Firefly Journey

Chapter 275 Chu Ting’s Grand Stage (12)

"Teacher, you're joking. You're in excellent health."

Emperor Zhuang changed the way he addressed people, no longer using "Left Chancellor" or "My Beloved Minister," but instead calling him "Teacher," hoping to play the emotional card.

Emperor Zhuang was well aware that Zhao Zheng was getting old and his health was deteriorating year by year. But he really couldn't let him go. Looking around the court, there were many capable officials, but he always felt that they lacked a certain composure and dared not easily replace them.

Zhao Zheng put on a stern face and said coldly, "I know my own body. I am now plagued by illness and I am afraid I will not be able to continue. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission to retire and return to my hometown."

Lin Yuanran watched everything unfold, feeling utterly bewildered. Just moments ago, these two were playing good cop and bad cop, working together to persuade the military officers to agree to the marriage alliance. How could the old man suddenly want to back out?

Could it be that this was also done for the benefit of the court officials?

"This doesn't make sense. The marriage is already arranged, so why are you acting like this?" Lin Yuanran couldn't understand. He rubbed his sore legs and prayed in his heart, "You two hurry up and get back to work. If it gets too much, have a fight. I just want to go back and rest as soon as possible. I still have to prepare for my diplomatic mission."

Emperor Zhuang looked at Zhao Zheng, whose attitude was unusually firm, thought for a few seconds, and said, "Teacher, it's not that I don't want you to retire, but if you leave, the officials will be leaderless, and I will have no one to consult with when I encounter trouble. This will be detrimental to the country!"

Seeing that Emperor Zhuang was softening step by step, Zhao Zheng's shrewd eyes flashed with a glint of light, and he said loudly, "Your Majesty is joking. After me, there is the Right Chancellor, the Six Ministries, and all the officials. These people are all pillars of our Great Chu. Why should we rely on an old man like me?"

"Ah..." Emperor Zhuang pretended to ponder, glancing at Du Fufeng: "Right Chancellor, my teacher praised you. I trust my teacher's judgment. In case, and I mean in case, if my teacher insists on retiring and returning to his hometown, are you willing to take on this great responsibility?"

After Emperor Zhuang finished speaking, the atmosphere in the court immediately became ambiguous, with all the civil and military officials waiting for Du Fufeng's reply.

For so many years, the positions of the left and right prime ministers have remained unchanged. Could it be that starting today, the Chu court is about to undergo a major upheaval?

Du Fufeng sensed something was wrong, realizing that he had been tricked by Emperor Zhuang.

Zhao Zheng was a high-ranking official in two dynasties and enjoyed great prestige. At least one-third of the officials in the Great Chu were his protégés and former subordinates, and the rest also praised his abilities and character.

Asking me to say whether I'm willing or not is like putting me on the hot seat. If I say yes, I'll definitely be attacked by everyone, and I won't come out on top.

There is only one correct answer to this question: no.

So Du Dufeng hurriedly stepped forward, knelt down on both knees, and clapped his hands down.

"I am frightened!"

He raised his head and said, "The talent of Prime Minister Zhao is known throughout the land. What virtue or ability do I possess to be comparable to him?"

He then looked at Zhao Zheng: "Left Prime Minister, for the sake of Great Chu, please reconsider. His Majesty cannot do without you, and Great Chu cannot do without you!"

what's the situation?

Lin Yuanran felt like he had just watched a very exciting play. Yes, it was so fake that even Lin Yuanran thought it was fake.

Yet, despite his seemingly fake performance, the court officials actually praised him.

That's right. We are all juniors of Prime Minister Zhao, so we should be humble.

"Please rise, Minister Du. I was just making a hypothetical statement. Don't get too excited."

Du Fufeng stood up quickly, dusted himself off, and rejoined the ranks.

Emperor Zhuang said helplessly, "Teacher, look, among the officials in this hall, the two prime ministers are the most respected. Apart from you, the most capable and experienced one is Minister Du."

But as you saw, when I asked him, he said he wasn't up to the task, so the position of Left Chancellor still belongs to you.”

Zhao Zheng had anticipated this move and calmly replied, "Lord Du was being modest, not incapable. Well then, since you have no intention, I will not force you."

Emperor Zhuang and his officials all breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as you, old man, don't go on strike, everything is fine. Just when everyone thought that Zhao Zheng's proposal to retire this time would, as usual, come to nothing, he truly revealed his true intentions.

"Your Majesty, didn't you say that we should broaden our horizons? Since the Crown Princess has been chosen from the Debasa Empire, we might as well loosen our grip on the position of Prime Minister as well."

Emperor Zhuang sensed something was wrong; was the old man revealing murderous intent today?

“I have a student who comes from the Duchy of Bema. He can take the position that Lord Du is unwilling to take.”

Emperor Zhuang was greatly shocked, thinking to himself, "I knew you were up to something, but I never expected you to do something this big."

Although the State of Chu was a large country with a diverse mix of ethnicities, it was predominantly inhabited by locals, and officials were mainly locals, with outsiders rarely being given important positions.

You've dug a pit right from the start, setting up a scheme to make Du Fufeng decline the position, but in reality, you want to promote your own person to the position, and to make him the prime minister right off the bat—it's all so unexpected!

"This matter is of great importance; please allow me to consider it carefully."

Emperor Zhuang neither agreed nor refused; he wanted to delay and perhaps the matter would simply pass.

However, Zhao Zheng took away the way out he had created for himself.

“Your Majesty, I’m not in a hurry. I can actually hold on for another year or two. You can have my student start from the bottom.”

Zhao Zheng smiled shrewdly.

To recruit Simpson, Zhao Zheng went to great lengths, even resorting to deception to get Emperor Zhuang to agree.

"This..." Emperor Zhuang sighed, "My teacher's disciple is my junior brother. My teacher is so fond of him, he must have something special about him. When will you let me meet him?"

"If Your Majesty is available, it can be done this afternoon."

Emperor Zhuang felt a tightness in his chest. You really know how to take the easy way out, without giving an inch.

"I have other matters to attend to in the palace, so I'm afraid I can't visit you today. How about this, I'll come to visit you in a few days."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this old man can lead the way."

Emperor Zhuang turned around, gently pinched his forehead, and without caring whether the other ministers had anything to do, quickly fled the court assembly.

The master of ceremonies shouted, "Dismiss the court!"

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Great Chu!"

Civil and military officials emerged from the palace one after another. At this moment, Zhao Zheng's back no longer ached and his legs were no longer lame. He hummed a little tune and walked out in a generous manner.

Lin Yuanran was walking home from get off work in a crowd when he was poked in the shoulder.

He said helplessly, "If Your Highness wants to form a clique, you should find an official with real power. What's the meaning of you patting me on the shoulder all the time?"

"To me, you have the most power right now."

"Oh, what do you say?"

"You will be in charge of the marriage alliance. As Father just mentioned, the Debasa Empire has not yet been informed. In other words, the girl will be chosen only after they agree to the marriage alliance."

"Could it be..." Lin Yuanran looked at him in surprise, "that you have someone you like, and that person is a nobleman from the Debasa Empire?"

"It's not that I like her, it's just... well, anyway, the marriage is inevitable, so rather than marrying a stranger, I might as well marry someone I know well."

Lin Yuanran nodded: "I understand. When they are finalizing the selection, I'll say a few words and let them choose the one you prefer."

Lu Jianming coughed and said, "It's not that I like it, it's that I'm familiar with it!"

"They're pretty much the same," Lin Yuanran said with a smile. "Then may I ask Your Highness, what is the name of the girl you wish to marry? If she doesn't have a name, I'll just say something random. I've heard that the Debasa Empire has quite a few orc nobles."

Lu Jianming cleared his throat, his voice weak.

"You know that man, Finne Roberts."