Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Chapter 1861 - 435: What? Chen 94 Can Command King Qi?

Now, this Left Minister has grown too powerful, with his own ideas, boldly acting against the vassal kings. So, the question arises: what is the role of the vassal kings?Besides subduing local territories, their key function is to balance the power of court ministers.

In the past, the Grand Ancestor crafted a clever design. What game did the Emperor play?

The Emperor played the art of imperial strategy. What is the imperial strategy? Frankly, it is the art of balance. He purposefully set up opposing political rivals within the court, manipulating them like counting beads on an abacus.

If the left is unbalanced, he pushes left; if the right is unbalanced, he pushes right. In this way, he ensures stability within the court.

This is the Emperor’s art of balance.

Tuotuo was meant to counterbalance the Old Chancellor Hama, but now Hama has completely lost his influence, partly because the Empress Dowager has passed away.

Hama has lost his main identity as an outsider, so he can’t maintain balance with Tuotuo.

To prevent Tuotuo from becoming too dominant, the Emperor must rely on the vassal kings.

But Tuotuo wants to break free from the shackles of the vassal kings, to seize more power. This involves diminishing their power and deploying his reliable forces to take over localities.

Although Tuotuo’s actions are driven by power, they are beneficial for the overall development of the court.

After all, unified management by the court is certainly better than the local vassal kings acting independently, but good policies are not necessarily what the Emperor needs.

The Emperor needs balance, not Tuotuo’s dominance.

Therefore, if Tuotuo directly proposes reducing the power of vassal kings, the Emperor is likely to reject it. But fortunately, the Emperor has delegated power for many years.

Tuotuo plans to take a bold risk, striking suddenly, as he did this time by halting the plan to eradicate the Zoroastrian Sect and attack the Bright Peak.

This plan can be considered highly successful, capturing the Little Ming Dynasty, as his court’s influence soared, and trapping the Ruyang King in the Capital.

Smoothly finishing the annexation of Jiangnan under the Ruyang King, all that remains is to stabilize Jiangnan entirely before dealing with the small vassal kings around Jiangnan. Without Ruyang King as a backbone, they are but scattered sand.

By the time they react, Tuotuo will have completed the encirclement, and by then, Jiangnan and the surrounding vassal kings will have fallen, leaving only Li Siqi in the Northwest.

If Li Siqi resists stubbornly, the Treasure Elephant Army Commander Boluo Timur will deal with him.

If he wisely surrenders, Tuotuo can take him as a dog, gaining another Heavenly List Strong Person in his ranks.

By then, even if the Emperor knows, it will be too late; if the Emperor behaves, so be it, but if not, Tuotuo could easily declare: "Your Majesty, why do you rebel!"

He could easily place the Emperor under house arrest and the world would fall under Tuotuo’s rule.

If things go even better, Tuotuo can’t help but think: "Why must the Borjigit Clan sit as Emperor, when my Gimei Erji Clan might also take the throne."

This is undoubtedly a grand chess game. Although risky and aggressive, the potential gains are tremendous, and Tuotuo cannot resist the temptation!

Because of Tuotuo’s sudden action, everyone was caught off guard.

Tuotuo even colluded with the Living Buddha, presenting a Joyful Buddha Zen Technique to the Emperor under the Buddha’s name, and gratuitously offering a hundred stunning beauties for the Emperor to train with for a month.

Until the Emperor’s birthday, he is not to emerge.

During this period, all government affairs are handled by Tuotuo, as the Emperor is preoccupied with his training and did not anticipate Tuotuo’s hidden grand scheme, hence no precautions were taken. In truth, if the Emperor were to be informed of this matter,

the plan would not succeed, but how can the Emperor be informed?

Regular memorandums would be intercepted by Tuotuo, attempts to see the Emperor blocked by court officials. The only way around all these obstacles is the Eight Kings’ Biography.

By the Grand Ancestor’s command, anyone holding the Eight Kings’ Biography shall not be hindered and may go directly to the Emperor’s presence, face to face.

The Emperor, regardless of any matter, must put it aside and address the issues the Eight Kings raised, restoring peace to the realm!

This is the role of the Eight Kings’ Biography.

Wang Baobao explained the crucial connection to Prince Lu, who understood they were at a life-and-death juncture. At this point, Wang Baobao looked at Prince Lu and asked: "Uncle, do you have any doubts?"

Prince Lu shook his head: "None, none, but my wise nephew, I have a small..."

"Oh, Uncle has some uncertainties?"

Prince Lu replied: "It’s unrelated to the court; it’s about this Eight Kings’ Biography. To endorse the Eight Kings’ Biography, a leading Prince is needed."

"The Treasure Elephant Army Commander cannot take the lead, and the Ruyang King is under Tuotuo’s house arrest, only King Qi can lead it now."

"But as you know, King Qi has always been at odds with the Ruyang King. How can he lead the signing of the Eight Kings’ Biography?"

"Without a leading Prince, smaller kings like me would not be taken seriously by the court."

Wang Baobao laughed at Prince Lu’s words: "Uncle is absolutely right, but please look at the first page!"

He opened the Eight Kings’ Biography, and on the first page, a line was written prominently.

[Minister King Qi, also serving as Grand Marshal of the Shaanxi and Shanxi military, and Grey Wolf Army Leader Li Siqi, seeks an audience with the Emperor!]

[As a minister, I received the late Emperor’s grace, titled a King, and generously bestowed nine privileges, guarding the Northwest. Ever since my appointment, I have been diligently introspective, fearing any impropriety, lest I fail the Emperor’s favor.]

[With caution, as if treading on thin ice. But today, I received shocking news: Ruyang King Chaghan Timur has long been absent from his fiefdom. In my astonishment, I conducted thorough investigations.]