Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 292 - 217 Conspiracy and Open Scheme _2

Chapter 292: Chapter 217 Conspiracy and Open Scheme _2

Once the new laws encountered problems, the Emperor’s first reaction was not to take responsibility himself but to think that this was an issue caused by your complete domination over the matter, Wenchuan; it was you who must bear the entire burden.

Therefore, later on, the Emperor distanced himself from Wang Anshi and personally initiated the Yuanfeng Reforms.

Although the effects of the Yuanfeng Reforms weren’t as successful as Wenchuan’s reforms, they were ultimately the Emperor’s own undertaking, making him the primary person responsible. Naturally, there was no one else to blame, and so the matter simply continued.

This fully demonstrates that every emperor wants to centralize power and isn’t willing to share it with the Prime Minister.

Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s answer was to abolish the role of Prime Minister entirely and handle everything himself.

In the Qi Dynasty, it wasn’t that the emperors didn’t want to do the same; they merely didn’t see the feasibility in it.

Emperor Taizu of Sheng was an emperor risen from the grass roots; being self-sufficient and knowledgeable, he naturally didn’t require the assistance of a Prime Minister. But the current emperor was just a conventional one, lacking the abnormal abilities of Emperor Taizu of Sheng.

It was impossible for him to stand alone against the bureaucratic elites.

But what if Wenchuan stood by his side?

The Emperor’s face revealed an inspired look, but then he hesitated again, "Minister Wang, is this... really feasible? If so, what should I do to implement it? I am afraid... it might lead to great chaos."

Clearly, the Emperor’s concerns were not unfounded.

The power of these scholars was too great; even the emperor had to tread cautiously.

If he were to forcefully proceed at this time, it would certainly provoke unanimous opposition from his ministers. At that point, he would truly become a ’commander without troops, an isolated man.’

If it came to that, at the very least, his commands would not be obeyed, making it impossible for the Emperor’s wishes to be implemented; in the worst case, he might even be deposed.

Chuge was well prepared, his expression beguiling, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have a good strategy.

"This matter cannot be achieved overnight; we must proceed step by step.

"And the key lies in distinguishing who are enemies and who are friends, Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked even more eager, "How do I distinguish them?"

Chuge smiled slightly, "Does Your Majesty remember the Ayun’s Case?

"In short, those who approve of Your Majesty are friends, and those who don’t are enemies.

"If some do not even agree with Your Majesty saving a helpless young woman or changing a few laws, then whether they are enemies or friends is clear at a glance.

"As for how to deal with these people, that’s straightforward as well.

"First trim their branches, then chop their main trunk, proceeding step by step.

"Your Majesty can leave these matters to me; as for who to fill the vacant positions, Your Majesty can decide."

At this point, Chuge finally exposed his entire scheme.

Of course, for an official like Wen Jun, this might seem like a scheme, but for the Emperor, it was an outright legitimate strategy.

Chuge had revealed almost ninety percent of the plan to the Emperor without holding anything back.

The remaining ten percent remained his own secret agenda.

The entire plan pivoted on the Emperor’s desire for power.

At this moment, the court was divided into two factions; one was the New Party led by Wenchuan, and the other was the Old Party headed by Wen Jun.

They had many differences but shared one similarity; both wanted to firmly restrain the imperial power, unwilling to give it up even slightly.

Wen Jun was like this, and so was Wenchuan.

So, the Emperor was quite frustrated.

He wanted to achieve something, hence he supported Wenchuan’s reforms, yet he had never truly trusted Wenchuan because Wenchuan also didn’t want to share power with him.

Of course, this wasn’t to say that Wenchuan was power-hungry; more likely, Wenchuan deep down felt that these matters should be handled by the officials, and the Emperor shouldn’t interfere or inquire about them.

This was the consensus of all scholars at that time; Wenchuan couldn’t possibly foresee a world hundreds of years later like Chuge could.

This, too, was a kind of limitation of the era.

Hence, although the reforms had the Emperor’s approval, his support wasn’t firm.

A slight hesitation led to Wenchuan being dismissed as Prime Minister.

And now, Chuge had taken the lead in breaking this baseline.

What consensus of scholars? Sorry, I just want to be the Emperor’s loyal servant!

Originally, the Emperor also wanted to reclaim prime ministerial powers, but he lacked support. And now, it was as if Wenchuan had brought a pillow to him while he was dozing.

On one side was Wenchuan, willing to be a faithful servant, willingly handing over the prime ministerial powers and working earnestly for the Emperor; on the other was Wen Jun constantly citing "ancestral laws that must not be changed," insisting that whatever the Emperor does must adhere to these ancestral laws.

The contrasts of closeness were clear at a glance.

Who would the Emperor favor? Was there any doubt?

If originally Wenchuan’s favorability in the Emperor’s heart was 60 and Wen Jun’s was 40, now Wenchuan’s favorability had soared to 100, while Wen Jun’s had dwindled to just 10.

Having found this way out, Chuge’s goal became very clear.

That was: outright factional strife!

Logically speaking, the Emperor should be the last person who wanted to see factional strife.

Because once a faction won, it would create a significant impact, further suppressing imperial power in return.

Previously, when the two factions were balanced, you all were already pressing me tightly; now if one faction falls and the court becomes dominated by the other, wouldn’t I have to abdicate on the spot?

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