Young Master Gao? Call me Little Grand Secretary!

"In the third year of Yuanfu, the late emperor passed away. At that time, among the princes, the current emperor had neither a maternal clan to rely on nor any powerful support. He was not only isolated and powerless, but also opposed by the prime minister."

"Yet, despite these many unfavorable circumstances, he managed to turn these weaknesses into advantages, gain the trust of Empress Dowager Xiang, and further win the support of Zeng Bu and others, thus ascending the throne."

"After ascending the throne, Empress Dowager Xiang ruled from behind the curtain, controlling the government. The Emperor further angered the censors by severely punishing Chen Guan, who then turned against Empress Dowager Xiang, forcing her to relinquish some of her power. Thus, he gained both the reputation of being benevolent and filial and the power to govern!"

The old man spoke slowly and deliberately, recounting the various power plays employed by the current emperor before he assumed personal rule.

Gao Zhao covered his ears, his face full of panic. He hadn't dared to listen to a single one of these treasonous words!

Has this old man gone mad? How can you casually discuss official matters?

He usually only dared to complain in his heart...

Damn it, you're so old you're about to die, you've enjoyed everything you could, aren't you afraid of being beheaded? I'm still young!

I still have so much of my life to enjoy, and I haven't yet lived a life of luxury and debauchery!

"What? Scared?" The old man looked at him with a smile and comforted him, "Don't worry, our Song emperors are magnanimous. They generally don't behead people; they just say a few words to them. Even if you punch the emperor three times, what can he do?"

"You...you shouldn't talk nonsense!" Gao Zhao was exasperated by this boastful old man and argued against his will, "Our Emperor is a good man. He serves the Empress Dowager faithfully, paying his respects morning and evening, showing filial piety and respect, carrying on the legacy of his father and brothers, and striving to govern well, resulting in great peace and prosperity for the country."

He was good at recognizing and appointing his ministers, and he was fair in rewarding and punishing them, without being biased or swayed by either side.

He loved the people like his own children, establishing nursing homes, relief centers, and orchards to benefit the poor!

"Hmm, what you said isn't wrong!" the old man said with a half-smile. "I didn't say he was bad! I just wanted you to learn from his patience!"

"Just as I said, the current emperor is skilled in the art of wielding power and is also patient. He has gradually consolidated the power of the Song Dynasty through this method of adapting to circumstances. Now, thirteen years later, his power has surpassed that of any emperor since the founding of the Song Dynasty!"

Gao Zhao didn't want to continue the conversation, but after hearing the old man's conclusion, he couldn't help but question, "All of them?"

"All!" The old man's tone was firm and unquestionable. "The power of the emperors of the Song Dynasty throughout history has been subject to checks and balances. A decree that doesn't go through the Three Departments is just a worthless piece of paper. But he was able to bypass the Three Departments and issue orders by hand!"

Gao Zhao was also aware of the constraints on imperial power. Simply put, the Confucian scholars were unwilling to act like the Legalists' lackeys, and they wouldn't feel at ease if the emperor wasn't put in a bridle!

Among the three departments, the Secretariat drafts imperial edicts, the Chancellery reviews and rejects them, and the Department of State Affairs executes and implements them. These three departments check and balance each other and can also reject the emperor's arbitrary orders!

But if you say that all the officials and ministers completely disregarded the emperor's edict, Gao Zhao thinks that's impossible, right?

If your boss asks you to do something privately, would you dare refuse? Aren't you afraid he'll make things difficult for you?

This made him want to argue, and he raised an eyebrow, saying, "So, before the current emperor, was there really no one who followed the emperor's secret edicts? Really? I don't believe it!"

"Of course it is..." The old man's smile suddenly froze halfway through his sentence, as if he had thought of something. His energy seemed to have been drained away in an instant. He sighed dejectedly, stood up, and slowly left.

"Hey, you haven't finished speaking yet!" Gao Zhao called out as soon as he saw him leave, "Were you stumped by my question and speechless? Then I take back what I just said, let's start over, okay?"

The old man walked on without turning his head, and after a while, he said indifferently, "That's all for today. Let's talk again another day!"

Gao Zhao took a couple of steps to catch up, but seeing that he was getting further and further away, he had no choice but to give up. He pursed his lips and muttered, "That old man has no class; he just shuts up when faced with a difficult question!"

"Hey, you student, why aren't you in class?"

"Which dormitory are you from? What's your name?"

"Wasn't that you who skipped class last time?!"

……

After the old man left, he was so bored that he decided to wander around. But he had only taken two steps when Xuezhi spotted him and chased after him, shouting.

Gao Zhao dared not linger and ran away as fast as he could!

……

Kaifeng Prefecture.

Feng Sanniang walked out of the women's prison in a daze. The old woman guarding her coldly saw her off, showing great contempt for her.

Everyone knew that this woman conspired with her husband, sacrificing her own innocence to frame others.

Later, for reasons unknown, she turned herself in and reported her husband, which led to his being silenced.

There were quite a few female prisoners in the jail, but everyone still despised this kind of vicious woman. Even the head housekeeper didn't give her a kind look!

Lin Chong's case has now been resolved thanks to her recantation of her confession. Her husband is dead, and there is no other evidence. Since she voluntarily surrendered herself to the authorities and did not cause any actual harm to the falsely accused Lin Chong, she was naturally given a lighter sentence and released.

Feng Sanniang walked out of Kaifeng Prefecture and saw that the area in front of the prefecture was empty. She looked around but could not find that familiar figure. She felt a sense of loss and thought of the dark and hopeless prison life she had spent these past few days. She was overcome with grief and tears streamed down her face.

Seeing his state, the old woman frowned slightly and said coldly, "Stop crying. Your husband is dead now, and you have no one to rely on. If you shed tears now, you can cry them later!"

Upon hearing this, Feng San Niang became even more sorrowful and burst into tears. The old woman, too lazy to pay attention to her, turned around and walked back.

After crying for a while, Feng San Niang stood up and walked home in a daze. When she arrived at the small house, she found that strangers were already living there.

"This is my home!" Feng Sanniang hurriedly stepped forward.

The old woman next door recognized her and hurried over to take her hand, saying, "Third Sister, where have you been these days? I heard that your grandson was murdered! The landlord took back the house and rented it to someone else. All your belongings are piled up in the woodshed in the back. Shall I take you to get them?"

Feng San Niang was stunned on the spot. After a long while, she shook her head. Now, even if she took those odds and ends, where would she put them?

I'm homeless now!

"Third Sister, what are your plans for the future?" the old woman asked with concern. "In this world, how can a woman like you survive? Why don't you go back to your parents' home for a few days, and then find a matchmaker to find you a good family? You're beautiful, you won't have to worry about getting married!"

"Yes, get married!" Suddenly, the image of Fan Tong popped into Feng San Niang's mind.

He can't just ignore me, I have to go find him!

With this thought in mind, Feng Sanniang hurriedly ran towards the southern suburbs!