Chapter 68

On the way back to his residence, Zhao Junchen sat in the sedan chair, eyes closed, deep in thought. After careful consideration, he finally understood the true meaning behind Zhou Shangjing's words.

Indeed, during the morning court session, the reason Wen Guanliang was in such a dire situation was not because of the attacks from Chen Changmao, Huang Yourong, and their ilk, nor was it because the officials under his command had been bought off by Zhao Junchen, leaving him isolated and without support. It was because Emperor Deqing had abandoned Wen Guanliang!

Or rather, Emperor Deqing had also, like Chen Changmao and Huang Yourong, joined in the attacks on Wen Guanliang.

Although Emperor Deqing did not do much at the time, it was precisely because he did nothing that revealed his true thoughts and attitude toward Wen Guanliang.

When the officials of the Chen Changmao and Huang Yourong factions attacked Wen Guanliang, Emperor Deqing had countless opportunities to express his stance, but he did not. Instead, he allowed the officials to attack Wen Guanliang without restraint, merely watching coldly from the sidelines. It was only after Wen Guanliang had lost all his dignity in front of the officials and seemed to be guilty of the charges that Emperor Deqing finally spoke, offering a few lukewarm words of comfort.

In fact, if Emperor Deqing had expressed his stance earlier, Wen Guanliang would not have been in such a dire situation, and the officials would not have attacked him so fiercely.

Now, under Emperor Deqing's indulgence, Wen Guanliang had lost his reputation and dignity in front of the officials. How could he still stand in the political arena?

Moreover, Emperor Deqing's words, which seemed to be comforting, actually had a hidden meaning of劝退 (persuading him to step down).

"Perhaps this is what is known as the emperor's art of governance. It seems inconspicuous, but by merely delaying his stance, he has already changed the situation and turned the tide," Zhao Junchen thought to himself.

As for why Emperor Deqing had abandoned Wen Guanliang, Zhao Junchen could also imagine the reasons.

In the eyes of the emperor, every official has their own value. Once they lose their value, they lose their qualifications to continue serving.

Wen Guanliang's value to Emperor Deqing was undoubtedly to balance Zhou Shangjing.

However, with the betrayal of Zuo Lanshan, Gu Quan, Chen Dongxiang, and others, Wen Guanliang's influence in the court had greatly diminished, leaving him powerless to balance Zhou Shangjing. Therefore, he had lost his value to Emperor Deqing, and his abandonment was inevitable.

The speed of this abandonment, however, was too fast.

As for who would replace Wen Guanliang, considering Emperor Deqing's actions today, it was clear.

It was Zhao Junchen.

"Perhaps this is a good thing..." Zhao Junchen muttered to himself, "This way, I can save myself a lot of worry. At least in the short term, no matter how I expand my power and influence, it will still be within Emperor Deqing's tolerance."

Although he thought this, Zhao Junchen's face remained cold.

...

Upon arriving at the gate of his residence, Zhao Junchen got out of the sedan chair and saw Xu Qingyan, who was standing beside it, smiling. However, his demeanor was not pleasant, giving off the impression of a petty person reveling in his success.

Since the end of the morning court session, Xu Qingyan had been like this, having learned of Wen Guanliang's fate.

Zhao Junchen shook his head and smiled, but did not say much. He walked into the residence and, as he walked, instructed Xu Qingyan, "Today, I have been promoted to Minister of Revenue. Many people will likely come to offer congratulations. You go and take inventory of the gifts. Also, bring the gift from Chief Minister Zhou to the study; I want to see it personally. That gift might have some deeper meaning."

Xu Qingyan nodded and left, while Zhao Junchen headed towards the study.

When Zhao Junchen arrived at the study, it wasn't long before Xu Qingyan brought Zhou Shangjing's gift to the study.

Zhou Shangjing's gift was very light, contained in a thin brocade box. When Zhao Junchen opened the box, he found a volume of the Records of the Grand Historian.

Zhao Junchen flipped through it and saw that it was "The Biography of Marquis of Huaiyin" from the Records of the Grand Historian, a thin volume that was not particularly valuable. With the printing industry becoming more mature, it could be bought for a few silver coins at street bookstores.

However, this volume was different. It was a handwritten copy, and from the handwriting, Zhao Junchen could tell that it was personally copied by Zhou Shangjing. As he read through it, he noticed many annotations, clearly reflecting Zhou Shangjing's unique insights.

Seeing the words "Learning from history to understand the present" on the title page, Zhao Junchen smiled, roughly understanding Zhou Shangjing's meaning.

The Marquis of Huaiyin refers to Han Xin, the "unparalleled statesman" of the early Han dynasty. What left the deepest impression on later generations was not his glorious military achievements, but the phrases "high achievements that shake the ruler," "no more titles to confer, no more rewards to give," and "When the cunning rabbit is dead, the good dog is cooked; when the high bird is gone, the good bow is put away; when the enemy is defeated, the strategist is killed. The world is now at peace, and I must surely be punished!"

Although he roughly understood Zhou Shangjing's meaning, Zhao Junchen still read through the annotations with great interest. Zhou Shangjing's calligraphy, known as the Liu style, was highly regarded in the current dynasty, and this handwritten copy was not easy to obtain.

Moreover, the annotations within were a display of Zhou Shangjing's political wisdom, providing Zhao Junchen with a valuable learning opportunity.

Unconsciously, Zhao Junchen had finished reading the handwritten copy. However, the last section, which contained annotations about Han Xin's execution, caught his attention.

"Xiao He, Zhang Liang, and Han Xin are known as the 'Three Heroes of the Early Han,' and they were all loyal to the High Ancestor. However, why did only Han Xin not meet a good end? Was it because his achievements were too great and he shook the ruler? Were Xiao He and Zhang Liang's achievements insignificant? Was it because there were no more titles to confer? Were Xiao He and Zhang Liang's ranks low and their power weak? No, Xiao He met a good end because he was old, and although he had great power, it would not last long; Zhang Liang met a good end because, although he was younger and lived longer, he retired after achieving his goals and did not compete with others. Only Han Xin, who was young and powerful, could not retire, and while the old ruler was not afraid, the new ruler was suspicious. His fate was predictable."

Seeing this, Zhao Junchen closed the book, and the smile on his face disappeared.

Was Zhou Shangjing really commenting on Han Xin? Clearly, he was alluding to Zhao Junchen.

Although Zhao Junchen was not as powerful or talented as Han Xin, the current situation was somewhat similar. At a young age, he had already gained power and influence. While Emperor Deqing was still on the throne and confident in his ability to control Zhao Junchen, he allowed Zhao Junchen to act as he pleased. However, if Emperor Deqing felt his life was coming to an end, he might take action against Zhao Junchen for the sake of the new emperor.

However, it was impossible for Zhao Junchen to retire like Zhang Liang, because no matter how he conducted himself, the crown prince Zhu Heyu, who hated him to the bone, would not let him off. If he continued to seize power and influence, he might have a chance to survive and even bring down Zhu Heyu. But if he gave up his power, not only would Zhu Heyu not let him off, but the officials and eunuchs who were currently polite to him would be the first to act against him, and Emperor Deqing would also feel that Zhao Junchen had lost his value, leading to an even quicker death.

The term "adding insult to injury" was clearly demonstrated in the political arena today.

In this situation, Zhao Junchen had already considered everything clearly. Zhou Shangjing's comments only deepened his understanding.

For example, in the past, Zhao Junchen had only analyzed Emperor Deqing's attitude towards him based on his relationship with Zhu Heyu. Now, after Zhou Shangjing's guidance, he realized the danger of his youth.

However, fundamentally, these comments could not change anything, including Zhao Junchen's established strategy.

Therefore, after reading the handwritten copy, what Zhao Junchen most wanted to understand was why Zhou Shangjing had warned him about these things and what his intentions were.

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ps: There will be five updates today if everything goes as planned. This is the first update!