperor trying to do? By selecting all the younger generation, is he indirectly pressuring them to retire?
They're at an age where they can still keep working!
Then, Kangxi discovered that all the civil and military officials were becoming more proactive and eager to work, and the court was operating faster than before.
Kangxi remained silent for a long time. Sure enough, they had been slacking off all along.
As a result, the ministers found that the burden on their shoulders was heavier, and they suspected that the emperor was deliberately setting difficult problems to prove that they were not good enough so that someone else could take their place. Everyone worked more urgently and harder.
Emperor Kangxi, realizing his ministers could be even more cunning: "..."
He simply didn't know enough about his trusted ministers. They're so capable, they should do even more!
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