The prince is more stable

Chapter 772 In-depth Analysis of the Situation

Power and interests are a poison that most people cannot resist.

Zhang Dun was no exception to this custom.

When someone reaches his position, he won't dare to accept money from just anyone; otherwise, he'll easily run into trouble.

But the money given by Zhao Xiaoqian was an exception, and Zhang Dun accepted it without any pressure.

At that time, the royal army had just captured Hejian Prefecture, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun had not yet been recovered. The emperor and the court had not yet become suspicious of Zhao Xiaoqian, and Zhao Xiaoqian's status was equal to that of Zhang Dun, so he could naturally accept the money.

This sum of money was considerable, dozens of times higher than Zhang Dun's total salary over all his years in office. Moreover, several high-ranking officials from the State Council and the Privy Council also received a share, so Zhang Dun naturally accepted it with a smile.

Therefore, Zhang Dun did not feel it was impolite that Zhao Xiaoqian only brought a box of pastries when he visited today, since he had already given real money.

Taking a small sip of tea, Zhao Xiaoqian frowned: "Is this the tea my family sells?"

Zhang Dun nodded: "Your store is the only one in the capital, so we can only buy from you."

"Uh, that's not what I meant. What I meant was, why did you buy the cheapest kind of tea from my family, Mr. Zhang? This stuff is practically scrap in our teahouse..."

Zhang Dun's face immediately darkened.

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled and cautiously asked, "Could I have gotten involved in some huge corruption case? The person in charge of procurement at your residence..."

Zhang Dun sneered, "I ordered them to be bought. They just like the cheapest scraps. What do they know!"

What could Zhao Xiaoqian say? He could only give a thumbs up and exclaim, "Elegant, simply exquisite!"

It's best not to talk too much about tea. Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know if Zhang Dun was telling the truth or not; perhaps he was just being stubborn. Once Zhang Dun left, he would immediately launch a vigorous anti-corruption campaign at home.

So Zhao Xiaoqian tactfully changed the subject, turned around and looked around the Zhang residence, clicking his tongue twice, and said, "Prime Minister Zhang's salary must be quite substantial, plus the annual tributes from his former officials and students from various places, and the gift I gave him last time..."

"Tsk! He's clearly a wealthy man, but his mansion looks like it's been hit by a disaster. It's excessively shabby."

Zhang Dun's eyes widened: "You, you, you! Don't talk nonsense. What rich man? I have lived a poor life, but I am happy with it. I have never made any money, nor have I ever accepted any gifts or bribes."

Zhao Xiaoqian winked: "I understand, I understand! Integrity!"

“After Minister Zhang retires, he might suddenly become rich.”

Zhang Dun sighed, seriously suspecting that this guy hadn't come to visit today, but rather to cause trouble; he wanted to get him locked up or sent away.

Zhang Dun didn't want to talk anymore; chatting with this guy was far from pleasant and was rather annoying.

"Zi'an, I'm very busy with official duties, you see..." Zhang Dun politely asked the guest to leave.

Zhao Xiaoqian completely misunderstood Prime Minister Zhang's tactful words, and instead said, "Prime Minister Zhang, please stop joking. You've been recuperating for several days, what official business could you possibly have?"

Zhang Dun sighed again and asked, "What exactly did you come here for?"

Zhao Xiaoqian withdrew his gaze from examining the furnishings in the front hall of the Zhang residence and said, "Of course, I've come to visit Master Zhang and, by the way, to tell you about the progress of your assassination case."

Zhang Dun raised an eyebrow: "Oh? There's been progress?"

"No, you could say there's been absolutely no progress. This case has become a cold case, and Master Zhang will never be able to find the murderer in his lifetime."

Zhang Dun: “…………”

Are you trying to trick me into thinking I'm Japanese?
Seeing Zhang Dun's face turn red, a sign that he was about to lose his temper, Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly added, "There's been progress, but the investigation has stalled. Please don't misunderstand, Lord Zhang."

Zhang Dun frowned: "What do you mean by 'the investigation can't proceed'?"

“I was ordered by the Emperor to interrogate Prince Duan and Prince Jian. After that, the Imperial City Guard arrested five court officials. They were restless and dared to secretly collude with the princes. The Emperor ordered them all to be executed.”

Zhao Xiaoqian recounted the events in detail, the content of which seemed to have nothing to do with the assassination of Zhang Dun. However, Zhang Dun understood what he was saying, and his expression immediately became somewhat complicated.

There is no doubt about the intelligence of the current prime minister. He is a wise old man, and moreover, he has become prime minister. He can be called a fighter jet among the old.

The information Zhao Xiaoqian revealed seemed to have nothing to do with his assassination attempt, but Zhang Dun knew that he had already explained it clearly.

His assassination attempt was the result of a power struggle between Prince Duan and Prince Jian. It was possible that Prince Duan was eliminating dissidents, or that Prince Jian was framing him. In any case, whether Zhang Dun lived or died was not important; they even wished for his death.

For Prince Duan, Zhang Dun's death was a way to eliminate a dissident; for Prince Jian, it was a successful attempt to shift the blame onto Prince Duan. Zhang Dun's death had only benefits and no drawbacks.

Regardless of who instigated this, Zhang Dun was nothing more than a pawn, a cannon fodder, in their eyes.

As for the five court officials who were beheaded, it was naturally at the Emperor's behest. Without evidence, the Emperor could not take action against the two princes, so he could only have Zhao Xiaoqian interrogate them and give them a warning.

The five courtiers were like the five unlucky chickens used to scare the monkeys; they were killed to show the two princes and to serve as a stern warning to the courtiers.

The case that led to Zhang Dun's assassination has now come to an end. It is impossible to investigate further, and even if Zhang Dun and Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to investigate, the Emperor would not allow it.

At such a critical juncture, the Emperor needs stability in the court and throughout the land. Even if his days are numbered, as the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, he must ensure a smooth transition of imperial power; this is the Emperor's responsibility.

Zhang Dun's face changed from red to green, unpredictable, his expression a mixture of grief and disappointment.

People are knives and servants, and I am fish and meat.

Zhang Dun had done this kind of thing before, but he was the one in control back then. He never expected that he would become the fish in someone else's eyes today.

Even a prime minister, whose position is second only to the emperor, cannot escape the fate of being a pawn or cannon fodder in the life-or-death struggle for imperial power.

The assassination of him, the prime minister, was merely a convenient act by someone else. What humiliated him even more was that the assassin didn't care whether he lived or died; they simply wanted to escalate the situation and use him as a tool to attack their enemies.

What's even more chilling is that, when the investigation reached the two princes, the Emperor abruptly stopped, saying there was no need to pursue the matter any further.

He's the prime minister! The prime minister almost died at the hands of an assassin, and you, for the sake of stability, didn't pursue the matter? What about the knife I almost got stabbed? Just my bad luck?

"The world is like water, and people's hearts are cold and indifferent. I should have seen through it all..." Zhang Dun shook his head and sighed sadly.

Zhao Xiaoqian, the mastermind behind the assassination attempt, looked at Zhang Dun with sympathy and offered a hypocritical consolation: "Fortunately, Lord Zhang is a lucky man and escaped unharmed. It's a close call. Let's put this matter behind us and move on."

Zhang Dun naturally couldn't have guessed that Zhao Xiaoqian was behind it all. Seeing him comfort him, Zhang Dun was somewhat moved.

It has to be said that Zhao Xiaoqian was hiding his true intentions too well. Even if you beat Zhang Dun to death, he would never guess that it was Zhao Xiaoqian who was behind this.

Although Zhang Dun and Zhao Xiaoqian were not without enmity, the past incidents now seemed like trivial conflicts. There was no way Zhao Xiaoqian would assassinate him over such a small matter; that would be insane.

Now that Zhao Xiaoqian has relinquished his military power and been promoted to the second-in-command of the Privy Council, he has virtually no conflict with Zhang Dun's Council of State Affairs, let alone any disagreement on political views.

How could Zhang Dun, who had absolutely no conflict with Zhao Xiaoqian, possibly have imagined that the real murderer was Zhao Xiaoqian?

"Fine, I'll just pretend this never happened, fine!" Zhang Dun shook his head with a wry smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Prime Minister Zhang's ability to take things so seriously is truly admirable, befitting a prime minister."

After a pause, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly said, "His Majesty's health is deteriorating... Minister Zhang's disapproval of Prince Duan's ascension to the throne is common knowledge throughout the city, but if the majority of the court believes that ancestral rules should be followed and insists on Prince Duan's ascension..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Dun's expression changed.

Zhao Xiaoqian sighed and said, "I know that Prime Minister Zhang does not care about personal honor or disgrace, wealth or honor, but I just feel sorry that Prime Minister Zhang has put in so much effort and hard work to implement the new policies in recent years. If Prince Duan ascends the throne, the policies will surely end with his death."

"Because Prime Minister Zhang once opposed Prince Duan's ascension to the throne, Prince Duan probably hates even the officials of the New Policies and the New Party. At that time, he might abolish the New Policies and restore the old ones, repeating the events of the Yuan You era. I wonder how Prime Minister Zhang will deal with that situation..."

Zhang Dun's face grew paler and paler, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Zhang Dun has a fiery temper and is straightforward, and he is not particularly magnanimous or petty. However, it must be admitted that Zhang Dun actually has some idealist genes in his bones.

He cared about personal honor and wealth, but he cared even more about the cause he dedicated his life to: carrying on Wang Anshi's legacy, implementing the new policies to the end, striving for the strength of the Song Dynasty and the well-being of the people.

Regardless of the pros and cons of the new policy, his original intention was correct, and the effort he put in was genuine.

Zhang Dun had secretly pondered Zhao Xiaoqian's words these past few days, and the consequences were so terrible that he dared not think about them any further.

Now that Zhao Xiaoqian had hit the nail on the head, Zhang Dun could no longer hide his emotions.

He feared that if that day ever came, Prince Duan might very well abolish all the new policies. In order to balance the court and suppress the dominance of the new party, especially Zhang Dun, the new party prime minister who had opposed his ascension to the throne, Prince Duan might turn to support the old party and abolish the new policies.

All his life's ideals and efforts vanished in the blink of an eye under the new emperor's whim. How could Zhang Dun accept such an outcome?
What's even more terrifying is that during the years Zhang Dun served as prime minister, he ruthlessly cracked down on the old party, offending countless old party officials. If he were to lose power, he would face an unknown and terrifying revenge, at which point he and his entire family would be in grave danger.

The more Zhang Dun thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed, but in front of Zhao Xiaoqian, he could only try his best to remain calm and composed, appearing as a hermit, detached from worldly affairs.

Stroking his beard, Zhang Dun glanced sideways at Zhao Xiaoqian and slowly said, "Judging from Zi'an's words, you also seem to disagree with Prince Duan's ascension to the throne?"

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled: "My opinion is not important. As Minister Zhang knows, I am just a follower of the crowd. Moreover, this matter is too taboo and too dangerous, so I dare not get involved. Whatever the Emperor says goes, and whoever he says he is, I wholeheartedly agree."

Not getting the answer he expected, Zhang Dun gritted his teeth and cursed the cunning little fox.

(End of this chapter)