"My lords, these are the battle reports sent back from the front lines by Grand Marshal Tong. Take a look for yourselves!"
The next morning, in the Great Celebration Hall, Zhao Ji sat grimly upon the imperial throne.
At Zhao Ji's words, a young eunuch standing nearby quickly reached out and took the memorial from Zhao Ji's hand.
Under his gaze, all the assembled officials lowered their heads.
After all, everyone understood that the front lines had just suffered a defeat. At this moment, it was inconvenient for anyone to state their position.
Although Tong Guan was not present in the court, Prince Yun, one of Tong Guan's most loyal collaborators, was watching covetously.
Anyone who dared to bring up this matter at this time would likely have to pack their bags and flee to another land before the morning court concluded.
"No one is speaking? Then, shall I call upon you by name! Chancellor Wang, you are the current Junior Chancellor, you speak first!"
With hundreds of thousands of troops gathered in Hebei, Zhao Ji had emptied his coffers to ensure victory in this battle. The unfavorable turn of events on the front lines naturally caused him considerable anxiety.
Upon hearing the Emperor directly call his name, Wang Fu could not help but let out a wry smile.
However, he had made some preparations beforehand. After all, the human shield that was Li Bangyan was gone. In the entire court, looking around, he was the only one suitable to fill the void.
Now that a problem had arisen, the Emperor naturally sought him out.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant believes that victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare. Grand Marshal Tong has been in command of battles for a long time, and this is merely a minor setback. It amounts to nothing!"
After clearing his throat twice, Wang Fu decisively downplayed the issue.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, your son also believes that Chancellor Wang's words have merit! However, the situation on the front lines is currently tense. The nation cannot be without a ruler for a single day, nor can it be without a Prime Minister. Your son requests that Your Majesty quickly select a wise minister among the officials to oversee state affairs, so that the soldiers on the front lines have no worries about their rear!"
Zhao Kai had prepared extensively for this morning's court session. Seeing a good opportunity, he immediately shifted the topic of discussion from the soldiers on the front lines to the selection of a prime minister, without a second thought.
"What does the Crown Prince say?"
Hearing Zhao Kai's words, Zhao Ji's gaze suddenly became complex, but he then looked back at the Crown Prince.
"Your son, your son..."
After suffering a great loss last time, Zhao Huan had not yet recovered.
Although Liang Shicheng was by his side, his position was quite stable. However, when it came to competing for the position of Grand Chancellor, he had no suitable candidates in his hand.
There were many individuals with the qualifications to serve as Grand Chancellor, but among them, those with sufficient influence to ascend to power were exceedingly few.
After all, this was not the past; becoming Grand Chancellor now meant taking on a great deal of responsibility.
Moreover, without sufficient backing from behind, one would likely fall even more disastrously than Li Bangyan.
For both Wang Fu and Prince Yun were covetously eyeing the position, and anyone who wished to ascend at this moment would have to consider whether they could manage them!
Seeing Zhao Huan's hesitant demeanor, and then looking at Zhao Kai, who was watching covetously, Zhao Ji let out a long sigh.
"Forget it, if you have nothing to say, then withdraw!"
Regardless, Zhao Ji did not make things too difficult for him in court, as he was, after all, the Crown Prince.
"Yes!"
Seeing Zhao Huan's lack of ambition, even Liang Shicheng could not help but smile wryly.
The Emperor's intention was clear: he wanted the Crown Prince to compete for the position of Chancellor.
However, who knew that Zhao Huan would show absolutely no interest.
After all, even if he himself did not have a suitable candidate, nominating someone who was not too close to him would still be a favor.
Alas, the Crown Prince's performance today was truly exasperating.
"My lords, what are your thoughts?"
Since the Crown Prince had no suitable candidates, Zhao Ji had no choice but to pass the responsibility back to the assembled officials.
Today was a grand court session, and the forces of Wang Fu, Prince Yun, and the Crown Prince were essentially laid bare.
Hearing the Emperor's words, a large group of people immediately stepped forward, expressing their support for Prince Yun's proposal.
After all, their sole objective was to secure the position of Grand Chancellor.
First, decide whether to select a Grand Chancellor, and then discuss who would hold that position!
"Since it has come to this, let us proceed. Do any of my lords have suitable candidates in mind?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant believes that Chancellor Wang has toiled diligently and deserves further advancement. I am confident that with his talent, he will undoubtedly be able to assist Your Majesty in overcoming this difficult period!"
As soon as Zhao Ji finished speaking, Zhang Bangchang directly stepped forward.
"Your humble servant believes that although Chancellor Wang has toiled, his contributions are not noteworthy. In this time of crisis, your humble servant implores Your Majesty to select wise and capable individuals, rather than adhering to old conventions!"
As soon as Zhang Bangchang finished speaking, Wang Boyan was immediately put forward by Cai You to engage in a duel.
"Absurd! You are merely a petty clerk, what qualifications do you have to comment on the current Chancellor!"
Although Wang Boyan's position was not high, what he said truly put Wang Fu in an awkward position.
Indeed, he had been actively maneuvering over the years and had accomplished many things. However, in the final analysis, his performance over the years could be summarized in one sentence.
He was either plotting against someone or on his way to plot against someone.
As for specific achievements, he himself could probably not enumerate them.
However, this was currently in court. If the problem could not be solved, then the person raising the problem should be dealt with.
After all, the struggle between the two factions was not a new phenomenon.
These seasoned veterans of the court were all too familiar with their respective tactics.
Since no one could shake off the blame for their own dirty dealings, eliminating the person who raised the issue had become a common strategy.
Without hesitation, Zhang Bangchang retaliated with a personal attack on Wang Boyan.
With the two of them leading the charge, the court quickly devolved into a marketplace.
To disgust Wang Fu and confuse the issue, the faction of Prince Yun did not even put forward their own candidate but instead directly attacked Wang Fu.
Watching as one official after another popped out, Fan Zhengguo, for some unknown reason, suddenly recalled the scene of stray dogs fighting over food he had witnessed while farming in the countryside.
When he thought about it carefully, the entire court, with all its high-ranking officials, seemed to be no different from those stray dogs in the countryside.
If there was any difference to be made, perhaps it was that the position of Grand Chancellor was indeed a bit more valuable than a bone of meat in the rural wilderness!