Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

Subsequently, when Grand Chancellor Fu Bi governed the country, two Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, Liu Hang and Wang Qinruo, came from the same faction, which meant that Fu Bi might take sides.

As time went on, Han Zhang went to Beijing, gathered Han's faction, and won over old friends, gradually increasing his influence.

At that time, if Liu Hang had abdicated and yielded the throne to a more capable person, it would have been a scene of harmonious coexistence.

Unfortunately, who would willingly relinquish the position of Grand Secretary?

Liu Hang's refusal to abdicate marked the beginning of this political struggle.

As the Han faction gained increasing power, even the Grand Chancellor took sides, leaving Liu Hang with almost no hope of winning the political struggle.

Liu Hang was naturally unwilling to accept this, which led him to plot against the emperor.

It's done. Han Zhang's entry into the cabinet has been postponed, and he can stay in the position of Grand Secretary for a few more years.

If that fails, there is still a chance to gain an advantage for either the Prince of Yan or the Prince of Yong by subtly framing him, thus gaining merit in the process of supporting the new emperor.

Even if the government is slightly biased, it's still a win-win situation!

As it turned out, Liu Hang made a fatal mistake and was defeated.

When planning his scheme, Liu Hang must have schemed against many people and considered the possibility of many twists and turns.

But he overlooked one thing:

Jiang Zhao's political acumen!

No one had ever imagined that Jiang Zhao would be such a formidable fighter.

Even Han Zhang, who had personally trained Jiang Zhao, was very surprised.

If one thing is overlooked, everything else will be overlooked.

If Jiang Zhao isn't dragged into this mess, then Han Zhang won't get involved in the political struggle.

If Han Zhang doesn't leave the field, then Liu Hang can't leave either.

This involves a question of sequence.

If Jiang Zhao were to enter the fray, it would be only natural for Han Zhang to step in first to save his disciple.

Thus, it was only natural that Liu Hang would step into the fray again, with kings facing kings and generals facing generals.

However, if Han Zhang did not step down, and Liu Hang stepped down as a Grand Secretary, it would undoubtedly be a self-inflicted wound, telling the emperor that he had a problem.

However, Jiang Zhao managed to withstand the attacks from several high-ranking officials in purple robes and gold belts.

Therefore, Liu Hang's plan failed.

As for whether it was a complete failure, we must look to Liu Hang's scheme of "the struggle between the two kings".

With Liu Hang's deeds exposed, the infighting between the two kings' factions was inextricably linked to a lack of real resolution.

You say I framed you, I say you framed yourself, and in doing so, framed me.

The argument is always valid, so naturally there's no resolution.

Only the emperor himself knows whose side he truly favors.

But one thing is certain: Liu Hang must have secretly favored one of the two kings.

As for whether the Prince of Yan or the Prince of Yong is favored, everyone has their own opinion.

Whether Liu Hang's plan was effective or had the opposite effect remains unknown.

If Liu Hang doesn't speak, even the emperor won't be able to get the answer out of him.

The principle that "the law does not apply to officials and scholars" is not just an empty phrase.

Not to mention, this is the pinnacle of civil service.

After leaving the imperial study, the thirty-odd high-ranking officials in purple robes dispersed and then gathered together again.

The gatherings range from two or three people to nearly ten people, and so on.

Among them, several officials in purple robes and jade belts, led by Liu Hang, had somber faces and empty steps, their hearts clearly not as calm as they appeared.

After this moment, undercurrents are bound to surge, and impeachments and attacks will continue.

On the other side, Han Zhang walked with ease, stroking his beard and smiling, his gestures measured and relaxed, exuding composure.

In fact, an indescribable aura suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Jiang Zhao, Jiang Zhi, Wang Yaochen, Zhang Fangping, and several high-ranking officials in purple robes from the Korean faction followed half a step behind, strolling leisurely and quite relaxed.

The light boat has passed ten thousand mountains!

“The situation here is extremely dangerous!” Zhang Fangping stood upright with his hands behind his back, his every move relaxed, clearly displaying the demeanor of a victor.

Han Zhang nodded, stroked his beard, and said with emotion, "Fortunately, Zhao'er is exceptionally skilled and has been able to dominate the battlefield."

Several officials in purple robes nodded repeatedly, their gazes towards Jiang Zhao now filled with more respect.

With such a faction of successors, there's no need to fear the decline of the Korean faction once they step down.

As long as the Korean entertainment industry doesn't decline, they can reap certain benefits, and their words will carry weight.

"It's all thanks to the teacher's excellent teaching." Jiang Zhao smiled warmly and nodded respectfully to the others.

The proper manners of a junior should still be observed.

"These next few days will probably be quite busy." Han Zhang looked at the group and instructed them, "Whether it's an official sacrifice or a banquet for officials, everything here must be handled properly, and no mistakes should be made."

Wang Yaochen, Zhang Fangping, and others all nodded.

Having weathered this political infighting, the birthday celebration should simply be conducted properly.

Having lost the political struggle, Liu Hang and his associates would certainly not dare to resort to any more underhanded tactics.

Otherwise, even a stable official career would be a problem.

On June 25th, the emperor held a ceremony to present a congratulatory memorial to all officials, praying for divine favor.

"Since assuming the throne, I have worked tirelessly day and night, wishing only for the eternal stability of our land and the well-being of our people. However, the lack of an heir is a great concern to me. On this auspicious occasion of my birthday, I respectfully pray to Heaven and our ancestors for a son to inherit our throne and ensure the continuation of our dynasty. I also wish for peace throughout the land and favorable weather for crops!"

After speaking, he burned the congratulatory memorials from all the officials and offered sacrifices to Heaven.

The civil and military officials viewed it with different interests.

The key point is Huang Jingbu's congratulatory letter!

Huang Jing wrote two congratulatory memorials. The first one he presented was a disobedient statement, but the timing was not a problem.

Jiang Zhao went to retrieve the congratulatory letter and presented it at the end of the morning; the procedure was without any problems.

What's special is that even if the word "complete" is added to make up for the disobedient words that angered the emperor, it certainly wouldn't be considered an auspicious omen.

The second congratulatory letter presented by Huang Jing was written after the trial. It followed a standard congratulatory letter template, was proper and straightforward, and had no problems.

This congratulatory message was also used by the government for sacrificial rites.

However, it's unclear whether the first congratulatory message, which was considered disobedient and disruptive to the joy of birthday celebration, or the second, more proper one, should be taken as the standard.

Whether disobedient words broke the tradition of celebrating birthdays and bringing good fortune is a matter of opinion.

Many people believe that worshipping the heavens is no longer effective, and that Huang Jing's congratulatory letter has already broken the auspicious omen.

These people were almost all fourth- or fifth-rank officials, led by the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong. They harbored ambitions to follow the emperor and did not wish for an imperial heir.

Some people believe that offering sacrifices to the heavens is still effective.

These people are often high-ranking officials of the third rank or above.

A third-rank official has a completely different perspective on the big picture.

To date, relatively few high-ranking officials of the third rank have truly pledged allegiance to the Prince of Yan or the Prince of Yong.

Because of their sense of the bigger picture, these people still hoped that the emperor would have a son.

Of course, this was also because of the precedent set by Emperor Zhenzong.

The late emperor also faced the problem of his princes dying young and having no son to inherit the throne, but due to good fortune, he eventually found an heir.

With such a precedent, it's no wonder that some officials harbored expectations.

June 26th, Daqing Hall.

The emperor celebrates his birthday, and the whole country rejoices.

Inside the Daqing Hall, Zhao Zhen wore an ochre-yellow gauze robe, a crown with twenty-four ridges, over a foot long, and adorned with jade and rhinoceros hairpins, a gold belt, and jade pendants. Even his usually serene face showed a hint of a smile.

Further down, the seats are divided to the left and right, and those qualified to sit in the main hall are all top-notch figures.

They were either the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, or high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, such as the six ministers, vice ministers, and regional governors, or members of the imperial family, powerful dukes, and marquises.

To the left and right of the main hall seating area are several open doors. Through these doors are the seating areas in the two corridors, where you can still see the emperor, but the view is much worse.

The Hanlin Compiler was a sixth-rank official, and Jiang Zhao sat in the seats in the two corridors.

"My lords, please enjoy the feast."

Emperor Zhao Zhen sat upright on his throne, raised his cup to indicate to his officials that they should not be too restrained.

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

Led by the Grand Chancellor, all the officials raised their glasses in a toast.

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

After finishing the drink, the atmosphere in the room immediately relaxed considerably.

Holding bamboo chopsticks, Jiang Zhao looked at the staple foods and pastries such as rice noodles, boiled rice, cooked rice, tripe soup, fried meat, and flatbread in the silver bowl, but he couldn't muster any interest.

It's not that the food is bad!

In fact, given the limitations of productivity development, this dish is already quite good.

However, it's only just good.

Jiang Zhao sighed.

This is an imperial banquet!

Is this all the food served at the imperial banquet?

I thought we were going to eat some rare delicacies!

As a result, this is it?

He can buy these things to eat when he goes shopping!

However, it is an imperial banquet after all; what if it's different?

With this thought in mind, Jiang Zhao tried picking up a piece with his chopsticks, sipped it, and savored it.

One taste, and I was greatly disappointed!

It tastes just average, nothing special.

"The Emperor is so frugal!" Even Jiang Zhao couldn't help but exclaim.

For a monarch to celebrate his birthday, the food was rather meager.

No wonder it was Emperor Renzong!

Jiang Zhao glanced at Zhang Heng at the end of the table and raised his glass: "Ziping."

As a Hanlin Academy scholar, Zhang Heng's daily work involved recording the emperor's daily activities.

They were not qualified to attend court in person, but were allowed to do so only because of the special nature of the position of Imperial Diarist.

Logically speaking, he should not have been entitled to a separate seat at such an imperial banquet.

However, the emperor was always benevolent, so he simply allowed the second-place scholar Zhang Heng and the third-place scholar to take their seats.

After all, Zhang Heng's daily records were not difficult to compile.

As this time, the daily records probably only contain a few words: "The Emperor congratulated the Emperor on his birthday and granted a banquet to all officials."

Just those few words.

However, even though only a few words were recorded, Zhang Heng had to be present for the entire process.

It would be too pitiful to just watch others eat without being able to participate.