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

Deep in the peach grove behind the Great Bao'en Temple, the tea in the stone pavilion had gone cold.

As dusk crept over the mountains and forests, the evening bells still echoed through the valleys, but none of the three showed any intention of getting up.

After their brief exchange, both sides had revealed their cards, and the silence in the pavilion now carried a heavier weight than the conversation itself.

It's not that I have nothing to say, but rather that I have too much to say and don't know where to begin.

Daoyan placed the policy outline that Wang Anshi handed him on his lap and casually flipped through a few pages.

The first thing you see is neat and tidy regular script, with strokes so upright they're almost rigid. Every corner of each page is covered with annotations and corrections, some even seven or eight times over, the paper almost worn through.

He read very quickly, turning the pages one by one, his expression remaining calm and composed until he reached the last page, at which point his fingers suddenly stopped.

That page contained a reform strategy for the salt and iron monopoly system of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was detailed and insightful, with each suggestion hitting the nail on the head.

Dao Yan's gaze lingered on the last paragraph for a long time before he slowly raised his head.

"Jiefu, if your essay were submitted during the imperial examinations, it wouldn't be a question of whether it would pass or fail."

He paused, gently closed the booklet, and handed it back, saying, "It's not about how many people I'll offend."

Wang Anshi took the booklet without changing his expression, carefully tucking it into his sleeve, and then said, "Why reform if you don't want to offend anyone?"

Su Shi was tilting his head back to drink wine when he heard this, so he choked and coughed several times before he recovered.

He wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, pointed at Wang Anshi, and said to Daoyan, "See? What did I tell you? That's just his temper. Once he's made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back."

"He offended all the officials in the court in his past life, and he's still the same in this life."

Despite saying that, his tone carried a hint of genuine admiration.

Dao Yan smiled slightly but did not reply.

He picked up the cool tea and took another sip, his gaze passing through the eaves of the stone pavilion to the lights gradually illuminating the temple below the mountain.

He had already clearly figured out the division of labor among the three of them in his mind.

Wang Anshi was in charge of the offensive, Su Shi was in charge of the propaganda, and he himself was in charge of the planning.

However, these three completely different styles of doing things need a common thread to be formed in order to combine them without them canceling each other out.

What is this main storyline?

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Jiefu is in charge of the attack, Zizhan is in charge of the propaganda, and this humble monk is in charge of the strategy. This is the general direction. But in terms of specific court affairs, if the three of us fight our own battles, we are at most three capable ministers. If we want to truly work together as one, we must have a common main line."

He paused, turning his gaze from the lights below the mountain to the wilted petal on the stone table. "I think this main theme could be named 'using commerce to support politics'."

"Using commerce to support governance?" Wang Anshi's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he leaned forward slightly.

"Your Highness owns a business called Heshengyuan, which has already established a firm foothold in the capital's business community."

Dao Yan lowered his voice even further, so low that only the three people in the stone pavilion could hear him. "When the immortal appeared in my dream, he mentioned that this business was secretly supported by His Highness, and that the owner of Shengyuan is surnamed Yi, and the manager is surnamed Lei. They are both very capable merchants."

"Jiefu, think about it, where did the biggest obstacle to your Xining Reforms in your previous life come from?"

Without hesitation, Wang Anshi replied, "Those who have already benefited are the large landowners, wealthy merchants, and noble relatives of the emperor. The reforms have affected their purses."

"Exactly." Daoyan nodded. "But what if you already had a sufficiently large business network before the reforms?"

"If the funds, supplies, and transportation channels needed for the imperial court to implement its new policies can all be allocated through your own businesses, then why would you need to be beholden to those large landowners and merchants?"

Wang Anshi fell silent.

His fingers tapped lightly on the stone table, the rhythm slowing down until it finally stopped.

In his previous life, when he was implementing the Green Sprouts Act and the Equal Transportation Act, the biggest obstacle was that the imperial court's financial lifeline was controlled by local powerful families and monopolistic merchants.

The imperial court had to borrow money from the people through their banks, and the allocation of supplies had to go through their businesses, with the lion's share of the profits being intercepted by them.

If you own your own business, this situation can be fundamentally changed.

He raised his eyes, a sharp glint in them: "The Green Sprouts Act requires lending to the people, and the Equal Transport Act requires a resource allocation network. If Heshengyuan can undertake these two functions, the resistance to the reforms can be reduced by at least 30%."

Su Shi listened for a long time, then suddenly interjected: "Not only reforms, but if Heshengyuan grows bigger, it can also solve another more critical problem: supporting scholars."

He unfolded his folding fan and waved it slowly twice. His previous playful and sarcastic expression had completely vanished, replaced by a serious and scrutinizing one.

"For scholars from humble backgrounds who wish to enter the imperial court, the greatest fear is not failing the exam, but having no connections after passing it."

"Rice is expensive in the capital, and salaries are meager. How many people, even after passing the imperial examinations, still have to borrow money to make ends meet?"

"Once you owe money to a wealthy person, you become their puppet. What kind of independent personality do you have left?"

"If He Shengyuan could secretly support these scholars from humble backgrounds, asking for nothing in return, only hoping that they could stand tall and speak with confidence in the court, then we would have a force of integrity that no one could ignore."

Dao Yan looked at Su Shi, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but then he felt it was only natural.

Su Shi's influence in the literary world during his previous life was unparalleled. The Six Gentlemen of Su School were all outstanding figures of their time, and he understood the weight of the words "nurturing scholars" better than anyone else.

However, he also noticed another side of Su Shi's personality.

This brilliant man was never one to follow the rules; his plans were always wildly imaginative, and he would often come up with unexpected ideas, some of which were feasible, and some were just jokes.

But it is precisely this unconventional thinking that makes up for his overly somber strategic style.

As night deepened, the evening breeze, carrying a chill, swept down from the valley into the peach grove, causing the copper bells on the eaves of the stone pavilion to jingle.

Wang Anshi finished the last sip of cold tea in his cup, stood up, and straightened his gray robe, which had been ruffled by the wind.

He took out another thin booklet from his sleeve, even thinner than the previous policy outline, with only a few pages. The paper was clean and flat, without any trace of correction.

He handed the booklet to Daoyan, his tone calm and solemn: "This is my proposed expansion plan for the Prince's private school."

"There are currently more than 20 school children in Wangjiazhuang, and at least 50 school-age children in the three nearby villages have no access to education."

"If Heshengyuan could invest some money in the name of supporting the village school and expand the private school into an academy, I could take in more students from poor families in addition to teaching at the private school."

"These children are just students now, but in ten years, they will be grassroots civil officials scattered throughout the counties around Beijing. Your Highness's foundation cannot be limited to the court, but must also be in the local areas."

Dao Yan took the booklet and flipped through it. His gaze lingered on the final budget figure for a moment before he nodded slightly.

He was very satisfied with the meticulousness of Wang Anshi in handling affairs.

For each expense item, two options were listed: one simplified and one optimized. Even the procurement channels for the textbook paper and pens were compared.

This hands-on approach to specific matters complements his talent for strategic planning.

He tucked the booklet into his sleeve, turned to Su Shi, and said casually, "Brother Wang and I have both been assigned tasks. What are your plans next, Brother Zizhan?"

Su Shi closed his folding fan, stood up, walked to the edge of the stone pavilion and looked down at the dimly lit area below the mountain. Then he turned around, and the moonlight shone from behind him, gilding his silhouette with a silver edge.