Chapter 245: Please Believe I Am 'Bull

The old Emperor was wary of the nobility and had been trying to alienate the relationship between the nobility and the military generals for years, wanting the military generals to become independent and become the third force in the court, competing with the nobility group.

However, the effect had always been not very good.

There were many martial arts experts, but not every one of them had the talent of a great general, let alone a commander of an army. After searching for a commander, one still had to find one from the nobility.

As a result, military generals could never get rid of the restraint of the nobility; if they wanted to get promoted and get rich, they still had to take the path of the nobility. Military generals were always an extension of the power of the nobility. Statistically, the probability of noble families producing military generals was also much greater than that of martial arts experts.

The civil officials were in a similar situation; second-generation officials with backgrounds and grassroots officials without backgrounds, the old Emperor had been trying hard to differentiate the two factions, but the results were minimal. The second generation and the grassroots were often mixed together, you have me, I have you, working together to deal with the old Emperor.

Since they couldn't be differentiated, then simply establish a third party, which was Jiang Tu. Use this sycophant Jiang Tu to fiercely suppress the civil officials and share the pressure for the old Emperor.

When Yu Zhaoan stood in the Taiji Palace, he had long since figured everything out and knew very well the old Emperor's purpose in calling him.

It was clear that the old Emperor didn't want Marquis Pingjiang to command the army a second time; if he lost, it didn't matter, but if he won, Marquis Pingjiang's prestige in the army would be uncontrollable, and the power of the nobility would be unprecedentedly condensed and strengthened.

The old Emperor absolutely wouldn't accept this.

However...

The strengthening of the nobility was good for him! Presumably, the Crown Prince had the same idea. The stronger the nobility, the more stable the Crown Prince's position. Yu Zhaoan pondered the benefits he could obtain from it.

"Marquis Pingjiang is old and frail; he is indeed not suited to command troops a second time. It would be better to promote his deputy general, and although his seniority and prestige are lacking, let Marquis Pingjiang's eldest legitimate son, Chen Guanfu, serve as the deputy general."

Hmm?

The old Emperor was stunned, not expecting that the 'big smart' Yu Zhaoan would come up with such a bad idea. It was indeed very bad.

The deputy general lacked qualifications and prestige and couldn't suppress those arrogant border troops at all. As for Chen Guanfu, a young man, although he was Marquis Pingjiang's eldest son and the heir to the Marquis's mansion, he was young after all and certainly couldn't suppress the border troops either. Moreover, he had been in the south for a long time and was unfamiliar with the climate and terrain of the northwest. This was completely a losing combination.

The old Emperor's eyes showed viciousness; he suspected Yu Zhaoan was perfunctory with him.

Yu Zhaoan's face didn't turn red and his heart didn't beat fast, appearing open and honest, "Your subject has another suggestion."

"Speak!" The old Emperor's tone already showed impatience; if Yu Zhaoan dared to talk nonsense again, he would absolutely not be lenient.

"Re-enable Marquis Pingjiang; he was able to win the first time, and he will surely win the second time. However, a civil official who can compete with him must be sent to Jinzhou to manage civil affairs. All grain, grass, and military equipment must go through the accounts of the local government. Marquis Pingjiang is only responsible for the military affairs of the Northwest Province."

"Good!" The old Emperor finally smiled; Yu Zhaoan was still a bit useful, "Then who do you think is suitable to go to the northwest to lead civil affairs?"

Yu Zhaoan stepped forward solemnly, "Your subject requests to go to the northwest to share the burden for Your Majesty."

"You?" The old Emperor was shocked.

Yu Zhaoan raised his voice and said solemnly: "The Left Prime Minister is old and cannot bear the hardships of travel, and the imperial court cannot do without him. As for the Right Prime Minister, I'm afraid he can't suppress Marquis Pingjiang and will be suppressed by Marquis Pingjiang instead. Other ministers and cabinet elders cannot leave right now. Fighting in the northwest requires them to coordinate in the capital. As the Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief, my official rank and qualifications are enough to compete with Marquis Pingjiang. Your subject has the confidence to cooperate well with Marquis Pingjiang, wipe out the thieves early, and never fail Your Majesty's high expectations."

The old Emperor was in a mess in the wind; his originally organized thoughts were all disrupted.

He had always known Yu Zhaoan had ambition and ability. But he didn't expect the other party to be so... confident. What gave him the confidence to balance Marquis Pingjiang and not be suppressed by him instead? Marquis Pingjiang, don't look at him laughing all day; he can command a large army, and he is an unruly border army; is he easy to deal with? The soldiers and generals who died in his hands, if not thousands, were hundreds. Marquis Pingjiang's prestige was not blown out by his mouth, but killed out.

"You... very good." The old Emperor barely praised him, "This matter needs to be discussed in the long term; I will convene a court meeting to consult the opinions of the court officials. You may withdraw first."

"Your subject withdraws."

Yu Zhaoan respectfully withdrew from the Taiji Palace. After walking out of the palace gate, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, but he pressed them down in the blink of an eye.

Before he even walked out of the Taiji Palace, a young eunuch called him to wait a moment, saying Eunuch Qiu had something to say.

A moment later, Qiu Defu appeared, "I am just about to go out of the palace. If Lord Yu doesn't mind, shall we go together?"

"It would be an honor," Yu Zhaoan laughed, understanding each other.

The two walked out of the palace all the way. When they were about to reach the palace gate, Qiu Defu spoke again: "Fighting a war cannot be separated from money and grain. The Ministry of Revenue is crying poor all day. Money and grain involve a lot, and if it drags on, I don't know when the army can be sent to suppress the thieves. It's better to find another way to gather grain and grass early and share the burden for Your Majesty early."

"May I ask Eunuch Qiu for guidance?"

"Jiang Tu is good at scraping money," Qiu Defu smiled mysteriously, "Lord Yu must have a way to obtain money and grain from this person."

Yu Zhaoan smiled enigmatically, "Eunuch Qiu is making things difficult for me! What ability do I have to intercept money and grain from Lord Jiang? Not appropriate, not appropriate."

Qiu Defu secretly complained that the old fox Yu was cunning and wouldn't scatter the eagle without seeing the rabbit.

"If Lord Yu can obtain money and grain from Jiang Tu, I will definitely do my best to facilitate your management of northwest civil affairs."

Yu Zhaoan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Then what benefits can you get?"

Qiu Defu chuckled, "I can't stand seeing city hoodlums jumping around in the imperial court." This sentence was definitely sincere.

Yu Zhaoan understood in his heart. He looked at the palace gate ahead and said solemnly: "Understood! Then, happy cooperation." After saying that, he stepped out of the palace gate first.

After Chen Guanlou finished his shift, he received a message from Master Du that the eldest son wanted to see him.

Chen Guanlou cleaned up and, as usual, entered the Marquis's mansion from the back door.

After visiting the Marquis's mansion several times, he no longer had his initial curiosity. He was led directly to the study by the servants, and after reporting, he was invited directly into the study.

There were only two people in the study: the eldest son and the head steward.

"Nephew greets the eldest son, and pays respects to the eldest son."

"No need for formalities, sit down and talk."

"Thank you, eldest son."

Chen Guanlou sat on the chair on the right, doing the posture of a junior.

He was still confused and didn't know why the eldest son wanted to see him. Master Du couldn't say one, two, or three either.

The eldest son was looking at Chen Guanlou, nodding secretly; he was worthy of being a Chen family man, looking so handsome, seemingly even more handsome than the last time they met. His eyebrows were full of heroic spirit, not like a prison guard, but more like a Jianghu hero.

"You have been in long-term contact with Yu Zhaoan; what do you think of this person?"

The eldest son went straight to the point.

Chen Guanlou was slightly surprised, not expecting the eldest son to ask him about Yu Zhaoan's situation. ===== CHAPTER 246 =====