Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved-Chapter 696 - 647: Another Update
Wars without gunpowder sometimes prove to be more harsh and torturous than those with smoke-filled battlefields; lights in the Chenyuan Hall began burning from dusk to deep into the night, unceasingly.
Ju Nanyi took several steps back, allowing Zheng Congyuan to completely replace the guards in the palace. Prime Minister Lin stepped up from his previous position as Regent Minister, sharing part of the power once held by Ju Nanyi, and the imperial officials seemed to sense that some things were different from the past.
The undercurrents of conflict between the great Aristocratic Families have always been surging; if Ju Nanyi could not benefit, neither would Zheng Congyuan, so Ju Nanyi was not afraid.
It seemed that the imperial court also felt this undercurrent, but it was only a feeling, because on the surface, the structure of Prime Minister Ju being second only to one and above tens of thousands had not changed.
Ju Nanyi made his move, decisive and swift, employing extremely ruthless and resolute measures to have Lord Guo die very naturally. In the imperial court, Lord Guo’s position wasn’t even that significant; hidden among newly appointed officials, if it were a coincidence, then within just two days, three such Imperial Officials all "died" coincidentally.
Zheng Congyuan threw down his papers in frustration. Others might not know, but Zheng Congyuan was aware that Ju Nanyi was deliberately slapping him in the face.
However, on the surface, all was serene, with Prime Minister Ju forever presenting himself respectful and modest. In matters of state, he seemed to be very supportive of Zheng Congyuan, who had not been in court for long.
Yet Zheng Congyuan was in no hurry; he had his silent gains, and now he understood even more clearly what was in Ju Nanyi’s hands.
Ju Nanyi’s focus was not on Zheng Congyuan; after all, everything he did was meant to be given to Zheng Congyuan, so all of this was within his expectations. He was waiting for the day Zheng Congyuan would lay his cards on the table.
Before that day came, however, there was something else he had to do.
He needed to gain Zheng Nianru’s trust and willingness to follow him. Many methods in Ju Nanyi’s mind were dismissed because he realized the Zheng Nianru he knew was simply not a person who would consider these things. Any intelligence had been spent on those flashy trifles, where she excelled; when it came to affairs of the heart, she acted impulsively, without consideration for consequences.
If Ju Nanyi could grasp something substantial, he wouldn’t be as restless as he was now.
People like Luh Xingze and Shen Muqing quickly noticed the imperial court’s suppression of their newly risen faction, especially since they were personally promoted by Prime Minister Ju. What used to go smoothly on a daily basis now faced setbacks, either due to insufficient funds or dragged-out procedures, yet they remained outwardly polite.
This kind of politeness was fundamentally different from the sincere flattery of the past. It was like a veil that made it hard to see what exactly was happening.
Nevertheless, Ju Nanyi remained wholeheartedly dedicated, always considering Nanzheng’s interests as his top priority. However, Zheng Congyuan’s seemingly smooth harvest rebounded upon reaching these bottom lines, immovable like steel plates.
After losing two more trusted aides, the struggle between the two parties once again reached a deadlock. On the surface, there was peace, and even those who replaced them were still Zheng Congyuan’s trusted confidants.
...
The duel between masters was so subtle that not even Prime Minister Lin could grasp the full picture, though it had reached a tacit understanding.
Prime Minister Lin had just sighed in Chenyuan Hall over several ministers who died together by accident, and presented a memorial to Zheng Congyuan to bestow posthumous honors upon them, then departed.
"Your Majesty, the Empress has sent soup." Eunuch Du spoke, yet he couldn’t help but lament inwardly that Prime Minister Ju’s actions were indeed impeccable, with not a single person suspecting the deaths of the ministers, a foundation laid several months prior.
The issues of river blockages were indeed something these ministers had been working on. Incidents among the local populace arose a few times, so it was within reason that riots and accidents happened again. Finding remnants of the Wen Family behind the scenes was also expected.
Thus, everything seemed to follow naturally.
But even Eunuch Du knew, it was too much of a coincidence that The Emperor’s trusted aides were involved. Prime Minister Ju was unmistakably showing Zheng Congyuan his power.
Zheng Congyuan’s cold words warmed slightly due to the soup that Eunuch Du brought. Lifting the soup, his mind still pondered, what exactly did Ju Nanyi intend to do?
On the surface, everything Ju Nanyi did was irreproachable, and some policies, their implementation, were more farsighted than he had imagined. The man seemed to treat the entire Nanzheng as his own concern.
