Logically speaking, since Jiang Ming became the prime minister of Yan, he should have brought Chen Damei and her family to Jicheng to establish their own government offices and enjoy wealth and luxury.
But Jiang Ming didn't; his heart's true home was still Dukang County!
Therefore, he was also considering moving the capital.
They want to move the capital to Dukang!
In this way, the emperor could guard the borders of the country and restrain both the Zhongshan State and the Xianbei forces.
This would also allow them to extend their influence more closely to the Central Plains states, laying the groundwork for future hegemony.
However, he has not yet decided on the specific time for moving the capital!
During this month, in addition to reorganizing government affairs and completing the handover between the new emperor and the deceased King of Yan, he also...
The more important thing is to select 'talented individuals'!
That is, select people who can truly be of use to you.
Humans are such complex beings!
It's impossible to expect others to be genuinely loyal to you; no one can do that!
Only when others dare not disloyal to you, dare not dislove you, is it reliable!
This is what Han Feizi meant when he said, "If the ruler is not benevolent and the ministers are not loyal, then kingship and hegemony can be achieved!"
Anyone who believes in the existence of 'miracles of good people' will be betrayed sooner or later!
Therefore, Jiang Ming also established his own two intelligence agencies.
One was the 'Secret Guard' commanded by Eunuch Li, and the other was the 'Imperial Guard Inspectorate' headed by the Minister of Justice Zizhi, which was responsible for investigating rumors and the words and deeds of ministers to see if they had overstepped their bounds.
In the homes of all the civil and military officials, Eunuch Li's "secret guards" were placed. Some were maids, and some were servants. They did not know each other and reported to a designated person.
The Inspectorate of the Court of Justice Zizhi was essentially an "outer guard," which, to put it bluntly, was Jiang Ming's henchman!
These two teams, one yin and one yang, one covert and one overt, check and balance each other, and are not under the same command.
Jiang Ming spared the life of the Empress Yan.
It was definitely not for the sake of 'novelty' or lust at first sight, nor was it to... extract secrets about Young Master Luo's business empire from her.
These are all tiny, insignificant added values.
The real added value lies in quickly understanding the characteristics and weaknesses of the various factions within the Yan court.
As the wife of the late King Ji Xi of Yan, Queen Yan was the biggest schemer in the Yan court. She had been operating in the harem and the court for more than a decade, and she was extremely familiar with the affairs of the Yan state!
By asking her questions and conducting comprehensive investigations and comparisons through multiple channels, we can quickly break through information silos and gain a complete understanding of everyone.
The so-called art of emperors is like holding a teacup. You must have something on the other party to hold so that you won't feel the teacup burning your hand. You can kill the other party at any time, thus forcing them to work for you!
In fact, this tactic is quite common in modern business warfare!
If your spouse betrays you, especially your first wife, and she sides with your rival, then you are essentially dancing naked in front of her, all your secrets vanished, and you are reduced to a complete clown!
Now the Empress is imprisoned in a dark and secluded dungeon, cut off from all contact with the outside world!
She didn't even know that Prince Yan, Ji Xi, was dead...
She was simply fed and cared for by Jiang Ming every day.
Jiang Ming also wouldn't allow anyone to speak to her.
Her only time to communicate each day was during meals, when Jiang Ming would occasionally come over and have a heart-to-heart talk with her.
When she learned that Jiang Ming had 'properly' protected her two children, Empress Yan was naturally extremely grateful to him, as if she had been given a second life, and she told him everything she knew!
This woman even tried to seduce Jiang Ming, offering herself to him and becoming his possession.
But Jiang Ming didn't agree...
There was no room for her to further develop her ideas!
The only value of the Empress Yan's remaining life is to write "The Deeds of Officials" for Jiang Ming, contributing her many years of scheming "memoirs".
She was happy to do it... After all, her only expectation every day was to see Jiang Ming and talk to him...
Jiang Ming also benefited greatly from this process.
He learned that the Yan state was already riddled with problems, corrupted by the Qi state's "golden strategy" and was like a dilapidated house.
As a result, the King of Qi knew everything Ji Xi said and did in court, and even what happened between him and the concubines in the harem, all the next day.
Many ministers even owned houses and land in Linzi, the capital of Qi.
The idea was to play both sides, so that if the Yan Kingdom were ever destroyed, they could simply change the logo and continue to serve the King of Qi!
The so-called "gold strategy" meant that the richest state among the states, Qi, allocated hundreds of thousands of taels of gold specifically to corrupt the powerful and wealthy in other states, thus forming a corruption and bribery network!
The people of Qi discovered that problems that could be solved with money, and that corrupting other states from within and interfering with the judgment of their rulers, were far more powerful than an attack by hundreds of thousands of troops!
The last Battle of Maiqiu was a disastrous defeat because the Queen of Yan accepted a bribe from Tian Cheng of Qi and did not appoint Yue Yi as general.
Inside a special cell in the imperial prison, Empress Yan recounted her story to Jiang Ming in detail...
"Mr. Jiang, I've told you everything I know, both what I should and shouldn't have said..."
After drinking a cup of wine poured for her by Jiang Ming, the Queen Yan's cheeks flushed slightly. She sighed with melancholy, "Life is like a joke. I've fought and struggled for over a decade, and in the end, it's all for nothing... Now, you're the only person I can talk to. I really... Waaah!"
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