"He who does not consider the future generations is not worthy to consider the present; he who does not consider the whole game is not worthy to consider a single region!"
In the study of Ziwei Palace, the young Emperor Zhaode, whose temples had already grown white, had a heart-to-heart talk with the aging Grand Secretary Wang Jiangling, who said, "Last year, Jiangzhe and Huguang enjoyed a good climate, bountiful crops. A temporary shortage of grain caused by bandits can only create temporary turmoil; it won’t lead to major chaos..."
Emperor Zhaode’s eyes narrowed as he asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean by that... do they have other moves planned?"
Wang Jiangling stroked his beard and nodded, replying calmly, "If this old minister hasn’t miscalculated, their next move should be in Jiangzhe and Huguang!"
Emperor Zhaode could no longer sit still, and rose from his seat with a somber face, saying, "I shall send the embroidered-uniform guards to the south immediately..."
"Your Majesty, do not act rashly."
Wang Jiangling stood up, gestured for the emperor to take a seat in the Taishi Chair with a "please" gesture, indicating that he should listen to the rest of what he had to say: "There’s a saying—be the first to act and you control others; act later and you’re at their mercy. Since they’ve already made a move, they must have prepared thoroughly. If Your Majesty sends the embroidered-uniform guard now, even if they can accomplish something, you’ll still be reacting to their moves, exhausted from constant struggles."
Emperor Zhaode, puzzled, asked, "So should I just sit idly by, watching them harm my Wei people?"
Wang Jiangling gave a respectful bow, "That’s not what this minister means. What I mean is... Your Majesty needs to break the game!"
"Break the game?"
Emperor Zhaode pressed, "What’s your plan for breaking the game?"
Wang Jiangling gently led him on, "Your Majesty, what do you think has caused the current chaos?"
Emperor Zhaode thought for a moment before replying patiently, "Is the chaos within the court?"
Wang Jiangling nodded, "Then, Your Majesty, do you think that merely solving the food shortage amidst the chaos of the court can solve the problem? Without the shortage, there can be floods; without floods, there can be military disasters. It’s very difficult to do one good deed, but all too easy to spoil it... Moreover, the court should not just scheme against each other, neglecting the welfare of the state and the people."
These familiar words brought Enlightenment to Emperor Zhaode, who narrowed his eyes and said, "So we need to deal with these treacherous officials and rebels first?"
Wang Jiangling, unable to hide a smile while stroking his beard, followed his line of thought, "Your Majesty is wise. In order to solve the problem, we need to deal with these treacherous officials and rebels first."
Before Emperor Zhaode could respond, Wang Jiangling continued, "However... execution should always be the last resort, the solution when there’s no other choice. It can only resolve the symptoms, not the root cause."
Emperor Zhaode gave a noncommittal smile.
Obviously aware of what the Emperor was smiling about, Wang Jiangling felt a hint of helplessness... This was the bitter fruit of the court’s struggle breaking through all boundaries!
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He had to change his approach: "Does Your Majesty still remember how Marquis Luting had supervised the beheading of corrupt officials in Jiangzhe, which shocked the court and led all civil and military officials to stop attending the court, kneeling outside the palace gates, asking to behead Marquis Luting?"
Emperor Zhaode nodded without hesitation, "Of course I remember. At that time, I hadn’t been appointed Crown Prince yet. But originally, didn’t the ministers request a thorough investigation by the three legal departments to prove their innocence... Ah, I see now!"
Before he finished speaking, he had an epiphany... What kind of people were in the full court? He might not have understood before, but how could he not understand now?
With their character, prove their innocence?
Recalling the past, Wang Jiangling also sighed softly. That palace coup was arguably the beginning of mutual mistrust between the emperor and his ministers of the Xi Ping Dynasty.
It was that coup that revealed to the whole court the soft exterior but iron core of Emperor Xiping.
It was also that coup that enabled Emperor Xiping to see the true nature behind the seemingly upright officials.
That was what led to Wang Jiangling entering the cabinet.
That led to the new politics of Xiping.
Ultimately, it came to the point where the emperor and his ministers were at an impasse, a fight to the death...
Shaking his head, Wang Jiangling collected his thoughts and said unhurriedly, "Does Your Majesty remember how the previous emperor dealt with the full court of civil and military officials stopping court and work?"
Emperor Zhaode gave an awkward smile and nodded, "I have some knowledge of it, some knowledge indeed..."
As the former Crown Prince, he truly knew some "secrets."
Only now he realized that what he knew, those "secrets," were all what the full court wanted him to know, and had nothing to do with the truth.
Wang Jiangling didn’t rush to elaborate on Emperor Xiping’s previous response but first asked, "If Your Majesty were the previous emperor, how would you have responded to this situation?"
’Of course, send out the men of the Eastern Factory, the Western Factory, the embroidered-uniform guard, find a few leaders of the troublemakers, and investigate thoroughly to make examples of them...’
These were Emperor Zhaode’s first thoughts, but he immediately dismissed them.
Even someone as radical as he felt such thoughts were too aggressive!
After pondering over his tea for a long while, he finally spoke, "I would win over some, fight some, and kill some..."
"Your Majesty is enlightened!"
Wang Jiangling gave a respectful bow, "That’s indeed how the previous emperor responded!"
Lowering his hands, he continued persuasively, "Back then, those who were most aggressively stirring trouble were from the Jiangzhe Party. Oh yes, the former Minister of Revenue Geng Jingzhong was the leader of the Jiangzhe Party. The other officials who joined the Jiangzhe Party’s protest did so because they feared their own downfall, a sentiment of shared doom..."
He spoke openly, both because he was not part of the large group of civil and military officials who had kneeled at the palace doors and because he was not a member of the Jiangzhe Party.
He was a staunch supporter of the imperial cause or, alternatively, the leader of the new policy party.
"The previous emperor first removed Geng Jingzhong from his position as Minister of Revenue, then started with the Qi Party. Back then, the Qi Party and the Jiangzhe Party were at odds in the court, and the former emperor simply promised the leader of the Qi Party, Meng Ziqian, a cabinet position, which persuaded the Qi Party to stand down. Then he used the assignment of officials from the Chu Party to Jiangzhe as an excuse to persuade the Chu Party to stand down... Without shedding a drop of blood, he effortlessly resolved that crisis."
Wang Jiangling bowed again, "Your Majesty, this moment is just like that one!"