Chapter 353: Mr. Song, right? My master invites you.
Prince Heng rebels... and follows Your Majesty's lead...
In the "Tea Room", the cold wind of late autumn startled the autumn trees in the courtyard, and a few sparks flew up from the red stove inside.
Zhao Duan finally showed a surprised expression, sat up slightly straighter, and stared at the famous widow.
Surrender! Letter of surrender!
The other party was so frank and open, and submitted his letter of allegiance without any concealment!
"Mrs. Xiao, do you know what you are talking about?" Zhao Duan asked with narrowed eyes.
Xiao Dong'er's eyes did not avoid or evade, and her expression still showed firmness and determination.
She knew that once this sentence was spoken, it would be equivalent to pushing the entire family onto the gambling table. Either they would win big and become a truly wealthy family, or they would fall to the bottom and lose a century of accumulation and their family would be destroyed!
"Sir, if you didn't hear clearly, I can say it again." Xiao Dong'er said calmly.
Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why?"
He was not surprised that a family head of this level could see through the world situation, nor was he too surprised by this woman's decisiveness and gambling nature, but he was very curious about what gave her the basis for making her choice.
The empress had been on the throne for only three years, and the eight princes were already eyeing her covetously.
Even Zhang Yanyi, who is proficient in deduction, cannot calculate or understand who will win in the end.
Xiao Dong'er said frankly:
"Because the Xiao family cannot be tied to Prince Heng. The remnants of the Kuangfu Society are rampant today, but their fate is lost and they are destined to be unable to compete for supremacy. His Majesty is gradually gaining a foothold and has the aura of an emperor. Rumors circulate that the eight princes may harbor ambitions to seize the throne.
Perhaps the eight of them combined might have the strength to fight, but even if the eight kings won, there was only one throne for the emperor. Who could sit on it? Who couldn't?
It is generally acknowledged that Prince Jing of Jiancheng Dao is the strongest, followed by Prince Mu of Yunfu Dao... Moving down the hierarchy, Prince Heng is roughly in the middle. Although he is much stronger than Prince Lingnan, if we're talking about aspiring to be the king... In the thousand-year history of Qingzhou Dao, there has never been an emperor."
She spoke eloquently, and as a woman, she had a unique sense of courage when commenting on the world situation.
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"So, you're convinced that Prince Heng won't win. Even if the eight princes join forces and truly accomplish something remarkable, when the credit is divided, Prince Heng won't even be among the top three. And by then, whoever sits on the throne will tolerate someone else sleeping peacefully beside him?"
Xiao Dong'er nodded and said:
"Your Excellency is wise. Therefore, if Your Majesty wins, then my Xiao family will be tied to Prince Heng, and there will be no good results. If unfortunately a certain prince wins, the Donghu Xiao family, tied to Prince Heng, will also not have a good result. In this case, why not make a gamble?"
Why not gamble?!
At this moment, she spoke very frankly, and even had a hint of madness in her voice.
Zhao Duan was silent. He could probably guess that this woman chose to bet on the empress because she had been bullied by Prince Heng's Mansion for too long.
But still... very...
crazy.
"Do you know that just based on those few remarks you made about state affairs, I can throw you into the imperial prison." Zhao Duan suddenly said.
Mrs. Xiao smiled sweetly, not panicking, and picked up the baked rice cake and presented it.
Zhao Duan took it and said:
"How can I believe what you said? What if you were sent by Xu Zudi to act?"
Madam Xiao smiled and said:
"If Your Excellency agrees, Dong'er will go out with you in a swaggering manner, or record what we just said. Alternatively, since my Xiao family does not take any profit from business, even if it is fake, it will not harm the court, right?"
You've thought it through quite thoroughly... Zhao Duan took a bite of the rice cake and said:
"Is this the decision of the entire Xiao family?"
"I'm the head of the family. If I do this, there's no turning back for the entire family."
Xiao Dong'er replied calmly, "As long as we become the Imperial Merchant, even if Prince Heng gets angry and targets us, at least he can't do anything overtly, and my Xiao family will be able to withstand it."
You are dragging the entire tribe to the gambling table, what a crazy woman... Zhao Duan rubbed his chin and said:
"One last question."
He suddenly smiled evilly: "Since you have come to me to beg me, how are you going to please me?"
Mrs. Xiao was stunned, and a trace of sadness and sigh suddenly appeared in her eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, she seemed to have finally made up her mind. She stood up slowly, took off her shawl, and said in a soft voice:
"My Lord, you can do whatever you want Dong'er to do."
She had the wrong idea.
Seeing that Zhao Duan remained silent, this widow, who was extremely famous throughout the Dayu Dynasty, gritted her teeth, took a few steps closer, and was about to kneel down...
But he was stopped by an iron fork.
"Madam, what do you mean?" Zhao Duan said with a smile.
Madam Xiao was stunned for a moment, hesitating and unable to speak, as if she finally realized that she might have been wrong:
"I……"
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"I do need you to do something. In a while, the imperial court will open a market in Huting. Did you know that?"
The topic change was too abrupt. Madam Xiao's brain briefly stopped working before she nodded.
"Of course I know. This is the most important event that merchants from all over the country have been paying attention to recently. It is said that the court will hold a meeting at Huting to announce the first batch of imperial merchants and all relevant business strategies."
Zhao Duan nodded and said calmly:
"I can give you a spot as an Imperial Merchant, but not now. I need you to attend the Lake Pavilion meeting and wait for my news. Perhaps then I will need your Xiao family to publicly set an example."
Madam Xiao was startled at first, then showed surprise, and bowed her head respectfully:
"Yes! The Xiao family will definitely live up to your trust!"
"Go back. Before that, don't alert the enemy." Zhao Duan ordered.
Mrs. Xiao was overjoyed and quickly responded, thanking him several times before putting on her cloak again and leaving in a hurry.
In a blink of an eye, Zhao Duan was the only one left in the courtyard, roasting himself by the fire.
He picked up the cup of hot tea with milk and took a sip, feeling the heat flowing into his esophagus, and suddenly smiled to himself.
“There are surprises everywhere in the world.”
Zhao Duan just had an idea and casually placed a piece. Although some plans in his mind were still unclear, things in the world are unpredictable and will not follow a predetermined path.
Just as he had never imagined, a contest with Xu Zudi would actually lead to the Xiao family of Donghu joining him.
Similarly, who can say for sure what miraculous effect a chess piece he casually places on the chessboard will have later?
When Yuan Li was making the chess layout, he could only barely be a chess player in the corner.
When the Empress and Prince Jing played chess with Taicang, he became a pawn charging into battle.
Now, he first arranged spies to deal with Zhuang Xiaocheng, and then used Xiao Dong'er to restrain Prince Heng, but he also unknowingly had the momentum of planning a counterattack.
Shaking his head and putting this unexpected episode aside for the time being, Zhao Duan drank the milk tea in the cup, looked at the sky, muttered something, and stood up to leave.
The meeting with Mrs. Xiao was just a temporary addition. His real plan today was to target Mr. Zhengyang.
"Look at the time, it's time to set off. Hey, Zhengyang, ah Zhengyang, let's test your quality first."
…
…
The other side.
Madam Xiao walked out of the tailor shop, with her maid still holding a few wrapped garments, and got on the carriage. The group went straight back to the magnificent courtyard they had been in yesterday.
This place was originally the Xiao family's property. Xu Zudi forced his way here and got free food, drinks and accommodation.
As soon as the group entered the courtyard, they caught a glimpse of Xu Zudi, a young man in gorgeous clothes, practicing boxing.
It actually has a bit of vigor and vitality.
Madam Xiao resumed her humble, harmless image of a vase and stood aside, watching silently.
After finishing a set of punches, Xu Zudi slowly exhaled, staring at Xiao Dong'er, who looked dejected, with a half-smile:
"How about it, can Patriarch Xiao knock on the door of the government office today?"
Madam Xiao shook her head in frustration.
Xu Zudi laughed heartily, his face showing undisguised joy:
"I've already told you that the imperial court won't let you enter the market, but you still refuse to believe me. What's wrong? You don't want to be a good family head, but you insist on going to the government office and trying to get in the way."
Madam Xiao sighed softly, as if accepting her fate: "What the prince said is true."
Xu Zudi was in a good mood and suddenly said:
"After a while, the imperial court will open a market in Huting. You should go there."
Madam Xiao was stunned for a moment: "Your Highness, what are you doing..."
Xu Zudi smiled proudly:
"Since the imperial court doesn't want you, then Patriarch Xiao should understand that it's time to stay firmly with Prince Heng's Palace. It just so happens that during the Lake Pavilion meeting, merchants and powerful families from all over the world will gather. You should set an example for them so that they can see the situation clearly and know which side to stand on."
“…”
Madam Xiao's eyes were filled with strangeness, but this emotion only lasted for a moment before disappearing. She bowed slightly and said with an incomprehensible meaning:
"Yes, sir."
…
…
The capital is becoming more and more lively.
If the news of the academic discussion had just spread yesterday, it had already caused a sensation today, and even those who were not well-educated had heard of it.
At the gate of the Imperial College.
Mr. Song and a group of scholars from the "Zhengyang School" were almost driven out.
This move caused a wave of anger among his companions:
"What a shame, the Imperial College! They can't argue with us squarely, so they just let us go! They're really unworthy of being scholars!"
"That's right! You're nothing but a bunch of despicable thieves. Knowing they can't win an argument with Mr. Zhengyang, they resort to such tactics to block his mouth! You can block us, but you can't block the mouths of the world's scholars!"
"Brothers and fellow students, it's still early, let's go to the literary gatherings in the city and make sure to clear the name of the master!"
"Let's go together! Let's go together!"
A group of scholars were so excited that they took Mr. Song and turned around and left.
Four days later, the academic debate between Dong Xuan and Zhengyang began, but public opinion outside the academic debate was also an important factor.
Therefore, in the past few days, the more than one hundred disciples who followed Zhengyang into the city began to contact their classmates and old friends in the city, organize various literary gatherings, and build momentum in advance.
Today, they entered the Imperial College to build momentum, and ended up arguing with a group of students. However, they were discovered by the Imperial College's chief academic officer, who ordered them to be kicked out.
Mr. Song was caught up in the crowd, but he was still a fifty-year-old man and was not as energetic as his younger brothers in the school.
After the fight, he was exhausted and had to wave goodbye to the other members of the "Zhengyang School". He walked alone through the long street and returned to the inn.
Mr. Song has been very excited these days.
At first, he actually planned to send Mr. Zhengyang to the capital and leave. After experiencing the Gong Taicang case not long ago, he was wary of the bloody disputes among the upper echelons of the court.
I don't really want to get involved in it.
But later on, the other brothers were shouting loudly that they would never retreat, and Mr. Song, who cared a lot about his reputation, was stopped... He really didn't have the face to say that he wanted to leave.
He entered the city in a daze, and after entering the city, he found it even more noisy. Mr. Song was swept up in the fanatical scholars and also felt a heroic spirit to uphold the correct learning and reshape the etiquette for the people of the world.
In short, it's addictive.
He even had the urge to think that the previous decades of his life had been wasted, that he should fight a great battle like this after a lifetime of study, and that he would rather die than regret for the teachings of the sage.
"I, an old man, am letting go of my youthful enthusiasm..."
Mr. Song was walking down the long street, his heart full of excitement, until a young man suddenly appeared in front of him and smiled at him:
"Mr. Song, right? My master invites you."
(End of this chapter)
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