Settling Public Opinion

Zhang Xuezhou and the others tested the effects of the Southern Brightness Fire Technique and, instead of lingering, took advantage of the chaos to escape.

When dawn broke, everyone changed their clothes and went to the west gate of the Prime Minister's residence again to join the excitement and see what was going on.

Despite the chaos at Tian Fen's Prime Minister's residence, a murder case still needs to be investigated.

Has anyone died?

"They're not dead! I heard someone went mad!"

"Why are you so crazy? Have you been cursed again?"

The west gate entrance and exit were sealed off, no longer allowing people to enter and exit freely as they had the night before. Even those with the Prime Minister's Mansion guest badges only craned their necks to look around, without choosing to go inside.

"This man's surname is Feng, and his given name is Fan. The newly appointed Prefect of the Capital said that his cultivation had gone awry due to his intense desire for fame!"

"The former Prefect of Jingzhao was doing a great job, why was he replaced!"

I heard he offended someone!

"Who did you offend? Explain yourself clearly, so we can all be more careful when we're in office in the future, lest we get ourselves into trouble!"

"How could we lowly clerks offend someone of that rank? You might say that if Zhang Tang said it, but could we possibly do it?"

"Zhang Tang was really lucky; he's won the Prime Minister's favor!"

"There are all sorts of people here. If it weren't for Zhang Tang, no one would be able to keep track of names. With so many people, who would recognize anyone else!"

The sharp-eared retainers kept relaying news from inside the mansion. Zhang Xuezhou and his group didn't enter the Prime Minister's residence either, but instead wandered around outside eavesdropping.

Unless specially summoned by the emperor or due to a serious incident, the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant would not visit in the middle of the night.

The madness of a retainer in the Prime Minister's residence wouldn't normally warrant a nighttime investigation by the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant, but the Prime Minister's residence's status and special nature compelled a high-ranking official from the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant to come in person.

The newly appointed judge of the capital city didn't arrive early, but he closed the case very quickly.

Regardless of whether the conclusion is correct, the review at least calmed public opinion.

No one recognized the retainer, and no one stood up for him. The insane Feng Fan was locked in a wooden cage, where he could only survive by being fed each day, and no one cared how long he would live.

It must be said that Tian Fen did an excellent job in treating his retainers well; he was willing to give even a madman a meal.

This drew cheers from a large crowd of onlookers.

"The Prime Minister said that the court is short of people everywhere. The priority is to hone our abilities so that we can be recommended for official positions when there is a need for them. Everyone, please don't be as anxious and impatient as Feng Fan. Everyone will have an official position in the future!"

Once all the officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture had emerged from the west gate, the eunuchs of the Prime Minister's residence reassured everyone, and the case concerning the Prime Minister's residence had shifted into a positive educational example.

"This person has a loud and clear voice, a very steady breath, and handles matters with composure; he's quite a talent!"

The new emperor pointed and nodded repeatedly.

A sheep in the sheepfold was killed by a wolf. A hunter who can hunt and kill a wolf is a rare talent, and a shepherd who can keep the flock calm and stable is also a talent.

It would be rare for someone to also be able to motivate sheep to graze and grow fat.

Every year, the imperial court faces major public opinion crises, and even the new emperor has been subject to considerable criticism in recent years.

The new emperor felt much more at ease if he had such capable officials who could control public opinion.

The people he cultivated around him were mostly ruthless military generals, and some of them were even able to enter important departments of the imperial court, but there was hardly anyone to maintain order.

For example, the new emperor dismissed Zheng Dangshi from his official post under the pretext of poor vetting, but the officials he replaced him with were still descendants of marquises.

"Find out what that horse-faced monk's name is!"

"Zhang Tang!"

"Is he Zhang Tang?"

The new emperor bowed his head and assigned Zhang Xuezhou tasks, since Zhang Xuezhou was very quick at gathering information.

Before Zhang Xuezhou could even take two steps, Zhang Xuezhou had already recited the names of the people.

"You didn't ask anyone, how did you know his name was Zhang Tang?" the new emperor asked curiously.

"This is the skill of guessing hidden objects. If you don't believe me, let's try it and see if I can guess the name correctly," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"If I win, you can refine another ten or eight top-grade tonic pills," the new emperor declared.

"If I win, you'll reward me with a usable small alchemy Pill Furnace!"

Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor shook hands, signifying that they had reached an agreement.

The two would play guessing games anytime, anywhere. Gongsun Hong, who was watching, kept twitching his eyelids. He felt that the two of them each had something they wanted, but it was difficult to force the other to do something, which was why they had these guessing games.

"Mr. Gongsun, go ask around and find out what that person's name is!"

When the two of them turned to find the notary, Gongsun Hong, who had been hiding to the side, opened his mouth, then went back to work.

Gongsun Hong didn't just casually ask someone's name when he went to do his work; instead, he took the seal of his status as a great Confucian scholar and went directly to pay his respects to the person.

"It's him, it's him! I remember his scent. He killed me, he killed me..."

In the distance, Feng Fan, chained and locked in a cage, shouted at Gongsun Hong, then switched to cursing in the foreign language of the Xiong State. His mind seemed to clear up, but after a short while, he fell back into incoherent ramblings.

Gongsun Hong's polite visit could not be sustained, and Zhang Tang's expression changed slightly.

He accepted Gongsun Hong's request for an official position, mentioned that he would report to the Prime Minister, and then hurriedly left after having someone guard his prison cell.

"How about it?"

Gongsun Hong's visit to seek an official position was not a rash move.

He belatedly realized what was happening.

Zhang Xuezhou recommended his brother-in-law last night, and now the new emperor is also looking for talent. Considering some of the things the new emperor said unintentionally, Gongsun Hong couldn't help but have some doubts.

If the other party is indeed the Marquis of Pingyang, that's one thing. But if the other party is impersonating the Marquis of Pingyang and can still walk around normally, then only one person in the imperial court could do such a thing.

Without the emperor's special promotion, the older Gongsun Hong would have faced difficulties after taking office, unable to rise from the grassroots to the middle level, and then from the middle level to the top.

In addition to demonstrating his meticulousness in handling matters and his daily arduous practice of the Southern Brightness Fire Technique, Gongsun Hong also revealed his desire for an official position in the imperial court, which he displayed in front of Zhang Tang.

When Zhang Xuezhou asked with a smile, Gongsun Hong bowed slightly and then gave the truthful answer.

"I always lose, and I don't understand why I lose!"

The new emperor cursed under his breath, feeling that he had never won a game of guessing riddles against Zhang Xuezhou.

Of course, regardless of the outcome of the game, winning is certainly good, but losing isn't a loss for him either.

Judging from Zhang Xuezhou's act of demanding the Pill Furnace, he knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou was also adjusting his own alchemy skills, and perhaps one day he might also benefit from it.

"You haven't used up your selection qualification yet, so just go find a Pill Furnace yourself," the new emperor reminded him.

"Those deformed and cracked fruits are unusable. Give me a usable small Pill Furnace that can be used over a low flame!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly, indicating that he didn't think much of the goods in the inner warehouse.

The imperial treasury did indeed possess Pill Furnace, of similar quality to Qin Furnace No. 8. Many Alchemist in the Imperial Household Department used these Pill Furnace provided by the treasury.

Zhang Xuezhou clearly didn't want to use the standard equipment anymore.

If he could, he would like to possess a water-fire Pill Furnace similar to the Zou Bugui.

When Zhang Xuezhou explained his needs, the new emperor couldn't help but spit out his contempt, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou's standards for being useful were truly too high.

If he were asked to retrieve Pill Furnace of that caliber, the new emperor truly wouldn't be able to do it.

After pondering for a few seconds, the new emperor decided he should go find the empress or Princess Dou.

Only Princess Dou, who inherited the legacy of the Empress Dowager, could have secretly possessed a top-tier Pill Furnace.