Chapter Forty: The Garden of Joyous Spring!

"The three-way dilemma, the mud-sculpted Chancellor..."

This question made Zhou Liang frown deeply as he looked at it:

First was the internal issue. Although "Zhou Liang," appointed as Chancellor, was theoretically the highest executive in the Ming Dynasty at present, he was, after all, a parachute appointment. Previously, he was merely an ordinary provincial graduate who had just participated to the palace examination.

With neither personal connections nor experience, being thrown straight into the seat of Chancellor—it would be a miracle if he didn't end up in prison!

If he wanted to recruit some reliable manpower, he found himself completely at a loss, crippled by the Divine Emperor's years of chaotic governance. The old bureaucrats could never be incorporated into his power core; to establish a new political system, he needed a batch of newcomers who were both untainted and reliable.

Yet where on earth was he supposed to find the time to cultivate such people? The Divine Emperor had only given him thirty years, and considering the past history between Her and Prisoner Yuan, there was a high probability that these thirty years would be cut short. He needed to be mentally prepared at any moment to be deposed mid-way by the Divine Emperor!

Therefore, what he lacked most right now was time. It was utterly impossible to slowly accumulate a batch of talents; the consequence of such slow cultivation would only be having them destroyed by a sudden downpour, fast-forwarding straight to Veteran BBQ or Prisoner Yuan Roast Duck...

To turn the tables, he had to take a dangerous and unconventional path.

Second was the resistance from the imperial court.

Before the Divine Emperor clearly made a move, this bunch of corrupt officials in the Great Ming court would never surrender on the spot. For the sake of their own wealth, glory, and lives, they would certainly oppose "Zhou Liang" in every possible way and obstruct the new policies!

Originally, his foundation was shallow, and now he was being collectively targeted, making the implementation of the new policies even more aggravating. Once he was bogged down in officialdom for a long time, the Divine Emperor, seeing no results for so long, would surely have a relapse of her old ailment and directly slice him halfway into Prisoner Yuan Roast Duck...

And the third issue was the most crucial one, which was:

What on earth was the Divine Emperor's stance?

Did She truly support the new reforms, or did She have other motives?

In a sense, this question and the second question were actually the same one. It was precisely because the Divine Emperor's attitude remained ambiguous—saying She supported the new policies, yet failing to take any action for so long—that all the officials harbored opportunistic hopes and resolutely opposed the new reforms!

Throughout this whole affair, the Divine Emperor, towering above everything, was the sole weight that could decide victory. Whomever She supported would win.

And if She supported no one, it would be equivalent to supporting the old bureaucrats, because "Zhou Liang" could not possibly crush the entire officialdom of Great Ming single-handedly. Once time dragged on, the old bureaucrats would win...

"Damn it! Chongzhen isn't acting like a reckless hothead; instead, he's learning from his Daoist ancestor and turning into a riddler!"

Zhou Liang massaged his temples, feeling completely helpless against this.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Liang hesitated:

"Should I... go directly to see the Divine Emperor?"

Thus, this plan quickly crystallized in his mind:

"Since everything stems from the Divine Emperor's unclear attitude, I might as well just go up and ask directly!"

"If She wants the new policies, then let Her step into the arena personally!"

"If She doesn't want the new policies, then I'll resign on the spot! Even the Emperor doesn't want to rule, so what the hell am I breaking my back for!"

Thinking this way, Zhou Liang's train of thought cleared up:

Did he need to second-guess the imperial will?

Second-guess my ass! I was suddenly pushed to power because of an imperial decree. If you want me to do this, then speak your mind clearly!

If you don't want me to do it, then spell it out as well! At worst, I'll just resign on the spot and return to my hometown!

This Chancellor's post wasn't something I wanted to take; it was something you forced upon me.

Once his thoughts cleared, Zhou Liang began to formulate his strategy...

"Wait!"

Just after writing a few characters, Zhou Liang paused once again:

"No... I can't ask directly..."

He frowned:

"This matter is not that simple..."

Although the Divine Emperor was still Chongzhen, She was, after all, no longer that novice. Having served as Emperor for over seventy years, it was hard to say whether Her other abilities had grown, but Her political maneuvering had definitely matured long ago!

Theoretically speaking, She would never engage in meaningless maneuvers.

Presently, since She had already issued a decree of self-blame and swiftly promoted a Chancellor, clearly letting the whole world know that She intended to support the new reforms, She would certainly not engage in any more wavering actions.

In other words, since the Divine Emperor had already violated ancestral precedents and grandly restored the post of Chancellor, She must genuinely want the new policies!

Her stance had actually been laid out on the table long ago:

We entirely support the new policies!

With just such a simple statement from Her, there was fundamentally no need to go and ask about Her stance again.

"However, if She truly supports me, then why doesn't She enter the arena?"

Zhou Liang thought for a moment, then suddenly started:

"Could it be... this is a test?!"

A test!

As this word popped up, an excited Zhou Liang couldn't help but slap his palm:

"Correct! This is a test!"

The Divine Emperor was no fool, after all. Although She swiftly elevated a provincial graduate to Chancellor because of a single monarch-minister dialogue, a purely verbal exchange was simply not enough to make Her trust "Zhou Liang's" abilities.

Therefore, She decided to test this man's capability.

How would She test him?

Just like this!

"Under the circumstance that She has explicitly supported the new policies, the other me has actually become the highest executive of Great Ming. Although he seemingly has nothing on the surface, as long as he has the explicit support of the Divine Emperor, he can possess everything! Including military power, financial power, political power, legal power... all powers can be legally grasped by him!"

"Building upon this, the other me is actually the only legal executive of Great Ming. Anyone who defies me is an illegal rebel and traitor!"

"That's right, the current court officials constitute an illegal regime!"

The more Zhou Liang thought about it, the more excited he became:

"Therefore, I can entirely and directly take them all down. Whether they are imprisoned or executed, I have the final say!"

"With such a massive advantage, if I were still foolishly trying to accumulate power, or playing some incomprehensible bureaucratic games with them, or even letting myself be marginalized and played for a fool, it would clearly prove that I am a political idiot. What the hell is the point of pushing new policies then..."

"And if I still dared to go and inquire about Her political leaning, it would undoubtedly make Her even more disappointed, leading Her to believe that I am a rookie with neither ability nor vision, utterly incapable of carrying out the new reforms..."

Zhou Liang couldn't help letting out a long breath of relief:

"Fortunately, I didn't go ask Her in person..."

Through this logical deduction, the previously tangled mass of a situation suddenly became crystal clear!

"So my most correct choice right now is to act swiftly and decisively, crushing the entire Great Ming court with the utmost speed! And then rebuild a clean, new court!"

"In this way, the new policies can be implemented, the test can be passed, and the Divine Emperor will be all the more satisfied!"

Zhou Liang smiled and clapped his hands, then decisively wrote down his strategy:

"Your power as Chancellor is infinite! Therefore, there is no need to reason with them using the logic of officialdom. If anyone opposes, just blast them to pieces!"

"The Emperor's power is your power, including military, political, financial, and legal powers—they are all yours!"

"Take these supreme powers and forge ahead with the new reforms!"

Upload!

[Ding! Strategy transmitted...]

[...]

[Just as you were agonizing over the three major internal and external problems and unable to push forward the new policies, a surge of strategy suddenly welled up in your mind...]

[“Power... is infinite...”]

[You were stunned for a moment, and then your eyes gradually brightened: That's right! Didn't the Divine Emperor say so? The supreme power of the realm for these thirty years rests entirely in my hands alone, and since She will not interfere with me, does that not mean... I am the Prince Regent of Great Ming?!]

[The Emperor's power is my power!]

[My power as Chancellor is infinite!]

[Clank! Please issue your command!]

[You immediately burst into laughter: Understood!]

[However, although you must act swiftly and decisively, you cannot be too obvious about your speed. You still have to put on a show of superficial compliance for a while to avoid startling the enemy...]

[...]

[In March of the 73rd Year of Chongzhen in Great Ming, you were appointed Chancellor.]

[During the subsequent three months, due to internal and external issues, your official decrees could not even leave the Chancellor's residence, and the new reforms remained stalled...]

[In July of the 73rd Year of Chongzhen, you suddenly sought out the Ministry of Works and ordered them to build a luxurious garden for Her Majesty the Divine Emperor as a birthday gift for Her 89th birthday!]

[An 89th birthday?]

[The Minister of Works wore a bewildered expression: Celebrations of longevity are always held for milestone ages, aren't they? Who celebrates an 89th birthday?]

[Moreover, Her Majesty's birthday falls on the 24th day of the 12th month. If construction starts now in July, there would be a construction period of less than six months. What kind of luxurious garden could possibly be built in that time? (Chongzhen was born on the 24th day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar)]

[The Minister of Works grumbled inwardly.]

[However, since you insisted on celebrating the Divine Emperor's 89th birthday, the Minister of Works had no choice but to grit his teeth and push forward... Although they did not want to take orders from you, this concerned the Divine Emperor after all, especially since She had previously explicitly stated Her intention to rectify official corruption, which made the officials even more apprehensive... Now that you were going to send Her a birthday gift, they naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to thoroughly ingratiate themselves with the Divine Emperor!]

[Consequently, this order was executed very efficiently. Everyone was highly efficient, showing none of their usual administrative procrastination and laziness, and their enthusiasm was extremely high.]

[However, the construction period was simply too short, so they had to shrink the area of the garden as much as possible, and even proactively utilized precious divine power to assist in the garden's construction, striving to complete it before December...]

[As for you, while dispatching men to inspect their work, you also used your identity as Chancellor to summon "Lu Zhongcheng," the Commander of the Jinyiwei stationed at the "Fengtai Garrison" near the capital, along with his primary subordinate officials.]

[After summoning them, you didn't talk about anything else, only drinking and feasting happily with them. As days passed, you grew quite familiar with one another, addressing each other as sworn brothers...]

[July, August, September...]

[Soon, the delivery deadline for the garden arrived: December!]

[On this day, you brought along "Lu Zhongcheng," whom you usually addressed as a brother, and together you arrived at this newly built garden that was about to be presented to the Divine Emperor as a birthday gift...]

[“Brother, is this also a part of the new policies?”]

[Strolling through this garden, Lu Zhongcheng, the Commander of the Jinyiwei, grew more and more astonished the more he looked: He saw that although the garden was not large, great care had been put into every detail—there were pavilions and towers, rare flowers and exotic herbs, and even an artificial pond specially excavated and connected to flowing water, with auspicious creatures like koi fish raised in the water...]

[“Would this be too extravagant? Ever since Her Majesty ascended the throne, She has always been renowned for Her thriftiness. Not to mention gardens, even the palaces have never had extra construction done; it's all just been repairs and patching...”]

[Lu Zhongcheng, who emulated the Divine Emperor and never indulged in wastefulness, felt extremely uneasy facing such extravagance, and couldn't help asking you in puzzlement: Is this really useful for the new policies?]

[“Of course it is.”]

[With your hands clasped behind your back, walking along the exquisite arched bridge, you looked at the clear lake water beneath the bridge and the koi fish swimming leisurely within it, and smiled mysteriously.]

[“This garden will not only make Her Majesty happy, but it will also weed out the troublesome pests obstructing the new policies... By then, Her Majesty will only be even happier.”]

[Lu Zhongcheng scratched his head in bewilderment.]

[Just at that moment, several officials from the Ministry of Works approached you holding a sheet of Xuan paper and a wolf-hair brush dripping with thick ink, and bowed respectfully.]

[“The new garden is complete, please bestow a name, Chancellor!”]

[“Bestow a name? Very well!”]

[You smiled, without any false modesty, and directly picked up the ink brush to write three full-bodied and vigorous characters on the Xuan paper.]

[“What fine calligraphy from the Chancellor!”]

[Lu Zhongcheng first uttered a word of praise, and then couldn't help reading it aloud.]

[“Changchun Garden...”]