Chapter 83: Above Tongmai, and above it!
The third day after coming out of the Black Prison.
Xu Chong was told that his contribution had arrived.
It is really inconvenient to say this contribution.
Although it is tied to the household registration and there is no need to worry about theft or rob, the household registration is not like an APP where you can check the balance at any time.
How much contribution is left is entirely up to you to remember.
If you are a little forgetful, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Xu Chong complained as he slowly climbed the stairs.
Although the contribution will not be lost, it will not generate any interest if it is kept there.
For most people, the most cost-effective approach is to use it in time to improve your strength.
"Unfortunately, I am not an ordinary person. My contribution has to be exchanged for the skills I don't use."
Xu Chong shook his head and continued to climb the stairs.
This time he would go to the Daqing Arsenal to exchange his Tongmai Realm skills for a higher level.
Just as I reached the fourth floor, a captain came out in a hurry.
From the original direction, it seemed that he was going to jump directly, but when he saw Xu Chong clearly, he suddenly stopped and said, "Master Xu, you are here just in time. Can you please go down quickly?"
"Going down? Where?"
Xu Chong was stunned.
"Heiyu, that old man asked to see you."
The captain pointed in the direction of the entrance to the Black Prison.
" see me?"
Xu Chong thought about it and walked towards the entrance.
Soon, he met Jiang Zhihong on the first floor.
I can only say that he is worthy of being the former Zuodu Yushi...
Not only had Jiang Zhihong's shackles been removed, but the door of the Jiayi prison was also wide open.
Compared to before, there were more tables, chairs, benches, beds, and even a wooden shelf full of books in the cell.
Does this mean that he has taken charge of the Black Prison of Qianhu Suo?
"Come and sit down."
Jiang Zhihong pointed to the seat across the table.
"You are looking for me..."
Xu Chong walked closer and froze before he could finish his sentence.
The dishes on the table were not as sumptuous as he had imagined. On the contrary, they were extremely crude and low-quality.
A pot of something that is neither black nor yellow, similar to porridge.
"You're right."
Jiang Zhihong served himself a bowl and said, "Bran mixed with sand is edible and can help you survive."
Gulp.
Jiang Zhihong tilted his head back and gulped down a full bowl of coarse grain porridge.
“…”
Xu Chong sat down in silence, but he had no intention of trying it.
“Not only can it keep you alive, but it can also resist hunger.”
Jiang Zhihong put down the bowl and patted his stomach. "I recalculated what you said... If it was normal grain, even if there were still 5.5 million dan, and all of it went into the stomachs of the disaster victims, it would still not be enough for so many people to survive. So it was right to replace bran with sand."
"I hope you figure it out."
Xu Chong nodded, looking very pleased.
"Ah."
Jiang Zhihong sneered, "You were very tough that day, calling me yours all the time, why are you calling me 'you' now?"
"It's just a different time."
Xu Chong looked calm, not afraid at all, "At that time, you were just a self-destructive walking corpse, no matter what I call you, it's not an exaggeration."
"That's true."
Jiang Zhihong actually nodded in agreement.
"You came to me, is there anything you want to tell me?"
Xu Chong asked, "Just say it, as long as the institute can do it..."
"It's not an order."
Jiang Zhihong waved his hand and said slowly: "I plan to go to Beijing."
"Going to Beijing?"
Xu Chong raised his eyebrows, quite surprised.
Although Jiang Zhihong is still a criminal on the surface, he can leave at any time if he wants to, and it has nothing to do with his strength.
Xu Chong had no doubt about this, but he couldn't figure out why for a moment.
“Could it be…”
Xu Chong paused and asked tentatively, "Do you want to make peace with Prime Minister Lou?"
"Reconcile? Bullshit!"
Jiang Zhihong was furious. He stood up and started to curse: "So what if I misunderstood him back then?"
"At worst, I'll admit that I was wrong and kowtow to him. He can kill me or chop me up as he pleases."
"But what happens after that?"
"He started as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, then entered the cabinet, and finally became the Prime Minister."
"Forming cliques for personal gain, suppressing dissidents, controlling government affairs... Which of these is not lawless and disloyal to the emperor and his father?"
"Reconciliation? He can just dream on!"
"As long as I am still alive, I will find evidence of his crime sooner or later!"
The rapid-fire words seemed to be a vent, but the tone and expression made Xu Chong feel that it was not aimless.
Come to think of it, he has already sat in the position of Prime Minister. There are countless overt and covert struggles. How could he not form cliques for personal gain and suppress dissidents?
But this is not something I can get involved in.
Xu Chong asked, "If you are not going to see Prime Minister Lou, then why are you going to Beijing?"
"Didn't you say that I have never seen true hardship?"
Jiang Zhihong stroked his long beard and said, "I plan to ask your Majesty to be a county magistrate and see what it looks like when a natural disaster strikes."
All right.
This is indeed something a stubborn old man can do.
but……
Xu Chong frowned, "I haven't heard of any disaster happening anywhere right now?"
“Not yet.”
Jiang Zhihong sighed quietly, "No matter how long it takes, natural disasters will always come."
Xu Chong's heart sank suddenly.
There is nothing wrong with saying that natural disasters are bound to come.
But the problem is, Jiang Zhihong seems to be very sure that the natural disaster will break out in the place where he is the county magistrate?
What's the meaning?
Where can the imperial court predict the occurrence of natural disasters?
Also talking about...
This natural disaster was actually created by the imperial court?!
Xu Chong was shocked and couldn't help showing a look of shock on his face.
He thought of the books collected by the Third Master.
Those two full wooden frames record all the natural disasters that have occurred over the past thousand years!
"You look scared?"
Jiang Zhihong raised his eyebrows, "What did you think of?"
"……nothing."
Xu Chongqiang remained calm and forced himself to smile.
Jiang Zhihong stared at Xu Chong for a while, then slowly said, "No matter what you know or what you think of, I advise you not to delve into it."
"At least don't delve into it now."
"When you go to the capital to take up a post and are promoted to a noble family, people will tell you a lot of things."
After a pause, Jiang Zhihong added, "Otherwise, you are likely to be like me, blinded by your own ego, believing only what you believe, and eventually drifting further and further away from the truth."
Xu Chong didn't say anything, but he did feel a little more relaxed.
Jiang Zhihong was right, he currently had too little information.
No matter who or what force is used to infer this, it is likely that the conclusion reached will be completely opposite to the truth.
"He has a good character."
Jiang Zhihong sensed Xu Chong's change and nodded in appreciation, "Then let's get back to business."
"Going to Beijing? Don't worry, the commander will definitely send enough forces to escort you."
Xu Chong stood up and was about to go back to report.
But Jiang Zhihong shook his head and said, "No escort is needed. The two of us are enough."
“…”
Xu Chong froze and turned around slowly, "What did you say, old man?"
"I say, it's enough for the two of us to go on the road."
Jiang Zhihong was calm and composed. "I could have gone on my own, but I am still a criminal. I need someone to escort me, right?"
"I……"
Xu Chong pointed at himself and said with tears in his eyes: "Escort...you?"
"Yes, that's right."
Jiang Zhihong nodded, "You are the one who escorts me."
"No, no, no."
Xu Chong sat down quickly and looked at Jiang Zhihong sincerely, "Look, although you are guilty, you are still above Tongmai, and I am only at the ninth level of Kaiqiao, where do I have the ability and courage to escort you?"
"No, no, no."
Jiang Zhihong stretched out a finger and waved it, "You are wrong about one thing."
"What?"
Xu Chong was stunned .
"In fact, I had already achieved a breakthrough when I left Beijing to return home, but no one knew about it."
"Now, I am above Tongmai..."
Jiang Zhihong chuckled and pointed upwards: "Above."
Above Tongmai... and above that?
What it means is that it is two realms higher than the Tongmai realm?
Xu Chong was confused, "Then why did you look so..."
"Looks like he's about to die?"
Jiang Zhihong finished what Xu Chong didn't dare to say, and then explained: "There are several different routes in this realm. The route I took can't make my vitality stronger than that above Tongmai."
Well, the amount of useless knowledge has increased again.
Xu Chong nodded woodenly.
"If I want to resist, even if you have the entire Qianhu Division, the garrison, and the government office, it will be useless."
Jiang Zhihong said calmly, without any disdain, "So it doesn't matter whether there are people escorting me or not, or how many people are escorting me. I came to you because I have to pretend after all, and I'm just more familiar with you."
"Okay... I can't make the decision on this. I need to ask the chief commander for permission."
Xu Chong said this with his last hope, then turned and left.
It’s not that I’m wary of Jiang Zhihong.
After these contacts, he trusted Jiang Zhihong's character. No matter what realm the other party was in, he would not have any bad intentions towards him.
But the problem is, he doesn't want to go to the capital so early.
Moreover, even if we travel at full speed, it will take a month to go back and forth, and we will lose 4 spiritual energy points...
Just like that, Xu Chong came out of the entrance and went straight to the fifth floor.
Then……
"What!!!"
Ge Wanshan was so frightened that he was ejected. If he had not reacted in time, he would have broken through the roof and flew out.
When he landed lightly, the horror on his face was still obvious and he couldn't suppress it no matter what he did.
"I see, I see..."
Ge Wanshan supported Fang Ji and muttered for a long time before coming back to his senses and looking at Xu Chong: "I can't do anything about this. He wants you to accompany him to Beijing, and no one can stop him."
"All right……"
Xu Chong had expected this, so he just nodded helplessly without saying anything more.
"Actually, you don't have to worry about anything."
Ge Wanshan changed the subject and said, "This trip will not only do you no harm, but will also be a great benefit."
"Uh, what do you mean?"
Xu Chong was puzzled. "He returned to Beijing to be a county magistrate, not to be reinstated."
"That being said, after all, Mr. Jiang has been the Left Censor-in-Chief for decades, so it's not an exaggeration to say that he is a leader of the Qingliu clan."
Ge Wanshan smiled and patted Xu Chong on the shoulder, saying meaningfully: "Think about it, with this friendship, as long as you don't commit any serious crimes, those censors will definitely not hold on to some minor mistakes, which will be of great benefit to you in the future when you enter the capital as an official."
"Is that so..."
Xu Chong nodded thoughtfully, then said, "I want to go to the armory before I leave."
Now I have changed to the Tongmai technique, and when I come back I will show the first level of Tongmai and take the general flag of the assessment.
What? You said I have poor qualifications?
I went to the capital and got some of the emperor's aura, which allowed me to break through. Who dares to question it?
This is what Xu Chong planned.
"It's just a small matter."
Ge Wanshan flipped his palm and took out a large seal: "Don't stay too long inside. It's okay for me to guard you, but I'm afraid that Mr. Jiang can't wait."
"I understand."
Xu Chong clasped his fists.
