"The imperial heart is hard to fathom. Hard to fathom indeed!"
In the Feng Residence's study, Feng Yan reclined in the Grand Tutor's Chair, his brow furrowed, and remained silent for a long while.
Wei Nisheng sat opposite him, likewise saying nothing.
"Alas, I truly did not anticipate this move from His Majesty," Feng Yan said slowly.
"His Majesty asked me to protect Shen Duan, so I protected Shen Duan.
He asked me to give my tacit consent, so I gave it.
Yet in the end, he himself switched the Selection Bureau to the Ministry of Revenue."
Feng Yan drew his gaze back and fixed it on Wei Nisheng.
"Zi'an, tell me, what did His Majesty intend with this move?"
Wei Nisheng was silent for a moment before answering, "First, His Majesty wants me in the Ministry of Revenue to watch the accounts of the granaries throughout the realm on his behalf.
I was the one who investigated the Ever-Normal Granary. Now that I am entering the Revenue and Expenditure Bureau, I will be a nail driven into the Ministry of Revenue.
Second, His Majesty wants to put me into this cauldron.
Kou Yuan is one of the Upright Officials, but everyone in the Ministry of Revenue is an old subordinate of Shen Duan.
By entering this game, I become the point where three forces converge.
If I can stand firm, then a Son of Heaven's Disciple will have secured a foothold in the Ministry of Revenue.
If I cannot, His Majesty will have seen the true quality of my mettle."
"There is also a third reason," Feng Yan took over, his gaze deep.
"His Majesty would not let you enter the Selection Bureau because he did not want one of my men entering the Ministry of Personnel's crucial seat