"well…"
Bai Qingyuan sighed again, "Fortunately, His Majesty has no intention of thoroughly investigating this matter. Otherwise, how could we possibly hide from the fact that these people came from, entered the capital, and had contact with whom?"
"Originally, I was deliberately praising Jing Zhe to the point of ruin, fearing that if he started too high and couldn't be used by us in the future, he would become a source of trouble sooner or later! But now that this has happened, it's probably difficult for me to object anymore!"
With Bai Qingyuan's shrewdness, he could naturally see that Emperor An was not unable to find clues, but rather deliberately chose not to investigate, using this matter to secure a position that would maximize Jing Zhe's benefits.
Therefore, whether it was Emperor An, Liu Jinghong, Zhu Tong, or the others, they all reached a tacit understanding to keep quiet, let the matter go, and grant Jing Zhe his wish.
I just don't know what official position Jing Zhe will hold next.
"If Your Highness still regards me as your teacher..."
Bai Qingyuan was tied to Su Mowu because he had been Su Mowu's teacher since childhood.
Upon hearing this, Su Mowu immediately said, "Grand Tutor, I naturally acknowledge you! Please speak freely!"
Bai Qingyuan nodded and said, "Next, I will do my best. Although I cannot guarantee that Jing Zhe will be promoted to any position, I will definitely not allow him to hold a rank higher than the fifth grade!"
The suggestion that the rank should be above the fifth grade was made to Emperor An yesterday, and Emperor An seemed to have agreed in the end.
It should be noted that Zhu Xinning's talent was unparalleled in Jingzhou, and despite various extraordinary promotions, she was only a fifth-rank official in the Imperial Secretariat.
Even so, she has already broken various records, especially considering her current age. If she were to live for another ten or twenty years, how terrifying would her status be?
And if it's above the fifth rank, the lowest rank would be the fourth rank. What does that mean?
In Anguo, the true dividing line between official ranks is actually the fifth rank, while the prefects of each city are officials of the fourth rank.
The prefect governs the people of the city and wields real power. Officials from the fourth rank and above are basically all influential figures in the imperial court.
The key point is that Jing Zhe is a few years younger than Zhu Xinning, and he is so quick-witted. If he really has such a high starting point, it's possible that he will become powerful and influential in the court within a few years.
It's terrifying to even think about.
Therefore, Bai Qingyuan must prevent this from happening no matter what. If it comes to the point of no return, he does not mind using some unconventional methods!
Su Mowu nodded, "I'll have to trouble the Grand Tutor with everything!"
Su Xinping, standing nearby, seemed somewhat unconvinced, muttering under his breath, "Is it really necessary to make such a fuss? Even if the Dark Knights fail, they will never reveal their whereabouts..."
"Shut up!"
Su Mowu roared, looking at him with great disgust. All of this was caused by him. He hadn't blamed him, but the man still didn't know how to repent. How could he not be angry?
"You're more trouble than you're worth! You always claim you'll succeed before you even start something, but how many times have you actually succeeded? If you ask me, are you just using my name to settle a personal score?"
The royal family naturally knew more about the relationship between the Prince of Jin and the Jing family than anyone else. Su Mowu originally didn't have much hostility towards Jing Zhe; it was all Su Xinping's instigation. Now that I think about it, there was no need for such a big fuss.
Therefore, he had no choice but to have such suspicions.
"Your Highness, no!"
Su Xinping explained.
"Shut up! Don't mention Jing Zhe to me again! And don't come to the Prince of Xiang's residence again!"
"..."
Before the truth came out, the alliance between the two had already developed cracks, and Bai Qingyuan, who was standing nearby, smiled bitterly to himself.
If Su Mowu wants to succeed, he still needs to rely on Prince Jin and the hidden forces behind him. How can he kick Su Xinping out at this time?
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. The Prince of Jin's heir did not mean it. As long as we are more careful in the future and do not provoke Jing Zhe again, he will be fine. He is not yet powerful enough to pose any threat to us. Once we have accomplished our mission, we can deal with him however we want."
Bai Qingyuan acted as a peacemaker, stepping in to mediate.
Su Mowu didn't say anything more, just snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, entered the inner hall, and strode away.
"Your Highness, the Prince of Jin is just angry. Please don't take it seriously..."
"Um."
Su Xinping agreed, his expression calm.
"Grand Tutor Bai, I'll head back now. Things are currently very tense, and Your Highness is right, I won't be coming any further..."
After saying that, he strode away.
Bai Qingyuan looked at his retreating figure and suddenly felt very desolate.
Once the cracks appear, it seems impossible to return to the way things were before.
...
It was already afternoon when Zhou Zhiwei left.
When Jing Zhe returned home, he found that Liu Jinghong had already come back, but Zhu Xinning was not there. He wondered if she would come again that night.
Thinking of Zhu Xinning reminded him of the dream he had last night, a dream that felt both real and unreal, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited.
With so many older sisters, won't they get enough nutrition?
"Fifth Sister, I'm back!"
At this moment, Liu Jinghong was standing in front of the table, staring blankly at several bamboo tubes with long fuses attached.
Hearing Jing Zhe's voice, she turned around and asked curiously, "What are these?"
"This is the weapon I was talking about!"
"arms?"
Liu Jinghong really couldn't equate these four- or five-inch-long bamboo tubes with weapons, especially since these were weapons meant to break through the Silver Thread Armor. Wasn't that a bit too frivolous?
Seeing her surprised expression, Jing Zhe asked, "Don't you believe me?"
Liu Jinghong was honest and nodded.
"Okay, then I'll take Fifth Sister to try it out!"
These six bamboo tubes, each containing a different proportion of gunpowder, are all experimental samples. The final proportion will need to be tested again, and this is a good opportunity to let Liu Jinghong see them as well.
"Okay, where to?"
Seeing Jing Zhe's confident expression, Liu Jinghong suddenly became interested.
Subconsciously, she really hoped that Jing Zhe could bring her a surprise.
"Fifth Sister, do you know if there are any places in or outside the city that are both secluded and spacious enough?"
Liu Jinghong thought for a moment, "There isn't one in the city, but there is an abandoned horse farm to the west of the city. It's in a remote location and no one passes by, but it's quite far from the city gate, about four or five miles away. It's so late already, we'll have to ride a horse there!"
"Riding a horse? Sure! Let's ride then!"
As he spoke, Jing Zhe thought to himself that he could ride on horseback with Liu Jinghong in his arms again. He had always taken advantage of her at night before, but now that it was during the day, it seemed even more exciting!
It seems there are advantages to not knowing how to ride a horse!
Upon hearing Jing Zhe's words, Liu Jinghong seemed to have made a connection to something, her pretty face immediately turning red, and she secretly cursed him as a lecher.
She could have refused, or chosen to go out by carriage, but for some inexplicable reason, she didn't do so, and instead said something.
"good."
It seems that deep down, there is also a longing for it!
————
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