Jiang Mansion.
Bang!
The wine jar exploded.
Jiang Quan's old face flushed red, and he seemed a little drunk.
Jiang Cen stood by, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
As the second son of the Jiang family, he also had some abilities. Seeing his father drunk, Jiang Cen didn't know how to dissuade him.
"Dad, please drink less."
"Drinking too much of this wine is bad for your health."
"Shut up and bring me some wine." Jiang Quan's face was filled with hatred, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I just don't understand what is right and what is wrong. Your Highness is compassionate to the people and has imprisoned those lazy officials. What's wrong with that? Why should I be confined to my house for speaking the truth?"
"Dad, stop talking..."
"What have I done wrong?"
"Are you also going to shut me up?"
"As the Minister of War, I can't even interfere with the Eastern Expedition this time. Your Majesty bypassed me and discussed it directly with others. What's the point of being the Minister of War? If Your Majesty wants to reduce my power, you can take it away!"
"I've spent half my life in the military, loyal to Dafeng. I thought I'd meet a wise ruler, one I could serve wholeheartedly. But I never imagined... How could Your Majesty become like this? Stubborn, favoring villains and alienating loyal ministers, even to the point of being blindly suspicious. Who in the court doesn't know what Prince Ning is like? This time, the rebellion was quelled thanks to Prince Ning, yet he's accused of harboring ulterior motives!"
"father……"
Jiang Cen looked helpless.
How can he persuade people in such a situation?
Even he couldn't figure out the situation.
Ning Que put down the rebellion, dealt with Tian Zhongxun, and even had the entire Gu family executed. Logically, this was definitely a good thing. However, Chang'an City was always shrouded in an invisible haze because of the constant turmoil in the court.
King Tian Zhongxun of Qi was executed.
The Great Purge lasted nearly half a year.
All those related to the King of Qi were liquidated!
The once powerful Gu family was completely executed!
Even dukes and marquises cannot avoid it.
The key lies in many of the emperor's practices.
It doesn't seem like a reward for Ning Que at all.
Instead, it seems more like they are eager to reduce his power.
"Minister Jiang, please calm down."
"Um?"
Jiang Quan put down the jar of wine.
Turning around, he saw Sima Changqing.
He was only wearing casual clothes and had a calm expression.
Yu Ji followed behind him.
"Grand Master, Prime Minister, why are you here?"
"I came to see you." Yu Ji calmly sat down, then poured them some strong liquor and said with a smile, "Like I told you last time, perhaps we all misjudged Emperor Feng. You should calm down a bit and stop being so impulsive. Do you also want to resign and return home like me?"
"When I'm well fed, my family is well fed. Life is quite comfortable here at the Six Arts Academy. And your Jiang family is a prominent family in Chang'an, with countless branches. If you fall, what will become of your clan members? Are you planning another massive purge?"
Jiang Quan fell silent immediately.
There is nothing wrong with what Yu Ji said.
"With your personality, you will suffer losses sooner or later."
"Emperor Feng has grown stronger, having eliminated his chief threat, Tian Zhongxun, and annexed the three counties of Qi into the Greater Feng territory. Prince Ning is perhaps the only threat to Emperor Feng now. What do you think he will do next?"
"Yes, Prince Ning is loyal."
"He has no reason to rebel."
"But he has this ability, which is wrong."
"He has a very high reputation among the people."
"Many people only know Prince Ning, but don't know how to obey the emperor."
"The Tian family is about to usurp the throne of Qi."
"What do you think the Emperor will do?"
Sima Changqing was drinking strong liquor.
As prime minister, he is now completely sidelined.
It has become a mascot in the court.
Emperor Feng would no longer listen to what he said.
In fact, he was the first senior official to have his power stripped away.
But he is very open-minded.
I also know that this is a matter of time.
"So the Prime Minister also thinks the prince is wrong?"
"Does right or wrong really matter?" Sima Changqing looked at Jiang Quan and said calmly, "It's Emperor Feng who's displeased with Prince Ning now. You could even say he's being picky. After Prince Qi died, the prince was still trying to win over the people in Qi, which was bound to cause Emperor Feng's displeasure."
Sima Changqing was not speaking to Emperor Feng.
Instead, we are analyzing the reasons why Emperor Feng did this.
"Your Majesty has changed after all..."
"When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked."
"When the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden!"
Jiang Quan raised the wine jar angrily.
Start drinking right away.
He just doesn't understand.
How did it turn out like this?
What a good emperor Fengdi was before.
Able to adopt the opinions of court officials.
Regardless of any decision, I will ask again and again.
Hening Que can also be regarded as a model of monarch and minister.
The two of them working together can definitely usher in a new era.
But now...
"Your Majesty has never changed." Sima Changqing smiled and shook his head, saying calmly, "Before he ascended the throne, he had vowed to fulfill the long-cherished wish of his predecessors. To unify the nine provinces and establish a truly unified dynasty. Everything he did was actually for this purpose."
"Prime Minister, why do you keep speaking for His Majesty?" Jiang Quan seemed a little dissatisfied. "Given our relationship, could you at least offer me some words of comfort?"
"It's because of this that I have to make you aware of the current situation." Sima Changqing looked towards the east. "As Prime Minister, I'm also nominally the head of all officials, but my power was stripped away long ago. If I complained like you, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to keep my position. I've been an official for many years, and I've learned a lesson. As the saying goes, a new emperor chooses new ministers. Only by living can there be hope."
"There's no point in showing off your bravery."
"No matter what you want to do, the best option right now is to be a good minister of war."
Sima Changqing also had something else to say.
His ability to remain a perennial figure in the Dafeng court was evident. His guiding principle was to avoid contention, focusing on the future and not easily offending anyone. He was as quiet as a virgin, yet as agile as a rabbit.
He could probably guess a lot of things, but he just didn't say it. After all, the time was not yet ripe, and there was no benefit in breaking up with Emperor Feng too early.
Emperor Feng would not target Ning Que for no reason.
At the very least, they will not express their dissatisfaction publicly.
Is this the first time Ning Que treats the people like this?
Not at all!
Ning Que was this kind of person before he inherited the title of king. Back then, when he was still the Crown Prince, he created the "Heaven on Earth" (天上人间). Many women from the Jiaofang Bureau were taken in. Although they became prostitutes and actors, their lives were much better than before, and they only sold their art, not their bodies.
This was also the case when he later quelled the locust plague in Jingyang. He made the people till the land and gave them money. This was how Ning Que operated, and it could be said that this was the tradition of the Ning Palace.
As for reducing Ning Que's power?
Even more unrealistic.
Ning Que himself is not a person who covets power.
Ning Que still needs to do a lot of things now.
I won't do it so early.
Then there is only one explanation!
Ning Que learned a secret from Tian Zhongxun.
Perhaps, the death of the old Prince Ning was really related to Emperor Feng!
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