Chapter 237 The First Day of Taking Over Power...
Emperor Hongren's face was more grim than ever before. He had realized that the court was no longer entirely under his control as usual.
There were also staunch royalists in the court, loyal officials, or officials from aristocratic families. Once they realized what was happening, and judging by the Emperor's expression, they jumped out and glared at him, objecting: "Absurd! His Highness the Crown Prince is still young; how can he rashly assume the responsibilities of state?"
"The nation's food and military supplies are of utmost importance, even His Majesty is exhausted and worried about them. How dare you propose that His Highness the Crown Prince, who has only managed vassal states before, take charge of them... What are your intentions?!"
"I second that!" "That's still... too reckless."
Some scions of noble families, while refuting the accusations, glared angrily at their familiar colleagues, questioning them with betrayed looks—aren't you also from noble families? Why are you speaking up for the Crown Prince? Don't you know what they're up to?
The person being stared at didn't make eye contact at all, yet remained completely at ease.
joke.
Those who were given a second chance at life through extraordinary encounters were all loyal ministers who trusted the new ruler (this was their guess). They were no longer members of aristocratic families! On the contrary, these scions of aristocratic families should be more pragmatic.
...Otherwise, they'll inevitably run into trouble sooner or later; they can't defy the new emperor's methods!
On the other side, Grand Tutor Wu also spoke slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly, not as if he were in a hurry to refute them, but rather to state an answer:
"...It is precisely because His Majesty has a heart full of love for his son, and His Highness the Crown Prince is so filial, that he is naturally willing to share His Majesty's burdens."
Emperor Hongren: "..."
What's wrong with that old scoundrel Wu?
This guy usually speaks in a soft, gentle voice, which makes him impatient. Now he's talking as if he's really looking out for him. This is a blatant threat!
Do we really expect him to choose now?
Are you really not afraid that he won't give it to you, or that you'll force him to choose a prestigious family?!
The veins on the back of Emperor Hongren's hand bulged, and a look of pain and contortion appeared on his aged face, his heart filled with rage. He glanced again at the spot where the Crown Prince was standing.
The crown prince remained standing with his eyes lowered, seemingly oblivious, neither speaking nor moving, his head bowed and eyes meek.
That expression looks familiar...
The last time he saw him was when the Crown Prince knelt on the ground, disregarding his image, begging him to give up the idea of taking the voucher.
...With a ticket!
The pent-up anger in Emperor Hongren's chest deflated instantly.
His reason returned slightly.
Let the Crown Prince handle it... If he fails, he'll have a reason to seek help from the aristocratic families. If the Crown Prince turns the tide... he can then pass the responsibility of dealing with the aristocratic families to him as well.
I am the Son of Heaven, and should be sitting high above, overseeing the game. How could I possibly get involved?
Once everything is resolved, then... he'll find a way to dismantle the Crown Prince's hardened arm!
Emperor Hongren narrowed his eyes, recalling his humiliation and helplessness in court today. He firmly believed that this was due to a secret collusion between the emperor and his ministers, catching him off guard. In terms of bloody struggles, how old was the Crown Prince? He was as tender as a frozen cabbage compared to him! He would surely be able to defeat this mere child in the future.
...We cannot let the empire fall into the hands of powerful families for nothing.
After regaining his composure, Emperor Hongren sighed deeply, his expression still hard to calm down, but he still said, "Your words are reasonable. The Crown Prince has been training in the Six Ministries under Grand Tutor Mu for some time now, and his studies are excellent. It is time to entrust him with important responsibilities."
"Your Majesty?!" "Your Majesty—!" The noble families were in a panic, and the loyalists of the royalist party were also anxious and disagreed with His Majesty's decision to relinquish such an important matter so soon.
"This matter... will be left to the Crown Prince as you ministers have suggested." Emperor Hongren said slowly, ignoring the ugly or worried expressions on his confidants' faces, and then added, "However—this is the first time the Crown Prince has presided over state affairs. Minister Cao, go and give him some pointers. Prince Ning should also help his brother; go with him."
Ning Wang, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, was like: "Huh?"
Qi Chengming, however, smiled and, as if his ears had finally cleared, raised his eyes and gladly accepted the order: "Yes, Father. Your subject will do his utmost to share the burden of the country."
Among the Grand Secretaries who governed during the reign of Emperor Hongren, Grand Secretary Cao was the one whose ideals were closest to those of Emperor Hongren. This time, the secret war against the powerful clans was also orchestrated behind the scenes by Grand Secretary Cao, a confidant of Emperor Hongren, representing the old emperor's will. He was one of the insiders who knew the details of this affair.
Emperor Hongren reluctantly relinquished all power, but power couldn't be given away so easily. Even if it was out of fear that the empire would be ruined by the Crown Prince, he still had to appoint a general to keep an eye on Qi Chengming's actions. Therefore, Qi Chengming was not surprised at all that Emperor Hongren had sent Grand Secretary Cao or someone else.
Prince Ning...
Prince Ning was just an extra.
Whether it was to annoy Qi Chengming or to promote Prince Ning to compete with him, Qi Chengming remained unmoved.
He planned to give his younger brother a good talking-to, hoping that if he could accomplish something meaningful and gain experience, then the Prince of Ning's trip would not have been in vain.
"Your subject... obeys the decree!" The officials knelt down in unison to receive the decree, regardless of any objections. Emperor Hongren had made the decision.
Qi Chengming turned his head slightly and happened to meet the Seventh Prince's evasive gaze. The young man knelt on the ground unwillingly, and the resentment and disbelief in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.
Qi Chengming calmly pursed his lips.
The reality has changed drastically from the original plot. He's constantly putting the original male lead in the shadows, turning the male lead's age advantage into a disadvantage. He's also been cultivating relationships with court officials and creating political achievements ahead of time... The original male lead, the Seventh Prince, can now only follow behind him and Prince Ning, barely catching up.
But... Qi Chengming no longer needed to care about him.
His only opponent now is Emperor Hongren himself.
After the court session, a murmur of discussion filled the air among the officials. Everyone was whispering about the exciting news from the day's proceedings. Some supported the Crown Prince, while others worried whether the Prince would ruin Dingguo. A few noblemen, their expressions inscrutable, hurried away, rushing to write letters and deliver messages.
Wang Chuandao approached, his face devoid of joy. Unlike ordinary officials who would congratulate His Highness on gaining power, he simply cupped his hands in greeting and said, "What should we do next? Please give your instructions, Your Highness."
For Wang Chuandao, this was merely the first step in saving the country.
"Let's talk as we walk." Qi Chengming nodded to him, then called Prince Ning, Grand Secretary Mu, and several other important officials, along with Elder Liu and others, and together they left the main hall and headed towards the offices of the Six Ministries.
Qi Chengming had discussed the specifics of how to proceed repeatedly with his trusted ministers. Among them, the most knowledgeable were several of his study companions and Grand Secretary Mu. The other ministers only vaguely knew what His Highness the Crown Prince planned to do and what their own roles should be involved.
Now it's time to discuss the details.
Stepping into an empty duty room, Qi Chengming took out a map he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and spread it on the table for everyone to see: "The most urgent task is to prepare military supplies and provisions to send to the border. The army at the front cannot wait. As you can see, sirs, these places, and these places all have abundant grain production. We can obtain supplies from these places, and if all goes well, we can collect another batch of silver."
"this……"
Lord Liu immediately recognized that these areas were all under the jurisdiction of aristocratic families. In recent months, during the war, these areas under the control of aristocratic families were not allowed to purchase large quantities of grain, and prices had soared... Normal collection was no longer possible, and His Majesty could not even send people to purchase grain secretly. What does His Highness the Crown Prince mean?
Would a noble family be so foolish as to offer both food and silver?
Qi Chengming saw the faces of the several senior officials looking at each other with doubt, but the Minister of Revenue remained calm and said eagerly, "His Highness the Crown Prince's methods in Liuzhou are extremely clever, which I greatly admire. Please give your instructions."
Qi Chengming stopped being coy and named the Salt and Iron Bureau: "The war at the front is intense, and the logistical supplies cannot keep up. We must strictly control them. I will write a decree from the Crown Prince, effective immediately, salt, iron, tea, and minerals must be taxed in kind with silver, and private currency will be abolished."
"Yes." The Minister of Revenue replied without blinking, his expression solemn. He had guessed that this was a method targeting aristocratic families, but he did not yet understand the key to it.
The government-issued silver notes are already practically worthless; silver has always been scarce in the private sector. This order will only make them worse. While the Wang family's currency will be restricted by this order, what about His Highness the Crown Prince's territories… if these notes can't be used, won't their businesses also be affected?
Moreover, compared to other powerful families, the aristocratic clans possess substantial wealth and resources. The five surnames and seven prominent clans share a common bond, so even if they were to transact entirely in silver, it would at most cause temporary pain, far from crippling the situation. On the other hand, the Crown Prince's territories...
What is this? Killing a thousand enemies while losing eight thousand and five thousand of your own?
To put it bluntly, even if His Highness the Crown Prince had the entire Ding Kingdom backing him and wanted to wage a war of attrition... he might not be able to defeat the aristocratic families.
Qi Chengming, however, seemed to know what he was thinking and slowly said, "A straightforward approach is naturally no match. In times like these, we need some underhanded tactics..."
He gestured for the group to come closer and whispered something to them.
Those who knew some of the inside story remained relatively calm, but Prince Ning, who was experiencing this kind of political intrigue for the first time and whose ears were filled with scathing criticism, gradually froze, beginning to question his own existence.
Finally, he couldn't help but ask hesitantly in a low voice, "This method sounds so simple, Father... didn't you think of it?"
The Crown Prince's method sounded too simple and easy to understand, and even began to make Prince Ning question whether Emperor Hongren was not even capable of such a simple method.
Qi Chengming shook his head, unable to elaborate: "Actually, it's different. Only I can act this way in the entire Dading."
The solution has always been very simple.
The only difference is that Qi Chengming has been lying low for many years, accumulating the confidence and means to deal with these crises. He can support the bottom line, and if all else fails, he still has the modern perspective and infrastructure system to help him.
Emperor Hongren knew perfectly well that he could use simple and brutal methods to manipulate and enforce the law against the powerful families. But temporary pleasure would only lead to greater hardship later. Even as an emperor, he was constrained by the limitations of the feudal dynasty. When the powerful families wanted to strangle him, he was powerless to act. Was it that he didn't want to extricate himself?
The high-ranking officials fell silent, each lost in thought.
Lord Liu suddenly gave His Highness the Crown Prince a deep look.
Let's see if His Highness can really succeed; the implications behind this are not as lighthearted as he makes them out to be...
Qi Chengming held a private meeting with his high-ranking officials in the palace for several hours. During the meeting, he noticed that Grand Secretary Cao listened quietly without uttering a sound, showing no intention of causing trouble. By the time everything was arranged, it was already noon, and everyone was starving.
Qi Chengming then invited everyone to a restaurant for a meal before they went their separate ways.
He saw Xiao Chengzi, who had been following behind him the whole time, quietly pondering, his brow furrowed. He still found Qi Chengming's arrangements for today to be profound and incomprehensible. The young eunuch's face was tinged with a hint of fear and frustration, as if he couldn't understand it at all.
Qi Chengming quietly turned to the side and burst into a hearty laugh: "Don't even think about it. I didn't explain the whole story clearly, how could you possibly understand?"
Only his trusted confidants were given the opportunity to explain things in detail; the other officials in the court simply had to do as he said.
"Take a look at this letter." Qi Chengming stopped beating around the bush and took out several letters, old and new, from his pocket for Xiao Chengzi to see. They were all signed by Zhang Ji from Taiyuan.
Xiao Chengzi took them out and looked at them in chronological order.
The inscription reads: A month ago, Zhang Ji, following Qi's instructions, dispatched numerous spies to Taiyuan Prefecture to spread rumors, accusing the money shops that owned the Wang family coins of being unable to easily exchange large sums of silver, and hiring shills to manipulate the situation. Once the panic was widespread, he also had merchant caravans from Jiangnan disguise themselves as various large and small merchants, secretly hoarding Wang family coins at high prices…
With this back and forth, many people in Taiyuan either couldn't resist the temptation of getting rich or were caught in a panic, and reluctantly exchanged all the Wang family coins they had for silver to keep their minds at ease...
At this point, it was still just a simple trick, which the powerful families could easily see through and deal with.
“But…” Qi Chengming calmly stated, “The aristocratic families are not well-versed in their skills. From the beginning, my people only taught them how to balance the calculation of private currency with the goods on the market. They told them that if the private currency and the goods were not equal, they must make supplements or reductions. But they did not say that if they did not learn it thoroughly and did not apply it flexibly… sometimes, such a remedy is the fatal blow.”
"Keep reading," Qi Chengming gestured for Xiao Chengzi to continue. From the very beginning, he had been holding back his knowledge when teaching his people, intending to bring about the self-destruction of the aristocratic families at this moment.
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Author's Note: This chapter took me a whole day to write, and I was in agony. I'm not a professional in economics, and my understanding of economics is very superficial, so I don't know if there are any major plot holes. Just enjoy it for fun. (The next chapter will continue with the plan targeting the powerful families.)
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