The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

Guess why, even though the Imperial Household Department is already operating normally, such rumors are still circulating outside?

I have high hopes for you—but can't you be a little more ambitious?

Let's be frank.

"I also think that you are worthy of this position."

"Your Majesty's favor is too great for me to bear. But I have said that once Your Majesty takes control of the court, I will return to my hometown to do business. This is my wish and I have not changed it to this day."

what?

Even the emperor was stunned.

No, are you serious?

I thought you were joking with me.

"As the old saying goes, how can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan? But the swan naturally doesn't know the sparrow's wishes either. Your Majesty is the swan, and I am the sparrow. Your Majesty's ambition is naturally to strive for excellence and lead the Great Yan to the top of Terra. But my ambition is simply to make more money, retire early, and enjoy my old age in this ailing body."

Qiao Yelan said respectfully.

"Originally, I had already intended to resign from my post before Your Majesty—with the help of the rising popularity of the Lungmen coin, my business would surely reach new heights. Therefore, I agreed to the position that the Grand Tutor mentioned this time, intending it to be my last post."

"My dear minister, you must not be so self-deprecating. I cannot lose your assistance."

The emperor could no longer sit still. He stood up and hurriedly walked to Qiao Yelan, taking his hand in his.

"Your Majesty, the late Emperor once said that if I did not retire, I would be entrusted with the care of the young emperor. However, due to my ailing and frail body, I have no choice but to retire. Otherwise, I fear I might not have survived to this day."

Qiao Yelan's eyes were also filled with tears.

"Therefore, I promised the late Emperor that if Your Majesty summons me, I will return—even if it means going through fire and water for Your Majesty!"

"I just want to live a few more years, to see more of Your Majesty's rule over the Great Yan, and to serve Your Majesty again if Your Majesty ever needs anything in the future."

At this point, a heart-wrenching cough rang out.

"It is not that I am unwilling to serve Your Majesty, but that I am willing but unable to do so."

The emperor's eyes were also a little red, but he forcibly suppressed his emotions, patted Qiao Yelan's hand, and took a deep breath.

"This is the will of Heaven. Heaven does not want me to rule the Great Yan so easily... Very well, if Minister Qiao has no interest in the court, I will not force him to stay."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Qiao Yelan bowed again.

The emperor sat back down in his seat, looked at Qiao Yelan, and couldn't help but sigh again.

He wasn't stupid. He knew whether to let Qiao Yelan die in office, which would be like draining the pond to catch all the fish, or to let Qiao Yelan go back to recuperate and be used as a surprise weapon in the future. He would naturally choose the latter.

He had indeed been building momentum for Qiao Yelan, hoping to take back the position of Minister of Rites from the Grand Tutor—in this way, the Grand Tutor would lose a hand and would no longer have the power to influence the court.

But now that Qiao Yelan is determined to resign, and using a reason that I can't refuse... then the position of Minister of Rites is going to be a headache again.

Chapter 146 When disaster strikes, everyone flies away

"Your Majesty looks worried. If I may be so bold as to ask, does Your Majesty have some doubts about who should succeed you as Minister of Rites?"

Qiao Yelan bowed again.

"Alas, Minister Qiao, you need to go back to recuperate, so I will naturally not consider you anymore. However, the matter of suppressing the Grand Tutor is urgent, and I have already begun to make plans. I simply cannot stop now."

"If Your Majesty trusts me, I think there is an excellent candidate for the position of Minister of Rites—a candidate that neither the court officials nor the Grand Tutor would have thought of."

The emperor immediately became interested; was there really such a suitable candidate?

How come I didn't notice?

"Please speak freely, my dear minister."

"Your Majesty, this person is my colleague, Vice Minister Ning of the Ministry of Rites."

what?

The emperor was dumbfounded.

Now he was certain that neither the court officials nor the Grand Tutor could think of this person—

Even if Qiao Yelan told him, he wouldn't believe it.

"Isn't Vice Minister Ning... the Grand Tutor's henchman?"

“Your Majesty, one cannot judge a book by its cover. Look at this Vice Minister Ning. On the surface, he is the Grand Tutor’s disciple. At a young age, he was promoted to Vice Minister of Rites and managed the Ministry of Rites on behalf of the Grand Tutor. It can be said that he is the most powerful young person in recent years, apart from me.”

"But Your Majesty, if you think about it carefully, has this Lord Ning made any further progress since he was promoted to Vice Minister of Rites?"

The emperor recalled the events in his mind, and his expression became thoughtful.

"Minister Ning manages the Ministry of Rites. It can be said that if the Grand Tutor is not present, he will exercise the power of the Minister of Rites. However, since he is allowed to exercise the power of the Minister, he is not given the title of Minister. This is like bestowing favors upon subordinates but only giving half of them... May I ask Your Majesty, is this the way an old man who has been immersed in the court for so long would use to govern his subordinates?"

Qiao Yelan's voice always seemed to possess a certain convincing magic.

"There is only one reason why the Grand Tutor did this—he discovered that this person was very capable, but his attempts to bribe him had no effect, so he had to cut his losses in time."

"But the other party's abilities are obvious to all. He was able to manage an entire department even without the Grand Tutor. So how could the Grand Tutor bear to let this person go and become his opponent?"

Yes...yes!

The emperor, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment, immediately understood Qiao Yelan's meaning.

The Grand Tutor's contradictory treatment of Vice Minister Ning is solid proof that the relationship between him and Vice Minister Ning is not one of solid unity!

When superiors bestow favors upon subordinates, they never give only half—what kind of favor is that? How can that win people's hearts?

Look at how the emperor treats Qiao Yelan; this is true benevolence.

There is only one possibility that could lead to this situation—that is, after being promoted, it is discovered that this person is capable enough to replace oneself, but is not loyal enough.

I can't bear to give it away to someone else.

I dare not do it if I am promoted to a higher position.

That means he can only remain in a position of low status but high power – he can help me manage things, but because of his position, he will be seen as a thorn in the side by others and can only rely on me as his backer.

[The official second only to Qiao Yelan]

The word "second only" perfectly encapsulates the difference between the Grand Tutor and himself!

The Grand Tutor wouldn't dare to turn Vice Minister Ning into Minister Ning—but he himself would!

As for Minister Ning's loyalty...

How could the son raised by such a loyal and upright man as the Duke of Ningguo be a traitor who would betray his country and his ancestors?

"Well done, Minister Qiao! You've reminded me that this old man has been in charge of the Ministry of Rites for so many years, with so many vice ministers. Don't they want to advance further? Don't they have any interest in the position of Minister?"

"—It's because they're bound and dare not have any thoughts!"

The emperor slammed his hand on the table in excitement.

Through the Duke of Ning, he will surely be able to get Ning Shilang's thoughts—even if Ning Shilang has no thoughts, does that mean all the other officials have no thoughts?

Next, just like when dealing with the Ministry of Personnel, promote a loyal vice minister to temporarily take over the position of minister, and then gradually replace the people inside to take the Ministry of Rites back from the Grand Tutor!

"Your Majesty is holy."

Qiao Yelan said with heartfelt admiration.

He had already finished singing the first act.

—The second act of the Grand Tutor begins.

----------------------------------------------------------

Huge fireworks rose into the capital, the deafening sound waking everyone within miles of the Sishui Terrace from their sleep, and then letting them witness the grandest fireworks display in history.

Of course, in the shadows beneath the fireworks, the two performers looked somewhat disheveled.

"Didn't you say these were fireworks that [Nian] gave you?"

Looking at Wang, who was covered in dust and dirt, he flicked his sleeve, revealing the Celestial Masters of the Tai Sui Terrace below, who were all slumped over and asleep like babies.

"I think it's probably because she gave it to me that this is the reason."

His performance wasn't much better. He had severed most of the circuits of the Si Sui Tai spell array in the blink of an eye, preventing the Si Sui Tai spell array that had been activated under stress from having an even more terrifying reaction with the giant firework.

"Couldn't you just tell her it's for millet?"

He was about to unleash a torrent of curses.

"I'll be prepared next time—but I still need to bring my sister's."

Ji humbly accepted the lesson, but stated that he would resolutely not change his ways.

see:......

Never mind, he's my own brother.

"It's time to go. The palace reacted really quickly, as did the military camp."

"Well, let's go."

The two bumped into each other.

Wang squinted his eyes.