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

Zhang Jingwei smiled mysteriously and said softly, "I've already prepared the topic for you, and I only want a mere one million strings of cash. As for the rest, Brother Tian Miao, you can handle it yourself."

Hearing this figure, Ma Tianmao couldn't help but gasp, looking embarrassed and saying, "One million taels! Even if my Ma family worked hard for a whole year, I'm afraid we might not be able to earn that much."

However, Zhang Jingwei continued calmly, "Brother Tian Miao now has two options. One is to exchange a hundred thousand strings of silver for this unanswered question. The other is to purchase a complete and detailed answer for a full one million taels of silver. I hope Brother Tian Miao will carefully consider this decision."

At this moment, Ma Tianmao suddenly burst into laughter and said loudly, "Hahahaha, Brother Jingwei, your reputation is truly well-deserved! As the son of a merchant, your business is truly flawless. It's truly admirable! I'll give you the one million taels!"

Zhang Jingwei nodded with satisfaction and praised, "Brother Tian Miao is indeed a smart man who knows how to deal with current events!"

However, Ma Tianmao immediately changed the subject, staring sharply at Zhang Jingwei and questioning, "But this debate strategy is a highly subjective question, and there's only one answer. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble because of this?"

Facing Ma Tianmao's questioning, Zhang Jingwei displayed a calm and confident expression, answering confidently, "Don't worry, Brother Tianmao. I've already thoroughly researched and considered numerous aspects, including commerce, agriculture, livelihoods, government, and military affairs, and have developed a full twenty different methods and strategies for answering these questions. Therefore, this one million strings of cash is absolutely worth it to you."

After hearing this, Ma Tianmao pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Okay, please give me some time to prepare the funds."

Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly, indicating his agreement. "That's fine. I'll be here waiting for Brother Tian Miao's good news at any time."

……

Not long after seeing Ma Tianmao off, Qian Ming came trotting over in a panic, shouting, "Master! Master! Oh no! The police are here!" Upon hearing this sudden news, Zhang Jingwei appeared unusually calm. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly, "What's meant to come will eventually come."

Soon, Captain Yang and a group of officers arrived in front of Zhang Jingwei in a menacing manner. Captain Yang looked at Zhang Jingwei expressionlessly and said in a deep voice, "Young Master Zhang, someone has accused you of kidnapping and extortion. We hope you can cooperate and come with us to the government office." Faced with such a situation, Zhang Jingwei did not intend to resist at all. Instead, he calmly stretched out his hands and said to Captain Yang with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you, Captain Yang." Seeing this, Captain Yang did not hesitate and directly put the cold and heavy shackles on Zhang Jingwei's hands. He said apologetically, "We are only doing our job impartially. We hope you will forgive us if we have offended you."

Just then, a sudden commotion erupted outside the door. It turned out that many Yunzhou residents, upon learning that Zhang Jingwei had been taken away by the officials, had rushed to watch. The crowd erupted in excitement, and everyone began to discuss the situation.

"Why did you take Young Master Zhang away?" a young man asked angrily.

"That's right! Zhang Xiaolian is a great hero in our Yunzhou who solved major cases. How can you arrest him without any reason?" Another old man also echoed.

"Master Zhang has always been a role model for us Yunzhou students. Now you're actually shackled him! How can we scholars like you feel? Is this how the government treats people of merit?" Another young scholar shouted indignantly. For a moment, the crowd was outraged, and the people began to criticize the officials.

Captain Yang stood straight and shouted majestically, "We are here to arrest the murderer on the orders of the prefect. Please get out of the way!" He thought that this roar could intimidate the emotional crowd, but the opposite happened. The insults and condemnations came one after another, like a tide rushing towards them.

As the situation spiraled out of control, a courageous individual in the crowd finally took the initiative. He launched a flying kick at a constable, sparking chaos. The rest of the crowd followed suit, beating up the constables with fists and kicks.

Captain Yang was horrified and quickly covered his head with his hands, shouting, "Rebellion! Rebellion! You are a bunch of lawless and unruly people!"

A constable nearby asked in panic, "Boss, what should we do now?"

Constable Yang's mind raced, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He pointed to an alley behind him and said, "There's an alley over there. Let's retreat first!" After that, he ran into the alley first, and the other constables followed closely behind him.

At this time, the angry crowd did not give up and continued to chase after them.

Zhang Jingwei stood there in a daze, his eyes searching for something. Suddenly, he saw Wang Ergou and hurriedly walked up to him and asked, "Did you come up with all this?"

Wang Ergou replied calmly, "This is what the Marquis wants!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned and asked, "Then where is my father-in-law?"

Wang Ergou lowered his voice and said, "The Marquis has already mobilized the army. If anything happens to you here, he will immediately lead his troops into the city, under the pretext of 'speaking for the people'."

Zhang Jingwei snorted coldly and said indignantly: "What a trick! How can he be a 'wild dog'? He is clearly an old fox."

Wang Ergou smiled faintly and retorted, "On the grasslands, wild dogs may have a bad reputation, but they are the most dangerous creatures. Those Rong people call you 'Wild Dog', but for you, it's actually a compliment!"

Zhang Jingwei waved to Qian Ming with a smile and said softly, "Let's go!"

Seeing this, Qian Ming quickly stepped forward and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Master, where are you going now?"

Zhang Jingwei replied with a firm look, "Of course I'll go to that government office."

Hearing this, Qian Ming couldn't help but show worry on his face. He hesitated and said, "Young Master, would it be inappropriate to go there now? There was a civil uprising just now, and Tian Cao has the support of the governor behind him."

However, Zhang Jingwei smiled nonchalantly and responded confidently, "Don't worry, I already have a plan in mind!"

At this moment, Wang Ergou on the side suddenly shouted loudly: "I want to go too!"

Zhang Jingwei turned to look at him, thought for a moment and said, "Gouzi, quickly go and tell my father-in-law to order the troops to withdraw."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ergou stamped his feet in anxiety and quickly advised, "Young Master, we need to think this over again! If we withdraw our troops hastily, the governor will surely take this opportunity to protect Tian Cao!"

But Zhang Jingwei simply shook his head slightly, his eyes fixed firmly on the distance as he spoke slowly, "It's alright. Just do as I say. Also, if word of my confrontation with Tian Cao in court gets out, I'll punish Tian Cao for insulting his wife in front of the entire city."