Chapter 677
You stepped on me!!!
Chapter 677 You stepped on me!!!
Seeing Mr. Songshan's growing fame, he became somewhat anxious.
It's like a fellow scholar who passed the county-level exam but failed to become a provincial-level scholar.
Therefore, he planned to make a desperate attempt to gain the favor of His Highness the King of Qi.
"Your Highness, since ancient times, when the world is about to be well-governed, the channels for free speech are opened first; when the world is about to be in chaos, the channels for free speech are blocked first. This is a very good matter, and I am willing to give it a try. However, now that we have submitted our proposal, to whom should we submit it?"
King Qi indeed looked over and asked, "What brilliant idea do you have?"
Lin Ziqi immediately replied respectfully, "I would not presume to offer my esteemed opinion. I am merely a student at the Imperial Academy, preparing for next year's spring imperial examination. Many of you here attend different schools, and submitting a joint petition to your respective academic officials would be quite difficult."
Scattered commits are no commits at all.
It's hard to say, but everyone understood.
The King of Qi became more serious: "Then what do you think?"
Lin Ziqi laughed and said, "I am the son-in-law of the Chief Minister of the Imperial Academy and a relative by marriage of the Marquis of Dingbei. If everyone here believes me, we can all sign a petition together, and I will submit it to His Highness Prince Qi. Wouldn't it be wonderful if His Highness Prince Qi could reach the Emperor's ears?"
Everyone responded with an "oh," and their gazes toward Lin Ziqi changed.
Lin Ziqi was smug and waited for King Qi to speak.
Logically, King Qi should have readily agreed, but instead, he glanced at the silent Marquis of Dingbei beside him with a playful smile and declined, saying, "I came here tonight with my two sisters to join in the fun and never intended to get involved. But what you said concerns the flow of information in the court and should not be taken lightly. How about we hand over the joint petition to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"hiss……"
Should it be handed over to His Highness the Crown Prince?
Lin Ziqi thought he had heard correctly, and his gaze toward King Qi became somewhat strange.
The leader of Black Wind Stronghold whispered to the person next to him, "This sycophant really knows how to climb the ladder. Others are one thing, but who does he think he is, trying to step on me to climb up to Prince Qi and the Crown Prince."
Mr. Songshan is one thing, but how dare this Scholar Lin?
!!!
Those around him immediately asked, "Should we teach him a lesson?"
The leader of Black Wind Stronghold shook his head.
"Wait until he's alone. Don't make any rash moves now. Judging from his arrogant manner, he doesn't seem like a talented person. The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy actually found such a son-in-law. He probably doesn't have much to offer. These people are all just incompetent good-for-nothings."
The person next to him followed up, saying, "How many people in the world can be as skilled in both literature and martial arts as you, brother? Don't be fooled by how eloquent these scholars and officials are, with their constant use of classical Chinese phrases. They are the most cowardly and useless. Do you think we, who have seen blood, would respect them?"
The leader of Black Wind Stronghold agreed wholeheartedly, but said aloud, "They will all be disciples of the Emperor in the future. We should respect them. For no other reason than that we should treat the Emperor in the Golden Palace with the utmost respect."
A loyalty to the emperor and a love for the country that was almost overflowing.
"Yes, yes, yes," the person next to him quickly replied, secretly regretting his carelessness.
The eldest brother was most proud of his ten years of extra study compared to his brothers, so how could he let them look down on scholars?
I accidentally blurted out what was on my mind.
The eldest brother could criticize scholars and officials, but he would never allow others to say the same, especially his brothers.
You must be very careful in the future.
Lin Ziqi stammered, "...I have no connection with His Highness the Crown Prince..."
King Qi laughed and said, "What's the harm? His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent. This matter concerns the stability of the country. How could he refuse to accept it if you personally deliver it to the Eastern Palace? If His Highness the Crown Prince refuses to accept it, you can come to me again."
In any case, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he didn't touch it at all. If he did it well, he could win the hearts of scholars all over the world, but what if he didn't?
Besides, the Emperor's heart has long been biased towards him, and who knows how he will use the ancestral teachings of the founding emperor to suppress him.
The same petition submitted by the Crown Prince and the petition submitted by him yielded two different results.
This excuse didn't make him seem irresponsible; instead, people whispered among themselves, saying things like the Crown Prince, despite his frail health, was deeply favored by the Emperor, occupying a position without doing anything. They also commented that Prince Qi, though intelligent and handsome, could only be a prince with no real power.
King Qi remained calm and unconcerned about their discussions.
In reality, he wouldn't care about these rumors as long as they were beneficial to him.
Lin Ziqi could only say, "On behalf of all the students, I would like to thank His Highness Prince Qi."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Qi said calmly, "It's a trivial matter. As long as your words are reasonable and your proposals are feasible, it's a good thing for the court. As a prince, how can I not consider the court's interests?"
With just a few words, he won everyone's favor.
The prince before us is truly a man who has the great cause of the nation at heart, yet also knows his limits.
Unfortunately……
The leader of Black Wind Stronghold snorted twice, and the person next to him asked, "Brother, this Prince Qi seems to be even more..."
Before he could finish speaking, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold put a finger to his lips.
Those around him had no choice but to swallow the words that were about to come out.
Now the people in the village are divided into three factions, arguing endlessly every day.
One faction wanted to be granted amnesty, enter the imperial court to hold official positions of varying ranks, and have their wives and children granted titles and privileges.
One faction only wanted to occupy Black Wind Stronghold and live as free and unrestrained mountain kings;
Another faction has been trying to establish connections with the Duke of Chengen and the Empress, hoping to use this opportunity to gain benefits. This faction believes that whether it's being granted amnesty or becoming a mountain bandit, it's all just a facade.
If things continue like this, I'm afraid Black Wind Stronghold will fall apart. Besides welcoming back Zhiguang and the others, there are two other important things to do when our leader brings them down the mountain.
First, to spy on the situation in the central government.
After all, the person who connected with the Duke of Chengen and the Empress was old, and the Crown Prince had been ill for many years without ever fully recovering. Even with this connection, things were not entirely stable.
Secondly, he wanted to try to meet with the emperor to facilitate the granting of amnesty.
As for the brothers who originally wanted to become mountain kings, they did not dare to disobey their eldest brother's wishes.
The eldest brother looks down on the Prince of Qi, and the Crown Prince is sickly, so that leaves only the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Tushan...
The people of Black Wind Stronghold each had their own thoughts. Lin Ziqi had already approached Lord Gu and said, "Lord Gu, you should show your prowess at tonight's grand review..."
Princess Fuyun had already left the garden party. Several servants and maids behind her, each carrying an exquisite lantern, squeezed in with smiles on their faces and asked, "Lord Gu, Mr. Songshan has been speaking for quite some time. Why is Young Master Nantang still nowhere to be seen?"
Lin Ziqi quickly fell silent.
Lord Gu thought for a moment and then said, "Perhaps it's because Mr. Songshan hasn't finished speaking yet."
Princess Fuyun sighed softly.
“Look, when we came here, the road was full of carriages of noble ladies, blocking the way. If it weren’t for the Marquis’s escort and Baozhu’s help, we would have had no chance to get through. All these people are here for Young Master Nantang. They have been waiting here for a long time. They are truly devoted.”
Although Lord Gu was pleased, he also felt inexplicably uneasy, thinking to himself, "Why is everyone targeting my wife? I haven't been close to her in a long time."
On his face, however, he looked helpless: "I will send someone to urge them again. At worst, I will go and invite them myself."