Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 290 - 216: A Letter of Loyalty to the Emperor_3

Chapter 290: Chapter 216: A Letter of Loyalty to the Emperor_3

But now, Chu Ge had decided to become a Wang Wenchuan who’d stoop to any level, lacking any bottom line, so the talent for keeping a low profile became even more useful.

When the smoke cleared before him, the Wang Wenchuan that Chu Ge was playing reemerged in the Political Affairs Hall.

Before him still lay the articles of reform.

Only this time, Chu Ge didn’t bother with the details of these articles but pushed them aside directly.

He drafted a new set of articles instead.

Then, he called over the servants from his residence, "Prepare the carriage. I am going to the palace to see the Emperor."

...

Soon, Chu Ge arrived at the imperial palace and met the Emperor.

As the current Prime Minister and the Emperor’s trusted favorite, Wang Wenchuan’s favorability was at its peak in the Emperor’s heart.

But Wang Wenchuan felt that his favorability in the Emperor’s heart could still be further improved.

During the Qi Dynasty, officials held a relatively high status; in situations like these memorials to the throne, the Emperor would normally bestow a seat, and this time was no exception.

"My dear subject, have you come for matters concerning the new laws?" The Emperor’s demeanor was naturally affable.

Chu Ge nodded, "Indeed.

"Your Majesty, please look. This is the official system law I’ve just drafted."

The Emperor was momentarily taken aback before taking the document that Chu Ge passed over, "Official system law?"

Clearly, the Emperor looked perplexed.

Because this so-called "official system law" was not part of the original content of Wang Wenchuan’s reforms, so naturally, he was puzzled.

In the Emperor’s view, Wang Wenchuan was a very thoughtful minister, and also a very stubborn one. The Emperor and his minister had already discussed the new laws many times, and the Emperor was familiar with Wang Wenchuan’s general thoughts, but he had never heard anything about concocting some official system law?

Other articles were yet to be presented, and now out of nowhere came this official system law, which was quite unexpected to the Emperor.

However, unexpected as it may have been, the Emperor still examined the content of the official system law thoroughly.

The content of the official system law was simple, consisting of only two points, both aimed at reforming the bureaucratic system.

The first point was to promulgate a set of standard procedures for the promotion and dismissal of officials. Promotions would adhere to this standard, no longer going through the Prime Minister.

The second point was to restore the old system of the Liang Dynasty under the guise of reinstating the Three Departments System. The core of the Three Departments System was to divide the Prime Minister’s powers, assigning responsibilities for the Ministry of Supervision and the Secretariat separately. This way, the Emperor could issue orders directly to the officials of the three departments.

In simpler terms, the previous Prime Minister held significant power, as promotions and salaries for officials had to go through him, and the officials of the three departments reported directly to the Prime Minister. But now, these powers were effectively being retracted back into the hands of the Emperor.

Although it was just a brief two points, the Emperor spent a long time reading.

Even a look of confusion and disbelief crossed his face when he raised his head, mixed with a hint of delight.

"My dear subject, what is the meaning of this?"

Clearly, even the Emperor couldn’t grasp what the Wang Wenchuan before him was thinking.

Was the Emperor moved or not?

Of course, he was extremely moved!

He even felt that the Wang Wenchuan before him had suddenly become his confidant, a worm in his gut.

Even this official system law didn’t seem like something Wang Wenchuan thought of, but rather something the Emperor himself would have come up with...

Chu Ge couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Familiar, isn’t it? Does it ring a bell? Does it resonate with you?

That’s right, because this is what you came up with...

What he called the "official system law" was actually the Emperor’s own "Yuanfeng Reforms" that came after Wang Wenchuan’s new policies.

Not a single point was changed; all the content was conceived by the Emperor himself.

And this reform naturally also proceeded very smoothly this time, since it was something the Emperor had set his heart on doing.

And at that time, Wang Wenchuan did not approve of this reform.

The reason was simple, this reform in effect weakened the authority of the Prime Minister and strengthened imperial power.

A significant part of the authority involving the promotion and dismissal of officials, as well as the responsibilities of the three departments, had been retracted from the hands of the Prime Minister and returned to the Emperor.

Wang Wenchuan, being a Prime Minister himself, would not wish to be constrained by others. How could he possibly agree to such a thing?

From a modern perspective, this reform did indeed provide officials with clearly defined positions, reducing the expenses of the court, but its effect was limited to the central government and hardly significant at the local level.

Moreover, to some extent, it even resulted in a decrease in administrative efficiency.

But its deeper impact was strengthening centralization, weakening the power of the Prime Minister. It was essentially a steadfast step for the emperor to make decisions independently and circumvent the supervision of officials led by the Prime Minister.

So, in essence, it was a reform that limited the power of the Prime Minister and strengthened imperial power.

That’s why the emperor was so puzzled.

Wang Wenchuan, as the Prime Minister, why would he restrict his own power? That would be simply absurd...

Although the reform proposal was very tempting, even exactly what the emperor had been longing for, the fact that it came from Wang Wenchuan always made it seem like there was some trap hidden within...

That’s why the emperor was feeling puzzled.

Chuge gave a slight smile.

This was part of his plan, and of course, he had prepared a response in advance.

"Do you still remember, Your Majesty, when you asked, ’Changing the laws may displease the scholars and officials, but how would it inconvenience the common people?’ How did Wen Jianyi answer?"

The emperor paused for a moment, then said, "Wen Jianyi said, ’We govern the world with scholars and officials, not with the common people.’"

Chuge nodded, "This official system law is the answer I have prepared for Your Majesty to that reply by Wen Jianyi."

As Chuge spoke these words, his acting skills burst forth, showing sincere expression.

Further aided by his innate ability to "act discreetly," he appeared as an utterly harmless, wholly devoted little lamb.

Indeed, the emperor’s eyes lit up with brilliance.

And this brilliance was even brighter than when Wang Wenchuan had spoken to him about the reforms.

"My dear subject, please elaborate!"

Seeing the emperor’s eagerness, Chuge knew that he had bet correctly.

What’s the first step to become a treacherous courtier, a power holder, someone who has immense sway over the court and the country?

It is to gain the trust of the emperor and to make oneself irreplaceable.

Take Yan Maoqing, for example.

Was his ability outstanding? Was his scholarship exceptional?

He was competent, but compared to the extraordinary individuals of his time, he had no advantage.

His true strength lay in firmly capturing the emperor’s interest in spiritual practices and accumulating wealth, making himself irreplaceable.

Therefore, he was able to have immense sway over the court, to suppress all who didn’t submit to him using the emperor’s power.

Chuge was doing the same.

This emperor neither cared for spiritual practices nor hoarding wealth, nor was he one of those notorious foolish emperors from history. In other words, it was virtually impossible to please him with material comforts.

On the contrary, indulging in corruption or showing a lack of personal virtue could delay his trust, or even lead to one’s abrupt downfall.

So, what mattered most to this emperor?

From his keenness to reform, it was clear that the emperor cared most about achieving something great.

Moreover, he distrusted his court officials, preferring to keep power in his own hands.

It was precisely because of his mistrust of the court officials that he repeatedly dismissed Wang Wenchuan from office; it was because he wanted to hold power himself that he initiated the Yuanfeng Reforms, bypassing Wang Wenchuan and reclaiming some of the Prime Minister’s powers.

From the outcome, regardless of whether Wang Wenchuan agreed, the reforms were going to happen.

Since this was the case, why not give in graciously and voluntarily surrender these powers?

To use the power, he was bound to lose anyway, as a gesture of submission.

In the emperor’s view, Wang Wenchuan had transformed from a Prime Minister with his own ideas into a very compliant, useful tool.

This strategic withdrawal not only made Wang Wenchuan’s position as Prime Minister more stable, but also allowed him to launch a psychological attack on Wen Jun and other senior officials from the old faction.

In the eyes of the emperor, Wang Wenchuan had already shown great tact by siding with him and being very compliant, which made the stubborn Wen Jun and others, who believed that "the emperor governs the world with scholars and officials," seem all the more detestable.

Therefore, Chuge used this as a starting point for his conversation with the emperor.

Next, it was time to make the emperor realize just how detestable Wen Jun and his ilk were!