The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

Given the level of trust between Qiao Yelan and the Grand Tutor, why did things come to this?

What happened at this step?

The Grand Tutor relinquished control of the Ministry of Rites, but still firmly held sway over the Ministry of Rites. The person who succeeded him was also his student. Although there had been disagreements between the Grand Tutor and Vice Minister Ning, they were, after all, teacher and student. Vice Minister Ning would not, and would not, take advantage of his teacher's misfortune—otherwise, the charge of "disrespect" alone would be enough to give him, the Minister of Rites, a hard time.

The Ministry of Rites was not originally under the jurisdiction of the Grand Tutor.

In other words, this old man simply returned something that didn't belong to him, and then he passed away peacefully, siding with the emperor.

Was Chen Fan truly the only one who pledged his loyalty?

Chapter 150: Which is happier, insight or ignorance?

Qiao Yelan noticed Cai Yan's gaze.

He truly deserves to be called the most disloyal of the three dukes who were left behind—his performance has already proven that his abilities in other areas are so great that the late emperor will temporarily set aside the so-called issue of loyalty with him.

Although Prime Minister Cai was able to keep his emotions hidden, the fact that he would directly shift his focus from the Grand Tutor and Grand Commandant, who were currently the most pressing targets, to Qiao Yelan at this critical juncture was already a rather blatant sign of wavering.

Ignorance is the greatest mercy that those in power can bestow upon their pawns.

Conversely, if a piece can see through the situation and deduce the player's identity and position, then that piece is in a sorry state.

—Because he had to confront that indescribable fear.

When he was dismantling Cai Yan's faction, the other party was still able to maintain the demeanor of a prime minister. Instead of being cornered, he showed the composure he had cultivated over decades in the officialdom.

Cai Yan did not protect any of his former Cai Party followers. He did not even stand up for Gao Cheng when his clan was exterminated. He only gave a routine warning against excessive killing. After the emperor did not heed his advice, he did not speak again. Instead, he continued to work diligently in his position.

This also made the emperor gradually realize Cai Yan's abilities—because he couldn't handle many of the things in the memorials himself, and he had to let Cai Yan go through them and write out a solution first.

Therefore, Cai Yan was not too afraid of Qiao Yelan. He just saw Qiao Yelan as a very capable young man. Everyone was playing the game within the rules. If he couldn't beat him, it would just be a win or loss. He hadn't reached the point where he felt inferior.

Now, it's time to wake up from this smug, self-righteous illusion.

The Grand Tutor has completely sided with him, and by using the Grand Tutor's affairs to bring out the Grand Commandant, the Emperor and the Grand Commandant can be put in a difficult position.

With the help of those veteran officials and the Grand Tutor's covert assistance, the Grand Commandant should be able to withstand the Emperor's pressure, and at least a decisive victory is unlikely.

Therefore, as long as he can frighten Cai Yan, the court can remain peaceful for a long time.

This is why Qiao Yelan prefers opponents who are intelligent—because if the opponent is a novice, they might not understand his actions and would still insist on rushing in recklessly.

You could win, but the victory would be unpleasant, and you might even get spit on your forehead by the other side.

This time, Qiao Yelan did not respond to Cai Yan's gaze. He simply sat comfortably in his wheelchair, closing his eyes to rest.

It was specially approved by His Majesty the Emperor.

Qiao Yelan didn't really intend to win Cai Yan over; he just wanted him to stay out of the way—because if he wanted Cai Yan to join his ranks, Qiao Yelan would have to keep an eye on him.

Otherwise, Cai Yan will definitely rebel.

However, given the other party's abilities, apart from Qiao Yelan himself being able to see through it, almost no one else could resist Cai Yan's deception—so it was best to simply scare the other party and make him stay away from his affairs.

However, it's still necessary to have some spies in the court. That old man, the Grand Tutor, seems to have defected, but it's just his usual habitual thinking of not putting all his eggs in one basket.

If the Grand Commandant wants to oppose Qiao, then the Grand Tutor will naturally support Qiao, since they know each other well—whichever side wins will ensure the legitimacy of the Great Yan Dynasty.

That's why, after confirming the Grand Commandant's attitude and plans, the Grand Tutor resolutely sided with Qiao Yelan.

The rules of the political game in the Great Yan Dynasty have always been the same.

Qiao Yelan could see it clearly, but he was too lazy to point it out—after all, as long as people were willing to listen and do things, that was enough; he had no interest whatsoever in the throne of Da Yan.

But because of this, he needed another person to act as his informant.

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"You've worked hard, Minister Qiao. You've only been back in the capital for a short time, and you're already going on another trip to Letania."

"Serving His Majesty is nothing more than being loyal and dutiful."

“What Minister Qiao says is true; we are all doing our work for His Majesty.”

Inside the study, an old man was unusually enthusiastic towards a young man, his words even bordering on flattery.

"Lord Chen, we are colleagues, why the formality? I have come here today to discuss some details of the Lungmen Coin project with you. After all, we are both in charge of this project, and His Majesty values ​​it highly. We cannot afford any mistakes."

"Of course, I have been extremely careful and will absolutely not jeopardize Your Majesty's important plans at any crucial moment."

Chen Fan was a figure in the imperial court at roughly the same time as Cai Yan. His ability to be flexible and adaptable was the biggest difference between him and younger officials.

However, although he was very respectful in words, he never stopped thinking in his mind.

After all, apart from the completely exposed char siu, anyone who saw Qiao Yelan coming to find them would instinctively feel a jolt in their heart, and then start wondering if they still had any remaining value to give away.

"I naturally believe what you say, Lord Chen. However, you are, after all, the Minister of Revenue and need to oversee the overall situation in the capital. His Majesty has seen the situation of the Vice Ministers of Revenue and feels that they are not up to the task. He is preparing to select some capable people from the provinces to replace them."

When Qiao Yelan said this, Chen Fan's expression didn't change at all—this was something he had already guessed.

Although he had pledged allegiance to the emperor, it did not mean that the things that had happened before were wiped clean.

When Gao Cheng's home was raided, Chen Fan was quite uneasy. After all, Gao Cheng only got a small portion of the profits; his share was left to him by his teacher, Cai Yan. Chen Fan also took the lion's share of the profits between himself and Cai Yan.

Although he handed over the Wangji Trading Company and a large sum of money, his own family's finances still couldn't withstand an investigation.

Fortunately, the emperor was currently in the midst of promoting the Longmen coin. Chen Fan's proposed "currency hegemony" plan was partly laying the groundwork for Qiao Yelan's plan, and partly leaving himself a way out.

As long as that plan doesn't disappear from the emperor's mind, he can live one more day—because apart from Qiao Yelan, Chen Fan is the only person who understands currency and also pleases the emperor.

Even so, given his past misdeeds, the emperor would certainly not entrust the Ministry of Revenue to Chen Fan alone again. At the very least, the vice ministers who had previously taken money from Chen Fan would be dismissed and replaced by those personally promoted by the emperor, who would be extremely grateful for the emperor's favor.

This was inevitable—this year's performance evaluation by the Ministry of Personnel, without Gao Cheng and Cai Yan, was probably the most credible in recent years. Naturally, the emperor wanted to take this opportunity to promote some people and bring more loyal ministers to the court.

But why did Qiao Yelan suddenly bring this up at this moment...?

"With the Minister in charge of the capital, I also need to travel to various countries to smooth relations. None of the Vice Ministers are up to the task—instead, we lack someone in Longmen who can take charge of this matter."

Qiao Yelan's voice carried a faint, ethereal quality.

The person in charge of Longmen? It must be Wei Yanwu, right? Who else could it be?

A hint of doubt crept into Chen Fan's mind. Hadn't Wei Yanwu been in contact with the emperor? He had even helped the emperor take down Cai Yan—wasn't it time to settle the score and divide the spoils?

wrong!

Chen Fan was startled.

Were Wei Yanwu and the Emperor business partners? Or perhaps from a merchant family?

Bullshit!

They are royalty!

That's a royal family where even fathers and sons can't be of one mind, and brothers can't stand shoulder to shoulder!

Moreover, these two are not princes and princes—they are the emperor and a vassal king!

But... why is it Qiao Yelan who's talking to me about this?

Isn't he one of Wei Yanwu's men?

As if sensing Chen Fan's confusion, Qiao Yelan simply lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear her clearly.

"Lord Chen, even a cunning rabbit needs three burrows—let alone you and me?"

A sudden realization dawned on the old man.

What kind of loyalty can people like them possibly have?

It's simply a matter of loyalty to whoever makes money and provides a livelihood.

“I also own a business, and to make money, I have to go through the Dragon Gate; while Lord Chen, your whole family is in the capital, right under His Majesty’s nose. People like us, pledging allegiance to either side is certain death. Only by maneuvering among the big shots can we manage to sneak a little food from their hands.”

Chen Fan nodded slowly.

"You are now considered one of His Majesty's favorite ministers, aren't you?"

"Have you ever seen a favored official who spends most of the year on official visits abroad? Or who is sent back to the capital by imperial decree as soon as he returns?"

Qiao Yelan countered with a question.

"Do you really think I'd willingly go through all that trouble, going to that damn Honglu Temple, working like a dog, only to get the least benefit?"

Indeed, Chen Fan was quite puzzled by Qiao Yelan's behavior at the time—this guy didn't seem like the kind of person who would sacrifice everything for the Great Yan.

"I'm just doing dirty and tiring work for others. Neither the emperor nor Duke Wei has ever truly trusted me. They both value my abilities but are also wary of them, so they send me out to do tasks, and then send me out again when I come back. For example, when I came to see you this time, can we talk about what we need to discuss openly and directly?"

Can?

That's bullshit.

This clearly shows that the emperor dislikes Wei Yanwu and wants to deliberately make things difficult for him. He also wants to take a larger share of the profits from Longmen coins and siphon some of the benefits from Longmen. That's why he wants to find another person in charge instead of appointing Wei Yanwu to manage everything.

Wei Yanwu was, after all, the emperor's elder brother; how could this matter be discussed openly? It wouldn't sound good, nor would it look good if word got out.

Even the emperor had to turn off the lights when doing this.

Doing this kind of thing is clearly a thankless task, and you're bound to offend someone.

Qiao Yelan is Wei Yanwu's man, yet the emperor sent him here to discuss this matter. Isn't that clearly a deliberate attempt to annoy people?

Qiao Yelan glanced at Chen Fan with a look of sympathy.

"Lord Chen, do you think you can escape?"