The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 225 - 200, I have been entangled with myself for a long time, rather be myself

"Then?" Zhao Douan asked curiously.

Li Yanfu’s eyes were filled with reminiscence,

"And then, that elder pointed to the dog and said it was a farmer’s tamed companion for herding sheep. Although the sheep have a leader, their large and cumbersome numbers.

Sometimes, when passing by someone else’s fields, many sheep are attracted by the crops and stray to eat. If the crops are damaged, the owner will come looking...

The shepherd can only drive the leading sheep but cannot prevent these sheep from sneaking food, and so the role of the dog comes into play."

"Dogs run fast and resemble wolves in appearance. The sheep fear them. If any sheep steal food, the dog quickly chases them away... Therefore, the dog also becomes valuable, able to avoid being killed for its meat.

In the end, the elder told me that being one of those sheep is the most hopeless— the more they eat, the closer they come to death. Only by being the leader or a dog, being of use to the owner, can one live a bit better."

Li Yanfu paused, then continued,

"I then asked which was better, to be the leader or the dog?"

Zhao Douan asked curiously, "What did the elder say?"

Li Yanfu replied,

"He shook his head and said neither is good. The best is to be a leader who ties your own fate to that of the herd, sharing life and death, advancing and retreating together.

In this way, even if the leader grows old and weak, if the owner wants to replace them, they must consider whether killing the old sheep would cause the herd to panic and flee.

As a dog, one must strike a balance, being neither too lazy nor too diligent. If lazy, the owner will replace you; if too diligent, and the herd becomes completely obedient..."

At this point, Li Yanfu came back from his memories, looked meaningfully at him, and said,

"Then, what use is there in keeping the dog?"

Rustle... outside the building, the lake water stirred up small waves.

The sound of water lapping against the shore’s stones could be heard.

In the wine pot on the table, the green plums had almost dissolved, and the cloudy wine was gradually becoming clear.

Zhao Douan listened calmly to this brief but profound story, understanding the implication.

By his understanding, the shepherd represents the Emperor, and the flock represents the officials.

The leader, naturally, refers to ministers like Li Yanfu, Yuan Li, Dong Xuan.

As for the shepherd dogs... it undoubtedly refers to himself, and Ma Yan too.

Of course, the crowd is far more complex than a flock of sheep.

This also brought about the multifaceted party struggles above the halls, balancing the power between emperor and ministers.

Why can’t the Empress simply dismiss Li Yanfu?

It’s actually about this old leader sheep tying too many officials on the "Li Party" warship.

Forming factions isn’t just talk; it involves a series of maneuvers, holding onto each other’s weak spots because a single minister’s power is too feeble to contend with the Emperor, so they band together.

This results in certain powerful ministers frequently submitting resignations, retiring to their hometowns.

Yet the Emperor has no choice but to retain them, playing a hypocritical act.

Sun Lianying said not to topple Li Yinglong now for the same reason.

Reducing Li Party gradually, dismantling its influence bit by bit, curtailing power, and successively toppling figures like Pei Kaizhi, Zhou Cheng... are all steps taken from easy to difficult.

Including this "Examination Method," is also about transferring power from the Ministry of Personnel to Xiuwen Pavilion.

But if any action is taken against the Li family father and son, it would cause the officials on the "Li Party" ship to rebel.

If they collectively resign, the court politics would be paralyzed and unable to operate.

Worse, it could drive these people and the scholarly families behind them toward the "Eight Princes."

Li Yanfu’s words were a subtle reminder to him:

Don’t think that by gripping Li Yinglong’s weakness, you have won.

And the metaphor of the sheepdog, to Zhao Douan, meant but four words:

Foster enemies to maintain influence!

Li Yanfu was also reminding:

You, Zhao Douan, can live comfortably because there exists the enemy called the Li Party.

If the Li Party disintegrates, what worth would you have as the Emperor’s hawk-dog?

Before negotiating, it’s always good to lower the price, and through a story, Li Yanfu cleverly lowered it twice, unafraid of secret recordings.

Just as previously, Zhao Douan on the small boat was talking with Feng Ju, who also understood through implications, not direct speech.

Li Yanfu, having navigated the treacherous waters of the court for many years, was far more cautious than Li Yinglong.

...

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Zhao Douan gently clapped his hands, smiling wistfully:

"So-called worldly wisdom is all learning; Prime Minister Li is certainly warning me."

Li Yanfu did not respond.

But Zhao Douan, finished laughing, shook his head and sighed,

"However, I do have a slightly different view."

"Oh?"

Zhao Douan raised one finger:

"If the year is good, indeed the owner will not kill the leader sheep, but if it’s a year of severe famine, and the sheep devour all the seedlings, everyone is dying, who cares then?"

The implied meaning:

The ministers are eating too much, leaving too little for Your Majesty. To survive, it’s not about how many people stand behind you on the battle ship but about having some margin.

He raised another finger:

"When the flock inside is obedient, the shepherd dog won’t die either because there are wolves outside."

Foster enemies to maintain influence? Ha!

Not to mention, I never intended to mix with you in the bureaucracy.

Moreover, stepping back ten thousand steps, the current problem is that there are too many enemies.

Why need to foster more?

Even if the court is united like a slab of iron, don’t the Eight Princes and the rebels exist outside?

Zhao Douan hadn’t finished speaking but took a scroll from his sleeve, didn’t open it, just placed it lightly on the table, pushed it slowly forward, leaned back, crossed his hands, and said:

"Let’s be clear, I’m not too fond of playing cunning games; I never thought of hiding this from Your Majesty. Discussing around the topic with Prime Minister Li wasn’t because I feared today’s words leaking out, but because you did..."

He smiled.

This time, his face bore no feigned respect but a bit of brazen arrogance, like a wolf revealing its disguise under sheepskins:

"Originally, if Prime Minister Li showed sincere intentions, there was no need to make some things too clear, to save face for future meetings.

But since Prime Minister Li didn’t even listen to my conditions and tried to teach and lower the price, it seems the sincerity isn’t enough. Then I might as well be blunt. What relationship your son and Yuan Fei have isn’t difficult to investigate. Those who knew back then aren’t all dead, simply choosing to keep quiet and feigning forgetfulness."

During these days, I, the official, have not been idle with my investigations; the evidence I possess exceeds what Prime Minister Li imagines, including the girl forcefully taken by your son.

There was only a lack of definitive evidence, yet, fortunately, it is now in hand.

Engaging in secret affairs with the Imperial Concubine, deceiving the late Emperor, and encroaching upon the royal harem, Prime Minister Li should be aware that once this matter becomes public, even if Your Majesty is reluctant, he would have to execute someone to maintain the royal dignity.

Of course, you will say, His Majesty wouldn’t… but what about later?

Prime Minister Li is getting old; how many more years can you hold on?

Not thinking of yourself, you must consider your family’s future—whether to retire smoothly or to force the entire Li family of the Huai River into disgrace? You say there is no choice, but I see there are options."

Li Yanfu’s complexion changed, seemingly taken aback as Zhao Douan suddenly flipped the table.

He realized that he might have underestimated certain matters and underestimated the adversary’s appetite.

He thought that Zhao Douan was after personal gain, and thus, this negotiation wouldn’t be exposed to outsiders.

He also didn’t believe that Zhao Douan had any definitive proof.

As long as there was room for negotiation, there was a possibility to maneuver.

But at this moment, when Zhao Douan tore off his facade of kindness and modesty, revealing the sharp claws beneath.

The aged leader suddenly faced a newborn shepherd dog, evoking the deep-seated fear buried in his bloodline.

Yes…

A great Prime Minister, at this moment, actually felt an imperceptible...

Fear!

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Li Yanfu didn’t look at the scroll, but stared at him like a rock unswayed by the strongest gales.

Zhao Douan crossed his legs in an ungrudging manner, twisting the stems of green plums with his fingers, and in a casual tone, uttered the earth-shattering words:

"I want, at tomorrow morning’s court meeting, for the Li Party to switch sides and support the new policy."

"Impossible!"

Li Yanfu blurted out, his white and thick beard trembling on both sides of his cheeks as his hands gripped the chair’s armrest tightly.

He hadn’t expected Zhao Douan to make such a demand.

"You think court politics is child’s play? Just relying on this…"

"Minister Li!"

Zhao Douan’s voice suddenly became heavy, his face cooled down, his look mixing indifference with irony:

"I am not putting on a play for you here, nor am I discussing this with you, but informing you."

"Or, you can gamble on whether His Majesty will act against you, seizing this evidence, and not using it later to chop off the heads of the Li family when the timing is ripe."

"Or perhaps, bet whether I have the guts to proclaim this matter without going through His Majesty?"

Li Yanfu said, "You wouldn’t dare…"

Zhao Douan interrupted him, sneering:

"Why wouldn’t I dare? I am just a minor Sixth-rank official with no family burdens behind me. If Li Yinglong wants to kill me, and I kill him, that’s only logical.

But as for you, if things escalate, do you truly have the courage to go to war with His Majesty for Li Yinglong, dragging the entire Li family with you?

Heh, stealing the late Emperor’s concubine, even the Eight Princes couldn’t be spared for the sake of royal dignity.

And why should I proclaim it myself?

There were many today who saw this matter; accidentally leaked by someone, say, that Xu Hanlin? What does it have to do with me?"

Li Yanfu fell silent.

Zhao Douan’s tone suddenly softened.

With a flick of his fingers, he tossed the green plum into the wine jug, splashing up some turbid steaming wine; he sighed softly:

"Prime Minister Li, does your Li family of the Huai River genuinely care about the loss of that bit of tax silver from the new policy?

Or do you really care about the bloated parasites under you?

Or in your view, can the new policy truly be stopped?

Or can it only be delayed for a while?

It will fall eventually, won’t it? You’re also getting on in age, it’s time to think for yourself.

If you agree, today’s incident will merely be a misunderstanding.

If you’re unwilling, I won’t make it difficult for you."

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He stood up.

Even the scroll, he did not take.

Adjusting his clothes slightly with some regret, he looked at the nearly dried-out wine jug and shook his head:

"What a pity, it seems I won’t have the privilege of enjoying the Prime Minister’s wine."

Saying this, he slowly turned around and walked downstairs a second time.

But this time, he was also unsure what kind of response he would face.

One, two, three…

Just as Zhao Douan thought, this old fox, heart as ruthless as ever, courage the same as in his earlier days.

Finally, a tired voice came from behind:

"Wait."

Zhao Douan paused in his steps and turned around, questioning:

"Does Minister Li have more to say?"

Buried in his deep red official robe, he seemed to have his eyes closed.

At this moment, the setting sun slowly sank behind him, enveloping his whole figure in shadow, making it difficult for Zhao Douan to see clearly.

Li Yanfu, examining Zhao Douan before the light, suddenly posed a peculiar question:

"How do you think you compare to me?"

Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly laughed, shaking his head:

"I have long contended with myself, it’s better to remain me."

"I’d rather be me…"

"I’d rather be me…"

Li Yanfu chewed on this phrase, a famous line from another world, and seemed to smile briefly, then closed his eyes.

His expression returned to undisturbed calm.

The corner of the sunset that peaked out from behind him was once again obscured by dark clouds.

"Alright."

…

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