GBP Chapter 959 Submitting for the exam
Chapter 959 Submitting for the exam
He had figured out the intention that morning, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to step in.
Therefore, he didn't have much of a grudge at this moment, but he was a little worried. "You're too kind, but I saw His Majesty's attitude was very clear during the morning court session this day. I'm afraid it's not easy to fool him!"
"And to be honest, Ping An told me about this before the morning court session this morning. We were planning to lure out the big fish behind the scenes, but then His Majesty intervened. So it seems our previous plan won't work. We can't just openly oppose His Majesty and pretend to comply, especially with Minister Fan watching us!"
Grand Tutor Qian stroked his beard and listened quietly. After the man with the beady eyes finished speaking, he said, "I understand your concerns. So I didn't want you to directly disobey the imperial decree. I just wanted you to delay things a little while you were handling this matter, so that the Hibiscus Ointment wouldn't spread throughout the country so quickly. In the meantime, I will try to shorten the onset of the poison from the Hibiscus Ointment. Only when His Majesty sees the consequences of long-term use of the Hibiscus Ointment will he take it as a warning."
After speaking, Grand Tutor Qian looked sharply at Zhang Ping'an, "And Ping'an, you are responsible for finding the mastermind behind this. This is definitely a premeditated conspiracy! Based on my decades of experience in officialdom, this matter is most likely related to the Fourth Prince in Fujian and the Jinwu Khanate in the north!"
In fact, Zhang Ping'an had also suspected the Golden Crow Khanate. He had always been aware of Guo Jia's ambition, but he was still unwilling to believe it. As for the Fourth Prince, he had never thought about it. In his opinion, the Fourth Prince had always been quite useless.
Seeing the hesitation on Zhang Ping'an and Green Eyes' faces, Grand Tutor Qian smiled, with an expression that said, "You're all too green," and said, "Do you all think that the Fourth Prince is young and impetuous, incapable of great things, and unfit for important tasks?"
The boy with beady eyes widened and retorted, "Isn't that right?"
"No matter what, he is still a descendant of the late emperor, a prince. It's impossible for him not to have ambition. Moreover, he survived that situation and went safely to his fiefdom in Fujian. That's not too much of a waste. You know, if something happened to His Majesty and the crown prince was young, he would be one of the people who would be most happy to see that happen," Grand Tutor Qian replied slowly.
Green-eyed thought about it and realized it was true. However, he really had no interest in who ascended the throne or became emperor. He just wanted to live a peaceful life until he retired to his hometown.
“The Fourth Prince’s fiefdom is too remote, and I really don’t know his recent movements. I’ll write to ask him tomorrow. It just so happens that my eldest brother is there,” Zhang Ping’an said.
"Well, you can arrange it yourself. I believe you can handle this matter well," Grand Tutor Qian said without asking any further questions.
He then carefully instructed the two men on how to handle the subsequent tasks, and then sent them back.
"Minister Fan will definitely send people to keep an eye on us recently, so it's not advisable to have too much contact with us. I'll have Qian Ying relay any messages to you later. Just focus on doing your own jobs well."
Zhang Ping'an and Green Bean Eyes nodded in agreement, then took their leave.
After the two of them left, Qian Yingcai knocked on the door and went in, his face showing some worry. "Father, we shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter. Because of the Second Prince's incident, His Majesty already didn't have a good impression of our Qian family. Now he wants to promote the Hibiscus Cream vigorously, but we're doing the opposite. Isn't that a slap in his face?"
Grand Tutor Qian didn't hold back when speaking to his proud eldest son, "What you said isn't without reason, but the current situation is not comparable to before. You don't know the harm that Five-Stone Powder was in the previous dynasty. I asked several senior doctors in the capital who have excellent medical skills about this Hibiscus Ointment, and they all said that it should never be touched. It is even more dangerous than Five-Stone Powder."
"At any time, unless absolutely necessary, the nation must come before the family. How can a ruler govern a country well, or lead his ministers, if he becomes addicted to drugs? Now, the northern barbarians are eyeing us covetously, the fourth prince is still plotting against us, and there are treacherous officials in the court. I fear that if we truly sit idly by, this country will soon be finished."
"Father, you mean..."
"We originally thought that after the matter of the Second Prince was settled, even if His Majesty could not become a great emperor who expanded the country's territory, he could at least protect the ancestral foundation. Now it seems that will be difficult! Let's see who is behind the scenes before making any plans. If His Majesty continues to be so incompetent, we should also prepare in advance."
At this point, Grand Tutor Qian couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a rat's son knows how to dig a hole. I think the late emperor was wise all his life, but none of his sons were successful. The second prince was slightly better, but unfortunately, he was unlucky and fate played tricks on him!"
"Have someone keep a close eye on the Fan family. Since this old man Fan is so willing to go all out, he must have big ambitions. Also, you need to pay attention to the matter of Bai Chao's treasure map. Don't let others get there first. If you really run into them, it's better to destroy it than to leave it to them!"
"Understood!" Qian Ying nodded.
Zhang Ping'an had some guesses about the Qian family's various schemes and plans, but some things couldn't be seen too clearly or spoken out.
He is currently busy thoroughly investigating the matter of the Hibiscus Cream, and he also has to prepare for Xiaoyuer and Pengpeng's exams.
Xiaoyuer, on the other hand, didn't seem to care at all: "Dad, you really don't need to see me off in person. I'm not the kind of person who crams at the last minute. I know my own abilities and I'll do my best. Don't worry!"
Before Zhang Ping'an could say anything, Zhang Lao Er became anxious. He was still in a wheelchair, but that didn't stop him from caring about his eldest grandson's exam:
"What do you know, you little kid? No matter how good your studies are, you're still too young to handle things. Let your father take you. He has a carriage and knows many people in the capital. He definitely won't be late. Back when your father took the imperial examinations for the lowest degree, the provincial degree, and the metropolitan degree, I accompanied him every step of the way. That's how he passed all the exams safely!"
"Grandpa, things are different now. I'm the son of the Privy Councilor, after all. Who would dare to mess with me?" Little Fish was both amused and exasperated, and wanted to go by himself.
Although Pengpeng was eager to have his uncle deliver it personally, the person in charge refused, so he didn't have the nerve to make the request.
Zhang Lao Er still tried to persuade him earnestly, "Other grandfathers will listen to you, but not this one. You don't know, some people are very wicked. They don't care what family's young master you are. If they want to harm you, it's just a piece of cake!"
Seeing that the grandfather and grandson were about to argue, Zhang Ping'an rubbed his temples and made a final decision: "Alright, stop arguing. I'll personally take you to the exam tomorrow!"