The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

On the day the official document announcing the joint trial by the three judicial departments was issued, the Censorate was in an uproar.

In the office of Pei Du, the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Several vice ministers and vice censors crowded the room.

Some people applauded, saying that the malignant tumor that was the Jiangning Textile Bureau was finally going to be removed.

Some people were worried, saying that the Fourth Prince would not let the matter rest, and that the joint trial would likely unleash a bloody storm.

Pei Du sat behind his desk, listening silently to everyone's discussion, then waved his hand to dismiss the crowd, leaving only Wang Anshi behind.

The duty room fell silent again.

Pei Du leaned back in his chair and tapped the copy of the impeachment memorial on the table twice with his fingers.

He spent the entire night reading this memorial over and over again, no less than ten times, and each time his appreciation for the student deepened.

"The official documents for the joint trial by the three judicial authorities were prompted by the impeachment memorial you drafted; you are the initiator of this joint trial."

"I have recommended you to His Majesty to attend the joint trial as an official in the Bureau of Records, and to be responsible for recording and verifying the proceedings."

"This is not because I am biased towards you. No one in the entire court knows every detail of this case file better than you."

"The practical skills you demonstrated during the simultaneous investigation of the Runzhou official ship case, the textile bureau embezzlement case, and the canal transport loss case have exceeded the level of an experienced officer."

"If this joint trial is handled well, you will be the one who has made the greatest contribution. His Majesty will see your ability, the court will recognize your value, and the Ministry of Personnel's performance evaluation office will record your performance this time."

"But you must remember, merit is like a knife; it can help you cut through the thorns of your career, but it can also cut you."

Wang Anshi sat upright in his chair, his back straight and his gaze calm.

He was well aware of the significance of this trial.

In his previous life, when he presided over the Xining Reform, he faced an attack from the entire conservative faction. Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo, and Fu Bi were all formidable figures.

In my previous life, a case of embezzlement by the textile bureau would have been nothing more than an appetizer.

But he also knew that in this life he was no longer the powerful and influential Vice Minister, but merely a seventh-rank official.

He needs this credit, not because he's greedy for it.

Without this merit, he would forever remain stuck in the piles of files in the Bureau of Records.

He will never reach the true core of power, and he will never be able to realize his reform ambitions.

He thanked Pei Du for his recommendation, but also asked bluntly, "Teacher, how do you think the Fourth Prince will retaliate?"

"You've hit the nail on the head." Pei Du leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping slowly on the armrest, the rhythm not fast, but steady and powerful. "Your memorial didn't mention the Fourth Prince once, which is your cleverness, and also what makes it hardest for him to retaliate."

"If he publicly stands up for the Textile Bureau, it will be like protesting too much, which is exactly what you want."

"Therefore, he will not confront us head-on, but will only attack from the side. I have seen too many such tricks in my years in the Censorate."

"When you impeach a local corrupt official, the investigation eventually reveals that behind the official is a powerful figure in the capital. This powerful figure won't come forward personally; instead, they will have someone impeach you on another matter."

"They'll investigate your accounts, your old cases, your connections, and your private life. If you impeach one of his subordinates for embezzlement today, he can find someone to impeach you for moral failings tomorrow."

"If you want to get things done, you have to be able to withstand this filth first."

Wang Anshi was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said he was not afraid.

He believed that every account he had kept since becoming a judge could withstand scrutiny, and every case file he had handled could withstand review; he considered himself to have maintained an upright character.

But Pei Du suddenly smiled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down: "You are upright in your conduct, and I trust you."

"But do you think that being upright is enough? I have served as an imperial censor my whole life and have seen how many people who do real work fall from grace."

"It's not because they did something wrong, it's because they weren't strong enough. When I was young, I was in the Ministry of Justice observing the administration and handled a corruption case. The official involved was the nephew of the then Minister of Personnel."

"No one in the entire court dared to take on this case, but I did. I spent three months thoroughly investigating the evidence, and I wrote a ten-thousand-word impeachment memorial. Every word was verifiable, and every sentence was irrefutable."

"And what happened? Before the case was even tried, I was transferred out of the Ministry of Justice. It was a lateral transfer, with no change in rank, but I was transferred to the Records Department of the Censorate, just like you are now, dealing with case files every day."

"The embezzlement case was eventually dropped, and the Minister of Personnel's nephew not only escaped punishment but was also promoted."

"When I asked him why he did it, he countered by asking me, 'You think what you're doing is right, but do you think you're strong enough?'"

"Do what you can with the strength you have. If you are not strong enough, even if you are right, no one will care."

"You have enough power. Even if you say nothing, someone will speak up for you."

"It took me twelve years to understand a principle: to accomplish something great, it's not enough to just be right; you also need to rely on momentum."

"Everyone has their own power. If others fear you, that's your power. If someone supports you, that's also your power."

"You have solid evidence in your hands, that's an advantage; you have a group of like-minded people standing behind you, that's also an advantage."

"When the trend is irreversible, nothing can stop it; when one is isolated and outnumbered, one can hardly move an inch."

Wang Anshi remained silent for a long time.

Outside the window, the setting sun was sinking behind the glazed tiles of the palace walls, bathing everything in the duty room in a dark gold hue.

He recalled his past life, where the Xining Reforms were ultimately abolished, not because the new laws were bad, but because Wang Anshi's power was insufficient.

He could defy the conservative faction in the court, but he could not defy the imperial decree of the Empress Dowager.

He could resist Sima Guang's lengthy memorial, but he couldn't resist the emperor's wavering heart.

He always believed that as long as he was right and as long as he could persevere, he would definitely succeed.

But Pei Du pointed out his obsession from his previous life.

Being right is not enough.

The right people are often the loneliest, lonely people are often alone and powerless, and those who are alone and powerless often don't make it to the end.

In this life, he is no longer alone.

He had the guidance of his teacher Pei Du, and the tacit cooperation of Yao Guangxiao and Su Shi.

With the full support of the Ninth Prince, who had been hiding in the shadows and had never shown himself.

These combined forces were the real reason he dared to draw his sword against the Fourth Prince.

The setting sun gradually dimmed in the duty room, and the sound of the watchman striking his clapper echoed from the corridor.

Pei Du stood up and walked over to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. His voice was a bit gentler than before: "This joint trial by the three judicial departments is not for you to show off."

"The reason I invited you to attend is because you are the most familiar with every detail of the case file and can produce the most compelling evidence at crucial moments."

"What you need to do is not to prove how capable you are, but to nail the guilty accusations that should be nailed to the ground and to investigate the accounts that should be investigated."

"As for merit, merit is the result of doing things, not the purpose of doing things."

"If you do your job well, what's rightfully yours will come naturally; you can't stop it."

"But there is one condition: the Fourth Prince himself must not be impeached publicly during the joint trial."

"The evidence we have now only goes up to the Imperial Textile Bureau and the Assistant Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture. Anything above that is just deduction on paper."

"Don't give your opponents any leverage for 'factionalism and suppression.' Once the three judicial departments have convicted the Textile Bureau and Jiangning Prefecture of their crimes, new clues will naturally emerge."

"At that time, the Fourth Prince will reveal his weakness. Remember, when you do something, do it precisely; when you strike, strike the vital point."