Xie Zhiyuan still looks like a handsome young man. Even though people all over the street are discussing the demeanor of the first-ranked Jinshi, he has no idea that he is several heads shorter than those Jinshi.
Cheng Cheng, who was following him, had a happy expression on his face. Chen Ping nodded to them and then stretched out his hand towards his seat.
"Stop stretching and sit down. Has Cheng Cheng told you about the imperial examination?"
Chen Ping said to Xie Zhiyuan very calmly, with no apology at all on his face. This made Xie Zhiyuan's teeth itch with hatred.
"What do you mean by stretching? You kid, don't think that winning the top prize is a big deal. Here, you are still like this!"
Xie Zhiyuan gave a thumbs up and then turned his head upside down and said with his eyes widened in a demonstration.
Chen Ping rolled his eyes. This guy didn't have a good word to say, so he turned to ask Cheng Cheng.
"I heard you're in the top two? What's your ranking?"
Cheng Cheng felt a little ashamed when Chen Ping asked him this question. He stretched out his index finger and thumb and sighed: "Eighty-five, the end of the top two..."
Well, Chen Ping decided not to go to Versailles in front of Cheng Cheng, which might hurt Cheng Cheng's fragile heart.
"Look at it, I'm still a top 2, in the future..."
Xie Zhiyuan interrupted him directly and hugged Cheng Cheng, "Don't talk to this treacherous boy. Is that what he calls caring? This is clearly showing off!"
Hearing this, Cheng Cheng shook his head and said: "If it weren't for Chen Ping's guidance, how could I have gotten into the second-class class? Even the third-class class had no chance. I was kicked out when I was able to take the test."
"Oh, don't be polite to this guy. You won the second class award all by yourself. I'll go to the Ming Mansion with you to propose marriage tomorrow. I'll make someone jealous!"
Xie Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows at Chen Ping and couldn't help but laugh at the end, because Chen Ping didn't pay attention at all and was drinking tea and fishing the whole time.
"Forget it, why should we be angry with him? He's just an uncrowned brat."
At this moment, Chen Ping spoke slowly and said with a smile: "Thank you two senior brothers Haihan."
"Then Mr. Cheng Yuanjian invited us to a banquet. What do you think, brothers?"
Xie Zhiyuan raised his head with a look of indifference on life and death: "What do you think? If someone invites you to dinner, just go there. Can you still eat us?"
"Yes, yes, I heard that Mr. Dacheng is a good gourmet. He has several cooks in his house, and the taste is no worse than the famous buildings in the capital!"
What Chen Ping heard was full of black threads. Why are the two senior brothers only thinking about eating? Are they from Jiangxia Academy?
He really wants to run back to Qianzhou now and tell the dean to expel these two people from Jiangxia Academy, otherwise it will be too embarrassing.
Seeing that Chen Ping's face didn't look like he was joking, Xie Zhiyuan also said seriously: "The soldiers are coming to stop us. There is nothing to be afraid of. This is the capital, and it is not a place where anyone can run wild."
"Could it be that you discovered something in Lingzhou? Is it related to the Cheng family?"
Chen Ping shook his head. He was not sure yet, but what was certain was that Cheng Yuanjian was definitely not simple.
"Isn't that the end? Why stay here in Jiqing Tower? Suck, poof!"
"This crappy tea is just for the servants to drink in my house. Let's go!"
Xie Zhiyuan immediately stood up and dragged Cheng Cheng to call Chen Ping. He took the lead to clear the way, went downstairs and got into the carriage.
"Go to the Cheng Mansion and have a banquet at Mr. Cheng's house!"
"...."
Chen Ping watched Xie Zhiyuan's carriage speed away, and after thinking about it, he got on the carriage.
The crisis of the emperor's serious illness has been temporarily eliminated. Although he may not be able to survive this year, at least there is no need to worry now. The news and clues found in Lingzhou and the previous clues in Qingzhou, Jianzhou and other places all point to the same place.
That is the place under your feet, the capital!
He wants to see who is behind all this and whether he can bring him down even if he is willing to cut himself off!
Cheng Mansion, Cheng Yuanjian has not been busy with anything else today. He has been waiting for Chen Ping's arrival.
He already knew the rankings on the A list, and was very curious about Chen Ping's policy question Cheng Yuanjian that moved Emperor Tianqi, but he was even more curious about Chen Ping's attitude towards the organization.
"Son, is this possible? I heard that Chen Ping seems to be in the spotlight now. He has a grudge against us for killing our master. Can An Neng win over him?"
Cheng Kaiji became worried on the sidelines, fearing that the banquet would be a waste of money, and that his family would be exposed and lead to death.
Cheng Yuanjian naturally knew that this matter was risky, but he was also acting under the orders from above. He was worried, but more importantly, he wanted to get to know Chen Ping in depth through the banquet.
He, Cheng Yuanjian, prides himself on being a smart man, and he has sympathy for like-minded people like Chen Ping. Working for a superior now does not mean that he is willing to be a hawk for the rest of his life!
"I have my own concerns about this matter, not to mention that the adults above him can't be defeated by his little champion?"
"Even if I'm exposed, I have a way to deal with it."
Cheng Yuanjian said calmly, seeing that his son was so calm, Cheng Kaiji said nothing.
Little did he know that Cheng Yuanjian was also uneasy, because if his so-called method was known to the higher-ups, the Cheng family would be wiped out in an instant.
"Sir, sir, the guests are here!"
"Okay! Father, I'm going to welcome the guests!"
Cheng Yuanjian stood up suddenly, and when he came to the door, he saw three carriages parked, and three more scholars got off the carriages and were waiting.
The visitors were none other than Chen Ping, Xie Zhiyuan and Cheng Cheng. When they saw Cheng Yuanjian coming to greet him in person, Chen Ping and Xie Zhiyuan looked at each other, then handed them over and stepped forward.
"After taking the test, I took the time to go to Lingzhou. The culprits in the smuggling case were very vicious. Fortunately, there was no danger, otherwise Brother Cheng would not have been able to see me."
"Haha, what are you talking about..."
Cheng Yuanjian answered without changing his expression, but Chen Ping interrupted him directly and continued.
"By the way, does Brother Cheng know a man named Pi Xiu?"
"..."
Cheng Yuanjian's movements stagnated, and his expression froze. Although he quickly returned to his original state, Chen Ping had already noticed this change.
"I don't know, Brother Chen, why do you suddenly ask this?"
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"Nothing, this person is the Lingzhou bandit leader. He was originally going to be taken to the capital for interrogation by the Ministry of Justice, but he escaped on the way. Alas."
Chen Ping waved his hand and walked towards the house, while Xie Zhiyuan squinted his eyes and stared at Cheng Yuanjian.
"Tsk, that's a pity."
"Please take a seat. It's a big day for Brother Chen to be ranked number one in the top 10 high school. Why are you talking about all those disappointing things?"
Cheng Yuanjian looked calm and could not see any flaws. After asking the three of them to sit down, he first congratulated Chen Ping.
"It's just a fluke. If it weren't for His Majesty's blessing, how could I, an uncrowned boy, be able to withstand the No. 1 prize?"
"Young Master Chen is so humble. I heard that during the palace examination, the Young Master wanted to get the number one scholar and the second place on the list. If your majesty is so ambitious and ambitious, who else will you choose?"
Chen Ping pursed his lips and smiled, but did not continue the topic.
"The number one scholar and the second one are determined by His Majesty. If Brother Cheng wants to know the reason, why not go to the palace and ask?"
Xie Zhiyuan chuckled, his tone was gentle and unhurried, but his attack power was real. Cheng Yuanjian's expression changed with just one sentence.
"Young master Xie is joking. I am a common man. If I cannot read the books of saints and saints, I can only be a lowly businessman. Donating my fame is just to facilitate my work. How can I compare with you."
"Then let's not talk about this. Although I am vulgar, I am still elegant in my food. How many famous chefs do you have in your house? Would you like three of them to appreciate it?"
It was only now that Miles Yuanjian started talking about eating. Cheng Cheng was already impatient with the waiting and nodded immediately.
"Hurry up, we are here to attend a banquet at your house and have a cup of tea at Jiqing Tower!"
Cheng Yuanjian smiled with a smile on his face, said hello repeatedly, and then extended his hand to ask for it: "This tea is not the best. I want you to taste it first, and the food will be here later."
As everyone drank tea, the scene fell into silence for a while. Chen Ping's eyes fell on the tea leaves floating in the cup, and his thoughts began to wander.