Having listened to Hai Rui curse Zhao Zhenji for quite a while, Wang Yan smiled. "Zhao Zhenji isn't so bad. At least he didn't forcibly order us to hand over raw silk so he could fulfill his grand plan of five hundred thousand bolts of silk."
"Hmph, it wasn't that he didn't want to—it was that he didn't dare." Hai Rui said irritably, "You previously memorialized His Majesty for a three-year tax exemption, and His Majesty agreed. Then there were the dividends from your business with His Majesty; His Majesty even specifically had someone send you a thousand taels of silver. Zhao Zhenji is the sort who seeks to avoid offense on all sides. Would he dare make trouble for you?"
Zhao Zhenji differed somewhat in this drama as well. While Jiajing was alive, he had not entered the Grand Secretariat; he only joined it during Longqing's reign. His personality was also different. On the other hand, though he was a disciple of the School of Mind, he was not actually Xu Jie's student, whereas in the drama he had become Xu Jie's student.
Hai Rui said, "Even if I didn't submit my resignation, Zhao Zhenji wouldn't be able to tolerate me. He would certainly transfer me to another province. I'm afraid you won't be able to remain here for long either. Once we leave, this excellent situation probably won't last much longer."
"It can be preserved. There may be some unrest for a time, but in the long run, it won't be a problem. Didn't we talk about this before? The higher my office rises, the less I believe anyone would dare come looking for trouble with me."
"What can a mere provincial graduate accomplish, no matter how high he rises?"
"You're a provincial graduate yourself."
"Precisely because I