Zhang Zhong had no choice but to speak again.
"My family knows that someone is causing trouble, and we have already confirmed that it's the Japanese. It's Fengqiao Shoji, Watanabe Juichiro, Yamamoto, and Yamanji behind this. All of them are Japanese. My family has already informed Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, but they didn't reply. I feel that they don't care, but my family's think tank thinks that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are hinting for us to take the final blow.
Therefore, my family didn't interrogate them in private. Instead, we left them be and let more Japanese show their faces. When we finally catch all of them in one fell swoop, no one in Japan will be able to resist. We have already kept an eye on Fengqiao and the others. "
After Zhang Zhong finished speaking, he paused for a moment before adding, "As for why my colleagues didn't do anything, perhaps they thought the same as my family's think tank."
"Did you hear that? Zhang Zhong is putting in a good word for you." Li Longji glared at Zhang Zhong. I'm condemning you, yet you're still helping others explain.
After glaring at him, Li Longji said again, "If you think that Zhang Zhong is honest and a good person, when Xiao Bao and Cuckoo come back, perhaps they won't say anything, but Xiao Bei and the other nine … Haha!"
"Your Majesty, you can't scare me. I do know about this matter, but I don't want to interfere. It's not that I have a problem with the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, but I feel that it's a good thing to have a different opinion occasionally. This means that our dynasty is still in turmoil and might not be as stable as it seems. Small problems from time to time can remind us to continue working hard."
Yuan Qianyao, who wasn't young anymore, spoke up. He wasn't putting on an act. He was really worried about Xiao Bei and the other nine. This was because he had a few children at home. Their usual benefits were provided by Darling Candy House. If Xiao Bei and the other nine came back and heard about this matter, the children would impulsively stop the benefits. That would be a huge blow to the children at home.
Yuan Qianyao already understood that a child's heart was very fragile and tenacious. They were tenacious in the face of disaster, but in times of peace, a child's heart couldn't withstand such an impact. Once the benefits from the Precious Candy House were stopped, the other ministers' benefits didn't stop. The children would lose their playmates.
Xiao Bei and the others were originally four people. Why did Xiao Bao and Cuckoo find another five people for them? Other than the political purpose, it was to let them have someone to play with. Moreover, when they went out, they would always be in contact with the local children.
She was worried that Xiaobei and the others would not interact with their peers. Even adults were afraid of loneliness, let alone children.
If Xiao Bao and Cuckoo were angry, he could communicate with them. All he had to do was talk things out. If Xiao Bei and the others were angry, how could he communicate with them? Children can be unreasonable sometimes.
As soon as Yuan Qianyao, who was on tenterhooks, finished speaking, Wang Bei immediately followed suit. He still remembered that after hearing about his family's benefits, Xiaobei and the others had specially provided a portion of benefits for his daughter-in-law because she had a child. Nutrition and supporting measures were also included.
If he didn't say anything, when Xiaobei and the others came back and found out about this matter, they would report it in the Precious Candy House's storytelling newspaper. How could he live?
Wang Bei could imagine Xiaobei and the others first saying that he had attacked their father and then stopped the benefits. Then, they said that their daughter-in-law was pregnant, so Xiaobei and the others gave them benefits. Then, they would continue to say that when they weren't in the capital, he would stab them in the back.
Heavens! Once this report was out, he would probably starve to death in the bustling capital. This wasn't a political issue, but a moral one. What would the people think?
Therefore, Wang Bei felt that he had to make things clear. Otherwise, being condemned by the public could kill.
"Your Majesty, Brother Yongcheng, to be honest, at first, I didn't know about this matter. When I found out later, I was happy for a while. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. I've always wanted to find trouble with Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. To be precise, it's Brother Yongcheng.
Why? It's because I'm jealous. If Brother Yongcheng falls, I can be happy for the whole day. But that's all I have. If Brother Yongcheng falls and injures his head and catches a fever, I really don't want that. If Brother Yongcheng falls to his death, I will be very sad. I won't even know what to do. I will regret it very much. I shouldn't have gone against Brother Yongcheng back then.
I don't have a life and death feud with Brother Yongcheng. I just have a little thought. I even went to see the people who were arrested. I didn't care. It doesn't matter. If they say that they want to assassinate the people from the Zhang Family and Wang Family, I will be anxious. They just want to stir up trouble. Others don't understand the background of the Zhang Family and Wang Family, but how can I, who always want to bring trouble for them, not understand?
So, I'm not watching from the sidelines, nor am I sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight. I'm just watching the show. I never thought that the Japanese could cause any trouble. I just want to see how Brother Yongcheng's family will deal with it, okay? "
When Wang Bei spoke, he didn't hold back at all. He even said his own thoughts and analyzed them.
"I believe Brother Wang's words." Zhang Zhong proved that he understood Wang Bei. If you said that he was a good person, he had a little dirty thoughts. If you said that he was a bad person, he really didn't want to kill anyone. When you walked with him, he hoped that you would fall and then secretly laugh. But if you fell and there was a sharp stone pointed at your head, he would rather stretch out his injured arm to block it for you. He didn't want you to never get up again.
He was such a person. There was one disadvantage to being friends with such a person. Usually, when you were unlucky, he would laugh at you. The advantage was that when you encountered a life and death situation, he was willing to risk his life to help you. He was a very contradictory but very real person.
Li Longji naturally knew what was going on with his Minister of Revenue, Wang Bei. He nodded in agreement.
Wang Bei heaved a sigh of relief. With the understanding of Her Majesty and Zhang Zhong, it seemed that Xiao Bei and the others wouldn't target him after they returned.
With Yuan Qianyao and Wang Bei taking the lead, the other ministers also gave their reasons. Their words made the new officials feel that they weren't afraid of Zhang Zhong, Her Majesty, or Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. Instead, they were afraid of Xiao Bei and the nine children.
It was really too strange. Why weren't they afraid of the real power holders but worried about a group of children?
After thinking about it carefully, some of the newcomers understood. They could communicate with the adults. At most, they would just admit their mistakes. However, they couldn't communicate with the children. Children with huge power and authority were the most frightening.
Li Longji watched coldly as his subjects expressed their opinions one by one. As he watched, he began to laugh.
He pointed at them and scolded, "A group of cowards. Look at you now. Do you still look like ministers? A group of cute Xiao Bao babies scared you to this extent. It seems that I didn't do anything wrong. I gave Xiao Bei and the others a lot of power. They are still a deterrent to the Great Tang's officials!
Innocent plus five levels. That's right. No matter how smart the officials are or how much evidence they destroy, as long as they are caught by Xiao Bei and the others, they won't have a good ending. "
"Your Majesty is wise." The ministers all said in unison.
"That's right. I'm indeed very wise. Since the Yongcheng family already has a plan, you can't leak it out. Otherwise, it won't be as dirty as the court. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will think that you are betraying the country. That way, it won't be Xiao Bei and the others who will do it.
If you really challenge the political stability of the Great Tang and force Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to do it personally, you should understand that I can't protect you. Even if the Crown Prince made the same mistake and caused Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to be unable to tolerate it, I can only watch. "
Li Longji's expression was solemn as he spoke. He wasn't trying to scare them. He knew that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo had a bottom line, and as a citizen of the Great Tang, if they didn't touch this bottom line, everything could be discussed. Xiao Bao and the others would leave a line. If they touched it, there was no turning back.
The ministers didn't speak, but from their expressions, it was clear that they were also serious. They weren't afraid of Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, but as citizens of the Great Tang, they had their own code of conduct and morals.
"Continue to the next topic." Li Longji felt that this matter had basically been resolved. As for who would be responsible for welcoming the Six Zhao, there was no need for the court to worry about it. He had deliberately asked earlier to let the ministers know the gap between them and Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, so that they wouldn't always be unconvinced.
For Li Longji, it was fine if they were unconvinced, but they had to show their true ability. Just saying that they were unconvinced was not enough. Who didn't know how to retreat in the face of a little difficulty and advance in the face of benefits?
He didn't need those kinds of people who could follow him around and flatter him when they had nothing to do. When it came to crucial moments, he needed people like Xiao Bao and Cuckoo.
If he really wanted people who could make him feel comfortable, Xiaobei and the others were more suitable. Who would dare to steal food from him when flattering him? Xiaobei and the others could fight over a piece of meat, and in the end, no matter who ate it, everyone would be happy.
He had the ability to deal with natural disasters as soon as possible, and when his life was at stake, he could take advantage of the disaster to rebuild.
No setback was a problem, and he would become stronger when facing a strong opponent. But in all of the Great Tang, only Xiao Bao and Cuckoo had this ability.
It was especially relaxing when he was with them, as if none of the problems were problems. The two of them even had time to joke around, and Xiao Bao could even find time to cook.
When would the Great Tang have more people like Xiao Bao and Cuckoo? They didn't need to be half as good, just half as good.
"Your Majesty, this subject intends to build dams on the rivers around the capital this year to generate electricity. The Ministry of Works has recently developed a generator that can be used in rivers with low flow. If electricity can be used, many specialized products will appear accordingly. For example, there's a process called electroplating.
There's also the decomposition of oxygen and hydrogen. The airships that the Ministry of Works built some time ago are much faster than hot air balloons, and they're filled with hydrogen. Oxygen can be used for welding, and there's also the medical aspect. The current production capacity is very low, and welding doesn't use oxygen, so the results are much worse. "
When it came to serious matters, Zhang Zhong spoke first.
"Oh, I've used oxygen before. The weather wasn't good a few days ago, and it was stuffy. I caught a cold, and my stomach wasn't feeling well either. In the end, I couldn't breathe after eating, so someone gave me an oxygen bottle. It was very comfortable, and I wanted to use it continuously, but the doctor said that I can't. If I use it for too long, my body won't be able to adapt to the lack of oxygen."
Li Longji proved that he had agreed.
"Your Majesty, this subject wishes to build a city in the extreme north to station our Great Tang's people. It can withstand the cold and fend off external enemies." Someone found an opportunity to interrupt.
Li Longji frowned and looked over. "No, what city? In the future, I won't build outer cities, only houses."
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