aturally nothing special.If one were the son of the First Emperor of Qin, even after leaving the imperial court and returning to his hometown, local county magistrates would come to greet him.So even...Chapter 405: Trouble

A discerning person can understand the meaning of music just by hearing a single note.

Not to mention who Su Zhetong is.

As the supreme emperor, he left Li Chen with a secret arsenal of political and military power. He was an old fox, so cunning that even a single eyelash he shed would be hollow.

Just hearing that one sentence, I immediately got the gist of it.

"This matter must not be taken lightly!"

Su Zhenning said seriously: "There is already a faction of civil officials in the court, headed by Zhao Xuanji, who has been disrupting government affairs for over ten years. Privately, there must not be another faction, let alone one that, once formed, would likely be larger than Zhao Xuanji's."

Li Chen sneered, "Prince Wen Wang's years of low-profile have all been to conceal today's fruits. Now that his Wenyuan Hui is complete, it will be difficult to change."

Since you can't stop it from happening, destroy it.

At this moment, Su Zhen'ting displayed the decisiveness of a seasoned general, stating flatly, "No matter what, it must not be allowed to grow."

"The general speaks my mind."

Li Chen nodded and said, “But this matter, if it is forcibly pushed forward, I'm afraid it will immediately cause Wen Wang to rebel. And once Wen Wang is moved, all the vassal kings will be affected. Under the principle of 'lips dying and teeth cold', if they unite, the court will be in danger.”

The drawbacks of the enfeoffment system are glaringly apparent at this juncture.

If the imperial court is powerful, the feudal lords will not dare to rebel and will naturally obediently fulfill their duty of guarding the borders for the imperial court. But if the imperial court is weak, these feudal lords will each have their own thoughts, which poses the greatest threat to the imperial court.

Li Chen lightly patted the armrest with one palm and said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to weaken the vassal states. The court does not have the ability to move them."

Su Zhen Ting asked: "Your Highness, do you have a good plan"

Li Chen said slowly, "Originally there wasn't, but at today's Yimei Garden Poetry Meeting, Zhao Tailai went to snatch the position of president himself. Prince Wenwang played the role of using Zhao Tailai as a shield, a good calculation, but this unexpected move was a good thing for Prince Wenwang and not necessarily a bad thing for us."

"Zhao Tailai foolishly went to others for use, but Zhao Xuanji is not stupid. If guided properly, let Zhao Xuanji deal with Wen Wang, driving the wolves and tigers against each other, it would be a win-win situation."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhen Ting immediately smiled and said, "It seems that Your Highness already has a plan in mind."

Waving his hand, Li Chen said: "It's just a prototype and a general direction. How to implement it specifically depends on opportunities and changes. It's not that simple. I didn't expect that one day I would join forces with Zhao Xuanji. I wonder if this old fox will take the bait."

Just at this moment, a report came from outside that the Three Treasures urgently requested an audience.

"Summon," Li Chen frowned. Three Treasures coming over must mean something major had happened.

Sān Bǎo quickly appeared in the study. He hurriedly bowed to Li Chen and Su Zhen'ting, then said to Li Chen, "Your Highness, something happened at the Ministry of Revenue. Xu Changqing has been sent to the prison of the Department of Punishment and is awaiting interrogation."

Li Chen, upon hearing this, flew into a rage and rebuked: "Xu Changqing is the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a legitimate official of the third rank in the court. The Department of Punishment dares to arrest someone without my imperial decree!"

The Three Treasures, gritting his teeth, said: "It's a truly big deal. The Ministry of Justice's official documents should have been sent to the East Palace already. This time, several people reported that Xu Changqing bought and sold official positions, and even stole state treasury silver by taking advantage of his position. All the evidence was found on Xu Changqing and in his home. The Ministry of Justice didn't dare to delay and could only arrest him first."

As soon as these words were uttered, Li Chen jumped to his feet.

"Back to the Eastern Palace!"s lower back and shoulders, Li Chen looked up and immediately saw Chen Tong standing tremblingly in the corner of the Xizheng Hall. His face was pale, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. The first...