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

Chapter 322 I Don’t Want to Act Anymore

Gao Ying stood at the door, his expression calm, but his eyes were as cold as ice: "What are you doing here?"

Qian Ming's forehead was covered in sweat, and he stammered, "I... I..."

Gao Ying's voice remained calm, yet it carried an invisible sense of oppression: "Stealing?"

Qian Ming waved his hands quickly, his voice trembling: "No! I'm just... looking for something..."

Gao Ying glanced down at the inkstone on the ground and asked calmly, "Did you find it?"

Qian Ming followed his gaze, his expression becoming even uglier as he stammered, "I found it. It's an inkstone. The one at home is broken, so I was thinking of borrowing the young master's!"

Gao Jiong sneered, bent down to pick up the inkstone on the ground, held it in his hands and examined it carefully, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone: "An inkstone made of Nanzhao stone will cost dozens of taels, I'm afraid it won't be available for purchase!"

Qian Ming's face flushed red, cold sweat on his forehead slid down his cheeks, and his voice became lower and lower: "I... just borrowed... just borrowed... goodbye!" After saying that, he didn't dare to look into Gao Jiong's eyes again. He snatched the inkstone, lowered his head and hurriedly squeezed past Gao Jiong, almost running away.

Gao Jiong stood still, his gaze fixed on Qian Ming's frantic escape, until the sound of his footsteps faded into the corridor. There was no anger or reproach on Gao Jiong's face, only a deep sense of exhaustion and disappointment. He slowly turned around, his eyes sweeping across this familiar office and the vast military compound, a wave of powerlessness welling up in his heart.

He smiled bitterly and shook his head, muttering in a low voice: "Zhang Jingwei, ah Zhang Jingwei, such a large army, but you can't even keep the people's hearts! You shouldn't have done this, you shouldn't have done this!"

Then, his face suddenly darkened and he quickly chased in the direction Qian Ming fled.

……

North City, Paper Mill.

This place was originally Gao Fei's residence. Zhang Jingwei had bought up the surrounding small houses and converted them into a paper mill. However, the paper produced by the mill was disappointing: soft, weak, and extremely absorbent, it was completely unusable for writing. Zhang Jingwei had no choice but to use the paper as toilet paper. However, once the paper entered the market, it became surprisingly popular, especially with major restaurants in Yunzhou City, who would periodically order batches for use as post-meal cleaning.

Gao Jiong had tracked him all the way here, his anger already boiling. He stood before the paper mill door, his gaze stern. He kicked it open with a resounding bang, shaking the frame slightly. Inside, Qian Ming and Wang Ergou stood beside a pile of paper pulp scraps, clearly unprepared for Gao Jiong's sudden appearance. Their faces changed, and they looked flustered.

Gao Jiong strode into the paper mill, his voice as cold as a knife: "This isn't my property, so I didn't mean to say anything more. But your faces are truly unpleasant. You are a servant, yet you steal from your master. I will bring you before the authorities today!"

Seeing the truth, Wang Ergou forced a fawning smile and hurried forward, saying, "Boss, it's not that serious! It's not that serious! This is a Nanzhao stone inkstone. I'll sell it for some money, and then we can split the profits 50-50, or 40-60 is fine. What do you think?"

Gao Jiong sneered and stared at Wang Ergou with a sharp gaze: "Shut up! How much money have you taken since Jingwei disappeared? Tell me the truth!"

Seeing that being soft was no use, Wang Ergou's face suddenly darkened and his tone became tough: "Gao Jieyuan, I advise you to be sensible. You are just a weak scholar, how can you walk out of my yard?" After saying that, he clapped his hands, and a group of people suddenly appeared around the yard, all holding sticks and with fierce eyes, they surrounded Gao Jiong.

Gao Jiong looked around, his face showing no fear at all, but instead a hint of contempt: "You are just scoundrels, what can you do to me?"

Before he could finish his words, Gao Jiong launched the attack. He lunged forward, his right fist lashing out like lightning to strike one man's face. Before the man could react, the blow sent a bloody nose gushing out, and he stumbled back. Gao Jiong didn't stop. He shoved his left foot against the ground, launching himself into the air and delivering a side kick to the other man's chest. The man grunted and flew backward, landing heavily on the ground. But these men were resilient, quickly getting back up and joining the fray.

Then, Gao Ying moved through the crowd like a ghost, using both fists and kicks, each strike precise and brutal. His fists hammered down on his enemies' stomachs, his kicks whipped at their knees. In just a few rounds, the crowd in the courtyard collapsed, their cries echoing.

A moment later, only Wang Ergou and Qian Ming were left standing in the yard. They stared at Gao Jiong in amazement, obviously not expecting that this usually gentle and frail scholar could have such skills.

Gao Ying brushed the dust off his sleeves and looked at the two men sternly: "You are not ordinary paper hangers. Are you soldiers?"

Seeing that the truth had been revealed, Wang Ergou simply stopped pretending and sneered, "Boss, you have good eyesight! You're not even pretending anymore?"

Gao Ying frowned, realizing immediately that he had fallen into a trap, and turned around to leave.

However, Wang Ergou stood in front of him, with a bit of pride in his tone: "Boss, my young master invites you!"

Gao Ying stopped and stared at Wang Ergou sharply: "Your young master?"

Qian Ming also came forward at this time, with a smug smile on his face, and stretched out his hand to make a "please" gesture: "The young master is in the room, please!"

Gao Jiong was filled with doubts, but since things had come to this, he could only follow the two men into the house. The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the faint scent of ink. Gao Jiong's eyes swept around the room, finally settling on the figure sitting at the table.

The man had his back to the door, holding a cup of tea in his hand. He took a sip and then slowly turned around with a meaningful smile on his face: "Brother Zhaoxuan, Happy New Year."

Gao Ying's pupils shrank, and he was extremely shocked: "You...you are missing, aren't you?"

Zhang Jingwei smiled slightly, put down his teacup, and said calmly: "Missing? It's just a show."

Gao Jiong suddenly felt an ominous premonition, but he remained calm and said coldly, "Zhang Jingwei, what exactly do you want to do?"

Zhang Jingwei stood up, his eyes as deep as a pool. "I'd also like to ask what the Imperial Envoy wants to do?"

Gao Jiong's heart sank, knowing he had been exposed. However, he did not panic. Instead, he straightened his back and took out a gold medallion engraved with the words "Central Jingji Road Yongzhou Internal Affairs Attention."

He held up the gold medal and stared at Zhang Jingwei with a sharp gaze: "I am indeed the Prime Minister's man, and I have been ordered to investigate the remnants of the School of Mind!"

When their eyes met, Zhang Jingwei was not at all panicked, but burst into laughter.