The First Lackey Under The Empress

Inside the fifth floor of the Grand Wind Pavilion, in a spacious and quiet room, the lamplight flickered gently.

Beside the Eight Immortals table, after Zhao Du'an spoke these words with a smile, the expressions of the father and daughter at the table subtly changed, visible to the naked eye.

"Heh heh," King Huai'an chuckled unconsciously, as if he had heard something amusing: "Is this His Majesty's intention?"

He was testing, wondering if the Empress had given Zhao Du'an any special instructions before he left the capital.

For example, what price the court would pay if it wanted to win the support of him, the wavering Prince.

However, Zhao Du'an simply shook his head calmly: "This is just my own idea."

Had the Empress discussed the issue of winning over King Huai'an with him?

Yes, she had.

When he left the capital, the monarch and her subject had indeed discussed this matter, and the consensus they reached at that time was that they absolutely could not give anything.

Although offering a portion of the benefits to win over and divide the "Eight Kings" was a tempting proposal, and indeed feasible, in the long run, it would be tantamount to "drinking poison to quench thirst."

If they gave once, there would be a second time, and where would the court find such a rich family fortune to fill the appetites of these princes?

Especially since compromise meant weakness. And the impression that the Empress could least afford to leave on outsiders right now was weakness.

While a tough stance might make the opening of the market face greater resistance, the long-term benefits would be even greater.

"Is that so?" King Huai'an was clearly somewhat disappointed, and his expression became a bit colder:

"Then, why do you think that this King would be willing to offend people and wade into this muddy water?"

Zhao Du'an did not answer directly, but said:

"Now, there are three factions in the city, and Your Highness is the largest neutral faction. If Your Highness nods, then opening the market in the Huai River area will be much easier. If Your Highness obstructs it, it will be difficult.

I understand this, and King Jing and the other six kings also understand this. That's why there is this dinner tonight.

But I dare to remind Your Highness that not everything is like business, calculating every ounce. Who offers the highest price and pays the most readily, that's who you sell the goods to. Many things in this world are not chosen because of the benefits, but are done to avoid the disadvantages."

The implication:

The opening of the market in Lake Pavilion is not a bargaining chip for you to solicit prices from both sides and reap benefits.

It is a serious issue of choosing sides, and once you choose the wrong side, even if you can get a sum of money in front of you, I'm afraid there will be no future.

King Huai'an seemed to smile, not at all intimidated:

"Oh? So you mean that for this King, I must help one of your two sides? Could it be that this King cannot help either side? Or are you going to be like those pedantic scholars, thinking that neutrality has no good end?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said:

"Of course, Your Highness can help neither side. In fact, among the eight kings, you are probably the only one with the confidence to do so.

Because there are too many aristocratic forces in the Huai River area. These large clans have formed the Li Party in the court, and in the localities, their tentacles extend everywhere, and they have long become a tumor of the Great Yu Dynasty, and your existence itself is a check on these aristocratic families…

Of the Nine Provinces of Great Yu, King Hejian to Xiping, King Yanshan to Tieguan, King Heng to Qingzhou, King Mu to Yunfu, King Chen to Binhai, King Qiong to Lingnan… and King Jing to Jiancheng, all have royal power greater than the local aristocratic families.

But only the Huai River area is special, perhaps because the Huai River is a commercial hub of Great Yu, and the pool is large enough to accommodate many fish living in peace. The Huai'an Royal Mansion and these aristocratic families restrain each other, which is the foundation of their foothold.

Especially as far as I know, you are the one with the smallest private army among the eight kings. Even if His Majesty has conflicts with the princes, the one she least wants to move is you.

And even if someone else becomes the emperor, it will be the same. They all need a weighty member of the royal family to sit here and oversee the situation. It is precisely because of this special position that the Huai'an Royal Mansion has the confidence to sit firmly on the fishing platform."

These words were spoken eloquently.

Halfway through, the little county princess's eyes lit up.

At the end, the pot-bellied "big eater" also showed a hint of surprise.

It seemed that he did not expect that Zhao Du'an, a martial artist, could really see through the key to it in one breath.

King Huai'an was silent for a moment, then smiled:

"Only now do I somewhat believe that my little girl said you are unusual."

Zhao Du'an smiled, but did not speak.

King Huai'an said lightly:

"Since you understand this principle, you should know even more the confidence that this King has in not getting involved in your affairs."

"Is that so?" Zhao Du'an smiled with a hint of teasing: "Your Highness's words are not sincere."

"Oh?"

Zhao Du'an said casually:

"If it was before, you might have been able to hold your breath, but it's different after the court opens the market.

Once the trade market dominated by the court starts to operate, the wealth of the entire Huai River area will gather in Lake Pavilion, and the merchants and small families who become royal merchants will also rise with the wind, and when someone rises, someone will fall.

The new policy fundamentally takes wealth back from the hands of the aristocratic group to the court. In this way, the aristocratic families in the Huai River area will weaken.

And if they weaken, the role of the Huai'an Royal Mansion in restraining them will also be reduced.

In other words, Your Highness's weight is not as important as before. With your wisdom, you must be able to see this, so how can you sit still and wait for death?"

King Huai'an's slightly fat face finally became serious.

If the previous words did not show anything.

But this analysis now opens up his mind, almost without reservation:

"Heh, if it is really as you said, then shouldn't this King do his best to obstruct the opening of the market? Obstruct the new policy?"

Zhao Du'an shook his head with a smile, looked directly at the other party and said:

"But you can't stop it, because the biggest beneficiary of the entire new policy is not the current Majesty, but the court, or more precisely, the person sitting on the dragon chair.

The current Majesty is sitting there and will fully promote the new policy, but even if any other person is sitting there, they will also fully promote the new policy.

Ordinary people only think that the new policy is set up by His Majesty to collect money, but those who are interested will understand that this thing is like a magic box, once opened, it can never be closed again."

Magic box!

It is Pandora's magic box!

Or it can be called a positive conspiracy in a certain sense.

In the final analysis, the current Great Yu Dynasty's treasury is empty, which is not a problem that the Empress has to face, but a problem that the "Emperor" has to face.

The old emperor left the world and left the big pit to future generations. Even if Zhenbao did not succeed to the throne, the prince or the second prince would also have to solve this matter.

Even if the eight kings rebel, and King Jing or any prince sits on the dragon chair, he will still have to face this problem.

And the "new policy" solution given by Zhao Du'an is a complete set of the best solutions at present.

This means that from the moment the new policy is launched, it can never be taken back, no matter who is the emperor.

The aristocratic families in the Huai River area will inevitably decline, and the role of King Huai'an in restraining them will inevitably decline!

"Father…"

Xu Junling caught a glimpse of her father's fat hand, which was hanging under the table, suddenly clenched!

The veins on the back of his hand were bulging.

Obviously, Zhao Du'an's words touched the place he cared about the most!

But Zhao Du'an's speech wasn't over yet. He continued with a smile, saying:

"Moreover, in my opinion, implementing the New Policies is already the most gentle and best outcome for these aristocratic families, and even for you, Your Highness. Because the worse outcome is war."

"Although I am not a scholar, I have read the history books of the Great Yu Dynasty. Six hundred years of reign, ah, were not without their ups and downs. For example, three hundred years ago, there was a widespread bandit rebellion."

"At that time, war flames raged everywhere. Local aristocratic families were either destroyed by bandits, or became bandits themselves…"

"In the end, although the imperial court still won and didn't change dynasties, the entire territory was ravaged by war. After the war, everything was waiting to be rebuilt, but it instead burst forth with vitality?"

"Why? It was because a massacre eliminated a large number of aristocratic families and officials who had occupied a great deal of wealth and land, freeing up many new positions…"

"And when I read history books, I noticed an even more interesting point, which is that in that time of war, behind some bandit armies, there was a faint shadow of the emperor of that generation…"

"Hehe, of course I don't believe it. It must be some malicious slander in unofficial folk histories…"

Zhao Du'an mentally prepared himself before continuing:

"And now, another three hundred years have passed. The entire Great Yu Dynasty, this pond, is full of dragons and turtles, and the accumulated people can't breathe… You tell me, if a few more rebel armies were to erupt at this moment, wouldn't they take the opportunity to slaughter the wealthiest Huaishui area as well?

"At that time, those with soldiers and horses in their hands would not be afraid, but the Huai'an Royal Mansion doesn't seem to be strong and powerful, right?

"When facing the bandits' swords, how many lives can money buy?

"Well, of course I believe that you will definitely not be troubled by bandits, but what about the other aristocratic families?

"They may not be able to protect themselves, and if these people are gone, I think anyone sitting on the dragon throne would not want to see any strongholds left in the Huaishui area, wouldn't you say… yes?"

Silence!

Accompanying this long speech, the entire Dafeng Tower fell into an eerie silence.

Even the fourth floor below seemed to sense the sudden change in the atmosphere upstairs and quieted down.

The Prince of Huai'an could no longer sit still. His fat body leaned forward slightly, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair tightly, his fat face devoid of any expression.

Princess Xu Junling also looked pale. She didn't expect Zhao Du'an to speak so directly, filled with threatening meaning, and seemed to be intimidated by the picture he painted.

Threat?

Deterrence?

That's right, Zhao Du'an was deterring them.

After this father and daughter initially seized the initiative in the conversation, Zhao Du'an broke it.

His series of proactive attacks had quietly reversed the situation of this conversation.

Although he was only one person, he seemed to have gained the upper hand!

It wasn't that Zhao Du'an's negotiation skills were so brilliant, but because the matter was inherently like this.

The Prince of Huai'an, who seemed infinitely glamorous and whom both sides were trying to win over, was actually the weakest in essence.

He was also the most coveted piece of fat.

As early as when the late emperor was in power, the Prince of Huai'an had foreseen that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would begin to weaken the power of the vassal princes.

At that time, he judged that the princes in various places would be unable to resist.

Therefore, ten years in advance, he consciously reduced his private army, focused on money and wealth, and controlled the power of his territory, trying to bind himself to the aristocratic families of Huaishui.

It had a kind of "nurturing bandits to gain self-importance" meaning.

The fact that the "Li Faction" in the imperial court had become the largest force in recent years was also due to the Prince of Huai'an's assistance.

He deliberately raised this group of aristocratic families to ensure that he would not be suppressed by the Crown Prince after he ascended the throne, and to escape from the subsequent weakening of the vassals.

The Prince of Huai'an had a good idea and a deep layout. He didn't have much ambition, and all he wanted was to continue the glory and wealth of his descendants.

But he was unlucky.

Unexpectedly, when the old emperor died, the Second Prince, Jianwen, played a palace coup and directly killed the Crown Prince and the other brothers.

Even more unexpectedly, the Third Princess, who had been cultivating in the palace for twenty years, wielded the Tai'a Sword to execute the rebellious brothers.

It was still okay up to this point. As long as the situation remained unchanged, he could still nurture bandits to gain self-importance, bet on both sides, and sit on the mountain to watch the tigers fight.

But he didn't expect that Zhao Du'an's New Policies would directly bleed him slowly and make the conflict between the Eight Princes and the Empress even more acute.

And once the war started, as Zhao Du'an said, who wouldn't covet the Prince of Huai'an, this big piece of fat?

Even if no one would attack him at the beginning in order to unite all parties, what should he do after the new emperor ascends the throne?

Does he have the troops to compete for the throne?

No.

Does he have the geographical advantages that people like Prince Mu, Prince Qiong, and Prince Yanshan have to retreat to their original territories and protect themselves?

He doesn't have that either.

Therefore, under the seemingly powerful appearance of the Prince of Huai'an, there is a panic that can be punctured with a needle.

Zhao Du'an saw this clearly, so he directly stated it so clearly.

"Your Highness," Zhao Du'an sighed softly, taking the initiative to break the silent atmosphere. He picked up the wine pot and poured wine for the father and daughter once again.

This time, Xu Junling, who had been using tea instead of wine, did not stop him.

Zhao Du'an put down the wine pot and said seriously:

"Actually, you know very well that the current stalemate is already the best situation, and the worst is undoubtedly war.

If you stand with those princes, will the result be better than supporting Your Majesty? It won't. As long as you support Your Majesty, even if the New Policies are indeed slow bleeding, it is still just bleeding, not killing."

Zhao Du'an said with sincere eyes:

"For the New Policies to be successfully implemented, it will take ten years to see the initial results, and perhaps twenty years to see a big change. If it can be implemented smoothly, the Huaishui aristocratic families will not disappear, but they will not be as strong as they are now.

You are still useful, so why should Your Majesty move a meritorious minister? The wealth of the Huai Royal Mansion cannot be spent by your descendants for several lifetimes, so why be too greedy?"

After a long time.

The fat hand of the Prince of Huai'an slowly picked up the wine glass in front of him and slowly poured the clear wine into his throat.

Then he sat in the chair and closed his eyes.

After a moment.

He opened his eyes, and his calm eyes looked at Zhao Du'an with a hint of appreciation, saying:

"No wonder Mr. Zhengyang respects you as a teacher. Your eloquence is indeed remarkable. I was almost swayed by you."

Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows: "Does Your Highness think I'm talking nonsense?"

The Prince of Huai'an shook his head, then nodded, and smiled self-deprecatingly:

"Young man, you are more extraordinary than Junling described, but I still have a truth to teach you."

Zhao Du'an respectfully said: "I am all ears."

On the Prince of Huai'an's fat face, a cautious and serious expression appeared:

"No one knows whether thunder and rain or sunshine will come first. The future can never be theoretically deduced on paper, because all things are variable.

And in the business world, persuading people never relies on just a mouth."

Zhao Du'an seemed thoughtful.

The Prince of Huai'an said: "See the guest out!"

…

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