Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 652: Chapter 320: Arriving at Jinling

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."

Mr. Meng leaned against the bed, coughing violently. Seeing this, Zheng Xilin quickly raised his hand to gently pat Mr. Meng’s back, helping him to breathe easier.

Once the old gentleman stopped coughing, Zheng Xilin hurriedly picked up the hot tea placed on the table, carefully feeding Mr. Meng some tea.

Mr. Meng no longer had the strength to hold the tea cup. He lowered his head and slowly drank the hot tea. After drinking half a cup, he finally felt a bit more comfortable, and his chest felt less congested.

Zheng Xilin put down the tea cup and raised his hand again to help Mr. Meng breathe more comfortably.

Mr. Meng gave Zheng Xilin a slight smile. His complexion was extremely pale, completely devoid of color. The eyes that were once bright and spirited were now cloudy. His brows were filled with the aura of dusk, and his cheeks had grown very thin and sharp. Before the New Year, his condition was still manageable, but after the New Year, his illness suddenly worsened, and he rapidly aged and declined.

"You don’t need to worry so much about me. I can still hold on for a while."

Zheng Xilin did not find comfort in Mr. Meng’s words. He knew that Mr. Meng didn’t have much time left, probably only a month or so.

"If you could worry a bit less and conserve your energy, your condition might improve and allow you to live a bit longer." Even though he had been ill for these months, Mr. Meng had been busy all along. He knew he wouldn’t make it through this time, so he wanted to have everything arranged before his departure.

"Ah, I don’t have much time left, but there are still many things not yet arranged. I must ensure these are settled before I go." A very weak smile appeared on Mr. Meng’s pale face, "Luckily, you are here, sparing me from a lot of worry."

Zheng Xilin asked, "What are the things that still trouble you?" Indeed, the person who understood Mr. Meng’s temperament the best was Zheng Xilin. Over the past few days, he could see the worries in Mr. Meng’s heart. Mr. Meng hadn’t mentioned it, and Zheng Xilin hadn’t asked.

Mr. Meng straightforwardly responded, "The civil examination."

Zheng Xilin had anticipated this, "You are worried that the civil examination cannot proceed smoothly at the local level?"

Mr. Meng’s worries were voiced out by Zheng Xilin in one sentence. He nodded slightly, "Indeed, as the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, local officials might manipulate the civil examination in secret, and His Majesty, far away in the capital, would not find out."

The remark made Zheng Xilin let out a light laugh, "You definitely underestimate His Majesty."

Upon hearing Zheng Xilin’s words, Mr. Meng’s eyes suddenly brightened, and his expression became somewhat expectant.

"Do you mean His Majesty has a plan?"

"Do you think His Majesty wouldn’t anticipate local officials might play tricks in the civil examination?" Zheng Xilin picked up the tea cup, sipping a few leisurely sips of tea before continuing, "Our emperor is very clever and calculating. Whether it’s officials in the court or those at the local level, they are all within his schemes."

Hearing this, Mr. Meng showed a look of astonishment.

"From your words, it seems His Majesty manipulates everyone in the palm of his hand."

Zheng Xilin said with deep meaning in his tone, "Exactly."

Mr. Meng was slightly taken aback, then seemed to realize something and said with a sudden understanding, "The reason you are unwilling to enter the court as an official is because you have also been schemed against by His Majesty."

"Being schemed by His Majesty happened more than once." Thinking of some events from the past, an uncontrollable anger surged in Zheng Xilin’s heart. However, he didn’t show the slightest trace on his face. He raised the corners of his mouth and smiled, "Back then, I also schemed against him."

Mr. Meng teasingly smiled and said, "Looking at things now, you didn’t scheme against His Majesty back then, or else you wouldn’t be in front of me."

"I have done everything I needed to do, there’s no need to stay in the court." Zheng Xilin said with a light smile, "Besides, now that the Great Zhou is peaceful and prosperous, all my aspirations have been fulfilled, there’s no need to continue immersing in power."

Mr. Meng too understood Zheng Xilin’s character well, knowing why he was unwilling to enter the court as an official. He deliberately teased, "You are just lazy and don’t want to bother with so many matters anymore."’

Zheng Xilin followed suit with Mr. Meng’s words, "You saw right through me."

"Do you mean His Majesty will guard against local officials tampering with the civil examination?" Mr. Meng brought the topic back, "How will His Majesty proceed?"

"By dispatching imperial envoys to various places to monitor." Although withdrawn from the court, Zheng Xilin understood court affairs thoroughly. "And also sending ministers from the court to various places to supervise the examinations."