"You are going back to Qianzhou now? Have you thought clearly?"
In the capital restaurant, Xie Zhiyuan asked with raised eyebrows.
Chen Ping nodded silently. It was really not a wise move to rush into this storm field. He didn't want to be a chess piece, at least he didn't want to be a chess piece that was not taken seriously and could be discarded at will.
"The turmoil in the capital was caused by His Majesty, but I want to know why the factions in the court were fighting before that."
Xie Zhiyuan picked up a green plum and put it into his mouth, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.
"What does His Majesty want you to do? It's only been two days since the imperial examination ended. You haven't entered the officialdom yet, have you?"
"But, I'm afraid His Majesty's body won't be able to wait much longer. How can you leave a suitable candidate like you unused?"
Chen Ping did not answer his question and stared straight at Xie Zhiyuan. Seeing Chen Ping's persistence, Xie Zhiyuan shrugged.
"It can be complicated even if it is complex, and it can be simple even if it is simple. I won't talk about the previous ones. The current contradiction is the candidate for inheritance."
"I think that after the death of the late emperor, Your Majesty did not ascend the throne smoothly. Your Majesty had a younger brother, the King of Chu."
"To say that this King of Chu's abilities and talents are not under your Majesty's command, the late Emperor also loved the King of Chu very much. If Your Majesty had not been the eldest son, I am afraid that the King of Chu would be sitting on the throne of the Nine-Five-Nine Five Emperors now."
King of Chu?
Chen Ping's eyebrows moved slightly, as if he thought of some possibility, and nodded to indicate to Xie Zhiyuan to continue.
"When Your Majesty came to the throne, the King of Chu tried to fight for the throne, but he complained a lot after his defeat. Therefore, Your Majesty has been very lenient to the King of Chu over the years. He not only retained the power granted by the late emperor to the King of Chu to travel to and from the capital at will, but also gave him a lot of rewards. Who knows? How can you say that King Chu is His Majesty’s only brother?”
Hearing this, Chen Ping raised his lips and smiled: "Is it true that King Chu has always been worried about His Majesty? Still thinking about the throne?"
This kind of relationship between brothers and sisters is too common in history!
Xie Zhiyuan nodded and said with a little melancholy: "Yes, that is the throne, who can not be moved?"
"Forget it before, your majesty is now seriously ill, and the prince is still young, and his ability... can only be said to be unsatisfactory. Naturally, the King of Chu has changed his mind again. Compared with passing on the throne to the second son, it is more important for the elder brother to succeed. It’s in line with etiquette.”
Another thought? Is it possible that the King of Chu has been thinking about it? Chen Ping thought in his mind.
"The struggle for the throne is one, and the other is a party formed by officials from various places. Now there are Wu Party, Chu Party, Qi Party, etc. in the government. Counting that you are from Qianzhou, you are still from Chu Party!"
"Chu Party? The king of Chu's fiefdom is not in Qianzhou, right?"
"It's not in Qianzhou, it's in Jingzhou to the north of Qianzhou. Most of the officials in Jingzhou, Qianzhou, and Lingzhou are from the Chu Party lineage. As for the relationship between the Chu Party and the King of Chu, you can figure it out yourself. ”
Chen Ping understood. It seemed that he might gain something unexpected during his return to Qianzhou.
"Then according to what you say, I can't escape this dispute even if I run away?"
Xie Zhiyuan clapped his hands and applauded, with a bright smile, "Who asked you to be in such a big limelight? The first person since the establishment of the imperial examination, the youngest number one scholar in the Imperial Dynasty, and you still want to stay out of it? Don't be ridiculous."
Chen Ping didn't know what to say. He was indeed a little greedy. He wanted to achieve his own goals but didn't want to get involved. The problem was that if he were a chess player, he might still have options, but now he is just a chess piece.
The emperor asked me to investigate the Cheng family. The Cheng family is by no means the real target. This is just an introduction. So who is the object of the emperor's fear?
.......
Capital, Cheng Mansion.
"After coming out of the Imperial College, Chen Ping was called into the palace to meet His Majesty, and the conversation during the period is unknown."
Cheng Yuanjian closed his eyes and thought, which made Cheng Kaiji beside him extremely anxious, so he continued.
"Chen Ping will join the game if we don't take action. It would be a joke to use his ability to shake up the superiors, but our Cheng family will be in danger!"
"Danger is also an opportunity."
Cheng Yuanjian slowly opened his eyes and vomited: "Qianzhou, Jianzhou, Qingzhou, Lingzhou, the trade routes that my Cheng family has worked so hard to build over the years have been destroyed a lot by Chen Ping, but the superiors are facing me. The Cheng family's care is not even as good as that of Chen Ping, and Quan is an idle envoy."
"Now chaos is about to emerge. It won't be long before Chen Ping follows the clues in Lingzhou and gets to the Cheng family. Will the higher ups protect us then?"
Hearing what he said, Cheng Kaiji's eyes widened for a moment, and then he moved away with a bitter look on his face: "Who said we are just businessmen? We are destined to be this role, son, you..."
His words were interrupted by Cheng Yuanjian. Cheng Yuanjian looked angry, and the emotions that had been suppressed for a long time broke out at this moment.
"Who said merchants can only be pawns? How can I, Cheng Yuanjian, be worse than those sons of officials?!"
"Over the years, we have paid back all the favors, but they owe us!"
Cheng Kaiji's face was a little frightened. He was frightened by Cheng Yuanjian's words and murmured: "Don't say it, don't say it. How can we resist the superiors? Serving carefully is the right way, the right way..."
Cheng Yuanjian did not agree with his father's point of view. He had already figured out many ways to work for the superiors over the years. The outburst at this moment was not carried away by anger, but was prepared for it.
He clenched his fists tightly and his eyes were full of determination: "From the beginning of working for them, I never wanted to live like this for the rest of my life. Now that the opportunity is in front of me, how can I remain indifferent?"
"Father, believe me, the Cheng family will not always be merchants. No matter how high the temple is, I will have to climb up!"
South Gate of the Capital.
Chen Ping recalled what Emperor Tianqi said to him, and then thought of the news he got from Xie Zhiyuan. Although there is no evidence yet, it is enough to make him wary.
The big shot behind the Cheng family organization may be far bigger than you think!
Whether it was for his own life or to fulfill his great ambitions, he had to go back to Qianzhou to fight with these old people in the court. The letter was written with little hope. Even with the support of the emperor, it was not enough. In the end, you still have to rely on yourself.
Chen Ping looked to the south in the direction of Qianzhou, Senior Brother He, don't let me down...
"What are you doing standing around? Are you being pretentious again? He Qing was not very smart in choosing that guy. If he is your trump card, then I think you should not have too much hope."
Xie Zhiyuan looked carefree, and immediately started mocking Chen Ping when he saw that he was distracted.
Chen Ping has long been used to it. Senior Brother Xie is a talker, and what he said is not entirely wrong. He Qingxuan is not very smart in choosing Senior Brother He, but that is in terms of studying and imperial examinations, and in terms of science and technology, He Qingxuan should not be It’s as unbearable as Xie Zhiyuan said.
"Skills have specializations. Just because Senior Brother He failed in the imperial examination does not mean that he will not be good in other fields."
Chen Ping smiled and defended He Qingxuan, then looked at the sky and made a decision.
"Let's go back to Qianzhou!"
Following Chen Ping's order, the carriages and horses immediately began to move. Xie Zhiyuan lay in the carriage and complained: "What evil have I done? Becoming a classmate with you, Chen Ping, is the biggest mistake of my life, Xie Zhiyuan!" < /p>
"Senior brother, that's a compliment." Chen Pingquan pretended not to have heard and said with a cheeky smile.
"Why didn't you call Cheng Cheng and that guy together? Oh, I understand, you are using me as a sign of kindness to let Cheng Cheng stay in the capital and have a romantic relationship, right?"
Xie Zhiyuan bared his teeth and looked fiercely at Chen Ping: "Well, Chen Ping, you can't see that you are so cunning, but you are still the number one scholar, Lang Wenquxing!"
Chen Ping smiled and said nothing. Cheng Cheng was too honest and sincere to get involved. Who told you that Senior Brother Xie is both civil and military and astute in mind?
The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility!