The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"Zhou Ziming is currently gaining momentum on the front lines, having already recaptured Lai'an, Yangzhou, and other areas. It's estimated that he will continue northward, with Lai'an as his center, to recapture the heartland of the Central Plains. From my personal perspective and that of the Qian family, this is a good thing. There's hope for his return to the capital, but..."

"It's just a matter of changing the commander-in-chief, isn't it?"

Qian Ying pondered for a moment before replying, "Indeed, the court is now divided into two factions. A small number of people are worried about escalating the war and do not want to continue fighting north, so they tend to be conservative. The majority of people still support taking advantage of the situation and marching north in one go to recover the lost territory. The Qian family supports continuing the Northern Expedition. The biggest problem now is indeed the issue of changing the commander-in-chief!"

"Zhou Ziming belongs to the eunuch faction after all. We can't let his power continue to grow like this. Otherwise, he might hold the emperor hostage to control the princes, or change his allegiance. The risk is too high, and it goes against the interests of the various aristocratic families. We must replace him with one of our own. If that doesn't work, then we would rather the war remain stalemate."

"So now is not a good time to promote high-yield Annan rice and sweet potatoes, because we have to curb the food and grass on the front line and force Zhou Ziming to come out and negotiate peace with you, right?" Zhang Pingan asked with a calm expression.

"At the same time, we can't fall out with Zhou Ziming so quickly. This is indeed a tricky matter."

When he was drinking and chatting with Lin Junhui during the Chinese New Year last year, he knew that Lord Zhou would face this day sooner or later.

Not only the two of them speculated like this, anyone with a little political sense could guess it.

Seeing Qian Ying's expression of agreement, Zhang Pingan knew that he had guessed right, and now it was time for him to express his opinion.

The two of them were silent for a while, drinking tea quietly.

After a moment, Qian Yingcai put down his teacup and said, "It's a good thing that you're willing to benefit the people. Planting Annan rice and sweet potatoes in Ci County is fine; there won't be any major problems for now. But please don't write any more memorials hoping to promote them elsewhere. You'll only be putting yourself in a difficult position if you do."

"I asked Ge Li to bring back these Annan rice seeds from overseas. They're currently being planted in various locations in Ci County. I've even submitted a memorial to the court before. There's no way to hide it. As for the sweet potatoes, it was Lord Zhou who sent the Ge family to Luzon to find them. Many people have lost their lives because of them."

"So what if Zhou Ziming knows it? Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Others are on the front line. The key is what you do," Qian Ying said indifferently.

"Brother, if you say so, then how can I do it now? Or do you want me to burn all of these?" Zhang Pingan was a little angry and laughed.

Does he look that stupid?

He didn't believe that Qian Ying didn't know about this.

If he really destroyed all the hard-earned Annan rice and sweet potatoes, he would be making a mortal enemy with Lord Zhou and the eunuch party.

You will be pushed out anyway when the time comes.

A centipede is still alive even after death. Even if Lord Zhou is really replaced, he is still a second-rank official in the court, which is more than enough to deal with a seventh-rank county magistrate like himself.

Will the Qian family be able to protect him then?

Obviously it is not very reliable!

Moreover, he always had a premonition that Lord Zhou would not sit still and wait for death, and he must have his own methods.

Qian Ying's expression remained unchanged. Instead, he smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, there's no need to be so extreme. I didn't ask you to destroy anything. I just want you to weigh the importance of some things. We are all well-versed in classics and history. Since ancient times, no matter how powerful the eunuch party was in every dynasty, it was ultimately short-lived."

"Only aristocratic families can stand for a thousand years!"

Qian Ying emphasized the last sentence.

"Brother, thank you for the reminder. I know what I'm doing," Zhang Ping'an said solemnly with a bow.

He was not prepared to fall out with either side, but he was also not prepared to do what his uncle suggested.

Putting aside the empty talk about national justice, Green Bean Eyes risked his life twice to bring the things back, so he would not allow these two things to be destroyed easily.

Countless people’s hard work went into this, he couldn’t do it!

Seeing that the atmosphere was not good, Qian Ying didn't say anything more. There is no need to hit the drum hard.

That’s all for today’s conversation.

After leaving the house, Qian Ying went to see his sister again, said goodbye to Qian Youyi, took the return gift, and rode back to Lin'an with his servants.

Qian Youyi was very smart and knew from his brother's expression that the conversation did not get the result he wanted.

But she didn't plan to ask anyone. In these last few days, she just wanted to spend time with her children.

Mrs. Xu didn't know the situation and kept muttering, "Xiao Yu'er's uncle came back too early and barely had a meal. He even brought a lot of things with him this time. This gift is really generous and thoughtful."

"We'll find a chance to return the gift when the time comes," Zhang Ping'an replied.

"Oh, okay," said Xu, and then she thought of Wu Ya: "By the way, your fifth sister just said she had something to tell you."

"Where is the fifth sister?"

"She's talking to Yingniang in the hall!" Xu replied. "She looks unhappy, and it's probably not a good thing."

Zhang Ping'an is now upset and has no time to care about his fifth sister's affairs. His top priority now is to discuss with Hua Wanli and Green Bean Eyes how to deal with this matter.

The fire at Xingyun Warehouse was just the first step. He, the fish in the pond, was caught in the fire and was burnt to a crisp without knowing when.

"What big deal can a woman like Fifth Sister have? It's nothing more than trivial matters at home. Mother, you go and ask first. I'm going to the Hua family to discuss something with Wanli now," said Zhang Ping'an.

"Okay, if you're in a hurry, go and do your thing first," Xu said quickly when she saw her son's heavy face.

Hua Wanli had just become a father and his face was full of joy. There were three women and servants at home, so he didn't need to ask for help.

After saying hello to their families, the two of them made an appointment with Green Bean Eyes to go boating in the nearby Lotus Lake.

It can cool you down and make your conversation more discreet.

After listening to Zhang Ping'an's explanation of the whole story, Hua Wanli was angry and anxious, with a frown on his face.

Green Bean Eyes slammed the table and started cursing: "What kind of crap are these? They are beasts in human form, so sanctimonious. I've lost half my life just to bring these two things back. I've finally achieved some success in promoting their cultivation, but not only do they want to pick the peaches, they also want to destroy all the things I worked so hard to grow. Why do they do that?"

"It's not completely destroyed, we just don't want to promote planting to solve the food problem on the front line," Zhang Pingan corrected.

"After all, the food is good. Annam rice and sweet potatoes both have extremely high planting value. Who knows, one day they might find a use for them."

"Isn't that the same thing? You still want to destroy our hard work," Green Eyes yelled.

He became more and more angry as he spoke, cursing, "They say all businessmen are dishonest, but I think these guys are the most ruthless."