Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

In the Prime Minister's residence in the northwest of the Prime Minister's mansion, Jiang Wei accompanied Qiao Zhou to complete the memorial service. The two then left the mourning hall and came to the gate of the residence.

Between the entrance to the Prime Minister's residence and the office area within the Prime Minister's mansion, there was an open area about a hundred feet long and several tens of feet wide, with armored soldiers holding halberds stationed only at the edge of the open space. These soldiers were all from the Tiger Cavalry Guard, and their armor and weapons were almost identical to those of the Tiger Guard soldiers in the Chengdu Palace.

Jiang Wei had once heard the Prime Minister mention that this open space was specially reserved for the Prime Minister by Wei Yan, presumably for safety and to prevent thieves.

This made it convenient for Jiang Wei and Qiao Zhou to talk privately.

"Officer Qiao," Jiang Wei said after some deliberation, "Before Chief Clerk Yang sent me to accompany you, he instructed me to inquire whether any of the officials in Chengdu had asked you to convey a message to Hanzhong, since you came alone from Chengdu."

"Yes." Qiao Zhou stopped, raised his sleeve to wipe his red and moist eyes, and cupped his hands towards Jiang Wei: "General Jiang, are you sure you want to hear this? Can you give me an answer after you hear it?"

Jiang Wei's gaze met Qiao Zhou's. After a few moments of silence and contemplation, he replied, "Jiang Wei hails from Liangzhou and has received the favor of the Han court and the Prime Minister for many years. I dare not forget the kindness of the court and the guidance of the Prime Minister. When the Prime Minister was alive, I always regarded him as my teacher, which is different from others. Since you have something to say, you must not be asking me directly. Since I cannot answer, I will not listen."

"But in this situation, before the Prime Minister's spirit tablet, does Qiao have anything to say to me alone?"

Qiao Zhou remained silent, as if deep in thought: "General Jiang, please wait a moment."

Jiang Wei was not in a hurry either, and stood with his hands folded, waiting beside Qiao Zhou.

Among all the officials in the Prime Minister's residence, Jiang Wei was the most unique.

The officials in the Prime Minister's office came from a complex and diverse background, much like the officials of the Shu Han dynasty. Officials from Jingzhou held absolute power, wielding considerable influence; officials from Yizhou held stable positions in the middle ranks, serving as the backbone of the organization. Ostensibly, there was only the Prime Minister's faction, but in reality, they were all divided into factions.

Jiang Wei had nothing to do with them.

At the age of twenty-seven, Jiang Wei abandoned Wei and returned to Han. He was immediately recruited by the Prime Minister and entered the Prime Minister's office as a granary clerk. Prime Minister Zhuge called him "a superior scholar of Liangzhou". He was then given the title of General Fengyi and the title of Marquis of Dangyang. He was highly trusted by Prime Minister Zhuge and commanded the Tiger Step Army of six thousand men, concurrently serving as the Tiger Step Supervisor.

At the age of twenty-nine, Jiang Wei was appointed Protector of the Army and General Who Conquers the West. He became one of the high-ranking generals of the Shu Han court and the commander of the Prime Minister's central army.

This was Prime Minister Zhuge's style of personnel selection. He would promote talented individuals without hesitation, allowing them to rise rapidly in rank and power, as seen with Ma Su earlier and Jiang Wei later. While this style meant that no one dared to directly question the Prime Minister, many of his colleagues harbored doubts about Jiang Wei, some even openly expressing jealousy.

Twenty-nine years old, General Who Conquers the West? We toil our whole lives and still can't reach that rank!

This is the power politics of a prime minister: he gives you a high position at a young age and uses your talents and wisdom, but he also makes you endure criticism and cold looks from your colleagues, subjecting you to this kind of "training".

Besides Jiang Wei, there are many other similar cases in the imperial court and the prime minister's residence.

For example, given that the Prime Minister's residence holds absolute power, how can power be distributed within the residence? How can one ensure that numerous meritorious subordinates with diverse personalities obey one's orders?

Take Wei Yan and Yang Yi as examples. Wei Yan was given the highest-ranking official titles among the court officials, including General Who Conquers the West, Acting Imperial Envoy, and County Marquis, but he was gradually stripped of his substantive position as Sima (military advisor) in the Prime Minister's office, and given the vague title of former Military Advisor. Yang Yi was given the highest-ranking position as Sima (military advisor) in the Prime Minister's office, but only the miscellaneous title of General Who Pacifies the Army. Compared to the General Who Conquers the West, what does Yang Yi's title of General Who Pacifies the Army even count for?

By creating additional positions in the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister blurred the lines between the ranks of court officials and those in the Prime Minister's Office, leading both Wei Yan and Yang Yi to believe they held superior positions and causing them to constantly fight and refuse to yield to each other.

Regarding the issue of succession, Wei Yan's merits, generalship, and military achievements were unimportant, as were Yang Yi's hard work, seniority, and status. The most important thing was that the Chancellor and Emperor Liu Shan personally designated Jiang Wan.

Even Sun Quan, far away in Eastern Wu, knew that Wei Yan and Yang Yi were unsuitable, yet the Prime Minister still employed them. This was simply to allow them to carry the illusion of being highly valued and holding a superior position, thus making them mere beasts of burden for the Northern Expedition. With the Prime Minister's exalted position, promoting or dismissing someone was merely a matter of a word; once employed, so be it—what difference did it make?

However, man proposes, God disposes. The Prime Minister also did not anticipate his sudden illness and early death, which is the root of the current problem and the price of the Prime Minister wielding imperial power without a system for selecting officials. But what use is a system for selecting officials when the Shu Han state is only the size of a single province?

A prime minister is human, not a god; he must use power and tactics to manage his subordinates. The idea that one can command absolute obedience and silence all dissent through mere prestige is not a reality.

Returning to Jiang Wei, a person's thinking and spiritual realm gradually develop with the times and circumstances.

Jiang Wei at this point is less an official of the Shu Han dynasty and more a private retainer of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. Imperial favor? I've only met the emperor once; I received favor from the Prime Minister!

After the Prime Minister's death, Jiang Wei also faced the question of what to do next. At this time, Jiang Wei was far from having the mindset of repaying the Han Dynasty's favor that he would later have; all he could think about was self-preservation.

With the prime minister gone, my patron and superior officer gone, what do I, a mere Liangzhou native, care about your infighting among the Jingzhou people? What do I care about the fighting between the Jingzhou and Yizhou people? I'll just do my job well!

Therefore, when Yang Yi killed Wei Yan, Jiang Wei did not react, but simply followed orders. In Mianyang, Yang Yi, as the Chief Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, commanded Jiang Wei and the Tiger Step Army, using them to maintain a distant standoff and vigilance against Wu Yi and Wu Ban's troops; Jiang Wei again followed orders. After the Emperor's envoy Chen Zhi arrived in Mianyang, the Prime Minister's Office was in turmoil, with everyone having their own plans; Jiang Wei again followed orders, harboring a mind to observe the outcome.

Whoever is my boss, that's who I'll listen to!

Jiang Wei is now open to all kinds of information, or rather, willing to show goodwill to all parties. Qiao Zhou, as a representative of the scholars of Yizhou, came from Chengdu, and Jiang Wei is willing to listen to his words.

"General Jiang, you regard the Prime Minister as your mentor, and the Prime Minister's favor towards you is different from that of others. Therefore, I must speak frankly to you." Qiao Zhou paused for a long time before speaking: "We, the scholars of Yizhou, have discussed this with Chengdu, and the Northern Expedition must not be abandoned because of anyone else, lest it demoralize the people!"

Jiang Wei frowned upon hearing this, then nodded: "I have remembered what Qiao Congshi said."

Qiao Zhou noticed the change in Jiang Wei's expression and added, "General Jiang now commands the Tiger Infantry and is a key minister of the state. I have read extensively in history books; the transition of power is the most dangerous time. I hope that General Jiang can uphold the Prime Minister's legacy and stand firm!"