I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 431 Devoting oneself to the cause until death! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

"Prime Minister, when do you think His Majesty will return?"

Liu Minghan, the Minister of Revenue, brought some case files to Prime Minister Zhao Wenyuan for review.

If Li Chen is not in the capital, many cases will require Prime Minister Zhao Wenyuan to make decisions.

As the current prime minister, Zhao Wenyuan naturally had a great deal of authority. Li Chen had already given him a lot of power, and he could basically make decisions independently.

Only those truly difficult and thorny issues will be left for Li Chen to review after he returns to the palace.

This decentralization greatly reduced Li Chen's workload, unlike the late emperor who often stayed up all night reviewing memorials.

The same applies to Liu Minghan, the Minister of Revenue. He only submits files involving officials of the same or higher rank to Zhao Wenyuan for approval. He can handle the files himself, and he has many other officials under his command.

Through this system of delegating power at each level, Li Chen ensured that every official in the court had a clear responsibility, and with everyone performing their duties, the operation of government affairs became more efficient.

In addition, with the recent expansion of the staffing quota and the establishment of many new departments, the officials of the Tian Ce Dynasty are not under much work pressure.

When questioned by the Minister of Revenue, Zhao Wenyuan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

This high-ranking prime minister drank the most ordinary coarse tea, the kind that even common people could afford.

He put down his teacup and said slowly, "Your Majesty is young and strong, and often goes on incognito visits to observe the people's conditions. We don't even know when he will return to the palace. However, as his subjects, we should do our best to share His Majesty's burdens."

As a veteran of three reigns, Zhao Wenyuan always spoke with a touch of official jargon, but these words came from the bottom of his heart.

In his view, if the emperor were to remain confined to the inner palace all day long, a major problem would inevitably arise sooner or later.

Many decisions concerning people's livelihoods are less effective than racking one's brains in the palace and actually taking a look at the grassroots level.

It is evident from the memorials reviewed by Li Chen that this young emperor was well-versed in the situation in various regions, and his comments were always to the point.

Thinking of this, Zhao Wenyuan couldn't help but feel a little regretful that he was too old to accompany Li Chen on his incognito visits like he had accompanied the late emperor in the past.

His thoughts drifted back to the time of the late emperor, when he and Guo Poyun were often by his side.

Looking back now, it was truly a blessing from heaven that allowed Li Chen to inherit the throne.

If the other princes had ascended the throne, they might not have made any major mistakes, but they certainly could not have allowed Tian Ce to develop into the prosperous state it is today!
Zhao Wenyuan suddenly remembered something and asked abruptly, "By the way, has the military report from the south been delivered?"

Liu Minghan quickly replied, "We just arrived this morning. The Southern Expeditionary Army has advanced another thousand meters. The southern countries are now trembling with fear. Some countries that have pledged allegiance to the Yongzhou Empire have already secretly begun to send people over to curry favor. The neutral countries and those on our side are spending a lot of money to buy military equipment to improve their strength."

Although he was the Minister of Revenue, these matters should have been handled by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works.

But someone of his rank would certainly know the news, and people from the southern countries would also use their connections to come to him.

Zhao Wenyuan stroked his beard and smiled: "Your Majesty's 'drawing the arrow without releasing it' tactic is brilliant. It doesn't cost a single soldier, and it makes those fence-sitters lose their composure first."

Liu Minghan sighed, "Yes, it's much better than going to war directly. This year's fiscal revenue is almost equivalent to the past ten years, however..."

He lowered his voice and continued, "If we advance like this, won't the Eternal Day Empire send troops to attack?"

As the Minister of Revenue, he must have known one thing: war is all about burning money.

Zhao Wenyuan's lips curled up slightly as he waved his hand and said, "You don't understand, do you? The King of the Yongzhou Empire and our Emperor have a tacit understanding that there's no benefit in fighting, so why should we fight?"

The human continent has many nations, and the weak often devour the strong, achieving victory against overwhelming odds.

Either the strong crush the weak, demonstrating the might of Heaven.

It's rare for two equally matched opponents to fight, because such battles are simply meaningless wars of attrition.

Unless there is some deep-seated blood feud, two roughly equal countries would not take action unless they are absolutely certain that they can directly conquer each other.

Otherwise, why do you think Li Chen would dare to be out of the capital at this point?

However, Zhao Wenyuan's thinking here is incomplete. Li Chen may not be in the capital, but he is in the southern kingdoms.

Liu Minghan and Zhao Wenyuan chatted briefly before Liu Minghan took his leave and returned to the Ministry of Revenue to continue his work. At this moment, Zhao Wenyuan's son, Zhao Mingyuan, walked in. Looking at the mountain of files on his father's desk, he couldn't help but sigh, "Father, have you been working too much lately? You seem even busier than before."

Zhao Wenyuan stroked his beard and shook his head with a smile: "You think I'm busy, but actually I'm much more relaxed than before. Although many things were handled by the late emperor himself in the past, I had to carefully try to understand his will while also competing for power with other ministers. At that time, it seemed leisurely, but in reality, every step was like walking on thin ice."

At this point, he suddenly sighed.

Zhao Mingyuan asked, puzzled, "Why is Father sighing? Didn't you say things are fine as they are now?"

Zhao Wenyuan's expression turned serious: "His Majesty trusts me and has delegated power to me, which I am naturally gratified by. I can guarantee my utmost loyalty and that I will not lose myself in the face of such power. However..."

He paused, then continued, "I am getting old and I don't know how many more years I can hold this position. If the next prime minister has ulterior motives, I'm afraid the Tian Ce regime will be thrown into chaos."

These words reveal Zhao Wenyuan's deep concern for his country.

Even while he was alive, he was already thinking about what would happen after his death; he truly devoted himself to the cause until his dying breath.

Zhao Mingyuan quickly reassured him, "Father is in good health and can work for another ten years or so without any problem. Besides, Tian Ce is full of talented people, and His Majesty is young and promising. He will surely be able to select the virtuous and capable."

Zhao Wenyuan smiled but remained silent upon hearing this.

He certainly hopes so, but who can predict the future?

Recently, many of the young officials in the court, though talented, are mostly unruly.

Zhao Wenyuan thought to himself that he should remind His Majesty to give him a good talking-to when he returned to the palace.

Or, should I first discuss with Guo Poyun and give him a warning?

This can be considered as lightening the workload for the young emperor.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Wenyuan picked up his vermilion brush again and continued reviewing the case files.

Meanwhile, inside the residence of General Guo Poyun.

This once-powerful old general is now working hard in the vegetable garden, sweating profusely.

The cabbages in the yard are growing well, their lush green leaves glistening in the sunlight.

Since the court infighting subsided, Guo Poyun has truly started growing vegetables. Before, he was just pretending, but now he is actually cultivating them.

"This one is good. This one is also good."

Guo Poyun carefully selected the best-looking cabbages, intending to pick them himself and give them to Li Chen.

He knew that the emperor loved to eat this tender cabbage.

"Master, someone from Prime Minister Zhao's residence has come, saying they have important matters to discuss," the steward reported.

Guo Poyun straightened up and wiped his sweat: "Tell him to wait a moment, I'll change my clothes and then go."

Looking at the lush greenery of the garden, Guo Poyun smiled with satisfaction.

He preferred this simple and fulfilling life to the power struggles and intrigues in the imperial court.

However, if His Majesty and the court need him, this old man is ready to go back to the battlefield at any time.

When the Tian Ce Dynasty sent out its southern expeditionary army, Guo Poyun actually petitioned to be the commander-in-chief, but Li Chen refused and sent Yun Xu instead.

Yun Xu is certainly qualified; he has been a general leading troops for decades, and he is also a steady and loyal subject to Tian Ce.

Guo Poyun also knew that even if Li Chen trusted him, he still had to consider the feelings of other officials, and he couldn't always send him.

The older ministers, who had no conflicts with Li Chen, were naturally loyal, just as Zhao Wenyuan had thought. But the younger ones, that was not necessarily the case.

Xiao Ming is a typical example.

(End of this chapter)