The prince is more stable

Chapter 931 Showing Grace and Winning Over
Cai Jing was extremely excited.

He knew that he had finally seized the opportunity today.

The officials set the questions, and he submitted his answers.

The official's score for him was clearly not low, and they probably appreciated his answer; otherwise, they wouldn't have deliberately posed that question.

The official told him in front of his face that he needed an assistant.

What does this mean?
The emperor would never say meaningless nonsense in front of him. The fact that he could utter such a sentence shows that he had thought it through carefully before speaking.

Indeed, the helpers the emperor needed were people like Cai Jing.

The Emperor's words also have another layer of meaning: the current Emperor lacks helpers. He does not regard the current Prime Minister Zhang Dun as a helper, and he and Zhang Dun are in a state of estrangement.

Prior to this, Cai Jing's assessment of the political situation had indeed been accurate and correct.

There is indeed a conflict between the emperor and the prime minister, and it is quite sharp.

Cai Jing's visit to the palace today was also a very precise seizing of a fleeting opportunity.

Is this a windfall?

No, it was because he made accurate judgments, had a keen eye, and completely catered to the emperor's wishes that he obtained this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

These were all earned through their own abilities.

Zhao Xiaoqian was very satisfied with Cai Jing's statement. He indeed needed such a minister, especially at this important time.

He had to govern this country riddled with deep-seated problems; he had so much to do. What he needed were ministers who listened to him, not prime ministers who constantly contradicted him and caused internal strife.

Cai Jing is much more suitable than Zhang Dun.

At this time, an obedient prime minister is very important.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "Minister Cai, you will be relieved of your post as Minister of Revenue for now. From today onwards, I appoint you as Vice Minister of the Chancellery, Academician of the Dragon Pavilion, and enlist in the Council of State Affairs to participate in government affairs."

Cai Jing was taken aback, then overjoyed. He immediately knelt down and prostrated himself, saying excitedly, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your boundless grace. I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust and do my utmost to share your burdens!"

After speaking, Cai Jing's eyes couldn't help but redden.

After a lifetime of ups and downs in officialdom, Cai Jing has finally entered the Politburo.

The Vice Minister of the Chancellery and Academician of the Dragon Pavilion—this is the key to the Hall of State Affairs.

The position of Vice Minister of the Chancellery was actually the same as the "Deputy Prime Minister," and was only one rank lower than Zhang Dun.

The prestige of this official position far surpasses that of the Minister of Revenue.

However, Cai Jing's surprise was not over yet.

Zhao Xiaoqian then said calmly, "Your position as Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat is merely a temporary transition. Mr. Yuanchang, I hope you can shoulder greater responsibilities and make greater contributions to the Song Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Cai Jing became even more shocked, and his whole body trembled involuntarily.

The Emperor's words... were no longer an implication, but a direct statement.

He clearly intended to replace Zhang Dun and make himself the prime minister, namely "the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel".

So, has the relationship between the Emperor and Zhang Dun deteriorated to such an extent?
Sure enough, the Emperor had probably been planning to dismiss the Prime Minister for a long time, and Cai Jing seized the opportunity.

"Your Majesty understands. I will follow Your Majesty's lead without hesitation. I will do my utmost to implement any policies Your Majesty wishes to promote, without any compromise."

Zhao Xiaoqian's mood immediately brightened. He liked this kind of prime minister who was obedient to orders and had no opinions of his own. Cai Jing's features looked much more handsome than that old codger Zhang Dun at this moment. The more he looked at him, the more pleasing he became.

A treacherous minister?

No, that's not true. As long as Cai Jing is in my hands, I can decide whether he is loyal or treacherous.

After finishing his business, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly said, "Mr. Yuanchang, your son and I were once good friends, but since I ascended the throne, I have been busy with state affairs. Now that I think about it, it seems like I haven't seen him for a long time. How is my brother Cai You doing lately?"

When Cai Jing mentioned his son Cai You, he gave a wry smile: "Thanks to Your Majesty's concern, You'er has been studying hard at the Imperial Academy for many years, but unfortunately he failed the imperial examination the year before last and did not pass. Now he is staying at home to continue his studies and strives to pass the imperial examination next year."

Zhao Xiaoqian's cheek twitched; he wanted to laugh, but felt it would be impolite.

Sure enough, evil cultivators are evil cultivators. They really can't do proper cultivation methods and prefer to take shortcuts and find easy ways out.

The same applies to treacherous officials; if they can't pass the proper imperial examinations, they can only find other ways to rise to power.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian now needs treacherous officials, and naturally, the families of these officials should also be taken care of to show imperial favor and win people's hearts.

“When I was still the heir apparent of the Prince of Chu, I had a good relationship with my brother Cai You. Later, I was ordered by the late emperor to lead the army north to defend the border and fight against the Liao Kingdom. I was away from home for many years, and my relationship with my brother Cai You became estranged.”

"I know my brother Cai You quite well. He is very intelligent. Back then, we played together and were quite prominent in Bianjing. At that time, the playboys in Bianjing treated me and Cai You with some respect and deference. Thinking back on our friendship, I really miss it."

Cai Jing was overjoyed upon hearing this, as his son had a close personal relationship with the emperor, which was certainly a good thing for Cai Jing.

He secretly rejoiced that back then, he had encouraged his son to befriend Zhao Xiaoqian. Although Cai Jing hadn't foreseen that Zhao Xiaoqian would later become emperor, encouraging his son to cultivate a close relationship with Zhao Xiaoqian was a brilliant move he made unintentionally. That unintentional brilliant move back then had now become a ladder to heaven.

“You’er still thinks about the friendship she once shared with Your Majesty. However, You’er failed to pass the imperial examinations and feels ashamed. She has no face to see Your Majesty again and has been studying at home for the past year, not even leaving the house,” Cai Jing said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Zhao Xiaoqian also laughed: "Studying books by rote is meaningless. I believe in Brother Cai You's talent and character. How about this, I will issue another decree that Cai You can be granted a hereditary official position, be granted the title of Jinshi, and be appointed as Secretary and Compiler of the Imperial Library. Let him gain experience in the lower levels for a few years, see his abilities, and then promote him as appropriate."

Overjoyed, Cai Jing knelt down again, prostrating himself with tears of gratitude, and said, "Your Majesty's grace is boundless. Your Majesty and I have no way to repay it but to follow you to the death. Your Majesty and I swear that we will stand with Your Majesty in the court from now on and serve you with utmost devotion!"

Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily.

Sure enough, the ideas of unorthodox cultivators were quite advanced. They could easily gain access to the emperor by simply saying a few words, which was more effective than ten years of hard study by prestigious and orthodox schools.

Okay, I feel like I'm becoming more and more like a tyrant, actually getting along so well with historical villains.

Cai You, as recorded in historical texts, was the prime minister during the Jingkang era, and of course, he wasn't a good person.

In order to please Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, Cai You did not hesitate to dress up as an ugly woman in the palace, putting on makeup and smearing himself with lewd jokes to make Zhao Ji laugh.

The father and son in the Cai family are truly capable of anything for advancement, with no bottom line whatsoever.

…………

The imperial court in Bianjing has been in turmoil these past few days.

Just as news of the new administration's intention to discuss the implementation of the equal land tax law was being sent, Shi Zhongxian, the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, suddenly smashed his head against the palace gate and died. The entire court was filled with righteous indignation and submitted a memorial to the emperor to remonstrate against his mistakes. They all expressed that if the emperor did not accept their advice, they should follow Shi Zhongxian's example and die in remonstrance to preserve their reputation for loyalty and integrity.

The court was in an uproar, with increasingly loud and vehement opposition, turning it into a veritable carnival for morally upright individuals.

The Council of State Affairs remained silent, and the prime ministers did not express their opinions.

Remaining silent is also a form of attitude.

This shows that the Council of State actually tacitly approved of the radical actions of the court officials.

Zhao Xiaoqian did not compromise. He simply skipped the court sessions that were originally held every three to five days.

The Imperial City Guard's spies and informants were deployed, and Zhen Qing put all his effort into investigating Shi Zhongxian's life, family property, relatives, and his network of connections.

Just as the city was in turmoil and people's hearts were in turmoil, two more personnel appointments were announced from Yanfu Palace.

Cai Jing was dismissed from his post as Minister of Revenue and promoted to Vice Minister of the Chancellery, Academician of the Longtu Pavilion, and then entered the Council of State Affairs as a Councilor.

Cai Jing's eldest son, Cai You, was granted the title of Jinshi and appointed as a secretary and compiler of the Imperial Library.

These two appointments, once they were announced outside the palace, immediately caused shock among the court officials.

The Emperor's signal this time was very strong. After dismissing several Vice Ministers of the Chancellery and Vice Ministers of State Affairs, the Council of State Affairs finally appointed a new Vice Minister of the Chancellery.

Cai Jing's resume was not unfamiliar to the court officials. Of course, most of them had also heard about Cai Jing's character, and some had even witnessed it firsthand.

Simply put, Cai Jing is a person whose political stance is not firm.

He nominally belonged to the New Party, but the New Party had served three emperors and experienced many ups and downs during that time. However, Cai Jing did not contribute much to the New Party or make any statement. For him, the status of a New Party official was more like a decoration or ornament.

To put it bluntly, Cai Jing is politically a fickle opportunist who sways with the wind.

The fact that the emperor appointed such a person as the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, commonly known as the Deputy Prime Minister, was clearly of great significance.

The experienced and insightful court officials have keenly sensed through this appointment that the conflict between the Emperor and the various prime ministers of the Council of State Affairs has likely become extremely sharp and irreconcilable.

Cai Jing was a fence-sitter, but fence-sitters have one advantage: they are obedient, they obey the emperor.

This is something that Prime Minister Zhang Dun could not do.

Therefore, after Cai Jing entered the Council of State Affairs, the position of Prime Minister Zhang Dun may have been on the verge of collapse.

If one cannot keep pace with the emperor's steps and rhythm, and cannot achieve unity of mind and purpose between the ruler and his subjects, then one can only be eliminated.

Not long after the imperial edict from Yanfu Palace arrived at the Hall of State Affairs, while the court officials were still in shock and whispering among themselves, Cai Jing had already handed over his duties as Minister of Revenue and walked proudly into the Hall of State Affairs in his purple official robes.

Upon entering the hall, Cai Jing smiled before speaking and politely greeted the prime ministers of the Political Affairs Hall.

Finally, Cai Jing approached Zhang Dun and bowed respectfully in the manner of a subordinate official.

Zhang Dun had just received the news and was still shocked by the Emperor's sudden personnel appointment when Cai Jing arrived at the Hall of State Affairs.

Seeing Cai Jing bowing respectfully with a smile, Zhang Dun's mind was buzzing, and he was so stunned that he forgot to return the greeting for a long time.

How could Zhang Dun not guess a fact that everyone else could guess?
At this moment, Zhang Dun felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his whole body ice-cold.

He had only one thought in his mind: his time as prime minister was probably coming to an end.

The emperor had truly lost all hope in him and no longer harbored any illusions.

(End of this chapter)