xymnovel Chapter 317 She looks quite pretty, so why is she so arrogant...?
Chapter 317 She looks quite pretty, so why is she so arrogant...?
Zhang Fan immediately stood up, walked to Zong Yu's side, patted him on the shoulder, and laughed, "Lord Shaofu, your accounting skills aren't great either!"
After saying this, Zhang Fan left the main hall.
Zong Yu was left standing there, completely shocked. He never expected that his professional knowledge, which he was so proud of, would be so easily defeated today.
After the officials in the main hall dispersed, Zhang Fan followed Eunuch Li to the Imperial Study.
Inside the imperial study, Ying Zheng dismissed his attendants.
He had abandoned his earlier imposing demeanor in the Zhangtai Palace, and his expression now revealed a hint of composure.
Ying Zheng pointed to the seat next to him, gesturing for Zhang Fan to sit down, and then slowly said, "The reason I didn't investigate Zong Yu more deeply today is not because I was unaware of his shady dealings! Keeping Zong Yu and other old ministers from powerful families around is to appease the old nobles."
Ying Zheng paused, his tone becoming serious: "The future of Qin lies in the imperial examination. This is the fundamental way to completely change the court's structure, and we absolutely cannot allow any major chaos to occur now! The questions you set this time are extremely tricky and have already touched the interests of those old nobles. They will certainly not let this go."
At this point, Ying Zheng gazed intently at Zhang Fan, his voice carrying a hint of warning:
"Zhang Fan, you must be very careful! Every revolution throughout history has been accompanied by blood and tears! You've been in Qin for so many months, experiencing so many upheavals; you should have understood this long ago!"
Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back and continued in a deep voice: "The most important thing in the world is to maintain a balance of power... We must follow the way of the king to appease the world and stabilize the overall situation!"
We must also act with ruthlessness and sweep away obstacles with thunderous force!
Upon hearing Ying Zheng's candid analysis, the usual playful expression on Zhang Fan's face disappeared, and his expression became serious.
He understood that Ying Zheng was revealing his secrets to him and teaching him about the cruelty of the court.
Zhang Fan immediately nodded solemnly, looked directly into Ying Zheng's eyes, and said crisply and decisively:
"Don't worry, Brother Zheng. You just need to stay in the center and stabilize the overall situation. As for the rest of the open and covert attacks..."
"Leave it to me!"
……
In Xianyang City.
In the Institute of Gewu (格物院) branch campus.
Mo Feng stood with his hands behind his back in front of several newly initiated disciples of the Mo family, giving a lecture with great enthusiasm.
Beside him was a pile of oddly shaped iron blocks and gears.
"Look carefully!"
Mo Feng patted the pile of iron lumps and boasted with an air of pride, "This thing is a true national treasure! The Immortal Master calls it a 'foot-operated machine tool'! Although it's still under development and experimentation, with the resources of our Mo family, it won't be long before it's completed!"
The new disciples listened with admiration, when suddenly a series of light footsteps came from outside the door.
Everyone turned to look and saw a beautiful and elegant young woman walking in with two personal maids.
The woman's appearance left the group of rough men in the yard completely stunned.
However, when Mo Feng saw who it was, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately recognized the person's identity!
Princess Ying Yinman of the Qin Dynasty!
This morning at the palace, he happened to bump into this lady and was overheard in the background.
Ying Yinman was no naive or innocent girl; she walked straight up to Mo Feng and asked bluntly:
"You must be Mo Feng, the leader of the Mohist school, right?"
"Um... that's me."
"I'm asking you, where is the woman that Young Master Zhang brought back from Shangdang County now?" Ying Yinman stared straight at him.
Upon hearing this question, Mo Feng immediately tensed up, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
The immortal master specifically instructed me to take good care of that girl. If the immortal master finds out that I have betrayed her, he will skin me alive.
Mo Feng chuckled twice, his mind racing, and immediately replied, "Your Highness, what woman? This humble subject is not quite sure... Oh, you mean the attendants the Immortal Master brought back? They're all settled in the courtyard in Xincheng Lane in the east of the city..."
He hadn't finished speaking!
Ying Yinman sneered, pulled out a copied property deed from her sleeve, and interrupted him directly:
"Stop trying to fool me! I've checked, and the residence you mentioned in the eastern part of the city isn't even part of your Mo family's territory!"
Ying Yinman looked at the nervous Mo Feng and said with certainty, "You deliberately pointed east, so that person's real hiding place is probably in the west of the city! The west of Xianyang is mostly remote residential areas, and your Mo family only has three land deeds in that area!"
"Since you refuse to tell me the truth, then this princess will go find it myself!"
After saying that, Ying Yinman gave a light snort, turned around and left with two maids, her movements swift and decisive.
Mo Feng was immediately shocked. He wanted to stop her but dared not reach out. He could only watch helplessly as Ying Yinman walked out the door, stamping his feet in frustration.
Meanwhile, outside the branch office.
Several plainclothes agents from the Black Ice Team, disguised as roadside vendors, heard everything that was happening inside.
Watching Ying Yinman's departing figure, the spies were speechless for a moment.
Why did this leader of the Mohist school have to act so cleverly?
Don't you know how terrifying a woman's third sense can be?
The princess was only testing him, but his lie inadvertently revealed the exact scope of the claim!
The leader of the Black Ice Guard felt a headache coming on and gritted his teeth, hissing:
"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and set up an ambush in the west of the city!"
The undercover agents did not hesitate and immediately packed up their stalls and quickly disappeared into the streets and alleys.
Not long after.
Ying Yinman's carriage then drove into the west of the city.
It was shortly after the autumn harvest, and the streets in the west of the city were piled high with newly harvested grain. Carts and vendors came and went in an endless stream, creating a bustling atmosphere.
Ying Yinman lifted the carriage curtain, her eyes darting around with curiosity, searching for any trace of the Mo family's residence.
Just then.
Suddenly, a figure lunged forward from the roadside, followed by a scream of pain as he collapsed in front of the carriage.
The coachman was so startled that he quickly pulled on the reins, and the carriage came to a sudden stop.
The two maids inside the carriage turned pale and said nervously, "Miss... we think we bumped into someone!"
"Who did you hit!"
Ying Yinman had been staring out the window the whole time and saw clearly the man's action of rushing towards her.
She immediately flung open the carriage curtain and jumped down, pointing angrily at the person on the ground, and fiercely scolded:
"You liar! I saw it clearly, you deliberately bumped into me!"
This shout immediately drew a large crowd of people from the surrounding area.
The people in the west of the city, who had nothing better to do than watch a spectacle, gathered around a carriage when they saw a beautiful young woman dressed in fine clothes arguing with a middle-aged man who had fallen to the ground. They pointed and whispered among themselves.
"Oh dear, whose young lady is this? Why is she denying hitting someone?"
"Yeah, she's really pretty, how come she's so arrogant..."
Listening to the uninformed discussions of the people around me!