"No, we can't look at it that way."

Yao Tianzheng waved his hand and continued, "The Second Prince has been quick-witted and talented since childhood, and is capable of great things. Moreover, he is His Majesty's own son. No matter where he goes, he cannot avoid political and military power. If the emperor does not even trust his own child and is so wary of him, then wouldn't there be no one in the world who can be trusted?"

Sun Jian pursed his lips.

Yao Tianzheng is right. In feudal dynasties, the succession of direct descendants was indeed like that.

Firstly, even if the emperor doesn't let his own son lead the army and govern, he still has to use outsiders! By giving outsiders political and military power, they are more likely to develop ambitions.

How can one not use their own exceptionally talented child just to prevent him from usurping power and giving others an even greater opportunity to rebel?

Secondly, as long as a prince is stripped of his military and political power, as long as his ambition remains, he can still secretly cultivate his own faction, form cliques, and train troops. Even if the Second Prince's authority is removed now, who can guarantee that Minister of War Wei Xian will not continue to serve the Second Prince?

Who can guarantee that high-ranking officials in the court won't secretly defect to the government?

Doing so would only alert the enemy and incite greater conflicts and ambitions within the court.

Seeing that Sun Jian did not refute, Yao Tianzheng continued, "Sir, please consider this: today there is only one Second Prince. If the Sixth Prince and the Ninth Prince come of age in the future, will they all be removed in the same way?"

"There are many ambitious people in the court, so what should we do?"

"Speaking of ambition and trouble, the most powerful minister, Lin Xuanfu, is a greater threat. Could it be that he was dismissed and weakened because of suspicion and unsubstantiated doubts?"

"Then who will lead the officials, who will control the ministers, and who will check and balance all of this?"

"If Your Majesty continues to treat people with suspicion in this way, you will only lose more than you gain and bring about more serious trouble."

"The best course of action for Your Majesty is to establish checks and balances and use the Second Prince to teach His Highness the art of managing people!"

"Hmm... there's some truth to what you're saying."

Sun Jian nodded.

Yao Tianzheng is right. The Second Prince is a whetstone. It all depends on how to manage and utilize him. This applies not only to the Second Prince but to all officials in the court. If His Highness the Crown Prince cannot even understand and manage this kind of imperial strategy, how will he be able to govern the entire country in the future?

"Even if Liangzhou is recovered in the future, His Majesty will likely consider not sending the Second Prince to his fiefdom, as keeping him in the capital is the only way to maintain complete control..."

Upon hearing Yao Tianzheng's words, Li Gancheng nodded as if enlightened.

In truth, he also blamed his father. If Yao Tianzheng hadn't explained it so clearly today, he wouldn't have been able to understand his father's predicament and thoughts.

"The students have learned a lot."

Li Gancheng clasped his hands in a fist salute, stood up from his chair, and respectfully bowed to Yao Tianzheng.

Yao Tianzheng quickly stood up to return the greeting.

After the two sat down again, Yao Tianzheng asked, "Your Highness, did you discern His Majesty's final intention in court the other day?"

Li Gancheng said calmly, "Father, this is killing two birds with one stone."

"Father may only suspect Second Brother, but he knows in his heart that the mastermind behind all this is Wei Xian, the Minister of War."

"Perhaps Wei Xian was not a chess player, but he was certainly the henchman and manipulator of this incident."

"Wei Xian is the head of the Wei family, which is the second most powerful clan in our Da Gan. Not to mention that Wei Xian, the Minister of War, holds great power, his descendants are spread throughout the military. They are a large and deeply rooted family. If anything happens, Wei Xian could easily raise his arms and shout, and all the officers and soldiers who hold military power in the various military camps would respond."

"Even if there is solid evidence in front of him, Father will not punish Wei Xian. Instead, he will publicly question the authenticity of the evidence to save Wei Xian's face. Because Wei Xian cannot be touched, the only option is to discipline him and gradually strip him of his power. This is the best policy."

"The Tiger Legion is under the direct command of the Wei family. Although they are loyal, such a fierce tiger next to one's bed can still make people wary."

Listening to Li Gancheng's analysis, Yao Tianzheng kept nodding in agreement.

Li Gancheng spoke fluently and continued, "If it were a few years ago, before my Great Gan unified the Guanzhong Plain, the Wei family would indeed have a place to use their strength. But things are different now. My Great Gan now not only has the Guanzhong Plain, but also Longxi, Longnan, the Northwest, and the East and West Plains."

"Father will definitely have to deal with these potential threats and transfer military power to me."

"It's a double kill. First, Father wants to use Brother Sun to take over the Tiger Army, thereby increasing my strength and using this method to counterbalance Second Brother's restless ambition. Second, he wants Brother Sun to secretly investigate the Tiger Army, find Wei Xian's weaknesses, and drag him down, so as to complete the transfer of military power without bloodshed."

"Teacher, do you think I'm right?"

After answering all of Yao Tianzheng's questions, Li Gancheng asked Yao Tianzheng if his understanding was correct.

"Indeed, Your Highness's words are exactly what His Majesty intended; His Majesty does indeed share this sentiment."

Yao Tianzheng stroked his gray beard, a kind smile on his face.

As the crown prince, his vision and way of thinking are truly worthy of the position of heir apparent, and he has not forgotten the years of careful cultivation and training.

"But Your Highness, what you said is not the whole story. His Majesty's purpose is not only to kill two birds with one stone, but to kill three birds with one stone."

Upon hearing Yao Tianzheng's words, Li Gancheng looked surprised.

"Oh? What else? Please enlighten me, teacher?"

Yao Tianzheng deliberately kept everyone in suspense, turning his gaze back to Sun Jian and asking, "Sir, are you able to see through this?"

Sun Jian smiled and nodded, saying to Li Gancheng and Yao Tianzheng, "Disintegrate the factional strife."

Upon hearing this, Li Gancheng frowned, looking puzzled, while Yao Tianzheng showed a surprised expression, but this surprise was fleeting, replaced by a gratified smile.

Yao Tianzheng secretly thought to himself that his judgment was indeed correct, and Sun Jian had really seen through the mystery in one sentence.

Such insight is absolutely superior to that of ordinary people.

If he hadn't communicated with His Majesty beforehand, even he wouldn't have been able to see it. Unexpectedly, Sun Jian, who was unaware of all this, revealed it in just four words.

This man is truly a peerless genius. His vision and insights surpass even those of the crown prince who was raised from childhood. If the crown prince can manage Sun Jian properly in the future, then after Emperor Qianwu's death, when the crown prince ascends the throne, with Sun Jian's assistance, the Great Gan might really be able to unify the four kingdoms, bring peace to the nine provinces, and usher in a golden age.

At that time, Li Gancheng will become a figure like an emperor for all ages!