The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 076 It's Raining
The surroundings were silent, with only the chirping of birds and cicadas breaking the stillness at the Minister Residence.
Tang Shen looked at the helpless expression on Wang Zhen's face and understood his meaning.
Tang Shen took out the letter Wang Zhen had given him that afternoon from his sleeve. He opened it again and read it before walking over to the desk. Using the flame of the candle, he set the letter alight. The paper crackled as it burned, quickly turning to ashes.
Tang Shen said, "I understand your meaning, Senior Brother. But understanding is one thing, and my coming here today is another. I won’t hide it from you—part of me is curious, curious about what will happen next and what you'll do. The other part is..." He paused before continuing, "The other part is concern for you."
Wang Zhen stared at him for a moment, then said, "Your curiosity is only human. However, Jing Ze, you must neither hear nor ask. That is the way you should navigate the court with your current position. As for your concern..."
Wang Zhen smiled and said no more.
Tang Shen couldn't grasp his full meaning.
What was Wang Zifeng planning? Why did he stop halfway through?
Given their relationship as senior and junior brothers, what Tang Shen said just now was truly heartfelt, without any pretense. Tang Shen was never one for deep scheming or suspicion. After three years of companionship with Wang Zifeng, even a stone would have warmed up by now. Tang Shen truly trusted his senior brother.
Moreover, he was now half considered a member of the Wang faction. His achievements today also had Wang Zifeng’s influence. Hurting Tang Shen would be akin to cutting off Wang Zifeng's own arm—utterly counterproductive.
Could someone as intelligent as Wang Zifeng do such a thing?
Tang Shen thought for a moment and said, "What you said isn't wrong. I know, though I am now a fourth-rank attendant secretary, when the time comes, I'm still just a minor official. But to not ask or hear—didn't you tell me that a year ago? Back then, I managed to keep my head down, but His Majesty didn’t allow me to continue doing so. I was forced to go to Cizhou, and everything that followed happened because of that."
Wang Zhen replied, "You going to Cizhou was, in fact, because of me."
Tang Shen was taken aback. "Because of you?"
Wang Zhen said, "Our Majesty is very skilled at balancing power." It was the first time Wang Zhen discussed court politics with Tang Shen, and Tang Shen immediately focused, listening carefully as he continued, "Some things are out in the open for all officials to know, and you should be aware of them too. Others you might have already guessed. Last year, Su Wenyun, Song Xun, and I went to the north to investigate the embezzlement case related to the snow disaster in the south four years ago."
Tang Shen replied, "I had guessed as much."
Wang Zhen asked, "And how much do you know about Su Wenyun?"
Tang Shen thought carefully before answering, "Su daren was formerly a junior minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a fourth-rank official. When I was a chamberlain, I often saw him entering the Immortal Ascension Platform alone, highly favored by His Majesty. Now, he has been promoted to a third-rank Right Vice Minister of Works, with a promising future."
"And compared to you?" Wang Zhen teased.
Tang Shen was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he finally said, "Senior Brother, please don’t make fun of me."
Wang Zhen stopped smiling, his tone turning calm. "This is His Majesty's balancing strategy."
Tang Shen froze.
"Su Wenyun was fortunate enough to find the real mastermind behind the embezzlement. Barring any surprises, once he returned to the capital, he would be heavily rewarded and promoted. Indeed, he was promoted to the third rank. This result was expected, so before it happened, His Majesty sent you to Cizhou because, little Junior Brother, you are considered my person."
Tang Shen mulled over the phrase "my person." It sounded a bit strange, but it was true. To the emperor, to Su Wenyun, and even to all the court officials, he was half a member of the Wang faction.
Seeing that Tang Shen did not deny it, Wang Zhen glanced at him subtly before continuing, "You went to Cizhou. Even if you didn't achieve anything noteworthy, you endured hardship. Even if you didn't obtain the ledger, upon your return to the capital, His Majesty would have rewarded you nonetheless." After a pause, Wang Zhen suddenly said, "Jing Ze, barring any surprises, I won’t be promoted again for the next three years."
Tang Shen was startled. "What do you mean, Senior Brother?"
"In the Wang faction, my uncle holds the position of Right Prime Minister, a first-rank official, second only to the Left Prime Minister, Ji Wengji. I hold the second rank, overseeing a ministry, deeply favored by His Majesty. To counterbalance Su Wenyun’s faction, His Majesty cannot use my uncle or me, so he must look at others within the Wang faction. At that time, in Shengjing, the best candidate was you."
Tang Shen felt as though his eyes had been opened overnight.
A year had passed, and he had never thought that when the emperor sent him to Cizhou, it was to prevent Su Wenyun from gaining too much power.
Wang Zhen said, "Su Wenyun comes from the Su family in Northern Zhili, the most prestigious family in the region. During the time of the founding emperor, the Su family contributed greatly to the dynasty. Over the past century, they’ve produced many talented individuals. His Majesty uses me to counterbalance Su Wenyun, and Su Wenyun to counterbalance me. Even though we both understand His Majesty's intentions, there is no breaking this stalemate."
The most frightening thing is not that you are unaware you're being used, but that you know it and can do nothing about it.
The emperor’s balancing strategy was something even the likes of Wang Zhen and Su Wenyun could not resist. However, this status quo was not without its benefits. Otherwise, at their relatively young age, they would never have risen so quickly to their current positions.
One could say that while the emperor used them, they were also using him.
However, Tang Shen sensed something was amiss. "Senior Brother, you come from the noble Wang family of Langya, and Su Wenyun from the prestigious Su family of Northern Zhili. What about the commoners?"
Given the emperor's suspicious nature, it was impossible for him to trust only noble families. He must be using commoners to balance the nobility.
Among the four prime ministers, the Right Prime Minister, Wang Quan, and the Right Vice Prime Minister, Xu Bi, were from noble families, while the Left Prime Minister Ji Wengji, and Left Vice Prime Minister, Chen Linghai, were from a commoner background. This was the best evidence of the emperor’s balancing strategy—otherwise, how could it be a perfect two-to-two split?
Wang Zhen said calmly, "Isn't there Li Jingde?"
Tang Shen was momentarily puzzled, not recalling who Li Jingde was.
Wang Zhen continued, "The matter of using paper currency is quite different from ordinary affairs. Should a dispute arise, the real storm will only take place among officials of the third rank and above. So, little Junior Brother… this matter does not involve you."
When Tang Shen left the Minister Residence, Wang Zhen uncharacteristically did not see him off.
Looking back at the closed gates of the residence, Tang Shen's expression was complex.
"This time, Wang Zifeng truly intends for us to part ways temporarily, with no further entanglements."
The issue of replacing currency with paper had far-reaching implications, so much so that even Wang Zhen could not guarantee his own safety. He didn’t want to drag Tang Shen into the mess. Tang Shen also understood the unsaid part: even if he were dragged in, he would be of little help and might even risk being crushed.
Tang Shen wasn’t well-versed in monetary or policy matters. At eighteen years old, he had only been in the court for three years. Even if he wanted to become proficient, it would take time.
With a long sigh, Tang Shen thought to himself, "If it was a peaceful era, if I had a choice, I'd rather go to the Ministry of Works to build roads and bridges for the country!" But then again, it is a peaceful era now, yet even in peaceful times, he couldn’t live freely as just a technician needing only skills.
However, what Wang Zhen didn’t know was that despite essentially driving Tang Shen away, Tang Shen had no intention of fully relinquishing this matter. He quietly resolved to keep an eye on things.
A few days later, Su Wenyun returned to Cizhou to continue overseeing the construction of the Cizhou official road.
Before leaving, he unexpectedly waited for Tang Shen on the palace road leading to Qinzheng Hall. Su Wenyun, dressed in his deep red official robes, was still fair-skinned and strikingly handsome, even after half a year of exposure to the elements. When he saw Tang Shen, he smiled slightly, "Tang daren, what a coincidence, we meet again!"
Unable to avoid him, Tang Shen respectfully bowed, "Greetings to the Right Vice Minister of Works."
Su Wenyun squinted his eyes, gazing at Tang Shen for a moment before suddenly laughing and pointing to the sky. "Tang daren, look at this sunny day. Do you think it will rain tomorrow?"
Tang Shen thought to himself: You just said it’s a sunny day, and now you think it’ll rain tomorrow?
But aloud, he replied, "I don’t know."
"I, however, think a big rain is coming to Shengjing. Tang daren, you’d better be prepared with rain gear. Getting wet is no big deal, but catching a cold and falling seriously ill would be troublesome. If I return from Cizhou and don’t see you again, that would truly be unfortunate."
Tang Shen: "..."
Who exactly are you cursing?
This time, Tang Shen couldn’t be bothered to respond. After all, Su Wenyun seemed to disapprove of him no matter what he did, so there was no need to pay attention to this round of provocation. Besides, Tang Shen was a supporter of the Wang faction. If Su Wenyun had the ability, he should take down Wang Zifeng first before coming after him.
Su Wenyun didn’t push the issue further. With a sneer, the Right Vice Minister of Works turned and left. The next day, he departed for Cizhou again.
Ironically, the next day was still a sunny day, and no heavy rain came as Su Wenyun had predicted.
However, on June 14th of the 29th year of Kaiping:
During morning court, the Right Prime Minister Wang Quan stepped forward and said, "Since the 19th year of Kaiping, the provinces of Southern Zhili and Huaxi have struggled to collect taxes. I have 23 proposals for tax reform, which I wish to present to Your Majesty."
A gleam flashed in Zhao Fu's eyes as he feigned surprise and said, "Oh, I’d like to take a look at that."
Hearing this, the chief eunuch Ji Fu immediately descended from the high platform, took the memorial from Wang Quan, and handed it to the emperor. Zhao Fu opened it and casually skimmed over the text. Zichen Hall was utterly silent, save for the rustling of paper as Zhao Fu flipped through the memorial.
The Left Prime Minister Ji Wengji stood with his gaze lowered, lost in thought.
The Left Vice Prime Minister Chen Linghai cast a suspicious glance between Wang Quan and Ji Wengji but remained silent.
The Right Vice Prime Minister Xu Bi, on the other hand, seemed much more at ease. This veteran of three reigns calmly held his jade tablet and stared straight ahead at the emperor’s feet, as if nothing unusual was happening, as though Wang Quan had just presented a casual letter of greeting to Zhao Fu.
When Zhao Fu finished reading, he showed no reaction, placing the memorial back on the tray held by Ji Fu. "We will discuss this further," he said.
Wang Quan responded, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Not long after, morning court ended, and the officials began to leave the palace.
However, the emperor summoned Left Prime Minister Ji Wengji and Right Prime Minister Wang Quan to Chuigong Hall for a private discussion, leaving the court officials to wonder what it was about.
Tang Shen, blending in with the group of fourth-rank officials, watched the two high-ranking ministers depart with a calm expression, though his mind was full of conflicting emotions. If he were still a chamberlain, serving in the palace today, he might have had the chance to learn what secret Zhao Fu intended to discuss with the two prime ministers in Chuigong Hall!
But he was not!
Among the officials, as the Right Vice Minister of Revenue, Qin Si, left the palace, he stretched out his hand in surprise and said, "Huh, is it raining?"
AN: Little Tang Lang: You want to bully me? If you’ve got the guts, stomp on Wang Zifeng’s face and come fight me, go on, do it!
Neighbor Wang: …[Begins practicing calligraphy, writing four characters over and over—‘Spoiled due to favor!’]