Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 679 Self Strategy
Minister Zhou was brought into the palace. He was soaking wet, but no one cared. Although he was still standing at the entrance of Taiji Palace, he was no longer in the rain.

Emperor Jingtai was leaving him hanging, and he was extremely anxious, having no idea what would happen next. As the saying goes, this matter may be a small one, but there are no small matters when it comes to the imperial family.

Just as the Vice Minister was standing there waiting, Zhang Shizhong came over carrying a basket. When he saw Vice Minister Zhou, he exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Isn't this Vice Minister Zhou? Why are you in such a disheveled state?"

Minister Zhou was cursing inwardly, but he still smiled and said with a hint of helplessness, "Greetings, Minister Zhang."

"You're welcome, you're welcome." Old Zhang looked up at the sky and said, "Let's go into the hall first. His Majesty is meeting with the Tibetan envoy and won't have time for a while. The weather is still a bit chilly, and if Minister Zhou catches a cold, it could be a serious matter."

Vice Minister Zhou did not respond, but simply bowed to Old Zhang and went with him. Years of experience in officialdom had taught him that at this time, one should neither be reckless nor stubborn, and one should not have any moral principles. One should be cowardly when necessary and pretend to be confused when necessary.

Upon entering the hall, Old Zhang summoned a eunuch to fetch clean civilian clothes for Vice Minister Zhou. He then sat down on a nearby seat. After sitting for a while, Old Zhang suddenly smiled and said, "This year's new tea is quite good. Why don't I brew a cup for Vice Minister Zhou to try?"

"You're too kind, Minister Zhang. I dare not accept such praise..."

While it's not entirely accurate to say that Lao Zhang was a close minister of the emperor, the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary was actually reserved for close ministers of the emperor. Originally, the Attendant-in-Ordinary was in charge of the emperor's carriages, sedan chairs, clothing, and utensils. Later, it gradually evolved into an important position that shared the prime ministerial rank with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Grand Secretary. Therefore, the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary was essentially telling everyone in the world that he was a close minister of the emperor.

At the same time, Lao Zhang also controlled the royal secret agency. Although everyone knew that there was a higher-ranking official in the Lao Chashi Si (Old Investigation Department), he was at least the highest-ranking official in name only.

Therefore, when he walked around the palace, it was no different from when he was at home, and he was very adept at ordering around the eunuchs.

As for having such a gentleman brew tea for him, Vice Minister Zhou didn't dare to do so, and he quickly refused. But Old Zhang smiled and gestured for him to sit down: "Enjoying tea and listening to the rain is a refined pursuit, Vice Minister Zhou, please don't worry about it."

Old Zhang wasn't much of a poet, but when it came to the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he was truly a master, a true expert. Those in the capital who appreciated refinement all looked up to him. So even though the two were silent, Vice Minister Zhou felt a slight sense of peace as he quietly watched Old Zhang perform the tea ceremony.

The aroma of tea wafts through the air, the rain patters softly outside the curtain, and the incense from the Western Regions drifts gently in the air. If one has nothing on their mind, it truly is a beautiful scene of springtime.

As the tea was poured into the cup, its delicate aroma wafted over, but Old Zhang spoke up: "Minister Zhou, how is your son's injury?"

"It's alright, it's alright. My son was drinking and tripped, but he's fine now."

"Hmm?" Old Zhang raised an eyebrow, then laughed. "That's not right, Minister Zhou. I was there at the time. Your son was quite bold, barging into the house. I was composing lyrics and music with Xia Daosheng. You probably don't know Xia Daosheng's explosive temper. He's from the military, after all. They started fighting. Minister Zhou, don't protect that fellow. I'm here today to report this to His Majesty and have the Court of Judicial Review handle it impartially."

"I can't make it!"

Zhou, the vice minister, suddenly grabbed Zhang's wrist, but in an instant he knew he had overstepped his bounds. He quickly withdrew his hand and said in a flustered manner, "Prime Minister Zhang... I know my son's temperament better than anyone. He... Alas, Prime Minister Zhang, please be merciful."

If we let those mad dogs from the Dali Temple handle this matter at this critical juncture, that would be really exciting.

Yes, his son was the victim, but he also had a long history of bad behavior. Once someone was brought to their office, the assailant "Xia Daosheng" would give him a warning, and the victim would be executed immediately.

Now some people might ask, why do we say that these cases are no longer isolated incidents? Why does this case involve past events?

Hey, you've come to the right person. Everything in the world has a cause and effect; you reap what you sow, and that is the cycle. How many people did they harm by citing scriptures and classics in the past? Starting with An Musi, the former Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, several subsequent officials were all dealt with using this method of collective punishment.

In the end, they had no choice but to replace him with Zeng Ming's grandson. Zeng Ming's background was too strong, and they really couldn't touch him.

Now things are different. At first, everyone thought that Zeng Ming's grandson was just a spoiled brat, so it can be said that everyone tacitly agreed that he would take charge of the Dali Temple, thinking that if such a princeling came to power, their lives would be better.

But who would have thought that the 21-year-old acting Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was the most madman among all the ministers of the court in history? Not only was he madman, but he also petitioned His Majesty to establish a new institution called the Discipline Institute. This Discipline Institute is the same as the one mentioned in "Zuo Zhuan: Duke Huan of Qi, Year 2" where "all officials were therefore cautious and dared not change the discipline" and the same as the Discipline Institute mentioned in "Zhong Lun: Calendar and Numbers" where "in the past, when the sage kings created the calendar and numbers, they observed the implementation of the discipline and the movement of the mechanism."

He claimed to be recording legal changes, but he used his position to recruit over three hundred young people from the new law schools in Gangnam Province. They did nothing but divide themselves into two groups: one researched loopholes in the current laws, and the other tried to crack them. If they encountered something they couldn't crack, they would start patching up the laws.

This is extremely terrifying; it could even be said that it has begun to shake the very foundations of the emperor's rule...

However, the emperor himself took this very seriously, and even flew into a rage in court, saying: "You always tell me that you are undermining the foundation of the country, so I ask you, what exactly is the foundation of the country? Is it the country and its people or your family's vast fertile fields?"

This time, no one said much, because they had won one victory after another, and if this continued, Emperor Jingtai would bring Xia Daosheng back.

But who knew that even after they had conceded, Emperor Jingtai still brought Xia Daosheng back. As soon as he returned, almost the entire aristocratic family in the capital was on high alert, and everyone was on high alert, fearing that the guy would find something wrong and humiliate them.

But who would have thought that this troublemaker would be someone from his own family? At this critical juncture, he himself caused the defenses to collapse. In addition to being punished by the Dali Temple, he will also be punished by his own group.

As the saying goes, no one can plan every step of the way, but a truly capable person can find a breakthrough in every seemingly insignificant matter to complete their plan.

Without a doubt, both Xia Lin and Zhang Shuo are outstanding individuals. Now, a casual remark from Zhang Shuo can bring unprecedented pressure to a vice minister, whose clothes, which he had just changed into, are already soaked with sweat on the back.

The scene and atmosphere were frozen in place. Old Zhang wasn't in a hurry; he was just fiddling with his tea leaves. But the quiet air and the aroma of tea made Vice Minister Zhou's anxiety seem more tangible.

The rain outside gradually intensified. There was no specific time in the palace, only the occasional footsteps of the guards patrolling under the eaves. Judging from their pace of patrolling once every fifteen minutes, almost half an hour had passed.

At that moment, Emperor Jingtai was swimming like a fish in the lake amidst the torrential rain. Sometimes he would dive and not come up for a long time, making people wonder if he had drowned. But just as the guards were about to go to his rescue, he would pop his head up again from a distance.

"When I was young, I swam in the Wei River. Except for one skinny, dark-skinned boy, no one could beat me. That fellow even called himself the swimming god of the Luo River. What a pity. If I had the chance to see that fellow again, I would definitely have a contest with him." Emperor Jingtai grabbed the gunwale of the small boat and pushed himself up. Then he went into the rain shelter and dried himself with a towel.

"I'm afraid that won't work. Ever since you almost drowned in the Luo River, you haven't dared to go into the water again."

"You recognize him?" Emperor Jingtai was greatly surprised, then suddenly realized, "Oh, I forgot you're also from Luoyang. It seems he really is quite famous."

"Slightly cooked." Xia Lin opened the clay pot simmering on the red clay stove. The milky white fish soup inside was boiling and bubbling. He pinched in a pinch of salt and closed the lid again: "Salty fish and bland meat, the fish soup tastes better when it's saltier."

Emperor Jingtai rubbed his hands together: "I've been waiting for your fish soup. I remember when the Empress Dowager was still alive, she was skilled at making fish soup. Unfortunately, since she passed away, I have never touched this fish soup again, for fear of being reminded of her."

Xia Lin smiled and said, "You're ruthless enough to leave Vice Minister Zhou and Old Zhang in the palace. Old Zhang is sure to drive him crazy."

"Anzi's grudge is there, he's really crazy, you can only say he's lucky."

“He’s just a small fish fry.” Xia Lin opened the lid of the casserole again, ladled out a bowl of fish soup with tofu, and then sprinkled in a handful of garlic leaves: “The right way is to strike a chord and intimidate the enemy.”

"Screw you, I told Zhongchun that if he can sleep tonight, I will deduct three months' salary from his salary."

"That's it," Xia Lin said with a laugh, leaning back. "Minister Zhou is probably really going to die."

The person who knows Old Zhang best is Xia Lin. What this guy values ​​most is his salary. He can't sell paintings casually because of his current status, but he started making his own imitations and asking people to sell them a long time ago. These deliberately fake imitations can now sell for 500 taels a piece, which shows how outrageous the price of the genuine articles has become.

Now that Emperor Jingtai has offered to deduct three months' salary, it's no wonder he's pushing Vice Minister Zhou to the brink of death.

"Alright, Minister Zhou, it's getting late. I still have some official business to attend to. Since His Majesty is not here, I would like to ask Minister Zhou to come another day. There are some things that should not be rushed."

"Prime Minister Zhang!" At this moment, Vice Minister Zhou was clearly treating Old Zhang as his lifeline: "Prime Minister Zhang, please help me out."

Old Zhang glanced back at him and sighed, "Actually, this is no big deal. Minister Zhou, you don't need to worry. Xia Daosheng acted recklessly and will certainly be severely punished. Please rest assured, Minister Zhou. I'm sure His Majesty will give you justice. Please wait patiently for good news."

"Prime Minister Zhang..."

Vice Minister Zhou took a deep breath and finally held back. He paused but did not speak.

"Minister Zhou, what's wrong?"

"The roads are slippery due to the rain, please be careful, Zhang Xiang."

"Vice Minister Zhou is very thoughtful."

Back home that day, Vice Minister Zhou locked himself in his room, tossing and turning all night. He hadn't slept a wink. The few kids who threw firecrackers at Anmus's corpse had been sentenced to 1,500 penal servitude, the lightest being 300 strokes of the cane and 3,000 li of penal servitude. His situation seemed like a trivial matter, but if the other side wanted to deal with him, even he, as Vice Minister, would be implicated, and his entire family might be wiped out.

The struggle has escalated to hand-to-hand combat. When they're stabbing each other with their weapons, they won't hold back or show any mercy. He doesn't want to be the one to stick his neck out, but there's no such thing as being able to be both loyal to Buddha and loyal to one's lover. If you don't want to be the one to stick your neck out, you have to be a fence-sitter.

The question now is whether the price of being a pioneer is higher than the cost of being a fence-sitter, but this is a very difficult question to answer, really very difficult.

The ordeal of the night had left the dignified Vice Minister in a terrible state, as if he had aged ten years overnight. Now, it was no longer just about his son being beaten; if the Floating Party intervened, not only would his son face imprisonment and he himself be implicated, but the entire entertainment industry in Jinling might also be shut down because of this incident. The forces behind those venues would then turn their anger towards him, leading to a chain reaction that would ultimately cause him to become the one to break ties with both sides.

This is the price of being the first to stick your neck out.

As for being a fence-sitter, although it seems safer to join the Floating Party now, once he joins them, he will become a pawn that can be discarded at any time. The day he is abandoned by the Floating Party will be the day he is crushed to pieces.

Now is the time for him to place his bet.

Just as dawn was breaking, a muffled thunderclap suddenly struck the sky. In the instant the lightning flashed, he suddenly sat up. Although he didn't know what was happening, in that instant he seemed to have an epiphany and understood many things.

Without further hesitation, he quickly dressed, washed, and cleaned himself. Then, in the misty, rainy weather, he hurriedly left the mansion and headed straight for the palace.

Today he was smarter. Instead of waiting in the rain, he stood next to the guards on duty and waited together. The guards didn't say anything, after all, this was the high-ranking official, the Vice Minister of War, who was directly in charge of them.

Today, due to the heavy rain, there was no court session, and the palace gates were deserted until around eight o'clock when the two prime ministers, Ma Zhou and Zhang, arrived for work.

About ten minutes later, Acting Chancellor Xu Jingzong arrived late, carrying a bag of steamed buns in his hand, eating as he walked, in a hurry. The officials of the three provinces gathered at the city gate, looked at each other, and then Xu Jingzong saw Vice Minister Zhou standing in the shadows.

"Minister Zhou, you will not be attending the morning court session today." Xu Jingzong laughed, "Have you got the date wrong?"

“This…” Vice Minister Zhou glanced at Old Zhang, then respectfully said to Xu Jingzong, “Today, I have some matters to report to His Majesty…”
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I'm going to see my son tomorrow, so I won't stay up late tonight. I plan to go to bed at nine o'clock. I need to get up early tomorrow to catch the train.

(End of this chapter)