Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

There were a lot of people at the government office gate today, most of them were guards and clerks. Among them were two familiar figures, the lieutenant generals who attacked Zhang Jingwei last night. It seemed that Wang Lian had already entered the government office.

Zhang Jingwei entered from the side door of the Tongzhi Hall. This door was specially left for him by Liu Yanzhi. If there was an emergency, he could enter the government office from here.

As soon as he entered the room, he bumped into Captain Yang.

Captain Yang looked at me with a frown and shouted, "Who dares to trespass into the Fumin Hall?"

Zhang Jingwei walked out from the shadows, with a nonchalant smile on his face, and said, "Captain Yang, it's me!"

When Captain Yang saw the person coming, the expression on his face instantly became surprised, and he hurriedly said: "Young Master Zhang? Oh, we have been looking for you for so long that even Prefect Lu is angry about this." As he said this, he unconsciously wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Zhang Jingwei, upon hearing this, curled his lips in disapproval and said, "What's there to be angry about? I'm neither an official nor a bureaucrat. Governor Lu is being too petty!"

Upon hearing this, Captain Yang couldn't help but smile bitterly. He lowered his voice and explained, "It's said that they want to recommend you as a filial and honest official. Even the head of the Education Department has come in person. It's really rude of you not to show up."

Zhang Jingwei raised his eyebrows and asked, "Oh? Where are the adults now?"

Captain Yang quickly replied, "They are discussing matters at the prefect's mansion... Hey! However, the adults are discussing important matters, we can't rashly go and disturb them!" As he spoke, he waved his hands repeatedly.

Apparently Zhang Jingwei didn't listen to him and kept rushing into the prefect's mansion. When he was about to reach the door of the mansion, Captain Yang stopped, sweat pouring down his forehead. He looked at Zhang Jingwei's back and shrugged, feeling helpless.

However, the further in we went, the tighter the security became. As soon as we reached the yard, we were stopped by two armored soldiers.

A soldier shouted impatiently, "Officials are not allowed to enter the government office today, and they have to work in the lobby!" As he spoke, he used his hands to drive the person in front of him away. Judging from his accent and demeanor, it was obvious that this person was not from Yunzhou.

Zhang Jingwei hurriedly explained, "I'm not an official. I have something to ask the governor!"

However, the soldier remained unmoved and continued his stern response, "Even if it's an official visiting, you have to stay outside the palace and wait for notification!" Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but get anxious and said in a louder voice, "I'm not an official either. I really have something urgent to talk to the governor about!"

But the soldier showed no mercy. He glared at him and shouted, "Where did this troublemaker come from? This is a place that belongs to the government, so you can't just barge in! If you dare to make trouble here again, don't blame me for being rude to you!"

Faced with the soldier's scolding, Zhang Jingwei was so angry that his face turned red. He was about to retort but was stopped by another soldier.

The soldier looked at Zhang Jingwei carefully, and suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Wait, are you the son of Lu Taishou?"

Zhang Jingwei was stunned at first, then quickly nodded and said, "Uh...yes, right, isn't it okay for me to go back to my own home?"

Seeing this, the soldier's expression instantly softened. He said apologetically, "It's you, Master Lu. I'm truly sorry. Several of our leading officials from Hedong are discussing important matters here today, so we're being extra strict with our inspections. If I've offended you, I hope you'll forgive me."

Zhang Jingwei snorted and said unhappily, "You are more sensible!" After that, he strode into the mansion.

The previously tough soldier A said, "The censor said no one is allowed to enter the palace!"

Soldier B, who was sensible, explained: "You are foolish! Do you know how big a commotion this Yunzhou case has caused? It won't be long before Governor Lu is appointed to the Taiyuan position. You don't need your stupid brain, but don't ruin my bright future!"

Soldier A patted his head and said with sudden enlightenment: "That makes sense, that makes sense..."

……

The entire prefectural government office was heavily guarded. Not only were there two soldiers guarding the entrances and exits, but there were also patrols of four men on the road. In a small pavilion, a young man who looked like a general, wearing armor, tassels on his chest, and a golden belt around his waist, was reading a book. His temperament was different from that of the other soldiers. If he wore a long gown, he would definitely be mistaken for a scholar.

A soldier hurried over to report to the commander of the guards, "Commander, a man has come into the courtyard, claiming to be Master Lu. He insists on seeing you all. However, several of our brothers have stopped him. What do you think we should do about this?"

The guard commander frowned and said unhappily, "The censor has already instructed us not to see anyone during today's meeting! Don't you understand this little bit of etiquette?"

The soldier quickly explained, "Calm down, Commander. I know the rules. It's just that this man said he had something urgent to do, and he looked so flustered that he didn't seem to be lying."

The guard commander glared at the soldier and snorted coldly: "Huh, what? You want to make a contribution?"

The soldier was so frightened that he quickly shook his head and waved his hands, and replied in panic: "No, no, no, Commander, please understand. I would never dare to have such an idea. I will send someone to drive him out right away!" Then he turned around and was about to arrange manpower.

At this moment, the commander of the guards suddenly stopped him and said, "Wait! Let him come to see me!"

The soldier was stunned at first, then quickly responded: "Yes! I obey your command!" Then he hurriedly ran to bring the "Mr. Lu" over.

The guard leader met Zhang Jingwei's eyes, smiled slightly, and said, "How could Prefect Lu have two daughters, but have such a big son?"

After hearing this, Zhang Jingwei felt a little guilty, as if he was pretending to be someone he met an old acquaintance.

However, he still gritted his teeth and said, "This military lord..."

The guard leader suddenly laughed out loud and interrupted, "Haha, my last name is Li, and I'm the commander of the Imperial Guard!"

Zhang Jingwei bowed and said, "Commander Li, my name is Zhang Jingwei. Could you please inform me that I was supposed to greet the adults and the commander outside the city today, but I suddenly fainted and was delayed." After speaking, he handed over two taels of silver from his purse, "This is for tea, brothers..."

Commander Li laughed again and asked, "Hahaha, is this the youngest academy student in Hedong? You look so timid, did you really capture that thief while drunk?"

Zhang Jingwei was very embarrassed. He scratched his head and said with a guilty smile: "It's just a student's humble idea. It's not worth mentioning!"

Commander Li turned to the soldier beside him and ordered, "Go and inform them!" Then he turned around and asked Zhang Jingwei to sit down with a smile.

"Have some tea." Commander Li poured a cup of tea for Zhang Jingwei, pushed him forward, and said, "Can you tell me about your experience in the water defense camp? I'm very curious about how a scholar led a team of garrison troops to break through the camp!" After saying that, he looked at Zhang Jingwei with anticipation.

Zhang Jingwei took a small sip and immediately became interested. Since returning to Yunzhou, he suddenly liked telling stories and told the story of the Water Defense Camp to several people.

"Since you want to hear it, Jingwei will show you how embarrassing it is!"

In this way, the two of them started chatting happily. With Zhang Jingwei's exaggerated explanation, Commander Li listened attentively, his eyes full of admiration.

He most admired scholars like Zhang Jingwei, who were both knowledgeable and passionate.

Those who put their knowledge into practice are practical people, which is much better than those corrupt scholars who only talk about ethics and morals all day long.