Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 187 Embarrassed

Ning Cheng entered the private room and bowed to Cheng Minzheng to apologize. Cheng Minzheng didn't take it seriously and let him sit down.

Then Chen Ce pushed open the door of the private room from outside.

Before Cheng Minzheng could speak, Ning Cheng asked, "Why are you here? Is there anything else?"

"I have an important guest to attend. We can talk later if you have anything to say."

Chen Ce glanced at Ning Cheng calmly, then bowed to Cheng Minzheng and said, "Sir Cheng, long time no see."

Ok?
Ning Cheng stood there in a daze, his face full of shock.

What shocked him the most was that Cheng Minzheng actually stood up and bowed to Chen Ce to be polite.

This is his immediate superior! But he didn't seem to have the same dignity as before in front of Chen Ning, and appeared to be very easy-going and humble.

"Do you mind if I call your father-in-law along?"

Ning Cheng was stunned for a moment, and at this moment he finally remembered something, and his face froze involuntarily!
Cheng Minzheng has always been concerned about his daughter's marriage, and Ning Cheng has been trying to figure out Cheng Minzheng's intentions these days.

Even when he was attending the banquet, he once suspected that Cheng Minzheng was trying to arrange a marriage for his young daughter.

However, Ning Cheng never expected that the person introduced by Cheng Minzheng would be Chen Ce.

wrong!

Ning Cheng took a deep breath, this is not right!

He couldn't help but tremble slightly all over. Was there a possibility that Lord Cheng transferred him to the Ministry of Rites?

Because of--

hiss!
Because of Chen Ce? !

He didn't know that Chen Ce and he had torn up their marriage, and Lord Cheng still thought he was Chen Ce's father-in-law, so he transferred himself to the Ministry of Rites based on his relationship with Chen Ce?
If this is the explanation, all the logic makes sense!
In other words, if it weren't for Chen Ce, he would never have the chance to be transferred to the Ministry of Rites!

Thinking of this, Ning Cheng shuddered.

He looked at Chen Ce with complicated eyes, unable to understand why Chen Ce knew Cheng Minzheng, and even had such great status that a Minister of Rites personally helped his relatives to get promoted?

Ning Cheng racked his brains to figure it out, but he couldn't figure it out. He just felt that Chen Ce was becoming more and more difficult to understand and more and more mysterious.

Before this, he had boasted in front of Chen Ce about his steady progress. His superiors saw his efforts and transferred him to the Ministry of Rites.

Now thinking back to the words he had said to Chen Ce, he wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

But it was obvious that Ning Cheng had too much inner drama, because Chen Ce didn't take his previous words to heart at all, and it was the same now. Chen Ce completely treated Ning Cheng as a transparent person.

He invited Cheng Minzheng to sit down, and then casually said: "Master Cheng, you misunderstood, he is not my father-in-law."

Cheng Minzheng: “?”

Ning Cheng wanted to say something but stopped. Finally, he opened his mouth slightly but still didn't have the courage to speak.

Then Chen Ce said, "Master Cheng said he still owes me a favor."

Cheng Minzheng: “…”

I'm going to repay you for this favor! I promoted Ning Cheng to the position of Doctor of the Ministry of Rites. Isn't this generous gift enough?

Chen Ce asked, "Does it still count?"

Cheng Minzheng said: "Of course, I keep my word, but... aren't you engaged to the daughter of Lord Ning?"

Chen Ce shook his head slightly and said, "Master Cheng didn't check it clearly, right?"

"We broke off our engagement a long time ago."

Cheng Minzheng looked at Ning Cheng meaningfully, and Ning Cheng broke out in a cold sweat.

But he couldn't blame Chen Ce, because that was the fact. Cheng Minzheng seemed to have figured something out. Chen Ce was just a commoner, while Lord Ning was an official.

The young man had arranged a marriage for his wife when she was a child. Now that there is a huge gap in their social status, it seems unlikely that they can remarry, and Ning Cheng would not agree to it.

Ning Cheng was afraid that Cheng Minzheng would think so!

His backer in the Ministry of Rites is Cheng Minzheng. If Cheng Minzheng gives up on him, he will not be able to take a single step forward in the Ministry of Rites!

Chen Ce said: "I want to transfer a new Jinshi to Ningbo in the southeast to fill the vacancy of a county magistrate."

This was naturally not a difficult task for Cheng Minzheng. Running a ninth-rank official was not difficult at all for him.

"Ok."

Cheng Minzheng nodded.

Chen Ce bowed and said, "Thank you, Master Cheng. I am done with your kindness."

Cheng Minzheng held his hand down and said to Chen Ce, "It's too small."

"Is there anything else you need my help with?"

His meaning was very clear. I cannot repay your kindness for saving my life by simply giving you a ninth-rank official position.

He felt guilty because of the inequality.

Chen Ce shook his head and said, "That's all. Thank you, Master Cheng."

The end of the banquet also meant that the relationship between Chen Ce and Cheng Minzheng was completely over.

After Chen Ce left the restaurant, Ning Cheng seemed uneasy.

Cheng Minzheng glanced at Ning Cheng indifferently. Although he didn't say anything, there seemed to be no previous enthusiasm in his eyes.

Now Cheng Minzheng realized that he had been too attentive to the wrong person, but since it had already happened, there was naturally nothing he could do to change it.

Cheng Minzheng is a pure scholar-official who hates treacherous people the most. Since we are already engaged, you break your promise.

Even though there is a difference in your status now, how could a scholar-official do such a shameless thing?
Ning Cheng's image in Cheng Minzheng's eyes completely collapsed at this moment.

Ning Cheng really wanted to explain that this marriage was initiated by Chen Ce, but the more he explained, the worse it got. The more he explained, the more guilty he would appear, and the more Cheng Minzheng would look down on him.

In the end, he could only look at the wine and food in the private room alone and sigh in despair.

He really couldn't understand why Chen Ce and Cheng Minzheng had such a relationship, and from Cheng Minzheng's tone, it seemed that he still owed Chen Ce a great favor.

suddenly!

Ning Cheng widened his eyes!
If Cheng Minzheng owed Chen Ce a favor, there is only one possibility, the Tang Yin fraud case!
Ning Cheng naturally knew about this case. It was talked about a lot in official circles at the time. If it had developed normally, Cheng Minzheng would most likely have been dismissed from office.

But in the end, Cheng Minzheng escaped unscathed. There were many different opinions at the time, all of which said that high-ranking officials in the court had come forward to save Cheng Minzheng.

If it wasn’t a high-ranking official in the court, what if it was Chen Ce?
But...how is this possible!
Ning Cheng shook his head vigorously. Just thinking about it made him feel terrified.

Isn’t he just a commoner from Shuntian Prefecture?
Ning Cheng felt that Chen Ce was very different from the impression he had of him. What on earth had happened to him during this period of time?

Why he couldn't understand Chen Ce anymore.

Before, he had acted somewhat like an elder in front of Chen Ce, so there was a hint of preaching and helping in every way.

Chen Ce always appears calm.

Ning Cheng thought that he was using his strength and calmness to cover up his little self-esteem. Some people are born to be strong, and he thought Chen Ce was one of them.

But the fact proves that he is not. He is really just very calm. He must even feel that he is ridiculous for pointing fingers at others like a clown, right?

(End of this chapter)