Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 248 The chips are getting more and more!

"Brother Xia! Brother Xia!"

"problem occurs!"

Not long after Xia Zhibai fell asleep, a burst of hurried shouts was heard outside the house, followed by a series of hurried footsteps.

Xia Zhibai opened his eyes dazedly, and hurried out of the house without even having time to put on his clothes.

As soon as I entered the lobby, I smelled a bloody odor.

His pace quickened again.

Seeing Xia Zhibai coming, Qingzhi and Lu Cang hurried over and said anxiously, "Brother Xia, something happened, Governor Zhou..."

Xia Zhibai stepped forward, interrupted Lu Cang, and said in a deep voice: "Speak slowly, don't be anxious, and get to the point first."

Aokiji said, "Brother Xia, didn't Governor Zhou go to see Li Sheng earlier? As a result, Li Sheng attacked Governor Zhou for some reason. Governor Zhou was caught off guard and was stabbed twice."

Xia Zhibai frowned and asked, "Did you call a doctor?"

Lu Cang interrupted and said, "Yes, he is on his way."

Xia Zhibai nodded, he entered the lobby and went straight to Zhou Ning who was in low spirits. Looking at Zhou Ning's pale face and the blood-soaked clothes on his upper body, his eyes showed a hint of solemnity.

Seeing Xia Zhibai coming, Zhou Ning suddenly became much more energetic, but there was more regret in his eyes.

Zhou Ning opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but due to excessive blood loss and his weak body, no one could hear what he said.

Xia Zhibai stopped Zhou Ning from speaking and said, "Governor Zhou, please maintain your strength first. If you have anything to say, wait until you feel better. There is no need to be so nervous and anxious."

Xia Zhibai said a few words to comfort him, and just in time the doctor that Lu Cang had called arrived.

They all took the initiative to withdraw.

Xia Zhibai called Qingzhi and Lu Cang aside and asked them carefully, "What exactly happened to Governor Zhou? Tell me in detail what you know."

Aokiji glanced at Lu Cang and took the initiative to say, "Isn't Governor Zhou coming here today? Lu Cang always felt that Governor Zhou had bad intentions, so he secretly found a few beggars to follow him, thinking that if he saw Li Sheng, he would beat him up in the dark. But he never thought that Li Sheng said something to Governor Zhou, and suddenly became very crazy, and he directly stabbed Governor Zhou with a knife. Governor Zhou didn't react and was stabbed twice."

“When the few people who were waiting to hit him with the black sticks saw this, they also rushed out and chased Li Sheng away.”

Aokiji did not cover up anything for Lu Cang and basically told the truth.

Lu Cang grumbled and muttered, "I didn't do anything wrong. If I hadn't secretly sent someone to follow him, Governor Zhou would have been stabbed to death on the spot. I clearly did the right thing."

"Li Sheng did it? Are you sure?" Xia Zhibai ignored the quarrel between Lu Cang and Aokiji, and instead became concerned about the murderer.

Lu Cang nodded repeatedly and said with certainty: "It can't be wrong."

"I've been watching this bastard for a long time. Others might have made a mistake, but I definitely couldn't have made a mistake with him. The people I called were all very close to me, and I took them to meet Li Sheng privately many times, so there's no way they could have been wrong."

"It's Li Sheng!"

Xia Zhibai's eyes turned cold, and he asked again: "Do you know where Li Sheng is now?"

Lu Cang scratched his head in embarrassment.

I can’t really answer that.

Qingzhi snorted and said coldly: "If Ergou had this kind of brain, he wouldn't have been showing off among the beggars. The group of people he called were all like him. When their brains got hot, they couldn't tell the importance of things. When they saw Li Sheng running away, they didn't know what to do."

"Then Li Sheng ran away long ago."

Lu Cang glared at Qingzhi in dissatisfaction and said unhappily: "Hua Que, stop talking nonsense here. We, the people, will bring Governor Zhou back no matter what. If it weren't for me, Governor Zhou would have died by the Qinhuai River. It's better than you. You haven't done anything, but you just keep pointing fingers here."

Xia Zhibai frowned.

He ordered: "First find a few people to report to the authorities."

"The curfew hasn't ended yet, and the city gates haven't been opened. Li Sheng shouldn't be able to escape."

There was a curfew in the Ming Dynasty.

However, as the Ming Dynasty became increasingly stable, the curfew management had become increasingly relaxed. Even late at night, some residents were still able to move around, but the city gates were still strictly closed in accordance with the curfew regulations.

Lu Cang nodded quickly and went to report to the police.

Aokiji whispered, "Should we send someone to look for it as well?"

"There are still many beggars in the city."

Xia Zhibai hesitated and shook his head.

He knew that people like Aokiji and Lu Cang, because they were born beggars, had come into contact with many beggars in the city, but it was difficult to put beggars in the "open" view at the moment, especially since it was Zhou Ning, an "official" who was in trouble this time. Yingtian Prefecture was the best place, and if the beggars were found before the government, these beggars would suffer disaster.

Again.

If Zhu Yuanzhang heard that there were still beggars in the city.

I’m afraid that something bad will happen to the officials in Yingtian Prefecture again.

The Ming Dynasty's officialdom has just been replaced. It would be unfair if another group of officials were implicated because of these beggars who continue to be banned.

"Let's wait until we see what happens to Governor Zhou." Xia Zhibai said.

Aokiji nodded obediently.

Xia Zhibai and others didn't have to wait too long before the doctor who was supposed to treat Zhou Ning came out.

Xia Zhibai stepped forward and asked, "Doctor, how is Zhou Ning?" The doctor seemed to know Xia Zhibai, and he extended his hand to Xia Zhibai and bowed, "My Lord, this man is lucky. Although he was stabbed twice, both wounds avoided his internal organs. And I don't know who stopped the bleeding in advance, which prevented the injury from getting worse. So far, he is not in serious condition, but he is weak. But after all, it was a knife wound, and the wound is not small. I am not sure whether it will get worse in the future. I will prescribe a few prescriptions later to try to nurse him back to health."

Xia Zhibai nodded and said, "Thank you, doctor."

The doctor bowed his head and went to prescribe medicine with his medicine box.

Xia Zhibai walked into the lobby and looked at Zhou Ning wailing in pain, and shook his head helplessly.

All this could have been avoided.

Seeing Xia Zhibai coming in, Zhou Ning, who was originally wailing in pain, suddenly lowered his voice and said with a sad look in his eyes, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Master."

Xia Zhibai said: "That's nothing."

"You should take good care of your injuries."

"I'll ask Lu Cang to report your matter to the authorities."

Xia Zhibai didn't say much.

Zhou Ning showed a hint of gratitude, and then took the initiative to say: "It was Li Sheng who did it. I really didn't expect that he would actually do that to me."

Zhou Ning looked in pain.

He added, "Master, you must be careful in the future. I learned from Li Sheng that many of your ideas were leaked by these people. Now many people in the south know about it and are very wary of you. Li Sheng wants to get your new steam-based salt production blueprint from me."

“They are all bewildered.”

"I think once the new blueprints are obtained, the scholar will be powerless."

"But from what Li Sheng said, there are a lot of voices of dissatisfaction in the south, and there are many powerful people involved, even the emperor's son-in-law."

"Maester, please be careful."

Xia Zhibai nodded.

He said calmly, "They just can't see the situation clearly. They think that they can stop the trend by grabbing things. Little do they know that they themselves are part of the trend. The steam engine represents a new technology and a new productivity. It has more benefits than disadvantages for the Ming Dynasty today."

"It's just that many people are reluctant to part with the money they have."

"But the only people who can really participate are local officials and powerful gentry."

"These people are nothing to be feared."

"They have not yet realized that as a unified dynasty and a centralized dynasty, once the ruling machine of the Ming Dynasty was in operation, the so-called local interest groups would be vulnerable."

“They’re doing it more nowadays.”

"It shows that they are anxious and panicked."

Xia Zhibai looked at Zhou Ning lying on the wooden board and said, "You should have a good rest recently. I will ask the salt factory to send some cotton cloth. Cotton cloth is much better than the existing linen cloth for bandaging wounds. As long as the wound does not get worse, you should be able to get out of bed after resting for more than half a month."

"You don't have to worry about the salt factory during this period."

"Recuperate in peace."

"I will arrange for a few people to stay near your home so that these hooligans will not affect your family's normal life."

Hearing Xia Zhibai's considerate words, Zhou Ning's eyes suddenly turned red, and he said ashamedly: "Thank you, Master. I... I am really ashamed. Master, you clearly reminded me many times before, but I didn't take it to heart."

"If it weren't for someone's help this time, I would have lost my life."

"From now on, I, Zhou Ningding, will only obey the scholar and will never have any other ideas."

Xia Zhibai smiled and said, "What I said may not be entirely correct. You don't have to be like this. Just be yourself. If you really want to, after you recover, put all your energy into research and find out more applications of steam engines. This is more important than anything else."

"The steam engine is the key to breaking the deadlock at present."

“Only by breaking down regional restrictions and local conservatism can the world be truly revitalized.”

"It's a heavy burden on your shoulders."

Zhou Ning nodded.

But it was as if the wound was torn, and his face showed a hideous expression due to the pain.

Xia Zhibai reached out and pressed Zhou Ning's shoulder, saying calmly: "Don't think too much now. Someone has already reported the matter to the authorities. As for whether Li Sheng can be arrested, it depends on the court's means. However, Li Sheng is just an engineer, so I think it shouldn't be difficult."

"Even if he really knows a prince consort, I'm afraid the prince consort won't help him."

"What's more, this is in Yingtian Prefecture!"

"The Prince Consort's reputation is not that great."

"If there is any situation with the government, I will send someone to inform you."

"have a good rest."

Xia Zhibai gave a few instructions and then left.

After this incident, Xia Zhibai lost all sleep and simply went straight to the study to write a memorial about Zhou Ning's assassination, ready to submit it the next day. However, he emphasized in it that there was the figure of the prince consort behind Li Sheng.

He now has more and more chips in his hand.

It is autumn now and the weather is getting colder.

(End of this chapter)