Since Chu Yuanchen returned to the capital, he has stayed away from court affairs except when summoned by the emperor. Everyone present knew this. Now that they saw him coming, they didn't even need to guess, as they knew it was Xiao Shuo's intention.

Xiao Shuo raised his hand and said, "Please take a seat, King Zhenbei."

After he sat down, he said to Lin Shoufu and the Minister of War Qian Hou: "There is no need to allocate any more military pay for the Imperial Guards this year. Half will go to the national treasury and the other half will go to the Zhenbei Army."

Zheng Zhongming looked angry, and the others were also shocked.

The Zhenbei Army did not need to receive any additional funding from the imperial court for its military pay; the funds were all borne by the vassal state itself. Even when the war with Northern Yan lasted for several years, the Zhenbei Palace never asked the imperial court for a penny.

Xiao Shuo wanted to give nearly half of the imperial guards' military pay to the Zhenbei Army, which was more than one million taels.

Lin Shoufu calculated quickly in his mind and soon finished the calculation.

Just half.

I didn't suffer any loss.

Acceptable!

Prime Minister Lin was the first to bow in response.

Zheng Zhongming sneered and said, "Doctor Xiao, have you ever asked the emperor about this?"

There was silence all around.

Xiao Shuo's fingertips gently stroked the dark patterns on the white porcelain teacup and said nonchalantly, "Sir Zheng, please don't worry about this for me."

He smiled meaningfully and continued, "The imperial guards are unwilling to go to Minzhou, so the military pay of the imperial guards will naturally be transferred to those who are willing to go to Minzhou."

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Could this mean...

Xiao Shuo said bluntly: "King of Zhenbei, you will lead the troops to Minzhou to quell the rebellion."

Xiao Shuo smiled calmly and continued, "You will be in charge of the seven garrisons in Minzhou and Liangzhou, as well as the Minzhou garrison."

These words were naturally also spoken to Chu Yuanchen.

Everyone involuntarily looked at Zheng Zhongming. There was no doubt that Xiao Shuo had slapped him hard.

They can all see it.

Zheng Zhongming originally wanted to use the Minzhou incident to control Xiao Shuo, but instead Xiao Shuo cut the military pay again and again, and promoted Chu Yuanchen with justification.

Chu Yuanchen was a vassal king and had no right to use military force outside his fiefdom. However, now, it was Zheng Zhongming who personally handed the opportunity over.

Everyone in the court knew that Xiao Shuo and Chu Yuanchen were about to form an alliance, and Xiao Shuo even acknowledged Chu Yuanchen's princess as his sister.

Now, Xiao Shuo has legitimately taken over the military power of Liangzhou and Minzhou, and no one can say "no". Zheng Zhongming is unwilling to move the imperial guards, and if the King of Zhenbei does not go, who can take on this important task?

Unless Zheng Zhongming gives in and admits defeat now.

Zheng Zhongming had a gloomy face and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Chu Yuanchen glanced at Zheng Zhongming, smiling broadly, and he stood up, clasped his fists and said, "I will take this job."

He uttered these words powerfully.

Zheng Zhongming's face became even gloomier, but Xiao Shuo no longer paid attention to him and only ordered: "Lin Shoufu, before we go to war, please write me a report on all matters..."

The expedition involved the operations of many parties including the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue. Xiao Shuo waved his hand and handed everything over to Lin Shoufu.

Zheng Zhongming stood up suddenly, sneered twice, and left.

Xiao Shuo didn't even look at him for a second, as if Zheng Zhongming was insignificant to him.

Xiao Shuo looked down on Zheng Zhongming, but others did not dare to be careless. It was clear that Xiao Shuo was taking the opportunity to seize power. Once Xiao Shuo seized the military power, the imperial guards under Zheng Zhongming's hands would not be a threat to him.

They didn't believe that Zheng Zhongming couldn't see this.

Many people were worried and wanted to see how Zheng Chongming would fight back. However, after waiting for three days, Zheng Chongming did not make any move. Instead, he openly sold the position of the imperial guard and brought out the bidding rules set by Emperor Taizong in the past: the highest bidder would win.

The Imperial Guards offered a total of six positions, both civil and military, all of which were honorary positions, ranging from the fourth rank to the fifth rank.

As soon as this news came out, many people in the capital city flocked to it and scrambled to raise money.

After Chu Yuanchen returned, he smiled and said to Han Qianzhi, "Your second uncle is selling the family property."

Han Qianzhi was stunned. They had just separated, so why was the business going to be sold?

Originally, he had no worries and it was no big deal for him to live in the palace. Anyway, the palace was big and he didn't need a room. But they were getting married soon, and he couldn't let Chu Yu live with him in the palace. Even if he was a bit unreasonable and generous, he still felt it was a bit inappropriate.

Han Qianzhi was thinking about whether to buy a house.

The capital city is big and it is not easy to live there. It is also not easy to buy a house in the capital city. Good locations are hard to come by.

As a result, I heard Chu Yuanchen talking about his second uncle's plan to sell his business.

"Marquis Jingwei wants to buy a position for Han Shenzhi in the Imperial Guards," Chu Yuanchen said. "Han Shenzhi will be released soon. You know his ability. Don't count on him this year. Three years and three years, I'm afraid he won't be able to pass the exam even when he's seventy or eighty. Your uncle has done his best for this son."

The medicine made by Doctor Gu Lao and Sheng Xiyan was found to be somewhat effective after being tested for a period of time. Its strong analgesic effect could paralyze people. After testing the medicine, they found that the longer the time of stopping the Shiquan Paste, the lighter the effect of the Shiquan Paste on people would be. This analgesic could reduce a lot of pain when they were stopping the medicine and make it easier to stop taking the medicine.

Anyway, those in the first batch arrested, including Han Shenzhi, will be released next month unless something unexpected happens.

Chu Yuanchen didn't know what kind of talent Han Shenzhi had, but he was so addicted to the Ten-Ingredient Paste that he even dared to commit treason and patricide. Such a person would never achieve anything great.

Chu Yuanchen said calmly: "The Han family has many houses in Beijing. You can just use the money to buy some, and you don't have to find a middleman."

Han Qianzhi suddenly realized that the prince had asked him to take cash from the beginning. Could it be that...

Chu Yuanchen did not explain, but just smiled and said: "Your second uncle is in a hurry to get money, so he has lowered the price very low. It's just right for you to buy it now."

There are many people in the capital who want these positions. However, unlike Marquis Jingwei, most of them can come up with cash.

It just so happened that Marquis Jingwei had just divided up his property, and most of the cash was given to Han Qianzhi. Han Qianzhi would have had a farm and land soon, and life would not have been a problem for him. Who made him urgently need money for his son's future?

The only thing he could do was to sell his property, and to raise money in a short time, he had to sell it at a low price.

Han Qianzhi's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh and said, "Then I have a mansion for my wedding!"

Then he said, "Brother, please lend me a steward."

Chu Yuanchen readily agreed and called a manager and an accountant. Han Qianzhi took out all the banknotes obtained from the division of the family property and told them to buy as much as they could, otherwise it would be a waste not to buy.

Um.

He was going to get married, so he had to have some business and couldn't bring shame to Cheng Chuyu.

Han Qianzhi went to discuss with the steward what to buy, while Chu Yuanchen left first with Sheng Xiyan.

As they walked along the road, Sheng Xiyan asked with a smile, "Did you know this a long time ago?"

No wonder Han Qianzhi only wants cash.

Now that the Han family is selling off their properties to raise money, Han Qianzhi will only be able to get more property in return.

Her bright almond-shaped eyes, with distinct black and white, looked at him without blinking, as if they contained bright stars, which made his heart beat fast.

Sheng Xiyan pulled his sleeve and shook it gently, with a hint of coquettishness.

There was no need to ask any more questions, Chu Yuanchen nodded and said, "Zheng Zhongming will not give in. He will only go against his eldest brother. After the military spending is cut, all he can do is cite the precedent of Taizong." This is not difficult to guess.

Sheng Xiyan asked again: "What if Marquis Jingwei is unwilling to spend money?"

Chu Yuanchen winked at her and said, "If Zheng Zhongming can't attract him here, then what about the promotion?"

"If you want to make him short of money, I always have a way."

He deliberately called himself the King, and acted very proud, which made Sheng Xiyan laugh in his arms. After she finished laughing, she finally asked, "Are you really going to Minzhou this time?"

Sheng Xiyan didn't look at him when she asked this question.

The lady had told her that as a daughter of a military commander, she had to get used to her husband's frequent military expeditions. However, even though she knew this, when she really faced it, she still felt heavy in her heart.

Chu Yuanchen gently pressed her shoulders, asked her to turn around and look at him, then leaned over to her ear and whispered something.

His voice was so low that it was almost drowned out by the sound of the wind.

Sheng Xiyan's almond-shaped eyes gradually widened, and after a while, her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

I understood it.

After Chu Yuanchen finished speaking, he raised his hand to tuck the hair scattered on her cheeks behind her ears and said with a smile: "Don't worry."

Sheng Xiyan nodded, clenched her fists in her sleeves, and smiled: "I understand."

She pulled his sleeve again and asked, "When are we leaving?"

“It should be in these few days.”

"So soon." Sheng Xiyan opened her lips slightly, "I will pack your luggage tomorrow. The Madam told me last time... I will go ask mother and the Madam again."

Chu Yuanchen liked that she was busy running around for him, but he also felt sorry for her hard work, so he hugged her, kissed her hard on the cheek, and walked towards their yard hand in hand.

Chu Yuanchen's expedition to Minzhou was almost a foregone conclusion.

It was indeed absurd to let the King of Zhenbei go to pacify Minzhou, especially when the military power of the two states was handed over to Chu Yuanchen. However, this was the decision made by Xiao Shuo and no one dared to interfere. Besides, Zheng Zhongming was determined not to let the imperial guards go and would not be moved even if the military pay was cut again and again.

Both Xiao Shuo and Zheng Zhongming seemed to have accepted this result.

Zheng Zhongming was selling military positions with great fanfare.

The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue quietly prepared food and supplies.

When they talked about it privately, they couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

There was a great chaos in Minzhou, and pirates were causing trouble, which almost affected the entire Minzhou. However, it was not the imperial guards who went to Minzhou to suppress the bandits, but the Zhenbei Army.

"The King of Zhenbei wants to attack Yan and defend Min, and he also has the northern border to defend. Could it be that my Darong is now the King of Zhenbei's world?"

"Otherwise, why does the King of Zhenbei have to take care of everything?"

Chi Yu was talking freely in the teahouse.

The spring examination was in April, and more candidates came to the capital to take the exam.

With the exams approaching, in addition to studying, they also like to get together and discuss current affairs.

Many students were indignant about the fact that King Zhenbei went to war on behalf of the imperial army, and they discussed the topic raised by Chi Yu.

"In front, the King of Zhenbei fought bloody battles, and in the back, the imperial guards bought and sold positions."

"I heard that a fourth-rank vacant position has been bid for two hundred thousand taels of silver."

"The imperial guards don't need to protect the country, they just need to get paid and eat and drink enough. What difference does it make whether it's an empty job or not?"

They became angrier and angrier as they spoke, with some students even giving grand speeches, talking about how the previous dynasty had declined and lamenting that the current dynasty was following in its footsteps. Others also followed suit and made grand speeches.

Sitting at the same table with Chi Yu were Jiao Yang, Wei Xiu and Sheng Yan.

Jiuyang and Sheng Yan had a day off today. When they heard that Chi Yu was coming here to stir up trouble, they followed him here with great interest. Jiuyang even changed into men's clothes.

Jiaoyang had only been back for a short time, and she liked martial arts more than literature. Although she was still studying, she had only just learned the Thousand Character Classic. She didn't quite understand their Zhihu followers, so Wei Xiu explained to her in a low voice.

"Even the imperial guards can be bought and sold. Our Great Rong Dynasty is in danger..."

"I got it! I got it!"

At this moment, a man who was slightly older than him hurried into the teahouse. He took a deep breath and said angrily, "Wu Qi bought it. It's a fourth-rank item. He spent 180,000 taels of silver."

His face flushed and he became more and more angry as he spoke.

“Did you really buy it?”

"How could this be possible!"

"Heaven is unfair! Heaven is unfair!"

The people surrounding Chi Yu were all filled with anger. The others were a little confused and asked a few questions. Someone explained to them that Wu Qi was stripped of his honors and title for cheating in the exam and was banned from taking exams for life.

After hearing this, everyone got angry.

“Heaven is unfair!”

"The way of heaven is unfair? No, no, of course the way of heaven is fair." Wu Qi had deliberately followed the person in front.

It was early spring, and the weather was still cool. He waved a fan in his hand in a pretentious manner, walked straight to Chi Yu, and said sarcastically: "Chi Yu, Chi Yu, you meddle in other people's business and ruined my fame. But now, I am one step ahead of you and have obtained this official position."

"Wu Qi," one of the men said angrily, "Don't be too proud. You just bought your position with money. What kind of ability is that?"

"What kind of ability is that?" Wu Qi laughed. "That's only a fourth-rank official. People like you probably won't be able to climb to this position in your lifetime. What kind of ability is that?"

He laughed wildly, feeling quite relieved as if he had let off some steam.

Wu Qi and Chi Yu have been enemies for a long time. It was because Chi Yu exposed the cheating that year. As the person who bought the test papers, Wu Qi not only had his results in the provincial examination cancelled, but also his fame was taken away.

Wu Qi's reputation in the Jiangnan academic community was ruined.

Wu Qi's uncle lives in the capital, and he is now temporarily staying at his uncle's house. A son accidentally discovered yesterday that Wu Qi's family was also spending money to compete for an official position in the Imperial Guard. He was already a little resentful, but in the end he really bought it.

After ten years of studying hard, it is still unclear whether they can make further progress, but a person who cheats in an exam can easily get an official position with money.

Four years ago, Wu Qi bought an examination paper for money and became a scholar.

Four years later, also because of money, he got an official position!

They found it somewhat ridiculous and even more pathetic.

When the highest bidder gets the official position, all their efforts seem like a joke.

Chi Yu watched coldly. After suffering a great loss, he no longer had the youthful arrogance he once had. These words could not excite him at all.

Wei Xiu's eyes moved slightly. He glanced at a private room on the second floor without making a sound and said, "The imperial guards were unwilling to fight the enemy and pushed the important task of pacifying Minzhou to the Zhenbei Palace. I didn't expect that they were very skilled in buying and selling official positions."

These words hit the nail on the head, and everyone, whether they were from Jiangnan or Darong, felt the same way.

yes.

The imperial guards neither suppressed the bandits nor quelled the rebellion. Over the years, they almost let Yizhou be ravaged by bandits. How many people died in Yizhou! In some places, nine out of ten houses were already empty.

Northern Yan was conquered by the Zhenbei Palace, and Northern Xinjiang was defended by the Zhenbei Palace. Minzhou and Northern Xinjiang are located in the south and north respectively, and they are completely unrelated. Now, in order to pacify Minzhou, the Zhenbei Palace has to step in. This is too unreasonable.

"If the Prince of Pingliang's Palace was still there, it would definitely be able to provide timely support to Minzhou."

Liangzhou is adjacent to Minzhou. When the Palace of Prince Pingliang was still in existence, the surrounding states could ask for help whenever they encountered any problems.

King Pingliang was a generous man. He would help and save anyone he could.

However, he had already died due to the suspicion of the previous emperor, and had been branded as a traitor for nearly twenty years.

The harsher you scolded back then, the more guilty you will feel after the truth is revealed.

Students are frivolous and easily instigated, but they are also the most sincere.

"What are you talking about?" Wu Qi interrupted them impatiently, "Chi Yu, today, either you kneel on the ground and crawl under my crotch, and I will forgive you for what happened, or don't blame me for being rude."

Wu Qi's family is wealthy, and his uncle is a third-rank official. He has long disliked Chi Yu. If Chi Yu had not meddled in his affairs, how could he have been deprived of his fame and honor? Now he can be said to have worked hard to avenge his past shame.

Chi Yu stood up slowly, and Wu Qi waved her folding fan, waiting for him to surrender.

Bang!

A teacup was thrown at him. Wu Qi screamed and covered his face. The warm tea flowed down through his fingers, and a few tea leaves stained the back of his hand.

Wu Qi was simply mad.

It's not just because of the headache, but also because of the loss of face.

He pointed at Chi Yu and said, "Catch him."

The position Wu Qi bought was the Left Cavalry General, a nominal position that required him to neither lead troops nor conduct drills, nor to perform any duties. He only had to follow the ceremonial guards when the emperor went on tour. It was a respectable and easy job.

He was interested in this position not only because it was of the fourth rank, but more importantly, the imperial guards would assign him two personal soldiers. It would be so impressive to walk out with his personal soldiers.

Now that Chi Yu dared to offend him, Wu Qi was furious and shouted at the personal soldier he had just received: "Beat him to death."

"Bold."

An unhappy voice interrupted him, and Wu Qi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a rather young girl.

She was dressed in men's clothing, a gorgeous robe and a jade belt. Her skin was slightly darker and she wore no makeup. Adding to her young age, she looked no different from a boy at first glance. It was only when she opened her mouth that her true appearance was revealed.

Wu Qi: "Don't mind your own business."

Jingle was afraid that he would be arrogant and self-deprecating, and she was tolerant of him. These days, she had developed some arrogance of a noble lady in the palace. She put the whip on the table with a "snap" sound and said, "Don't care!"

"I am the dignified General of the Left Cavalry." Wu Qi mentioned again the position he bought in the Imperial Guards, only to find that none of them took this fourth rank seriously at all.

Wei Xiu frowned slightly and said, "Mr. Wu, this is the territory of the capital. People in the capital don't have the surname Wu. There are many nobles in the capital. You can't afford to offend them."

Wei Xiu is more than a generation younger than Wu Qi, but he speaks in a condescending tone, as if he is scolding Wu Qi.

Wei Xiu added, "Mr. Wu, you are new here and have no support. You must not act rashly, or you might cause trouble."

Wei Xiu put slight emphasis on the words "backer" and "nobleman", which sounded like a mockery to Wu Qi.

Isn't it just a backer? !

Isn't he just a noble? !

Who said he didn't!?

Wu Qi is not a smart person, otherwise he would not have boasted about getting the first place after cheating, which allowed Chi Yu to discover the clues of cheating.

He blurted out: "I am now a subordinate of Governor Zheng, and this position was given to me by Governor Zheng. If you dare to disrespect me, you are being disrespectful to Governor Zheng."

"Be careful, Governor Zheng will make you all get out of the capital!"

"It has taken away your fame."

It would have been better if he hadn't said this. As soon as he said this, the students were completely furious. Some of the hot-tempered ones slammed the table and shouted angrily: "In broad daylight, in the clear sky, our imperial guards are all such incompetent and arrogant people."

"It is a great honor and disaster for the Imperial Guards to have such military spirit!"

Wei Xiu lowered his eyelids. Chi Yu and he were in perfect sync. He immediately put on an angry look and said, "Wu Qi, we are in the imperial city, under the emperor's feet. It is not up to Lord Zheng to make the decision."

Wu Qi was a little confused.

He knew that Zheng Zhongming was a first-rank official and the governor of the Beijing camp, and that the entire imperial army was under his control.

He felt that Chi Yu was just showing off, so he raised his chin and sneered, "If you keep shouting, I will report to Lord Zheng and have the imperial guards arrest you all!"

"It's so funny." Jiaoyang said proudly, "My eldest sister-in-law's eldest brother hasn't spoken yet. There is no place in the capital for Zheng Zhongming to make decisions."

What is the eldest sister-in-law's eldest brother... This relationship seems a bit confusing. Wu Qi said angrily: "Catch them, catch them all."

"You dare to arrest my brother?!" Sheng Yan rolled up his sleeves and said eagerly, "Jiaoyang, stand still. I'll do it."

"No, I want to fight too."

Jiaoyang was very competitive and didn't want to lose to him. She took a half step forward and blocked Wei Xiu behind her: "Wei Xiu, stand still."

Jiaoyang already knew that Wei Xiu was his sister-in-law's biological brother, a powerless scholar, and he couldn't be hit, or his sister-in-law would be sad.

Jiaoyang held a whip in his hand, looking like he was about to start a fight.

Wei Xiu once again glanced at the private room on the second floor without leaving any trace.

From this direction, you can see two women sitting in the private room. They are in a good position and have a clear view of what is below.

Wei Xiu noticed them early on.

It can be said that he noticed it as soon as he arrived at the teahouse.

He stood up, his tone filled with just the right amount of indignation: "The imperial guards are too greedy to fight the bandits, and now they are bullying us!"

These words touched the hearts of these students.

They didn't care that Wu Qi had just bought the position of Imperial Guard. All their anger and resentment were directed at the Imperial Guard.

A student shouted: "The imperial guards are just a bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Others even stood up and shouted, protesting loudly.

Zheng Xintong, who was sitting in the private room, felt something was wrong.

She frowned slightly.

A bystander sees things more clearly than those in power. Sitting here, she can clearly see Wei Xiu's instigation.

Wei Xiu's seemingly ordinary words and actions were all meant to provoke these young and arrogant students to be hostile to their fathers and to hate the imperial guards.

Zheng Xintong's lips were pressed into a straight line. She had done her best for Wei Xiu, and the Wang family had also saved the lives of the Wei family. However, Wei Xiu still refused to give up and was aggressive.

Zheng Xintong was furious. She stood in front of the window of the private room on the second floor, holding her breath, and shouted, "Is it possible for you to discuss Governor Zheng privately?"

"Governor Zheng has fought on the battlefield for many years and has made countless military achievements."

"When he was devoted to the great cause, you probably didn't even know the Three Character Classic!"

"Loyalty?"

Wei Xiu seemed to be looking up at her, but his eyes were clear and his demeanor was so noble that Zheng Xintong didn't feel any sense of superiority at all.

Wei Xiu said calmly: "Zheng Zhongming is mobilizing his troops to bring honor to the people, or to kill the two princes?"

"Miss Zheng, don't lose sight of right and wrong just because Zheng Zhongming is your father."

Wei Xiu's tone was as cold as ever. Zheng Xintong was so embarrassed and angry that she even felt guilty for a moment. The next moment, she was still firm: "Capture these students and put them in jail. Otherwise, they will be instigated and used by others."

The students were completely shocked.

Jiuyang slammed the table and stood up, holding the horse whip, raised his hand and pointed at her, more arrogant than her: "Catch them and put them in jail. Otherwise, they will confuse right and wrong and allow the imperial guards to run rampant, oppress the people, and harm the loyal and good people!"