Chapter 38

Holding the reward from Emperor Deqing, Zhao Junchen returned to his residence.

Using the excuse of having government affairs to handle, Zhao Junchen spent the rest of the day in his study, even planning to sleep there. Although Fang Ru came to see him several times, urging him to rest early, he always found various reasons to send her away.

Fang Ru was very beautiful and alluring, but Zhao Junchen's nature was somewhat conservative, and he was not familiar with her. The idea of sleeping with a nearly stranger was something he simply could not bring himself to do.

...

In the study, Zhao Junchen sat quietly behind his desk. Outside the window, the moon hung high in the sky, and it was already late at night.

It was very late, but Zhao Junchen could not fall asleep. His mind kept replaying the events of the day. For some reason, Zhao Junchen suddenly felt that both Emperor Deqing and the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu were somewhat pitiful.

Emperor Deqing, as the supreme ruler, was rich and powerful, yet he could not even come up with the 300,000 to 500,000 taels of silver needed for the southern tour. Although this amount was not small, it was not excessively large, and even Zhao Junchen could easily provide it. Emperor Deqing, who prided himself on being a wise ruler, was a "wise ruler" of a kind rarely seen in history, given his meager state.

Compared to Emperor Deqing, the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu was even more pitiful. He tried his best to prove himself to Emperor Deqing, hoping to gain his attention and approval. However, Zhao Junchen, who now understood Emperor Deqing's thoughts, knew very well that the better Zhu Heyu performed and the higher his reputation, the more Emperor Deqing would suspect and even envy him.

Of course, if Zhu Heyu performed poorly one day, Emperor Deqing would likely be dissatisfied with him as well.

The position of Crown Prince seemed glorious, but its awkward status as half ruler and half subject made it difficult to manage.

Thinking about the confrontation with Zhu Heyu earlier that day, Zhao Junchen sighed deeply.

Then, he heard Fang Ru's voice.

"What is troubling you, my lord?"

Zhao Junchen turned his head and saw Fang Ru standing outside the study. In the hazy moonlight, her alluring face and seductive figure were even more tempting.

Zhao Junchen asked, "It's so late, why haven't you gone to sleep?"

It was past midnight, and even Xu Qingyan, who was usually full of energy, could not resist going to bed.

Fang Ru smiled and said, "Aren't you also still awake, my lord? I was a bit worried about you, so I couldn't sleep either."

Thinking of Zhao Junchen's earlier sigh, Fang Ru asked again, "Is there something troubling you, my lord? Why not tell me? Perhaps I can offer some advice."

Zhao Junchen had no doubts or worries, but he did want to talk to someone. He pointed to the seat beside him and smiled, "Sit down and keep me company."

After sitting down, Fang Ru did not rush to ask questions. Her eyes, reflecting the moonlight, quietly watched Zhao Junchen, waiting for him to speak.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Junchen finally spoke.

"Fang Ru, do you think that if Zhu Heyu were to ascend the throne in the future, he would be a good emperor?"

Hearing Zhao Junchen's question, Fang Ru was somewhat surprised, not knowing why he would ask such a question, but she still answered, "Absolutely not."

Her tone was very firm.

Zhao Junchen smiled. He had long known that Fang Ru would answer this way, but he still asked, "Why do you say that? Zhu Heyu is known for his virtue, treats virtuous officials with respect, and is relentless in his pursuit of corrupt officials. He always values the state and cares for the people, and he is not lacking in ability. The upright officials and the people have high hopes for him. Why can't he be a good emperor?"

Fang Ru shook her head and said, "Your question shows that you already know the answer. Why ask me? I don't understand politics, and I haven't read many history books, but I know that none of the wise rulers and virtuous emperors of the past were known for their relentless pursuit of evil. There is a saying, 'Water that is too clear has no fish, and a person who is too discerning has no followers.' The wise rulers and virtuous emperors of the past always had both virtuous officials and corrupt officials around them, maintaining a balance. If Zhu Heyu were to eliminate all the corrupt officials, there would be almost no officials left. Where would he find enough virtuous officials to run the government? Who would dare to serve in the government? If the court were filled only with virtuous officials, how could his rule be stable? Virtuous officials are not necessarily loyal."

Zhao Junchen smiled again but did not speak, only gesturing for Fang Ru to continue.

At Zhao Junchen's gesture, Fang Ru continued, "The biggest flaw of Zhu Heyu is that although he has ambition, he does not know how to achieve it. He is inflexible and does not know how to compromise. He only knows how to charge forward, and in the future, he will inevitably run into a wall. The current emperor, although somewhat ambitious and perhaps somewhat overambitious, is not lacking in the art of ruling. The most important thing for a ruler is not ability or character, but the ability to control the officials. During the current emperor's reign, although the administration is poor and the people suffer, at least the central government is stable, and the country is peaceful. If Zhu Heyu were to inherit the throne, with his nature, the country would likely be in chaos."

Zhao Junchen nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "You say you don't understand politics and haven't read many history books, but your insight is better than that of many well-read officials."

Fang Ru smiled and said, "Ruling a country is like managing a household; human nature is the same."

Zhao Junchen clapped in approval and said, "Well said, human nature is the same." He added, "Actually, this Crown Prince has another flaw: he doesn't understand that ability is more important than virtue. Throughout history, how many famous prime ministers and virtuous officials were truly clean? If they were under his rule, they would likely be executed, let alone achieve great things and be remembered for generations."

Fang Ru nodded and smiled, "What you say is true. Take you, for example, what was the Ministry of Revenue like before you took charge? What is it like now? Although you are not a clean official, you are far more useful than ten or a hundred clean officials."

At this point, Fang Ru finally could not help but ask, "Why are you talking about these things today, my lord?"

"It's nothing, just a casual conversation."

Zhao Junchen said casually.

In fact, it was not just a casual conversation. This conversation finally made Zhao Junchen determined to oppose Zhu Heyu.

In the past, because Zhu Heyu was "destined to be a wise ruler," Zhao Junchen always felt a sense of guilt when thinking about opposing him, as if he was betraying the people.

But after this conversation, Zhao Junchen felt more at ease.

In a certain sense, the so-called "peace of mind" is a very dangerous psychological state.

Because it means being willing to use any means necessary.

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