Court Situation, Yang Yuxuan

New Year's Eve.

Yin Zhong and Pei Ju, along with Zhou Ming, the father and son pair, had a reunion dinner.

After the meal, Yin Zhong took his leave, leaving the father and son alone.

Pei Ju dismissed the attendants and led Zhou Ming on a stroll through the manor, clearly intending to have a private conversation.

The surrounding guards and servants had all departed, but three little ones, completely oblivious to the situation, trotted along behind Zhou Ming.

"Are these the three dogs you had ten Xiantian Realm martial artists capture for you?" Pei Ju glanced at the three little ones at Zhou Ming's feet and asked.

"Yes, this white one is named Mimi, the black one is Mimi, and the brown one is Laifu."

"What kind of names are these? So random."

Pei Ju picked up Laifu, and the little dog immediately started barking.

Watching the little creature fluster in his hands, Pei Ju, for some reason, felt a smile creep onto his face.

He even went so far as to cradle it in his arms and said, "You shouldn't just spend your days fishing and playing with dogs. You should be doing some real work. How's the investigation into the Four Great Secret Agents coming along?"

Zhou Ming replied, "I suspect the most suspicious entity in the capital is the Number One Manor. However, after having them monitored for so many days, neither the manor lord, Shangguan Hai, nor his financial backer, Wan Sanqian, nor even the Number One Detective of the manor, Jiang Jinjiu, whom Shangguan Hai highly values, have shown any flaws.

Godfather, I don't think we'll uncover their identities by investigating like this. It would be best to actively create some opportunities for them to expose themselves."

"Opportunities... hmm..."

Pei Ju pondered for a moment. "There is indeed an opportunity in the court that we can exploit recently."

"What is it?"

"There's a minister in court named Yang Yuxuan. He previously submitted a memorial requesting the return of power to the Emperor, which we rejected. However, he clearly won't give up."

"Can this matter be exploited?"

Pei Ju nodded and then began to explain the current court situation to Zhou Ming.

Fourteen years ago, many princes began vying for power.

This struggle lasted for ten years.

Over the decade, the princes either died or were incapacitated. None emerged as winners; all were losers.

There were naturally some hidden circumstances.

The late Emperor, sensing this, took a favored prince under his wing and meticulously educated him.

He also provided him with various political resources.

It was at this time that Pei Ju became the prince's tutor.

However, six months later, the late Emperor fell gravely ill.

Before his death, he took many actions: first, he elevated the prince to Crown Prince and issued an edict of succession. Then, he ordered Zhu Wushi to establish the Dragon Guard Manor. Following that, he promoted Pei Ju to Grand Tutor and appointed him Grand Secretary.

Even Cao Zhengchun, the Director of the Eastern Depot, was granted immense authority.

These were the major players.

Below them were Jinyiwei Qinglong, Bushi of the Six Doors, Guo Juxia of Dali Temple, and Zhuge Zhengwo of the Divine Marquis Manor.

This demonstrated the late Emperor's foresight.

Zhu Wushi, Pei Ju, and Cao Zhengchun already held positions of great power at that time, so he elevated all three to the same level, fostering competition among them.

Although Qinglong, Bushi, Guo Juxia, and Zhuge Zhengwo were all loyal, their positions were not high at the time.

Even with elevation, they could not be instantly placed at the pinnacle of power.

Therefore, they could only be assigned to positions with significant authority and a degree of autonomy.

With these three major powers and four minor ones, the three major powers would check and balance each other, while the four minor ones would remain loyal. This setup was designed to ensure the Crown Prince's smooth succession and even the future reclamation of power.

In reality, besides the four minor powers, there was a fifth.

That was the Western Depot.

However, the Western Depot was rather unfortunate. It was the late Emperor's final arrangement, and shortly after the decree was issued, the Emperor died.

In the subsequent handling of various affairs, the Western Depot was directly delayed. By then, the three major powers had already consolidated their influence and were naturally unwilling to add another competitor.

Although the Western Depot was eventually established in accordance with the late Emperor's decree, it was merely an empty shell.

The Crown Prince ascended the throne, taking the reign title Zhengde. He was only thirteen years old and held no real power.

All authority was concentrated in the hands of Zhu Wushi, Pei Ju, and Cao Zhengchun.

This situation persisted for three years!

Now, the Emperor was sixteen, technically seventeen, and naturally desired to reclaim his power.

Concurrently, with the major powers held by the three, and the four minor powers divided, other court officials were naturally dissatisfied and also sought to contend for power.

Thus, Yang Yuxuan was put forward.

While it was stated that power should be returned to the Emperor, in reality, they also wished to seize power and pursue their own interests.

However, Yang Yuxuan, the one put forward, was unaware of this scheme.

He was a loyal minister, a straightforward minister, who genuinely wanted the emperor to hold power.

He was just being used by those people.

After all, the nail that sticks out gets hammered. Even if this matter succeeded, the power of the three great families would at most be weakened slightly, and they couldn't afford the subsequent retaliation.

If it failed, there was no need to even mention it.

Yang Yuxuan was willing to stick his neck out, and they were more than happy about it.

"So that's how it is..."

After Pei Ju's analysis, Zhou Ming suddenly gained a certain understanding of the court's situation.

"Godfather, if that's the case, is the emperor's decision to hold a grand celebration for True Man Zhang's centenary birthday also for..."

"That's right, he wants to use this opportunity to gain True Man Zhang's support!"

"If that's the case, it seems that although His Majesty is young, his mind is not lacking at all. He was able to think of such a clever way to break the deadlock..."

Zhou Ming marveled.

It was rare for a person to reach seventy, and those over seventy were considered rare treasures, let alone one hundred years old.

Not to mention that this centenarian was True Man Zhang, a top Grandmaster with a transcendent status in the Ming State.

The emperor said he wanted to hold a grand birthday celebration for True Man Zhang.

No one could fault such a matter, and it was impossible to oppose it.

The only person who could oppose it was probably True Man Zhang himself.

But...

"True Man Zhang can probably see the intricacies of this, right?"

Pei Ju nodded: "Naturally."

Zhou Ming smiled: "In that case, the grand event on Wudang Mountain on April 19th next year is definitely set in stone?"

"That's right. True Man Zhang is detached from worldly affairs and does not concern himself with mundane matters. As long as he sees the intricacies, he will definitely agree."

So, the current emperor had chosen a subtle angle, a direction that would almost certainly lead to his desired outcome.

If this matter succeeded, it would signify that True Man Zhang had recognized the new emperor.

Secondly, it would allow the new emperor to gain significant public recognition during True Man Zhang's centenary birthday, letting people know that the new emperor was old enough to hold power.

At this time, coupled with Yang Yuxuan's memorial requesting the return of power to the emperor, it would form an offensive from both within and outside the court.

If Pei Ju and the other two refused, their reputation would be ruined if the news got out.

But if they accepted, the emperor would gain power.

In short, regardless of whether it was good or bad, it was beneficial for the emperor; the only difference was the magnitude of the benefit.

"Then what are your plans, Godfather?"

"Heh heh," Pei Ju chuckled, "As the emperor's teacher, I naturally stand with the emperor. If the emperor desires it, how can a subject not return it?"

"Oh?"

Zhou Ming did not believe that his godfather would actually hand over power.

But Pei Ju clearly had no intention of revealing his plans to Zhou Ming.

Letting Zhou Ming guess... heh heh, he had only vaguely understood the current court situation from his godfather's mouth today, how could he guess Pei Ju's thoughts?

"Tomorrow is the first day of the new year, and it is the grand court assembly, which is a good opportunity."

Pei Ju said, "I wonder if Yang Yuxuan can realize this... Hmm, I need to have someone remind him."