Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 1218: Chapter 187: A Chess Piece and a Blade (Part 2)

“Your Highness, I’m afraid the Emperor will not agree,” said Tong Xi, “The Emperor clearly doesn’t want the Li Family to live.”

Zhao Yao sat despondently in his chair, his face full of sorrow and said, “After all, eighth brother is using the Li Family to establish authority, but doing so is truly unwise.”

“Your Highness, now that things have come to this, you needn’t worry too much.”

“As a Prince and a brother, I cannot remain silent on this matter.” Zhao Yao planned to write a memorial to harshly criticize Emperor Yong’an. “Additionally, we cannot allow such subversive poems to appear again, or it will really destroy the cultural continuity of Great Zhou.”

“Your Highness is right.”

“Prepare the ink.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Zhao Yao wrote a memorial, first scolding Emperor Yong’an fiercely, then highlighting the harmfulness of subversive poems, and finally pleading for Emperor Yong’an to cease such actions.

Some days later, Emperor Yong’an received Zhao Yao’s memorial. After reading it, instead of being angry, he was rather pleased.

When Zhao Yao received Emperor Yong’an’s reply, he learned that Emperor Yong’an had begun targeting the noble families in the capital.

The top-tier noble families in the capital had already been eradicated by the Supreme Emperor, but the second and third-tier families remained. Although these families did not have the same power as the top-tier, their collective influence was not negligible.

Emperor Yong’an’s methods of dealing with the noble families were even more insidious and ruthless than those of the Supreme Emperor, leaving no room for reprieve.

The second and third-tier noble families in the capital originally lived with their tails between their legs, hoping that life would improve with a new Emperor. Unexpectedly, they became specters slain by the new Emperor.

The civil and military officials in the court were also frightened by Emperor Yong’an’s cruel tactics. The Supreme Emperor had previously dealt with noble families gradually, but Emperor Yong’an directly imposed charges and then eradicated them.

Seeing the new Emperor’s tactics were so insidious and ruthless, many officials in the court were apprehensive, fearing they might be the next unlucky ones.

These officials all went to find Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu, asking them to advise Emperor Yong’an.

Since Emperor Yong’an ascended the throne, Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu had rarely opposed his decrees publicly. Previously, they had advised against Emperor Yong’an executing the Li Family under the pretext of subversive poems, but he did not heed their words.

When Emperor Yong’an dealt with the noble families, Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu remained silent, neither opposing nor supporting him.

The court ministers were worried that after Emperor Yong’an dealt with the noble families, he would next target the meritorious nobles.

There were quite a few meritorious nobles in the court, all of whom had followed the previous Emperor and Supreme Emperor in founding the dynasty, making considerable achievements. Although they did not wield as much power as Prime Minister He and others, they still held some influence.

The Supreme Emperor treated these nobles who had fought alongside him very favorably, provided they were law-abiding. Previously, some nobles flaunted their achievements, behaved arrogantly and lawlessly, and were severely punished by the Supreme Emperor. Since then, the meritorious nobles became very obedient and dared not misbehave again.

Actually, before Emperor Yong’an’s ascension, many meritorious nobles had already fallen. These nobles had taken sides, supporting the princes and participating in the struggle for succession. Those that backed a failed prince naturally met a grim fate.

Currently, the remaining meritorious nobles were either neutral or had supported Emperor Yong’an, granting them survival and even greater authority and status.

Among the neutral meritorious nobles, some were loyalists of the Supreme Emperor, while others simply wished to avoid trouble.

The loyalists of the Supreme Emperor, like Song Dekang and a few others, not only held military power but also occupied important positions, so Emperor Yong’an dared not easily move against them. However, the other meritorious nobles who wished to avoid trouble lacked the influence of Song Dekang and others. If Emperor Yong’an wanted to target them, they would be powerless to resist.

In order to survive, these meritorious nobles sought out Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu, hoping they could save them.

Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu had fought shoulder to shoulder with these nobles and naturally would not stand by and let them meet disaster, especially since they had not committed any offenses.

These meritorious nobles felt much more at ease knowing that Prime Minister He and others would not sit idly by.

At this moment, in the study of the He Residence, Prime Minister He was playing chess with Grandmaster Liu.

“Are the ministers in court living in fear what the Supreme Emperor wanted to see?” Grandmaster Liu frowned slightly, his face cold, “I said long ago that Prince Wei was unsuitable to be Emperor.”

“Now that the Emperor has cleared out all the noble families in the capital, this is indeed the situation the Supreme Emperor wanted,” replied Prime Minister He.

“Having Prince Wei eradicate the Li Family, noble families, and meritorious nobles; the Supreme Emperor certainly is a skilled strategist,” Grandmaster Liu mocked, “Allowing Prince Wei to clear all obstacles for Prince Han so that he could ascend the throne as a virtuous sage; the Supreme Emperor is indeed thoughtful.”

“This is the reason the Supreme Emperor let Prince Wei ascend the throne.”

“Is Prince Wei really willing to do this?” From beginning to end, the Supreme Emperor used Emperor Yong’an, and now he wanted to use him to clear all obstacles in the court, turning him into a harsh, indifferent, and insidious ruler.

“He naturally is willing; otherwise, he wouldn’t be the Emperor now,” Prime Minister He said, stroking his beard, “The Emperor himself will also help Prince Han clear these obstacles.”

Although Grandmaster Liu disliked Emperor Yong’an, seeing him used in such a way by the Supreme Emperor, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity for him.

“Do you think the Supreme Emperor is benevolent or cruel?”

“Both benevolent and cruel,” Prime Minister He said profoundly, “But to Prince Han, the Supreme Emperor is a kind father.”

Grandmaster Liu laughed coldly, “If Prince Han were useless, do you think the Supreme Emperor would make such painstaking plans for him?”

“He would also make plans, but he wouldn’t let Prince Han ascend the throne; instead, he would arrange for Prince Han to be a carefree and happy prince.”

“Fortunately, everything is still within expectations,” Grandmaster Liu had been worried that the Supreme Emperor’s plan might go awry, requiring them to clean up the mess.

“Prince Han is the person the Emperor cares about the most; he wouldn’t harm Prince Han,” Prime Minister He sighed lightly, “It’s rare to see family affection in the Imperial Family.”

Grandmaster Liu found Prime Minister He’s words somewhat amusing, “If Prince Wei hadn’t been poisoned and remained healthy, living for decades, do you think he would tolerate Prince Han?”

Prime Minister He countered, “If the Emperor hadn’t been poisoned, do you think the Supreme Emperor would let him live?”

Grandmaster Liu said, “No.”

“Since birth, the Emperor has been treated as a pawn and a tool by the Supreme Emperor.”

Although Grandmaster Liu was not an emotional person, at this moment he felt a bit of sympathy, “Prince Wei is truly a pitiable person.”

“Blame it on the Southern Wei blood in his veins,” Prime Minister He sighed, “Since he was born, his fate was already sealed.”

“If Prince Wei didn’t insist on the throne, perhaps he wouldn’t die.”

“Even if he didn’t want to be Emperor, the Southern Wei people around him would pressure him to fight for the throne,” Prime Minister He added, “Everything is under the Supreme Emperor’s control.”