Chapter 82

For Wei Ping's actions, Zhao Junchen always felt that Chief Minister Zhou Shangjing was involved, but unfortunately, Zhao Junchen only had suspicions and no concrete evidence.

However, similarly, for the matter of Wei Ping committing suicide by poisoning himself to avoid punishment, although Zhou Shangjing knew it was impossible, he had no evidence. Moreover, he had already expelled Wei Ping from his circle, and it would be inappropriate for him to speak up for Wei Ping at such a time.

Therefore, the next morning in court, when Gu Quan listed Wei Ping's various crimes, Li Lide presented the evidence found by the Ministry of Justice, and Zhao Junchen himself provided corroborative testimony, the shocking case of Wei Ping's poisoning and death came to an abrupt end.

After court, Zhao Junchen sat in his sedan chair, lost in thought.

What he was thinking about was not Wei Ping. To Zhao Junchen, Wei Ping was just a minor figure, and his poisoning was a minor incident. Once it was over, it was over.

What Zhao Junchen was now thinking about was a strange event that occurred in court just before the session ended.

Wen Guanliang, after being defeated by Zhao Junchen and further attacked by Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong, had barely managed to hold on for nearly a month. Finally, he could no longer bear it and, just before the court session ended, requested to resign from Emperor Deqing, intending to retire and return to his hometown, thus exiting the political stage.

However, to Zhao Junchen's surprise, Wen Guanliang's resignation was met with strong opposition and attempts to retain him from both the Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong factions.

Especially Huang Yourong, who, in order to retain Wen Guanliang, gave a lengthy speech during the morning court session, saying things like, "Minister Wen has governed wisely, benefiting the court and the people; how can he abandon the country?" and "The country can do without me, Huang Yourong, but it cannot do without Minister Wen for a single day," and "Minister Wen's retirement would be a great loss to the court and a great misfortune for the people."

When Huang Yourong said these things, it seemed as if the person who had hinted a month ago that Wen Guanliang was too old to be of use was someone else.

In the face of Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao's strong efforts to retain him, Emperor Deqing remained neutral, while Wen Guanliang looked uncomfortable.

In fact, over the past month, the Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao factions had been attacking Wen Guanliang, either openly or covertly, causing him great distress.

"What is this all about?"

Sitting in the sedan chair, Zhao Junchen frowned and muttered to himself.

...

Just as Zhao Junchen was deep in thought, Xu Qingyan's voice came from outside the sedan chair.

"Master, Lord Zhan has arrived."

Hearing Xu Qingyan's reminder, Zhao Junchen lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and saw that Zhan Shan's sedan chair was already alongside his.

At this moment, Zhan Shan also lifted the curtain of his sedan chair, his face showing an unusual excitement as he looked at Zhao Junchen.

"Have you found out what's going on?"

Zhao Junchen asked softly.

Hearing Zhao Junchen's question, Zhan Shan's excitement became even more evident, and he said with a tone of schadenfreude, "Lord, I have found out about Wen Guanliang. Ha, it turns out that Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong still want to take advantage of him, and Huang Yourong is in trouble."

Zhao Junchen nodded and sighed, "As expected."

Throughout history, in the Chinese bureaucracy, there has always been an unwritten rule: no matter what a person did or how many people they offended during their tenure, once they retired, as long as they did not interfere in court affairs, all past actions would be forgiven, and there would be no fear of retaliation.

In a sense, this was a form of gentlemanly politics, a rule that officials followed to ensure their future security.

Now, however, Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao were not allowing Wen Guanliang to retire. Their motives were clear.

Reflecting on the cruelty of political struggles, Zhao Junchen asked, "What exactly is going on? Tell me."

As they spoke, the two sedan chairs had left the official road near the palace and entered a bustling area where the common people gathered.

Seeing that it was not convenient to speak here, Zhao Junchen said to Zhan Shan before he could respond, "Do you have casual clothes with you? If so, why don't we both change into them and walk? There's a tofu pudding stall not far ahead; it's quite good. I've been there often these days. How about we go there together and try the local flavor?"

It was already well into winter, and although the snow had not yet come, the temperature was very low. The court robes were inconvenient, so most officials' sedan chairs were equipped with thick casual clothes.

Although he did not understand why Zhao Junchen would want to eat such a simple dish as tofu pudding, this was a rare opportunity to get closer to Zhao Junchen, and Zhan Shan would not let it pass. Hearing Zhao Junchen's question, he quickly replied, "Lord, I will naturally accompany you."

Following their instructions, the sedan chairs stopped, and after changing into casual clothes, Zhao Junchen and Zhan Shan, each with one or two attendants, walked towards the street ahead.

Walking through the bustling streets, Zhan Shan was clearly not used to it, but in front of Zhao Junchen, he still appeared enthusiastic, occasionally praising the lively atmosphere.

"Tell me, what's really going on?"

Hearing Zhao Junchen's question, Zhan Shan put aside his formalities and said with a broad smile, "Since Left Minister and others turned against Wen Guanliang, his influence in the court has greatly diminished, leaving him isolated. Although the position of Minister is prestigious, without the support of officials below, it is just a figurehead. You have seen how difficult it has been for Wen Guanliang these days. However, Wen Guanliang has been in the bureaucracy for many years and has more influence than just this. There are still many of his people in local governments and key departments."

Zhao Junchen nodded in understanding and asked, "Have Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong targeted these forces?"

Zhan Shan laughed even more heartily and explained, "Not just targeted, they are now competing for them. Apart from other positions, the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office has many positions held by Wen Guanliang's people. This department is known for its wealth and is also very important, making it difficult to make large-scale changes. To compete for these positions and officials, Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao are at an impasse."

Zhao Junchen asked calmly, "So they both thought of Wen Guanliang?"

"Exactly," Zhan Shan clapped his hands. "As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Since Wen Guanliang lost his power, many of his former subordinates have either been pulled down or found new patrons. As for those in the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, because of their critical positions, they are hesitant to show their stance in the face of Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao's simultaneous persuasion and threats. They are now neutral, waiting for the best offer. In this situation, Wen Guanliang's attitude as their former master is very important."

Pausing, Zhan Shan laughed even more heartily, "So, both Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong have been trying to persuade and threaten Wen Guanliang to convince his subordinates to join them before he resigns. Unfortunately, Wen Guanliang dares not offend either side, so the matter has been dragged on. As a result, Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao have lost patience, shifting from persuasion to threats and preventing him from retiring."

Zhao Junchen sighed, "It seems that Minister Wen is in a difficult position."

Zhan Shan nodded, "Exactly. Wen Guanliang has no way out now. No matter which side he helps, the other will launch a full attack. He has already lost his power, and if Huang Yourong or Shen Changmao launch a full attack, with various impeachments and charges, how can he escape unscathed? He wants to divide his remaining power and subordinates between Shen Changmao and Huang Yourong, but neither will be satisfied. In this situation, Wen Guanliang is likely to lose his reputation."

Zhao Junchen reflected, "A tiger in the plains is bullied by dogs. Although Wen Guanliang may not be a tiger, and Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao may not be dogs, his situation is similar, evoking much reflection."

Zhan Shan smiled, "You see things clearly, Lord."

Zhao Junchen nodded but suddenly said to Xu Qingyan, who was following him, "Qingyan, send invitations to the three ministers when we return to the mansion, telling them I will be hosting a banquet tonight and asking them to attend."

Xu Qingyan naturally agreed, but Zhan Shan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Lord, do you mean we should also share in the benefits?"

In fact, because of the successive defections of Zuo Lanshan, Gu Quan, and others to Zhao Junchen, Zhao Junchen was in the best position to take over Wen Guanliang's remaining forces.

However, Zhao Junchen chose to let them go.

Firstly, he wanted to leave some benefits for others. If he took everything, Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao would not look kindly on him. Zhao Junchen did not want to have too many conflicts with them. In exchange for Zhao Junchen's abandonment of these forces, Huang Yourong and Shen Changmao had not caused him any trouble and had even cooperated with him in various matters in the Censorate.

Especially Huang Yourong, who had turned a blind eye to Zhan Shan's recent activities in the Ministry of Rites.

Secondly, and most importantly, Zhao Junchen could not allow these former subordinates of Wen Guanliang to join him. Most of the officials under Zhao Junchen, except for Liu Chang'an and the Ministry of Revenue, were former subordinates of Wen Guanliang. Because of their similar backgrounds, they had formed a relatively independent group. If their numbers and influence grew, the relationship between Zhao Junchen and them would become unclear, and Zhao Junchen was not confident he could control them.

Zhao Junchen had spent a lot of effort integrating his forces for this reason.

Of course, Zhao Junchen could not openly express these thoughts to Zhan Shan. So, when Zhan Shan asked, Zhao Junchen coldly replied, "Lord Zhan, I know you have long harbored resentment against Wen Guanliang, but how can you let this resentment cloud your judgment? Don't you see that if this situation continues, you, Lord Tong, and Lord Zuo will also be implicated and end up in trouble?"

Zhan Shan was not a fool. Hearing Zhao Junchen's words, he calmed down and thought for a moment, then his face suddenly changed!