Ji Gao had not left Chaoge. He needed to lay the groundwork for the upcoming court homage and find a way to bring his father safely back to Xiqi.
Although he had failed to plant informants in the Dark Phoenix Guard or use the nobles to drag King Zhou's reputation through the mud, at least his identity had not been exposed.
And the affair involving the Dark Phoenix Guard and the Si family had already revealed an opening.
In Ji Gao's view, the new officials received generous salaries and excellent benefits, while the old ministers had their salaries reduced. The palace must have been having financial problems.
Thinking it over carefully, King Zhou had built the Great Wall, laid roads, and constructed the Star-Plucking Tower and the Pool of Wine and Forest of Meat. Now the Six Ministries' administrative halls were under construction, too. He should have run out of money long ago.
He could only cut the old ministers' salaries to save on expenses.
Besides, everyone knew how deeply King Zhou respected his ancestors. Even if he did not sacrifice to the heavenly gods, he still offered sacrifices to his ancestors. Yet he had melted down the former kings' bronze vessels to mint coins and forge weapons.
Wasn't that another sign that he had been driven into a corner?
Because the palace really had no money!
King Zhou kept taking action against the nobles, even allowing them to trade and amass considerable wealth. Most likely, he had his eye on the profits involved. At present, the nobles were the wealthiest people around.
Ji Gao could not help feeling rather pleased with himself. This meant he could start with the old ministers.
Out of concern for his ministers' health, King Zhou had given them leave, with those in the most