Chapter 241 Gradually undermining the old emperor's power...
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Wang Chen urged, "We absolutely cannot let the Crown Prince's schemes succeed. We must cause them some trouble on the way."
What mountain bandits, river pirates, drowning, or eating the wrong thing... Doesn't the steward know these things?! Why ask him another question? Even if it's the imperial army stationed here, they're not afraid to use some underhanded tactics.
"Master...they brought weapons!" the head steward reported, unable to express his grievances.
Those weren't swords, spears, or clubs; they were heavy weapons with a long range and high speed, like short crossbows!
Didn't the head butler know he should have stopped it?
All the groups of people they sent were killed or wounded! Some of the survivors were even killed, and the head steward had to send people to silence them, even though it pained him.
With such weapons in hand, and in considerable numbers, sending any number of them would be as easy as harvesting rice.
"It seems the Ministry of War does indeed have some newly developed crossbow..." Wang Chen, well-informed, squinted as he vaguely recalled something. His face darkened further, and he slammed his fist on the table, seemingly asking the head steward to himself, "Isn't there any other way to stop them?"
"His Highness the Crown Prince hastily dispatched troops to welcome us..." the head steward said, sounding both frustrated and tactful.
Their window of opportunity to act was already short, and then the main camp's central army came to escort them. Even powerful families wouldn't dare to easily expose their attack on the army without being absolutely certain of silencing witnesses.
“…I’ll go write to…the other companies.” Wang Chen’s teeth were practically shattering, but he had no choice but to accept it.
These powerful families had been secretly plotting to seize control of the emperor's lifeline. The powerful families held a hidden power above the emperor—this was their long-held belief. But this time… they couldn't force the emperor to bow his head.
Even now, Wang Chen still can't understand why his schemes, which were usually so simple and easy to execute, suddenly went awry this time, resulting in his defeat.
...
The five boys grinned, showing off their neat set of teeth, as they sat on the oxcart, the heavy cart wheels leaving deep ruts on the ground. The carts, laden with grain, gold, silver, and copper coins, formed a long procession that headed towards the army waiting to meet them in the outskirts of Taiyuan Prefecture. Heavy crossbows, crafted from fine steel, were held in men's hands, gleaming with a low-key, chilling light.
"That's great! We won't have to worry about military provisions anymore!"
"And another thing..." Uncle Huang drove the cart demurely, glancing with his still-intact eye at the faintly visible remnants of Wang's coins discarded by the roadside. He didn't say the rest of his words, but his expression was equally delighted.
The powerful families and the royal currency, which were the prince's biggest concerns... have also been dealt a blow.
A two-pronged approach.
Whether the Wang family's currency could be salvaged later was unknown to Uncle Huang, but he knew that His Highness would know what to do, and they, as servants, only needed to obey orders.
In the capital city.
Speed is of the essence in war.
Just ten days after the Crown Prince was appointed to the critical post, the situation had drastically changed. Caravans laden with grain and silver had already set off in various places, while the once-prosperous aristocratic families fell silent, preoccupied with their own survival. In Taiyuan, the large and small aristocratic families were ransacked, their blood flowing like rivers, and the Wang family, who should have been protecting them, was now rendered powerless.
The various problems within the Ministry of Revenue were neatly resolved, and the Crown Prince's reputation for exceptional competence spread far and wide.
Emperor Hongren was closely following the recent news in the palace, but he did not show any good expression when he heard these pieces of good news.
"The Crown Prince has some skills, but he's still too rash," he said calmly. The Crown Prince practically climbed to the top by stepping on his reputation; how could this please Emperor Hongren?
Furthermore, the Crown Prince had used some schemes against the Wang family of Taiyuan, only to be retaliated against by them using the same methods. Emperor Hongren's spies had all discovered this. What worried Emperor Hongren was that the Wang family of Taiyuan was utterly powerless against this; the same tactics, when sent to Liuzhou and Jiangnan, were met with complete indifference, without even a ripple. The situation was incredibly complex, so much so that others were completely unaware of how the Crown Prince had handled it, and had no way of learning from him.
Emperor Hongren had previously witnessed the Crown Prince's competence in handling state affairs, but he was still uneasy about his benevolence and ability to deal with factional strife and suppress his subordinates. Now that the Crown Prince had put his skills to the test, Emperor Hongren felt somewhat more at ease, but inwardly he was even more uneasy.
So he commented on Cui Anshi's report in this way.
Zhao Fuman bowed beside him, his mind racing as he feigned confusion and said, "Naturally, His Majesty is more shrewd and calculating. But... this old servant doesn't understand, didn't His Highness the Crown Prince let those people suffer a heavy loss?"
The Crown Prince and his personal eunuch could only think of that one level, far less than he could. Emperor Hongren, pleased with the flattery, shook his head with a touch of smugness, dismissed the assassin Cui, and said, "The powerful families aren't so easy to deal with. The Crown Prince is inexperienced, only knowing how to offend people with his youthful enthusiasm, without considering the consequences. Just wait and see, he'll suffer later—I'll have to clean up his mess!"
Emperor Hongren was very certain.
He had suffered so many losses at the hands of the powerful clans, which was why he hesitated and dared not make any hasty moves. The pain of being tricked by them again not long ago hadn't even subsided. The Crown Prince seemed triumphant this time, having thrown the powerful clans into disarray and managed to carve out a piece of their territory while they were off guard. Who knew that the counterattacks that followed would be relentless and overwhelming?
These are all things he, as the father, has personally experienced! The crown prince is still too inexperienced; let him suffer more losses so he can gain more experience.
Emperor Hongren had already made up his mind.
When the Crown Prince can no longer clean up his mess, that will be the time for him to curry favor with the powerful families and reclaim power from the Crown Prince. This was something he hated most, but he had been forced to coexist with the powerful families time and time again, and he couldn't think of a way to get rid of this cancer. Now that the Crown Prince was taking the blame, Emperor Hongren felt much better, and making this decision was easier.
"His Majesty has lost his mind to make such a decision!"
Qi Chengming cursed coldly in the Crown Prince's former residence, unable to hold back his words.
A buzzing sound filled the huge flower hall.
Qin Liusong, engrossed in writing a memorial, lowered his head even further. Chu Hong, who was teaching Qi Jiyun to read, didn't even look up, and ignored Song Gu's discussion about the follow-up to He San Tie in Taiyuan. Brother Huang Lan had also witnessed many of Qi's extraordinary qualities during this time, and now, he was the youngest and the most unsteady.
The young man looked up in a panic, glanced around to gauge the reactions of those around him, and then forced a smile as he fixed his eyes on the book in his hands, though he hadn't actually read a single word: "..."
They were discussing the aftermath of the Taiyuan Wang family's affairs, chatting amongst themselves and not paying attention to His Highness the Crown Prince. But who knew that Brother Qi... he suddenly drifted off into thought without a trace, his blank gaze seeming to have seen something, his face gradually tightening into a cold indifference, his expression quite annoyed.
In the past, it was fine; everyone tacitly pretended not to see it.
What palace secrets did Your Highness overhear today? Did His Majesty anger you so much that you suddenly blurted out… How are they supposed to explain this?
Brother Huang Lan was filled with apprehension and felt awkwardly worried for His Highness.
Seeing that he was restless and had not yet fully gotten used to the tacit understanding between the emperor and his subject, Qin Liusong smiled reassuringly and pointed to the latest public opinion report delivered by carrier pigeon on the table, and angrily added, "Your Majesty is really unwise! These places are all places with abundant grain, but Your Majesty has been too lenient with the aristocratic families, which has led them to dare to set up private accounts and falsely report the yield when they deliver grain."
"If it weren't for our crackdown on the smuggling of salt and grain, we wouldn't have discovered their large-scale resale of untaxed grain!"
Well, that's a very half-hearted reason; it's practically a forced attempt to connect it to His Majesty.
Huang Lan's brows furrowed, unsure if this would pass muster. He noticed the Crown Prince speaking absentmindedly, his reply even more perfunctory: "Yes! This year we managed to catch them off guard and confiscate their supplies for the army. But what will we do next? Ultimately, it's because the Emperor has been too lenient with the aristocratic families. If their treatment doesn't change, we'll be the ones suffering..."
These words were completely disjointed, and Brother Huang Lan was speechless several times, unsure of where to begin.
He choked up several times, but finally followed his heart and said, "Yes!"
Qi Chengming didn't notice his confidants' little tricks; his attention was focused on the surveillance in the side hall of the palace.
After fully charging the pinhole camera, he found an opportunity to put it back. Since he now had the authority to approve some memorials, he had more opportunities to discuss matters with Emperor Hongren in the side hall. Every few days, Qi Chengming would respectfully offer incense to his ancestors, and quickly put the device back.
Then he saw Emperor Hongren's latest statement.
The meaning is clear: wait for him to mess things up, then take back power. By then, the problem will be solved, the crown prince who solved it will also be eliminated, and Emperor Hongren will still be the emperor sitting high above.
How could you be so optimistic?
Whether it was to continue his plan to deal with the powerful families or for the sake of the power in his hands, Qi Chengming would not allow Emperor Hongren to succeed.
His busy work during this period has yielded results, but others all think that he was just showing off and giving the powerful families a hard time. They believe that once the families recover, they will definitely retaliate, and then it will be too late for him to laugh.
Qi Chengming had been working on this plan for several years, from the initial idea to its formulation. How could he not have imagined how troublesome aristocratic families would be?
His actions this time actually achieved two objectives:
First, they used various methods to suppress the public's trust in Wang's currency. Afterwards, they had further plans to ensure that Wang's currency would depreciate like silver notes, precisely targeting the rise of privately held currency by powerful families. They first secured the superior status of Wang's currency in Liuzhou, preparing for the future.
In this way, the ration coupons were preserved. The Wang family of Taiyuan, who had risen to prominence in order to retain the ration coupons, also declined.
Secondly, taking advantage of their unpreparedness, he eliminated the major and minor aristocratic families who relied on the Five Surnames and Seven Clans for survival. This time, he uprooted many minor aristocratic families in various places. His entrapment operation made people think he was targeting the Wang family, but in reality, he turned his attention to those who were illegally selling salt and grain. When they were in a panic and trying to cover it up, he found their real major crime: they had fabricated accounts and falsely reported the sale of grain.
This wave of raids was conducted with a clear purpose, both sending money and supplies to the front lines and weakening the power of the aristocratic families. It also bought enough time for the long journey to Liuzhou to deliver the grain.
These were merely appetizers before the formal dismantling of powerful families.
How could Qi Chengming possibly accept defeat when he had already gained an advantage?
So in the following two months... he also showed his skills.
With a steady supply of money and provisions at the front, the soldiers no longer hesitated and fought several vigorous battles, quickly reporting back one after another. After a brief consideration, Qi Chengming expanded the scale of several border garrisons and also compiled fertilizer formulas and various inventions for improving farming methods from the past reclamation in Liuzhou. He categorized these and sent Zhao Ju'er, under his command, to lead a team to help the garrison better cultivate the land on the border.
Finding others was not a reliable option, and using those recipes correctly in their entirety was not an easy task. However, Zhao Ju'er was one of the first elderly people to follow Qi Chengming to Liuzhou (although he was young). Because his father was a very skilled craftsman, and he himself had improved the bath powder, he was very talented in this area and knew it inside and out.
Zhao Juer is only about twenty years old, yet he has been entrusted with important responsibilities.
Qi Chengming also managed the affairs in the capital very well.
Qi Chengming's power included reviewing certain memorials, and since Emperor Hongren had essentially handed over control to the Crown Prince, he naturally didn't prevent Qi from approving them. However, this was intentional.
Can a prince who has never been taught how to read memorials and has never learned much about the art of ruling a kingdom be expected to do his best right from the start?
Emperor Hongren did not believe it.
Qi Chengming, however, wrote his critiques with remarkable clarity and competence. He understood the meaning behind those memorials and was well aware of the intricate web of official relationships that lay behind them. This only fueled Emperor Hongren's frustration after waiting for so long without seeing the Crown Prince.
—Because he saw through the prince's wolfish ambitions.
Imagine, if the Crown Prince hadn't planned ahead, how could he have excelled so much without any formal instruction?!
Qi Chengming smiled secretly.
He did not deny that he had been prepared for this.
After all, the efforts a person makes will ultimately reward them.
His study was filled with thickly bound notebooks, each page densely covered with hastily written annotations, interspersed with different ink marks for comparison. These were all recordings of Emperor Hongren's revisions of memorials, which Qi Chengming had spied on through a pinhole camera.
As the old emperor grew older, the sheer volume of memorials he reviewed made his head spin and his eyesight blurry. Sometimes he would have Zhao Fuman or a minister read them to him. Other times, he would mutter to himself, uttering snippets of news about officialdom. These snippets were sometimes disjointed or unrelated, but Qi Chengming took notes of them all whenever he had the time.
Emperor Hongren would always summon his ministers for a dialogue after reviewing memorials, and then issue an imperial edict in response. Qi Chengming meticulously recorded each of the old emperor's edicts, pondering their deeper meaning and the reasons behind their actions…
Accumulate knowledge and experience before unleashing its full potential.
Even though Qi Chengming is still new to reviewing memorials and there are many things he's not yet familiar with, he can easily avoid making mistakes by imitating some of Emperor Hongren's methods and responses. The fragments of information he couldn't understand back then have now become the foundation for his comprehensive understanding.
Not to mention—Qi Chengming also had several veteran ministers watching him closely, waiting to share his burdens.
This makes things even more stable.
Qi Chengming was very grateful that he had won the pinhole camera as a reward.
...This is so useful!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Qi Chengming: My efforts of secretly studying from dawn till dusk were not in vain!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com