Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1776 You can accept your mediocrity!
After Zhao Wanxian finished speaking, he suddenly realized he had misspoke. He immediately looked at Ye Mingsheng with some fear, and feeling the coldness in Ye Mingsheng's eyes, Zhao Wanxian knelt down with a thud and said:

"Your Majesty, I have misspoke and deserve to die. Please forgive me!"

As Zhao Wanxian knelt down, his officials followed suit.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng helped Zhao Wanxian up from the ground and said calmly:
"You must be tired after traveling all day! Go back and rest!"

After speaking, Ye Mingsheng turned and left with his entourage without waiting for Zhao Wanxian's reply, leaving Zhao Wanxian, Gao Congwen, and the others standing there looking at each other in bewilderment.

After an incense stick had burned, Ye Mingsheng returned to his temporary residence in Liujia Ferry. Just as he was about to eat something to calm himself down, his son Jingren couldn't help but ask:

"Father! What does 'pleasing the ruler' mean?"

Hearing Jingren mention those four words again, Ye Mingsheng was speechless, but seeing Jingren's curious eyes, he patiently explained:
The saying "to flatter the ruler" comes from Mencius's "Gaozi II". It says, "To condone the ruler's evil is a small crime, but to flatter the ruler is a great crime!"

"The meaning of '逢' is to actively cater to or encourage, rather than passively accept. The meaning of '君之恶' is very simple: it refers to the king's wrong decisions or evil deeds."

"So, Jingren, what do you mean by that?"

Jingren blinked and said:
"Do we actively pander to the king's mistakes?"

Ye Mingsheng nodded slightly and said:

"That's roughly the idea: through flattery and sycophancy, deliberately guiding a foolish ruler to implement wicked policies..."

Hearing his father say this, Jingren nodded with apparent interest.

Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng casually asked:
"Didn't you study Mencius before? Didn't Master Gu tell you this sentence?"

Jingren thought for a moment and said:
"I started studying Mencius a year ago. My teacher may have taught me about it, but I've forgotten it all!"

After saying that, Jingren scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, and Ye Mingsheng said helplessly:
"What can you possibly remember with your head? You've eaten all this knowledge!"

Jing Ren, who had been criticized, looked somewhat embarrassed and lowered his head, not daring to look at Ye Mingsheng.

Seeing Jingren like this, Ye Mingsheng became even angrier and immediately asked again:
"Now that you understand the meaning of 'pleasing the ruler to the evil,' tell me some historical anecdotes about this phenomenon!"

When Jingren saw his father testing him, he became a little nervous. But the more nervous he became, the less he could remember, and the more he couldn't remember, the more flustered he became.

However, seeing Jing Ren's confused expression, Ye Mingsheng gradually calmed down and then reminded him:

"Think about those infamous treacherous officials in history. For example, Gu Sansi from the Qin Dynasty must have told you about them. Use your brain and think about it carefully!"

After Ye Mingsheng's prompting, Jing Ren had a sudden inspiration and immediately blurted out:
"Zhao Gao of the Qin Dynasty!"

"Whom did he curry favor with?"

"Qin Er Shi, Hu Hai!"

How did he flatter them?

"After Qin Shi Huang died, Hu Hai had no intention of seizing the throne. However, Zhao Gao, under the pretext of seizing the opportunity, told Hu Hai that being emperor would allow him to enjoy endless wealth and glory, live a life of extravagance, and sleep with the most beautiful women in the world, thus urging Hu Hai to usurp the throne!"

Zhao Gao also threatened Li Si with the threat that "if Fusu ascends the throne, Meng Tian will replace him as prime minister," forcing him to participate in forging the imperial edict. Zhao Gao actively created opportunities to seize power and cleared obstacles, ultimately leading to Fusu's suicide and Huhai's ascension to the throne, foreshadowing the Qin Dynasty's demise after only two generations.

Furthermore, Hu Hai had no intention of large-scale purges, but Zhao Gao emphasized that "if he does not kill them, his position will be unstable," thus inducing Hu Hai to kill meritorious officials such as Meng Tian and Meng Yi, as well as a large number of his relatives. And then there is the most famous incident of "pointing at a deer and calling it a horse"!

Hearing Jingren recount so much in one breath, Ye Mingsheng was somewhat surprised that Jingren knew so much about that period of history.

At this moment, Jing Ren seemed to have noticed Ye Mingsheng's confusion and immediately explained:

"Mr. Gu said that you, Father Emperor, were a monarch with great talent and ambition like Qin Shi Huang, but because you had a successor like Hu Hai, the Qin Dynasty eventually perished after only two generations, and the Qin state's hundreds of years of foundation were destroyed in an instant. Therefore, Mr. Gu taught me to learn from history and never repeat the mistakes of the Qin Dynasty!"

After finishing, Jingren lowered his head and said with a self-deprecating smile:

“I am dull-witted and cannot become a figure like Fusu, but I do not want to become Huhai either. Therefore, I have studied Huhai very carefully, thinking about the mistakes he made and the pitfalls he fell into. I cannot make the same mistakes again!”

Ye Mingsheng was quite surprised to hear this. He never expected that his son, who usually seemed rather lazy, would have such thoughts...
Feeling his father's surprised gaze, Jingren lowered his head again and said somewhat dejectedly:
"Father! I am not a good crown prince. My fourth brother is intelligent and capable, and is a more suitable candidate than me!" Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng patted Jingren on the shoulder and said:
"I'm surprised you have this idea! But I'm also very pleased!"

Do you know why your father made you the crown prince?

"Because of my mother?"

"That's a factor, but it's not the deciding factor. If you're really not up to the task, no matter what your mother does, your father will not make you the crown prince!"

Hearing his father speak so bluntly, Jingren was taken aback at first, then asked curiously:

"Then why did you make me the crown prince, Father?"

"It's very simple. You are suitable to be the crown prince. You are kind by nature and gentle and polite in your dealings with others. If you were made the crown prince, you would surely become a benevolent ruler in the future. Of course, although you are somewhat lacking in ability, it is not a big deal. It is not too difficult to find a few more capable ministers to assist you!"

Hearing his father's affirmation, Jingren was initially quite happy, but after thinking about it carefully, he couldn't help but ask:

"If that's what Father says, then isn't Fourth Brother still better than me?"

Seeing that Jingren was determined to get to the bottom of things, Ye Mingsheng had no choice but to tell the truth:

"My dynasty is one of large-scale construction and all-out reform, which will certainly consume a lot of the people's strength. At that time, the people will need to rest and recuperate. Jingren, you can accept your mediocrity. So when the time comes, you only need to inherit the policies and guidelines I have set for you, and the people will be able to catch their breath!"

"But Jingxuan is different. Although he appears humble on the outside, he is different at heart. If he were to become emperor, he would inevitably try to prove his greatness by creating some so-called great achievements, which would not be good for the Great Qian Dynasty..."

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Meanwhile, in a room in Liujiadu, Gao Congwen, the Deputy Provincial Governor of Hebei and Henan, looked at Zhao Wanxian, who was silent beside him, and was also speechless.

Zhao Wanxian, who was promoted by Ye Mingsheng, was always regarded as a rising political star in the Daqian court. Before Gao Tongwen partnered with him, he had heard that Zhao Wanxian was arrogant and difficult to get along with. In fact, it was precisely because of this that the position of deputy governor was given to Zhang Gao Congwen. The previous deputy governor was depressed because of Zhao Wanxian's exclusion and harassment. Not long after, he fell ill and eventually retired to his hometown to recuperate, no longer wanting to put up with Zhao Wanxian's wrath.

By this time, the fact that Zhao Wanxian was difficult to get along with had become widely known, so none of the potential replacements were willing to partner with him. After all, these people were all outstanding individuals in their own territories. Zhao Wanxian had the emperor backing him up. If they couldn't afford to offend him, they could at least avoid him.

I'm not going to Hebei or Henan to suffer around you!

It was precisely for this reason that the position of deputy provincial governor ultimately fell to Gao Congwen, who had no powerful backers or influential connections!
Gao Congwen himself understood why he had been appointed as the Deputy Provincial Treasurer. If he could, he wouldn't want to partner with Zhao Wanxian, but without powerful backers in the officialdom, his options were limited…

Therefore, Gao Congwen came to Hebei and Henan with a feeling of trepidation. He thought that he did not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes and be cautious. He hoped to avoid conflicts with Zhao Wanxian and spend his term as deputy provincial governor peacefully.

With this in mind, Gao Congwen began his partnership with Zhao Wanxian. As time went by, Gao Congwen gradually gained a deeper understanding of Zhao Wanxian. He felt that he had come to know Zhao Wanxian and that he was quite different from the Zhao Wanxian of the outside world.

According to outside rumors, Zhao Wanxian is a tyrannical ruler who is autocratic, short-tempered, and ruthless. If you do something slightly against his will, he will beat or scold you without any regard for the feelings of a colleague.

Gao Congwen felt that although Zhao Wanxian, whom he knew, did have a bad temper and was sometimes strict with his subordinates and colleagues, he was mostly objective and not personal. He did not intentionally make things difficult for you, criticize you, or make you do things that were impossible to accomplish.

At the same time, Gao Congwen also learned that his predecessor, the previous deputy governor, did retire because of Zhao Wanxian, but this person was not very pitiful. The reason why Zhao Wanxian targeted him was because this guy himself was not clean, and he did not properly implement the things Zhao Wanxian asked him to do. That's why he left in disappointment.

After learning about these circumstances, Gao Congwen felt that as long as he did his job well, he could get along well with Zhao Wanxian. However, an incident that occurred more than six months ago gave him a deeper understanding of Zhao Wanxian…
More than half a year ago, a flood occurred in Deshui, affecting Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Youyan. Hebei and Henan were the hardest hit areas. Zhao Wanxian, the provincial governor, came to the front line of the flood to direct the flood control work. At that time, the flood had threatened Yecheng, the second largest city in Hebei and Henan. Therefore, the primary task at that time was to solve the flood danger in Yecheng.

To address this, Zhao Wanxian organized a meeting with relevant officials. After repeated discussions, everyone basically agreed to use explosives to release floodwaters in a certain area. However, they disagreed on the specific location for the release.

One person thought it should be Xiaochenzhuang, and the other thought it should be Zhaojiagou. From Gao Congwen's perspective, both places had their advantages and disadvantages. It was impossible to say that one place was necessarily better than the other for flood discharge. In the end, Zhao Wanxian made the decision to choose Xiaochenzhuang. If it were anyone else in this situation, they would definitely have followed Zhao Wanxian's arrangements and organized manpower and explosives to prepare for the operation.

However, Tan Guangqing, the prefect of Yecheng at the time, for reasons unknown, opposed Zhao Wanxian's decision at the meeting, insisting that diverting the floodwaters at Zhao Jiagou was safer and would have less impact than diverting them at Xiao Chenzhuang. He argued vehemently with Zhao Wanxian, and the two, one a prefect and the other a provincial treasurer, got into a heated debate on this issue at the meeting…
Neither of them could convince the other, and in the end, Zhao Wanxian used his power as the provincial governor to forcefully make a decision. However, Tan Guangqing, perhaps confident in his powerful backing as Cui Shao's student, immediately stated that Zhao Wanxian's actions were an abuse of power and that he would report the matter to the court.

However, this completely enraged Zhao Wanxian, who directly said, "Don't think that just because you're Cui Shao's student, I won't dare to punish you!"

After saying this, Zhao Wanxian wanted to dismiss Tan Guangqing from his position as prefect. If it were an ordinary prefect facing such a situation, he might have begged for mercy. However, Tan Guangqing did not back down at all. He directly stated that his position as prefect was appointed by His Majesty, and even if Zhao Wanxian was the provincial governor, he had no right to dismiss him.

Tan Guangqing's continued defiance thoroughly angered Zhao Wanxian, the Provincial Governor of Hebei and Henan, who immediately wanted to execute Tan Guangqing on the grounds of disobeying orders during an extraordinary period.

To be honest, Gao Congwen didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing. After all, Zhao Wanxian was the Provincial Governor, and Tan Guangqing was Minister Cui's student. He couldn't afford to offend either of them, so he could only watch the show from the sidelines!

However, seeing that Zhao Wanxian was really about to chop off Tan Guangqing's head, Gao Congwen could no longer sit still and hurriedly stopped Zhao Wanxian's actions. He had to say all sorts of nice things to barely save Tan Guangqing's life from Zhao Wanxian's grasp, but even so, Tan Guangqing was still imprisoned by Zhao Wanxian.

This incident caused a huge uproar in the Daqian court. Although Tan Guangqing was also wrong and should not have contradicted his superior, Zhao Wanxian's actions were a major taboo in the Daqian court!
To prevent local officials from acting arbitrarily and forming independent kingdoms within their jurisdictions, the provincial governors and provincial treasurers of the Daqian era had no decision-making power!