Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 167 - 142 Duke Zhen is Indeed Astute

In the Imperial Study of Chengguang Hall, the emperor was reading a secret letter sent back from Yangzhou by Song Dekang. In the letter, Song Dekang reported in detail the situation in Yangzhou to the emperor, and everything was proceeding very smoothly. At the end of the letter, he asked the emperor when he would close the net.

After reading Song Dekang’s secret letter, the emperor received another secret memorial from the County Magistrate of Guangling County.

Seeing the secret memorial from his "old father-in-law" Liang Shuren, the emperor couldn’t help but show a trace of surprise on his face. He had a fairly good impression of this "old father-in-law" who was far away in Yangzhou. Though the County Magistrate had bought the position during the previous dynasty, he had been diligent for over twenty years, working for the people, never engaging in corruption, nor currying favor with his superiors.

Among the many county magistrates, the "old father-in-law" had done a reasonably good job. The reason he was not promoted was that he had bought the position during the previous dynasty. Another reason was that he had not achieved outstanding results.

Normally, Liang Shuren seldom wrote memorials to the emperor just to pay respects, unlike other officials. He only wrote to the emperor when he had something significant to report.

Though he was the emperor’s "old father-in-law," Liang Shuren did not dare to be "presumptuous" in the slightest, becoming more cautious instead.

In terms of his "old father-in-law’s" temperament, the emperor had a good understanding: never visiting unless necessary. He hurriedly opened the secret memorial, and after reading it, his expression became very solemn.

Standing by, Sun Kui noticed the emperor’s face changing to a very unpleasant expression and promptly asked with concern, "Your Majesty, what happened? Is it something serious?"

The emperor, with a serious expression, instructed, "Go and call Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu."

Seeing the emperor so solemn and severe, Sun Kui felt a chill in his heart and quickly said, "I, your servant, will go immediately." With that, he hurried out of the Imperial Study.

A moment later, Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu arrived at the Imperial Study.

The emperor waved to Sun Kui, who understood immediately and hurriedly left. At the doorway, he drove away the eunuchs and guards, leaving only his apprentice, Sun Doudou.

"Master, has something big happened?" As long as only he and his master remained at the entrance to the Imperial Study, with no others guarding it, it meant the emperor and ministers had very important matters to discuss.

Sun Kui gently tapped Sun Doudou’s head with a horsetail whisk and sternly warned him, "If it’s not something you should know, don’t ask." Then he added, "Do you have a death wish?"

Sun Doudou quickly chuckled to please Sun Kui, "Master, I haven’t had enough of life, how could I want to die?"

"Then don’t ask anything."

"I was just talking to you, I wouldn’t ask others like this."

Sun Kui was also aware of his apprentice’s nature. Though lively and talkative in front of him, he was very cautious around others.

"After you’ve had your lunch, go to Hulong Temple to bring back the Tenth Highness."

"The Tenth Highness is at Hulong Temple?" Sun Doudou asked in surprise.

"The Tenth Highness went to Hulong Temple to visit the Crown Prince and the Eighth Highness."

"The Tenth Highness is truly thoughtful." Sun Doudou couldn’t help but smile, remembering the pleasant conversation he had with Zhao Yao last time, "Master, you’ve given me a good task."

Sun Kui raised an eyebrow in slight surprise at this, "Oh, going to pick up Tenth Highness is a good task, huh?"

"The Tenth Highness is cute and interesting, talking with him is a lot of fun."

"Indeed." Sun Kui didn’t say much more about Zhao Yao to Sun Doudou.

In the Imperial Study, the emperor handed Liang Shuren’s secret memorial to Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu for them to read. After they finished, they both looked aghast: "How dare they..."

Grandmaster Liu was furious, "These people are so audacious!"

The emperor sneered, "I really underestimated that group in Yangzhou!"

Prime Minister He knitted his brows tightly and said, "This group is simply lawless, they have completely disregarded the imperial court and Your Majesty."

"In Yangzhou, they are like local emperors; how could they respect me as the emperor?" The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp glint in them, "If the tiger doesn’t show its might, they’re really going to consider me a sick cat." This saying, the emperor learned from Zhao Yao.

"Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?"

The emperor reverted to his usual nonchalant attitude, leaning back in his chair, placing his legs on the Imperial Desk, and said carelessly, "Of course, sweep them all in one go."

Prime Minister He nodded and said, "Better yet, uproot them entirely."

Grandmaster Liu said coldly, "Leave none of them."

"I haven’t been on the battlefield in over a decade; does everyone think I’ve become a living Bodhisattva?" The emperor touched his own face, saying, "Is my face looking more and more benevolent?"

Prime Minister He heard this and his lips twitched slightly, then he ruthlessly said, "Not at all."

Grandmaster Liu also said, "You have nothing to do with the word benevolent."

Faced with his two loyal ministers’ blunt responses, the emperor was not angered but instead smiled and said, "As expected, you two know me well."

Prime Minister He continued, "Your Majesty, none of the officials in Yangzhou are clean. If we really want to uproot them, I’m afraid there won’t be a single official left in Yangzhou’s bureaucracy."

Grandmaster Liu said, "If there are none, then so be it. We can transfer officials from other places to Yangzhou."

"I’ve already made arrangements; this time, no one will be left." The emperor rocked his legs placed on the Imperial Desk and said with a smile, "There are still a few good officials in Yangzhou."

"Liang Zhaoyi’s father, Magistrate Liang, is a good official," Prime Minister He said meaningfully, "This time, Magistrate Liang discovered that those in Yangzhou were collaborating with Han Zhong from Shu, which is a great merit. After the matter concludes, Your Majesty should promote him."

"This time, I finally have a reason to promote my old father-in-law." The emperor said, stretching lazily with raised hands.

Prime Minister He joked upon hearing this, "Your Majesty, if Duke Zhen were to hear this, who knows what he would think?" The true old father-in-law of the emperor was the late Old Duke, while Liang Shulin was merely Liang Zhaoyi’s father and couldn’t be considered the emperor’s old father-in-law.

The emperor laughed and said, "If he’s upset, he can just hold it in."

Grandmaster Liu asked, "Your Majesty, has any of the noble families in the capital colluded with the families in Yangzhou?"

The emperor raised his left eyebrow and looked at Grandmaster Liu, "What do you think?"

Grandmaster Liu sneered, "Sure enough, crows under heaven are all black."

Prime Minister He asked, "Your Majesty, then what do you intend to do?"

The emperor crossed his hands behind his head and said casually, "Do what needs to be done."

"Your Majesty, did the Xie family also get involved?"

"That they didn’t." The emperor pulled back his legs from the Imperial Desk, sat up straight, and said, "My brother-in-law is very shrewd."

This surprised Prime Minister He, "The people from the Yangzhou side must have approached Duke Zhen, right?"

The emperor propped his hands on the Imperial Desk, supporting his chin with crossed arms, and said, "They did, and promised my brother-in-law quite a lot of money." After saying this, the emperor stretched out both hands.

Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu gasped in shock, "A million?!"

The emperor nodded, "That’s right, a million!"

Prime Minister He exclaimed in astonishment, "Duke Zhen actually refused?"

"A million is an astronomical sum, yet Duke Zhen didn’t waver!" Grandmaster Liu looked incredulous, "Could it be that Duke Zhen wants more?"

The emperor shook his hand and said, "Even if they offered my brother-in-law another million, he wouldn’t agree."

"Your Majesty, your brother-in-law is truly shrewd." Grandmaster Liu immediately understood why Duke Zhen hadn’t accepted the offer from Yangzhou’s side.

"Could Duke Zhen know about the Yangzhou affair?" Prime Minister He asked in surprise.

"He might know a little bit, but he knows better that I won’t tolerate the noble families’ maneuvers forever," the emperor said, resting his right hand on his chin, "He also knows about my suspicions towards Duke Zhen Mansion, so he doesn’t dare to make a mistake."

Prime Minister He sighed, "As expected, Duke Zhen is shrewd!"

"Duke Zhen Mansion didn’t participate, but did the Wang Family?" Grandmaster Liu asked.

"They did, but not the direct lineage," the emperor lightly tapped his right index finger on the Imperial Desk, smiling enigmatically, "They’re all old slippery eels."

Prime Minister He regrettably said, "That’s truly a pity."

"The noble families in the capital look down on those in Yangzhou and don’t quite trust them, so naturally, they wouldn’t let their direct lineages participate," Grandmaster Liu said solemnly, "Eliminating the noble families in the capital won’t be easy."

"The noble families in the capital, as His Majesty said, are all crafty old slippery eels and very difficult to deal with," Prime Minister He observed, "They have centuries of heritage and deep strength, so dealing with them can only be done gradually, not hastily."

"I’m afraid uprooting the families in Yangzhou will alert the noble families in the capital," Grandmaster Liu said worriedly, "They might do something."

"That would suit my plans perfectly." The emperor looked at Grandmaster Liu and commanded, "Lao Liu, you will personally go to Yangzhou to close the net then."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

There’s no one in the world better than Grandmaster Liu at playing intrigue and deceit, making him the ideal choice to close the net and deal with those noble families in Yangzhou.

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