The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"Duke Anguo, you rose from the very bottom. You must know what their lives are like, right?" Zheng Yuanzhu's tone lowered.

"Excuse my bluntness, but even if papermaking and printing technologies were introduced, and books were printed and sold, could the poorest people afford them?"

"There are huge differences even among people from poor families!"

Chen Huai'an remained noncommittal.

Indeed, Zheng Yuanzhu is right; there are differences between people from humble backgrounds.

Chen Huai'an came from an extremely poor family. While others could at least afford to study, he struggled to make ends meet.

The two cannot be compared together.

This is the biggest problem with the imperial examination system.

"So? What are you trying to say?" Chen Huai'an asked with interest.

Zheng Yuanzhu stared at him and said, "You have a better way, don't you?"

"You clearly discussed the reform of the imperial examination system with us last May, but you are still discussing the details. This is seriously inconsistent with your efficiency."

"This shows that you don't really care about this matter, or that you don't have any hope at all."

"You still have a backup plan, a solution for those from poor families who can't afford education!"

Zheng Yuanzhu spoke the last sentence almost with certainty.

Chen Huai'an raised his eyebrows slightly. What other tricks did he have up his sleeve?

Of course there is.

Firstly, the papermaking process can actually be optimized to reduce costs, or to produce lower-quality paper, which would further reduce costs.

However, this is harmless.

Most importantly, without a doubt, was movable type printing.

Well... how should I put it? Just for printing books, it might not be as good as woodblock printing, but woodblock printing has too many limitations.

If movable type printing were directly introduced, along with papermaking, the impact on the entire world would be enormous.

Therefore, Chen Huai'an and Li Shimin did not discover a better movable type printing method.

Now, Zheng Yuanzhu is almost certain that he has a backup plan. Chen Huai'an is unsure whether the information was leaked or if the Zheng family really guessed it.

But none of that matters anymore, even if we didn't guess about movable type printing, we only had some information.

That was enough to make these powerful families uneasy.

Especially the Zheng family.

In a fleeting moment, countless thoughts raced through Chen Huai'an's mind, and a smile appeared on his face: "Lord Zheng, what if I said it really exists? What would you do then?"

"We can continue to cooperate!" Zheng Yuanzhu said without hesitation. "Everyone knows that there is no point in us fighting. It will only lead to mutual destruction."

"Why not deepen our cooperation and achieve a win-win situation for everyone?"

"You want to reform the imperial examination system and promote a new system? Fine, no problem, the Zheng family supports you. You want to implement new policies, and we can support you too!"

"Even..." Zheng Yuanzhu said in a deep voice, "If you want to conduct a land and population survey, we can support you!"

"premise......"

"The premise is that I must cooperate with you, right?" Chen Huai'an interrupted Zheng Yuanzhu.

Zheng Yuanzhu sighed slightly and nodded.

Chen Huai'an's smile remained unchanged: "Lord Zheng, don't you think you're a little unaware of your place?"

"You said you didn't want to have any contact with me, didn't want to get involved in our struggle, but the way you're acting now doesn't seem like you don't want to get involved."

"What you just said was all based on the interests of your Zheng family, not your current responsibilities."

Zheng Yuanzhu opened his mouth, his gaze complex, and he was speechless for a moment.

Indeed, his words just now were all from the perspective of the Zheng family's interests.

But sometimes, he has no choice.

Once you get involved in this struggle, there's no getting out.

For the Zheng family, Zheng Yuanzhu is now the best bridge for communication. As a bridge, will the Zheng family and Li Shimin allow him to sit upright?

impossible!

He has to side with one side.

Just now, was Chen Huai'an saying that he had already made his choice?

Should we side with the Zheng family?

Zheng Yuanzhu was unable to answer this question.

So I had no choice but to remain silent.

Chen Huai'an shook his head: "Lord Zheng, I understand that you are in a difficult position. I will not ask you this question, nor will I make things difficult for you."

"But you should understand that the balance between us was broken the moment you said those words!"

"The storm that has subsided will soon rise again. Is that what you want to see?"

Zheng Yuanzhu still couldn't give an answer to this question.

Chen Huai'an was right. From the moment he uttered those words, the stability and balance that had been maintained for more than half a year was completely shattered.

The Zheng family had previously only guessed, and Zheng Yuanzhu's visit today was probably just a test, but judging from Chen Huai'an's current attitude, he has clearly admitted it.

He admitted that he did indeed have a backup plan.

This means that Chen Huai'an accepted their initiative to disrupt the balance.

Zheng Yuanzhu's lips were a little dry: "There's no way around it. If it's just papermaking and woodblock printing, people can still restrain themselves. But once you have something better, something that can make it possible for poor families like yours to afford to go to school..."

"No one can sit still."

"so......"

"So cooperation is the best option?" Chen Huai'an said calmly, holding his teacup.

Zheng Yuanzhu nodded: "The conditions I offered still stand. There's really no need for us to fight to the death."

"Duke Anguo, I admit you are indeed remarkable, possessing extraordinary talent and unparalleled martial arts skills, but..."

At this point, Zheng Yuanzhu paused, seemingly considering his words: "We have a history spanning hundreds of years, and our foundation and methods are not inferior. Cooperation is the best choice for everyone."

"Otherwise, the outcome will be bad for everyone. This is a piece of advice, and also my apology."

Chen Huai'an stopped what he was doing, and his eyes turned completely cold.

He understood Zheng Yuanzhu's reminder.

Things are different now; he is indeed very powerful and difficult to beat.

But are his family members really that powerful and good at fighting?

If you push these powerful families too far, they're capable of anything!

The downfall of the Sui Dynasty can be attributed in no small part to the actions of these individuals!

An ordinary person might have compromised.

But Chen Huai'an's main tactic is to respond to gentle persuasion but not force.

I'm a time traveler, and even Li Shimin was tricked by me and cried out in pain.

What are you talking about?

Should I avoid your sharp edge?

Chen Huai'an's original plan was indeed to cooperate with the Zheng family, after all, winning over one side and dividing the other was his original plan.

The Zheng family is one of those that can be won over in the plan.

But Chen Huai'an has now changed his mind.

Cooperation?

OK!

If you're not afraid of death, then come on!

Chen Huai'an said calmly, "Please return, Lord Zheng. I will consider this matter for two days and give you an answer then!"

"I'll take my leave now." Zheng Yuanzhu sighed softly, said nothing more, and left.

Chen Huai'an sat quietly for a while, then sneered and called Yunyan over: "Send someone to deliver a message to the Yan family, inviting them to visit our residence tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir."

"..."

P.S.: July has come to a successful end. I updated nearly 200,000 words this month. Because I also have to work, I really did my best.

I'll try to update more next month.

Oh, and thank you everyone for the gifts! Please give me some positive reviews!