pdf-ebookys Chapter 396 Ambition
Chapter 396 Ambition
Chapter 396 Ambition
Upon seeing the memorial, the emperor summoned Shen Zizai to the smoke-filled alchemy room. Shen Zizai casually tossed the memorial onto the table, squinted, and said, "Old friend, is your Shen family going to make the Ministry of Rites hereditary?"
Shen Zizai stood in the hall, and Bai Wuyou was meditating in front of the alchemy furnace beside him. He didn't care about the affairs of the court until he heard that it concerned Shen Li.
“Your Majesty is too kind. Li’er has been influenced by her family since she was a child and thinks that she can make a name for herself in the Ministry of Rites.” Shen Zizai then changed the subject: “I think she is still too young and should be trained more in the Hanlin Academy. She is not capable of shouldering the heavy responsibilities of the Six Ministries.”
This one sentence effectively blocked all of Shen Li's paths to promotion. After all, the best way out of the Hanlin Academy was the Six Ministries, which were also the true path to becoming a powerful minister.
Firstly, he didn't want his daughter to get involved in the complicated officialdom; secondly, he sensed the dissatisfaction in Emperor Cheng's words, and decided that it was better to bring it up himself than to wait for it to be rejected.
Emperor Cheng was pleased to hear this and smiled, saying, "Minister Shen, don't belittle Li'er too much. Although she is young, she is very opinionated and may very well be able to hone her skills in the Six Ministries."
Shen Zizai knew that this was another test. If he said yes, it would be seen as ambition, and it would put his daughter in the spotlight.
“His Majesty has doted on her since she was a child, and naturally favors her in everything. However, it is already an extraordinary favor from His Majesty for a girl to become a Hanlin Censor. She will have children in the future, so it is really not suitable for her to go into politics.” He refused again.
Bai Wuyou listened with confusion. Why was his master's father refusing? Shouldn't they do as the girl wanted?
With a thought, he flicked the whisk in his hand and placed it on the ground. He then took out a tortoise shell from his pocket, put in a copper coin, and began shaking it as if no one else was around.
Making strange noises in front of the emperor is usually considered a great disrespect, but for Bai Wuyou it was just a normal thing. From the day he arrived, he never treated the emperor as an emperor.
The emperor, however, was quite taken with this, believing Bai Wuyou to be a true cultivator, and not only never blamed him but also treated him with great respect.
Emperor Cheng was very satisfied with Shen Zizai's answer. He was unwilling to let Shen Li enter the Ministry of Rites, even though he knew that Shen Li was a capable person with a sense of public duty. If he were to take charge of the Ministry of Rites in the future, he would surely be able to cultivate many upright officials for the court, just like his predecessors.
However, he could no longer tolerate the growing power of the Shen family. Their influence had reached a point where even he was somewhat wary, and no matter who the new emperor was, they would not be able to suppress them.
His decision to reduce the Shen family's influence before leaving meant he could no longer allow Shen Li a path to advancement.
Fortunately, Shen Zizai was sensible enough; all he had to do was agree reasonably.
Bai Wuyou's voice interrupted him, but he didn't rush to speak. Instead, he looked in Bai Wuyou's direction with a kind of reverence, and his originally lazy posture straightened up a bit.
Shen Zizai waited for the emperor to speak, but found that his attention had already been diverted and was focused on that direction, which made him extremely disappointed.
Looking at the face of his childhood friend on the throne, a face much older than his own, he saw in his mind a young man with lofty ambitions, who vowed to sweep away the decline of the Great Zhao Dynasty, strengthen the country and benefit the people, and become a wise ruler.
How did he become such a foolish and incompetent ruler who distrusts meritorious officials, manipulates power, and is obsessed with alchemy and the pursuit of immortality?
Is this his true nature, or can a position truly change a person?
Shen Zizai sighed inwardly, waiting for Bai Wuyou's divination to end.
The sound of copper coins hitting the tortoise shell stopped, and with a clatter, three copper coins fell to the ground.
Bai Wuyou stared intently at the few copper coins, then after a moment he suddenly realized something. But he said nothing and silently collected the coins and the tortoise shell one by one. He picked up the whisk and looked like he was about to continue meditating.
"May I ask, Immortal Master, what divination were you performing just now?" Emperor Cheng couldn't help but ask, his voice full of piety, devoid of any of his usual imperiousness or deep majesty.
Bai Wuyou then reluctantly turned to Emperor Cheng and made a kowtow with one hand: "Your Majesty, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. They concern the fate of the nation, so this humble Taoist must be even more careful with his words."
Emperor Cheng was very curious about the Heavenly Secrets, and he was even more eager to hear about matters concerning the fate of the nation.
He even stood up and returned the bow, saying, "Since this concerns the fate of the nation, I humbly request that the Immortal Master, for the sake of the people, offer some guidance."
Shen Zizai couldn't stand Emperor Cheng's attitude any longer, so he frowned and said seriously:
"Your Majesty, the fate of the nation is in the hands of the monarch. If the monarch is diligent and wise, he will naturally attract loyal ministers and generals, and the nation will prosper. If the monarch abuses his power and employs treacherous officials, the nation will decline. This is the destiny of the nation, so why bother with divination?"
It was a great taboo for an emperor not to ask questions when offering advice, and only Shen Zizai dared to speak frankly to the emperor.