Letter to the palace.
Yuan Li sat upright in the main hall, drinking tea. Although he was young, his posture was dignified and his expression solemn, exuding a kingly aura.
Chen Ke stood in front of him with a slight bow.
"Lord Chen, you have done well this time. Although I cannot reward you with anything more, the Central Secretariat will surely be an important instrument of the empire in the future. The officials of the Central Secretariat you appointed will all be important ministers of the court in the future. As their recommender, you will naturally rise in rank."
Chen Ke bowed even lower, showing great humility towards Yuan Li, and said, "As the Minister of Personnel, I am only doing my job and dare not ask for any reward. As for the officials of the Central Secretariat, it is Your Highness's discerning eye that has recognized their talent, and I dare not claim credit for it."
"You are very good."
Yuan Li smiled slightly, but his eyes remained sharp. He said, "What the Great Jing needs most right now is someone like you. But I'm very curious, how will you explain this to the Left Chancellor?"
"I am an official of the Great Jing Dynasty and a subject of His Majesty. There is no need to explain to the Left Prime Minister."
Chen Ke replied firmly, though he was also hesitant, he did not regret his decision.
After Wen Tai became the Left Chancellor, Chen Ke joined his faction and, through his own efforts and Wen Tai's patronage, rose through the ranks to become the Minister of Personnel. At that time, he was very grateful to Wen Tai. However, after becoming the Minister of Personnel, he became Wen Tai's puppet. Although appointing officials through the Ministry of Personnel was his job, in reality, it was Wen Tai who made the decisions.
Those who were promoted would only be grateful to Wen Tai, but would never become his people. On the other hand, those who were demoted according to Wen Tai's orders would not dare to offend him, but would only resent him.
Wen Tai, on the other hand, never managed to bring him into the core circle of the Left Prime Minister's residence.
He felt very frustrated.
So this time, he neither continued to be Wen Tai's puppet nor accepted Chen Changyun's offer of enlistment, but instead sided with Yuan Li without hesitation.
He knew in his heart that as long as the emperor wanted to deal with the Left Prime Minister's residence, he would definitely not be able to escape.
I get all the benefits, but I'm always the one who has to take the blame.
On what grounds?
Yuan Li rubbed his fingers together and smiled, "I admire Lord Chen's integrity. You can rest assured and do your work diligently. I'm here for you, so you don't need to worry."
Overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation, Chen Ke bowed deeply in gratitude.
Yuan Li's statement clearly indicates that he is now on Yuan Li's side.
Chen Ke exclaimed excitedly, "This humble official will never betray Your Highness's trust!"
"Go ahead."
"yes!"
After Chen Ke left, Yuan Li's expression turned cold. He told his men to give him a long robe, and then went to a small courtyard in the mansion.
There was a jujube tree in the courtyard. Chen Changyun was lying on a bamboo chair, taking a nap, his face covered with fat.
Yuan Li sat down next to Chen Changyun, and immediately those around him coughed a few times.
Startled awake by the noise, Chen Changyun habitually wiped his drool, quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Highness!"
Yuan Li said, "It's okay, if you're sleepy, you can sleep some more."
Chen Changyun dared not, so he sat up straight and adopted a business-like posture, smiling obsequiously as he said, "I've been suddenly quite busy lately, and I haven't been getting enough rest."
Yuan Li said, "The Central Secretariat has more and more affairs to handle, and you will only get busier and busier in the future."
Chen Changyun smiled and said, "The one who has worked the hardest is still the Prince."
"No need for formalities. I've come up with a way to keep you busier; it's just a matter of whether you're willing to do so."
"Your Highness, please give your orders!"
“We have already finalized the officials of the Central Secretariat through Chen Ke’s help. In the future, some appointments in the local areas will still have to go through the Ministry of Personnel. I think it’s not good to keep bothering Chen Ke. If you, Lord Chen, also serve as the Minister of Personnel, wouldn’t it be more convenient for the Central Secretariat to do its work?”
Chen Changyun was first startled, then his face lit up with joy, and his voice trembled as he said, "I...I...of course I'm willing! But...the Minister of Personnel is the head of the Six Ministries, can I take that position?"
Yuan Li remained calm and said, "You are a close advisor to the Emperor, and you have my recommendation. What's so difficult about that?"
The more Chen Changyun thought about it, the more likely it seemed. His face flushed, and he clasped his hands in a fist and said to Yuan Li, "If this matter succeeds, I will follow Your Highness's lead and never betray His Majesty and Your Highness's trust!"
Yuan Li said, "Whether this matter succeeds or not depends on you."
Why is that?
Chen Changyun thought for a moment and asked with a question, "There's one more thing, what are the arrangements for Chen Ke?"
"Send him on his way."
"What?!" Chen Changyun stood up in shock.
"So, as I said, this matter still depends on you."
Yuan Li gestured for Chen Changyun to sit down, then said, "I've come up with an idea for you: hire a skilled assassin. It'll be quick and efficient."
Chen Changyun was shocked, his voice trembling even more: "This...this...Your Highness is joking with me, right?"
Yuan Li said coldly, "Do I look like I'm joking with you?"
Chen Changyun said, "But even if we want him to die, we can use other methods, such as poison, or find a way to make him sick. That way, the commotion won't be too big, and it won't be easy for people to suspect us."
Yuan Li said, "The point of doing this is to make a scene and arouse suspicion."
Chen Changyun asked suspiciously, "I don't understand."
Yuan Li looked into the distance and said, "The list of officials in the Central Secretariat that Chen Ke produced doesn't include a single member of the Left Party faction. Now, all the officials are privately discussing that Chen Ke has betrayed the Left Prime Minister's office. If Chen Ke is killed at this time, who will people suspect?"
Chen Changyun's eyes lit up, and he said, "The Left Prime Minister!"
Yuan Li smiled and said, "Then what are you afraid of people suspecting?"
"Brilliant!" Chen Changyun gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Your Highness is truly exceptionally intelligent. The bigger the commotion this matter causes, the more unsettled the Left Prime Minister's residence will be. It's a win-win situation!"
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