Chaos of Ming 1628

Beijing.

In the secluded room, only the dim candlelight flickered.

Wei Zhongxian sat at the head of the table, with Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng standing on either side. On the table in the very center lay the slip of paper.

The handwriting was neat yet strange, but the content written on it was suspicious.

The person was recommended by Tian Ergeng, and even in Jiaohe County, Madam Ke died without cause.

At this moment, another message came from Sun Qing. Tian Ergeng frowned slightly and slowly said, "Sun Qing is indeed quite capable and has a good eye for things. Regardless of whether he is like Zhuge Liang or has the talent of Liu Bowen, at least he was right about the previous few things."

"It would be remarkable if all the predictions about changes in the political situation came true."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Cui Chengxiu snorted coldly, "Stop praising him, I don't believe him!"

"Minister Cui, I'm willing to believe it. Before Zhuge Liang was invited out, who knew he would be so incredibly resourceful?" Tian Ergeng retorted.

He had always obeyed Choi Seong-soo. But this time, he had a different opinion.

With Sun Qing's words filling his mind, Tian Ergeng felt that every word made sense when questioned.

Cui Chengxiu immediately flew into a rage and scolded, "You're completely bewitched! Is this fame-seeking brat even worth your exaggerated praise?"

"I think he's talking complete nonsense. How could someone as capable as him in the Sun family possibly end up like this?"

Tian Ergeng was momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he still spoke with conviction: "But the direction of the court beforehand was exactly as he predicted."

"If we had trusted him back then, we wouldn't be in this predicament now. Had I known, I would have made sure that traitor never had the chance to be impeached in court!"

Cui Chengxiu sneered, glanced at Tian Ergeng, and said with certainty, "This has absolutely nothing to do with his ability."

"Didn't you say before that this person is the current emperor's man, so his actions and predictions are all at the current emperor's behest, deliberately suppressing us?"

"Didn't you say before that the current emperor would heed the late emperor's teachings and dare not disrespect his adoptive father?" Tian Ergeng retorted without backing down. "But what about now? Isn't he also stirring up trouble?"

"No matter how dissatisfied he is, he can only keep it to himself." Cui Chengxiu said with an arrogant expression, "What kind of trouble can a sixteen or seventeen-year-old cause?"

"The emperor is just a child, and he can't do anything to us. Don't scare yourselves."

"Minister Cui!" Tian Ergeng pleaded earnestly, "Those eight pregnant women have already entered the capital, but their whereabouts are still unknown. We are in dire need of capable people right now; how can we let such talents slip through our fingers?"

Cui Chengxiu sneered repeatedly, not believing his words at all.

The two are about to start arguing again.

"Enough!" Wei Zhongxian said softly, his tone not loud. The two immediately fell silent and hurriedly looked towards the head of the table.

Wei Zhongxian's eyes were cold and heavy, making it hard to breathe.

He slowly began, "No one in this world acts without ulterior motives. I'm curious, what does he gain from being so devoted to us?"

Tian Ergeng hesitated for a moment: "The county magistrate?"

Cui Chengxiu sneered.

Tian Ergeng lowered his head hurriedly; he couldn't even believe this reason himself.

"I heard that Qing'er also went to Jiahe County?" Wei Zhongxian changed the subject, no longer focusing on Sun Qing.

Cui Chengxiu raised an eyebrow, while Okita Ergen smiled.

It was clear that Wei Zhongxian still did not believe in Sun Qing's abilities, nor did he trust the man himself.

"Yes!" Tian Ergeng's voice was filled with confusion and disappointment: "Miss held a literary gathering and invited scholars from various places to participate."

"Oh! Qing'er, that girl, she just likes all this fancy stuff." Wei Zhongxian seemed to be scolding her, but his tone was gentle: "It's hard on her, having to go out and do her own thing while hiding her identity."

The two panicked and were about to explain when laughter came from outside the door.

"Ancestor".

A slight smile appeared on Wei Zhongxian's tense face: "Qing'er, come in quickly."

Even though it was a secret room, Wei Zhongxian still spoke softly and gently, inviting her inside.

As soon as Yang Qingqing entered the secret room, she sensed the eerie atmosphere. Looking at the note on the table, she picked it up with her slender fingers and examined it: "This was written by Sun Qing?"

"Miss, how did you know?" Tian Ergeng immediately became nervous.

Yang Qingqing chuckled and walked behind Wei Zhongxian, playfully pinching his shoulder: "Grandfather, your granddaughter went to Jiaohe and happened to run into him."

"The Jiaohe incident caused quite a stir. Before returning to Beijing, I specifically sought him out, explained the whole story, and asked him to stay away from it."

"Hahaha!" Choi Seong-soo laughed heartily upon hearing this: "In the end, it was this kid who got the information from you."

"He's putting on airs and trying to warn us. It seems this is his plan."

After saying this, Cui Chengxiu respectfully said to Wei Zhongxian, "Father, the truth has come to light. That boy is indeed not to be trusted."

"As you have seen, the events of the past were most likely revealed to him by the Emperor himself. And this time, it was thanks to the young lady's kindness that we were able to see his true colors as soon as possible."

Therefore, we cannot trust him.

Tian Ergeng stood there, his face full of frustration, his expression solemn.

For him, Sun Qing could only be real. Otherwise, how could he bear the enormous crime of Ke Shi's death?

Wei Zhongxian's lips were always slightly upturned, giving the impression that he was smiling. His tone was calm and even: "Whether they are members of the Sun family or people of the current emperor, why would they rely on our family for a mere county magistrate's position?"

"We welcome anyone, but we also hate people who never speak the truth."

As Wei Zhongxian spoke, he clasped his hands together, his smile widening.

This kind of expression usually indicates that Wei Zhongxian wants to kill someone again.

A hint of panic flashed across Yang Qingqing's eyes, her tone slightly coquettish: "Actually, Sun Qing is quite good too. At the literary gathering, all the scholars in the world were saying that our ancestor deserved to die, but he alone put forward a different opinion. It was completely opposite to what they were saying."

"Oh?" Wei Zhongxian was slightly surprised, and he removed his clasped hands. "What did he say?"

"Naturally, I'm saying that you're not a scourge to the country and its people. At least with you around, there's military pay, and the border troops can be kept stable." Yang Qingqing relayed this according to her own understanding, completely ignoring Sun Qing's phrase "and then kill."

Wei Zhongxian indeed benefited from it.

He only has three hobbies: gambling, money, and listening to flattery.

Seeing Yang Qingqing's smiling eyes, Wei Zhongxian instantly understood: "Since Qing'er finds this person interesting, then let's keep him."

"He said to avoid trouble from talking, so let's pass on the word and behave ourselves these next few days."

"Young Miss," Minister Cui said to Yang Qingqing with exceptional politeness, "you were also fooled by his appearance."

Choi Seong-soo was determined to do what he set out to do: "I will definitely break his promise, and I will personally submit a memorial to the throne tomorrow."

"I'd like to see what His Majesty's attitude is. As for him..." Cui Chengxiu snorted coldly, full of disdain: "If the young lady likes this thing, I won't let him die too quickly."

"Grandpa, look at him!" Yang Qingqing said with dissatisfaction, snorted coldly, stomped her foot hard, and stormed off.

"You!" Wei Zhongxian said with doting affection, "You're almost twenty, and you're still so childish."

"When your mother was your age, she had already been married for many years."

Although it was just a casual remark, Yang Qingqing felt a pang of pain in her heart. She knew very well that Wei Zhongxian had been a gambling addict in his youth.

First, she sold her mother, and then her grandmother ran away.

"However, it's fine if you don't rush into marriage." Wei Zhongxian's tone was still indulgent: "In the future, the group of people your mother led will eventually be handed over to you."

Yang Qingqing said coquettishly, "With my grandparents and mother around, I don't want to care about anything."

Wei Zhongxian doted on him. Cui Chengxiu was already writing a memorial to the throne beside him.

"Minister Cui," Tian Ergeng said anxiously, "please trust him this once more."

"Get out of my way!" Choi Seong-soo finally snapped!

Jiahe County.

Sun Qing sneezed several times.

She quickly pulled her clothes tighter: "It's so cold today."

"It seems we need to hurry up with everything. There's no time left."