The prince is more stable

Chapter 930 Treacherous Ministers and Evil Cultivators
To this day, Zhao Xiaoqian's impression of Cai Jing remains unchanged.

When Zhao Xiaoqian first met Cai Jing, he knew that the guy was a typical political opportunist.

In other words, people like Cai Jing do not have firm political beliefs. Unlike Wang Anshi and Su Zhe, regardless of whether the new policies or old laws they upheld were right or wrong, they at least persisted in them and have been persisting ever since.

He was not even like Zhang Dun. Although Zhang Dun was straightforward and narrow-minded, he also insisted on carrying on Wang Anshi's legacy and tried his best to promote it. His belief never changed.

Cai Jing is different.

He only cares about power. To gain power, he can be either a member of the new party or the old party. He can adopt any posture to cater to the needs of power.

People say that "history is a little girl who can be dressed up however you like," and Cai Jing is much the same.

As long as the top spender sends him a Carnival gift, he can give the spender a stylish window-wiping performance and a giant swing.

Zhao Xiaoqian was able to see through Cai Jing's true nature at a glance, not because Zhao Xiaoqian had particularly keen eyesight, but because he had seen it in history books in his previous life, so he knew what kind of person Cai Jing was.

In his previous life, when he read about Cai Jing's life in history books, he did so only from the perspective of a later observer. If history books said he was a treacherous minister, then he was a treacherous minister. It didn't matter. Whether he was loyal or treacherous, what did it have to do with his cattle and horses that earned three or four thousand a month?

However, in this life, when Zhao Xiaoqian sat on the emperor's throne and looked down at Cai Jing, he had a different perspective from that in the historical records.

In fact, there was no such thing as "loyalty" or "treachery" in the Song Dynasty court.

Or rather, depending on the political environment and the political needs of the times, loyal ministers and treacherous ministers occupy different positions.

It is impossible for the imperial court to be without treacherous officials. Just as the Tai Chi symbol is divided into Yin and Yang, Yin alone cannot grow, and Yang alone cannot be born. Who would dare to imagine a court full of righteous and loyal officials?

When the court is full of treacherous officials, the dynasty is bound to be on the verge of collapse. Similarly, when the court is full of loyal officials, the dynasty will also soon perish.

Without the checks and balances of treacherous officials, the so-called "justice" will be amplified infinitely, and then justice will be distorted into evil.

Zhao Xiaoqian used to keep his distance from opportunists like Cai Jing, because he wasn't the emperor then and didn't have that much power.

Therefore, the political allies he needs must first have firm stances and reliable character. Only such allies are trustworthy, and Cai Jing is undoubtedly unqualified.

However, times have changed. Now that Zhao Xiaoqian is the emperor, he needs to look at people and things from a different perspective.

Of course, treacherous officials can be used, and if used well, they can play a greater role than so-called loyal officials.

Was Zhang Dun a loyal minister? Perhaps.

However, this loyal minister did not bring much convenience to Zhao Xiaoqian's governance. On the contrary, Zhang Dun's wavering political attitude made some things more complicated and troublesome.

The things Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to do and the policies he wanted to implement could not be carried out even at the level of the prime minister. What use is this prime minister to me?
Cai Jing was different. Zhao Xiaoqian knew that he would stop at nothing to gain power. This "stop at nothing" naturally included unconditionally carrying out every order of Zhao Xiaoqian, because Cai Jing knew very well who gave him power and who could take it away with a single word.

At present, the Song Dynasty court is in a critical period of implementing new policies, and the government must steadily develop its policies step by step according to its own ideas.

During this crucial period, Zhao Xiaoqian desperately needed a prime minister who would listen to him, rather than a prime minister who would lead the opposition against him and secretly hinder his plans.

Zhang Dun clearly no longer met his expectations, and it was time for him to step down.

From a pragmatic point of view, Cai Jing, who is standing in front of me at this moment, is indeed more suitable than Zhang Dun.

Zhao Xiaoqian, who had already considered resigning as prime minister, became even more certain as he watched Cai Jing speak earnestly and solemnly that Cai Jing was more suitable to be prime minister at this time.

As for whether Cai Jing, the prime minister, should remain in office after the new policies are implemented, it depends on his own performance. If he repeats the old mistakes of a treacherous official and goes too far with his underhanded actions, then he should be replaced.

"...The Fangtian Equal Tax Law was implemented as early as the Yuanfeng era. At that time, the court investigated the land in the five prefectures and counties around the capital and found more than 2.4 million hectares of hidden land. The national treasury revenue that year increased by 30% compared with previous years!" Cai Jing said in a low voice.

"More importantly, a small portion of the land that had been seized and annexed by local powerful landlords gradually returned to the hands of peasants due to the Fangtian Equal Tax Law. Many people who had become displaced people regained their land, which was absolutely a good thing for the Song Dynasty's imperial power."

"I believe that the Fangtian Equal Tax Law is an absolutely good and virtuous policy. If the court implements it, the people of the world will greatly benefit. Since ancient times, the most important thing for a dynasty is not how powerful it is. I believe that nothing is more important than 'stability'."

"Farmers have land to cultivate, which is 'stable,' and nothing in the world can compare to this."

"Therefore, I believe that the court must immediately implement the equal taxation of the land, without any room for negotiation. The Emperor should not compromise with a small number of so-called powerful and wealthy landlords."

Zhao Xiaoqian raised an eyebrow in surprise.

I know Cai Jing is an opportunist, but this guy actually spoke so definitively in order to cater to his political views, leaving himself no room for maneuver.

Clearly, Cai Jing is extremely eager to make progress.

It must be said that Zhao Xiaoqian was very satisfied with Cai Jing's performance.

He recognized him instantly; this was the guy he needed.

When is it most enjoyable to be an emperor?
It wasn't about having three thousand beauties in the harem, but about having a prime minister in the court who was on the same page as him, sharing the same views, and wouldn't cause him any trouble. After Cai Jing finished speaking, he stood respectfully before Zhao Xiaoqian, head bowed, anxiously awaiting Zhao Xiaoqian's response.

The emperor gave Cai Jing the question, and Cai Jing submitted his answer.

Now is the time for the officials to grade the papers and assign scores.

Whether he can seize this opportunity depends on how many points the officials will award him.

However, Cai Jing clearly didn't expect that the problem wasn't over yet.

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Minister Cai, as you have probably seen, I ordered the New Policies Department to discuss the Equal Tax Law for Land Survey, but there has been fierce opposition from both the court and the public."

"In order to obstruct the implementation of this law, some people did not hesitate to sacrifice a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, using his death to tell the world that I am actually a tyrannical and incompetent ruler. With such great resistance, how should I deal with it?"

Cai Jing pondered for a moment and slowly said, "I believe that the greater the resistance, the more resolute and firm Your Majesty's attitude must be."

"This is a game of power between the emperor and his ministers. The ministers are powerful and can hold the emperor hostage. If the emperor shows the slightest sign of compromise or fear, they will become even more frantic, and the new policies that the emperor wants to implement will probably be abandoned."

Zhao Xiaoqian said with great interest, "I would like to hear Minister Cai's insightful opinion."

Cai Jing's eyes flashed with a burning light as he said in a deep voice, "The death of Shi Zhongxian must be treated as a major event. Their sacrifice of Shi Zhongxian was merely to damage the Emperor's reputation, using the pretext of 'a loyal minister dying to remonstrate' to highlight the Emperor's incompetence and tarnish his holy name."

"If Your Majesty wishes to salvage the situation, then first and foremost, Shi Zhongxian cannot be a loyal minister!"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked up at him in astonishment.

Cai Jing's tone was sinister, and at that moment, his face resembled that of a treacherous villain.

"Whether it's true or false, we must find as many stains on Shi Zhongxian as possible. With stains in hand, the Emperor can then guide public opinion. If Shi Zhongxian is a loyal minister, then his suicide at the palace gate will be seen as a heroic act by the court and the people, enough to make him famous in history."

"However, what if Shi Zhongxian is a treacherous official? If the Dali Temple or the Imperial City Guard exposes all of Mr. Shi Zhongxian's heinous and illegal acts to the public, and those outrageous evil deeds come to light, then Shi Zhongxian's act of smashing the palace gates to commit suicide will be nothing more than a clownish performance, only making him a laughingstock for the world."

"The death of a treacherous official can only be attributed to his own faults; it does not prove that the emperor is incompetent and tyrannical."

"At the same time, a treacherous official was willing to die to obstruct the implementation of the Fangtian Equal Tax Law. Could something that a treacherous official so resolutely opposed really be an evil policy? Even outsiders who do not know the truth can naturally understand the right and wrong in this matter."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked surprised.

I've really seen something new today. No wonder he's a treacherous minister; his problem-solving approach is completely different from those so-called loyal ministers.

Cai Jing's suggestion can be said to have completely abandoned morality and justice, purely for the purpose of achieving his goal.

His thinking was simple: first, collect evidence of Shi Zhongxian's illegal activities; if there was no evidence of illegal activities, then... that was possible.

Then it was proven that Shi Zhongxian was a bad person and a treacherous minister.

With his reputation as a villain and treacherous official firmly established, everything he did, including the life he sacrificed, has become meaningless.

The court officials who had submitted memorials in a fit of emotion because of Shi Zhongxian no longer had the standing or reason to continue supporting him.

Public opinion reversed instantly, and right and wrong were changed.

A treacherous minister is indeed a treacherous minister. He's just like those evil cultivators in the cultivation world. As long as there are no moral constraints, there are shortcuts everywhere if you want to cultivate to become a saint.

Zhao Xiaoqian's smile deepened, and he asked, "Now that Shi Zhongxian's matter is resolved, how should the Fangtian Equal Tax Law be implemented?"

Cai Jing lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty holds supreme power over the entire country. Implementing a decree is not actually that difficult. As long as the land survey and equal taxation are formally legislated, Your Majesty will hold the law in one hand and the sword in the other. With the Censorate overseeing the cleanup of officials, who in the land would dare to disobey?"

"There may be short-term chaos or even turmoil, but as long as the equal tax system is firmly implemented, those who are dissatisfied, those who are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and those who deliberately go against the grain will all be eliminated. Those who remain will be willing to obey."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled, gazing intently at Cai Jing, and said slowly, "Minister Cai's words are reasonable, I will remember them. However, I am ultimately just one person, and my path is indeed lonely!"

"I desperately need an assistant who will wholeheartedly carry out my decrees. Otherwise, if I say anything, even the Council of State will oppose it and it won't pass. My decrees won't even leave the palace. How can I govern the country?"

Cai Jing's heart suddenly raced, pounding so hard it made his eardrums buzz, and his eyes gleamed with uncontrollable excitement.

Zhao Xiaoqian's words were no longer a hint, but a blatant declaration.

If someone as cunning and shrewd as Cai Jing still couldn't understand this, then he had wasted all his years in the imperial court.

Cai Jing immediately knelt down on both knees before Zhao Xiaoqian.

"Your subject Cai Jing is willing to share Your Majesty's burdens! From this day forward, Your Majesty's decrees will be my divine pronouncements, to be followed without fail, meticulously, and without the slightest error. My words and actions will never contradict Your Majesty in the slightest. This oath is as clear as day!"

(End of this chapter)