Disappointment instantly washed over everyone's faces.
"Ugh, this won't do. We have to think of something. We can't let Qian Er side with the Wang faction."
Ning Tianman shook his head and sighed deeply.
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The elders beside him were also lamenting.
"We may seem to be doing well now, but once Qian Er gets involved and leans towards a particular faction, the situation will become one-sided."
"He's a Prince Who Stands Shoulder to Shoulder with the Emperor! The current situation is that whoever can win Qian Er over wins. It's that simple."
"As expected, the other factions are definitely preparing gifts for the Town Prince. They all want to curry favor."
"Teacher, didn't you always say you hated giving gifts to others?"
Zhou Nong looked at his old mentor with some confusion. The old man, who had fought battles for decades, scolded with a smile, "Stop pretending here, you brat!"
Zhou Nong smiled. Having seen political struggles many times, he understood that in this situation, gifts were unavoidable.
Since his teacher entered politics, although he still retained his battlefield style, he had changed too much.
After all, the three things most taboo in factional struggles are: first, acting on emotions; second, never being without suspicion; and third, sacrificing some of one's principles.
A person with too many principles will have those principles used as flaws by the enemy.
He shook his head and lay back in his chair, trying not to think about these things.
"Fortunately, we're not completely passive. Qian Er's teacher, Zheng Xin, isn't he in our camp...?"
"Lao Hai, are you out of your mind!"
Ning Tianman roared before the other person could finish speaking.
Even Zhou Nong, who was lying in his chair, was startled.
"You still want to use Professor Zheng? Do you believe that if Qian Er finds out about this, he could wipe out our entire faction!"
Lao Hai glanced at Ning Tianman, somewhat helplessly. "I know you value that Zheng Xin, but now is not the time to worry about that. We must prioritize the faction."
"No."
Another person shook his head. "Don't forget how decisively Qian Er wiped out those aristocratic families back then."
"There's no need for us to gamble recklessly. Even if Qian Er doesn't join our faction, we'll only lose power. But if he discovers that we're using Zheng Xin..."
"Then we'll all die. I'm not kidding. No one can contend with Qian Er now. If he wants to kill us, no one can stop him."
"Don't make any small moves. Honestly giving gifts is better than anything else. We can accept not being able to win Qian Er over in the end, but we absolutely cannot become his enemy."
The scene fell silent.
...
"Your Majesty, there's someone outside claiming to be Ao Tianshun's teacher, requesting an audience."
Qian Er smiled. This old fox had finally couldn't hold back any longer.
After all, he had been showing no reaction, pretending to be ignorant. He must be afraid that all his previous efforts would be in vain.
Qian Er walked to the door and saw the middle-aged man standing in the courtyard.
His height was really short, especially when standing next to the already tall Qian Er, which made him look even more petite.
"Town Prince, let's talk."
The man's expression was very calm. This attitude made Qian Er somewhat displeased.
"The last person who said that to me was the Ice King. He's already dead."
Qian Er smiled.
The man's expression changed as expected, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"Don't misunderstand, Town Prince. I have no malicious intent, otherwise I wouldn't have let Ao Tianshun pass on messages to you again and again."
It could be regarded as neither humble nor arrogant.
Qian Er nodded and took the man to the reception room.
"Having come from afar, aren't you going to see your student first?"
Qian Er picked up his teacup and took a sip, looking at the man with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"Ao Tianshun is already your man now. These children are all pretty good. Following you is more reliable than following me."
The man smiled, somewhat wistfully. It was clear that these words came from the heart.
At least, here they don't have to worry about enemies.
This sentence made Qian Er change his opinion of him a lot.
"What's your name?"
"Wang Xiaobao."
The man wasn't surprised that Qian Er didn't remember his name. He smiled and got straight to the point today.
"Town Prince, let's form an alliance."
"We'll help each other. I can provide you with all the resources of our faction, whatever you need."
"Do you think that there's anything I want now that I can't get myself, and that you happen to have?"
Qian Er looked at the man with a confident smile, wondering where his confidence came from.
"It's very simple. As the Town Prince, you can only hear good things, so you can't see many things from your perspective. Besides, the new city has a shortage of people recently, right?"
Qian Er shook his head. "Not really. I don't lack anything now."
"Do you think that I can't see many things, and that I don't have friends? Do you think that the people I know can't access anything?"
Wang Xiaobao frowned, but quickly returned to normal. "Of course I know that Professor Zheng Xin is now a frequent face in the court, but I can guarantee that we can give you more."
"Things are not said, they are done."
Qian Er looked at Wang Xiaobao. He somewhat understood why this man could sit in this position.
From entering the room until now, this man's communication with him has been very calm, which is enough to show his psychological quality.
Wang Xiaobao nodded. "I will prove it to you. These gifts are a small token of our sincerity, although I know you don't need them now."
"But whether you need them is one thing, and whether we give them is another."
"Also, people from other factions will definitely be looking for you recently. Let me give you a suggestion."
As he said that, Wang Xiaobao's face once again showed a smile.
"Don't take it for nothing. It's not easy to get them to bleed heavily. You can also reveal a little hint."
"Let them bid higher. You can say that among all the factions, whoever gives the most will form an alliance with you. Let them give more, and they won't have any objections."
"For you now, any investment is worthwhile."
Wang Xiaobao spoke frankly, without hiding anything.
Qian Er couldn't help but burst into laughter in his heart.
No wonder he was Ao Tianshun's teacher. He was too insidious, making him trick his peers for money even when he made things clear!
No wonder he taught a student like Ao Tianshun.
Moreover, this style of doing things was simply too much to Qian Er's liking!
But on the surface, he still didn't speak, pretending to be thoughtful.
Wang Xiaobao smiled slightly, turned around, and left.
