Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 289 - 216: A Letter of Loyalty to the Emperor_2

Chapter 289: Chapter 216: A Letter of Loyalty to the Emperor_2

Although the reform had yet to begin, he could at least be sure that after such maneuvers, he would definitely be able to sit in the position of chief minister for a long time.

The game had given him ten years to win the Battle of Niuzhu, and his primary task was to survive for ten years, and not to fail in the first year.

"So now, I should carefully analyze from which angle to start in order to strike down my political enemies."

Chuge had already decided to go after the traditionalist faction.

But wanting to target these traditionalists was not going to be easy.

At this time, the leader of the traditionalists was Wen Junshi. Chuge had crossed swords with him a few times before and knew full well how difficult this man was to deal with.

First of all, in terms of personal virtue, there wasn’t much to criticize about Wen Junshi, and in this respect, he was quite similar to Wang Wenchuan.

Next, Wen Junshi was highly learned, and his debating skills were top-notch. From the perspective of later generations, his points of view would certainly be seen as symbols of regression and conservatism, but in that era, they were highly misleading and could even garner unanimous agreement from the emperor to the ministers and then to the common people.

After all, back then, Wen Junshi’s thoughts were what represented orthodoxy.

On the contrary, it was Wang Wenchuan’s ideas about reform that seemed unconventional and shocking to the norms, thus opposed by the majority of scholars.

Finally, there was the issue with the emperor.

The character of this emperor and the political situation of the Qi Dynasty meant that at the time, it was very unlikely that the party struggles would result in any decisive outcomes; the emperor cared a great deal about his own reputation. Renowned ministers like Wang Wenchuan and Wu Junshi, even if they were to fall from power, would not be thoroughly purged.

Even if Wen Junshi was demoted, he still wielded considerable influence and charisma and could still affect the emperor’s judgments.

Therefore, if one wanted to engage in party struggles to bring down Wen Junshi, a viable method had to be thought of.

This method had to be effective, and effective methods were often those without any scruples.

Chuge frowned in deep thought, drifting further down the path of a treacherous official.

"In ancient times, what is the most effective way to bring down someone in political struggle?

"Not by framing or overpowering, but by making the emperor hate him.

"As soon as the emperor starts to hate him, his downfall won’t be far away.

"To make the emperor hate him, I must analyze the emperor’s character and prescribe the right remedy.

"What does the current emperor hate the most? Or rather, what does he care about most?

"Reform?

"No, not reform.

"Because the results of the reforms couldn’t be determined as either good or bad yet.

"Wen Junshi opposes the reforms, and his arguments are very misleading; the emperor wouldn’t hate him for that.

"I need to be like Yan Maoqing, find the point that the emperor desires the most, and use that as a breakthrough to bring Wen Junshi to his demise..."

As Chuge analyzed, a plan gradually formed in his mind.

The ancient political system was highly centralized, and the emperor held ultimate power. Thus, the most effective way to bring down someone was to make the emperor hate him.

For example, the downfall of Yan Maoqing wasn’t because he was corrupt and took bribes, but because of the change in the emperor’s view of him.

Previously, the emperor felt that Yan Maoqing could make money for him, so he turned a blind eye to all of Yan Maoqing’s actions, indulging him without restraint; later, the emperor realized that Yan Maoqing’s presence had become overwhelming, even affecting his own profit-making, hence he was able to uproot the entire Yan faction with swift and decisive actions.

Historically, Wang Wenchuan also didn’t do well in this regard.

Because he had his own principles and had not fully resolved to act entirely from the emperor’s standpoint.

Or to put it in a less flattering way, he had not been willing to be the emperor’s loyal dog.

Why was Wang Wenchuan dismissed by the emperor? It was because he had developed a difference in opinion with the emperor on some matters, and the stubborn Wenchuan was not willing to accept the emperor’s views entirely.

But for Chuge, no such moral burden existed.

Having already decided to be a treacherous official like Yan Maoqing, he must resolve to be the emperor’s dog; and in the process of serving the emperor, he couldn’t just blindly carry on with his own agenda, but instead, must always consider what the emperor wanted and what he wanted to do, and act on it first.

Only then would the emperor’s approval and tolerance for him grow, so that he could successfully suppress the opposition.

And only after eliminating political enemies with the help of the emperor, would he then possess the preliminary ability to manipulate the emperor.

After some contemplation, Chuge found a perfect point of entry.

After planning the entire scheme from start to finish, he began the trial once more.

...

Three different talent cards appeared in front of Chuge.

[Xin • Passionate Rhetoric (Blue): Your speeches become more compelling and persuasive.]

[Geng • Resolute Will (Blue): Your will is firm, you have a strong ability to withstand pressure, and you also tend to become more stubborn in your own views.]

[Geng • Low-Key Behavior (Blue): You act low-key and are less likely to draw others’ attention.]

After a bit of thought, Chuge gently tapped the [Low-Key Behavior] talent.

This talent was one he had swapped for after a prior failed attempt at the game, but he had not chosen to use it before.

Because it was meaningless.

Wang Wenchuan himself was the leader of the reform movement, a high-ranking minister of the court, what use was there in him being low-profile?

In comparison, Passionate Rhetoric could persuade the emperor, and Resolute Will could help him persist and push the reforms as far as possible, both of which were useful talents for the reform-minded Wenchuan.

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