Chapter 32: The Prince of Shen Could Become Chancellor

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The Zhao-Song dynasty had long been in decline.

Fortunately, there were still upright and passionate ministers like Fan Zhongyan and Wang Anshi, who stepped forward to call for the elimination of corrupt practices and the implementation of new policies, proposing some reform measures capable of addressing part of the problems.

Both Zhao Xu and Zhao Xu were not corrupt; they wished to achieve a revival of the Zhao-Song dynasty.

Thus, the Zhao-Song dynasty intermittently began its reforms.

But reform means taking cake away from the vested interests.

Many state parasites (found in both the new and old parties) cannot solve problems, yet excel at eliminating those who raise them.

——Now, the New Party is no longer synonymous with the Gaige Sect; the Old Party is no longer synonymous with the conservative faction. Both parties contain upright, passionate ministers who wish to reform the state; the difference lies only in whether some endorse Wang Anshi's new policies and others do not. Both parties also contain parasites who care nothing for the state's interests and seek only to protect their own. Today's struggle between the New and Old Parties is merely factional infighting, unrelated to whether reform or legal change occurs.

These selfish parasites used conspiratorial tactics to attack the Gaige Sect and manufactured public opinion, accusing the new policies of forming cliques.

In an era of imperial autocracy, forming cliques was seen as demonic, monstrous, venomous snakes and ferocious beasts; anyone branded as conspiring in factions was deemed to have committed a crime of heaven-shaking magnitude, a threat to imperial authority.

They bribed Gaige Sect officials, ordered their subordinates to forge letters, and twisted evidence to claim the reformers sought to depose the emperor and seize power.

And emperors raised in the deep palace, inheriting the protection of their ancestors, were most wary of ministers seizing power and forming factions; they would inevitably waver, and the reforms would ultimately fail.

Throughout history, Song dynasty reforms nearly all ended this way.

Thus, to achieve reform, one must have an emperor with unwavering will.

For example, Emperor Yongzheng.

During the Qing Yongzheng era, Yongzheng pushed from above a profoundly far-reaching land reform that first abolished feudal landlords' monopoly over land, redistributing it according to peasants' actual farming capacity, while abolishing head taxes and levying taxes based on the amount of land owned—historically known as "Tandingshumu."

This nationwide transformation inflicted severe damage upon the interests of the vast banner population and landlords.

You must understand that, as the largest interest group in a feudal dynasty, these entrenched interest groups possess unimaginable destructive power and influence.

Despite this, Tandingshumu was ultimately implemented, and it amassed considerable wealth for Qianlong, providing him with ample capital to become the "Ten-Perfect Elder."

Even if Zhao Yu made no improvements and merely followed Yongzheng's path, he could certainly complete the reform of the Zhao-Song dynasty and accumulate enough wealth to sweep the world.

Thus, for Zhao Yu, solving the Zhao-Song dynasty's problems is not the problem; the real problem is how to become emperor.

To achieve his goal of becoming emperor, Zhao Yu launched a frantic gift-giving mode.

Of course, Zhao Yu did not gift gold, silver, or jewels—items likely to draw criticism—but instead leveraged the popularity of soap, gifting his own factory's soap to concubines, female officials, and eunuchs in the inner palace.

It can be said that, apart from Liu Qingjing, Zhao Yu gave soap to every notable figure in the harem.

Before Zhao Yu began gifting soap, due to cumbersome transactions and layers of markups, soap in the inner palace had been inflated to over ten guan per bar—and even then, supply was insufficient, creating demand without price.

Merely by gifting soap, Zhao Yu accumulated immense goodwill; nearly everyone near the Empress Dowager and Zhao Xu spoke well of Zhao Yu.

Not long ago, a massive earthquake struck Taiyuan, and Zhao Xu used the last remaining funds in the state treasury for disaster relief.

By late September, since the court could not pay the imperial guards' salaries, several garrisons near the capital were rioting, and some even faced the possibility of mutiny.

Just as Zhao Xu and his ministers were nearly driven to despair over this matter, Zhao Yu came to pay homage and volunteered: "Your servant has recently earned modest profits from selling soap; I wish to donate one million guan to alleviate the court's urgent crisis."

This was all the money Zhao Yu had earned from selling soap (including many advance payments he had received); truly, Zhao Yu had made a tremendous sacrifice.

Zhao Xu's eyes flickered with surprise and emotion. He had not expected Zhao Yu to be so skilled at making money, nor had he expected Zhao Yu to open his purse so generously.

You must understand that princes are not permitted to participate in politics, join the military, or interfere in state affairs; however, when it came to princes doing business, the court had always turned a blind eye—after all, even officials were doing this sort of thing, so there was no reason to forbid the imperial clan from making money this way.

Thus, the money Zhao Yu earned through legitimate commercial means could have been entirely withheld from Zhao Xu.

Have you not seen how many imperial clan members, some with fortunes of hundreds of thousands or even millions of guan, never once took a single coin from their own homes to help Zhao Xu?

Therefore, Zhao Yu's action was truly like offering charcoal in the snow.

Yet as an emperor, suspicion is their universal affliction.

Zhao Xu was no exception.

Amidst his emotion, Zhao Xu quietly felt a trace of doubt: "Does the Prince of Shen truly seek nothing in return for his complete generosity?"

In Zhao Xu's view, though Zhao Yu was his brother, in the vortex of power, kinship was often swallowed by interest; he could trust no one fully.

Zhao Xu asked slowly: "What does the Prince of Shen seek?"

Zhao Yu smiled faintly, his expression utterly sincere: "Your Majesty overthinks. Your servant merely saw the state in peril and could not bear to stand idle. If I must state a request, I only wish for the Great Song to enjoy peace and prosperity, and for Your Majesty to remain in good health."

Zhao Xu heard this, and his suspicion deepened. He knew well that in this world, there were few acts of kindness without cause—especially when imperial power and interests were involved.

Yet Zhao Yu's demeanor was earnest, his words heartfelt, leaving Zhao Xu momentarily unable to find a flaw.

At that moment, Zhao Yu added: "By the way, I do have one small request."

Zhao Xu thought: "Here it comes—how could someone give such a vast sum without seeking something?"

Zhao Xu remained impassive: "Prince of Shen, speak freely."

To Zhao Xu's utter astonishment, Zhao Yu's request was: "I only ask that Your Majesty not tell anyone this money came from me."

Zhao Xu froze, puzzled: "Why?"

Zhao Yu smiled: "I fear they will come to borrow it."

Zhao Xu knew Zhao Yu was joking, but he could not tell whether this was a subtle way of blocking future requests for loans from Zhao Yu.

After a long pause, Zhao Xu finally spoke, praising: "I shall remember this deed. When the court overcomes this crisis, I shall repay you handsomely."

Zhao Yu replied generously: "The Great Song is our Zhao family's realm. The imperial clan shares its fate. If the great house collapses, how could I alone survive?"

Though Zhao Yu had spoken thus, Zhao Xu still doubted his motives—but he still encouraged him: "Your Prince of Shen's noble act is truly a blessing to the state; I am deeply comforted!"

Then Zhao Xu questioned Zhao Yu about the "Memorial on Land Reform," forcing him to reveal his true thoughts.

Under the pressure from Zhao Xu, Zhao Yu had no choice but to temporarily set aside the rule forbidding princes from interfering in governance and honestly told Zhao Xu everything he wished to know, including why past reforms had failed.

Zhao Yu even made clear to Zhao Xu that implementing the "Memorial on Land Reform" meant becoming an enemy of every high official, scholar-gentry, and powerful household in the empire.

Finally, Zhao Yu clearly summarized for Zhao Xu: to implement the "Memorial on Land Reform," two essential conditions must be met: first, the emperor must have unwavering resolve; second, a stable and powerful centralized authority must be perfected.

Zhao Yu repeatedly emphasized: "Even if both conditions are met, such reform remains perilous beyond measure."

Zhao Yu also gave Zhao Xu a sincere suggestion: "Before you decide to adopt my strategy for reform, Your Majesty must not speak of it aloud—otherwise, success is impossible."

Thinking of Zhang Dun, Han Zhongyan, and Ceng Bu's attitudes toward the "Memorial on Land Reform," Zhao Xu understood that Zhao Yu's warning was sound.

After this heartfelt conversation, Zhao Xu finally understood just how talented and insightful Zhao Yu was; he looked at Zhao Yu and thought, "Prince Xin could serve as Chancellor."

Then Zhao Xu felt a pang of injustice: they were both born of the same father, yet he was nearly ten years older than Zhao Yu—how could their insight and ability differ so greatly?

Finally, Zhao Xu blamed it all on Gao Taotao: "It's all that scheming old witch's fault—if she hadn't manipulated me for eight years, squandering my time, would I be like this?"

Immediately, Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Yu and thought with regret: "Pity you're a prince—if only you weren't, you could help me enact reforms; perhaps the Great Song might be revived…"

……

(End of Chapter)