But upon careful consideration, he even felt a bit of sympathy for Wang Fu.
After all, regardless of whether the contents of the package were true or false.
It would take at least two to three months to send someone to verify the matter.
By the time they finished their investigation, two to three months would have passed, and the matter would be long cold.
At that point, would his innocence still matter?
"Your Majesty, your humble servant believes that the most crucial issue at this moment is not to verify whether Chancellor Wang has any problems, but to quickly select a highly respected elder to govern the court, assist His Majesty, and help him overcome this difficult period!"
As the officials were whispering amongst themselves, Liang Shicheng cleared his throat and stepped forward.
Hearing him say this, Zhao Ji almost burst into tears.
This was truly one of his own!
Thinking about the kind of days he had been living recently.
Just for these words, his impression of Liang Shicheng improved by several notches.
"These are indeed words of foresight and national concern, but whom does Grand Commandant Liang favor?"
Upon hearing Zhao Ji's words, all eyes turned to Liang Shicheng once again.
However, despite their gazes, Zhao Kai felt no nervousness at all.
After all, Liang Shicheng did have quite a bit of influence under him, but there was not a single person he could present who would be truly capable and command respect.
If they were to consider the cronies around the Crown Prince, their qualifications might be sufficient in terms of seniority.
But if Liang Shicheng dared to promote one of them to the position of Grand Minister, it would likely signal the end for Liang Shicheng himself.
As for those muddled-minded neutrals, he had even less to fear from them.
If Xu Churen could get rid of Li Bangyan, could he not get rid of a muddled-minded old man?
As long as Wang Fu was finished, the rest were insignificant.
He was determined to secure the position of Grand Minister today!
"Your humble servant believes that to govern the nation and assist His Majesty at this time, there is no one more qualified than the Duke of Wei, Cai Yuanzhang!"
Cai Yuanzhang...
When these three words were spoken, the entire court fell into a profound silence.
At this moment, Prince Yun, Zhao Kai, was completely dumbfounded.
This old fellow was playing dirty!
They had finally managed to drive Cai Jing out, and now they were going to invite Cai Jing back? Would he have good days ahead?
Even though this old man was already over seventy years old, who knew how long the old fellow would live?
More importantly, if it hadn't been for Nie Shan's sudden move of "Black Tiger Stealing Heart," it wouldn't have been easy for them to defeat Wang Fu!
If they missed this opportunity today, wouldn't all their previous efforts be in vain?
"Your Majesty, my father is already in his seventies and has retired. If he is to be brought out of retirement now, would it not make the entire empire mock our court for lacking successors?"
Thinking of the years he was dominated by his father, Cai You couldn't help but shudder.
He had stabbed his own father in the back too many times. If his father returned to power, would he have good days ahead?
"Chancellor Cai, what you say is quite unreasonable. Jiang Shang was still a Prime Minister of the Western Zhou at eighty. Although the Duke of Wei is now nearly seventy, he is still vigorous and capable. How can he not serve the country in a time of crisis?"
"When he was in power, was the court ever this chaotic?"
Liang Shicheng's words rendered everyone silent.
His words truly left them speechless.
After all, when Cai Jing was in power, he truly had absolute control, holding all the power himself.
Nearly half of the officials in the court were his cronies, and anyone who dared to make a peep was quickly dealt with by a single glance from him...
The current court situation truly felt like a case of "when the tiger is away, the monkeys become kings"...
"What my subject says is not without reason..."
Just as Cai You was about to continue arguing, Zhao Ji's sudden words plunged him into an abyss of despair.
"Father, your son believes that Chancellor Cai is already advanced in years, and it would be too much to ask him to come out of retirement at this time!"
Since Cai You was unable to speak further, Zhao Kai had no choice but to step in personally.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant believes that Grand Commandant Liang's words are indeed those of foresight and national concern. If Master Cai could come out of retirement, he would undoubtedly be able to assist Your Majesty, command the officials, and together overcome these difficult times!"
After a brief weighing of pros and cons, Wang Fu immediately gave Zhang Bangchang a meaningful look. Zhang Bangchang, understanding his intention, stepped forward without hesitation and expressed his agreement.
With his endorsement, the situation immediately became clearer, and those around Wang Fu also began to voice their support one by one.
Rather than letting this position fall into the hands of Prince Yun, Wang Fu would rather return it to Cai Jing!
Seeing the overwhelming tide, Cai You could only feel bitter.
The Cai faction, under his gradual erosion, was already on the verge of fragmentation.
Originally, in another two to three years, his own influence should have been fully established. But fatefully, at this very moment, his father, who had already retired from court, was about to return.
This plunged him into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
Cai Jing would inevitably need to reorganize the Cai faction to consolidate his power. Although he was Cai Jing's biological son, his father would not hesitate to be harsh with him.
The influence he had painstakingly built would likely face its most severe test.
Even he himself was uncertain at this moment how many of his subordinates would remain after Cai Jing's storm-like retaliation...
"If that is the case, then Shoudao, you will have to undertake the journey to Luoyang!"
After a brief silence, Zhao Ji finally made up his mind.
Although he had been very disappointed with Cai Jing in the past, the fact remained that when Cai Jing was in power, even with the entire court opposing him, he, the Emperor, had never worried about money.
For that reason alone, at a time when he was being driven mad by financial constraints, Zhao Ji truly missed his old friend...
"Yes!"
Seeing that the Emperor had agreed, a smile immediately appeared on Liang Shicheng's face.
The grand drama in the court finally concluded. Fan Zhengguo, who had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.
Even he had to admit at this point that some people were truly born to be officials. The turn of events was exactly as that young man had predicted: the struggle between Prince Wang's faction and Prince Yun's faction ultimately benefited Cai Jing...
With Cai Jing's return to the premiership as a foundation, the prominent figures in the court could no longer afford to pay attention to Han Mo, the newly appointed Commissioner for the Coastal Defense of Zhejiang and Fujian.
And Han Mo, finally, had the time to freely exert himself within his domain, the Maritime Trade Office...