Munitions Empire-Chapter 960 - The Emperor’s Perspective

Chapter 960: The Emperor’s Perspective Chapter 960: The Emperor’s Perspective “Father, you must help me!” Zhao Ji cried miserably in Zhao Kai’s office.

Lately, the Crown Prince had virtually no supporters left in the court. A Crown Prince without the support of key court ministers is in definite danger.

Zhao Kai was aware of this issue, but as an Emperor, his perspective on matters differed completely from that of the Crown Prince.

As an Emperor, he did not want the heir he had chosen to be too arrogant or presumptuous, since if the Crown Prince became too powerful, he would be challenging the Emperor’s own authority.

If the Crown Prince had been forming cliques, buying people’s hearts, or meddling with the military in his early years… Zhao Kai would have deposed Zhao Ji and replaced him with a more obedient alternative.

But if a Crown Prince appeared too weak during the battle for succession, then as an Emperor, he would start to worry whether the chosen successor truly had a problem with his abilities.

A weak heir to the throne is not reassuring. The Emperor would fear that such an heir might become a puppet of powerful ministers upon accession, losing grip on imperial authority and control over the court.

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So choosing a Crown Prince had always been one of the most vexing issues for an Emperor. Conversely, being a good Crown Prince was no simple task either.

Beyond maintaining a balance between not appearing too strong nor too incompetent, a Crown Prince also had to court favor with the Emperor, his father, and secure his position by playing on their emotional bond.

Fortunately, Zhao Kai’s eldest son Zhao Ji had a knack for this. After being designated Crown Prince, he had performed excellently, greatly pleasing Zhao Kai.

First, within the permitted bounds, Zhao Ji secured the support of the less sensitive Ministry of Justice and then steadied himself, showing a magnanimous lack of ambition.

Zhao Kai found this political awareness very comforting. Therefore, he was very satisfied with his son, the Crown Prince.

On the other hand, in many political decisions, Zhao Ji demonstrated a high degree of alignment with Zhao Kai. This clever ass-kissing also endeared Zhao Ji to his father.

Both professionally and emotionally, Zhao Ji had a gifted talent for pleasing Zhao Kai; thus, in theory, his position as Crown Prince should have been as solid as a rock.

However, the reality was that another Prince, Zhao Yu, had practically become the Second Emperor of the Dahua Empire, suddenly controlling many departments and gaining the allegiance of numerous local officials.

In just a few months, Zhao Kai realized that as a father, he was already struggling to suppress his son, Zhao Yu.

And after a few more months, to his astonishment, Zhao Kai found he wasn’t just struggling to suppress Zhao Yu; even his own imperial throne seemed less secure than before.

Thus, he became even firmer in his support of his favored son Zhao Ji—there was no choice if he didn’t unite all those he could, he no longer had confidence that he could counter his other son, Zhao Yu, who had already established a stronghold in the court.

The debate in the Dahua Empire’s court over how to handle relations with the Great Tang Empire had settled. In that debate, Zhao Kai and Zhao Ji were utterly defeated, nearly losing everything they had.

Zhao Yu, who championed full rapprochement with the Great Tang Empire, brought benefits to the common people, increased tax revenue, and greatly enhanced his own reputation.

But amidst this scenario where it seemed everyone reaped benefits, no one cared what the Dahua Empire actually lost.

Zhao Kai looked at his son, sobbing uncontrollably, and sighed helplessly. In truth, his own situation was much better than Zhao Ji’s, but the predicament of his son made him somewhat resentful.

Yes, it wasn’t so much about feeling sad; it was about being resentful. He just couldn’t bear the thought that even in choosing his heir, he couldn’t do as he wished…

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Having been an Emperor for decades, Zhao Kai was very much aware of the positions and thoughts of the court Ministers. For example, the loyalty of Prime Minister Chu Muzhou was actually not in question.

Zhao Kai could be sure that Chu Muzhou would most likely not betray him as Emperor; likewise, the Minister of War Shen Chuan was in a similar state.

But when it came to choosing sides between the heirs, they were both beginning to lean toward Zhao Yu—unless the Emperor himself publicly backed Zhao Ji, it would be difficult to sway these “Emperor’s faction” from their stance.

Yet if the Emperor personally entered the fray, it would mean that things had escalated completely: the flourishing economy could be affected, and diplomatic relations with the Great Tang Empire might become unstable.

That signaled to the Emperor and the Crown Prince preparing a comeback, overturning the previously established strategic policy of “fortifying eastward and expanding westward.” Such issues could trigger a chain reaction, and even Zhao Kai could not guarantee he could mitigate the effects of these changes.

Just by considering it briefly, the matter was far from trivial: looking at a corporate fundraising method that had emerged in the Dahua Empire in recent years, called “stocks,” any instability would result in significant losses for him as Emperor.

Many elites had invested their wealth into this emerging entity called stocks, lured by the prospect of a stable international relationship with the Great Tang Empire, which had painted the market with an optimistic future. Thus, everyone made a tidy sum in the stock market.

Yet, if Zhao Kai rashly entered the fray to support Zhao Ji, leading to misunderstandings and subsequent market instability, this could shrink everyone’s wealth… and chaos might ensue.

“My son, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but if I act hastily now, the situation will only become more perilous,” Zhao Kai said, somewhat irritated, as he sighed and tried to console his own son.

“Compared to that good-for-nothing brother of yours, I still favor you more! This has not changed now and it won’t in the future!” He paused, feeling that his statement lacked force, and then clarified Zhao Ji’s position.

After hearing his father’s firm support, Zhao Ji’s crying indeed lessened significantly. What he did not know was that Zhao Kai’s continued support was purely because, without it, even Zhao Kai’s own position would be unstable.

Zhao Ji failed to realize this because just yesterday, his most capable strategist died at the home of his own lover.

When found, the door was bolted from the inside, and next to the two bodies lay all sorts of strange apparatus, with a silver tray heaped with a black ointment known as Yincu.

The Ministry of Justice’s coroner determined that the two had died from an overdose of Yincu ointment; it was unclear whether it was an accident or suicide. However, the likelihood of foul play, based on the crime scene investigation, was slim.

Without his most important strategist, Zhao Ji’s political acuity dropped by a notch. If that strategist had still been around, he would never have allowed him to foolishly run crying to Zhao Ji.

“But, Father Emperor! They even dared to kill my guest! Bao Changshi…” Without any other recourse, Zhao Ji had rushed over in a panic to inform Zhao Kai about the murky circumstances surrounding his strategist’s death.

Zhao Kai, growing impatient, interrupted Zhao Ji: “I’ve asked around… That Changshi of yours was detestable to the extreme! Dying a senseless death due to his own foolish actions may not have been the work of someone else.”

Everyone knew that using such flimsy accusations as a weapon against opponents was unfeasible; they could at best be used to kick someone when they’re down once the dust had settled.

Launching an attack against Zhao Yu with the case of a drug addict who overdosed to death would be futile—even if Zhao Yu had committed the act and admitted to it, at most he’d face a fine.

Why, indeed? Would you jeopardize the Empire’s stability for a dead Chief of Staff? Would you cause a storm in the Empire’s court for a dead man?

Stop joking around.

Besides, unless Zhao Yu admitted to it, it was absurd to think that, without evidence, Zhao Kai would bear the pressure of the ministers to punish a Prince. That was an incredibly foolish idea.

That’s a Prince, not just some Tom, Dick, or Harry… You, Zhao Ji, are my son, Zhao Kai. Isn’t Zhao Yu, as well?

Looking at Zhao Ji, who was crying next to him like a downtrodden young wife, Zhao Kai couldn’t help but internally scoff. If not for fear, passing the Crown Prince title to Zhao Yu was not out of the question…

Yes, he was afraid! Zhao Yu’s influence in the court made him wary—it was the fundamental reason for his steadfast support of the weaker Crown Prince, Zhao Ji.

As an Emperor, Zhao Kai naturally hoped his successor would be more capable, able to carry on with the Empire and even take it to greater heights.

Thus, capability was an important criterion in the selection of an heir. Clearly, from any perspective, Zhao Yu’s abilities surpassed Zhao Ji’s.

But as an Emperor, Zhao Kai did not dare to immediately name Zhao Yu as Crown Prince. He feared the “abilities” Zhao Yu displayed and worried he might overthrow him.

Therefore… the option that best served Zhao Kai’s interests was to use Zhao Ji to withstand Zhao Yu’s pressure, to delay matters. Until he was close to death, he would dethrone Zhao Ji and pass the throne to Zhao Yu.

In fact, Zhao Kai was already entertaining this idea—only now, he needed to stabilize Zhao Ji at all costs, as the first step in his plan.

“So… Father Emperor, what should we do next?” Zhao Ji was unaware that in his father Emperor Zhao Kai’s mind, he had become a bargaining chip to counterbalance Zhao Yu.

“Summon Zhao Chen and Zhao Jie to the palace!” Zhao Kai commanded darkly, ready to seek the opinions of two important members of the Royal Family.

He really felt quite uneasy, for the power that he’d held in his hands since the removal of General Feng Kezhi seemed to be slipping through his fingers.

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The additional update will arrive tomorrow morning… Yes, Dragon Spirit has been up late again…