chsdbacks Chapter 20: The Ministers Suffer a Setback!
Chapter 20: The Ministers Suffer a Setback!
His voice trembled with excitement:
"Your Majesty! If what the Immortal Master says is true!"
"This thing is a blessing for our Great Qin! A blessing for the entire world!"
"Your subject, Wang Jian, fully supports potato cultivation!"
"Anyone who dares to obstruct us will be an enemy of my 300,000-strong northern army!"
Everyone was shocked once again!
Even General Wang Jian, who never participated in court disputes and only cared about fighting, personally took sides!
On the dragon throne.
Ying Zheng finally showed his first genuine smile of the night.
He looked at Wang Jian kneeling on the ground and nodded in satisfaction.
"Your Excellency, rise."
immediately.
His gaze was like lightning as he slowly swept over the pale-faced civil officials below.
He opened his mouth slowly.
"Since even Marquis Tongwu has spoken in this regard, my esteemed ministers, do you still have any objections to this potato pilot program?"
Inside the main hall, you could hear a pin drop.
Who would dare to object now?
Even Wang Jian, the top military leader who commands 300,000 troops, has personally taken sides!
Who would dare to jump out and cause trouble at this time?
Isn't that just courting death?
The ministers all lowered their heads, wishing they could bury their heads in their official robes, and dared not utter another word.
"good!"
Seeing this, Ying Zheng slammed his fist on the dragon table, making the final decision!
"Since no one objects, then it's settled!"
"From this day forward, the Immortal Master's experimental field will become the pilot site!"
"All human and material resources must be unconditionally allocated!"
"Anyone who dares to obstruct us, for any reason, shall be executed!"
"promise!"
The ministers responded in unison, their voices filled with helplessness.
That's all.
Ying Zheng, intentionally or unintentionally, turned his gaze toward Zhang Fan.
Their eyes met in mid-air, and everything was understood without words.
Zhang Fan smiled and returned the smile.
perfect!
This series of combined moves, from testing the poison on himself to drawing the support of high-ranking military officials, was a series of actions.
Then, with Zheng Ge personally stepping in to make the final decision, it was practically flawless!
After this battle.
In the imperial court, no one dared to have any objections to him anymore.
His status as a "Celestial Master" is now completely secure!
Seeing the officials' embarrassed expressions, Ying Zheng felt a sense of satisfaction.
Finally, we've shut those old fogies up.
only……
While feeling relieved, Ying Zheng also felt a slight pang of regret.
His gaze fell on the empty lacquer tray.
My potatoes!
There was only one!
It's finally cooked through, and you can smell the aroma!
Before I even had a chance to taste it, Zhang Fan took it to test for poison!
That old scoundrel Wang Jian snatched it away again!
Thinking and thinking.
Ying Zheng's eyes involuntarily turned melancholy.
He swept his gaze coolly over Wang Jian, who was still savoring the moment.
And Wang Jian.
Completely unaware that Ying Zheng had silently written him down in his little notebook.
but!
The thought of potatoes being widely cultivated is truly inspiring!
Ying Zheng was in a great mood and, with a wave of his hand, ordered a new banquet to be prepared.
This time.
Finally, it's no longer raw potatoes, but genuine delicacies from land and sea, including large pots of beef and mutton.
However, the atmosphere inside the hall remained eerie.
The officials were all wilted like frostbitten eggplants, with no appetite whatsoever.
They looked at each other, each seeing deep resentment and... lingering fear in the other's eyes.
After several rounds of drinks...
Feng Yuan held his wine glass, his expression shifting between light and dark.
After pondering for a long time, he finally lowered his voice and said to several trusted senior ministers beside him:
"Something's not right... I have a feeling we've been tricked today?"
Upon hearing this, the people around him were all taken aback, and then fell into deep thought.
Been tricked?
Thinking about it carefully, everything that happened today seems strange!
"Now that you mention it, I find it strange too!"
One of the Nine Ministers in charge of ancestral temple rites frowned and said,
"Who exactly is Lord Li Si?"
"He's so arrogant; when have you ever seen him actually work in the fields?"
"What a coincidence that we happened to run into them today?"
"And His Majesty!"
Another minister lowered his voice, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
"We barely arrived at the experimental field when His Majesty arrived right afterward. Isn't that incredibly timely?"
"It's like...it's like they knew we were coming all along!"
"And this banquet! First, they humiliated us with raw potatoes!"
"Later, the imperial physician died remonstrating, and General Wang Jian tested the poison... This chain of events was so intricately linked! We were completely..."
"It's like...like a pre-rehearsed drama!"
"We're just following someone else's lead!"
boom!!!
The moment this idea came up, the minds of all the ministers involved in the discussion exploded!
They suddenly looked up and stared at each other in horror!
My hair stood on end!
Thinking hard!
If all of this is a setup, how terrifying must the cunning of the person who orchestrated it be?
Today, they excitedly formed a group to humiliate Zhang Fan!
However, they ended up step by step falling into a trap carefully set by the other party!
Forced to hoe the ground!
They were made a fool of like monkeys!
In the end, they were even forced to express their support for potato cultivation!
From beginning to end, they were like a herd of cows being led by the nose, manipulated at will!
And the person who orchestrated this...
All eyes, without prior agreement, turned to the man being pulled by Ying Zheng to drink—
Zhang Fan!
It's him!
It must be him!
Only this demonic being with supernatural powers could possess such unpredictable and mysterious abilities!
"hiss--"
The Imperial Censor gasped, feeling a chill run straight to the top of his head.
Looking at Zhang Fan's young and harmless face, he no longer dared to underestimate him in the slightest.
This child is no ordinary person!
His ruthlessness and cunning far surpass any of the old foxes in the imperial court!
Can't afford it!
This person is absolutely not someone you can afford to mess with!
……
The banquet ended in an eerie atmosphere.
The officials left Xianyang Palace with heavy hearts.
They gathered in twos and threes, their faces grave.
"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on today's events?"
Imperial Censor Feng Yuan asked in a deep voice.
"What else can we say?" a minister said dejectedly.
"Zhang Fan is currently enjoying great favor with the emperor; even General Wang Jian is supporting him!"
"The planting of potatoes is a done deal; no one can stop it!"
Another nobleman, whose family's main source of wealth was the grain business, was deeply worried.
"But what will happen to our interests once this product becomes widely available?"
"That's a miraculous crop that can yield a thousand catties per mu! Once it's available, grain prices will surely plummet!"
This statement came out.
The expressions of everyone around changed, and a fierce glint flashed in their eyes.
Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents!
No matter how mysterious Zhang Fan may be, they will take risks once his core interests are threatened.
Just as everyone was discussing it.
The Imperial Censor Feng Yuan suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Hehe... everyone, please calm down."
He surveyed the crowd, his eyes gleaming.
"Didn't Zhang Fan confidently guarantee that these potatoes would yield a thousand catties per mu?"
"Great! Not only will we not stop him, we'll help him! We'll help him wholeheartedly!"
"but!"
He abruptly changed the subject, his voice turning cold.
"I refuse to believe that any crop can yield a thousand catties per mu!"
At this point, Feng Yuan paused, a cold smile appearing on his face:
"Gentlemen, have you forgotten that Zhang Fan is an extremely domineering and utterly reckless individual?"
"This potato is a divine object, an auspicious omen, he said it himself!"
"But what if... a natural disaster strikes during the planting period?"
"If an auspicious omen is struck by natural disaster, what does that mean? It means that this thing is ominous! It means that Zhang Fande is unworthy of his position and has angered Heaven!"
"If he dares to forcefully promote this product at that time, he will be going against the will of Heaven and will surely be punished by Heaven!"
"And Your Majesty, in order to appease the people and to comply with the will of Heaven, why would you protect him any longer?!"
"At that time, all we need to do is raise our voices and declare them heretical and misleading, thus inviting divine punishment!"
"Zhang Fan is utterly unable to defend himself!"
Upon hearing this!
The surrounding ministers were taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was going on!
high!
That's brilliant!
Killing without a knife!
This is the real killer move!
The way they looked at Feng Yuan instantly filled with admiration and... fear!
As expected of the Imperial Censor, his methods are truly ruthless!
"Hahaha! Lord Feng's insight is brilliant!"
"That's right! Natural disasters are unpredictable; no one can say for sure!"
"If this is fate, then Zhang Fan can only accept his bad luck!"
The group exchanged glances, their faces all revealing sinister smiles.
……