Xie Ming

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zeng changed his approach, using his clever tongue to borrow the word "meditation" to try and turn the tide.

However, Xiao Xin was determined and did not let the generous gifts blind him.

After considering the matter, he immediately threw another excuse at Ma Weimin to probe his intentions.

"Hehe, Minister Zeng is very thoughtful."

"However, in reality, Xiao only suffered superficial knife wounds. After a few days of rest, he has recovered greatly and is not in any serious condition."

"This thing..."

Hesitant and evasive, he talked about other things.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Ma Weimin, who was watching the commotion from the side.

"Hey, by the way, Lao Ma, you should take a look too."

"You old rascal, aren't you supposed to be the best at collecting?"

"Open your eyes."

He spoke without hesitation, bluntly and impulsively, throwing out his words in one swift motion.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xian's face fell.

"Oh, this... I..."

"Ha, how would I know anything about ginseng or not?"

“Well, since it has been said that the emperor is young and the palace doesn’t need him, in my opinion, you should just take him in, Duke.”

"It's just a ginseng root, what's the big deal, huh?"

Old Ma remained aloof and uninvolved throughout, much to Xiao Lang's frustration.

There's no readily available, civilized way.

Xiao Jingchuan decided to play hardball and force him to do it.

"Ma Weimin, what the hell are you trying to fool me with?!"

"Let me show you!"

"Is it for the Emperor to use, or for me to accept?!"

Xiao Lang was about to break off relations with the Prime Minister, and in his last sentence, he spoke slowly and deliberately, insisting that Old Ma make the decision.

In reality, who is Ma Weimin?

He was perfectly aware of Xiao's intentions.

The reason I don't want to get involved is simply because I want to protect myself.

People always want to have a way out, so that if things go wrong, they won't end up with nothing.

However, given the current situation, it is clear that Xiao Jingchuan is deliberately pressing him, leaving him no way out.

How could he not understand the implied meaning?

So, without the ladder to get over the wall, Old Ma quickly weighed the pros and cons, gritted his teeth, and had no choice but to follow one of the trails and run into the darkness!

"Uh, this"

"Okay, got it." Ready to unleash your power.

"Minister Zeng, please, let me take a look."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man with the big face and thick neck glanced at the mouth of the jar, just going through the motions.

At the same time, Zeng Ji looked embarrassed and disgusted, knowing that this old bastard surnamed Ma probably wouldn't be able to come up with anything good.

So he turned the jar away, looking completely unwilling.

"Ma for the people, Ma's grain route!"

“This is a family heirloom of the Zeng family; you’d better take a close look.”

Finally, with a smile that concealed a knife, he forced out this sentence through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, Old Ma, having already made up his mind and having no other choice, was unlikely to buy into his rubbish.

They glanced at it briefly, then followed, and the story began to unfold.

"Oh, oh dear."

“I’m talking about Minister Zeng.”

"And what's with this honey-preserving method? Ha, where did you learn that jargon from?"

"Don't think of it as some kind of secret jar, just some ancestral ancestor's ancestor's ancestor."

"What Shangdang purple ginseng? Come on, who are you trying to fool?"

One sentence, and it was clearly different; Old Ma started criticizing people.

"you!"

"Old Ma, we're colleagues, don't go down the wrong path."

“This item is a divine heirloom passed down from my ancestors. You cannot allow it to be handled with such malicious intent and confusion.”

"You'd better be careful and clarify things clearly." "Otherwise, our friendship might be over, huh? Hehe."

Upon hearing Ma Weimin's tone, Zeng Ji knew things were about to go wrong.

If this old shrew gets involved, everything might be over.

They responded immediately, using pressure tactics, both subtle and overt, which were practically outright threats.

"Eya ya, de de de de"

"Minister Zeng, what are you doing? Trying to scare me?"

"Ha, you've definitely been scammed out of this stuff."

"Codonopsis pilosula has long been extinct."

"Forget about five, seven, or eight generations. Besides, this method of soaking honey isn't a secret. Every pharmacy on the street knows it."

"At most, it can be saved for seventy or eighty years, and then you'll have to beg your grandpa and grandma. It's not as scary as you say, more than a hundred years, hahaha."

"To be honest, this thing is just wild ginseng from Liaodong."

"However, let me, Old Ma, say something fair."

"This ginseng is quite old."

"It should still exist after several decades."

"It is quite a rare item, and it is effective in replenishing qi and blood."

"Even in the palace, if you want to find something of this age, this style is probably the only one left. It's already a rare and exquisite piece."

"Hehehe, I'm telling you, Minister Zeng, Old Ma understands you."

"They must think that this Liaodong ginseng is a precious and rare delicacy from the Jurchen homeland of the northern enemy, and that saying it out loud, especially at this time, is not classy and will offend people."

"So you just made up this Shangdang story, huh?"

"Why bother? Our Duke is not a petty person."

"The person you're talking to has been around before."

"What you're doing is completely unnecessary, like taking off your pants to fart!"

Ma Weimin appeared to be talking about ginseng, but in reality, he was using the incident to subtly criticize Zeng Ji for getting something for nothing.

All that talk about swearing an oath that the court would step up preparations for military supplies is just baseless nonsense.

If the imperial court truly had this intention, why would it send Zeng Ji to demand this money and goods?
To put it bluntly, it's all about self-interest; it's just a charade to back down afterward.

"You! Ma Weimin!"

"Have I ever offended you in any way?"

"Regarding the Jiangning matter, I, Zeng, merely participated in the trial. You shouldn't hold this grudge against me, Zeng!"

Listen carefully to what is being said; at this stage, arguing about ginseng is actually not important.

Zeng Ji's words were quite accurate and to the point.

However, Ma Weimin showed no intention of restraining himself.

"Hey, no, no, no, as the saying goes, praise and criticism are the buyers. Why are you getting so worked up?"

"And another thing, I've noticed that lately, Old Zeng, your brain hasn't been working so well."

"Let's put aside whether or not to participate for now."

"You, why did you rush to the front lines to ask for money?"

"Ha, the imperial court is ignorant. Why are you getting involved in this mess and stirring things up?"

"If the Duke loses his mind for even a moment and fails to control the situation, and you, old rascal, manage to snatch the duck that the soldiers are about to eat, then I'll devour all those men alive before I'll stop, huh?"

"You should be grateful that you managed to get to Nanjing and see us today."

To speak the whole truth, leaving no room for doubt, and to dare to tell the truth.

These words not only criticized the imperial court and the cabinet, but also dragged Zeng Ji into the fray.

He was forced to reveal his embarrassing situation, making it impossible for him to continue pretending.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Ji was completely exposed and had nowhere to hide, which fueled his anger.

"presumptuous!"

"Dare to act unruly in front of the Duke?"

"You, Ma Weimin, have no shame, but the imperial court still has a reputation to maintain!"

"How dare you, a criminal of your generation, slander the imperial court like this?"

"Thunder and rain are all blessings from Heaven. You have achieved what you have today, how can you have no gratitude whatsoever?"

"How dare they bark and howl like that!" This was Zeng's angry remark.

(End of this chapter)