Chapter 322: Chapter 209: Tricking Prime Minister He_3
The emperor looked surprised and said, "Craftsmen don’t have official posts, and their salary isn’t high either. Is he truly willing?"
"Willing, very willing indeed." Prime Minister He was also stunned by Zheng Cheng’s words at the time, "He said he doesn’t want to be an official, just a craftsman, doing what he loves. He also said that the craftsmen in the Shangfang Bureau are the best in Great Zhou, and being with them, he can learn a lot."
"Just want to do what he likes, that part is somewhat like Lao Zheng." The emperor sarcastically remarked, "Sure enough, Lao Zheng and his son are both oddballs."
Regarding the emperor’s words, both Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu agreed.
The emperor asked, "What about his youngest son?"
Mentioning Zheng Qian, Prime Minister He’s expression immediately became complicated.
He sighed deeply and said, "As Lao Zheng said, his youngest son indeed has a rebellious streak."
Seeing Prime Minister He’s troubled look, the emperor asked with interest, "What did Lao Zheng’s youngest son do?"
"The kid originally intended to challenge one academy after another to see if the scholars in the capital were clever." Prime Minister He was astonished when he heard from Zheng Rang what Zheng Qian did back home. "He even wants to challenge the Imperial College. If there’s no one in the Imperial College smarter than him, he definitely wouldn’t study there."
"Is Lao Zheng’s youngest son really that arrogant?" The emperor chuckled with amusement, "This part doesn’t resemble Lao Zheng."
Zheng Xilin was a very humble person, never looking down on others because of his intelligence, nor arrogant due to being highly trusted. He was very polite and friendly to the ministers in the court, which was why they liked and respected him.
"His youngest son is not only arrogant but also believes he’s above everyone else, looking down on those dumber than him." As an elder, Prime Minister He naturally wouldn’t argue with a child. "This kid is not only extremely clever but also skilled in divination. It’s said he’s never wrong."
"Divination?" The emperor said with surprise, "Lao Zheng doesn’t seem to be skilled in divination."
"Lao Zheng’s youngest son is self-taught."
"Self-taught?" The emperor exclaimed, "That’s really impressive."
"This child is truly intelligent, mastering many things, apparently all learned from books by himself, without special guidance from Lao Zheng and the others." Prime Minister He sighed, "This child is a genius!"
Hearing Prime Minister He praise Zheng Xilin’s youngest son so much, the emperor became curious about Zheng Qian.
"So what do you plan to do with Lao Zheng’s genius son?"
"He doesn’t need me to arrange anything." Prime Minister He said, "He said he came to the capital to find his lord."
"Find his lord?" The emperor asked with surprise, "Who is his lord?"
"I don’t know. Before coming to the capital, he divined it and learned that his lord whom he wants to serve is in the capital, so he came with his two elder brothers." Prime Minister He continued, "Currently, he plans to enter the Imperial College, then challenge its students."
"Is he planning to challenge the Imperial College?"
"Exactly, otherwise he would challenge all the academies in the capital." Prime Minister He said amusedly, "The child often challenged academies back home..."
Prime Minister He shared with the emperor what Zheng Rang told him.
After listening, the emperor’s face showed a shocked expression.
"I didn’t expect Lao Zheng’s youngest son to be so audacious."
Grandmaster Liu frowned, looking a bit displeased, and said, "Lao Zheng’s youngest son is a troublemaker. If he’s not properly supervised, he might cause chaos in the capital."
The emperor raised his right eyebrow and said, "Lao Zheng did it on purpose, right? Deliberately sending his troublesome youngest son to the capital to plague us."
Prime Minister He agreed with the emperor’s assessment, "I suspect Lao Zheng couldn’t handle his youngest son, so he let him wreak havoc in the capital."
The emperor snorted coldly, "Lao Zheng is as cunning as ever, but isn’t he afraid something might happen to his youngest son?"
"Lao Zheng probably wouldn’t mind his youngest son getting into trouble; that way, he might become more obedient." Prime Minister He said with a repentant expression, "I feel I’ve been tricked by Lao Zheng. He deliberately threw his hot potato of a youngest son at me." Although Zheng Xilin told Prime Minister He not to worry about his three sons, as a good friend, how could Prime Minister He not care at all?
Grandmaster Liu gloated on the side and said, "I told you, Lao Zheng sending his three sons to the capital is not out of goodwill."
"If Zheng’s youngest son truly commits any illegal act, I won’t let him off lightly." Prime Minister He said with a slight sigh, "I hope there are students in the Imperial College smarter than Zheng’s youngest son, to humble him a bit."