Cao Xing also heard that there was something in Ning Chen's words.
Whether it was the previous exams or Sun Jia’s case later.
Ning Chen can be regarded as helping Cao Xing.
Ning Chen was definitely a gift to Cao Xing.
Now that he can secure the position of Jing Zhaoyin, Ning Chen is kind to him.
Mentioning this, Cao Xing also smiled bitterly and said: "Master Ning, do you think I want to wade into this muddy water?"
Just as Cao Xing was talking, Xia Zhu and the others came over to serve tea.
Cao Xing and Sun Feilan only had tea, but Ning Chen had plenty.
In addition to the fragrant tea, there are also various refreshments, and there are more than a dozen kinds of breakfast.
This made Cao Xing, who was hungry, very uncomfortable.
"You four should go out first," Ning Chen said to the four Xia Zhus.
Xia Zhu and the four of them nodded, not forgetting to threaten Cao Xing and the two of them.
Ning Chen glanced at Kazilan's big-eyed Sun Feilan, who was standing next to Cao Xing, looking aggrieved.
He waved directly to Sun Feilan: "Look at what you want to eat, just get it yourself."
After hearing Ning Chen's words, Sun Feilan's eyes turned into crescent moons when she saw her idol.
Sun Feilan walked directly to Ning Chen, and Ning Chen moved to the side to make room for Sun Feilan.
Sun Feilan knelt down and sat next to Ning Chen obediently.
"What do you like to eat?" Ning Chen asked Sun Feilan.
"That." Sun Feilan said, pointing to the crystal steamed buns not far away.
Ning Chen took it and put it in front of Sun Feilan: "It's a bit hot, so be careful."
Sun Feilan nodded like a little hamster, lightly opened her red lips, blew on the steamed dumpling, and then stuffed the whole dumpling into her mouth.
The xiaolongbao is not big, but Sun Feilan's mouth and face are not big either.
So the whole thing was stuffed in, making Sun Feilan look more like a hamster.
Ning Chen pushed his tea next to Sun Feilan and said with a smile: "Slow down, no one will compete with you."
Cao Xing looked on and felt his stomach was getting worse, but mentally he felt a little nauseous.
"Master Cao, where have we talked?" Ning Chen raised his head and asked Cao Xing.
Cao Xing glanced at Sun Feilan, who was enjoying his meal, and turned his eyes away from the food, and then said to Ning Chen: "Master Ning, I don't want to go into this muddy water."
"But Lord Ning, there's nothing I can do about it."
"After all, a person died, right?"
"Normally, this kind of thing should be investigated directly by the Ministry of Punishment."
"But you also know, my lord, that although those in the Criminal Department do not make cliques.
But if something happens, they will protect themselves wisely."
"And the person who died is indeed considered a matter under Jing Zhaoyin.
He has no fame or rank.
The Ministry of Punishment said it was not under their control, but I couldn’t say anything.”
"So I can only bite the bullet and investigate this matter."
After hearing Cao Xing's bitter words, Ning Chen still said with a cold face: "But even if this is the case, the matter can't be traced to me.
Shouldn't you catch the murderer first?
With your abilities, it shouldn't be difficult to catch the murderer."
Cao Xing glanced at Sun Feilan, who had eaten all the steamed dumplings, swallowed his saliva and said, "Master Ning, the murderer has been caught."
"The murderer has been caught, why do you still come to me?" Ning Chen continued to ask.
Cao Xing said: "But the murderer is dead."
After a pause, Cao Xing added:
"The key is that the Zhu family now says that the murderer stole the manuscript of Zhu Jia Nongdao.
This may affect the Zhu family's opening of farm roads.
So this matter will be difficult to deal with now, once the matter rises to the level of establishing the holy path.
I don’t think it’s okay if I don’t check it out clearly.”
After Ning Chen heard what Cao Xing said, he immediately understood the content.
How the man named Wu died is obviously not important now.
The important thing is that the Zhu family said that the man named Wu brought the manuscript of the Zhu family's plan to open a farm road.
This is very clever.
The Zhu family wanted to open a farm road, so the Zhu family could naturally guess that Ning Chen might also open a farm road.
Let's all drive together.
There is a question of sequence.
The one who opens first will naturally have the advantage.
So the Zhu family came up with a trick to throw dirty water.
Don't you want to prove your innocence?
Then you wait until I open the farm road, and then you open the farm road again.
If you can open it then, it proves that you have nothing to do with my manuscript.
But in this case, it was because the Zhu family had the upper hand.
Therefore, the farm road opened behind Ning Chen was naturally shorter.
Of course, unless it's the farm roads opened by Ning Chen and others, they can surpass the Zhu family's farm roads in quality.
In this case, the last attack will come first, and the Zhu family's farm road will naturally be suppressed.
But is this likely?
At least in the eyes of the Zhu family, this possibility is unlikely.
It can even be said to be very small.
What the Zhu family is currently guarding against is Min Si, who can open a farm road of the same quality as their Zhu family.
If Min Si takes the lead, they will be left behind.
Although they did not see Min Si's manuscript, there were some things Min Si said in court.
Of course they already knew.
In this way, they have reason to suspect that Minsi's farm roads can be equal to theirs.
That's why the scene like this happened now.
If you want to prove your innocence, then act later.
But there are inherent shortcomings in holding meetings afterwards.
If you open first and you don't surpass my Zhu family, it means you haven't stolen enough.
The fact that you surpassed the Zhu family means that you copied enough, but you just opened it first and took advantage of it.
As for you trying to explain this matter clearly, it's very, very difficult.
If I really can't explain this kind of thing clearly, there are ten thousand ways to make it unclear.
"Have the Semi-Saint Family been so dirty?" Ning Chen said with a frown.
In Ning Chen's opinion, the dignified Semi-Saint family should not bother to do this kind of dirty work.
The second level of Confucianism and Taoism is a semi-sage.
In the entire nearly 10,000-year history of Confucianism and Taoism, there was only one Confucian sage who was superior.
There is only one first-grade sub-sage, Meng Sheng.
Even if they are semi-saints, there are only a dozen of them in ten thousand years of history.
Even if there are some reclusive semi-saints, it is probably difficult for them to exceed thirty at most.
Therefore, the status of the semi-sage Zhu family is really high among the entire Confucianism and Taoism.
If we talk about the orthodoxy of Confucianism and Taoism, the Zhu family is definitely more representative of the orthodoxy of Confucianism and Taoism than Yunshan Academy.
The reason why everyone knows more about Yunshan Academy now is mainly because the founder of Yunshan Academy was the last Confucian semi-sage.
This Confucian half-sage of the previous dynasty directly relied on hard-line tactics.
The Zhu family was unwilling to cooperate with him to co-found a college and spread Confucianism and Taoism as a semi-holy family.
They all rushed to the north and founded Yunshan Academy alone to spread the holy words of Confucianism and Taoism.
It is also because of this that the reputation of these semi-holy families is not as loud as that of Yunshan Academy.
After all, they are so far apart and so much time has passed, so it is normal for their reputation to weaken.
However, since the former half-sage died in battle, Confucianism has not seen a half-sage for thousands of years.
But it would be very difficult for semi-holy families like the Zhu family to take over the Central Plains.
But no matter what, Ning Chen felt that it was inappropriate for the Zhu family to play so dirty.
In the history of the human race, every half-saint of the human race died in bloody battles for the human race.
These semi-saints are the heroes who continue the human race.
But their descendants did these things,
It is a complete disgrace to the reputation of their ancestors.
Cao Xing looked at Ning Chen and said: "Master Ning, whether you are dirty or not, I think the main thing is whether the benefits are big enough."
Ning Chen asked back: "According to what Mr. Cao said, if the benefits are big enough, they can also sell the secrets of the human race to the barbarians and monsters?"
Cao Xing said nothing, but Ning Chen already knew the answer.
Obviously, such a thing was not something Ning Chen thought was possible, but it actually happened.
Think about it, the story of Marquis Dingguo.
Think again, after Dingguo Hou Yijin returned home, he directly destroyed the three families.
Ning Chen realized that the question he just asked was a bit out of place and a bit childish.
"There are more such things between humans and monsters, and there are only very few cases with barbarians." Cao Xing felt that he should explain it to Ning Chen.
After all, Ning Chen had only been an official for two years. Cao Xing felt that Ning Chen should not see so much of the dark side.
Ning Chen took a deep breath, adjusted his mentality and said to Cao Xing: "Mr. Cao, let's not talk about this issue anymore, let's go back to the Zhu family's affairs. It's just a matter of opening up the holy way. Is it really worth using such dirty methods by the Zhu family?
?”
After hearing Ning Chen's words, Cao Xing did not answer Ning Chen's question directly, but asked Ning Chen: "Can Master Ning see any changes in me?"
Ning Chen stared at Cao Xing and said, "My face is a little whiter and my hair seems to be missing a little. Could it be that I have kidney deficiency?"
Cao Xing:>_
"Master Ning, do you think there has been any change in my cultivation?" Cao Xing asked the question more straightforwardly.
Ning Chen sensed the concentration of the awe-inspiring righteousness released by Cao Xing.
His eyes couldn't help but light up.
"When did Master Cao get promoted to the sixth rank?"
Ning Chen remembered that when he met Cao Xing before, Cao Xing was only a seventh-level scholar.
In just a short time, Cao Xing was promoted to the sixth rank.
"Legalist?!"
Ning Chen looked at the silent Cao Xing and asked.
Cao Xing nodded: "Master Ning guessed it right, I followed the path of Legalism."
Cao Xing was in Dali Temple before, and later came to Jing Zhaoyin.
He has always been a law enforcer.
And just Ning Chen watched Cao Xing’s exam class.
All of Cao Xing's law enforcement process has no flaws except for the harsh punishment.
Regarding the law, Cao Xing can be said to have his own set of understandings.
Now that Marquis Dingguo has opened up the Legalist path to sainthood, Cao Xing has seamlessly connected it, so there is no problem.
"Is the new holy path so easy to follow?" Ning Chen was also a little surprised by this result.
Cao Xing nodded: "It is indeed much easier to walk. The newly opened Holy Path is already full of Holy Will. In addition, there are few people walking this road, so I can naturally absorb more Holy Will.
And these holy thoughts, in turn, feed back what I have learned in my heart.
Naturally, you can improve your own cultivation very easily.
Furthermore, I have accumulated enough knowledge on the legalist path.
Therefore, once this road was opened, I naturally accomplished it in one go.
And as far as I know, I am not the only one who has made breakthroughs on the path of Legalism.
The Minister of Punishment has broken through the sixth rank and is now the fifth rank.
Some officials in charge of prisons in the state capital below,
Many have made breakthroughs in Legalism."
If Cao Xing said this, then Ning Chen would understand why the Zhu family must play dirty.
The opening of a new holy path means that a large number of masters of this path can emerge in a short period of time.
If it was just speculation before, now that there are living examples like Cao Xing and others, it is no longer speculation.
Since it is not a guess, it is natural to grab this farm road.
That is to say, you can compete with a large number of masters, and you can also take the opportunity to attack and drink wine with Kong yourself.
A great thing that kills two birds with one stone.
"Master Ning, actually this matter may not have been done by the direct line of the Zhu family. It may have been done by the collateral line, or some people who wanted to please the Zhu family."
"As one of the few remaining semi-holy families, the Zhu family's background is still very terrifying."
"There are many people who want to please the Zhu family."
"Whether it's the imperial court or Yunshan Academy, it's impossible to recruit all the Confucian scholars in the world."
"And the opening of the imperial examination system also gave these semi-holy families an opportunity to infiltrate the imperial court, didn't it?"
After Ning Chen waited for Cao Xing to finish speaking, he looked at Cao Xing and kept looking at the breakfast on the table, and said to Cao Xing: "Master Cao, how about we eat something together?"
"That's fine. It just so happens that my mouth is dry as well."
Finally having food to eat, Cao Xing felt happy inside.
Ning Chen asked Xia Zhu and others to come in, gave them instructions, and asked the kitchen to prepare wine and food.
After Xia Zhu and others left, Ning Chen continued to ask Cao Xing: "Master Cao, I already know what happened and the entanglement of interests involved.
But I still don’t know. Mr. Cao, do you want me to cooperate in investigating the cause of this matter?
Can it be that if I cooperate with you in investigating this matter, the suspicion will be cleared?
And I am the real leader of a hundred schools of thought,
Let me cooperate in the investigation of the death of Xuezheng, a farmer under the Baijia family supported by the Zhu family.
Don’t you think this makes me even more disadvantaged?”
Cao Xing said: "Master Ning, I have also considered this matter.
So I came here secretly in the morning,
Are you planning to discuss this with Mr. Ning?"
"What are we discussing?" Ning Chen asked.
Cao Xing said: "Let's discuss it and see, Mr. Ning, whether you intend to protect the holy way or your prestige.
If it is Baoshengdao, Mr. Ning will cooperate with my investigation. I am confident that with Mr. Ning's cooperation, I can clear your suspicion.
When the winter solstice comes, Sir Ning, if you should open the holy way, then open the holy way.
Under the principles of the law, Sir, you can stand firm and your human heart will not be lost."
Ning Chen did not answer Cao Xing's question, but asked Cao Xing: "His Royal Highness Wu Zhao told you that I want to open a farm road on the winter solstice?"
Cao Xing nodded: "When this case happened yesterday, I went to tell His Highness Wu Zhao, after Your Highness told me about your plan to open a farm road.
I roughly know the inside story of this case.
Your Highness, after thinking about it, understands what’s going on here.”
"Then His Highness Wu Zhao asked you to come to me, are you asking me to choose, or are you planning to choose for me?" Ning Chen continued to ask.
It’s a little strange to mention this Cao Xing:
"His Highness neither said to let you choose nor said to choose for you.
His Highness just said that he knew about this matter and let me deal with it impartially and catch the murderer.
It’s because I don’t feel at ease myself, so I came over early to discuss with Mr. Ning what to choose.”
Ning Chen smiled knowingly after hearing Cao Xing's answer.
"It seems that the eldest wife, the empress, still has confidence in me?"
In fact, from Ning Chen's point of view, whether Wu Zhao chooses for him or lets him choose.