Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 202: Winning over the ministers, framing others but failing, and being isolated

[So he said: "Although my second brother's idea is good, the family power situation is complicated. If the cooperation is not done properly, there may be disadvantages. It is better to proceed steadily and advance the reform according to plan."]

[Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu looked at each other, then continued to chat with Chu Shizhao for a few more words before sending him off.]

[After Chu Shizhao left, Chu Shiren said to Chu Shiyu: "This Fourth Brother, how come I didn't notice before that he is so cautious in everything he does? Today's test didn't even yield any useful information."]

Chu Shiyu sneered: "Second brother, don't be anxious. Anyway, he has just started to implement the reform. I think he will reveal his flaws sooner or later. Then we can..."

During this simulation, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu tried to find out his bottom line on reform and his attitude towards family power through verbal probing.

Although his response did not reveal any obvious flaws, it did not dispel the two's doubts, and they would definitely have follow-up actions.

Next time, we must be more careful and not let them catch us easily.

[A few days later, Chu Shiyu invited Chu Shizhao to go hunting in the suburbs.]

[Chu Shizhao went with his confidants. During the hunting process, Chu Shiyu deliberately led Chu Shizhao to a remote place.]

Chu Shiyu suddenly stopped his horse, looked at Chu Shizhao and said, "Fourth brother, this place is quiet today, and we brothers can talk to each other from the heart. Is your reform for the Great Zhou or for yourself?"

Chu Shizhao's heart tightened, and he immediately responded: "Why do you say that, second brother? Shizhao is only concerned about the prosperity of the Great Zhou and the well-being of the people. He has absolutely no selfish motives."

Chu Shiyu sneered: "Humph, don't think I don't know what you are thinking. How many people's interests have been affected by the reform? Aren't you afraid that it won't work out in the end?"

Chu Shizhao said with a firm expression: "Brother, reform is difficult, but without reform, the Great Zhou will have no way out. Now that I have taken on this responsibility, I will not back down."

[While the two were talking, Chu Shiren, who had been lagging behind them, rode over from the side.]

[“Hey, Third Brother and Fourth Brother, what are you talking about? Why are you so serious? Fourth Brother, I heard recently that you want to cut some military expenditures in your reforms. Will this affect the border defense of our Great Zhou?”]

Chu Shizhao knew that this was another test from the two, and said, "Don't worry, big brother. We are only cutting unnecessary expenses. I am also trying to improve the efficiency of using military funds, so it won't affect border defense."

【Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu saw that Chu Shizhao handled the situation well. Although they were a little angry, they could do nothing about it.】

After the deduction, Chu Shizhao realized that the probing of the two was becoming more direct and sharp.

Although I have dealt with it properly, they will not give up easily.

Afterwards, we must predict their possible directions of temptation in advance, take the initiative, disrupt their rhythm, and make them dare not make unwarranted temptations easily, thus creating favorable conditions for the smooth implementation of subsequent reforms.

In the study, through several previous deductions, Chu Shizhao realized that not everyone in the court was in cahoots with Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu.

Some officials still have a firm stance, and they are crucial to whether their subsequent reforms can proceed smoothly.

After figuring this out, Chu Shizhao began to deduce how to make these officials become his side.

[Chu Shizhao first asked his confidants to collect detailed information about those officials who stood firm, including their political achievements, preferences, family background, etc.]

[After some sorting, he found that the Minister of Rites, Zheng Daren, was upright and had a very good reputation in the court. He had always been dissatisfied with some of the old system malpractices of the court and seemed to be open to reform.]

Chu Shizhao decided to start with Mr. Zheng. He carefully prepared a detailed plan for the reform of cultural education, which was exactly the area under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Rites.

[On this day, Chu Shizhao personally visited Mr. Zheng. ]

[Lord Zheng was slightly surprised to see Chu Shizhao, and hurriedly welcomed him into the mansion.]

Chu Shizhao got straight to the point: "Sir Zheng, I have long admired your insights on culture and education. I came here this time to ask you to help me look at this plan for education reform."

[Mr. Zheng took the proposal and read it carefully. He became more and more absorbed in it and nodded from time to time.]

After reading it, Lord Zheng said, "Your Highness, this proposal is quite insightful. It can be seen that Your Highness is deeply concerned about education. However, I am afraid that there will be considerable resistance when implementing this reform."

Chu Shizhao said sincerely: "Mr. Zheng is right. I know that reform is difficult, but for the future of the Great Zhou and for more students to have a better future, this reform is imperative. I hope you can support it."

[Lord Zheng pondered for a moment: "Your Highness's ambition is admirable, but this matter still needs to be considered carefully."]

【Seeing this, Chu Shizhao knew that Lord Zheng had some concerns, so he continued: "Don't worry, Lord, Shizhao will be prepared in all aspects to minimize the negative impact of the reform."】

[“Moreover, Shi Zhao hopes to use your prestige in the Ministry of Rites to provide advice for reform.”]

[Lord Zheng was slightly moved: "Your Highness trusts me so much, I will do my best, but I still need your care in the process."]

【Chu Shizhao finally succeeded in gaining the initial approval of the Minister of Rites.】

On the surface, although this deduction seemed to have the support of Lord Zheng, it was not difficult to see from the other party's attitude that Lord Zheng still had reservations about winning him over.

Even though he made repeated promises, he still failed to completely eliminate the other party's concerns about the risks of reform.

It seems that if I want to gain the other party's full support, I have to prepare a more detailed response strategy to make this Lord Zheng completely surrender.

[Chu Shizhao brought the improved reform plan to the residence of the Minister of Rites. ]

[After meeting, Chu Shizhao got straight to the point: "Master Zheng, the reform of our Great Zhou is imperative. In order to ensure that the next reform plan can proceed smoothly, I have made a detailed risk plan assessment. Master Zheng is a righteous man, so I came to your house specially. I would like to ask you to help see if there is anything that needs to be improved."]

[After hearing this, Lord Zheng couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. A prince, and the prince that Emperor Yongjin valued the most, actually took the initiative to come to him and ask for advice. This really touched Lord Zheng.]

[Lord Zheng took the plan from Chu Shizhao and glanced through it.] [“Your Highness’s plan is very thoughtful. To be honest, I was a little worried about your reforms, but after reading your plan, I am much less worried.”]

[“However, Your Highness’s reforms involve a wide range of areas, and it is inevitable that some people’s interests will be affected during this period. I wonder if Your Highness has any countermeasures?”]

Chu Shizhao said confidently: "Sir, I will try my best to give reasonable compensation to those who suffer losses due to the reform. At the same time, I will also strive for more support in the court and let the voice of reform take the lead."

[Lord Zheng nodded: "That's great. If Your Highness needs me for anything, please let me know."]

Chu Shizhao strikes while the iron is hot: "Sir, I would like to hold a seminar on education reform in the near future and invite some ministers to participate. I hope you can attend and help the reform."

[Lord Zheng readily agreed: "No problem, I will definitely attend on time."]

【At the seminar, Zheng Daren spoke actively and strongly supported Chu Shizhao's education reform plan. 】

[Under his leadership, some officials who had been on the sidelines began to express their support for the reform.]

[After Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu learned of this, they tried to impeach Chu Shizhao in the court, saying that his reform plan was too radical.]

[Fortunately, Zheng Daren, who was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, and other officials who supported Chu Shizhao argued with reason, and in the end, Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu's conspiracy failed.]

As the deduction was over, Chu Shizhao finally showed a satisfied smile on his face.

With sufficient preparation, the results of this simulation were significantly improved compared to the last time.

This time, he not only successfully obtained the full support of Mr. Zheng and others, but also used the influence of the seminar to expand the influence of the reform while suppressing the arrogance of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu to a certain extent.

However, although the deduction went smoothly this time, Chu Shizhao also understood that relying solely on the power of the court like Lord Zheng was far from enough.

After all, the current reform has only just begun and has not yet touched the real interests of those aristocratic families. If he wants his subsequent plans to proceed smoothly, he will need to win over more officials to support him.

After some thought, Chu Shizhao finally set his sights on Minister Lin, who was in charge of the Ministry of Works.

According to his understanding, this Minister Lin can be said to be a mainstay of the Great Zhou Dynasty's court. Although his official title and rank cannot be considered as the highest among officials, the Ministry of Works under his charge is the core decision-making body for engineering construction, water conservancy and other aspects of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

Moreover, this person enjoyed a high reputation in the court. During the years he was in office, he was known for doing things flawlessly and had been praised by Emperor Yongjin more than once.

The most important thing is that Minister Lin is a low-key person. Apart from his daily work, he rarely goes out, let alone participate in the struggles among various power camps in the court like other people.

In Chu Shizhao's view, people with clean backgrounds and connections and who disdain to compete for fame and fortune are exactly the main targets he needs to strive for in his next reform plan.

If he could be won over to his camp, he would be able to help him a lot when Chu Shizhao was about to implement reforms in the areas of water conservancy and construction in the Great Zhou.

[Chu Shizhao learned from Hengyi that the Minister of Industry, Lord Lin, had always been very concerned about the rapid completion of flood relief in Jinyang this time, so he went directly to the residence of the Minister of Industry with his detailed information on water conservancy during the disaster relief in Jinyang and the subsequent water conservancy construction plan.]

After meeting Lord Lin, Chu Shizhao went straight to the point: "Lord Lin, after Jinyang was hit by the disaster, I conducted in-depth research on local water conservancy. I heard that Lord Lin has always had his own unique strategies for flood control. Here are some of the information and follow-up construction plans I summarized during the disaster relief in Jinyang. I hope you can give me some advice."

Lord Lin took the information and read through it carefully, smacking his lips from time to time: "I really didn't expect that the Fourth Prince would have such a profound understanding of water conservancy. It's rare, rare!"

Chu Shizhao said modestly: "These are all experiences accumulated during the disaster relief process. I still have a lot to learn from you. I know you have rich experience in water conservancy construction. I came here this time to hear your views on this plan."

Lord Lin put down the information in his hand and looked at Chu Shizhao with great appreciation: "Since Your Highness is so sincere, I will speak frankly."

[“Your Highness’s plan is good overall, but it can be improved in some details. For example, the proportion of river widening and the choice of materials for embankment reinforcement.”]

[“Your Excellency is right. I will make the revisions according to your suggestions when I return.”]

[“It’s just that, Lord Lin, I’m sure you’ve heard that I’m currently planning to reform the old system in the court. To be honest, in this reform, water conservancy and engineering construction are a very important part of the entire reform plan. Therefore, this visit by this prince, in addition to seeking your advice, also hopes to get your support.”]

Lord Lin pondered for a moment: "If Your Highness can really do a good job in water conservancy reform, it will be a great thing that will benefit the people. I can support Your Highness, but during the implementation process, you must pay attention to quality."

Chu Shizhao said quickly, "Don't worry, sir. I will definitely keep a close eye on things. I hope you can give me more guidance in the future."

[After getting the support of Lord Lin, Chu Shizhao held another seminar on water conservancy reform. ]

【At the meeting, Mr. Lin elaborated in detail on the importance of water conservancy reform and the feasibility of Chu Shizhao's plan, attracting more officials' attention and support for the reform. 】

After Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu learned about this, they sent people to spread rumors among the people, saying that Chu Shizhao's water conservancy reform would be a waste of money and labor and would not be effective at all.

【Chu Shizhao had been prepared for this, and arranged for people to dispel rumors among the people. At the same time, he asked Lord Lin to come forward and demonstrate the expected results and benefits of the water conservancy reform.】

【The people gradually came to believe in the significance of the reform, and the rumors were dispelled.】

This simulation made Chu Shizhao realize that it is crucial to win over different officials based on their concerns and interests.

Moreover, when facing the sabotage of Chu Shiren and Chu Shiyu, preparing countermeasures in advance can effectively resolve the crisis.

What he needs to do next is to continue to expand the scope of his efforts and get as many people as possible to support him.

【Chu Shizhao noticed Wang Yushi of the Censorate. Wang Yushi was known for his integrity and courage to speak out, and he enjoyed great prestige in the court.】

【Chu Shizhao learned that Censor Wang had always hated official corruption, so he compiled a plan on how to strengthen the construction of clean government during the reform and went to visit Censor Wang.】

After meeting Wang Yushi, Chu Shizhao said, "Wang Yushi, I have heard that you are very concerned about the construction of clean government. This time, Shizhao brought a plan on the construction of clean government during the reform. Please review it."

(End of this chapter)