"what to do?"
Bai Qingyuan sneered, "You can't just take the Emperor's Sword and kill them all because they won't let you into their house or send people to chase you away, can you?"
Jing Zhe shook his head, looking at Bai Qingyuan with a mocking expression: "Grand Tutor Bai, it seems you quite agree with Old Bai's style of doing things. Could it be that you and he...?"
"Shut up! Nothing like that has ever happened to me!"
Bai Qingyuan quickly interrupted.
"Hehe, the world is so big, anything can happen. Who can say for sure about these things?"
At this moment, Yu Sheng sneered, "I always felt that President Jing's story wasn't just made up; after all, stories have to be based on real life! To me, there's a real-life prototype for Old Bai, huh..."
The next moment, his gaze began to wander back and forth between Bai Qingyuan, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Bai Qingyuan could no longer tolerate this baseless slander and being falsely accused. He erupted in rare rage, shouting, "You, surnamed Yu, you've gone too far! If you dare to slander my innocence again, I'll fight you to the death!"
As he spoke, he stepped out, his posture suggesting he was truly ready to fight Yu Sheng to the death, which startled Yu Sheng so much that he took a step back.
"Alright, everyone, say less!"
Emperor An spoke up to stop them at the right moment, and then asked Jing Zhe, "You want the Emperor's Sword just to do this?"
Jing Zhe nodded: "Your Majesty, although my official position is small, I represent Your Majesty when I am out in public. If the person being interviewed is indeed of a higher rank than me, it is not impossible for such a thing to happen. That is why I want an Emperor's Sword."
"Of course, even if I were to take the Emperor's Sword, I would not use it unless absolutely necessary, much less use it to kill people indiscriminately! Please do not be afraid, Grand Tutor Bai!"
"..."
"Your Majesty, what President Jing said makes some sense. Since it is done for Your Majesty, it is not unreasonable to take the Emperor's Sword!"
Anyway, what Bai Qingyuan opposed was what Yu Sheng supported, so he quickly jumped out to speak for Jing Zhe.
Grand Tutor Hao Junguang also spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, the Emperor's Sword can indeed be given, as long as you have President Jing agree to three rules: unless there is an emergency, it must not be used!"
After listening, Emperor An nodded and, without even asking Bai Qingyuan, said directly, "Alright, since that's the case, then I will bestow upon you an Emperor's Sword! But let me make this clear beforehand: if you use it without cause, I won't just take the Emperor's Sword back! Also, although your official rank is not high enough to meet the standards for attending court, you must bring the Emperor's Sword into the palace every two days!"
Jing Zhe quickly thanked the emperor and agreed, knowing that Emperor An was doing this for Bai Qingyuan and the others.
"Alright, that's settled then! Go back and rest for a day, and also plan out the newspaper's arrangements. You can start your new job tomorrow!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Furthermore, during the newspaper's operation, if you need anyone, just ask. No one may refuse for any reason. Everything must be geared towards facilitating the newspaper's establishment!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
This time, all the civil and military officials answered in unison.
Bai Qingyuan's face turned ashen. He was now completely certain that he had fallen into the trap Jing Zhe had dug from the very beginning, and that the trap was only getting bigger and bigger, until it buried him and he could never get out again...
...
After finishing discussing Jing Zhe's matter, Emperor An looked at Liu Jinghong.
"General Jinghong has been away for several days now, hasn't he?"
Liu Jinghong nodded and replied, "Your Majesty, it's nine days in total!"
Emperor An nodded: "Back then, we were in such a hurry to invite General Jinghong to the capital because we originally intended for you to participate in the martial arts examination. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, your younger brother took the exam in your place. Now that the martial arts examination is over, and Liangzhou cannot be without General Jinghong for too long, General Jinghong should return!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! Tomorrow morning, this humble general will depart from Jingzhou, riding at full speed and traveling through the night to return to Liangzhou!"
Emperor An looked at her for a while, and finally nodded.
In fact, the morning court session ended at noon, so returning at this time would save half a day. If it were the original Liu Jinghong, he would definitely not waste a moment and would set off immediately.
However, since the siblings hadn't seen each other for many years and were suddenly leaving, it was understandable that they would spend half a day talking, as they didn't know when they would see each other again. So they didn't say anything more.
Jing Zhe stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, must my fifth sister be stationed in Liangzhou year-round? If it's not for the martial arts examination, can't she even return to Jingzhou to visit relatives?"
Emperor An gave a wry smile. "General Jinghong's abilities are too great, so the responsibilities on his shoulders are heavier than others. Moreover, only when General Jinghong is stationed in Liangzhou can the fighting power of the Jinghong Iron Cavalry be maximized, and only then will those barbarians from the Western Frontier not dare to invade at will!"
He then added, "Moreover, the weather is gradually getting colder, and it may even snow in the Western Frontier Kingdom soon. For them, who have been nomadic for many years, it is time to run out of food and clothing again. Therefore, they are more likely to attack Liangzhou. At this time, the Jinghong Iron Cavalry needs General Jinghong, and the people of Liangzhou need General Jinghong even more!"
"Your Majesty, if Liangzhou had enough weapons to deter the barbarians of the Western Frontier, would my fifth sister no longer need to be stationed here year after year?"
Andy nodded. "Yes."
He already knew what the weapon was, and Jing Zhe's previous claim that it was "given by a wandering Taoist priest" was proven false.
The eyes of the military generals, especially Yu Sheng, gleamed.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, that concludes today's morning court session!"
Since returning from the hunting grounds yesterday, Emperor An had been thinking about establishing a newspaper and appointing Jing Zhe as its president. Now that it was done, he finally had one less thing on his mind. As soon as the tension eased, he became a little tired.
"By the way, President Jing, remember to hurry up. This newspaper... should ideally be up and running within ten days!"
Jing Zhe thought for a moment, then looked at Song Baiyun and asked, "Grand Scholar Song, do we use movable type printing in our Imperial Academy?"
In his memory, movable type printing had already appeared in this era because of the flourishing literary culture. Otherwise, he would have had to start all over again from scratch to make all kinds of seals, which would not only be tedious but would also definitely slow down the progress.
"Yes, the documents used in the Imperial Academy and the lecture notes of the Grand Secretaries are all printed using movable type."
Song Baiyun replied.
"Alright, how about Grand Secretary Song lends us the movable type printing equipment... no, just give it to our newspaper office. We need to print a lot of newspapers in the future, and we can't do without movable type printing equipment. Would Grand Secretary Song be willing?"
"Um... okay..."
Emperor An had just said that everyone had to cooperate with him, and he had said it in front of Emperor An, so how could Song Baiyun dare to disagree?
"Scholar Song is so generous! Why don't you send me two more sets of equipment? One set might not be enough!"
"..."
————
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