A lazy bum transmigrates and marries a eunuch – it's awesome!

Chapter 312 Countdown to the End Part 2

The young emperor Jin Zeyu has already assumed power, and not only has Xiao Yuan retired to his hometown, but Jin Zekang has also begun to delegate power.

No child who grows up and develops their own ideas likes to be told what to do.

Even if he was not mature enough in handling government affairs and made mistakes, Jin Zekang would try to persuade him through others and avoid interfering himself.

At the beginning, the political situation in the court did indeed cause Jin Zeyu a lot of trouble.

But after all, he was taught by Jin Zekang and Xiao Yuan, and he was also very intelligent. He gradually got the hang of it, albeit with some stumbles.

Gradually, he came to understand that the Marquis of Zhenguo's retirement was not an attempt to abandon his post and manipulate him.

They were genuinely thinking of themselves; after all, many officials in the court became more loyal after the Marquis of Zhenguo left for distant lands.

Some things are so difficult that you can't back down. Even if the Marquis of Zhenguo had no intention of rebelling and seizing power, he couldn't stop some people from trying to take advantage of him.

Only when they lose this hope will they be more loyal to their emperor.

As for Ye Xiao...

Not only did the emperor know this, but all the officials in the court also knew that the newly appointed Marquis of Zhenguo was far inferior to his father.

He's not ruthless enough or capable enough. He's only secure in his position because the people in the Eastern Depot are his father's confidants. Who knows what will happen in the future?

The court officials wouldn't be foolish enough to bet on him; if he couldn't become a powerful minister or emperor, then there was nothing they could be afraid of about him.

Some people also gossiped to the emperor, saying that He Zhang was Xiao Yuan's confidant and shouldn't be allowed to wield too much power.

However, Xiao Yuan had already retired gracefully and gone far away, while He Zhang was highly capable, so Jin Zeyu ignored those sarcastic remarks and continued to give him important positions.

Xiao Yuan ran away with his wife, and the person who cursed him the most was Jin Zekang, since he became the only one in the way after Xiao Yuan ran away.

It's too far-fetched to say they're retiring and returning to their hometowns because of their age.

It would be fine if Xiao Yuan withdrew alone, but if he also withdrew, not only would the court be thrown into chaos, but Jin Zeyu would also think that the two of them were deliberately trying to trip him up.

Jin Zekang could only go through the motions without putting in any real effort, enduring the daily court sessions while trying to reduce his influence on the government.

This is a slow and highly skillful task.

First, one cannot appear too negative, lest people say that he is merely occupying a position without fulfilling his duties to the Great Jin.

After all, his more than ten years in power were quite remarkable. When the emperor took personal control of the government, he pretended to be stupid and others thought he was dissatisfied with the emperor's rule.

Secondly, he cannot appear as wise as before, otherwise how can he demonstrate the emperor's ability?

He's no longer the boss of this country, and for an employee, it's an ironclad rule not to steal the spotlight from the boss.

It's easy to say, but it's really hard to find the right balance. Jin Zekang was so exhausted from acting that he wanted to flip the table and say "I'm quitting" every day.

Xie Zhuo was the most naive of the group. He thought that Jin Zeyu was raised and supported by Brother Kang to ascend the throne, and was no different from his own son.

There's really no need to think of the young emperor as so heartless.

If Jin Zekang wanted to be emperor, he would have done it back then. Since he didn't do it then and didn't have a son to inherit the family business, there was really no need for the emperor to be wary of him.

Unfortunately, he was proven wrong in just over a year.

Jin Zeyu started auditioning when she reached marriageable age.

The Empress came from the Qi family.

The Qi family had many outstanding descendants who served three dynasties, and no fewer than 30 family members held official positions in the imperial court.

Although he was only a first-rank official, he had a full range of officials from the second to the ninth rank, from the six ministries to local officials, making his overall strength quite remarkable.

Consort Shu and Consort De also came from prominent families, and even the two concubines had families that held military power.

Nobody's stupid.

Even though the Empress Dowager's explanation was that daughters from noble families were chosen for high positions because of their good upbringing, everyone knew that the young emperor was putting pressure on himself.

Jin Zekang knew that the person he chose hadn't said anything, but went back and drank alone in silence.

There was an unspoken consensus regarding the princes' marriages.

Anyone aspiring to a high position will inevitably seek a powerful in-law family to increase their own leverage.

If someone wants to withdraw from the struggle for the throne and live a peaceful life, he will take the initiative to marry a girl who is beautiful but whose family has no real power, to show that he has no ambition.

If the emperor was dissatisfied with a prince and wanted to eliminate his chances of ascending the throne, he would also arrange a marriage with a less than ideal family as a warning.

This is something all members of the royal family know.

Jin Zeyu is already the emperor.

If he truly trusted his elder brother, the regent, he wouldn't have been in such a hurry to marry five daughters of powerful ministers in a row.

Ultimately, it was because he didn't trust him and was wary of him, wanting to secure his throne through the harem.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't heartbroken after teaching a child for ten years, even though he had anticipated this situation.

Xie Zhuo felt sorry for Jin Zekang.

He wasn't that cunning, and some of his dissatisfaction with the emperor was evident in his expression.

But he forgot that Jin Zeyu was now an emperor with the power of life and death, not the little kid he used to be.

On one occasion, when he spoke disrespectfully, someone used this as leverage to have Jin Zeyu penalized with a year's salary reduction and three months of confinement for reflection.

Although the punishment is lenient, it is still a signal.

The court officials seemed to sense something unusual, and gradually a faction of royalists and observers emerged.

Jin Zekang said nothing, but comforted Xie Zhuo and told him to secretly leave the capital for Quanrong with a large sum of money.

As for the capital, they found a corpse that looked somewhat like Xie Zhuo and reported it as a case of drowning due to drunkenness.

When Jin Zeyu found out, he smashed a teacup in his palace, knowing that the Regent was expressing his dissatisfaction with him.

Putting aside the fact that Xie Zhuo was young, strong, and skilled in martial arts, it was impossible for him to fall into the lotus pond and drown.

Even if he were a marquis, wouldn't he have people accompanying him?

He died either early or late, or he was punished by being confined to his room to reflect on his mistakes and then died. Anyone with a brain knows there's something wrong with that.

What does my brother mean by doing this?

Is this an indication that the emperor, in his position, cannot tolerate anyone and is going to purge his faction?

As the emperor, can't I punish Xie Zhuo?

What does Your Majesty intend to do?

Jin Zekang didn't want to do anything; he was just tired and felt it was meaningless.

He didn't even want to stay in the capital anymore, so wasn't it only natural for him to send his weak point out and clean up his own house first?

He's already been very generous to the emperor by providing a fake corpse and a plausible excuse; hopefully, this kid won't push his luck.

Jin Zeyu was intelligent from a young age and naturally knew how to weigh the pros and cons. Xie Zhuo's fake death was both a protest and a concession from his elder brother.

Now that things had come to this, he had no one to blame and could not dwell on the matter. Despite feeling aggrieved, he still gave Xie Zhuo posthumous honors.

However, the two brothers had developed a rift in their hearts, and when they met again, they were much more distant and polite.

After Xie Zhuo faked his death, Jin Zekang began to frequently claim illness and no longer expressed his opinions even when attending court.

On the surface, he seemed to be completely obedient to the emperor, but Jin Zeyu actually felt that he was deliberately trying to embarrass him.

The young and ambitious emperor, newly in power, was eager to make a name for himself and became increasingly daring as the regent stopped interfering with his decisions.

It's not uncommon for officials to make mistakes when they are busy with many affairs of state.

Whether it was Jin Zekang Xiao Yuan or the old emperors of the past, they all made their share of mistakes.

But the young emperor was at a sensitive time, and some court officials privately said that if the regent made the decision, it would not be wrong, which greatly aggravated his sensitive nerves.

The minister who made the slip of the tongue was thrown into prison and stripped of all his power. The emperor also took the opportunity to punish many of Jin Zekang's confidants.

Things have come to this point where things have become quite unpleasant, leaving Jin Zekang with only two choices.

It's either advance or retreat.