After completing this thought transformation, Chu Ge suddenly felt enlightened.
As the saying goes, it is not easy to learn well, but it is easy to learn badly.
To be a good official, there are always too many constraints. There are many methods that cannot be used, and there are many bottom lines that cannot be broken.
But once you give up the idea of being a good official, give up all moral constraints on yourself, and look at the problem from a different angle, you will find that many problems are not completely unsolvable.
In the final analysis, being a good official is going against the grain. It means I am in the light and the enemy is in the dark.
Just like Wang Wenchuan, is he a good official? Of course he is.
No matter how the old party attacks him, it cannot deny his personal morality.
Wang Wenchuan was an incorruptible man, and he did not even have any entertainment activities. His only pleasure was to write books and advocate reforms for the country.
But his implementation of reforms meant that the old party headed by Wen Junshi could use every means to attack him.
If any problem occurs during the reform, the old party can put the shit basin on his head; even if there is a drought or locust plague in any year, the old party can say that it is because Wang Wenchuan messed up the reform, causing anger and resentment.
This phenomenon reminded Chu Ge of a saying: Keyboard warriors are invincible.
Those who do practical things always have to deal with various contradictions and consider a series of issues, while keyboard warriors can remain invincible as long as they seize their loopholes and attack them continuously.
But what if we really let those keyboard warriors do things? It will only make things worse.
Wang Wenchuan was faced with such a problem at that time.
Because he is a practical person, and the emperor himself is not strong-willed, he will always be defeated by the old party's persistent and unremitting attacks.
But what if Wang Wenchuan changed his mind?
What if he does not try his best to promote the reform, but instead finds ways to protect himself? Then the offensive and defensive momentum will change.
When the old party is doing things, he can attack wildly without any bottom line. In this way, the status of both parties changes instantly.
Once Wang Wenchuan becomes a keyboard warrior, his destructive power as a keyboard warrior will never be weaker than that of Wenjun.
Many people attacked Wang Wenchuan, saying that he engaged in party strife.
There are even many people who, in the process of studying history, say that Wang Wenchuan's reforms started the party struggle in the Qi Dynasty and planted the seeds of the Qi Dynasty's demise.
But in fact, this is obviously a misunderstanding.
In Chu Ge's opinion, Wang Wenchuan was too kind during the reform process.
Although the old party has been criticizing Wang Wenchuan for being a clique, in fact, Wang Wenchuan used his own people to implement reforms, which is a blameless behavior in itself. Could it be that your old party is clearly against me, and I still want to give you
Are high-ranking officials well-paid?
Wang Wenchuan only drove these old party members out of the capital and relegated them to local areas, but he neither relegated them to a barren land like Lingnan, nor did he dig up dirt on them for retaliation, jail them for their crimes, and even gave some to the old party.
Interceding with members who have been wronged is obviously a very generous act in a political struggle.
On the other hand, after Wang Wenchuan was dismissed as prime minister, Wen Junshi and other old parties came to power and immediately abolished the new law and relegated all these new parties to Lingnan. This directly led to the old and new parties being at odds with each other and starting a long-term party struggle.
No matter how you look at it, it is not Wang Wenchuan who started this problem.
This may be because Wang Wenchuan and Wen Junshi, as famous ministers at that time, still had their own bottom line. Although the two people had completely different political views, they had very good personal ethics and even felt sympathy for each other.
But after a review, Chu Ge felt that Wang Wenchuan's kindness was indeed meaningless.
From a future perspective, the struggle between the old and new parties is inevitable.
Political struggle is inherently a matter of life and death, and Wang Wenchuan's kindness will not change the future political direction of the court.
The kindness towards these old parties has directly led to these old parties still attacking the new law endlessly even when they go to the local level, or trying every means to be uncooperative, and even blaming the new law for natural disasters.
The long-term party struggle is precisely because the new party and the old party have never been able to eliminate each other. What if one party completely eliminates the other? Then there will be no problem of party struggle.
Therefore, Chu Ge decided to do it thoroughly.
Take the traitorous official Yan Maoqing of the Great Sheng Dynasty as an example. When did you ever see him be kind to his political opponents?
When was there not a time when someone was framed for any crime and put to death?
Of course, if there is any benefit to Wang Wenchuan's doing this, of course there is.
Although Wang Wenchuan was finally dismissed from the prime minister and died in depression, at least he did not suffer particularly severe retaliation. Compared with other important ministers who failed in the reform, he had a good death.
Therefore, his kindness can be regarded as a good relationship for himself, and it did not lead to the tragic ending of death and annihilation of the family.
But for Chu Ge at this time, this made no sense at all.
Therefore, Chu Ge quickly determined the preliminary combat strategy.
Now that you have decided to be a traitor, you must make two points clear: first, get rid of all the ethics and bottom lines, I must protect myself wisely, I must do whatever it takes, and I must be the winner of the political struggle!
Second, we must not show any kindness to our political opponents. We will kill them as soon as we get the chance. If we don’t oppress our political opponents to death, is that still called cronyism?
After confirming these two points, Chu Ge suddenly realized that his future became suddenly brighter.
Although the reform has not yet been revealed, it is at least certain that after such operations, he will definitely be able to sit in the position of Prime Minister for a long time.
The game gave him ten years to win the Battle of Niuzhu. His first priority was to survive the ten years and not fail in the first year.
"Then the next step is to analyze carefully and from which angle we should start to attack political opponents."
Chu Ge has decided to take action on the old party.
But it is not easy to move these old parties.
At this time, the leader of the old party was Wen Junshi. Chu Ge had fought against him several times before and knew that this person was very difficult to deal with.
First of all, Wen Junshi doesn't have much to criticize in terms of personal ethics, which is exactly the same as Wang Wenchuan.
Secondly, Wenjun was extremely talented and knowledgeable, and his debating skills were also first-rate. In the eyes of later generations, some of his arguments were of course a symbol of backwardness and conservatism, but at that time, they were very confusing and could even win the title of emperor.
to the ministers and then to the unanimous approval of the people.
After all, at that time, Wen Junshi's thoughts represented orthodoxy.
On the contrary, Wang Wenchuan's reform concept seemed unconventional and shocking, and was opposed by most scholar-bureaucrats.
In the end, it was still the emperor’s problem.
The emperor's character and the political situation of the Qi Dynasty determined that it was difficult for the party struggle at that time to have any decisive results. The emperor was very concerned about his own reputation. Important ministers like Wang Wenchuan and Wen Junshi who were famous all over the world, even if they fell.
, nor will it be completely liquidated.
Even if Wen Junshi was demoted, he still had great appeal and influence, and could still influence the emperor's judgment.
Therefore, if you want to engage in party strife to bring down Wen Junshi, you have to think of a feasible way.
This method must be effective, and effective methods are often methods without a bottom line.
Chu Ge frowned and thought hard, walking further and further away on the path of the treacherous minister.
“In ancient times, what was the most effective way to bring down someone through political struggle?
"It's not to frame him, nor to use his power to suppress others, but to make the emperor hate him.
"As long as the emperor starts to hate him, then he is not far from being finished.
"If you want to make the emperor hate him, you have to analyze the emperor's character and prescribe the right medicine.
"What does the current emperor hate most? In other words, what does he care about most?
"political reform?
"No, reform will not work.
"Because it is not yet certain whether the results of the reform will be good or bad.
"Wenjun was really opposed to the reform, and his rhetoric was also very misleading, and the emperor would not dislike it.
"Like Yan Maoqing, I want to find the point that the emperor desires most, and then use this as a breakthrough to put Wenjun to death..."
As Chu Ge analyzed it, a plan gradually emerged in his mind.
The ancient political system was highly centralized, and the emperor held the highest power. Therefore, the most effective way to bring down someone was to make the emperor hate him.
For example, Yan Maoqing's downfall did not lie in his corruption and bribery, but in the emperor's change in his view.
Before, the emperor felt that Yan Maoqing could make money for him, so he let all Yan Maoqing's actions go unchecked and indulged him infinitely; later, the emperor realized that Yan Maoqing's existence was too big to be eliminated, and even affected his own money making, so he was able to vigorously suppress the entire Yan Party.
Uprooted.
In history, Wang Wenchuan did not do well at this point either.
Because he had his own character and was not completely determined to do things from the emperor's standpoint.
Or to put it bluntly, I didn’t act like a dog to the emperor in a down-to-earth manner.
Why was Wang Wenchuan dismissed by the emperor? It was because he and the emperor had different views on some issues, and the stubborn Wang Wenchuan was unwilling to fully accept the emperor's views.
As for Chu Ge, he has no such moral baggage at all.
Now that you have decided to be a treacherous minister like Yan Maoqing, you must make up your mind to be the emperor's dog; and in the process of being the emperor's dog, you cannot always just do your own thing, you must always figure out what the emperor wants and think.
Whatever you do, do it first.
In this way, the emperor's recognition and tolerance for himself will become higher and higher, and he can successfully suppress dissidents.
And after using the emperor's hands to kill political opponents, he had the initial ability to control the emperor.
After Chu Ge thought about it for a while, he had already thought of a perfect entry point.
After planning the entire plot from beginning to end, he started the trial again.
…
Three different talent cards appeared in front of Chu Ge.
[Xin · Impassioned Speech (Blue): Your speech becomes more infectious and persuasive. 】
[G·Strong-willed (Blue): You are strong-willed and have a strong ability to withstand pressure, and you will also become more stubborn.]
[Geng·Act in a low profile (blue): You act in a low profile and will not easily attract the attention of others.]
After thinking for a moment, Chu Ge tapped lightly on his talent of "acting in a low profile".
This talent was replaced by Chu Ge after he failed to clear the level last time, but he had not chosen it before.
Because it makes no sense.
Wang Wenchuan himself is the leader of the reform and the current prime minister. Is there any use for him to keep a low profile?
Comparatively speaking, impassioned speeches can convince the emperor, and firm will can allow him to push the reform as far as possible. These are all useful talents for Wang Wenchuan, who is determined to reform.
But now, Chu Ge has decided to be a Wang Wenchuan who will do whatever it takes and has no bottom line, so the talent of keeping a low profile is more useful.
The smoke in front of him dissipated, and Wang Wenchuan, played by Chu Ge, appeared in the political hall again.
We still have the provisions of the reform before us.
Only this time, Chu Ge did not touch the details of these provisions, but directly pushed them aside.
An article was redrafted.
Then, he called the servants in the palace over: "Prepare the car, I want to enter the palace to meet the Holy Spirit."
…
Soon, Chu Ge came to the palace and met the emperor.
As the current prime minister and the emperor's confidant, Wang Wenchuan's favorability in the emperor's heart was at its peak at this time.
But Wang Wenchuan felt that there was room for further improvement in his favorability in the emperor's heart.
During the Qi Dynasty, the status of officials was still relatively high, and the emperor would give him a seat in such a situation, and this time was no exception.
"Wang Qing came here this time to discuss the new law?" The emperor's attitude was naturally amiable.
Chu Ge nodded: "Exactly.
"Officials, please take a look. This is the official law that I have just drafted."
The emperor was stunned for a moment, and then took the document handed over by Chu Ge: "Official law?"
Obviously, the emperor's expression was blank.
Because this so-called "official law" was not part of Wang Wenchuan's reform, he naturally had doubts.
In the emperor's view, Wang Wenchuan was a very thoughtful minister and also a very stubborn minister. The emperor and his ministers had discussed the new law many times before. The emperor already knew Wang Wenchuan's general thoughts, but he never
Have you ever heard that there is going to be some kind of official law?
At this time, other laws and regulations had not come out, but an official law was issued first, which really surprised the emperor.
However, unexpectedly, the emperor still read the contents of the official law seriously.
The content of the official system law is very simple. There are two articles in total, both of which are aimed at reforming the official system.
Article 1: Promulgate a set of standards for the promotion, appointment and removal of officials. Official promotions must be based on this standard and no longer go through the prime minister.
The second article is to restore the three-province system in the name of restoring the old system of the Liang Dynasty. The core of the three-province system is to divide the power of the prime minister, responsible for the Menxia Province and the Zhongshu Province respectively. In this way, the emperor can directly issue orders to the officials of the three provinces.
In layman's terms, the previous prime minister had great power. The promotion and salary standards of officials needed to go through the prime minister. Officials in the three provinces were also directly responsible to the prime minister. But now, these powers have actually been taken back into the hands of the emperor.
Although there were only two short pieces of content, the emperor read it for a long time.
Even when he raised his head, there was still confusion and disbelief on his face.
Of course, there is also a bit of joy mixed in.
"Wang Qing, what does this mean?"
Obviously, the emperor didn't understand what Wang Wenchuan in front of him was thinking.
Is the emperor moved?
Of course it’s exciting!
I even felt that Wang Wenchuan in front of me suddenly became my confidant and the roundworm in my belly.
Even this official law does not seem to have been thought up by Wang Wenchuan, but more like it was thought up by the emperor himself...
Chu Ge couldn't help but smile slightly.
Is it familiar? Is it familiar? Is there a connection?
That's right, because this is what you came up with...
What he called the "official system law" was actually the "Yuanfeng Reform" that the emperor himself carried out after Wang Wenchuan's New Deal.
These two contents have not changed at all, they are all the contents thought up by the emperor.
Naturally, this restructuring was carried out very smoothly. After all, it was something the emperor was determined to do.
At that time, Wang Wenchuan did not agree with this restructuring.
The reason is very simple. This restructuring actually weakened the power of the prime minister and strengthened the imperial power.
A large part of the promotion, appointment and dismissal of officials, as well as the powers of the three provinces, were taken back from the hands of the prime minister and returned to the hands of the emperor.
Wang Wenchuan is the Prime Minister himself and does not want others to restrict him. How could he agree to such a thing?
From the perspective of later generations, this restructuring did give officials a fixed position and reduce the court's expenditure, but this impact was limited to the central government and had little effect on local governments.
Moreover, to a certain extent, it has led to a reduction in administrative efficiency.
Its deeper impact was to strengthen the centralization of power and weaken the power of the prime minister. It was a disguised form of arbitrary decision-making for the emperor, avoiding the supervision of officials at all levels headed by the prime minister, and taking a solid step forward.
So in the final analysis, this is a restructuring to limit the power of the prime minister and strengthen the imperial power.
That's why the emperor was so confused.
As the Prime Minister, why would Wang Wenchuan limit his own power? Isn’t this just because he is full...
Although this restructuring plan is too tempting, and it can even be said that it is exactly what the emperor has been thinking about, but Wang Wenchuan proposed it, but he always feels that there is some trap in it...
That's why the emperor was confused.
Chu Ge smiled slightly.
This was part of his plan, and he had naturally prepared his words in advance.
"Do the officials still remember that when the officials asked: 'I am really displeased with changing the legal system, but what is the inconvenience to the common people?' How did Wen Jianyi respond?"
The emperor was stunned for a moment and said: "Wen Jianyi said, 'To rule the world with the scholar-bureaucrats, not with the common people.'"
Chu Ge nodded: "This official system law is my answer to the official's advice."
When he said these words, Chu Ge's acting skills exploded and his expression was sincere.
Coupled with his talent for "keeping a low profile", he looks like a harmless little sheep who is dedicated to the king.
Sure enough, the emperor's eyes shone with brilliance.
And this brilliance was even brighter than when Wang Wenchuan was talking to him about the reform.
"Wang Qing, please tell me in detail!"
Seeing the emperor's eager look, Chu Ge knew that he had made the right bet.
If you want to be a treacherous minister, a powerful minister, and want to dominate the government and the opposition, what is the first step?
It is to make the emperor trust him and to be completely inseparable from him.
Take Yan Maoqing as an example.
Is his ability outstanding? Is he a talented person?
He is considered excellent, but compared with those cheating figures of his generation, he has no advantage.
His real advantage was that he firmly grasped the fact that the emperor liked to practice Taoism and make money, making himself irreplaceable.
Therefore, he was able to dominate the government and the public, and he was able to use the power of the emperor to suppress all those who disobeyed him.
Chu Ge was doing the same thing at this time.
This emperor did not like to practice Buddhism, nor did he like to amass money. He was not one of the famous faint emperors in history. In other words, it was basically impossible to please him with material enjoyment.
On the contrary, it may be delayed by him, or even directly rejected due to corruption, bribery and loss of personal ethics.
So what did the emperor care about most?
It can be seen from his determination to reform that what this emperor cares about most is to be able to achieve something.
Moreover, he actually distrusts courtiers and prefers to keep power in his own hands.
It was precisely because he did not trust the courtiers that he repeatedly dismissed Wang Wenchuan as prime minister; it was precisely because he wanted to keep power in his own hands that he carried out Yuanfeng's restructuring, bypassing Wang Wenchuan and taking back part of the prime minister's power in his own hands.
.
Judging from the results, regardless of whether Wang Wenchuan agrees or not, this restructuring will be carried out.
If this is the case, then why not do it as a favor and take the initiative to hand over these powers?
Use these powers that are bound to be lost to make a pledge.
From the emperor's perspective, Wang Wenchuan changed from a prime minister with his own ideas to a very useful tool who obeyed the emperor's words.
This kind of retreat can not only make Wang Wenchuan's position more stable, but also use it to launch a heart-breaking plan against Wen Junshi and other important officials of the old party.
From the emperor's point of view, Wang Wenchuan had turned to him very wisely and obeyed his advice. Wen Junshi and others who stubbornly believed that "the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats rule the world" looked disgusting.
Therefore, Chu Ge took this as an entry point to start his dialogue with the emperor.
The next step is to make the emperor realize how disgusting Wen Junshi and others are!
