"Is this the way the East Factory treats guests?!"

After Zheng Zhongming said this, he realized that there was someone else involved besides Xiao Shuo.

Chu Yuanchen was wearing a purple brocade robe and holding a cup of tea in his hand. He looked at him with a smile and greeted him, "Master Zheng, you are in a good mood. Since you are here, why don't you sit down and have a drink together?"

"The weather is nice today." Chu Yuanchen lied to the gloomy sky, "It's the best time to chat with a few good friends."

He spoke leisurely, as if he was in his own territory, and paid no attention to Zheng Zhongming's frighteningly dark face.

No matter how well-educated Zheng Zhongming was, he was almost vomiting blood from anger.

His eyes fell solemnly on the chessboard between Chu Yuanchen and Xiao Shuo. Anyone who knew chess could see at a glance that the black and white pieces were evenly matched, with no clear winner or loser. It was obvious that this game had been played for quite a long time and was not just a show for him.

Even though everyone in the court understood the situation and the two had formed an alliance, they rarely appeared together.

As far as Zheng Zhongming knew, they first appeared together in the left building of Prince Cheng's auditorium...

After that, Xiao Shuo acknowledged Sheng as his sister.

It was as if they were intentionally sending a signal to the outside world, thereby blurring the true relationship between the two people.

"Xiao Shuo." Zheng Zhongming called him by his name, "Release the boy."

Xiao Shuo said calmly, "Once you enter my Dongchang Prison, it's not easy to get out."

The corners of his eyes raised, and he said with a smile: "Dongchang never lets people go for nothing."

"Let's talk about it later." Xiao Shuo picked up a chess piece and fiddled with it with his index and middle fingers. "Master Zheng, you are not qualified to tell me what to do."

"Xiao Shuo!"

Every time, before meeting Xiao Shuo, Zheng Zhongming would repeatedly tell himself to stay calm and not be affected by his words. However, every time, when facing him, he would be easily angered.

Bang!

Chu Yuanchen dropped the black piece in his hand, tearing a hole in the stalemate between the black and white sides, and said as if no one was around: "It's your turn."

Seeing that Xiao Shuo's eyes really turned to the chessboard, Zheng Zhongming held back his anger and gave in, saying, "You set the conditions."

Xiao Shuo said slowly, "It's rare for Miss Zheng to come to Dongchang Gaoyu as a guest. She must make herself comfortable first, lest others say that Dongchang doesn't know how to entertain guests." He casually returned Zheng Zhongming's words and said, "If Master Zheng is worried, he can go in and keep her company."

Zheng Zhongming's face became more and more embarrassed.

Few people could escape unscathed from the Dongchang Prison, so he was mentally prepared to be stabbed in the face by Xiao Shuo. For him, no matter what conditions Xiao Shuo offered, as long as he opened his mouth, he could always find his weak spot and bargain with him.

Seeing that he was not willing to take any soft or hard tactics, Zheng Zhongming was at a loss as to where to start.

Zheng Zhongming fell silent.

Xiao Shuo ignored him and after thinking for a moment, he placed a white piece.

Next came Chu Yuanchen’s black spot.

The black and white pieces were fighting fiercely in the upper left corner. Both sides were placing their pieces faster and faster, and both of them were concentrating on the chessboard.

Zheng Zhongming, who was left there, looked slightly depressed. He took a step forward and raised his hand to lift the chessboard, but the next moment, his arm was blocked by an unsheathed curved sword.

Chu Yuanchen said in a good-tempered manner: "Master Zheng, don't be so impulsive. If there is anything, let's talk about it after we finish this game of chess."

He paused for a few breaths, and then said meaningfully: "My memory is not good. If the chessboard is messed up and the chess cannot be played, I will have to trouble Master Zheng to wait for a while."

What he meant was that if Zheng Zhongming dared to overturn the chessboard, there would be no room for negotiation.

Zheng Zhongming's rationality gradually disappeared as the two of them sang in unison.

He said coldly: "Xiao Shuo, what do you want?"

Xiao Shuo smiled but said nothing. Chu Yuanchen took the initiative and said, "Master Zheng, you should go back. Dongchang has always been fair in doing things. Once we have investigated thoroughly, if it has nothing to do with your daughter, we will naturally release her."

He raised his chin towards Xiao Shuo and said, "Right."

Xiao Shuo smiled faintly, as if responding to him.

He said, "Master Zheng, do you remember what I said to you last time, also here?"

Zheng Zhongming frowned.

Of course he remembered such arrogant words!

Xiao Shuo said gently, "Master Zheng, why don't you think about it carefully here? This is the last chance I will give you before this game is over."

"I hope Master Zheng will cherish it."

Zheng Zhongming laughed in anger: "Xiao Shuo..."

Xiao Shuo interrupted him directly and ordered without raising his head, "Wuning, go out and see what those students are doing."

Zheng Zhongming swallowed back the words he hadn't said yet.

Naturally, he would not really consider Xiao Shuo's so-called "conditions", but he wanted to see where Xiao Shuo got the confidence to believe that he would give in.

Can those ignorant students overturn the great dynasty?

I can't let Xiao Shuo lead me by the nose. I need to think carefully.

Wu Ning lowered his head and responded submissively. After he left, he called over a guard and asked in a low voice, "Have those students left?"

"not yet."

Wu Ning nodded and walked quickly towards the door.

The students were still wandering in front of the East Factory Gate. They looked at each other, feeling helpless.

Most of the students did not know Zheng Zhongming, but they could guess his identity from the way the Dongchang men called him and his outrageous words.

Especially the glance he gave them just now, it was as if he was looking at an ant on the ground, ready to crush it to death at any time. This made them wonder whether they would be retaliated after this incident.

I felt a little uneasy.

Governor Xiao said he would make the decision for them, but...

Is it worth it to go against Zheng Zhongming, who holds the power of the imperial guards, for these worthless students?

Wei Xiu took in all their complicated emotions and said with a worried look on his face, "Lord Zheng is the emperor's confidant. Although Governor Xiao is in charge of the government, Lord Zheng has the imperial guards at his disposal. I heard that he has never been submissive to Governor Xiao..."

He pointed out their concerns directly and directly.

Chi Yu then said: "Everyone, now that we have come to this point, victory or defeat, life or death, is all in our own hands. It is said that a scholar is useless, but no matter how useless we are, we still have ambitions for this great glory. We can also do our part for the clear and bright heaven!"

"I don't care even if I die!"

These words make people's hearts surge.

Chi Yu followed and said, "Let's go to the Imperial City!"

One call and a hundred responses!

They all understood that if they were timid and didn't give it a try, then their fame, their lives, their future... might really be in jeopardy.

We can't just rely on Governor Xiao.

A group of people went towards the imperial city in a mighty manner.

Fu Junqing did not leave after sending them here. He just watched from a distance. When he saw them about to leave, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Follow me."

Fu Junqing is not a fool, otherwise he would not have survived the battlefield until now.

He understood Chu Yuanchen's real intention in giving him advice and saving their entire family's lives.

No matter how you look at it, he has been tied to Chu Yuanchen's boat. If the boat capsizes, he will not be able to escape unscathed. He can only prevent the boat from capsizing.

He pulled the reins, led his men to follow behind them, and protected them all the way to the imperial city.

The students did not shout or make any noise; they all sat on the ground outside the walls of the imperial city.

Upon seeing this, the guards standing in front of the palace gate hurried to report to the commander.

The guards in the palace all belonged to the Twelve Guards, who were directly under the emperor. The guard commander recognized Fu Junqing and came over to ask him a few questions. After returning, he told his men, "As long as they don't break into the palace, it's fine."

"This is allowed by Taizu."

Emperor Taizu of the Da Rong Dynasty was a military man by birth and admired scholars very much. During his reign, he treated scholars with great favor. Not only did he allow students to participate in state affairs, he also said that if students had objections to state affairs, they could submit a joint petition or sit in silence in front of the imperial city, and no emperors of later generations could drive them away.

They couldn't hurry, and they were afraid they would gather and cause trouble. The guard commander stood in front of the palace gate himself, not leaving.

Jiuyang also sat down with them and asked, "Should we ask someone to tell mother and sister-in-law that we won't be going back for dinner?"

Wei Xiu looked at the sky and said, "No need. I'll be gone for a while."

As soon as he left, Sheng Yan and Jiao Yang followed him. In their words, the capital was in chaos and they were afraid that he would be beaten.

Wei Xiu was silent. He pondered and asked Jiao Yang, "Will you cry?"

"Crying?" Jiuyang raised his chin, "I'm the best at it."

Before being picked up by Sheng Xiyan, Jiaoyang had learned how to avoid being beaten at a young age without any instruction.

She blinked hard a few times, and crystal tears rolled down her red eye sockets. In an instant, she changed from a proud little sunshine into a wronged and pitiful little girl.

Sheng Yan was stunned.

"Okay." The guard was satisfied, "Then you guys come with me."

Jiaoyang could hold back her tears. She wiped her eyes and asked, "Where are we going?"

"The Imperial College, the Academy, and the Lu Mansion."

They know about the Imperial College and the Academy, but what about the Lu Mansion?

Wei Xiu explained casually, "It is Lu Qi's residence. The Lu family is quite famous among the scholars, and Lu Qi himself is also a great scholar..."

Wei Xiu led the two of them, talking as they walked.

He first went to the Imperial College, then to several famous academies in the capital, and finally to Lu's mansion, submitting a visiting card in the name of Wei Lin.

Wei Xiu's adoptive father Wei Lin was also a great scholar, and had a close relationship with Lu Qi.

Thus, within just over an hour, this matter spread completely among the scholars in the capital.

All scholars study hard for fame and a future. The imperial guards sold official positions first, and then openly called for the killing of these students with fame, and even threatened to take away their fame. How could this be tolerated?

Doesn't this mean that in the future, one will have to rely on money rather than talent to enter the government?

Whether they were children coming to Beijing to take the imperial examination or students studying in the capital, they were all filled with indignation.

The whole Shilin was shocked.

More and more students spontaneously gathered at the foot of the imperial city, from the initial twenty or so people to three or four hundred people.

They did not make any noise, but all sat quietly in protest. Some even ground ink, used the ground as paper, and their hands as pens to write embroidered articles.

Even the court was alarmed.

The Prime Minister personally came forward and tried to persuade them to leave with kind words, but the students were adamant and insisted on seeking justice.

Moreover, the great scholar Lu Qi, together with some famous and talented gentlemen in the literati circle in the capital, submitted a memorial together, urging the court to rectify the chaos in the imperial guards and restore the prosperity and peace of the times.

This memorial did not use any flowery words, but the language was fierce. It denounced the incompetence of the imperial guards and the practice of selling official positions. In particular, the imperial guards had been useless for many years, but the court had to spend a lot of money to support them, which was not conducive to people's livelihood.

Normally, any memorial would be sent to the Imperial Household Department, where Xiao Shuo would review it before making a decision. However, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department directly gave the memorial to Lin Shoufu.

Lin Shoufu finished reading the memorial with sweat all over his forehead, knowing that the situation was already very bad.

Throughout the history of the Great Rong Dynasty, there had only been three sit-in protests by students. This time, the most stringent of them all had alarmed the literati. If it could not be quelled quickly, there would surely be a major chaos.

Lin Shoufu had no choice but to come out and persuade them again.

"Prime Minister."

Chi Yu bowed to Lin Shoufu and said righteously, "We students have studied hard for many years and are willing to contribute what we have learned to Darong. If Darong does not need us, anyone with money can buy and sell official positions, and let others take away our fame and lives at will, what is the point of our hard study?"

"If this matter cannot give us a fair shake, the students will give up this examination!"

As soon as Chi Yu said this, everyone fell silent.

The imperial examination is held once every three years and is extremely precious to anyone. Giving up on it is no small matter.

Chi Yu's classmate hesitated for a moment, then immediately followed up: "Students also gave up the imperial examination."

The students were full of enthusiasm at the time, but they were also filled with sadness because of Chi Yu's words.

Whether out of genuine feelings or emotional impulse, more and more voices have come together:

"Students give up this exam!"

Lin Shoufu was overwhelmed.

Nearly 80% of the candidates who came to Beijing to take the imperial examinations are gathered here. If they really give up the exam at the same time, this exam will probably be the worst one since the founding of the Great Rong Dynasty.

Scholars value scholarly spirit the most, and it is not uncommon for scholars to die in front of the imperial city or on the throne room because of pursuing their ambitions throughout the dynasties.

Lin Shoufu was afraid that they would also get angry and cause trouble, so he had to comfort them in a hurry and said, "I already know about this matter, you guys just stay calm." "Don't get upset and bang your head against the wall. "This matter involves the imperial guards, the court will discuss it and give you a reply."

He said a few more words and ordered people to prepare some hot tea for the students to prevent them from catching cold. Then he called the Minister of Rites and hurried to Donghua Gate.

After the foreign guards went in to report, they quickly brought Lin Shoufu and the others in.

It was the first time for Lin Shoufu to enter the East Factory. Normally, if Xiao Shuo summoned them for something, he would meet them in a side hall in the palace.

The East Factory was not as deep as imagined, but when Lin Shoufu walked inside, his heart was still pounding, and his steps were a little unsteady with every step.

Lin Shoufu was relatively calm, but the Minister of Rites who came with him was already shaking in his legs, with his mind full of wild thoughts, wondering if he would be thrown into prison if he said something wrong.

"Master, Prime Minister Lin and Lord You are here."

Prime Minister Lin and the Minister of Rites walked in one after another and bowed their heads in greeting.

Lin Shoufu looked up and found that it was quite lively here.

Not only Zheng Zhongming, but also the King of Zhenbei was there.

Zheng Zhongming sat on the armchair beside him with a sullen look on his face, his expression unpredictable, while Chu Yuanchen and Xiao Shuo were sitting face to face in front of a chessboard, playing the game leisurely.

In fact, before coming, Lin Shoufu had roughly inquired about what happened. It was nothing more than that the students were talking about the recent sale of official positions, and the girl from the Zheng family heard it and scolded them a few times, which annoyed the students.

Seeing Lin Shoufu and his men coming, Xiao Shuo asked, "What's the emergency?"

His attitude was still gentle as usual. As Lin Shoufu listened, his heart was pounding. He didn't believe that Dongchang didn't know about it, but he still bowed and told him what had happened.

Zheng Zhongming's brows were furrowed.

"Mr. Lin, Mr. You. Please take a seat."

The game had come to an end, Chu Yuanchen resigned himself to defeat and resigned himself to packing up the chessboard.

Xiao Shuo returned to the main seat, glanced at the people below, and said, "I already know about this matter. What do you think Prime Minister Lin should do?"

Lin Shoufu glanced at Zheng Zhongming and said cautiously, "Master Zheng, selling official positions is really inappropriate. It is better to stop it and give an explanation to the students."

Xiao Shuo picked up the teacup calmly, as if he didn't care what they talked about.

What Lin Shoufu suggested was not excessive. Zheng Zhongming had already thought about it over and over again.

Xiao Shuo would not give up easily unless he paid some price for this matter.

"Okay." Zheng Zhongming said, "All the official positions this time will be taken back, and the official positions of the Imperial Guard will no longer be sold to outsiders in the future."

Selling the official position was his counterattack in the confrontation with Xiao Shuo. He took it back now, which meant that he lost the confrontation.

He lost to Xiao Shuo again.

Moreover, they lost humiliatingly.

He forced himself to remain calm and raised his eyebrows to look at Xiao Shuo.

I saw Xiao Shuo stirring the foam with the tea lid, smiling but saying nothing.

Lin Shoufu actually wanted to ask if the proceeds from selling the official position could be given to him, but it didn't seem appropriate now, so he could only smile and say, "Master, what do you think?"

I was thinking about how to get the money.

That’s more than one million taels. Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Xiao Shuo put down the teacup, glanced at Zheng Zhongming nonchalantly, and said with a smile: "Master Zheng doesn't seem to be willing to agree to my conditions?"

What conditions? Lin Shoufu was confused.

"Xiao Shuo, don't push your luck." Zheng Zhongming laughed in anger, "The one who is in the Dongchang Prison is just a daughter of the Zheng family. If you really want to give her up, this governor can do it."

"Xiao Shuo, if it really comes to this, what else can you use to control me?"

Zheng Zhongming's breath was a little disordered. He said, "Master Xiao, is that right?"

indeed.

Xiao Shuo remained calm, for he knew that Zheng Zhongming would never agree.

Correspondingly, even if Zheng Zhongming agreed, he would not stop.

The lives of more than a hundred people in the Xue family and tens of thousands of people in Zhan Ancient City cannot be offset by Zheng Zhongming's kneeling and bowing.

The so-called conditions are nothing more than a disguise.

Xiao Shuo smiled faintly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. His pupils were as dark as ink, without any warmth.

Lin Shoufu's heart was pounding. He could almost imagine that there had been a negotiation and confrontation between Xiao Shuo and Zheng Zhongming before they arrived.

Xiao Shuo brushed his sleeves and said lightly: "In this case, the governor of the Beijing camp should choose another capable person."

Zheng Zhongming slammed the table and stood up.

Lin Shoufu was really afraid that the two of them would quarrel on the spot, so he quickly acted as a peacemaker and said, "Master Zheng, the Yizhou bandits have been causing chaos for a long time. It would be better to let the imperial army quell the chaos."

Zheng Zhongming narrowed his eyes and looked at him coldly.

Lin Shoufu pretended not to know.

Compared to Xiao Shuo's aura, which made his legs tremble just by sitting there, Zheng Zhongming's anger was nothing.

He continued, "Master Zheng, the scholars are now dissatisfied, not only because of the buying and selling of official positions, but also because of the rampant bandits in Yizhou, the suffering of the people, and the fact that the imperial guards have turned a blind eye to this."

Lin Shoufu was also quite dissatisfied. He thought that in the past six months, the imperial guards had only suppressed bandits once, and they only had dry food on weekdays, and it cost so much money to support them.

Zheng Zhongming said nothing, just looked at Xiao Shuo.

Chu Yuanchen smiled and said, "Why? You need my Zhenbei Palace to pacify Minzhou and suppress bandits? That's not impossible. If the world has the surname Chu, I will be obliged to do it."

"Is the world named Chu?"

Lin Shoufu's heart skipped a beat.

There were some things he could actually sense, but he just didn't want to think about them.

Zheng Zhongming finally agreed: "This governor can transfer 55,000 troops to suppress the bandits."

Chu Yuanchen arranged the chessboard and said, "Fifty thousand? As far as I know, the largest bandit group in Yizhou has nearly 100,000 people. They have captured three cities and declared themselves king. Lord Zheng, you can't afford these fifty thousand. If you are beaten by others, don't let me have to come back to save you."

Chu Yuanchen looked up at him and said with a smile, "Could it be that the imperial guards have been eating away at their empty salaries and only one in ten is left? They just managed to move out 50,000 people with great difficulty?"

Zheng Zhongming's little finger trembled.

Chu Yuanchen added: "Why not take some time to check the number of the imperial army and see how many of the 560,000 registered soldiers are left. This will also give an explanation to the people of the world. What do you think, Lord Zheng?"

Knowing that Chu Yuanchen was trying to provoke him, Zheng Zhongming had no choice but to give in.

It is a fact that the imperial guards were drawing salaries without doing any work, and it is also a fact that chaos occurred frequently.

The Imperial Guards were a sharp knife in his hand, not a soft spot for Xiao Shuo to exploit.

He made another concession and said, "Then one hundred thousand people."

After saying that, he glanced at Xiao Shuo again and said, "This should be fine, right?"

Fearing that they would bargain again, he added, "We will leave within ten days."

Zheng Zhongming knew it very well, but because Chu Yuanchen was going to lead his troops to Minzhou, they wanted to take away some of the imperial guards accordingly.

He raised his eyebrows and looked at Xiao Shuo, as if asking: Is this okay?

Xiao Shuo nodded with a smile and said, "Then let's talk about the governor of the Beijing camp choosing another capable person."

Zheng Zhongming's defense was broken again, his chest heaving with anger, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

Xiao Shuo said: "How else can we give an explanation to Shilin?"

Zheng Zhongming said coldly: "This is impossible."

Xiao Shuo ignored him and continued, "The Three Thousand Battalions and the Divine Shu Battalion are under the command of Yu Ma Jian."

The Yuma Supervisor was one of the twelve supervisors in the inner court, and shared military power with the Ministry of War and the Supervisor. In the past, the Western Factory was managed by the Yuma Supervisor, who was also the eunuch in charge of the seal. After Xiao Shuo merged the Western and Eastern Factories, the Yuma Supervisor was now also in his hands.

Giving the Three Thousand Camps and the Divine Shu Camp to the Yu Ma Jian was equivalent to handing them over to Xiao Shuo.

Zheng Zhongming looked gloomy.

Xiao Shuo's move can be said to have firmly stepped on his bottom line.

He would not give up the Governor of the Beijing Camp and the Five Military Camps, even if it meant giving up his daughter Zheng Xintong.

But compared with the Three Thousand Camps and the Divine Shu Camp, it is not that important.

Xiao Shuo sipped his tea leisurely, seemingly unconcerned about his decision.

Zheng Zhongming weighed the options in his mind.

I must give an explanation to the scholars about this matter. Otherwise, I will be infamous due to the verbal and written criticism.

No one wants to stink forever.

What's more...

Zheng Zhongming's eyes became darker. After a few moments of silence, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay..."

Xiao Shuo put down the cup and clapped his hands in praise: "Master Zheng is very efficient in his work. Today, I will let the eunuch in charge of the horse guards go and hand over the work to Master Zheng."

Zheng Zhongming said expressionlessly: "Okay."

He took a deep breath, and finally managed to suppress the fishy-sweet taste in his throat, and said, "Where's the boy?"

Xiao Shuosi ignored his sullen face and said slowly, "One million taels each."

"Xiao Shuo!"

Zheng Zhongming blurted out in anger.

He just agreed to one condition after another and made concessions one step after another. Was it all in vain?