Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Zhao Yuan asked with a smile, "So, you understand what it means to trust those you employ and not to employ those you don't trust?"

Zhao Yang seemed to be thinking about something, but then shook his head blankly.

Zhao Yuan said, "The more important the matter, the more difficult it is for officials to handle. The emperor needs to provide consistent support and must not give up halfway."

“The choice of the person to handle the task is very important. If you are worried about their character or ability, then don’t use them in the first place, because you yourself are not sure about them. This is called ‘not using someone you doubt.’”

"Once the person is chosen to take charge, no matter how many rumors or dissenting voices there are, we must continue to support him firmly. This is what it means to trust someone you employ."

Zhao Yang nodded subconsciously, then asked, "But what if this person really did something wrong? Should we continue to support him?"

Zhao Yuan asked, "Did your teacher tell you about Wang Anshi's reforms?"

Zhao Yang replied, "Yes, the teacher said that Wang Anshi's reforms were well-intentioned, but he made mistakes in personnel selection and the laws were flawed, which led to the failure of the reforms."

Zhao Yuan sighed: "The emperor at that time violated the principle of 'trusting those you employ and not employing those you don't trust.'"

"During Wang Anshi's reforms, mistakes were inevitable, but what the emperor had to do was to order him to make adjustments."

Even if it's wrong, we must persist in being wrong instead of compromising with the old guard.

Zhao Yang was even more puzzled: "You insist on being wrong? Wouldn't that cause chaos in the world?"

"The essence of reform is the redistribution of interests."

"The reason why reform is difficult is that those who have vested interests unite to obstruct it," Zhao Yuan said. "The emperor is not a god; how can he possibly know where things were truly wrong during the reform process?"

"Where is the falsehood wrong? Where is it that someone deliberately turned the right into the wrong?"

"Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back; even if you're wrong, you have to keep making the same mistake."

"The consequences of making a mistake are much lighter than those of looking back and wavering."

"This...this is too complicated, I really don't understand." Zhao Yang was already a little dizzy.

Zhao Yuan said, "You have too little experience and have never suffered setbacks, so naturally you can't understand it."

"This is normal, don't doubt your abilities."

"Just remember that nothing can be done perfectly, and everyone has their own thoughts and interests."

"As long as people and things are generally doing well, there's no need to be overly demanding of perfection."

"But you must draw a line in your heart, and anyone who dares to cross that line will not be let off lightly."

"Yes,"

Zhao Yang answered vaguely, then asked again,

"Mr. Hu is a man of integrity. Would he really deceive the emperor for personal gain?"

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "There's no need to deceive the emperor. Many capable people have great ambitions."

"Hu Anguo's ambition was nothing more than to make the emperor as wise and virtuous as Yao and Shun, and to win a good name after his death."

"He is a pure person, but being pure doesn't mean he has no selfish motives."

"He would also mentor his fellow villagers and relatives, as well as those with similar academic backgrounds, and thus form his own small groups and factions."

"That's normal. How can you get things done if you don't cultivate loyal followers?"

Zhao Yang understood what he was saying.

Zhao Yuan said, "If Hu Anguo holds power, his cronies and followers will increase in number, even to the point of being called a faction."

"At this time, if there were another minister with his own faction, it would be easy for him to clash with Hu Anguo."

"Perhaps the leaders of both factions are gentlemen, or even close friends, but can they really stop their factions from fighting each other?"

"When things develop to that point, it's no longer related to individuals."

Chapter 3680 The Art of Using People

"The overall interests of the faction will push the faction leader to make choices, even at the expense of the country."

Zhao Yang nodded and said, "Wang Anshi and Sima Guang are examples of this."

Zhao Yuan said, "It's time to choose a Crown Princess for you. Meng Zhao's third daughter is quite similar to her mother, and your grandfather and mother are very satisfied with her. Let's pick a date to arrange your wedding."

"In addition, the King of Zhao Luo presented three young girls, the youngest of whom I also grant to you to take with you."

"I will leave everything to my father's decision." Zhao Yang knew his future wife; they had played together often when they were children, and he had a good impression of his future crown princess.

As for Zhao Kang's principal wife, Princess Yu, she was Huang Guinian's fourth daughter, and they had already married last year.

Speaking of which, Huang Yaoshi's fourth daughter's given name was actually chosen by Zhao Yuan. Yes, it's Huang Rong…

The King of Zhaoluo in South India was quite interesting; he not only sent three young girls but also a high-ranking monk from the Linga school.

The high monk and the young girl are a pair; the monk can teach Zhao Yuan a secret cultivation technique.

It's exactly the kind of secret technique you're thinking about in your filthy heads!

Zhao Yuan readily accepted the three girls, but was too lazy to have a deeper conversation with the high monk.

The oldest girl, Zhao Yuan accepted her himself with a smile.

The remaining two were bestowed upon Zhao Kang and Zhao Yang.

They all have very fair skin and extremely complex bloodlines, having been mixed for countless generations.

Despite being the crown prince, Zhao Yang was still a virgin.

After leaving his father, he returned to the Eastern Palace and studied diligently.

He also had several companions, all of whom were outstanding students selected from the Imperial Academy and military academies.

The tutor should be replaced after two years to allow the prince to interact with more people.

The current five reading companions are: Wang Chongyang, Huang Wanqing, Shi Zhining, Yuan Ang, and Li Huanzhi.

Wang Chongyang is the oldest, and he will be replaced in another six months.

Shi Zhining was a Jurchen, whose original name was Heshilie Zhining.

He assisted in compiling historical materials about the Jin Dynasty at the Hanlin Academy. Due to his rapid progress in his studies, he was recommended to study at the Imperial Academy.

Yuan Ang was the only military academy student. He only accompanied the Crown Prince to study for three days every ten days, and the content of his studies was mostly related to military affairs.

"Greetings to Your Highness!"

The five companions who were chatting idly rushed to greet the guard when they heard his call.

Zhao Yang invited them inside and to sit down: "I was just summoned by His Majesty, and there are some of the sacred teachings that I don't quite understand. You can discuss them together."

Upon hearing that the emperor was instructing the crown prince, everyone immediately sat up straight.

Zhao Yang wasn't a fool; he would never say something like, "Don't completely trust any official."

Furthermore, Hu Anguo cultivated his cronies, but he didn't tell his companions about it; he simply repeated Zhao Yuan's words in general terms.

"Why insist on continuing down the wrong path even when you know it's wrong? That's what puzzles me the most," Zhao Yang said.

Wang Chongyang said, "We dare not presume to guess His Majesty's intentions, but only offer our own perspectives."

"The reason for the urgent need for reform at that time was that the national treasury was empty. And the reason why the national treasury was empty was because the powerful, the gentry, and the wealthy exploited and embezzled it."

"The goal of the reform is nothing more than to return the ill-gotten gains to the court and the people."

"Among the reformists, there are many opportunists who act recklessly to seek personal gain, and may even be two-faced at crucial moments."

"The conservatives, on the other hand, are more united. In order to protect their own interests, some people will even deliberately sabotage the reform, even if it endangers the country."

"For the reform to succeed, the new party must completely suppress the old party; there is absolutely no room for compromise between the two sides."

"Therefore, even if the reform laws are wrong, even if some reform officials seek personal gain, the emperor must always resolutely support them."

"Even if it's wrong, we must support them and not let the old party use it as an excuse. Otherwise, the two parties will fight, and the mistakes will only increase and become more serious!"

Zhao Yang thought it made some sense.

Shi Zhining said, "Even before the Jin Dynasty was founded, it was constantly reforming and changing its system, and it was not completed until the country was destroyed."

"My teacher was from Wanyan Zonghan's faction."

"My teacher once told me that the Jin Dynasty's system was crude and rudimentary in its early stages and needed to be reformed."

"But no matter how he changes things, he has many conflicts with Wanyan Zongpan's faction."

"In the end, even though the teacher knew it was wrong, he still persisted in making the mistake."

"Why?" Zhao Yang asked.

Shi Zhining said, "Because of my teacher and Wanyan Zonghan, their faction is unwilling to be preyed upon."

Zhao Yang asked, "Even if it leads to the destruction of the Jin Dynasty, are they determined to continue down this wrong path?"

Shi Zhining said, "Because if we don't continue down the wrong path, the Jin Dynasty will surely perish even faster."

"Their faction was the backbone of the Jin army."

“If the reforms harm their interests, the most elite Jin soldiers will all lose their morale.”

"It could even incite rebellions among various tribes, causing the region to fall apart even without the Ming Dynasty's intervention."

"The premise of reform is that a certain faction has completely seized power."

Zhao Yang nodded and said, "I understand now."

Yuan Ang glanced at the clock: "Your Highness, today we're learning cavalry logistics, so we need to go to the Tian Si Horse Ranch. It's almost time."

Chapter 3681 Good Teachers and Helpful Friends

Zhao Yang stood up with a smile: "You are all my good teachers and friends. Let's go feed the horses together."

Zhao Yuan was basically satisfied with this crown prince.

Although not a genius, he was still quite intelligent. If he had been born into a commoner family and received a good education from a young age, he would have had a certain chance of passing the imperial examination and becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

This is already a very high evaluation; passing the imperial examination is not an easy task.

He may seem gentle, but he is actually very strong-willed. This can be seen from the fact that after he returned from hunting, he secretly practiced riding and archery without being forced by anyone.

Moreover, they enjoy learning, ask questions about things they don't understand, and also have their own thoughts and understanding.

Two years later, Zhao Yuan planned to send the Crown Prince to Wangchuan Valley so that he could learn dialectical materialism from Dean Zhao.

"Your Majesty, Liang Tongzheng urgently requests an audience."

"Let him in."

Zhao Yuan had already planned to promote Liang Yi, who was in charge of the Tongzheng Yuan (Court of State Affairs), to the cabinet, and then replace him with someone else.

This person has no reputation among the common people, and most ordinary people don't even know that such a person exists.

However, he was absolutely influential in the court. From the time the Zhao family occupied Hanzhong, Liang Yi was responsible for the transmission and issuance of government orders.

To put it simply, if Liang Yi disregarded the consequences, he could single-handedly stand against the entire Ming Dynasty cabinet.

Zhao Yuan put down his brush and asked, "What's the urgent matter?"

Liang Yi said, "The Duke of Gan has come to the capital to request the court to bestow a posthumous title upon him."

Zhao Yuan asked in surprise, "The Duke of Gan has passed away?"

Liang Yi replied, "He passed away from illness a month and a half ago. His will stipulated that the Zhang family's largest copper mine be donated to the imperial court to establish a mint."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan remained silent.

The Zhang family was severely damaged in the previous dismantling of their clan in Zhangtian, Jiangxi. Before his death, Zhang Gen even donated a copper mine to the imperial court.

This is forcing Zhao Yuan to make a statement. If he doesn't properly arrange his affairs after death, it will dishearten many ministers.

After careful consideration, Zhao Yuan finally said, "Order the Ministry of Rites to bestow upon him the posthumous title of Wenzheng. His funeral shall be conducted in the same manner as that of a Prince."

"His eldest son inherits the title, but according to the system, the title is reduced by one rank."

"But the fief will be increased by 300 households, while the actual number of households will remain unchanged."

“Then select another woman of suitable age from the Zhang family to be the principal wife of the third prince, Zhao Xiang.”

"The Crown Prince will escort the Empress back to her hometown to pay her respects, and he will be fully responsible for all matters related to her burial."

"Yes!" Liang Yi accepted the order and took his leave.