Going to Beijing to save his father, all the powerful officials in the city are vying to be his fath

Mrs. Zhao quickly sent someone to load a carriage with holiday gifts. She had always done a good job of saving face in front of others and would not embarrass Zhao Liangchen. Even though she hated him to death in her heart, she still gave him enough face in front of others.

Zhao Liangchen went to Zeng's home with a cart full of gifts without any burden. When he arrived at Zeng's home, Zhao Liangchen and the driver took a long time to move everything.

After the driver left, Zeng Lao looked at the things in the yard and asked Zhao Liangchen in confusion: "What do you mean, you want to move in with me? I'm telling you, Su Qin will live here in the future. You can't live here. If outsiders see us, they'll gossip."

Zhao Liangchen explained: "I don't want to live here. This is a festival gift from my father. Just accept it."

Zeng Lao asked curiously, "Hey, why are you so generous this year?"

In previous years, Zhao Jian would also send holiday gifts to Mr. Zeng, but they were just a few items according to the rules, nothing so high-end.

Zhao Liangchen: "Why do you care why he is so generous? Just keep it. Su Qin will need it when she lives here. And this bag of supplements and herbs are all given by my father. Su Qin has suffered so much outside for so long, so I keep it for her to replenish her body."

Zeng Lao opened the bundle and saw the ginseng, bird's nest, ganoderma lucidum, and deer antler inside. He looked at Zhao Liangchen in surprise: "Tell me the truth, did you promise your father something? Why is he so nice to you all of a sudden?"

Zhao Liangchen laughed at himself, "You think this is good for the students? This is just another way to control them and keep them working for him."

Zeng Lao understood and put all the things away angrily: "I have never seen such a father. He is really trying to trick his son into death. I will ask him for more of these things in the future. I can't let him use me for nothing."

Zhao Liangchen smiled: "Yes, students understand."

After helping Mr. Zeng pack up his things, he asked again, "Teacher, I want to go see Su Qin. Do you have any instructions?"

Zeng Lao thought for a moment and said, "Wait a moment."

He went back to the house to get a bookcase with a stack of books and manuscripts in it: "Give this to Su Qin and ask her to give it to the Xu family member who is with her."

Zhao Liangchen looked at the book in his hand and asked curiously, "Teacher, do you know them?"

Zeng Lao shook his head and said, "It was just a few words that day. The father and son in his family are both talented scholars. It's just that the father is more rigid and doesn't know how to adapt. He is not practical in taking exams. The son knows how to adapt but his health is really not good.

These are the summaries I drew from my lectures a few years ago. I recently visited a few old friends and summarized the questions that might be on the exams in the coming years. I'm giving them these so they can take a look. It'll be helpful for their exams."

After thinking for a moment, he took out a few of the supplements he had put away and placed them in the bookcase. "My son's health is really not good. I'm afraid he won't last much longer. These are just right for replenishing him. As for Su Qin, she won't need them for the time being."

Zhao Liangchen was even more puzzled. He didn't feel bad about these things, but was just curious why Mr. Zeng would be so kind to a stranger: "Hasn't the teacher stopped accepting students a long time ago? Why is he still helping them?"

Zeng Lao's expression was as solemn as ice, and he said slowly: "I help them, firstly, because they are all promising talents, and it would be a pity if they were buried here;

Secondly, it was for Su Qin. Her family was imprisoned, and it was uncertain whether they would ever see the light of day. Even if they did, they would likely be severely weakened and, far from being a help to her, could become a burden. She was a helpless, weak woman, and now she had me by her side. But if I ever died, who would she be able to rely on?

The Xu family had fled with her, and they were truly friends in need. I saw that their character was excellent, and I was helping them now. They were doing me a favor, so if they managed to get into high school, they could become a source of support for Su Qin.

Thirdly, it's also for you. With your father's attitude towards you, I'm afraid even if you obey him in everything, he won't necessarily let you off easy. This time, he was able to use you to send Su Jijing and the others to their deaths. He could also use you to send you to hell for other reasons in the future.

If you want to live a good life and escape his control, the road ahead will be a steep and rugged one. You have no foundation in the court, no one can help you. The emperor can barely protect himself, let alone you. Therefore, you must start now to develop your own network and expand your power.

Those high-ranking officials in the court are beyond your reach, and those in lower positions often have backers, making it difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery. Only scholars like the Xu family, who have risen from the bottom, are like a blank slate once they enter the officialdom. If you use them wisely, they will surely become your powerful assistants and the most loyal and purest royalists.

Mr. Zeng's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Zhao Liangchen's heart hard. His eyes turned red instantly, and tears welled up in his eyes, as if they would burst at any time.

He said with gratitude: "Thank you, teacher, for planning for me. Your consideration is as lofty as the stars. I am ashamed of myself."

Elder Zeng sighed, as if it were the sigh of time. "I am already very old, and there is really only so much I can do for you. How I hate you to be involved in this dangerous party struggle! It was precisely because I hated it that I decided to stay away from officialdom. However, if you are forced to get involved in party struggles, you must fight to the death. You must think carefully about your future actions. Remember, you have no room for error. One wrong step means eternal damnation. My expectations for you are not high. I only hope that you can stay safe and live longer than anyone else."

Zhao Liangchen nodded heavily, as if to engrave Zeng Lao's teachings in his heart. Because he nodded too hard, a crystal teardrop flew out of his eye like a pearl that had broken off the string, hitting the ground hard, making a small muddy puddle.

Zeng Lao waved his hand gently: "Okay, go ahead."

Zhao Liangchen slowly bid farewell to Zeng Lao and resolutely stepped over the small mud pit. This small mud pit, like a towering mountain, became the starting point of Zhao Liangchen's journey and the smallest obstacle he would have to overcome in the turbulent years to come.

After leaving the city, he first went to find Zou Tai. Zou Tai was very high-profile and took him on patrol. When he met familiar disaster victims, he said to them, "This is Zhao Du Yu Hou, who bought food and quilts for you. A few days ago, he led Master Tong to capture the escaped prisoners and found the disaster relief silver."

His loud voice was like a loud speaker as he walked along, making it as grand as a parade of the top scholar, attracting many disaster victims to come and watch.

Because Zou Tai's shouting was too exaggerated, the victims actually became grateful to Zhao Liangchen. Those who did not benefit from Zhao Liangchen also praised him. Some people even knelt down to express their gratitude when they heard that he was the one who found the disaster relief money.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Liangchen quickly dismounted, helped everyone up, and apologized to the victims, claiming they needed no gratitude, saying the money he had spent was insignificant and unworthy of their concern. Instead, he apologized, citing his initial arrest of the wrong person, which had led to a false accusation against a good official, delaying the recovery of the relief funds and preventing the victims from being properly resettled. Fortunately, the relief funds were finally found, otherwise he would have died to atone for his sin.

Zhao Liangchen's eyes welled up with emotion as he spoke, seeming to be filled with deep regret. Zou Tai, watching from the side, was dumbfounded, unable to tell whether Zhao Liangchen was acting or expressing his true feelings. However, he was not one to spoil things, so he patted Zhao Liangchen on the back and comforted him, "You're not to blame for this. You were simply being used by someone with ulterior motives. Blame those evil thieves who embezzled the disaster relief funds. They are truly despicable, worse than animals, for abandoning the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. They deserve to be hacked into pieces."

In a moment, some of the victims echoed, "Yes, how can we blame Lord Zhao? You have done your best. If it weren't for you, we would have starved to death."

As soon as he finished speaking, voices of praise and gratitude for Zhao Liangchen rang out all around him. For a moment, Zhao Liangchen was like a god, being held high by everyone.

However, Zhao Liangchen intervened, "Alright everyone, this isn't my work, it's all thanks to the Emperor! The treasury was originally empty, and it was difficult for the court to come up with so much relief money. However, the Emperor, out of pity for the victims, actually allocated money from his own private treasury for disaster relief. Unexpectedly, someone attempted to get their hands on the relief money, and the Emperor was so angry that he fell seriously ill. He only felt better recently after hearing that the relief money had been found. The one you should be most grateful to is the Emperor. It's because of such a diligent and caring Emperor that the people can live and work in peace and contentment."

After saying this, he was the first to kowtow in the direction of the imperial city to express his gratitude. Influenced by him, the victims also kowtowed in the direction of the imperial city to express their gratitude. The shouts were louder and louder, and the shocking scene moved the soldiers who had just arrived to escort the victims.