allonlinenovel Chapter 470 Choosing a Side
Chapter 470 Choosing a Side
Zhang Weiping's heart skipped a beat. The Wise Prince was impulsive and lacked strategic thinking; he acted on a whim and was also incredibly stubborn. Once he made a decision, nothing could change his mind.
The wise king was resolute: "Don't try to persuade me with the same excuses you just used. I'll give you two choices: either you find a way to raise the money, or I'll send someone else to collect it."
Unable to refuse the Prince Xian's request, Zhang Weiping reluctantly took the list and his private seal drawn up by the Prince Xian to borrow money.
Before the wise king went to his fiefdom, he was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice. Although these two departments were no longer officially under the wise king's control, the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Justice secretly supported him.
Both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel were lucrative positions, and the two ministers were not short of money.
Zhang Weiping went to the Ministry of Personnel's residence first and handed the box of visiting cards to the gatekeeper.
The servant took the gift box to the mansion to announce the arrival of the master, and returned shortly afterward, respectfully saying, "Sir, the master is waiting for you in the study. I will show you the way."
"Good work."
Zhang Weiping entered the mansion through the small gate on the east side and followed the servant to the study.
Inside the study, the Minister of Personnel, dressed in a gray lined Taoist robe, sat upright in a grand chair, holding a copy of the Records of the Grand Historian in his hands.
Although he was seventy years old, he was in good spirits and had a rosy complexion.
Zhang Weiping knelt before the Minister of Personnel, saying, "Your subordinate greets Your Excellency."
The Minister of Personnel pointed to a chair opposite him, gesturing for Zhang Weiping to sit down: "His Highness sent you to deliver a message?"
Zhang Weiping sat down and explained his purpose: "The Prince of Guangling has quelled the rebellion in Yongqing County, but Yongqing County is still suffering from famine."
"His Majesty summoned Your Highness to the palace today to discuss the specifics of disaster relief."
"In order to share the burden of His Majesty, Your Highness is preparing to raise some silver to donate to the people of Yongqing County, firstly to do good deeds and accumulate merit, and secondly to gain a good reputation among the people."
"However, His Highness remembers your kindness and thinks of you whenever there are good things. He specially sent his subordinate to ask if you would like to donate some silver to earn some merit?"
The Minister of Personnel, having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for decades, was a cunning old fox. How could he be fooled by Zhang Weiping's few words?
He had already found out the inside story.
The wise king wanted to return all the silver he had embezzled. Unable to produce that much silver, he resorted to extortion.
The Minister of Personnel understood the situation perfectly well, but he had no choice but to give the money, even if it wasn't his responsibility.
Who told him to support the wise king?
"The people of Northern Qi are in trouble, and as an official of the court, I naturally have to do my part." The Minister of Personnel took out a box and pushed it in front of Zhang Weiping: "As long as Your Highness is satisfied and the people are at peace, I will be content, and it will be a blessing for my descendants."
Although he held a high position, the Northern Qi emperor intentionally suppressed him, and his children and grandchildren lived a life of idleness and dissipation in low-ranking government offices, their futures uncertain and unpredictable, with no way to bring glory to the family or continue their wealth.
In a few years, he will retire, and before that, he must pave the way for his children and grandchildren.
He took a special leave to return to his ancestral home and discussed the matter with the clan elders all night. In the end, they decided to support the virtuous king. Once the virtuous king ascended the throne, they would have rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor, and they could then seize several positions with real power. The silver they gave out today would not have been given away for nothing.
The Minister of Personnel gave the money readily, saving Zhang Weiping the trouble. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he took his leave.
No sooner had Zhang Weiping left than the old lady entered the study.
She dismissed the servants around her, sat down on the soft couch, patted the cushion beside her, and gestured for the Minister of Personnel to sit down.
The Minister of Personnel sat beside his wife and asked, "Why have you come?"
Instead of answering, the old woman asked, "Did the Prince of Xian send someone to ask you for money?"
"Your information network is quite impressive," the Minister of Personnel joked before getting down to business: "Even if the Prince of Xian can't raise the money, His Majesty won't make things difficult for him. Since he's come to us for help, we might as well give him some money so he'll remember our kindness."
“Before the Prince of Guangling was recognized as a member of the royal family, His Majesty only had two sons, the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Xian. Neither of them was particularly outstanding, so we had to choose the best of the worst and selected the Prince of Xian.” The old lady sighed, “The Prince of Guangling only made a small move, but he already caused the Prince of Xian a lot of trouble. I have a feeling that things are about to change.”
The wise king lacked courage and strategy, and was unreliable in his conduct and actions, always looking at the beginning without considering the end.
Its advantage lies in its ease of handling.
His becoming emperor would be beneficial and harmless to these aristocratic families.
However, Zhao Yi's arrival disrupted the balance of power between the Prince Xian and the Prince Qi in their struggle for the crown prince position.
The Minister of Personnel said in a low voice, "No matter how brave and resourceful the Prince of Guangling is, he is not destined for the throne simply because of his background."
"I hope I'm just overthinking it." The old lady was silent for a few moments. "I hope the wise king will have a conscience and protect those who are loyal to him."
If the Minister of Personnel had known about the possibility of Zhao Yi, he would not have supported the Prince Xian, even if he had remained neutral.
But the matter was already settled, leaving them in a dilemma, so they could only try to be optimistic.
The Minister of Personnel reached out and straightened the peony-patterned headband on the old lady's forehead, and said with a stern face, "You keep saying discouraging things, you don't even hope for anything good."
"When people get old, their minds just don't work as well as young people's; they become muddle-headed." The old lady nodded her head and smiled, "Just take it as me saying some silly things."
How could the Minister of Personnel take his wife's words as nonsense?
I took it all to heart.
He was afraid that if he chose the wrong side, he would not only lose his future, but also his life.
Nothing happened in Kyoto for the next two days.
The Minister of Personnel, however, could not eat or sleep well, always feeling that this was the calm before the storm.
Sure enough, the tranquility was broken at noon on the third day.