Chapter 60

According to the early morning rules, after the Wumen Gate was opened, the officials passed through the Wumen Gate and gathered in front of the Taihe Gate to form a line. Then, after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the officials who were qualified to be in the court lineup entered the Taihe Hall in formation, waiting for Emperor Deqing to arrive.

On the way into the Taihe Hall, Zhan Shanchang walked beside Zhao Junchen, but his face was full of dissatisfaction. He whispered to Zhao Junchen, "Sir Zhao, with your current influence and the emperor's favor, why must you be so tolerant of Wen Guanliang and Bao Wenjie?"

It turned out that after Bao Wenjie's provocation, when the officials were lining up in front of the Taihe Gate, Wen Guanliang passed by Zhao Junchen and said in a sarcastic tone, "Minister Zhao, do you still remember what I said to you that day? Cold dishes can be reheated, but if you make the wrong choice, it's hard to turn back. I hope you won't regret it today."

In the face of Wen Guanliang's subtle provocation, Zhao Junchen did not show any anger or refute him. Instead, he bowed to Wen Guanliang and said, "Thank you for your advice, Sir Wen. I have learned from it."

Zhan Shanchang, naturally, was dissatisfied with all this, feeling that Zhao Junchen was being too tolerant and weak, so he couldn't help but remind him.

On the other side, hearing Zhan Shanchang's reminder, Zhao Junchen smiled slightly, showing no concern, and said slowly, "Being aggressive on the surface is not really being aggressive, and it's not who wins just because they speak beautifully. Let them be aggressive if they want to, and let them speak beautifully if they want to. As long as we win in the end and get the actual benefits, that's all that matters."

Although Zhao Junchen said this, Zhan Shanchang did not agree and said, "But, Sir, if you keep being so tolerant and weak, what if the officials in the court look down on you?"

Zhao Junchen smiled again and said, "As long as we win in the end, who would dare to look down on us? On the contrary, they, who are so eager to be aggressive and speak beautifully before the outcome is determined, will end up looking like clowns in the eyes of the officials if they lose."

Saying this, Zhao Junchen glanced at Zhan Shanchang and said calmly, "Sir Zhan, you must remember that being low-key and tolerant in doing things is completely different from being low-key and tolerant in being a person. You can't be too low-key and tolerant in doing things, or you won't get any benefits. But it's best to be low-key and tolerant in being a person. It's just a matter of face. It can win the favor of the officials and make people unable to see your true depth. Why not do it?"

As he spoke, Zhao Junchen pointed to the chief minister Zhou Shangjing, who was standing at the front of the court lineup, and added, "You have always followed Wen Guanliang and are used to his ways. It's normal to feel uncomfortable with this approach. However, although Wen Guanliang is called a senior minister, he has never achieved great success and has often been manipulated. We can't learn from him. Instead, we should learn from the chief minister. He has been in the court for many years and has remained unshaken, and there is a reason for that."

Hearing Zhao Junchen say this, Zhan Shanchang frowned and thought for a moment before finally understanding.

Indeed, as Zhao Junchen said, Zhou Shangjing has been "low-key in being a person and high-profile in doing things" over the years. Zhan Shanchang originally thought this was just Zhou Shangjing's personality, but after Zhao Junchen's explanation and some reflection, he realized that this style might be one of the reasons for Zhou Shangjing's success.

"Indeed, I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Sir."

Seeing that Zhan Shanchang understood, Zhao Junchen nodded but did not say anything more.

On the contrary, after this conversation, Zhan Shanchang had even more confidence in Zhao Junchen, feeling that he had not followed the wrong person. Perhaps, Zhao Junchen might become the next Zhou Shangjing in the future.

...

In Zhan Shanchang's view, Zhao Junchen's actions were a way of learning from Zhou Shangjing, but this was a misunderstanding of Zhao Junchen.

Zhao Junchen's role model was not Zhou Shangjing but the officials of the future.

In this era, the officials in the court always valued "official dignity," accustomed to putting on airs and showing off to demonstrate their status and make people respect them.

But Zhao Junchen was not from this era. He came from the future and had worked as a government official for a few years, more accustomed to the style of the officials of the future.

The officials of the future, regardless of their actual intentions, appeared gentle and friendly on the surface. Even if they hated each other to the bone, their expressions still showed sincerity and friendliness, making it hard to tell if they were friends or enemies, real or fake. However, in private, these seemingly harmonious politicians acted more decisively and thoroughly than anyone, never leaving any room for compromise.

The eight-character motto "low-key in being a person, high-profile in doing things" was also a common creed for the officials of the future.

This approach, whether called "hypocrisy," "hidden knives," or "false kindness," was something Zhao Junchen was accustomed to and found very useful, so he adopted it.

Therefore, whether it was for the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu, Wen Guanliang, or Zhou Shangjing, Zhao Junchen's attitude towards them was always humble and friendly, but his true thoughts were known only to himself.

...

After the officials entered the Taihe Hall, they didn't wait long before Zhang De announced, "His Majesty has arrived. All officials, kneel to welcome him." Emperor Deqing then arrived at the Taihe Hall with a smile.

In a certain sense, Emperor Deqing might be a ruler who was easy to see through, but this could also be intentional.

For example, if he called Zhao Junchen "Junchen," it meant he was very satisfied with him. Conversely, if he called him "Minister," it meant he was in a bad mood.

Another example was the time Emperor Deqing appeared at the early morning court. If he arrived early at the Taihe Hall, like today, it indicated he was in a good mood.

Although Emperor Deqing was in a good mood, the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu was not. Everyone knew that today was the day to decide the outcome of the bet between him and Zhao Junchen. With Emperor Deqing in such a good mood, it clearly meant he hoped Zhao Junchen would win and Zhu Heyu would lose.

Therefore, Zhu Heyu's already serious and stern expression became even more severe and cold when Emperor Deqing arrived at the Taihe Hall.

"Rise, all ministers."

After Emperor Deqing sat down, he raised his left hand and said with a smile.

After the officials rose, before any of them could report, Emperor Deqing said, "Do all ministers remember the bet between the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu and the Minister of Revenue Zhao Junchen last month? I, as the witness of that bet, remember it clearly. Although there are still three days left until the end of the month, in my view, the outcome is already clear. Yesterday, Minister Zhao used the popular soap in the capital to add over 1.4 million taels of silver to the imperial treasury. After deducting labor and materials, it increased the treasury by at least 800,000 taels! And this is just the first year. According to my estimation, as the use of soap becomes more widespread among the people, the production of the imperial treasury will increase, and in three to five years, the profit will increase to about 1.5 million taels!"

With Emperor Deqing's words, including the Crown Prince's faction, the entire court erupted in surprise.

Although they knew that the auction of the soap yesterday would bring in a significant amount of silver for the imperial treasury, they didn't expect it to be so much!

After the surprise, many people turned their eyes to Zhao Junchen, finding it hard to believe.

However, Zhao Junchen, under the attention of the officials, lowered his head and showed a low-key and humble demeanor. Emperor Deqing, seeing this, was quite satisfied and continued, "A few days ago, I issued an edict that the profit from the soap in the imperial treasury would be used to subsidize the national treasury by 200,000 taels each year. In this way, the bet has already been won by Minister Zhao. Since this is the case, according to the terms of the bet..."

Before Emperor Deqing finished speaking, the Crown Prince Zhu Heyu suddenly stepped forward, his face serious and determined, and loudly said, "Father, I wish to impeach the Minister of Revenue Zhao Junchen on three counts, all of which are punishable by death!"

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ps: There are five updates today! This is the first one!

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