"Use it! Why not? Brother Han is right, these corrupt officials have been greedy for so many years, it's time they spit some of it out!"
Zhong Yanchong cleared his throat and immediately said.
"Now that's what I call a sensible remark. By the way, you're paying for the drinks tonight!" Han Mo said, yawning again.
"That's no problem at all, but there's something I'd like to ask, if I may!" Zhong Yanchong became extremely serious as he spoke.
"What is there that we two can't discuss openly?" Seeing his sudden seriousness, Han Mo asked earnestly.
"Have you heard anything about the court lately?"
"The court's affairs?" Hearing this, Han Mo was stunned. Truth be told, he hadn't paid much attention to court matters for a long time.
"I heard some gossip recently; it seems Yu Shen is about to be dismissed from his post!"
"Is your information reliable?" Han Mo's brows furrowed immediately. He had put a lot of effort into helping Yu Shen ascend to this position. But if he were to be dismissed now, with the position becoming vacant, it would likely lead to countless unpredictable changes.
"The information is absolutely reliable. This news came from the Tong Privy Council!" Upon hearing this, Han Mo understood. It seemed Tong Guan was informing Xu Churen. But when he thought about it carefully, how many people in the court were qualified to take over the position of Prime Minister at this time? Wang Fu was definitely the most eager to rise to power, but it was clear he couldn't take the position before Liang Shicheng completely retired. Even with Emperor Huizong's incompetence, he would never allow a repeat of the situation where the emperor was isolated from his ministers. The relationship between the Prime Minister and the inner court officials must not be too close; this was Emperor Huizong's bottom line! Cai Jing understood this principle, which is why he had been at odds with Liang Shicheng and Tong Guan after taking office. And Wang Fu was too deeply marked by Liang Shicheng. Among the remaining individuals, only Li Bangyan and Bai Shizhong seemed qualified to succeed as Prime Minister. As for Cai You, although his influence was not small, he was still too young at this time to be considered for the position of Prime Minister. Li Bangyan was only good at flattering, and with a major war imminent, appointing him as Prime Minister would be a disaster for the court. However, Bai Shizhong was a staunch member of the Cai faction. The reason Tong Guan passed this information to Xu Churen was undoubtedly to test if Xu Churen had the ability to block Bai Shizhong's path to the premiership. After all, Tong Guan was now the Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the position of Prime Minister had always been the domain of civil officials; he could never get his hands on it. In this matter, he neither wished to nor truly had the right to speak.
"What is Master Xu's opinion?" Han Mo remained silent, looking back at Zhong Yanchong. At this moment, he also wanted to hear Xu Churen's opinion.
"Master Xu's opinion is that it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble..." After hearing his words, Han Mo fell into deep thought again. At first glance, Xu Churen's statement seemed perfectly reasonable. On one hand, Zhao Zhen did not have anyone capable of taking on the role of Prime Minister. Even if they exerted their influence from behind the scenes to control the appointment, they themselves would gain little benefit. On the other hand, exposing their strength too early was not a good choice for Zhao Zhen. At least for now, neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Yun took Zhao Zhen seriously. In their eyes, Zhao Zhen was merely their pawn. Even though he had established his own government and had some influence, he was still far from being on equal footing with them to contend for the throne. However, if they discovered that Zhao Zhen possessed the power to influence the appointment of the Prime Minister, the situation would be entirely different. Zhao Zhen, with his wings not yet fully grown, would likely be ruthlessly suppressed by them!
"Since you are by Master Xu's side, you must know who Master Xu supports, right?" Although Zhong Yanchong had not explicitly stated his stance, the fact that he had been so significantly promoted by Xu Churen in such a short period spoke volumes. Xu Churen, despite being an old scholar, had been through the wringer in officialdom for many years and was undoubtedly adept at selecting people. If Zhong Yanchong's attitude had not been firm or his political stance unclear, Xu Churen would not have kept him by his side and promoted him to this position. Therefore, Han Mo asked directly.
"I naturally know that, which is why I said Brother Han's contribution is immense!" Zhong Yanchong smiled and cupped his hands towards Han Mo again.
"Why bring that up now? While we should indeed not interfere with this change in premiership, don't you think this is also a golden opportunity for us?" Han Mo spoke as he carefully chose his words.
"A golden opportunity?" Zhong Yanchong's brow furrowed.
"We may not be able to secure the position of Prime Minister, but we can still consider other positions!"
"For example?"
"For example, Fang La is causing quite a stir, and the court is helpless against them. According to precedent, shouldn't a Commissioner for Pacification be appointed to deal with them?"
"But what then? Does His Highness have anyone who can accept this position?" Zhong Yanchong hesitated before replying.
"Not before, but now we have you!"
"Me?" Zhong Yanchong was taken aback. He was just a young man in his early twenties; how could he be connected to this task?
"What are you thinking? I'm talking about your grandfather!" Seeing his thoughtful expression, Han Mo rolled his eyes.
"But his old man..."
"What about his old man? He's just seventy years old, and there's no precedent against it!" Zhong Yanchong gave a wry smile. That's right, Cai Jing was still Prime Minister at seventy!
"But even if he's willing, his qualifications might not be enough, right? He's a military man after all..." The key requirement for becoming a Commissioner for Pacification was a civil official background, followed by recognition from the emperor.
"Don't forget, he was a civil official in his younger days before transitioning to a military role!" Han Mo lowered his voice and said quietly.
"That might not be easy..."
"Normally speaking, it is indeed not easy. However, if there's a willing scapegoat willing to pay fifty thousand guan for some "arrangements," I think the problem won't be too big..."
"Don't joke, fifty thousand guan! How is that possible? My grandfather would never agree!" Although the Zhong family was a prominent clan in Shaanxi, Zhong Shidao would absolutely not agree to spend fifty thousand guan on such matters.
"Listen to me first. Didn't we just mention a scapegoat? If you're paying yourself, is that still considered a scapegoat?"
"Does such a person exist in this world?" Zhong Yanchong's eyes were filled with doubt. How could this be possible?