In the mourning hall of the prime minister's residence.

While Zhao Hao was playing poker with Sixiu Maoxiu, he kept an eye on what was happening behind him. When he saw his father coming out, he threw away the bad cards in his hand and stood up to greet him.

"Here we go again..." Si Xiu dropped the leopard in his hand in frustration.

"Not bad..." Mao Xiu sighed and silently deducted the three twos in his hand...

"How is it?" Zhao Hao asked in a low voice while seeing his father off.

"I let you say that." Zhao Shouzheng said softly, "Prime Minister Zhang asked me to deal with those five people. It would be great if the officials could accept the compromise plan."

"Yeah." Zhao Hao nodded and said, "If you accomplish these two things, you will become famous, which will be very helpful to grandpa and others in lobbying."

After a pause, he continued slowly, "But neither of these two things is that easy. For example, the so-called Five Gentlemen, my father-in-law wants them to admit their mistakes, the scholars don't want them to lose their integrity, and I guess they themselves don't want to lose the political assets they just gained."

"Oh." Zhao Shouzheng nodded, not quite understanding, "Then what should I do?"

"Yeah, what should we do?" Zhao Hao repeated his father's words, looked up at the flock of pigeons flying across the blue sky and said, "This is exactly the test your father-in-law is giving you."

"I know, so I'm asking you, how to solve these two problems?" Zhao Shouzheng looked at Zhao Hao.

"Father, you are going to be a university scholar, you can't always rely on others." Zhao Hao brushed off the yellow leaves that fell on his shoulders and said seriously: "Grandpa said that this time you should find a way to solve the problem by yourself, because it will give you the qualities that you lack the most as a university scholar."

"What?" Zhao Shouzheng asked in confusion.

"Confidence." Zhao Hao said calmly: "Today is October 19th, and there are still three days before the torture on October 22nd. Go ahead, use your strengths, and you will definitely be able to handle it."

"Oh..." Zhao Shouzheng nodded weakly, wanting his son to give him a reminder, but Zhao Hao had already turned around and went in.

~~

After leaving Dashamao Hutong, Zhao Shouzheng asked his guards to drive him around Beijing aimlessly.

He opened the car window, letting the scattered snowflakes and the biting cold wind blow into the car. This was how Mr. Zhao cleared his mind...

Because of his son's words, Zhao Shouzheng took a serious look at himself for the first time in his life. What was so outstanding about himself?

After thinking about it, my greatest strength is my majestic size... Bah, what's the use of that?

In addition, he is very rich. And he has many friends and is kind to others...

Zhao Shouzheng thought about it and decided that compared to his numerous shortcomings, this was his only advantage.

In fact, it means "If you are stupid and have a lot of money, come and take it quickly"...

Mr. Zhao was deep in thought when suddenly the wheel of the car hit a stone, causing him to crash headfirst into the wall of the car.

Although the car walls were covered with cowhide, Zhao Shouzheng was still hit so hard that he cried.

"I got it!" Mr. Zhao was suddenly enlightened. He slapped his thigh and said, "I know what to do!"

He stuck his head out and shouted to the guard, "Tell Weijixian to vacate the No. 1 box for me. I want to treat you, sir!"

~~

As the lights come on, Dengshikou is as brightly lit as ever. The most dazzling one is naturally the dazzling Tianshang Renjian... Oh no, it must be the Weijixian Restaurant.

In this den of money that always seemed to be packed with guests, the consumption level increased with each floor. In the luxurious private rooms on the fourth floor, it was not uncommon to spend two or three hundred taels of silver in one night.

Don't think it's too expensive. This luxurious private room cannot be booked without reserving it a month in advance... unless you are the boss's father.

At this time, in the No. 1 private room, the boss's father raised his wine glass and said to the guests sitting at the three large round tables: "I invited you here in a hurry, please forgive me, brothers and disciples..."

The guests he invited included Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, Yu Youding, Xu Guo, Zhao Zhigao, Zhang Wei, Shen Yikuan, as well as Wang Wuyang, Wang Dingjue, Yu Shenxing, Yu Shensi, Chen Yubi... a total of 35 Hanlin predecessors, peers and juniors.

Normally, these people are the most rude when it comes to eating and drinking his food, but today is the time to make a list!

"Master, you are too polite. I will do whatever you say!" What's more, there was the fart spirit Wang Wuyang, who brought the Yu brothers and Chen Yubi and other junior brothers to brag about their achievements.

So the Hanlin scholars burst into laughter and said, "That's right, Brother Gongming, what difficulties have you encountered? Tell us quickly so that we can open our eyes."

Are there any problems that can't be solved with money?

"Okay, then I won't be polite!" After Zhao Shouzheng toasted, he went straight to the point.

Of course, he was not stupid enough to say directly that he wanted to join the cabinet. Instead, he said:

"Seeing the miserable state of my in-laws now, I feel so sad. Besides, it's not a good idea to keep letting it go, so I decided to help him settle this matter!"

Then Zhao Shouzheng said modestly: "But I am stupid, how can I come up with any solution? After thinking about it, the only answer is 'rely on my son at home... oh no, rely on my parents, rely on my son outside... oh no, rely on my friends.'

As he said this, he bowed to everyone and said, "Fortunately, I have many friends, and you are my smartest and closest friends. I can only rely on you for help. Please work together to solve this problem and restore peace to the court as soon as possible so that we can celebrate the New Year."

"Master has spoken, and we have no choice but to do it!" Wang Wuyang, who was already a reader in the Imperial Academy, immediately rolled up his sleeves and said, "Tomorrow we will go door to door to persuade them!"

"How are you going to convince him?" Wang Xijue asked with a look of disappointment on his face. He was now in a dilemma and was in a lot of trouble.

"Of course, I will persuade them with emotion and reason." Wang Wuyang shook his fist and said, "If reasoning doesn't work, I will persuade them with physics!"

"Just be quiet and stop making trouble." Zhao Shouzheng rolled his eyes at him and said to everyone with a smile, "Come on, let's eat and talk at the same time and see if we can come up with a solution that will satisfy both parties."

"Well, please come in." Then the Hanlin scholars clinked their cups and enjoyed the feast.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zuo Zhongyun Shen Yikuan said, "Brother has spoken, so of course we will go through fire and water without hesitation. But this matter has been a hot topic for more than a month, and it is difficult to achieve any results if we just talk without taking action."

"That's right," Zuo Yude Zhang Wei also nodded and agreed, "They are all thousand-year-old demons, none of them can be persuaded by force. The key is whether Zhang Xianggong can respond to everyone's call."

"I talked to my father-in-law, and his meaning was very clear - he never sought to seize the love from beginning to end. Now the emperor and the empress dowager are kind and have agreed that he can go home to bury his father, so the biggest problem no longer exists." Then Master Zhao said slowly.

"This is a good thing..." The Hanlin scholars were excited when they heard this. Now it would be much easier to persuade the officials.

"But the two palaces have a condition, that is, Zhang Xianggong still holds the title of Prime Minister, so that if there are military and national affairs, they can rush to ask him to make decisions." Then Zhao Shouzheng gasped and said, "This makes the in-laws feel difficult to accept, so they are reluctant to accept the order."

"Is that so..." Everyone's smiles froze. Is it reasonable for him to not hand over the power after returning home? Is it reasonable?

"Besides." Zhao Shouzheng took a sip from the wine cup and said casually, "My father-in-law has reflected on himself recently and found that he was a little hasty in his past administration. So he intends to extend the deadline for land survey to three years."

"That's great! Why didn't you say it earlier?" The Hanlin scholars laughed again, and some even whistled.

The unspoken rule in the officialdom is that when a superior realizes that a policy is wrong, he will not admit it directly in order to maintain his authority. He often announces an extension of the deadline, then suspends the implementation, and finally lets it go...

So everyone thought that this time was no exception.

"That's basically all we need." The Hanlin scholars all nodded and said, "Tomorrow we will split up and convince everyone to go!"

When everyone was excited, Wang Xijue suddenly spoke up: "Did you forget something?"

"Hey, why did you forget those five treasures?" Everyone was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Only then did they remember that the reason why all the officials made trouble was to plead for the five gentlemen.

Although everyone knows that it was just an excuse, we cannot leave out those five young men and reconcile with Mr. Zhang.

"Well, we really need to get those five out first, and then persuade everyone to compromise, otherwise it won't look good." The Hanlin scholars laughed awkwardly.

"He will be caned in court the day after tomorrow, and he is still in the imperial prison. How can we rescue him?" Zhao Zhigao and others said worriedly.

"If I can find a way to talk to them, I should be able to convince them." Shen Shixing, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "I wonder if Brother Gongming can find a way to ask Prime Minister Zhang to be flexible and let us meet them."

"Okay, I'll ask." Zhao Shouzheng nodded in agreement.

So that night, everyone agreed to first see if Shen Shixing and Zhao Shouzheng could rescue the Five Gentlemen, and then go separately to negotiate peace with the officials.

~~

Because he had important business to attend to, Zhao Shouzheng rarely failed to get drunk.

When he got home in the middle of the night and saw his son still waiting for him, he drank the hangover soup while telling Zhao Hao about his treat today, and then asked nervously, "Son, is this right?"

"All roads lead to Beijing. If you can take the right path, then it's the right one." Zhao Hao said with a smile.

"What about going to the imperial prison to meet those five people..." Zhao Shouzheng asked again: "Do I need to tell my in-laws about it?"

"Father-in-law wants to see your ability. Wouldn't it reduce your points if you go to him?" Zhao Hao said calmly, "Tomorrow, father can take Old Shen Zhiguan with him. With the righteousness of the two top scholars, can't you suppress the fame of the East Factory?"

"Son, let's talk business. Don't make fun of your father." Zhao Shouzheng said with a wry smile, "To be honest, I'm a little scared to go to that kind of place."

He received that beating ten years ago, and his buttocks itch badly every winter. Once bitten, one is afraid of ropes for ten years.

"I'm serious, too." Zhao Hao said solemnly, "You need to do something surprising at this time to leave a deep impression on everyone!"

"Go ahead, father. After 'Beating the Young Minister with Punches in Ministry Street', 'Building a Dike in One Month to Protect Kunshan', and 'Single-Handedly Defending Chaozhou', here comes 'The Number One Scholar and His Companions Enter the Dragon's Lair'!" Zhao Hao clapped his hands and laughed, "Perfect!"

"Do you have any plans?" Zhao Shouzheng asked in a low voice.

"How do I know you're going to the Imperial Prison?" Zhao Hao spread his hands and encouraged him, "Father, as a cabinet elder, you should go there even if you know there's a tiger there! Go ahead and show your killer instinct!"

ps. Keep going.